OFF-SITE CLEANING

Off-Site Cleaning and Restoration (OSCAR™)

OSCAR is Avista Technologies proprietary Off-Site Cleaning and Restoration service. This intensive testing and cleaning procedure was developed to restore membrane performance to at or near original specifications. Special cleaning techniques combined with our own RoClean formulations allow us to obtain significantly better results than can generally be achieved on-site.

Both 4" and 8" diameter polyamide and cellulose acetate membranes can be processed under our OSCAR service.

The OSCAR Advantage:

The excellent results typically achieved during OSCAR are possible because the equipment was designed specifically to clean membrane elements. This cleaning and restoration process is unlike conventional on-site clean-in-place (CIP) systems.

Among the specialized OSCAR features is a novel sealing arrangement which allows the membranes to be cleaned in a reverse direction (brine to feed). This significantly improves the removal of particulate matter from the element feed spacer.

Ideal solution temperatures are maintained throughout the cleaning sequence with the use of a dedicated heating system.

OSCAR pressure vessels accommodate a maximum of three standard 40" membranes. This means that the applied pressure necessary to obtain an optimum cleaning flow rate is significantly lower than that required to clean the six membranes typically found in on-site installations.

OSCAR equipment also allows air to be selectively injected into the cleaning solution which increases fluid turbulence and produces an effective "scrubbing" action throughout the membrane.

These customized design features combined with the RoClean specialty cleaners allow us to offer an effective and convenient alternative to on-site membrane cleaning.

Procedure:

Membranes submitted for OSCAR undergo the following procedures at Avista:

• Physical inspection to identify any signs of telescoping, etc.
• Wet pre-test at standard operating conditions to compare permeate flow, salt rejection, and differential pressure against original performance specifications.
• Thorough cleaning using OSCAR and Avista Technologies own RoClean formulations.
• Post-test and normalization of the data to identify the improvements achieved during OSCAR.
• Upon completion, element are preserved, heat-sealed in a poly bag, and packed in a new box.
• A full report outlining the pre and post-test data is included with the return shipment.
• Each box is marked with the element serial number to assist operators in determining the re-load sequence of the membranes into the system.