"Flexibility” is not a word typically used to describe traditional reverse osmosis systems. Traditional systems must be carefully calibrated so that a single, static pump can provide enough pressure to drive reverse osmosis along the entire length of the system, which will consist of two or three sequential stages. Any variation in water quality — for instance, from seasonal chemistry changes in a groundwater reservoir — will wreak havoc on the system.

DesaliTec™ Closed Circuit Reverse Osmosis (CCRO) systems solve this problem in two ways. First, there is the physical design of the system itself, which trades a traditional sequential arrangement for a single loop of reverse osmosis filtration that processes water in batches. Second, our system software automatically adjusts how long a given batch of water is filtered according to user-defined parameters. This simple ability to vary filtration time is fundamental to the flexibility of our systems.

Here’s an example. An industrial plant purchases water from a city that switches seasonally between well water and surface water for its supply. Depending on the source the city is using, the conductivity of the feedwater will change. The plant wants to meet a consistent water quality target throughout the year. We can establish set-points so that the system automatically adjusts when the city changes water sources. When the city is sending out surface water, for instance, conductivity will be lower, and the system will operate at 95 percent recovery. When they switch to higher conductivity well water, the software will automatically reduce recovery to the 90 percent in order to maintain the required permeate quality.

This level of flexibility is unprecedented in reverse osmosis systems and makes CCRO the most reliable solution for water and wastewater applications.