ASSESSMENT OF FILTRATION MODE FOR THE ULTRAFILTRATION MEMBRANE PROCESS

To optimize the process performances, the Aquasource UF membrane, whic h is widely used for potable water production, can be operated in both dead-end and cross-flow filtration mode due to its hollow fiber membr ane configuration. A pilot study was undertaken to evaluate the UF pro cess in dead-end filtration compared to cross-flow filtration mode in terms of water loss, energy consumption (flux rate achievable:). The s tudy performed on surface water, i.e., high variable water quality, ha s shown that the membrane specific flux in cross-flow filtration seems to be more stable at high flux, i.e., 100 L/h.m(2). However, results have shown that in dead-end filtration, a gain of about 0.3 kWh/m(3) i s realized on energetic balance. In this case, the energy consumption is around 0.2 kWh/m(3) and represents only a small percentage of the o peration and maintenance costs. However, maximum flux achievable needs to be tested for both operating modes in order to evaluate the capita l cost in terms of membrane surface requirement.