The San Patricio Municipal Water District is a wholesale supplier of water to
cities and industry in San Patricio County, Texas, with nine municipal and six
major industrial customers. It sells potable, clarified, raw reclaimed and
microfiltered products. The District operates three water treatment facilities
on a common site. Plant C, the subject of this paper, is a five year old
microfiltration facility that includes conventional flocculation and sedimentation
prior to the membrane filtration.
The Plant C concept was developed in response to a growing need for
additional potable water and a request, in late 1997 from a new industrial
customer for high-quality process and cooling water for a cogeneration plant.
District operations and maintenance personnel from all levels were involved in
the project from the earliest stages. Engineering and other needed
consultants were hired in March of 1998. An extensive pilot-plant program
was outlined and implemented during the spring and summer of 1998.
The industrial customer's time schedule was demanding. This paper
outlines the steps required to deliver settled water in November 1999 and
microfiltered water on January 10, 2000, impressive considering the time,
size and complexity of the facilities and technology involved.
The paper also presents operational experience gained from continuous
operation of the microfiltration plant including experience with the
microfiltration membrane process. Topics covered include: commentary from operations, maintenance and management;
a review of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system operational data;
experiences with membrane integrity and cleaning;
a discussion of facility modifications since startup; and,
commentary and comparisons to the Districts other facilities.
Details presented include the validity of the pilot-plant data and engineering design decisions made, concerns for algal and other organic
growth and the effects of pretreatment with chlorine dioxide, alum
coagulation, flocculation and gravity settling.
Chemical and energy costs have been on target. Time requirements for
operator and maintenance personnel have been somewhat less than
originally budgeted. The operators like the plant because it has been reliable.
The sorts of "non-routine" maintenance requirements experienced are
considered to be in the normal range for startup of a new plant using relatively
new technology. There have been no unpleasant surprises with the operation
of the plant for its five years. Dependable operation, superior water quality
and ease of expansion are all experienced with little, if any, premium price
compared to older technology. Includes figures, appendix.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 320 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 14 |
| Published : | 03/01/2005 |
