The only condition when DAF ...

The only condition when DAF could be beneficial is when the source seawater contians oil & grease/hydrocarbons. These compounds would foul the SWRO memrbanes irreversibly and DAF is very effective in remiving them to levels acceptable for processign through SWRO system. Often DAF is also condifered as a remedy for algal blooms. Expereicne to date on preactially all SWRO plants with DAFs is that they do not provide signficant algal and other suspendied solids removal when the content of these solids is lower than 5 NTU. The closer the desalination plant is to the equator, the smaller the algae are and the more dificult it is for them to be removed with conventional DAF technologies available on the market today even if the source seawater expreience significant algal blooms. Until the DAF technologies availalbe on the market are modified for the size of algae in the oceans and the density of seawater, DAF would not be suitable for removal of algae from seawater, espepcially in the Middle East, the Mediteranean and other parts of the world close to the equator where most algal blooms are dominated by pico and micro algae with sizes of 10 microns or less, which are too small to be effectively removed by fresh water DAF technologies availalbe on the market at present - most of these technologies are designed to remove fresh water algae with sizes of 30 microns and above.