Advanced control system for reverse osmosis optimization in water reuse systems

Abstract

A main reverse osmosis (RO) limitation is the operational costs (including energy filtration costs), which are significantly affected by energy costs and the expense of membrane maintenance. Both costs are affected by influent characteristics, including feedwater temperatures (T), electrical conductivity (EC), and recovery set points. A fuzzy logic advanced control system optimizes the RO operational costs considering feedwater EC and T as input values, and the RO recovery setpoint as a control action. Verification results show that, once calibrated, the simulation of the control system can save more than one million euros per year in large RO facilities (>30.000m3·day-1). Which represents a reduction of 0.11€·m-3 of influent treated water

The authors would like to acknowledge the support from the RegiReu project (COMRDI16-1-0062) from the Agency for Business Competitiveness (ACCIÓ). Albert Galizia would also like to thank the AGAUR for his predoctoral grant (2021 FI_B 00069). Hèctor Monclús gratefully acknowledges the Ramon y Cajal Research Fellowship (RYC2019-026434-I). LEQUIA and ICRA have been recognized as consolidated research groups by the Catalan Government; codes 2017-SGR-1552 and 2017-SGR-1318, respectively. Gaetan Blandin has received funding from the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Union (FP7/2007-2013) under the REA grant agreement n°600388 (TECNIOspring programme), and from the Catalan Government's Agency for Business Competitiveness (ACCIO)

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