MECO - A worldwide leader in water purification

MECO MASTERpak™ units are designed to provide Deionized water for a variety of uses as well as pretreatment for Multi-Effect Stills, Pure Steam generators and USP production. MECO MASTERpak™ units incorporate all of the components and instrumentation required for operation, as well as the versatility to adapt to specific customer requirements. The MASTERpak™ unit comes as a complete system that incorporates Pretreatment, RO, and EDI all on a single packaged skid. All MECO clients benefit from MECO's exclusive MASTERsupport™ service capabilities.

MASTERpak™

• A USP water system completely assembled within the MECO factory
• Factory tested wet or dry and guaranteed to produce the quantity and quality of water specified
• Completely validated within our factory

Integration

The MECO MASTERpak™ unit delivers superior value through the integration of Pretreatment, RO and EDI technologies and services into a factory assembled, tested and validated single skid. This image showcases most of the equipment included, i.e., softeners, chemical injection, cartridge filters, RO vessels, feed break tank, EDI module and storage tank.

Innovation

The MASTERpak™ is an innovative and complex system providing numerous benefits to MECO customers. This shot demonstrates the complexity of the system and that utilizing the MASTERpak™ removes the complicated field installation of all the electrical components.

Details

The MECO MASTERpak™ includes the mirror finish stainless steel clad tank. In this shot, the electric immersion heater used to temper the water and provide sanitization is also featured.

Q: Can I make USP grade water from an RO unit?

A: No. Even with a two pass RO unit, you will not consistently produce USP grade water. While it may be possible to produce USP grade water immediately after startup, as the membranes age the water quality will likely not meet the USP requirements. The use of Deionization bottles or Continuous Electrodeionization will be required after the RO to meet USP requirements.

Q: What kind of water quality can I expect out of an RO unit?

A: It is difficult to predict the permeate quality of an RO. RO product quality relies heavily on the quality of the feedwater and the types of membranes used. The most effective tool in helping to determine the permeate quality is an accurate water analysis. MECO can evaluate the water analysis and run RO projections to help determine the permeate quality of any RO design.

Q: What sanitization options are available for RO units?

A: Hot water sanitization and chemical sanitization are both used to sanitize RO units. Hot water sanitization has a much higher initial cost as it requires more instrumentation, a heat exchanger, controls, and special membranes. The high heat (180ºF) can also reduce the life of the membrane if frequent sanitizatons are required.

Chemical sanitization has a much lower initial cost. Chemically sanitized units do not require stainless steel feed lines, special membranes, heat exchangers, controls, and added instrumentation. A CIP skid is required, but if a customer already has one for an existing piece of equipment, it can easily be adapted for use on the RO as well. The drawback is that sanitization chemicals have to be purchased, handled, and disposed of every time the unit is sanitized.

Q: What kind of operational issues and maintenance should I expect to have?

A: RO units need a good bit of attention. The RO unit should be monitored on a daily basis and records should be kept on pressures, flowrates, and water quality. This helps to determine when the RO unit is experiencing problems with scaling, biofouling, membrane degradation, etc. Since problems with RO units are usually not associated with catastrophic failures, having the ability to trend data makes diagnosing a problem much easier.

Even with proper care, RO membranes will have to be replaced. The average life of RO membranes is about three years. Replacement will require a full shutdown of the RO unit. Depending on the number of membranes in the system, this can be an expensive maintenance cost that should not be overlooked.

Membrane cleaning is a task that will have to be performed on a regular basis. Cleaning of the membranes is required for removal of scale and biofouling. Depending on the size of the RO unit, it should be noted that cleaning may be a very time consuming task and the RO unit must be shutdown.

Q: What are some important considerations for overall RO system design?

A: The first consideration you should make is what type of materials of construction do you need. PVC is an inexpensive material to make an RO out of. The capital cost of the unit will be greatly reduced at the expense of a more sanitary design. If a sanitary design is a major concern, then a stainless steel O.D. tube permeate is required at a greater cost.

Membrane selection is another important area of concern. Different membranes have different rejection rates. Typically, the highest rejection rates are associated with the highest operational pressures. The higher the operational pressure, the more pump horsepower is required to boost the pressure. A larger horsepower pump will incur a higher electrical utilities cost for daily operation.

Membrane flux is the amount of water that can be passed through a square foot of membrane. The unit of measure for flux is referred to as GFD (gallons per square foot per day). The higher the flux rate, the higher potential for scaling problems. It is best to consider a conservative flux rate when designing an RO system. Running the membranes close to their maximum flux will increase the potential for scaling and will shorten the life of the membranes.

Q: What are the feedwater requirements for an EDI?

A: All EDI units require a properly designed RO to meet EDI feedwater requirements. A properly designed RO is key to extending the life of the EDI modules and maintaining consistent high quality product water. The feedwater requirements for an EDI are as follows:

Conductivity = 4 to 30 Microsiemens
Hardness - 1.0 ppm
Organics - 0.5 ppm TOC
Silica - 0.5
Total CO2 - 5 ppm or less
PH - 5.0 to 9.5
Temperature - 5C to 35C

If the pretreatment meets or exceeds these requirements, you can expect to get the highest quality water possible out of the EDI module. If the water quality is less than that stated above, the product water quality will be less than 17-18 Mega Ohm but may still meet USP requirements.

Q: What materials of construction are available for piping?

A: PVC piping as well as sanitary piping can be provided on EDI units.

Q: What voltage do EDI units use?

A: EDI units use a Voltage Control Module to convert AC current to DC current. The input voltage to the Voltage Control Module can be either 208/240 or 440/480. The DC voltage that the EDI module uses ranges from 0 to 400V depending on the feedwater quality. Good feedwater quality will require less voltage to get the desired product quality.

Q: How often do I have to regenerate the modules?

A: EDI modules use the voltage to continuously regenerate the resin. Periodic regenerations are not necessary and regeneration chemicals are not required.

Q:  How long do EDI modules last?

A: EDI modules have an approximate lifespan of 5 years. If proper care is given to the modules, the life expectancy can be greatly increased. Repeated cleanings, poor RO design and repeated hot water sanitization will all decrease the life of an EDI module.

Q: How much will it cost to run an EDI module?

A: That is a tough question because there are numerous EDI modules on the market with different electrical consumptions. Some modules use amperage, as opposed to voltage, as the medium of ion removal. This can significantly increase the operating cost of the module. MECO's typical EDI module, operating under normal conditions, will use about 300V while drawing 2 amps per 10 GPM. This translates to about $1.00 per 8 hours per 10 GPM. This is based on an estimated $0.12/kW-hr energy cost.

Q:  What is the recovery of an EDI unit?

A: EDI units typically run at a 90% recovery rate. In certain applications it is possible to increase the overall recovery of the EDI to 99% by bringing the concentrate back to the feed of the RO unit.

The MECO MASTERpak MASTERedge Package™

2 X PID Control Loops

Control systems are sometimes taken for granted until a utility fluctuation within the plant has impacted your critical utility. Fluctuations in feed water pressure can all have a direct impact on the consistency and quality of the water produced. With 2 PID loop controls, your plant will operate in the most stable manner regardless of external influences.

Hot Water Sanitization

MECO’s control system allows for automatic hot water sanitization of the MASTERpak™. The feed tank is used to heat up the feedwater. The hot water is then pumped through the unit and recycled back to the tank for a continuous sanitization process.

Conservative Flux Rates

MECO designs all of its RO units with flux rates from 12-16 GFD. Having a lower flux rate means that scale formation will be reduced, membrane life is extended, and maintenance costs will be lowered. Higher flux rates may give you more flow at a cheaper capital cost, but long-term maintenance cost will eat away at any capital cost savings fairly quickly.

Sanitary Permeate Lines

All MECO MASTERpak™ units come with permeate lines that meet or exceed current sanitary requirements. This includes two forged, pneumatically actuated, ITT diaphragm valves that can be mounted on the customer’s permeate tank. Sanitary hoses with Tri-Clamp connections are used on the permeate outlet connection of the RO vessels to connect to the permeate manifold. This will make the chore of replacing membranes much easier, faster and will become a feature that the customer will come to appreciate.

High Cross Flow

Cross flows are set to meet or exceed manufacturer’s minimum requirements for scale prevention. MECO RO units come standard with recycle lines and flowmeters, within skid limits, to ensure that membrane cross flows are set at the proper rate and that RO recovery can remain at 75% or higher.

Control Package

All MASTERpak units come standard with a comprehensive control, Operator Interface Terminal (OIT) and instrumentation package. This control package comes completely preprogrammed with a complete set of alarms and safety features to guard your MASTERpak™ against possible damage. This ensures worry free operation of your MASTERpak even if no one is around.

Compact EDI Design

MECO uses some of the smallest and lightest EDI modules on the market. This allows for a smaller installed footprint, easier installation and maintenance. Our EDI modules are light enough to be removed by hand if ever necessary.

Lower Voltage

This system uses EDI modules that use some of the lowest voltages in the industry. The maximum applied voltage is 400V. This is 200V less than comparable designs. Standout Features Include:

• cGMP & ISPE/FDA guide for Water and Steam Systems
• Sanitary and non-sanitary designs available
• Hot water sanitization available
• Stainless Steel pneumatic lines
• Vertical multi-stage pump
• 316 SST Electropolished cartridge filter
• Cabling in galvanized rigid conduit protects your electrical and instrument cables
• Stainless Steel concentrate and electrolyte lines on the EDI
• Spare EDI modules can be shipped and received in 24 hours or less

Anytime. Anywhere.

• 24 hours, 7 days a week access to effectively manage your water system.

Real Time Access to:

• Purchase spare parts online
• Track status of outstanding orders
• Review shipping information
• Review invoice/payment history
• Review online maintenance records
• Request technical information
• Online electronic manuals
• Remote system monitoring capabilities

   MECO understands the importance of providing our customers with the parts and services required to maintain systems operating at optimum capacity. Our online service center - MECO MASTERsupport™ is a good example of that. It enables you to monitor your system remotely, place orders, access service records and view your system's manuals when it's convenient for you. Anytime. Anywhere.

With a simple point and click, our entire parts inventory is available to you. Through the online service center, you also get real-time access to invoices, orders, shipping status, system manuals and service trip reports. Everything you need to know to effectively manage and maintain your treatment plant is right at your fingertips.

It's another example of MECO's commitment to providing the highest quality spare parts and cost effective support throughout the life-cycle of the product.

» Launch MASTERsupport™ Online