Challenge
- Application: Beverage
- Product: ZeeWeed 700B (ZW700B)
- Design Capacity: 432,000 GPD
- Location: Manitoba, Canada
- Commissioned: 2007 Upgraded: 2016
A major beverage company in Central Canada commissioned a water plant with a competitor’s ultrafiltration membranes in 2007. The membranes began to deteriorate and needed frequent cleanings to maintain the required quality of the water produced.
In early 2016, the company set out to upgrade their membranes to improve effluent water quality and reliability. Veolia provided a comprehensive solution for resolving the customer’s current operational issues and help optimize the plant.
Solution
The customer chose Veolia’s based on decades of experience in the membrane industry and commitment to continuous reliable client support. The competitor membranes were replaced with ZeeWeed 700B membranes, which met the required treatment quality while providing quick delivery lead times, improved servicing and a longer membrane life.
The ZW700B will help reduce the frequency of membrane cleaning due to the added hydrophilicity of the fibers, helping improve operational efficiency.
To further improve efficiency within the plant, the customer entered a Lifecycle Services Agreement that includes, among other services, Veolia’s InSight* coupled with Process Consulting Service. This service combines process experts with the InSight Industrial Internet platform to monitor and optimize a customer’s plant using water process and quality data from the membrane system. InSight automatically collects the data from throughout the plant and converts this data into graphical trends. A dedicated process expert will work with the customer to monitor the data, assist operators with interpreting the results, and make recommendations to enhance operational performance moving forward.
Result
After approximately five months of operation, the implemented solution is running smoothly. The membranes have shown consistent and improved performance in trans-membrane pressure (TMP) and membrane permeability as can be seen from the graphical data provided by InSight in Figures 3 and 4.
Due to the hydrophilicity of the ZW700B fibers, the customer has experienced a significant reduction in the frequency of its membrane cleans. Within the first five months following installation, the membranes did not require any cleaning.
In addition, the customer now has peace of mind knowing that a Veolia process expert is continuously monitoring the plant. This is a service that the competition was unable to provide and allows the customer to begin acting proactively to potential issues before they arise, instead of acting reactively, and letting these issues impact daily operations. By working collaboratively with the operations team, the process expert can give the customer operational updates as well as recommendations to improve efficiency within the plant.
The key drivers that led the customer to upgrade to ZW700B were the reputation and track record of the technology, as well as the speed and high level of service provided by the Veolia team.