Abstract In this study, the membrane autopsy was performed on a full-scale seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant located on the Red Sea. Several techniques were employed to characterize the nature and the fate of the foulants in the process, including LCOCD, ICP-MS, SEM-EDS, TSS, and ATP. The efficiency of the pretreatment in removing the fouling potential was assessed by analyzing the seawater after the intake feed pump, after the spruce media filter (SMF) and after the cartridge filter (CF). The autopsy of the membrane modules and CF operated for long-term revealed the presence of a heterogeneous fouling layer. The organic fraction composition of the fouling layer depended on the module position in the vessel. The inorganic deposits embedded in the layer were mainly composed of aluminum, iron, and magnesium silicate. The inorganic sediments entered the plants from the shoreline seawater intake and accumulated on the CF filter and the membrane. The analysis of the pretreatment performance showed an increase of TSS and ATP after CF, highlighting the inappropriate CF filter replacement time.

中文翻译：

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红海全规模海水反渗透淡化 (SWRO) 装置的污垢调查：膜尸检和预处理效率

摘要 在这项研究中，对位于红海的全尺寸海水反渗透 (SWRO) 海水淡化厂进行了膜解剖。采用了多种技术来表征过程中污染物的性质和归宿，包括 LCOCD、ICP-MS、SEM-EDS、TSS 和 ATP。通过分析进料泵后、云杉介质过滤器 (SMF) 和筒式过滤器 (CF) 后的海水，评估了去除污垢可能性的预处理效率。长期运行的膜组件和 CF 的尸检显示存在异质结垢层。污垢层的有机部分组成取决于容器中的模块位置。嵌入地层的无机沉积物主要由铝、铁和硅酸镁组成。无机沉积物从海岸线海水进水口进入植物并积聚在 CF 过滤器和膜上。预处理性能的分析表明，CF 后 TSS 和 ATP 增加，突出了不合适的 CF 过滤器更换时间。