The membrane
though somewhat fragile is pretty tough. It can handle being handled, no
problem! In my opinion the best membrane on the planet is the FilmTec TFC.
membrane. You can argue till you are blue in the face. I will not relent.
FilmTec
membranes process seawater SW or brackish water BW or tap water, TW. However the
TW does not stand for tap water it means the membrane is tape wrapped.
Thin film
composite is the type of membrane material used to make the membrane itself. TFC
membranes can be damaged by oxidation so no chlorine in the feed water. In fact
no oxidants period this includes ozone.
The membrane
model number indicates a number of things that are important to the user
The first two
digits are the type of membrane.
SW series
Seawater 32,000-40,000 ppm.
BW series
Brackish water from just below seawater to about 2,000 ppm.
TW series
waters normally though of as tap water. The TW series will make good drinking
water out of water high in TDS.
The SW
membranes are built using a pretty thick fiberglass outer shell and operate from
700-1,000 psi. (800) being the normal operating pressure of a seawater
conversion unit.
BW brackish
water units also have a fiberglass shell (thinner). The operating range of
brackish water systems is 250 – 600 PSI these systems are normally employed on
waters of 2,000- 20,000 parts per million of total dissolved solids (TDS /
PPM)
TW membranes
operate at pretty low pressure 40 -200 PSI so they are not as structurally
sound. In fact they are wrapped in tape, tape wrapped (TW).
The next
digits the 30 are the chemistry of the element. The following digits are
actually the size of housing required for the element. In you world the number
is 1812. The membrane will fit a 1.8 inch by 12 inch interior housing. The next
number is the actual GPD gallon per day rating of the membrane. TW30 1812-16 is
a sixteen gallon per day membrane.
How can all
of the membranes from TW-30 1812-16 thru the TW30 1812-100 fit into the same
housing? Introducing the brine seal. The brine seal is the large floppy washer
taped to the end of the membrane. This washer expands to fill the gap. The
smaller the membrane is in GPD the smaller the exterior is. The length stays the
same. The brine seal is what allows you to upgrade the output of the system. You
can readily go from a 16 gallon per day system to a 100 gpd system with just a
flow restrictor and membrane change.
For more
information please visit
www.filmtec.com
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