Reverse Osmosis Systems

Reverse osmosis systems are a purification technology that separates ions in water by forcing water through membrane pores under high pressure. Especially industrial reverse osmosis systems are one of the indispensable pieces of equipment in the industry.

Reverse osmosis, or as it is commonly known in the world and industry, is a membrane-based water purification technique used to separate ions from water. This technique is based on the principle of filtering water containing dissolved ions through specially selective membranes under high pressure. While the membranes allow water to pass through, they act as a barrier against other ions, preventing their passage and thus enabling the purification process. When examined in terms of cost/benefit in today's technology, we can easily say that the most suitable purification technique in the industry is industrial reverse osmosis.

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Our Reverse Osmosis Systems

Check out the product groups designed for specific purposes

Small and Medium-Sized RO

Check our reverse osmosis systems with capacities ranging from 0.25 m3/h to 5 m3/h.

Large Scale RO

Check ou reverse osmosis systems with capacities ranging from 5 m3/h to 200 m3/h.

Seawater Desalination RO

Check our seawater purification and desalination systems between 0.25 m3 and 100 m3/h.

Applications of Reverse Osmosis Systems

Industrial reverse osmosis systems are used for various purposes in many different fields, especially in industrial water treatment processes. The most preferred areas and processes for these systems are:

Supply of drinking water from seawater or other sources that are not suitable for drinking
Treatment of boiler feed water in boilers
Production of ultra-pure water in the microelectronics sector
Production of high-purity water for the pharmaceutical industry
Process water treatment in beverage production
Production processes of dairy products and many other food products in the food sector
Recovery of industrial waste or applications for rehabilitating and releasing it into nature

Industrial-type reverse osmosis systems with different design features are used in all other areas of industry.

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What Components Does the System Comprise?

A reverse osmosis device is not composed solely of membrane and pump components. Depending on the design, an industrial-type purification device may include some or all of the following equipment.

Cartridge Filters
High Pressure Pumps
Membranes
Membrane Housings
Measuring Devices
Control Valves

You may also need a pre-treatment system for most processes. Generally, in a treatment system, you may need to use different conditioning applications such as a sand filter, a carbon filter, and water softening, depending on the raw water conditions and design.

Cartridge Filters

In reverse osmosis applications, we use cartridge filters to protect the entire system and membrane arrays from contamination. These filters are the simplest and most efficient solution to prevent sand, gravel, carbon, and resin particles that may reach the system due to potential damage during the pre-treatment stage from reaching the pumps and membranes, as well as to filter out much smaller particles that pass through the pre-filters. Additionally, they also prevent macro particles that cause contamination from reaching the membrane arrays. The equipment used in reverse osmosis devices is not designed to block contaminants such as suspended solids, turbidity, and SDI found in water. Although filters with a 5-micron filtration capability are used in osmosis devices, their purpose is to protect the rest of the system. Therefore, filters exposed to high levels of contaminants will quickly clog, leading to additional costs under operating conditions.

The number and sizes of cartridge filters to be used in the application are determined based on the required flow capacity. Industrial reverse osmosis devices come in sizes of 10 inches, 20 inches, 30 inches, and 40 inches. Each filter type has a maximum capacity specified in the product documentation. The general consensus is that the required flow capacity of the system should be rounded up when divided by the nominal capacity of the filter.

Pressure Pumps

One of the most important components of a reverse osmosis water purification system is the high-pressure pump. Through this pump, water is pressurized within the membrane to perform the purification function. Depending on the system design, it can operate at many different flow rates and pressures. In some cases, it can also be designed with redundancy.

The high-pressure pump is the equipment that consumes the most power in the system. For this reason, selection criteria must be entirely project-specific and precise. Choosing a pump smaller than the needs of the reverse osmosis system not only prevents the system from functioning properly but also selecting a pump larger than necessary significantly increases energy consumption. In fact, in some cases, this difference in energy consumption can even multiply the system's costs over a few years.

Membranes

Membranes are the main components of the purification system. The entire system is designed to transport the water to be processed through these membranes and to ensure that the membrane performs its function. While membrane selection is made specifically according to the project, the arrangement and the specific types and quantities of membranes needed in each order are specially designed. For this reason, it would not be incorrect to assume that the primary criterion for the success of a reverse osmosis device is membrane design.

Measuring Instruments

Regardless of the system, every system requires measurement. Especially automatic systems cannot perform any tasks without measurement devices. Reverse osmosis devices also contain different types of measurement equipment. Even the simplest setups include pressure gauges, flow meters, and water quality measurement devices (conductivity meters, pH meters, etc.). With these measurement devices, you can continuously monitor both system health and water quality.

What is Reverse Osmosis?

Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a membrane-based demineralization technique used to separate dissolved solids (i.e., ions) from a solution. Membranes generally act as a semi-permeable barrier, allowing some ions to pass while serving as a barrier for others.

Figure 1 illustrates the flow mechanism occurring within a reverse osmosis membrane. As shown in the figure, RO currently offers the best filtration available and filters out most dissolved solids as well as suspended solids. Although RO membranes do not allow the passage of suspended solids, it is recommended that the water to be filtered undergoes a pre-treatment process before entering the osmosis purification system to ensure a long membrane life and prevent fouling.

Purpose of Use

The most common application of reverse osmosis systems is water conditioning in industrial processes. Especially when used in process waters that are utilized as boiler feed water, it ensures the production of high-quality water when used in conjunction with water softening devices. In processes that require higher purity water, a supplementary deionization unit can be installed alongside the reverse osmosis system to obtain completely purified water. In advanced purification applications, mixed bed ion exchangers or electrodeionization systems are typically used. For detailed information, you can check the pure water systems page. These systems are also used for drinking water supply outside of industrial processes. For both residential use and high-density applications, RO systems stand out in terms of efficiency and cost-effectiveness for drinking water.

Other Areas of Use

It is used in applications for supplying drinking water from seawater or artesian wells. It is particularly widely used for this purpose in the Middle East.
It is used in the production processes of ultra-pure water in the fields of electronics and microelectronics.
In pharmaceutical production and other pharmaceutical applications, it is used for supplying high-purity water that complies with American and European pharmacopoeias.
Reverse osmosis is used as process water in food and beverage applications.
Processing of dairy products
In the metal industry, it is especially used in surface treatment applications.
It is used in the purification of domestic and industrial waters.

Advantages

Since the 1970s, the membrane industry has focused on membrane technologies that enable more successful filtration of dissolved substances in water, requiring lower pressure and allowing for higher capacity water purification. As a result of all these developments over time, different membrane technologies emerged that provide water of suitable purity for various filtration methods. Additionally, costs have significantly decreased, and the reverse osmosis technique has become capable of providing cost-effective solutions for industrial water purification needs. The table below shows the development of membrane technology from the 1970s to the present.

Year	Pressure Requirement (bar)	Filtration Efficiency (%)	Relative Cost
1970	30	97.0	1.0
1980	19	99.0	1.0
1985	15	99.7	0.65
1990	10	99.7	0.34
1995	8	99.7	0.19
2000	6	99.7	0.14