1. AquaSel Brine Concentration Pilot Project Update
Khos Ghaderi, P.E.
Director of Water Operations
December 23, 2015

2. Importance of Brine Concentration
Generated Brine Volume:
Menifee Desalter MGD
Perris Desalter MGD
2.3 MGD
Loss of Valuable Water Resources:
Presently – 2,500 AF/year
Future – 4,000 AF/year
Brine Management Objectives:
Maximize available water resources
Reduce disposal costs

3. Background December 2013 – EMWD Board Authorized AquaSel Pilot Project
December 2014 – Commissioned the AquaSel Brine Concentration Pilot Unit by GE at EMWD’s Menifee Desalter
Project Partners
Metropolitan Water District ($192,000 grant)
Foundational Action Funding Program research for new technologies to develop regional water resources
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation ($131,000 grant)
Desalination and Water Purification Research and Development Program
Carollo Engineers Retained for Technical Support ($92,815)
July 2015 – Completed AquaSel pilot plant testing

4. AquaSel Pilot Project Objectives
Demonstrate ability to reliably treat EMWD’s brine
Recover additional water through brine concentration
Verify and validate preliminary cost estimates
Identify any operational and maintenance issues
Develop appropriate treatment train design for a demonstration and full scale plant based on findings

5. AquaSel Brine Concentration Technology
AquaSel is a proprietary process by GE which uses electrodialysis reversal (EDR) and a precipitator
Has been successfully applied in the beverage industry
Conducted pilot testing at 10 GPM over a nine-month period (1,890 hours of run time)

6. Pilot Plant Process Schematic

7. Pilot Plant Performance Overview
Trouble Shooting - December 2014 to February 2015
Experienced several operations and water quality related
issues
Silica fouling
Calcium carbonate fouling (scaling)
Added pre-treatment (ferric chloride, multimedia filters,
and cartridge filters)
Start Up – March 2015 to April 2015
Achieved steady state operation
Continued experiencing occasional starts and stops
due to scale formation on the membranes

8. Pilot Plant Performance Overview (cont’d)
Phase
Hours of Operation
Desalter Recovery
AquaSel Recovery
Water Quality TDS Mg/L
Performance Issues 1
500
75%
90%
3,000
Occasional EDR Fouling 2
430
70%
2,260
Unreliable / High Maintenance 3
960
80%
1,900
Steady Performance
Plant performance and the project report were reviewed by USBR technical staff as well as by Carollo and District staff

9. Pilot Plant Performance Overview (cont’d)
Phase 2
Phase 3
Start of final test period
Loss of solids from the precipitator

10. Summary of Findings
Membrane fouling and hydraulic issues were mitigated
Achieved significant operation time
1,890 hours of operation
320 hours of continuous run time
Sustained operation with occasional downtime
Achieved 95 percent overall recovery of brackish groundwater through improved brine concentration

11. Ongoing Analysis
Right-sizing the precipitator for improved performance
Evaluating best filtration method for recirculating feed to EDR
Balancing hydraulic flow
Blending options
Sizing a “demonstration plant” and estimating the cost
Determining the best layout and return on investment (ROI) for a full scale plant

12. Next Steps Finalize the pilot study
Complete pilot study analyses and develop plans for a potential demonstration project
Cost estimates
Site layout
Agreement with GE
Pursue external funding
Present final pilot study analyses and recommendations regarding next phase demonstration project
January 2016
February 2016
On-going
March 2016

13. Khos Ghaderi, P.E.
Director of Water Operations
(951) Extension 6240