Section V

______________________________________________

Glossary

__________________________________________________________________________________
SUCO R.O. Desalination Plant 300 m3/day
Page: 1 of 6
Glossary
March 2010

Abbreviations

Abbreviation
SW
R.O.
PVC
SDI
TDS
PSI
M3/D
M3/H
Mg/L
ppm
C

Definition
Sea Water
Reverse Osmosis
Poly Vinyl Chloride
Silt Density Index
Total Dissolved Solids
Pound per Square Inch
Cubic meters per day
Cubic meters per hour
Milligrams per liter
Parts per million
Degree centigrade

__________________________________________________________________________________
SUCO R.O. Desalination Plant 300 m3/day
Page: 2 of 6
Glossary
March 2010

GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS

Activated Carbon

Specially treated carbon used to

remove chlorine and organic matter.

Backwash

Reverse flow of water through

a multimedia filter to expand bed
and remove trapped sediment.

Bacteria

Microscopic single celled plants

living in soil, plants, water, and
animals. A specific cause of
disease.

Sea Water

Saline water with high TDS value.

Brine (Reject) Water

The high saline stream rejected

from the R.O. Membrane to the drain.

Calcium Carbonate

(CaCO3), Calcium salt, the common

R.O. membrane scaling material.

Calcium Sulfate

(CaSO4), Calcium salt, a scaling

material precipitated by the use of
sulfuric acid.

Chlorine

A gas with a strong odor, an oxidant,

used as a bleach and disinfectant in
water, damaging to most R.O.
membranes.

Cleaning Chemicals

Chemicals used to remove mineral,

organic scales and fouling materials
from R.O. membranes.

Cleaning Cycle

Method used to circulate cleaning

chemicals inside the entire cleaning
process.

__________________________________________________________________________________
SUCO R.O. Desalination Plant 300 m3/day
Page: 3 of 6
Glossary
March 2010

Conductivity

The ability to conduct electricity

(measure
of
salinity),
usually
expressed in micro siemens/ cm.

Conversion

Product water flow rate divided by

feed water flow rate.

Differential Pressure

Feed pressure less effluent pressure

across filters or R.O. membranes.

Dissolved Solid

The smallest impurities in water as

single molecules or ions.

Distributor

Piping assembly in bottom of

multimedia filters to collect and
discharge filtered water.

Feed water

Water entering any equipment,

i.e. filter, membrane,etc.

Flow meter

Device for measuring the flow of

water through a pipe.

Flux

Flow through a R/O membrane

per unit time.

Fouling

Scales precipitating on the membrane

surface decreasing the flux and/or
increasing salt passage.

Hardness

Calcium and magnesium

concentration in water expressed as
ppm CaCO3.

Inorganic

Mineral base substance.

Log sheet

A record of all operational data

normally taken daily.

Membrane

Reverse Osmosis membrane for

__________________________________________________________________________________
SUCO R.O. Desalination Plant 300 m3/day
Page: 4 of 6
Glossary
March 2010

desalinating water.
Micron

Unit of Measure 0.001 mm.

Mineral

An inorganic element or
compound found in nature.

Organic

Hydrocarbon compounds
similar to those found in nature.

Oxidant

A chemical that frees oxygen,

e.g., chlorine.

Permeate Water

Product potable water.

pH

Measure of acidity-alkalinity in
range of 0-14 with 7 being
neutral, 0-7 acidic, 7-14 alkaline.

Plant Recovery

Expressed in (%), this is product flow

multiplied by 100 and divided by feed
flow

Potable

Suitable for human use as drinking

water according to the World Health
Organization (WHO) Standards.

PPM

Parts per million

Pressure Drop

Inlet pressure less effluent

pressure or any drop in pressure due
to friction or any restrictions

Productivity

Product water flow.

Raw Water

Feed water without any treatment

Reverse Osmosis

A process used for producing drinking

water from saline water.

R.P.M.

Revolution per minute.

__________________________________________________________________________________
SUCO R.O. Desalination Plant 300 m3/day
Page: 5 of 6
Glossary
March 2010

Salinity

The measurement of salts or

total dissolved solids in water,
usually expressed in mg/L or ppm.

Salt Passage

Amount of salt from the feed

water being passed into the
product water.

Selectivity

The membrane ability for passing

pure water only and rejecting any
salts contained in the feed water.

Semi-Permeable

Allowing some dissolved solids

to pass and some to be rejected.

Spiral Wound

Membrane sheets that wrapped

around a product tube

Suspended

Any impurities in water with particle

size 1 micron and more.

Ultra Violet

A wave length of light or radiation

capable of killing bacteria content in
the feed water.

__________________________________________________________________________________
SUCO R.O. Desalination Plant 300 m3/day
Page: 6 of 6
Glossary
March 2010