TITLE: Demin Plant Chlorine Dosing Retrofit

1.1 GENERAL OBJECTIVE

To design an algae elimination system.

1.2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. To design a chlorine dosing system to eliminate algae.

2. To design a residual chlorine elimination adsorption column.

1.3 SCOPE

This project will focus on use of chlorine as an algae control chemical. The use of charcoal as an
adsorption and filtration medium to eliminate residual chlorine which would otherwise foul
resins in downstream ion exchange units will also be studied.

1.4 PROBLEM STATEMENT

Low Demin plant throughput.

1.5 JUSTIFICATION

After observing low Demin throughput on 12/12/2017, troubleshooting on Demin plant units was
done. The following observations were made.

1. The pond water pump discharge was at normal 80 psi pressure.

2. No pressure drop on the sand filter. Inlet and outlet pressures were both at 460kPa.
This shows that there was no filtration occurring in the sand filter.

3. Very high pressure drop on outside softener with inlet pressure at 460kPa and outlet at
220kPa. This translates to a more than 50% system pressure being lost on one unit.

4. Very high pressure drop on inside softener with inlet pressure at 48psi and outlet at 16
psi. This again is an excessively high drop compared to the 5psi normal acceptable
pressure drop on the inside softeners.

5. Bypassing the inside softeners results in Demin Plant throughput going back to normal
levels.

Further troubleshooting was done on the ion exchange units to investigate the causes of the high
pressure drops and why inside softeners were causing low throughput and off spec water.
On isolating and opening the units, the following observations were made.

 The outlet nozzles on the units were not clogged nor corroded.

 A layer of particulates was found to have accumulated on the surface of resins in the
outside softeners. This shows that filtration of water was occurring in the softeners and
not in the sand filter.
The sand filter is failing to trap the particles found in water. This shows a poor particle
size distribution in the filter. The smallest sand pores are actually bigger than the particles
that must be filtered.

 The resins on both units were green instead of normal yellow to gold color.

 The green resins in the inside softeners were clamped together forming hard and dry
clumps. Some clumps were as big as a regular size building brick.

 There were some portions of the ion exchange beds that were dry showing that water was
not being equally distributed along the beds.

Layer of particles seen on the outside softeners shows the need to revise the particle size
distribution of the sand filter.

The presence of dry pockets in the beds is an evidence of channeling. As the resins clump
together due to presence of algae, water flows through the resin unevenly carving pathways that
result in uneven exhaustion of the resin. With channeling occurring in the unit, the bed will not
be properly fluidized when in service and during regeneration hence poor performance and
breakthrough of caustic and acids into the drains.

The green color observed on the resins is evidence of fouling caused by algae. The algae cover
the surface of the resins resulting in reduced efficiency of water treatment through ion exchange.
The resins will exhaust faster leading to wastage of caustic and acid used for regeneration. The
resin life will also be reduced and will require frequent replacement.

Preventative strategies for fouling due to algae include pre-chlorination, carbon filtration,
applying a multistep ion exchange system with weak and strong base resins and use of specialty
resins.
1.6 METHODOLOGY

1. Literature review on use of chlorine to control algae.

2. Design a chlorine dosing system (Storage, Delivery, Injection).

3. Literature review on use of carbon to remove residual chlorine.

4. Experiments to determine the carbon adsorption isotherms on residual chlorine.

5. Design a carbon adsorption column to remove residual chlorine which would otherwise
foul downstream resins.

6. Cost the project.

1.7 GANNT CHART

ACTIVITY Dec April May June

Demin Plant
Troubleshooting
Literature Review On use of
chlorine as an algae control
chemical.

Design of chlorine dosing

system.
Literature Review On use of
carbon to remove residual
chlorine

Experiments to determine
the adsorption isotherms of
carbon on residual chlorine

Design of carbon adsorption

column

Conclusion And
Recommendations