Dr Victor Sim is currently a Process Engineer at CH2M Singapore and affiliated with NEWRI - Singapore Membrane Technology Center (SMTC) as a scientist assisting on student mentorship and research activities. He graduated from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) with a Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental and Water Engineering under the supervision of Professor Tony Fane. His research focus was on the development of novel monitors for early detection of fouling in reverse-osmosis systems. His work carried out at NEWRI-SMTC has received numerous awards and accolades including the World Future Foundation (WFF) PhD prize and American Water Works Association (AWWA) Academic Achievement Award for the best doctoral dissertation in his research field. In 2011, he was recognized as one of the top 20 young outstanding scientists active in the field of sustainability research organized by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. He is the inventor of three separate patents for membrane fouling, advanced ultrasonic biofouling detection and a reinforced pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) membrane. He graduated from the National University of Singapore with a First Class Honours in Applied Chemistry in 2008. Prior to his PhD study, he held various positions as a process and equipment engineer in a semiconductor firm, an associate with the Ministry of Finance and a project engineer with NEWRI-SMTC.
Presentation Title
Real-time Monitoring of the Reverse Osmosis Spiral Wound Module System
Abstract
Today, the leading technology for new desalination installations uses reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. As the primary energy use in an RO system is the power required for the high pressure to pump the feed water and is directly related to the feed pressure and flow rate, savings can come in the energy costs in pre‐empting fouling problems. A side-stream RO fouling monitor cell simulating flows in the plant termed the ‘canary cell’ was developed to provide more reliable information for process monitoring. The canary cell was found to be representative of the spiral wound module (SWM), which is the most commonly used configuration in the water desalination industry that can serve as an early warning system. Representative fouling rates and ex-situ membrane autopsies show the capability of the canary cell to simulate the SWM under controlled hydrodynamics and flux conditions.