Fouling indices have been extensively investigated in membrane applications, for evaluating the feed-water fouling potential and providing guidelines for the pretreatment process. For the past few decades, the silt density index (SDI) has been adopted as the most mature fouling index in many seawater reverse osmosis desalination plants. Recently, a modified fouling index (MFI) has gained attention since it compensates for the defects of the SDI. Its publication by ASTM Standard promoted more settlements in practical applications. To gain insight into the use of a membrane-fouling index, this paper reviewed SDI and MFI applications in laboratory-, pilot-, and plant-scale verifications, under conditions likely to be encountered in seawater desalination. The main focus was on the historical development of the fouling indices from theoretical basis to full-scale applications and the identification of future opportunities to expand their reliability in real applications. In particular, the practical implications associated with plant operation were documented to support an in-depth understanding of the MFI values.

在膜应用中已经对结垢指数进行了广泛研究，以评估给水结垢的可能性并为预处理过程提供指导。在过去的几十年中，在许多海水反渗透淡化厂中，淤泥密度指数（SDI）被用作最成熟的结垢指数。最近，由于改进的结垢指数（MFI）可以弥补SDI的缺陷，因此引起了人们的关注。它由ASTM标准发布，促进了实际应用中的更多解决方案。为了深入了解膜污染指数的使用，本文回顾了在海水淡化可能遇到的条件下，SDI和MFI在实验室，中试和工厂规模验证中的应用。主要关注的是污垢指数从理论基础到全面应用的历史发展，并确定了在实际应用中扩展其可靠性的未来机会。特别是，记录了与工厂运营相关的实际含义，以支持对MFI值的深入了解。