Development of a new hollow-fiber module for large ultrafiltration plants

The application of ultrafiltration technology for drinking water production has shown rapid development from the beginning of the 1990s. There has been a constant cost reduction of this technology over the last ten years allowing evolution (new polymers, new module designs, etc.), and a decrease of the system cost, which is based on the membrane cost per m2. The ultrafiltration process could be evaluated by other factors, such as footprints, equipment and process reliability, operation and maintenance. Since the first full-scale ultrafiltration plant started 14 years ago, Ondeo Degrémont Co. answered the reduction cost objectives by a constant evolution of its products design. This evolution led to the development of a new product, adapted to large plants, based on an improved standardization of the system (the Ultrazur® product) and a new module with a filtration surface area of 125 m2.The new product, called Ultrazur 450, was industrialized in 1997 and was evaluated through semi-industrial-scale trials performed on the Seine River downstream of Paris in 1999–2000. The Ultrazur® 450 (125 m2 membrane surface per module) was first applied to the Rouen project, a 24,000 m3/d drinking water production plant located in France. Following this success on karstic water, the new product was applied as a polishing treatment at Lorient (production plant capacity: 20,000 m3/d) since November 2001 and will be applied at Angers (production plant capacity: 120,000 m3/d).

The development of the UF process to large drinking water treatment plants necessitated a technological evolution. The Aquasource membrane and the process have been modified to reduce investment and operating costs of the plant. The modifications involved both the hydraulics of the system and a new module, leading to the design of the Ultrazur® 450. This new product, compared to the previous design, allowed an investment and operating cost reduction and a significant footprint decrease. The Ultrasur® 450 was validated during a pilot test in 1999, using a semi-industrial prototype. The validation was carried out on Seine River The authors would like to thank the Town of Rouen for choosing Ondeo Degrémont technology, giving us the opportunity to demonstrate the efficiency and reliability of the new Ultrazur 450 product. We also thank all the people involved in the success of this project.