Matrix S3600 SILVER SERIES User manual

OPERATION & INSTALLATION MANUAL
MATRIX S3600 SILVER SERIES
REVERSE OSMOSIS
SYSTEM

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE.......................................................................................................................5
A DISCUSSION OF REVERSE OSMOSIS.....................................................................6
THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF A WATERMAKER........................................................8
THE SUBCOMPONENTS AND ACCESSORIES .........................................................10
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS.......................................................................................13
TEMPERATURE CORRECTION TABLE............................................................................................................15
OPERATING INSTRUMENTS...............................................................................................................................16
OPERATING INSTRUMENTS...............................................................................................................................17
PRODUCT WATER CONDUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT ................................................................................17
PRODUCT AND CONCENTRATE FLOW MEASUREMENT ..........................................................................17
OPERATING PRESSURE MEASUREMENT.......................................................................................................17
FEED PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS..................................................................................................................17
MATRIX WATERMAKER LOG SHEET .............................................................................................................19
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS ................................................................................20
PIPING MATERIAL ................................................................................................................................................20
FEED PIPING............................................................................................................................................................20
CONCENTRATE PIPE............................................................................................................................................20
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS .....................................................................................26
MANUAL UNIT INITIAL START UP PROCEDURES.......................................................................................26
MANUAL UNIT NORMAL OPERATION............................................................................................................28
AUTOMATIC UNIT INITIAL START UP PROCEDURES................................................................................29
AUTOMATIC UNIT NORMAL OPERATION.....................................................................................................31
AUTOMATIC UNIT MANUAL START UP AND SHUT DOWN PROCEDURES ..........................................32

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ROUTINE MAINTENANCE...........................................................................................33
SILVER SERIES MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE.................................................................................................33
MAINTENANCE OF PRE-FILTRATION COMPONENTS ...............................................................................34
TO CHANGE THE BAG..........................................................................................................................................36
THE WATERMAKER....................................................................................................38
MEMBRANE STERILIZATION AND CLEANING PROCEDURES...............................39
TROUBLESHOOTING..................................................................................................44
ENGINEERING DATA ..................................................................................................47
COMPONENT ILLUSTRATIONS .................................................................................48

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PREFACE
This material is restricted and is for use only by the personnel who
need this information. It shall not be reproduced in any manner or
distributed for any purpose, whatsoever, except by written permission
of MATRIX Desalination, Inc.
The illustrations and instructions in this manual are based on
information available at the time of issue. We reserve the right to make
subsequent changes, or revise pages or sections, and to replace
existing copies without penalty.
INTRODUCTION
This manual is intended to aid you in understanding the principles of
Reverse Osmosis, and instruct you on how to properly operate the
MATRIX watermaker system.
Before you operate your new MATRIX watermaker it is recommended
that you READ THIS MANUAL FIRST!
Familiarize yourself with this manual now so that in the event of
complications, you can competently evaluate and correct the situation.

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SEAWATER DESALINATION:
A Discussion of Reverse Osmosis
Seawater contains many kinds of solids dissolved in solution. The most prevalent is
common table salt (Sodium Chloride). Present as well are other minerals, including
Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfate, Bicarbonate Alkalinity, Silica, and others. The sum of these
dissolved solids is referred to as the Total Dissolved Solids or T.D.S.
When sodium chloride (NaCl) is dissolved in water, the sodium (Na+) and the chloride (Cl-)
actually separate. When this occurs, each is called an ion and each has an electrical
charge. Sodium has a positive charge and is referred to as a cation (Na+). Chloride has a
negative charge and is referred to as an anion (Cl-). As the number of these cations and
anions increases, the ability of the water to conduct an electrical current increases, thus
one can measure the T.D.S. of the water by its ability to conduct current.
Most seawater averages between 35,000 and 38,000 PPM T.D.S., although variations of
up to 7,000 ppm are common in Middle East waters.
Required of any desalination process is the reduction of dissolved solids in water.
Thermal, membrane, or ion exchange processes are the most common methods of
desalination.
Reverse Osmosis (RO) is essentially a process for reducing dissolved solids in water.
This is accomplished by passing pressurized water over a semi-permeable membrane.
The membrane can be visualized as containing numerous tiny holes that allow the water
molecules to pass through. However, the holes are so small that they do not allow most
of the dissolved solids to pass through the membrane. These solids and the remaining
water (called the concentrate or brine) flow past the membrane surface and are piped to
drain. The water which goes through the membrane is called the permeate, or product
water.
The equipment used to desalinate water is referred to as a Reverse Osmosis system. It
must be remembered that the system cannot remove (“reject”) all the dissolved solids
from seawater. It is actually designed to reject approximately 99% of the T.D.S. or, in
other words, to allow 1% of the 38,000 PPM T.D.S. of the seawater to pass into the fresh
water. This yields water of less than 500 PPM of T.D.S (380 PPM). In this case, one
would refer to the system as having a T.D.S. passage, or salt passage, of 1%. However,
if the T.D.S. of the feed increases, there will be a corresponding increase in the level of
dissolved solids in the product water.
The fraction of the feedwater entering the system that then passes through the membrane
as product water is called the “recovery” (also called the conversion), and is usually stated
as a percentage, i.e., 25% recovery. Obviously, 100% of the feedwater cannot go through

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the membranes because there would be no water left to flush away the solids, which do
not pass through the membranes.
Normal recoveries for small seawater conversion units are in the range of 15-30%. At
20% recovery, for every 100 gallons of raw water fed to the RO system, 20 gallons are
recovered as purified water and 80 gallons are routed to waste as concentrated rejected
salts (brine). The same concept holds true for numbers expressed as gallons per minute,
cubic meters per hour, etc.
The rate at which water flows through the membrane is directly proportional to the driving
force available. The driving force is basically the difference between the pressure on the
feedwater (system pressure) and product water sides of the membrane and the difference
in osmotic pressure of the solutions on opposite sides of the membrane. The greater the
feed pressure the greater the driving force and product flow rate will be. Increasing the
pressure on the product side of the membrane decreases the driving force and therefore
lowers the product flow. The difference in salt concentration between the feedwater and
product water also reduces the driving force due to the difference in osmotic pressure,
which must be overcome.
It follows that if the pressure is raised and the concentrate flow rate consequently
decreases, the recovery increases. On the other hand, if the system pressure is held
fixed and the concentrate flow rate is made to decrease, the recovery also goes up. If, at
constant pressure, the concentrate flow is stopped altogether, the recovery is 100%. This
condition cannot last long. Most of the solid materials in the feedwater will adhere to the
membrane if not flushed from the membrane surface and vessel. Eventually, these
materials will so heavily coat the membrane that all flow will cease. This will result in the
rapid deterioration of the membrane. There must always be sufficient concentrate flow
to carry away the rejected dissolved solids and prevent concentrations that would
allow precipitation and resulting scaling of the membranes.
Pressure is not the only factor, which affects the product flow rate of the RO system.
Temperature of the feedwater can change the output by as much as 50% in the range
from nearly freezing to 95 degrees F (35 degrees C). As a general rule of thumb, product
flow from thin film composite RO systems will decrease by approximately 1.5% per 1
degree C decrease in feedwater temperature unless pressure corrections are made. The
capacity of the system therefore may vary seasonally with temperature.
The physical or chemical nature of many natural waters and industrial process waters is
such that it is not suitable to pump some waters directly into a Reverse Osmosis system.
Among the characteristics of water that may necessitate pre-treatment are suspended
solids (turbidity), the limited solubility of some salts, and strong chemicals such as acid or
chlorine, which chemically attack the membrane. Suspended solids (not to be confused
with dissolved solids) within the spiral wound element may gradually clog the flow path.
Some salts will crystallize from solution when concentrated, and may also clog the flow
paths.

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A common method of pretreatment is pre-filtration, which removes most of the suspended
matter from the feedwater. Although the RO system incorporates a pre-filter, some very
small particles pass through and have a tendency to collect on the membranes. In time -
ranging from months to years, depending on what is in the water - enough particles collect
inside the membrane housing that the membranes require cleaning. This is usually done
with detergents or other chemicals, as described in this manual.
Oxidizing chemicals, such as chlorine or bromine, dissolved oxygen, petroleum, solvents,
or halogens will degrade the salt rejection capability of the membranes. Adequate
pretreatment measures or operating procedures must ensure against their introduction
into the membrane systems.
Chemical post-treatment of RO water is often advisable. This is desirable to protect the
product water from re-contamination by harmful organisms such as bacteria while storing
the potable water. While the Reverse Osmosis process effectively removes bacteria from
seawater, the product water should be sterilized by chlorinating to guard against
contamination of the water after leaving the RO system's storage tanks.
Due to the very pure nature of RO product water, additional chemicals may be required to
protect against corrosion and add certain ions to the water for stability and/or taste.
THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF A WATERMAKER
The main components of any water maker, in order, are:
The supply pump, which supplies the feed water necessary for the high-
pressure pump to operate. The supply pump must have sufficient capacity
and good suction head properties to prevent cavitation. Dissolved gasses in
the feed water cause cavitation. As the feed water passes into the eye of the
impeller it is exposed to a low pressure. If the pressure is low enough for the
gasses to come out of solution it will make a crackling noise as the gasses
expand then collapse. Repeated or constant cavitation can be detrimental to
the pump impeller and casing. The noise level from cavitation will usually
increase and decrease with flow rate.
Another cause of noise in the supply pump is from air leaks in the suction
piping. This noise is usually constant. Air in the feed water will cause damage
to the ceramic plungers in the high-pressure pump as well as possible
damage to the membranes.
Filtration is the next and the most important part of any water-making unit.
This is done in various ways and usually in stages.
Cartridge filters are found on nearly all reverse osmosis systems. The
cartridge filter elements can be composed of different materials such as
paper, or polypropylene. They can be in a pleated, spun, melt-blown, or

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wound design. They are designed to be changed after they have become
fouled or clogged. Every water maker must have a final filter no larger than
five microns to help prevent fouling of the membranes. A 2-stage cartridge
filtration system incorporating a 30-micron filter followed by a 5-micron filter is
often used. This 2-stage configuration reduces the frequency at which the
filter elements become clogged.
Bag filters are another method of pre-filtering the water prior to the final
cartridge filter. These filters have a bag or sock inside, which are available in
different levels of micron filtration. These filters can be removed and cleaned
for reuse. The bag filter element can be cleaned several times before it needs
to be replaced.
A less common prefiltration type is the use of a multimedia tank, which will
have several different types of media (gravel, garnet, sand, etc.) loaded
inside, that will filter out the larger particles (25 microns) found in water. In
comparison, the diameter of a cross section of a human hair is 84 microns.
The advantage of using a media tank is in operating cost savings, as there
are no consumables required. To clean the filter, the flow of water is reversed,
and the particles that have been trapped by the filter, are then flushed out,
and dumped to waste.
Another type of filter, is an activated carbon filter. These filters can be
provided in configurations similar to the cartridge filter, or the media filter. The
activated carbon will absorb chlorine and organics in the water. Carbon filter
elements must be changed out periodically to remain effective.
High-pressure pumps or booster pumps vary in design, usually depending
on a specific application. Matrix uses only positive-displacement, plunger type
high-pressure pumps.
Pressure vessels house the membranes for a water maker. They are
manufactured from aluminum, stainless steel, or fiberglass. Generally
fiberglass pressure vessels are the most widely used because of their
resistance to corrosion, and lower cost. Pressure vessels can be produced in
assorted lengths, the shortest being for a single element (membrane).
Membranes consist of a semi-permeable thin-film composite layer
sandwiched between a permeate channel spacer and a feed channel spacer.
These layers are then spirally wound over a perforated plastic tube (product
tube). The layers are then covered with a shell of fiberglass. The actual
membrane is a thin porous film between two mesh like layers that serve as
spacers for the water to flow over. There are different types of membranes for
different purposes. The three basic types are freshwater, brackish, and
seawater. Their names refer to the type of feed water that will be applied.
Each membrane is designed for a specific rate of salt rejection, meaning that

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the membrane will only allow a certain amount of salts to pass through. When
two or more membranes are used in a pressure vessel, the product tubes are
connected by interconnects. These interconnects allow the product water to
flow continuously from one product tube of a membrane to another, without
being contaminated with the salt water feed flowing over them. The product
water then flows out the product tube and into the permeate port of the end
plug. The product water is then collected from each permeate port into a
manifold where there are sensors to detect the flow rate of water and the
quality of water.
The regulating valve is the primary means of controlling the operating
pressure of the system by restricting the concentrate flow rate.
THE SUBCOMPONENTS AND ACCESSORIES
Freshwater Flush Assembly
In order to extend the life of the membranes, MATRIX offers 4 fresh water flush options,
Manual, Solenoid Operated, Automatic, and Automatic with a flush tank. The first three
options use ship’s fresh water to flush the unit, and include a carbon filter to remove any
residual chlorine from the ship’s fresh water supply.
Manual System: This option incorporates a manual ball valve to isolate the feed
(seawater) and allow ship’s fresh water to the watermaker inlet. Ship’s pressure will flush
fresh water through the unit.
Solenoid Operated System: This option incorporates a solenoid-operated valve in place of
the manual ball valve, with a pushbutton on the RO unit control panel. Pressing the fresh
flush pushbutton starts the flush sequence. The solenoid valve will open allowing ship’s
water to flush the unit. After a pre-set time period, the solenoid valve will close.
Automatic System: This option is similar to the solenoid-operated system, except that the
flush sequence runs automatically whenever the unit shuts down, without operator
intervention.
Because the ship’s water may contain chlorine, the flush water is routed through a carbon
filter prior to the unit. The carbon filter will neutralize any residual chlorine in order to
protect the membranes from oxidation.
CAUTION: The carbon filter should be changed frequently to prevent damage to the
membranes by oxidation.
Automatic System with Flush Tank: This option includes a tank to store RO product water
to be used for flushing, and a flush pump to force the flush water through the unit. In this
configuration, the flush tank can also be used for chemical cleaning of the unit.