Production excellence of Lewabrane elements Cologne 2015 1
Production excellence of Lewabrane Elements Issue 1. Lewabrane production facility Issue 2. Production of RO membrane Issue 3. Production of a spiral wound element Issue 4. Quality control 2
Production excellence of Lewabrane Elements Issue 1. Lewabrane production facility Issue 2. Production of RO membrane Issue 3. Production of a spiral wound element Issue 4. Quality control 3
LANXESS built the new membrane production facility including R&D, production and marketing in Bitterfeld Bitterfeld, Germany 4
Production excellence of Lewabrane Elements Issue 1. Lewabrane production facility Issue 2. Production of RO membrane Production of the Polysulfone layer Production of the Polyamide layer Benefits of a high cross-linked membrane Issue 3. Production of a spiral wound element Issue 4. Quality control 5
Lewabrane in-house production includes all production steps: coating - winding - single element test Preparation of polysulfone (PS) solution Preparation of monomers for Polyamide (PA) coating Several membrane leaves are stacked and prepared for the winding process RO element needs to be checked, based on industrial standards in an Element Tester Chemical preparation PS PS support layer Chemical preparation PA coating layer Winding preparation Winding & assembly Quality control Final RO elementt Feed water 3 2 1 Polyamide (PA) layer Polysulfone (PS) layer Non woven 2 1 3 Desalinated water PS polymer uniformly coated on a non-woven sheet Formation of an ultrathin PA barrier layer by in situ-formed polymerization Winding of RO membrane sheets to form a spiral-wound Final 8 inch RO membrane element 6
Polysulfone (PS) is casted on a non-woven in a coagulation process to produce the support layer First steps in RO membrane production What makes the difference? Stainless steel production machines High quality non-woven Picture/Artwork size: Carrier: Polyester (non-woven) 90-100µm Polysulfone casting on a nonwoven Support layer: Polysulfone (PS) High purity chemicals Fully automated and controlled production process Carrier PS casting PS Support layer 7
The PA layer is formed on top of the Polysulfone in a controlled polymerization process A thin-film Polyamide layer is cast on Polysulfone What makes the difference? Stainless steel production machines Controlled environment Picture/Artwork size: Support layer: Polysulfone (PS) Polyamide casting on the Polysulfone sheet Active barrier layer = Polyamide (PA), thickness 0.1µm High purity chemicals High reaction yield leads to high cross-linked and low charged membrane higher durability better rejection behavior PS Support layer PA casting PA Membrane 8
Production excellence of Lewabrane Elements Issue 1. Lewabrane production facility Issue 2. Production of RO membrane Issue 3. Production of a spiral wound element Components of a spiral wound element Issue 4. Quality control 9
PA membrane sheet is wound into RO elements in an robotic process to ensure a constant quality Winding process What makes the difference? Robotic winding Robotic side cut and leak test Picture/Artwork size: Spacer cutting Preparation of RO membrane sheet 90-100µm Winding and assembling Side cut; leak test ATD attachment Filament winding High reproducibility High surface area due to optimized glue lines Optimized membrane envelope geometry Apply glue line to tricot and sheet Preparation Winding Assembling 10
Outer diameter, overall length and core tube diameter is the same for all membrane suppliers The finished RO membrane element (8 ) with standard dimension 201mm 29 mm 1016 mm 11
Both The optimized dimensions of a membrane pocket and Glue line ~ 1000 mm 40" Permeate Design of a membrane pocket 1000 mm 40" Center pipe Membrane Permeate spacer Feed Feed Glue line Membrane sheet cross section 12
the improved design of the element play an important role in RO element performance Cross section of a not wound element 13
Feed Spacers have a big impact on pressure losses and fouling in the process Examples of different Feed Spacer designs 14
LANXESS is working on novel Feed Spacer designs Computational fluid dynamics simulation for a Feed Spacer Comment Feed spacer geometries have an influence on Pressure drop Energy consumption Fouling LANXESS is working with external institutes and suppliers to offer the best design of this spacer 15
The choice of the Tricot (permeate carrier) is decisive for low pressure losses in the membrane envelop Purpose and material Brackish water The tricot should be adapted to the different applied pressures. The structure of the tricot should avoid pressure losses at the permeate side Seawater 16
The ATD is fixed to both ends of the element, and prevents telescoping ATD Element 17
Production excellence of Lewabrane Elements Issue 1. Lewabrane production facility Issue 2. Production of RO membrane Issue 3. Production of a spiral wound element Issue 4. Quality control 18
All Lewabrane elements are measured by an Element Tester which automatically generates CoA s RO Element Performance Measurement is based on ASTM, and performance is calculated by solution diffusion equations Rejection (%) and Permeate Flow (m3/day) are given on the CoA 19
Why use Lewabrane? RO elements The membrane chemistry and the quality are our benefits High quality standard due to Process controlled production Picture/Artwork size: Height = 10.29 cm Width = 9.11 cm Robotic element production Each element is tested CoA for each element available Production in Germany Title 20
Safe harbor statement This presentation contains certain forward-looking statements, including assumptions, opinions and views of the company or cited from third party sources. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause the actual results, financial position, development or performance of the company to differ materially from the estimations expressed or implied herein. The company does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying such forward looking statements are free from errors nor do they accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this presentation or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. No representation or warranty (express or implied) is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, any information, including projections, estimates, targets and opinions, contained herein, and no liability whatsoever is accepted as to any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein, and, accordingly, none of the company or any of its parent or subsidiary undertakings or any of such person s officers, directors or employees accepts any liability whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from the use of this document. 21
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