OCEANSIDE, CA, Jan. 18, 2008 -- Hydranautics' SWC5 spiral wound reverse osmosis element has received the "2007 Nikkei Keizai Shimbun Award for Excellence," the highest-ranked among the Nikkei Superior Products and Services (NSPS) Awards. In their 26th year, the NSPS awards (sponsored by Nikkei -- a leading Japanese economic daily) are given to new products and services deemed to be especially superior. Chosen from 20,000 products that have been covered by articles in four Nikkei papers (Nikkei proper, Business, Marketing and Finance), the selections are made by taking into account such factors as achievement in technical development of product or service, cost efficiency, contribution to corporate financial performance, market growth potential, originality, and potential for impact on industry and society. The 2007 Nikkei Keizai Shimbun Award for Excellence award will be presented to Hydranautics' parent company, Nitto Denko, at the award ceremony scheduled in Tokyo for February 1, 2008.
The SWC5 is a 400 ft² (37.16 m²) element which produces 9,000 gal/day (34.07 cubic meters) of permeate when tested with 32,000 mg/L NaCl, at 800 psi (55.2 bar), and 10% recovery. The remarkable feature of this product is that it achieves such high permeability (low energy operation), while still offering 99.8% salt rejection and 92% boron rejection. This advancement has been achieved through refinements of the proven SWC membrane chemistry, maximization of surface area through the use of manufacturing automation, and the selection of high performance element components. The SWC5's prime advantage is its very low operating pressure yielding the lowest energy consumption values possible with SWRO (spiral wound reverse osmosis). Tests done on PacificOcean seawater at 34,000 ppm, 50% recovery and 27 C, produced a permeate of 165 mg/L. At optimized operating conditions treating Pacific seawater, SWC5 can produce potable-quality permeate at an energy consumption of 1.7 kwhr/m³ with use of a state of the art energy recovery device. By achieving such high quality permeate; the SWC5 produces the required product water, frequently with single-pass RO system design. This results in both operating cost savings (low energy) and capital cost savings (no second pass). In addition, Hydranautics IMSDesign computer program allows customers to determine their specific energy consumption at desired permeate quality and operating pressures, along with optimal life cycle performance and water costs.
Only a tiny fraction of the world's water is available to humans for consumption and life improving processes; this small amount -- estimated by the WHO at approximately .07 percent -- is primarily made up of seawater. The SWC5 reverse osmosis membrane element, characterized by the highest water permeation rate together with a salt removal rate of 99.8%, makes a valuable contribution to solving the global water shortage problem.
Founded in 1963, Hydranautics, along with parent company Nitto Denko, is a leader in membrane development with a focus on unique surface coatings.
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