Silica Removal in India with Hollow Fiber Membranes

Pentair X-Flow has secured two projects in India for the removal of colloidal silica with its unique HFS 60 Silica tight ultrafiltration (UF) membrane module. The HFS 60 Silica is the first hollow fiber membrane module in a new line of low molecular weight cut off UF membranes that offers new treatment options. Applications include desalination pre-treatment, wastewater treatment in the textile, oil and gas industries, as well as in ultrapure water production in the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries.

Both projects in India will use the HFS 60 Silica modules to remove silica from surface water, which protects the high-pressure boilers in power production facilities. At the Jaypee Nigrie Super Thermal Power Project in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh, two streams with a total of 3,840 m3/day are treated.

In the J.K. Paper plant in Rayagada, Chhattisgarh, two streams with a total of 6,000 m3/day are treated. At both installations, the boiler feed water is treated by a demineralization step before it is purified by Pentair's HFS 60 membranes. The tight molecular weight cut-off of 10,000 daltons of the membranes offers a colloidal silica removal rate of 99.8%.

By efficiently removing the colloidal silica, Pentair X-Flow provides an alternative in silica removal. The high-pressure boilers are protected from scale deposits, which maximize performance and prevent turbine failure. The HFS 60 membranes are backwashable, offer low energy consumption, provide high recovery of demineralized water, and can be operated at higher pressures. The silica removal rate is 10 times better than standard ultrafiltration, no coagulant is needed and the membranes can be used early on in the process as pre-treatment instead of polishing, claimed Pentair.

Juergen von Hollen, VP water process technologies, said: "The HFS 60 Silica is the first tight UF membrane being launched in a new X-Flow product group. This new series of products with a low molecular weight cut off will allow us to apply our membranes in new markets and applications, delivering on our commitment to our customers to continuously improve our product portfolio to support their specific business requirements." www.x-flow.com