Koch Membrane Systems Inc. (KMS), a developer and manufacturer of innovative membranes and membrane filtration systems, has successfully started up the initial phase of its retrofit to the ultrafiltration system at the City of Del Rio’s water treatment plant located in Del Rio, Texas. The full retrofit project will help maintain safe drinking water production at the facility and is scheduled to be completed over the course of a year, according to a KMS news release.
In 2003, the city commissioned a new Aquasource brand UF membrane filtration plant in response to the Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (IESWTR) and recommendations by the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ). By 2011, the plant’s original UF membrane cartridges were showing signs of wear, requiring frequent fiber repairs.Ultimately the cartridges were determined to have reached the end of their useful life and needed to be replaced.
Replacement costs utilizing the existing specified membranes were beyond the facility’s operating budget, forcing the City of Del Rio to pursue a retrofit project, initially with little success. Most of the ultrafiltration membrane companies contacted could either not match the footprint of the existing cartridges, or the quoted expense for the retrofit project was cost-prohibitive to take on.
READ ALSO: How Membrane Filtration Technology Is Evolving
Following successful testing of KMS TARGA II UF membranes, it was determined that a retrofit could be implemented with minimal modification to the existing system. KMS system designers were able to provide prefabricated rack inserts including manifolds, connectors and membrane cartridges that fit within the existing rack framework and utilized existing system controls. KMS also provided installation and startup assistance.
“We are very happy to have been able to help the City of Del Rio solve their membrane supply problem and offer a domestically manufactured product to replace their existing cartridges” said Grady Coberly, sales manager, Gulf States Region, for the company’s Water & Wastewater business unit. “The TARGA II hollow fiber UF membranes were a perfect fit and provided the city with a robust alternative with minimal breakage, an efficient footprint, and a cost-effective solution.”
A case study outlining the details of the project is available for download at the company’s website, www.kochmembrane.com.
