Prediction of Expected Fouling Time During Transmembrane Transition in Reverse Osmosis Systems

Membrane filtration, including reverse osmosis filtration, is widely applied in water treatment worldwide, offering solutions to a broad range of separation challenges. However, due to the porous structure of membranes, they are prone to fouling, which reduces their efficiency and can eventually ren...

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Main Authors: Jozsef Lakner, Gabor Lakner
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Membranes
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/15/6/170
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author Jozsef Lakner
Gabor Lakner
author_facet Jozsef Lakner
Gabor Lakner
author_sort Jozsef Lakner
collection DOAJ
description Membrane filtration, including reverse osmosis filtration, is widely applied in water treatment worldwide, offering solutions to a broad range of separation challenges. However, due to the porous structure of membranes, they are prone to fouling, which reduces their efficiency and can eventually render the membranes incapable of functioning. In such cases, a systemic intervention becomes necessary, highlighting the importance of accurately predicting the expected fouling time. Various approaches for estimating fouling processes and times are well documented in the literature. However, a common limitation of these methods is that they typically assume constant and well-defined operating parameters over time. Under such stable conditions, the process can be described deterministically, and the fouling time can be predicted using straightforward extrapolation techniques. However, in industrial practice, process conditions often fluctuate due to multiple influencing factors, making fouling time a variable quantity. Therefore, it can be more appropriately treated as a random variable characterized by a mean value and standard deviation. Rather than predicting a precise fouling time, it is more relevant to define a probabilistic interval within which the fouling is expected to occur with a specified confidence level (e.g., 95%). The associated maintenance scheduling can then be optimized based on economic criteria. The probability-based model presented herein defines this interval based on operational measurements, thereby providing users with a time window during which maintenance should be planned. From this point forward, the exact timing of interventions becomes a matter of technical feasibility and economic optimization.
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spelling doaj-art-913d1907a2a34d28a5406732ea4331072025-08-20T02:21:04ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752025-06-0115617010.3390/membranes15060170Prediction of Expected Fouling Time During Transmembrane Transition in Reverse Osmosis SystemsJozsef Lakner0Gabor Lakner1Hidrofilt Water Treatment Ltd., Magyar u. 191, H-8800 Nagykanizsa, HungaryHidrofilt Water Treatment Ltd., Magyar u. 191, H-8800 Nagykanizsa, HungaryMembrane filtration, including reverse osmosis filtration, is widely applied in water treatment worldwide, offering solutions to a broad range of separation challenges. However, due to the porous structure of membranes, they are prone to fouling, which reduces their efficiency and can eventually render the membranes incapable of functioning. In such cases, a systemic intervention becomes necessary, highlighting the importance of accurately predicting the expected fouling time. Various approaches for estimating fouling processes and times are well documented in the literature. However, a common limitation of these methods is that they typically assume constant and well-defined operating parameters over time. Under such stable conditions, the process can be described deterministically, and the fouling time can be predicted using straightforward extrapolation techniques. However, in industrial practice, process conditions often fluctuate due to multiple influencing factors, making fouling time a variable quantity. Therefore, it can be more appropriately treated as a random variable characterized by a mean value and standard deviation. Rather than predicting a precise fouling time, it is more relevant to define a probabilistic interval within which the fouling is expected to occur with a specified confidence level (e.g., 95%). The associated maintenance scheduling can then be optimized based on economic criteria. The probability-based model presented herein defines this interval based on operational measurements, thereby providing users with a time window during which maintenance should be planned. From this point forward, the exact timing of interventions becomes a matter of technical feasibility and economic optimization.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/15/6/170reverse osmosismembrane foulingfouling time predictionprobabilistic modellingnormal distributionmaintenance optimization
spellingShingle Jozsef Lakner
Gabor Lakner
Prediction of Expected Fouling Time During Transmembrane Transition in Reverse Osmosis Systems
Membranes
reverse osmosis
membrane fouling
fouling time prediction
probabilistic modelling
normal distribution
maintenance optimization
title Prediction of Expected Fouling Time During Transmembrane Transition in Reverse Osmosis Systems
title_full Prediction of Expected Fouling Time During Transmembrane Transition in Reverse Osmosis Systems
title_fullStr Prediction of Expected Fouling Time During Transmembrane Transition in Reverse Osmosis Systems
title_full_unstemmed Prediction of Expected Fouling Time During Transmembrane Transition in Reverse Osmosis Systems
title_short Prediction of Expected Fouling Time During Transmembrane Transition in Reverse Osmosis Systems
title_sort prediction of expected fouling time during transmembrane transition in reverse osmosis systems
topic reverse osmosis
membrane fouling
fouling time prediction
probabilistic modelling
normal distribution
maintenance optimization
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/15/6/170
work_keys_str_mv AT jozseflakner predictionofexpectedfoulingtimeduringtransmembranetransitioninreverseosmosissystems
AT gaborlakner predictionofexpectedfoulingtimeduringtransmembranetransitioninreverseosmosissystems