DOW FILMTEC Membranes

Flow Factor for RO System Design

The Flow Factor

The Flow Factor (FF) in ROSA is a value used to calculate the system feed pressure under
certain conditions or age. The FF is defined as the fraction of the water permeability of the
membrane relative to a membrane with nominal flow specification. It allows calculation of
the remaining flow performance of a membrane system considering the effects of reversible
and irreversible fouling, aging effects due to temperature, pressure and operation time, and
a safety margin. Previously, FF was called Fouling Factor. However, since it has a more
general meaning of a flow performance related to a reference flow performance rather than
a description of just fouling, the term Flow Factor is more appropriate.
With a FF of 1.0 the feed pressure is calculated for a system with membrane elements
performing according to the published nominal flow specification. This feed pressure is
expected for large systems at initial start-up after stabilization and without fouling.
After start-up and during operation of the RO system, the normalized flow performance may
decrease. The feed pressure required after some time of operation is projected by using a
FF < 1. The rate of FF decrease with time depends on the feed water fouling potential and
the frequency and efficiency of cleanings, and the system design. Typically the FF decrease
is not linear with time; most of the flux loss will occur initially during the first year.
The feed pressure will be lower at higher temperatures as the water permeability of the
membrane increases with temperature. The Temperature Correction Factor (TCF) in ROSA
compensates for the temperature change. At higher temperatures seen in seawater
applications membrane compaction can take place and will reduce permeability. ROSA
takes this compaction into consideration, and the projected feed pressure at a given
temperature considers both the temperature and the compaction effect.
In seawater plants operating under warm conditions, some of the compaction of the
membrane is irreversible. ROSA 7 has a hysteresis function that takes into account the
highest temperature that the membrane is exposed to in operation. There is a memory
effect of the membrane, exhibiting a reduced flow performance at a given temperature after
previous operation at a higher temperature. Figure 1 illustrates the effect of temperature on
the feed pressure at FF 1 and at FF 0.8 with and without hysteresis for a typical SWRO
system. If, in the case of the FF = 0.8 and the maximum temperature is 45C, then the
pressures at lower temperatures will be higher than in the case of FF = 0.8 and the
membrane has not been subjected to a temperature of 45C.

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Form No. 609-02208-1110

Figure 1
Feed pressure
35600 ppm, 110 cmh, 40% recovery, 29 vessels (6M), SW30HRLE-400i, 17 lmh
90
ROSA 7 FF 1
85

ROSA 7 FF 0.8
ROSA 7 FF 0.8 (hyst max 45)

80

ROSA 7 FF 0.8 (hyst max 30)

75

bar

70

65

60

55

50

45
0

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Temperature (C)

Figure 1: Feed pressure calculation for a typical SWRO system at different feed temperatures

Design
Recommendations

The most challenging RO system design condition is a FF 1.0 in combination with the maximum feed
temperature, the maximum feed TDS and the maximum system recovery. Under such conditions the
water permeability of the membrane is the highest, and the net driving pressure is highest for the lead
elements. Hence the tendency of the lead elements for exceeding the flow limit is highest. If the
chosen design works under these conditions then normally it will also work at lower FFs.
For the design of an RO system we recommend using at least the two boundary conditions a) and b):
a) FF 1.0 at maximum temperature / maximum feed TDS and
b) Lowest FF at minimum temperature / maximum feed TDS with hysteresis function (for seawater).
The lowest FF depends on the feed water quality:
0.65 for seawater with open intake and conventional pretreatment SDI<5
0.70 for seawater with beach well intake or MF/UF pretreatment SDI<3
0.65 for brackish surface water with conventional pretreatment SDI<5
0.70 for brackish surface water with MF/UF pretreatment SDI<3
0.75 for brackish well water SDI<3
0.80 for RO permeate as feed
0.55 for waste water reuse with conventional pretreatment SDI<5
0.60 for waste water reuse with MF pretreatment SDI<3
0.65 for waste water reuse with UF pretreatment SDI<3
The design is acceptable if the printout shows no warnings under those conditions. The pressure
calculated with FF 1.0 is the expected feed pressure at start-up with clean membranes. The pressure
calculated with the lowest FF is the expected maximum pressure after three years of operation. This
is the recommended maximum pump pressure which is sufficient to provide the design capacity
under all conditions including the typical degree of fouling.

DOW FILMTEC Membranes

For more information about DOW
FILMTEC membranes, call the Dow
Water & Process Solutions business:
North America:
1-800-447-4369
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(+55) 11-5188-9222
Europe:
(+32) 3-450-2240
Pacific:
+60 3 7958 3392
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+813 5460 2100
China:
+86 21 3851 1000
http://www.dowwatersolutions.com

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Form No. 609-02208-1110