Sector
Potable water

Societal benefits
Test bench aims to develop new cost-effective filtration membrane technologies for small isolated communities in Canada.

Mandate
Design and manufacture an automated test bench to study on a reduced scale the performance and laboratory behaviour of industrial nanofiltration systems. The equipment includes different cycles of washing and backwashing with water, air and chemicals. This system reproduces the actual conditions experienced in filtration systems used in drinking water filtration plants. It consists of variable flow and pressure pumps, a variety of measuring instruments, an air injector for cleaning and an industrial computer to control and record experimental data. The system includes two basins that can be filled with river water and equipped with a heat exchanger and cooler to keep the water temperature constant.

Development time
22 months

Technological advancements

• Pumping system that minimizes pressure variations
• Control and operation over a very wide range of flow
• Programming of typical industrial operating cycles with the possibility to adjust parameters

Scientific advancements
Development of a new hollow-fibre nanofiltration process for treating groundwater in residences supplied by domestic wells

Specs

• River water storage tanks capacity: 65 USGAL [250 L]
• Operating pressure: 125 psig max. [8.6 bar]
• Flow rate: 2-40 USGPH [150-2500 ml/min]
• Industrial computer with experimental data recording