A number of models of the cost of microfiltration treatment exist, but these models
generally do not address, or are not validated for, larger facilities (facilities with a design
flow of 5 mgd or greater). In the past, microfiltration was not cost-competitive for larger
facilities, but it is now being adopted at plants with design flows as large as 20 mgd.
Accordingly, there is a need to extend these cost models to include larger facilities. Data
for the larger facilities is still somewhat sparse, as only a few have yet been constructed.
Nevertheless, the information that is available on these facilities can provide a valuable
guide as to the economies of scale that may be available to larger treatment plants. In this
study a survey of costs at large microfiltration plants was conducted. Data was obtained
for 10 facilities, including three facilities with design flows greater than 9 mgd. The results
indicate that large systems can achieve economies of scale, despite the modular nature of
most microfiltration units. The three largest facilities (design flows of 9 to 20 mgd) have
costs of less than 50 cents/thousand gallons. The cost estimates for facilities with flows of
less than 5 mgd closely match a previous survey of small microfiltration plants. In
addition, this study provides a basis for extending the predictions of existing cost models
up to design flows of 20 mgd. Results indicate that costs vary among systems of the same
capacity with 95% of all systems being within roughly a factor of two of the mean cost. Includes 9 references, figure.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 950 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 5 |
| Published : | 11/01/2009 |
