The OPUS® technology is a proprietary Optimized Pretreatment and Unique Separation process for desalination of feed water with high concentrations of silica, organics, hardness, heavy metals, boron and particulates.
Overview
About Opus™
Opus™ technology employs a reverse osmosis process operated at an elevated pH. The original design combines a proprietary high-rate chemical softening process, Multiflo™, with filtration, ion exchange and reverse osmosis. This unique technology generates high quality water with a low waste volume. Opus technology has been applied in Mining, Oil & Gas and ZLD systems for other industries.
Opus™ II is a new innovation for Oil & Gas applications. In this option, pretreatment is streamlined through the use of CeraMem® ceramic membranes. The ceramic membranes provide improved oil removal as well as a more compact design.
Benefits
- High Water Recovery Rate
- Low Waste Volume
- Reliable Operation with Minimal Downtime
- Ability to Handle Variations in Feed Water Quality
- Effective Control of Fouling due to Organics and Particulates
- Effective Control of Scaling due to Calcium Salts, Silica and Metal Precipitates
- High Salt Rejection
- Continuous Clean-In-Place Process
- Low Energy Consumption
Applications
- Mining
- Oil & Gas
- Produced Water Treatment
- Refinery Wastewater Reuse
- Power
- Cooling Tower Blowdown Treatment
- Tertiary Wastewater Reuse
Applications
Technology Description
OPUS® Technology
The OPUS® technology consists of multiple treatment processes, involving degasification, chemical softening, media filtration, ion exchange softening, cartridge filtration and reverse osmosis (RO) technologies. The pretreatment processes ahead of the RO are designed to reduce the hardness, metals and suspended solids in the feed water. The RO process operates at an elevated pH, which effectively controls biological, organic and particulate fouling, eliminates scaling due to silica, and increases the rejection of silica and boron.
On feed water applications with high dissolved gases and excess alkalinity, the feed water is subjected to degasification with the addition of an acid to reduce the quantity of solids generated in the downstream chemical softening process and the alkali demand associated with raising the pH. The degasified water is then softened in a multi-stage process using a proprietary high-rate chemical softening and thickening technology called the Multiflo™ process.
This process utilizes a proprietary draft tube mixing technology to assist in the formation of crystalline solids. These dense solids (6 to 10% by weight) are then removed in a settling zone using lamella plates.
The water from the Multiflo™ process is then further treated with media filtration, ion exchange softening, and cartridge filtration to reduce the hardness, metals and suspended solids to lower concentrations, without pH correction. Removal of total hardness and metals in the feed water eliminates the potential for scaling of the RO membranes due to calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, calcium fluoride, barium sulfate, strontium sulfate, iron and manganese precipitates. The pretreated water is then pressurized through an RO system, operated at an elevated pH in either single pass or double pass mode, to reduce the total dissolved solids, silica, boron, and organics present in the feed water.
OPUS® II Technology
In OPUS II technology, the pretreatment consists of chemical softening followed by free oil and solids removal using CeraMem® ultrafiltration technology.
Chemical softening is accomplished in a series of reaction tanks followed by a crystallization tank fitted with our patented Turbomix® mixing technology, which facilitates precipitation of hardness and metals in the feed water as well as crystallization of the solids generated by precipitation. The softened water and crystalline solids are then processed through the ceramic membrane ultrafiltration system operated in cross-flow mode for removal of free oil, total hardness and suspended solids to lower concentrations. The solids from the ultrafiltration process are continuously recycled to the crystallization tank and purged intermittently for dewatering and disposal.
The filtrate from the CeraMem® process is further treated with ion exchange softening utilizing Weak Acid Cation (WAC) resin in sodium form for further removal of hardness and metals to lower concentrations, without pH correction. The pretreated water is then pressurized through the Reverse Osmosis system, operated at an elevated pH in single- or double-pass mode, to reduce TDS, boron and organics.