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Transmembrane Pressure (TMP) - definition

The pressure drop across a membrane. The TMP value is calculated by subtracting clean
water pipe losses from a measured in-pipe pressure measurement and normalizing for the
static water head above the pressure sensor.

Categories: Terminology P - Z, P thru

What is the MAP to MBR Success?

The Enviroquip MAP to MBR Success is a simple tool for remembering the necessary steps
for ensuring long term successful operations of your flat plate MBR system.

MAP To MBR Success

Monitor and Trend

Monitoring and reviewing trend data for the following items will provide
insight to a systems health and performance.
• Permeability
• TMP
• Air Scour Rate
• MLSS
• Filterability
• Diffuser Clean Cycles
• MLSS
• Filterability
• Diffuser Clean Cycles

 Act
• Perform a membrane Maintenance Cleaning if TMP increases by 1.0 psi at a
given flow (pick one) or permeability drops below 10gfd/psi. Remember the
maximum TMP is 3.0 psig.
• Never allow filtration without aeration. No exceptions. Low air at low flux is
okay at high permeability.
• Immediately and properly respond to Critical Alarms.
• Keep MBR MLSS concentration at or below 15, 000 mg/L unless otherwise
instructed.
• Keep diffusers clean at all times by extending cleaning time or cleaning more
frequently, if necessary. Clean for 10 min/day as a minimum.

Prepare
Post a detailed plan listing Critical Alarms and how to respond to each alarm.
• High TMP
• Low Permeability
• Permeate Pump or FCV Failure/Fault

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• MBR Low Level

• No Blowers Available (or too few blowers available)
• High High Level (Imminent Overflow)
• MBR Low Air Flow
• Recycle Pump Failure
• Diffuser Clean Valve Failure
• HMI/PLC Communications Failure

Categories: Warranty / Support, Warranty and Support, MBR Subsystems, Chemical

Cleaning, Miscellaneous, Genera

How does static pressure figure into my TMP calculation?

For systems where the control elements (valve or pump) are below the water level in the
MBR, a level signal can be used to determine PS. However, most systems do not have a level
transmitter in the MBR and it is typical for pumped systems to have the centerline of the
pump above the measured water level. Therefore, the PLC must record the last static
pressure measured during a relax period of no flow and set that equal to PS. This means
that PS is constantly being updated. If the system is in Intermittent Mode for any length of
time, the PLC use the static pressure recorded during the last relax state for calculating
TMP.

Categories: MBR Subsystems, MBR Zone, Permeate Contro

Is TMP the same as suction pressure?

It's not quite that easy.

(1) In strict terms, the pressure difference between the high and low pressure side of a

membrane is referred to as transmembrane pressure or TMP. This generally includes the
pressure across a biofilm.

(2) The calculation of Pressure (TMP) requires a correlation between flow, piping losses
and additional logic to estimate static pressure. Generally speaking it is the actual pressure
required to move water through the membranes, after taking all the other variables into
consideration. Two reversible calculations for your reference are:

 or

Where,
PP = Piping system losses (no membranes)
PG = Gauge pressure reading during filtration
PS = Static pressure or gauge pressure reading at zero filtration or no flow

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