Abstract Despite significant advances in reverse osmosis (RO) applications, membrane fouling is an inevitable problem that reduces the quantity and quality of produced water and is associated with reducing the energy efficiency of the entire system. The aim of this study was to expand our understanding of the modified fouling index (MFI), which is a reliable tool used to provide insight into the fouling characteristics of the RO process in advance. The applicability of MFI to predict RO membrane performance was verified using a 50 m3/day pilot-scale ultrapure water (UPW) production plant study. The correlation between MFI and RO membrane performance (i.e., ∆(differential pressure)) was well validated based on seven months of pilot operation data. MFI-UFflux-10kDa was selected as a proxy for the fouling potential measurement according to the target process (or source water) to support the stable operation of UPW plant applications. Case studies including sensitivity analyses and electrochemical deionization (EDI) concentrate reclamation have verified the intimate correlation between the MFI and RO performance. The results from the current study are expected to provide practical insight and technical guidelines for RO-based plant engineers/operators.

中文翻译：

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MFI-UF在超纯水生产系统中的应用监测反渗透工艺的稳定性能

摘要 尽管反渗透 (RO) 应用取得了重大进展，但膜污染是不可避免的问题，会降低采出水的数量和质量，并与降低整个系统的能源效率有关。本研究的目的是扩大我们对修正结垢指数 (MFI) 的理解，这是一种可靠的工具，用于提前洞察 RO 过程的结垢特征。使用 50 立方米/天的中试规模超纯水 (UPW) 生产工厂研究验证了 MFI 预测 RO 膜性能的适用性。MFI 和 RO 膜性能（即 ∆（压差））之间的相关性根据七个月的试运行数据得到了很好的验证。根据目标过程（或源水）选择 MFI-UFflux-10kDa 作为污染潜力测量的代理，以支持 UPW 工厂应用的稳定运行。包括敏感性分析和电化学去离子 (EDI) 浓缩物回收在内的案例研究已经验证了 MFI 和 RO 性能之间的密切相关性。当前研究的结果有望为基于 RO 的工厂工程师/操作员提供实用的见解和技术指南。