Direct Cassette Retrofit of NIPS UF Membranes with TIPS UF Membranes at Two Drinking Water Plants in the US

Two cities in the US became the first to replace their submerged NIPS membranes with retrofit cassettes and TIPS membranes supplied by Scinor Water America, LLC. The City of Chesapeake Virginia retrofit one 2 MGD train with four Scinor cassettes in September 2019. The City of Thornton Colorado retrofit one 7 MGD train with ten Scinor cassettes in March 2020. Both are drinking water plants purifying surface water in two very different treatment processes. Chesapeake utilizes coagulation directly fed into the filtration basins and utilizes a feed and bleed process protocol. Thornton utilizes coagulation and settling upstream of their filtration basins and utilizes a frequent deconcentration process protocol. Both plants achieve excellent water quality results but differ in how the membranes are operated. Performance and operational data will be presented including permeability, LRV, membrane integrity,chemical cleaning efficiency, operational costs and seasonal impacts. Lessons learned at both plants will be discussed as will modest changes to the implementation strategies that will be employed on future projects. Areas for future optimization at these existing plants will also be discussed focused on increased production, decreased operational cost and increased operator flexibility. The projects represent a novel membrane replacement alternative and one of the first such replacements in North America.

This presentation is available to AMTA Members only.