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Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 28 September 2005
Filtration membranes and fieldbus
systems
The current Processingtalk newsletter covers the Koch Membrane Systems UK press conference launching new product ranges in Europe, and the acquisition of Hawke Fieldbus by Moore Industries
KOCH MEMBRANE SYSTEMS At a recent press launch in London, Koch (pronounced Kok) presented some new product ranges in their water and wastewater membrane filtration systems capability
The result of three or more years of sustained investment and development for the Koch teams in Germany and USA, these new systems are now being marketed worldwide.
While all the products are mainly used for water treatment, they cover Micro, Ultra and Nano-Filtration and Reverse Osmosis techniques: certainly the Ultrafiltration and RO products have not been promoted to European markets before.
Banks of membrane filters are now widely used in the USA and Asia Pacific for removing inorganic contaminants, bacteria and viruses like cryptosporidium, from drinking water supplies.
Koch have looked at the overall system requirement for wider use in the water supply industry and designed super-sized units, 18'' diameter and 61'' long, bigger and better than any other element available, to solve the packing problem to meet the capacity needed in bulk water treatment plants.
They call the new element the MegaMagnum.
In addition they have redesigned the vessel loading system, to make the elements capable of loading from one end of the housing only, rather than needing access to both ends.
Full-scale installations of these units have been made in Municipal Water treatment plants in Arizona and California.
What has now been presented to the recent International Desalination Association World Congress in Singapore, is a specially designed FRP pressure vessel that allows the operation of these units at 1200psig, which is the pressure needed to achieve sea water desalination through such membranes, opening up further bulk treatment market possibilities.
Moving geographically the other way, some time ago Koch acquired the rights to Puron submerged hollow fibre technology developed at the University of Aachen.
Used for membrane bioreactor treatment (MBR, totally different to MBT, Mechanical Biological Treatment) of industrial and municipal wastewater, these units are fibres, anchored at the base, and sealed but free at the top, sucking water into the centre: external aeration is used from the base at the centre of the bundle to bubble up outside the fibres and lift the solids away.
Puron elements once installed are quoted to give the appearance of moving bunches of seaweed, as a result of the aeration and hydraulic cross-flow.
The process tanks are smaller than conventional treatment systems would be, and suitable for treatment on site of industrial wastewater from brewing, textiles, food, paper and chemicals, plus also sewage.
The membranes are 2mm dia, with a 0.1 micron pore size, stopping solids, particulates and bacteria from permeating through: they are based on a braid to provide longitudinal strength.
The first plant for sewage treatment has been built in Belgium: the system is claimed to be competitive with UV and Ozone treatment, and sand filters, and is now being marketed worldwide.
The Puron system will be on show at IWEX 18-20 October.
For further Koch Membrane Systems information on Processingtalk, see.
MegaMagnum: http://www.processingtalk.com/news/koc/koc105.html.
Desalination: http://www.processingtalk.com/news/koc/koc103.html.
Puron: http://www.processingtalk.com/news/koc/koc104.html.
MOORE INDUSTRIES ACQUIRES HAWKE FIELDBUS.
Finally news of the transfer of the Hawke Trunkguard Device Couplers and Route-Master IS Fieldbus power supply product ranges to Moore Industries, where they will be referred to as MooreHawke.
Trunkguard is the first Device Coupler that provides fully automatic segment termination, which has eliminated one of the major quoted problems that resulted in slow Fieldbus start-ups in both Foundation Fieldbus and Profibus, avoiding potential embarrassment for installers when speed is the major quoted advantage of Fieldbus start-up! Plus the Route-Master IS power supplies are also unique, in allowing 350mA per Fieldbus segment, powering up to 16 devices, significantly more than FISCO and other conventional barriers.
Mike O'Neill, pioneer of these systems with Hawke International, has also transferred to become Director for International Sales with MooreHawke Fieldbus, with European Sales from the Moore Industries European office in Crawley.
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