Yes, Hydrocarbon in feed ...

Yes, Hydrocarbon in feed water is definitely a problem for RO plants. Major intake of oil will cause near permanent fouling of the RO membrane. If the plant has membrane pre-treatment, it will damage this also. The effect is to block the permeate 'pores' of the membrane and require much much higher operating pressures to produce permeate (often beyond the capability of the plant, resulting in reduced product water output). Oils are not easily removed, requiring frequent CIP (at pH extremes that result in reduced membrane life). For this exact reason, we design in Hydrocarbon sensors on our feed (to trip operation at lowest possible detection). Trace amounts of Hydrocarbons also casue significant problems. The natural breakdown of the hydrocarbons in the environment (by UV or other mechanisms), result in smaller and smaller chain lengths that are easily assimilable by micro-organisms. When these in trace amounts are feed to the RO plant it provides food/energy for bacteria grow (termed biofouling). Biofouling is already generally the most significant issue in plant operation, the 'fall-out' from a oil spill would make an already existing problem that much more difficult. Hope this helps, Anthony