Bureaucrat, staff, administrator
4,335
edits
Changes
m
→Installation and Maintenance
Reverse osmosis is the process of causing pure water to move out of the solution and through the membrane to the other side. To accomplish this, a high-pressure pump must be used, around 800 psi. The process is not very efficient, either. About 90% of the seawater and energy are wasted. In some designs, notably Spectra and Livol, this energy is partially recovered by applying it on the backside of the piston in the pump.
=== Pre-Filtration ===
To prevent clogging the membranes, a pre-filtration system can remove particles of sand and organic matter down to 1 micron in size. Install a back-washed sand filter at the inlet. Use a series of filters (e.g., 50-25-5-1 micron) to remove other particles. If you put the finer filter first, it will clog immediately. Install an oil-water separator to remove oil. An absorption/reactive carbon filter will remove taste, odour, chlorine and organic chemicals.
=== Post-Filtration ===
A second carbon filter can capture chemicals not removed by the reverse osmosis membrane. An ultraviolet lamp can sterilize any microbes that may escape filtering by the reverse osmosis membrane.
== Right Sizing the Capacity ==
Once you have determined the capacity required in GPH, pick a model close to this which has the best GPHA (GPH/AH) rating. Next, analyse the impact on the electrical system. If that doesn’t calculate-out the way you would like, repeat the exercise with a modified scenario.
== Installation and Maintenance == For cold water expeditions, the water intake to the watermaker should be preheated.
See [[WatermakerInstallation]] and [[WatermakeMaintenance]].
[[Category:FreshwaterSystems]]