dws-xflow-roetgen-modules2-770px

At Germany’s largest UF membrane water treatment plant Roetgen, Germany, the UF membranes in Pentair X-Flow Xiga membranes served 12 years continuously. Initially, when installed, it was expected that they would service only 8 years.

Both water work operator WAG Nordeifel, and membrane specialist Pentair X-Flow marked this long life time to illustrate that membranes can be reliable. In 2005, 40 modules of Pentair X/Flow’s Xiga membrane modules have been installed at water works Roetgen.

dws-x-flow-uf-membrane-roetgen2-350pxWater works Roetgen produces drinking water for 600,000 inhabitants. (photo: Enwor)

Remarkable in Germany
Water works Roetgen draws its water from a dammed reservoir in the Dreilägerbach, producing drinking water for the metropolitan area of Aachen. This plant is one the few in Germany to use UF membranes.

‘Our ultrafiltration plant is one of the most modern in Europe and by far the largest in Germany’, says Walter Dautzenberg, technical director at WAG Nordeifel.

‘Every year we deliver around 35 million cubic meters of drinking water’, he adds, ‘to more than 600,000 people. The raw water comes exclusively from dams.’

Better economy and performance
Dautzenberg continuous : ‘Before, we had a normal, two-stage open quick filtration system, a classic sand filter system that is typically used in Germany for the treatment of drinking water from dam water. ‘

‘As the planning with conventional technology and with membrane stage had roughly the same economic impact, we opted for membrane technology because the technology seemed more future-proof and because the cleaning performance of membranes is significantly better.’

dws-xflow-roetgen-xiga-hollow-fiber-350pxHollow fiber membranes in Xiga module (photo: Pentair, Norit)

Expectations exceeded
Membrane-based treatment is also much better able to handle changing raw water qualities, making operation much more stable and reliable. The Pentair X-Flow Xiga 40 membranes have far exceeded expectations, according to Dautzenberg.

‘We expected eight years and they worked well for over twelve years. We never used chlorine to clean the membranes, which contributes to a longer life’.

Also on the issue of water quality, Dautzenberg shows a high customer satisfaction. ‘The filtrate quality in the microbiological sense was always inconspicuous, which was not always the case with sand filtration in the past.’

‘This plant has significantly improved the stability of the treatment process and particle retention’, he concludes.

This news items is based on publications on the websites of Pentair X-Flow and Enwor (in German only).

(top photo: WAG)

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Expertise: Water technology
Country: Germany

More information
Pentair X-Flow
Enschede, the Netherlands
+31 53 428 73 50
www.xflow.pentair.com/en