Industrial Reverse Osmosis Systems: Do You Need One?

Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems are widely used today in a host of various industries and applications, such as food and beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, power generation, and more.

But how do you know if your facility needs an industrial reverse osmosis system for your business?

What Are Industrial RO Systems Used For?

Here are some factors and examples of what industrial RO systems can do to help you determine if your business needs one:

1. Water Quality:
   The quality of your water source may affect your production, operation, and maintenance costs.

   If your water contains high levels of minerals, salts, metals, or organic compounds, it may interfere with your processes, equipment, or products.

   For example, hard water can cause scaling and corrosion, while chlorinated water can damage sensitive membranes and filters.

   An RO system can help you achieve consistent and optimal water quality for your specific needs that will protect the integrity of your equipment and extends its lifespan.

2. Water Application:
   The type of water you need for your business will of course depend on the industry standards, regulations, and specifications.

   For example, some applications may require ultra-pure water, which has almost no contaminants or dissolved solids. This can be achieved by using an RO system followed by an electro-deionizer (EDI), which further polishes the water to a high purity level.

   By processing the water through an RO system first, it helps to extend the life and improves the efficiency of the EDI. So not only will the end result be high purity water, but it will also protect the equipment and investment.

   Other applications may only need spot-free rinse water, which can easily be obtained by using an RO system with an anti-scalant and a chlorine destruct pretreatment.

3. Unique Applications in Food and Beverage Processing
   In the food and beverage processing world, RO systems have helped to lower costs and improve efficacy. This is particularly true in the realm of concentrated liquids.

   This is because RO is much more economical than standard heat-treatment processes for purifying water/liquids, and it also allows processors to avoid heat-treatment on heat-sensitive substances, such as products with protein and enzymes.

So, implementing RO systems will help extend the life of water-processing equipment, and help provide purer water more efficiently for your application, whether it’s to protect the longevity of your boiler equipment or improve the quality of water used in food processing, or some other use.

What to Consider When Choosing an Industrial RO System

When shopping for a reverse osmosis system to suit your specific needs, there are some factors that you need to consider and understand:

1. Water Quantity:
   The amount of water you need per day may determine the size and capacity of your RO system you should choose.

   You should calculate your peak water demand, as well as your average daily usage, to select the right system for your business.

   For example, if you need 10,000 gallons of water per day, but only use it for 8 hours, you may need a system that can produce 1,250 gallons per hour.

   However, if you have enough space for a large storage tank, you may opt for a smaller system that can produce 417 gallons per hour over 24 hours.

2. Water Savings:
   RO systems typically produce a certain amount of wastewater, also known as reject or concentrate, that contains the impurities removed from the feed water. The ratio of purified water to wastewater is known as the recovery rate, and it can vary depending on the system design and operating conditions.

   A higher recovery rate means less water is wasted, which can lower your water bills and environmental impact. However, a higher recovery rate may also increase the risk of fouling and scaling, which can reduce the system performance and lifespan.

   Therefore, you should balance the recovery rate with the water quality and the pretreatment requirements.

How We Can Help

At Lockwood Products, we offer industrial reverse osmosis systems that are designed by experts with over 40 years of experience in the market.Our systems range from 1,000 to 172,000 gallons per day and can be customized up to 350,000 gallons per day.

Whether you need basic spot-free rinse water, or the highest quality water, Lockwood has the solution for you.

Our RO systems are equipped with the highest quality pumps, membranes, and controllers, and are built on a rust-free powder coated aluminum frame. They are factory tested, pre-assembled, and easy to install and operate.

They also feature adjustable recirculation/reject recovery rates, automatic membrane feed flush, alarms, readouts, remote monitoring, and connections for clean-in-place, and can be customized with other options. We also provide technical support 24/7.

Contact us today to find out how we can help you with your industrial reverse osmosis needs.