Analytical Models for Seawater and Boron Removal through Reverse Osmosis

Abstract

Regarding the purification of seawater, it is necessary to reduce both the total concentration of salt and also the concentration of boron to meet purity requirements for safe drinking water. For this purpose reverse osmosis membrane modules can be designed based on experimental data supported by computer models to determine energy efficient configurations and operating conditions. In previous studies numerical models have been suggested to predict the performance of the removal with respect to difference pressures, pH values, and temperatures. Here, an analytical model is suggested which allows for both the simplified fitting of the parameters required for predicting boron transport coefficients and also the simple equations that can be used for the design of combined seawater and boron removal systems. This modelling methodology is demonstrated through two case studies including FilmTec and Saehan membrane modules. For both cases the model is shown to be able to predict the performance with similar accuracy compared with existing finite-difference type numerical models from the literature.