Harn R/O Systems Blog

Pretreatment: The Last Line of Defense for Your R/O Membranes

Posted by Julie Nemeth-Harn on May 10, 2021 9:00:00 AM

Some raw feed waters contain suspended particulate material. This material is commonly sand, iron oxides, clay or elemental sulfur. Introduction of such materials into the membrane system can cause the development of excessive system differential pressure (dP), or even complete blockage of the brine channels with the resultant reduction of permeate flow. It can also cause physical damage to the membranes themselves. This usually results in a decrease of permeate quality and reduction of membrane life. Cartridge filtration is normally a simple and cost-effective way to reduce the amount of particulate matter reaching the membrane surface.

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Topics: membrane filtration, membrane treatment system, membrane treatment, water treatment, membrane plants, water quality, ro calculations

8 Simple Steps for Performing a Successful Membrane Installation

Posted by Julie Nemeth-Harn on Mar 22, 2021 9:15:00 AM

Membranes are loaded from the feed end of the pressure vessel. To better understand the installation procedure, the following definitions are helpful:

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Topics: membrane treatment system, membrane treatment, water treatment, water quality

Why Daily Data Collection is Important and What Parameters to Use to Monitor Your Membrane System

Posted by Julie Nemeth-Harn on Jan 18, 2021 9:00:00 AM

An important part of operating membrane systems is accurate data collection on a daily basis.  The data will help predict normal maintenance schedules and will help determine the cause of any system upsets.  Comprehensive data is very useful in determining when the membranes need to be chemically cleaned, or eventually replaced. It also alerts the operator to changes taking place such as fouling, leaking “O” rings etc.

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Topics: membrane treatment system, membrane treatment, water treatment, water quality, silt density index

How to calculate Anti-Scalant Feed Dosage?

Posted by Julie Nemeth-Harn on Jan 11, 2021 10:15:00 AM

There exists a potential for calcium, barium, strontium, fluoride and silica compounds to precipitate in the concentrate or brine channels of the reverse osmosis membranes. Precipitation occurs when the solubility limits of these various salts and silica is exceeded. 

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Topics: membrane treatment system, membrane treatment, water treatment, scale inhibitor

8 Simple Steps for Performing a Successful Membrane Installation

Posted by Julie Nemeth-Harn on Dec 28, 2020 9:00:00 AM

Membranes are loaded from the feed end of the pressure vessel. To better understand the installation procedure, the following definitions are helpful:

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Topics: membrane treatment system, membrane treatment, water treatment, water quality

Membrane Water Treatment: A Simpler and More Cost- Effective Process Than You May Think

Posted by Julie Nemeth-Harn on Dec 21, 2020 11:44:00 AM


Membrane filtration can be explained as a method of allowing certain materials to permeate a surface while blocking others. For water, this means allowing clean water to flow through the membrane while eliminating sediments and other materials or pathogens. Membrane filtration is a multiple-step process which is considered to be one of the most cost-effective water treatments available.

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Topics: membrane filtration, membrane treatment system, reverse osmosis, membrane treatment, water treatment, membrane plants, save money, water treatment plant