Home Made RO by TR Industries

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

well started a dry fit Sunday up at Taplin Hill Suagr house. Hopefully get it put together this week
Not the fanciest but should work for what I need
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e234/poultneyfiredog18/RO%20BUILD/IMAG0464_zps19b5c621.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e234/poultneyfiredog18/RO%20BUILD/IMAG0463_zps5db42149.jpg
inside of box how the towers are going to be positioned


http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e234/poultneyfiredog18/RO%20BUILD/IMAG0461_zpsf814d2c6.jpg
Front face of box, the pressure gauge wasn't installed yet. It will be to the left of concentrate flow meter

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e234/poultneyfiredog18/RO%20BUILD/IMAG0460_zpsd25ca351.jpg
close up

[Sunday Rock Maple]

Form follows function and it looks like it'll function just great --- good stuff and thanks for the pictures. We have an older model Coster and I'd like to add a membrane -- maybe next year....

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

well fired it up tuesday, I had some 1.9/2.0 sap turned it into 3.9%. Thanks to Allgreen he dropped of 200 gal of 2.5 on Friday night and I was able to turn that into 6%. Membranes in series but thinking about changing to Parallel. I will updaye some pictures soon.

[Randy Brutkoski]

Is allgreen not boiling again this year. And also i know you can get that homemade r.o. at a higher concentrate. make it happen desert bum.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

Is allgreen not boiling again this year. And also i know you can get that homemade r.o. at a higher concentrate. make it happen desert bum.
he's boiling had a little he couldnt get to had a honey do list I think, i think he has made like 15 gal,. Not enough pump to make the second membrane do any work, thats what we are thinking.

[not_for_sale]

Sugar concentrate depends on pressure. What pressure are you running these membranes at ( what hose are you using to connect the membranes) ?

To hook these big membranes in series does not make much sense. The second membrane will foul in no time flat unless you have some serious recirculating going. With the 4x40 inch membranes you need 3 GPM minimum flowing on the concentrate side to keep the membranes from fouling. The second membrane is not going to see that in most any situation.

[saekeaton64]

Flat Lander,
What are the GPM and pressure ratings for the Procon pump you are using?

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

http://www.fluidotech.com/Contents/Images/Products/Big/_0005s_0002_PO%20500-1000.jpg
thats the pump, 250 psi at 316gph. the literature says 230 the guy on phone told us 250psi
the hoses are stainless braid high pressure 1/2"

[saekeaton64]

I would like to start off by saying that I by no means am an RO expert, in fact I'm only just learning.
I would say that you flow rate is pretty low, 316 GPH / 60 min = 5.26 GPM flow rate to the first membrane and if you are doing a 5:1 concentrate to permeate ratio then you have 4.20 GPM going to your second membrane.
I am not sure what membranes you have, but the 4" membranes I have looked at have a max. flow rate of 17 GPM.
I don't think your system is moving enough sap for the membranes to be effective. You could either go with a bigger pump or downsize to 2.5" membranes which have a max rate of 6 GPM.

[FDA]

I went to TR Industries website and i did not see any parts for building Ro's. Is that the correct name of the company where you got your parts for your homemade Ro ?

[not_for_sale]

316 GPH is plenty for most any membrane you can put in these housings. Not for two though.

Largest membrane is rated at 2600 GPD about 110 GPH. Run them in parallel 220 GPH. But, the 220 is at feed temperature of 77 with a 100 percent permeate feed. At 41 F the 220 GPH becomes 84 GPH. Then you are feeding with sap - take off another 30 percent so we are at 60 GPH water removal if both are in parallel.

The membranes require 3 GPM concentrate across the membranes to slow fouling. Otherwise they lose performance fast at 250 psi.

2 membranes at 3 GPM plus 1 GPM permeate so 7 GPM - 420 GPH needed.

If you put them in series you may have enough flow. But you are risking fouling of the second membrane, and your water removal rate is going down.

In order to get the flow right you need a second pump to do recirculation. Or lose one membrane. Or wash and flush more often and flip the membranes.

If feed temperature gets higher you need more flow, if sap concentration gets higher you need less flow. If you want to get to higher one pass concentration you need more pressure. Those vessels are only rated for 300 psi though.

Experimenting is fun!

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

I went to TR Industries website and i did not see any parts for building Ro's. Is that the correct name of the company where you got your parts for your homemade Ro ?


316 GPH is plenty for most any membrane you can put in these housings. Not for two though.

Largest membrane is rated at 2600 GPD about 110 GPH. Run them in parallel 220 GPH. But, the 220 is at feed temperature of 77 with a 100 percent permeate feed. At 41 F the 220 GPH becomes 84 GPH. Then you are feeding with sap - take off another 30 percent so we are at 60 GPH water removal if both are in parallel.

The membranes require 3 GPM concentrate across the membranes to slow fouling. Otherwise they lose performance fast at 250 psi.

2 membranes at 3 GPM plus 1 GPM permeate so 7 GPM - 420 GPH needed.

If you put them in series you may have enough flow. But you are risking fouling of the second membrane, and your water removal rate is going down.

In order to get the flow right you need a second pump to do recirculation. Or lose one membrane. Or wash and flush more often and flip the membranes.

If feed temperature gets higher you need more flow, if sap concentration gets higher you need less flow. If you want to get to higher one pass concentration you need more pressure. Those vessels are only rated for 300 psi though.

Experimenting is fun!
hey FDA I made up the name, I used T for Thad and R for Rusty just felt Industries would sound good. Sorry for the confusion. Oh by the way Tsunami arches, I make those also hehe.

HUH, ok not-for-sale the membrnes I have are H2O H20 70-4040 good for 125gph. With needle almost all the way in Im doing 1gph on concentrate and 1/2 on the first membrane flow meter, the second doesn't move off the bottom of meter. right now I have bigger problems, the pump blew up last night doing my wash. I turn on jet pump first then HP pump but IDK what happened made some BAAAAAD noises and stop pumping. Calling fluid-o-tech ASAP.
when I first used the pump I would cycle it on and off just to make sure there was fluid in pump area I just would flip switch and go, after I got jet pump hooked what I said earlier.

[briansickler]

HUH, ok not-for-sale the membrnes I have are H2O H20 70-4040 good for 125gph. With needle almost all the way in Im doing 1gph on concentrate and 1/2 on the first membrane flow meter, the second doesn't move off the bottom of meter. right now I have bigger problems, the pump blew up last night doing my wash. I turn on jet pump first then HP pump but IDK what happened made some BAAAAAD noises and stop pumping. Calling fluid-o-tech ASAP.
when I first used the pump I would cycle it on and off just to make sure there was fluid in pump area I just would flip switch and go, after I got jet pump hooked what I said earlier.[/QUOTE]

How did you make out with the pump? Is she toast? What happened? Just wondering.

Brian

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

HUH, OK not-for-sale the membranes I have are H2O H20 70-4040 good for 125gph. With needle almost all the way in Im doing 1gph on concentrate and 1/2 on the first membrane flow meter, the second doesn't move off the bottom of meter. right now I have bigger problems, the pump blew up last night doing my wash. I turn on jet pump first then HP pump but IDK what happened made some BAAAAAD noises and stop pumping. Calling fluid-o-tech ASAP.
when I first used the pump I would cycle it on and off just to make sure there was fluid in pump area I just would flip switch and go, after I got jet pump hooked what I said earlier.
some stone looking pieces came out the output side of the pump today when taking fittings off. Think it was the vanes ( i thought those were a fiberglass fiber something made but fine particles, big chunks might have lost some flow on membrane thats was first.
received new pump today put bad filter in back wards did a wash and more of the black particles came out, just ran 485 gal of sap through them. first pass 2gpm on concentrate 1-1/4 on first membrane and 1 on second membrane was putting out 6%.Cranked needle valve in and it did like 6.6/6.8. backed it off and recirc back into bulk tank for like an 1hr, then turned back in the valve to head tank and 8%. New pump deff working like it should.
sending bad pump back to manufacturer and see what they say, if rebuild able going to have it done and maybe make another unit
How did you make out with the pump? Is she toast? What happened? Just wondering.

Brian[/QUOTE]