A 48,000 m³/day seawater RO plant was replacing membranes at less than half design life because seasonal algal blooms defeated its pre-treatment.
- Achieved membrane life
- 61 months
- Held through bloom season
- SDI 2.1
- Avoided membrane cost over 5 years
- €1.9M
- Additional civil works required
- 0
The challenge
The plant's membranes were being replaced every 26 months against a 60-month design life. Autopsy showed biological and colloidal fouling concentrated at the lead elements. The root cause was seasonal: during two months of algal bloom each year, SDI rose above 5 and the existing media filters could not recover.
How we approached it
- 01Twelve months of raw seawater data were analysed to characterise the bloom season rather than the annual average.
- 02A pilot skid ran on site through a full bloom cycle, testing three pre-treatment configurations against continuous SDI measurement.
- 03The winning configuration paired automatic self-cleaning pre-filtration with absolute-rated cartridge polishing.
- 04The train was sized for bloom conditions, with the cartridge stage in standby during normal operation to control consumable cost.
What we delivered
Two AXIS-BW automatic backwash filters at 50 µm handling bulk load, followed by a FLUXA-PT train with 5 µm absolute AXION cartridges brought online automatically when inlet turbidity crosses threshold. Total footprint fitted the existing pre-treatment building with no civil work.
Running the pilot through an actual bloom is what convinced our board. Everyone else offered a proposal. They offered a season of data.
Project facts
- Client
- Municipal water authority
- Industry
- Water & Wastewater
- Location
- Gulf Coast, Oman
- Year
- 2025
Measured results
- 61 months
- Achieved membrane life
- SDI 2.1
- Held through bloom season
- €1.9M
- Avoided membrane cost over 5 years
- 0
- Additional civil works required
What went in
Other programmes
Next step
Tell us what is in the stream.
Flow rate, contaminant, target rating, chemistry and available pressure. Six inputs, and our engineers return a staged design with the sizing basis attached — typically inside 48 hours.
Or call +91 79 4890 2200 · sales@worldasatech.com