Introduction:

The tourist town of Bluewater had a poor quality of drinking water, so they hired our firm

to test two different membranes, and we decided which was the better fit for their needs. We

tested how well the water filtration system purified the water and found out the more cost

efficient membrane to install and maintain.

The membrane used was a material that allowed a stream of gas or liquid to flow through

it, while it captures fine particles or molecules (Parker). It thus allowed the water to flow

through, but unwanted pollutants did not, which left the water clean and ready for consumption.

Membrane filtration technology is a great way to get purified drinking water because it

removes microtoxins in the water (Nikkei Weekly). Membranes can be used in more ways than

just filtering water. Other uses of membranes include filtering atomic particles, “membranes

could be considered for the separation of cobalt ions from nickel ions” (Ali and Ajji).

Membranes also have removed concentrated compounds from natural products (Diaz-Reinoso, et

al). Its wide use in filtering is what makes it a good system for the town of Bluewater.

In order to test the two systems, we set up an experimental filter using one membrane and

tested the rate that clean water was filtered from dirty water. Then we compared our results to the

known information from another membrane product. With these results, we determined the most

efficient membrane the town of Bluewater should use for a filtration system was membrane X.

The rest of this report explains how we performed the experiments, what we did with the

data collected, and how this data could be applied to solve the town’s water problem. All of the

hard data can be found in the appendix of this report.

Methods:

1
 Figure 1 refers to the model (membrane) used to collect the data of the flow rate for the

filtered water. Data analysis applications in Microsoft excel such as the one shown in figure 2

were used to find the flow rate of the clean water. Figure 2 showed the best-fit line of the value

of k, which was then used in the following equations of figure 3, which calculated the membrane

area, the annual pump operating costs, and the annual storage tank capital cost. The data

procured by the equations were placed into tables also with excel, which will be discussed later

for supporting the results on page 4 in the text. More in depth details can be found on the last

page of this report in the appendix page 21.

Experimental Membrane Model

245689 37 10
11 1

Figure 1

1. Beaker of Contaminated Water 7. Cell Membrane Filter

2. Electric Pump 8. Filtered Water Valve
3. Cylinder to Maintain Constant Water 9. Contaminated Water Valve
Pressure
4. Spring-Triggered Pressure Release 10. Filtered Water
5. Pressure Gauge (PSI) 11. Contaminated Water
6. Feed Valve

2
Figure 2

Figure 3 Equations
Rate = C0 + k * A * ∆ P
Annual Pump Operating Costs, $/yr = {0.724[(Q/2500) ∆ P]3 Ec (1-Er)}/ (Fr Pe)
Annual Storage Tank Capital Cost, $/yr = $5.38 * (capacity)0.57

Results:
All of the data for every analysis done can be found in the figures placed in the appendix.

The optimal PSI (pressure) to operate at was Membrane X at 26 PSI, which with just the

membrane operating cost was $6,121.35. Two comparison graphs of membrane X and

membrane B are illustrated by figure 5 and 6. $6,121.35 is the most cost efficient, but it does not

take other factors into consideration. We found however that with the population being that of a

tourist town there had to be some room given for population spikes. Membrane X at 26 PSI

obtained 2635 L per day. The pressure when increased to 27 PSI obtained 2825 L per day. But

the cost efficiency went down with the added PSI to compensate for population. It was deemed

3
more cost efficient and safe to the availability of drinking water to include a water tank or

addition small membrane. To operate the membrane at 26 PSI, which is the most cost efficient

pressure, and to also have a water tank it was found that it would cost Bluewater $6,463.92,

which, as see by the figure 4 below, still made it less expensive with an extra tank than the bare

essentials of membrane B with a difference of $69.15.

Figure 4 Discussion of Membrane X and Membrane B Comparison

The annual cost of membrane X is $6, 121.35 vs. the $6,533.05 of membrane B.
Thus membrane X will save Bluewater $411.70 in one year alone.
*Note: Larger cost graphs that illustrate the figure’s knowledge above can be found on page 16,
which is also in the appendix section of this report.
Figure 5

Figure 6

4
Discussion:

The town of Bluewater has a fluctuating population, so they have to accommodate for such

conditions in order to stimulate business population like they have intended. By adding a water

storage tank to the design, the basis of population spikes will have been covered, and the money

they spend per year will still be less than that of the other membrane (B) studied. This leads to

having a cleaner drinking water and still saves the town money when compared to other models

of membranes.

Conclusion and Recommendations:

5
 Membrane X would best fit the needs of Bluewater when operated at the pressure of 26

PSI included with a water tank to store water. Bluewater needs the water storage tank in order to

accommodate the needs of the town on big business weekends or holidays. The average cost per

year was found to be $6,463.92 at 26 PSI with the storage tank.

Recommendations: A second smaller membrane or a relatively accommodating water

tank should also be installed to accommodate for unseen spikes in weekend population due to

tourists.

Note: Case studies brought us to this recommendation and have been supported by the data

found in the appendix on page 19 in appendices figures 9.7 & 9.7-2.

Literature Cited:

1. Ali, A.M., and Z. Ajji "Investigation and characterization of PVA-g-AAc/Zol membranes for
possible practical use in separation processes." Radiation Physics & Chemistry 78.11
(2009): 927-932. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 7 Nov. 2009.

2. Díaz-Reinoso, Beatriz, et al. "Recovery of antioxidants from industrial waste liquors using
membranes and polymeric resins." Journal of Food Engineering 96.1 (2010): 127-133.
Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 7 Nov. 2009.
3. “IN BRIEF: New membrane treats water faster.” The Nikkei Weekly 11 May. 2009: 1
4. Parker, Derek.”It takes membranes to filter out the waste - -RESOURCES.” Weekend
Australian 25 Jul. 2009: 8

Appendices: Note: Contains all raw and calculated data

Figure 9.1 Data Key for Membrane X
0.000776 (mL/min/cm2/PS
k = 803 I)
CO = -2.549
Target Flow
Rate 1736.11 mL/min

6
Minimum
Cost $6,121.35
Notes:
Annual Membrane Capital
AMCC: cost
Annual Pump Operation
APOC: Cost

Figure 9.2 Data for membrane X #1 Note: extends to page 11 with 26 PSI as optimum cost

Membrane X
Pressure Area
(PSI) (cm2) AMCC APOC Total Cost
2238223. $118,625.8 $118,625.9
1 8 6 $0.09 5
1119111.
2 9 $59,312.93 $0.71 $59,313.64
3 746074.6 $39,541.95 $2.39 $39,544.35
4 559556.0 $29,656.47 $5.68 $29,662.14
5 447644.8 $23,725.17 $11.09 $23,736.26
6 373037.3 $19,770.98 $19.16 $19,790.13
7 319746.3 $16,946.55 $30.42 $16,976.97
8 279778.0 $14,828.23 $45.41 $14,873.64
9 248691.5 $13,180.65 $64.66 $13,245.31
10 223822.4 $11,862.59 $88.69 $11,951.28
11 203474.9 $10,784.17 $118.05 $10,902.22
12 186518.7 $9,885.49 $153.26 $10,038.74
13 172171.1 $9,125.07 $194.85 $9,319.92
14 159873.1 $8,473.28 $243.37 $8,716.64
15 149214.9 $7,908.39 $299.33 $8,207.72
16 139889.0 $7,414.12 $363.27 $7,777.39
17 131660.2 $6,977.99 $435.73 $7,413.73
18 124345.8 $6,590.33 $517.24 $7,107.57
19 117801.3 $6,243.47 $608.32 $6,851.79
20 111911.2 $5,931.29 $709.52 $6,640.81
21 106582.1 $5,648.85 $821.36 $6,470.21
22 101737.4 $5,392.08 $944.37 $6,336.46
23 97314.1 $5,157.65 $1,079.09 $6,236.74
24 93259.3 $4,942.74 $1,226.05 $6,168.79
25 89529.0 $4,745.03 $1,385.78 $6,130.82
26 86085.5 $4,562.53 $1,558.82 $6,121.35
27 82897.2 $4,393.55 $1,745.69 $6,139.24
28 79936.6 $4,236.64 $1,946.92 $6,183.56
29 77180.1 $4,090.55 $2,163.06 $6,253.61
30 74607.5 $3,954.20 $2,394.63 $6,348.83
31 72200.8 $3,826.64 $2,642.16 $6,468.80

7
32 69944.5 $3,707.06 $2,906.19 $6,613.25
33 67825.0 $3,594.72 $3,187.25 $6,781.98
34 65830.1 $3,489.00 $3,485.87 $6,974.87
35 63949.3 $3,389.31 $3,802.58 $7,191.89
36 62172.9 $3,295.16 $4,137.92 $7,433.08
37 60492.5 $3,206.10 $4,492.41 $7,698.52
38 58900.6 $3,121.73 $4,866.60 $7,988.33
39 57390.4 $3,041.69 $5,261.00 $8,302.69
40 55955.6 $2,965.65 $5,676.16 $8,641.81
41 54590.8 $2,893.31 $6,112.60 $9,005.92
42 53291.0 $2,824.43 $6,570.86 $9,395.29
43 52051.7 $2,758.74 $7,051.48 $9,810.22
44 50868.7 $2,696.04 $7,554.97 $10,251.01
45 49738.3 $2,636.13 $8,081.88 $10,718.01
46 48657.0 $2,578.82 $8,632.73 $11,211.55
47 47621.8 $2,523.95 $9,208.06 $11,732.02
48 46629.7 $2,471.37 $9,808.40 $12,279.78
$10,434.2
49 45678.0 $2,420.94 9 $12,855.23
$11,086.2
50 44764.5 $2,372.52 5 $13,458.77
$11,764.8
51 43886.7 $2,326.00 2 $14,090.81
$12,470.5
52 43042.8 $2,281.27 2 $14,751.79
$13,203.9
53 42230.6 $2,238.22 0 $15,442.12
$13,965.4
54 41448.6 $2,196.78 8 $16,162.26
$14,755.8
55 40695.0 $2,156.83 0 $16,912.63
$15,575.3
56 39968.3 $2,118.32 8 $17,693.70
$16,424.7
57 39267.1 $2,081.16 7 $18,505.92
$17,304.4
58 38590.1 $2,045.27 8 $19,349.76
$18,215.0
59 37936.0 $2,010.61 6 $20,225.67
$19,157.0
60 37303.7 $1,977.10 4 $21,134.14
$20,130.9
61 36692.2 $1,944.69 4 $22,075.63
$21,137.3
62 36100.4 $1,913.32 1 $23,050.63
63 35527.4 $1,882.95 $22,176.6 $24,059.62

8
 7
$23,249.5
64 34972.2 $1,853.53 5 $25,103.08
$24,356.4
65 34434.2 $1,825.01 9 $26,181.50
$25,498.0
66 33912.5 $1,797.36 2 $27,295.38
$26,674.6
67 33406.3 $1,770.54 7 $28,445.21
$27,886.9
68 32915.1 $1,744.50 7 $29,631.47
$29,135.4
69 32438.0 $1,719.22 6 $30,854.68
$30,420.6
70 31974.6 $1,694.66 7 $32,115.33
$31,743.1
71 31524.3 $1,670.79 3 $33,413.91
$33,103.3
72 31086.4 $1,647.58 7 $34,750.95
$34,501.9
73 30660.6 $1,625.01 2 $36,126.93
$35,939.3
74 30246.3 $1,603.05 2 $37,542.37
$37,416.0
75 29843.0 $1,581.68 9 $38,997.77
$38,932.7
76 29450.3 $1,560.87 8 $40,493.65
$40,489.9
77 29067.8 $1,540.60 1 $42,030.51
$42,088.0
78 28695.2 $1,520.84 2 $43,608.86
$43,727.6
79 28331.9 $1,501.59 3 $45,229.22
$45,409.2
80 27977.8 $1,482.82 8 $46,892.10
$47,133.5
81 27632.4 $1,464.52 0 $48,598.02
$48,900.8
82 27295.4 $1,446.66 3 $50,347.48
$50,711.7
83 26966.6 $1,429.23 9 $52,141.02
$52,566.9
84 26645.5 $1,412.21 2 $53,979.13
$54,466.7
85 26332.0 $1,395.60 5 $55,862.34
86 26025.9 $1,379.37 $56,411.8 $57,791.18

9
 1
$58,402.6
87 25726.7 $1,363.52 3 $59,766.15
$60,439.7
88 25434.4 $1,348.02 5 $61,787.77
$62,523.7
89 25148.6 $1,332.87 0 $63,856.58
$64,655.0
90 24869.2 $1,318.07 1 $65,973.08
$66,834.2
91 24595.9 $1,303.58 1 $68,137.79
$69,061.8
92 24328.5 $1,289.41 4 $70,351.25
$71,338.4
93 24066.9 $1,275.55 2 $72,613.97
$73,664.4
94 23810.9 $1,261.98 9 $74,926.47
$76,040.5
95 23560.3 $1,248.69 9 $77,289.28
$78,467.2
96 23314.8 $1,235.69 4 $79,702.92
$80,944.9
97 23074.5 $1,222.95 7 $82,167.92
$83,474.3
98 22839.0 $1,210.47 2 $84,684.79
$86,055.8
99 22608.3 $1,198.24 2 $87,254.06
$88,690.0
100 22382.2 $1,186.26 0 $89,876.26

Figure 9.3 Data key for membrane B

k= 0.001942008 (mL/min/cm2/PSI)
CO = 0
Target Flow 1736.11 mL/min
Minimum Cost $6,533.05
Notes:
AMCC: Annual Membrane Capital cost
APOC: Annual Pump Operation Cost

Figure 9.4 Data for Membrane B #1 Note: Extends to page 15 with 25 PSI as optimum cost
Membrane B
Pressure Area
(PSI) (cm2) AMCC APOC Total Cost
1 893977.0 $120,686.89 $0.11 $120,687.00
2 446988.5 $60,343.45 $0.87 $60,344.32
3 297992.3 $40,228.96 $2.95 $40,231.91

10
 4 223494.2 $30,171.72 $6.99 $30,178.71
5 178795.4 $24,137.38 $13.64 $24,151.02
6 148996.2 $20,114.48 $23.58 $20,138.06
7 127711.0 $17,240.98 $37.44 $17,278.43
8 111747.1 $15,085.86 $55.89 $15,141.75
9 99330.8 $13,409.65 $79.58 $13,489.23
10 89397.7 $12,068.69 $109.16 $12,177.85
11 81270.6 $10,971.54 $145.29 $11,116.82
12 74498.1 $10,057.24 $188.62 $10,245.86
13 68767.5 $9,283.61 $239.82 $9,523.42
14 63855.5 $8,620.49 $299.53 $8,920.02
15 59598.5 $8,045.79 $368.40 $8,414.20
16 55873.6 $7,542.93 $447.11 $7,990.04
17 52586.9 $7,099.23 $536.29 $7,635.52
18 49665.4 $6,704.83 $636.60 $7,341.43
19 47051.4 $6,351.94 $748.71 $7,100.65
20 44698.8 $6,034.34 $873.26 $6,907.60
21 42570.3 $5,746.99 $1,010.90 $6,757.90
22 40635.3 $5,485.77 $1,162.30 $6,648.07
23 38868.6 $5,247.26 $1,328.11 $6,575.37
24 37249.0 $5,028.62 $1,508.99 $6,537.61
25 35759.1 $4,827.48 $1,705.58 $6,533.05
26 34383.7 $4,641.80 $1,918.54 $6,560.35
27 33110.3 $4,469.88 $2,148.54 $6,618.42
28 31927.7 $4,310.25 $2,396.21 $6,706.46
29 30826.8 $4,161.62 $2,662.23 $6,823.85
30 29799.2 $4,022.90 $2,947.24 $6,970.13
31 28838.0 $3,893.13 $3,251.89 $7,145.02
32 27936.8 $3,771.47 $3,576.85 $7,348.32
33 27090.2 $3,657.18 $3,922.77 $7,579.95
34 26293.4 $3,549.61 $4,290.30 $7,839.92
35 25542.2 $3,448.20 $4,680.10 $8,128.30
36 24832.7 $3,352.41 $5,092.83 $8,445.24
37 24161.5 $3,261.81 $5,529.13 $8,790.93
38 23525.7 $3,175.97 $5,989.66 $9,165.63
39 22922.5 $3,094.54 $6,475.08 $9,569.62
40 22349.4 $3,017.17 $6,986.04 $10,003.22
41 21804.3 $2,943.58 $7,523.20 $10,466.79
42 21285.2 $2,873.50 $8,087.22 $10,960.72
43 20790.2 $2,806.67 $8,678.74 $11,485.41
44 20317.7 $2,742.88 $9,298.42 $12,041.31
45 19866.2 $2,681.93 $9,946.92 $12,628.86
46 19434.3 $2,623.63 $10,624.90 $13,248.53
47 19020.8 $2,567.81 $11,333.00 $13,900.81
48 18624.5 $2,514.31 $12,071.88 $14,586.19
49 18244.4 $2,463.00 $12,842.20 $15,305.20

11
50 17879.5 $2,413.74 $13,644.62 $16,058.35
51 17529.0 $2,366.41 $14,479.78 $16,846.18
52 17191.9 $2,320.90 $15,348.34 $17,669.24
53 16867.5 $2,277.11 $16,250.96 $18,528.07
54 16555.1 $2,234.94 $17,188.29 $19,423.23
55 16254.1 $2,194.31 $18,160.98 $20,355.29
56 15963.9 $2,155.12 $19,169.70 $21,324.83
57 15683.8 $2,117.31 $20,215.10 $22,332.41
58 15413.4 $2,080.81 $21,297.83 $23,378.63
59 15152.2 $2,045.54 $22,418.54 $24,464.08
60 14899.6 $2,011.45 $23,577.90 $25,589.34
61 14655.4 $1,978.47 $24,776.55 $26,755.02
62 14419.0 $1,946.56 $26,015.15 $27,961.71
63 14190.1 $1,915.66 $27,294.36 $29,210.03
64 13968.4 $1,885.73 $28,614.83 $30,500.57
65 13753.5 $1,856.72 $29,977.22 $31,833.94
66 13545.1 $1,828.59 $31,382.18 $33,210.77
67 13342.9 $1,801.30 $32,830.36 $34,631.66
68 13146.7 $1,774.81 $34,322.43 $36,097.24
69 12956.2 $1,749.09 $35,859.03 $37,608.12
70 12771.1 $1,724.10 $37,440.82 $39,164.92
71 12591.2 $1,699.82 $39,068.46 $40,768.28
72 12416.3 $1,676.21 $40,742.60 $42,418.81
73 12246.3 $1,653.25 $42,463.90 $44,117.14
74 12080.8 $1,630.90 $44,233.00 $45,863.91
75 11919.7 $1,609.16 $46,050.58 $47,659.74
76 11762.9 $1,587.99 $47,917.27 $49,505.25
77 11610.1 $1,567.36 $49,833.74 $51,401.10
78 11461.2 $1,547.27 $51,800.64 $53,347.90
79 11316.2 $1,527.68 $53,818.62 $55,346.30
80 11174.7 $1,508.59 $55,888.34 $57,396.93
81 11036.8 $1,489.96 $58,010.46 $59,500.43
82 10902.2 $1,471.79 $60,185.63 $61,657.43
83 10770.8 $1,454.06 $62,414.51 $63,868.57
84 10642.6 $1,436.75 $64,697.74 $66,134.49
85 10517.4 $1,419.85 $67,036.00 $68,455.84
86 10395.1 $1,403.34 $69,429.92 $70,833.25
87 10275.6 $1,387.21 $71,880.16 $73,267.37
88 10158.8 $1,371.44 $74,387.39 $75,758.83
89 10044.7 $1,356.03 $76,952.25 $78,308.28
90 9933.1 $1,340.97 $79,575.40 $80,916.36
91 9823.9 $1,326.23 $82,257.49 $83,583.72
92 9717.1 $1,311.81 $84,999.19 $86,311.00
93 9612.7 $1,297.71 $87,801.14 $89,098.84
94 9510.4 $1,283.90 $90,663.99 $91,947.90
95 9410.3 $1,270.39 $93,588.42 $94,858.81

12
 96 9312.3 $1,257.16 $96,575.06 $97,832.21
97 9216.3 $1,244.19 $99,624.58 $100,868.77
98 9122.2 $1,231.50 $102,737.62 $103,969.12
99 9030.1 $1,219.06 $105,914.85 $107,133.91
100 8939.8 $1,206.87 $109,156.92 $110,363.79

Figure 9.5 Cost for Membrane X for #2

Figure 9.6 Cost for Membrane B for #2

Figure 9.7 Data for Storage #4 Note: Continues onto page 18

13
 Populati Total Liters
Year on Tourists Poplulation needed AC:

14
 Amount of water
0 1000 0 1000 2500 produced
1 1000 50 1050 2625 AP:
Amount of water
2 1000 100 1100 2750 consumed
3 1000 150 1150 2875 LO/N:
4 1000 200 1200 3000 Leftover/needed water
5 1000 250 1250 3125 SumE:
Excess from M-
6 1000 300 1300 3250 Th
SumN:
Needed from
Fri-Sun
Satur Sund
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday day ay
AC: 2500 2500 2500 2500 3250 3250 3250

Average
= 2821 L

Year 6 : 2821 L/day

Satur Sund
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday day ay
AP: 2821 2821 2821 2821 2821 2821 2821
AC: -2500 -2500 -2500 -2500 -3250 -3250 -3250
LO/N 321 321 321 321 -429 -429 -429

SumE: 1284
SumN: -1287
Differen
ce: -3
Adjust flow of water to 2825 L per day to cover every
day

Year 6: 2825 L/day

Satur Sund
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday day ay
2825 2825 2825 2825 2825 2825 2825
-2500 -2500 -2500 -2500 -3250 -3250 -3250
325 325 325 325 -425 -425 -425

SumE: 1300
SumN: -1275
Differen
ce: 25

15
 Leaves 25 L of water left over at the end
of week

Volume of Storage (Room for excess water after

Tank: 1400 Liters the week)
370 Gallons
Total Storage Tank
Cost: 156.51 $/year

Figure 9.7-2 Suggestions Based on 9.7 Data

1. We would recommend operating the initial design at a larger capacity to obtain the
desired flow rate. It is slightly cheaper than increasing the overall design size.
2. As you increase the pressure, the membrane area you need to produce an amount of
purified water decreases, saving you money. But in order to provide a higher pressure, the
pump must work harder and uses more electricity. The key is to find the balance between
membrane and electricity costs in order to be the most cost effective.
3. The scenario where growth occurs uniformly forces the amount of filtered water
produced each day to be higher. When the growth only occurs on weekends, the water is
able to be stored throughout the week and then used when it is needed. This allows you to
save electricity from pumping extra water on the weekend.
4. The weekend peak demand scenario creates an interesting challenge in providing water.
In addition to adding a storage tank, the town could also install another, small, membrane
filter that would only operate during the weekend. This would allow more water to be
filtered and the required flow rate could be met.
Figure 9.8 Data for 2% #5 Note: Continues onto page 20
Populatio Touris Total Liters
Year n ts Poplulation needed AC:
0 1000 20 1020 2550 Amount of water produced
1 1000 20 1020 2550 AP:
Amount of water
2 1000 40 1040 2600 consumed
3 1000 60 1060 2650 LO/N:
4 1000 80 1080 2700 Leftover/needed water
5 1000 100 1100 2750 SumE:
Excess from M-
6 1000 120 1120 2800 Th
SumN:
Needed from Fri-
Sun
Tuesd Saturd Sunda
Monday ay Wednesday Thursday Friday ay y

16
AC: 2500 2500 2500 2500 2800 2800 2800

Averag
e= 2629 L

Year 6 : 2629 L/day

Tuesd Saturd Sunda
Monday ay Wednesday Thursday Friday ay y
AP: 2629 2629 2629 2629 2629 2629 2629
AC: -2500 -2500 -2500 -2500 -2800 -2800 -2800
LO/N 129 129 129 129 -171 -171 -171

SumE: 514
SumN: -514
Differen
ce: 0.00
Adjust flow of water to 2635 L per day to cover
every day

Year 6: 2635 L/day

Tuesd Saturd Sunda
Monday ay Wednesday Thursday Friday ay y
2635 2635 2635 2635 2635 2635 2635
-2500 -2500 -2500 -2500 -2800 -2800 -2800
135 135 135 135 -165 -165 -165

SumE: 540
SumN: -495
Differen
ce: 45
Leaves 45 L of water left over at the
end of week

Volume of Storage (Room for excess water after

Tank: 600 Liters the week)
159 Gallons
Total Storage Tank
Cost: 96.56 $/year

Figure 9.8-2 Discussion of results from figure 9.8

The economic impact of a 2% year growth rate is smaller than a 5% growth rate. The
system would still have to be changed to meet the required 2635L/day, but it is a smaller
change and would cost less. It is much more complicated to handle more optimistic growth
projections because the system must be able to adjust to the changes and still be the most
cost effective. It is much easier to adjust it to handle smaller population changes than large

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ones.
Extra Discussion of the two figures above
In order to obtain 2825L/day, the flow rate would be 1961.80 mL/day. The optimum cost
per year would be $6,709.55 at 27psi. Adding this to the cost of the storage tank; the total
annual cost for the system would be $6,866.06 per year.
In order to obtain 2635L/day, the flow rate would be 1829.86 ml/day. The optimum cost
per year would be $6,367.36 at 26psi. Adding this to the cost of the storage tank; the total
annual cost for the system would be $6,463.92 per year.

Extra Steps and Calculations:

1) In the first set of calculations, the following was required to be found for Membrane X using
the pressures 1-100: Area (A) in cm2, Annual Membrane Capital Cost, Annual Pump Operation
Cost, and Total Annual Cost. For area: set the equation from Page 3, Figure 3 (Rate = C0 + k * A
* ∆ P) using the variables calculated and presented on Page 7, Figure 9.1. The Annual
Membrane Capital Cost is calculated by converting the area from cm2 to m2 and multiplying the
area by $530/(m2 • yr). The Annual Pump Operations Cost is calculated by using the formula
given on Page 3, Figure 3 ($/yr = {0.724[(Q/2500) ∆ P]3 Ec (1-Er)}/ (Fr Pe)). Use the variables
given for membrane X that are to go into the equation (Q =2500, Ec = $.085/(kw hr), Er = .02, Fr
= .8, Pe = .85). After the costs are calculated for the pump and for the membrane capital, find the
total annual cost by adding both costs together. The recommended pressure level is 26 PSI for a
minimum cost of $6,121.35 for the first year.

2) This is the second set of calculations, which are very similar except the following variables
are changed: C0 = 0, k = .001942, Fr = .65. The recommended pressure level is 25 PSI for a
minimum cost of $6,533.05 for the first year.

3) A comparison of Membrane X and Membrane B shows that the price of membrane X is

cheaper than membrane B. There is a $400 difference between the two recommended PSI prices
of 26 PSI on membrane X and 25 PSI for membrane B.

4) The Figure 9.7 on Page 17 represents the amount of liters needed over the six year time period
with 5% increase each year. Shown is the town population, tourist population, total population,
and the total liters need for the weekend. If need is greater than what is being produced, increase
the number to compensate. Add all the excess water together that is produced from the weekdays
then subtract the amount needed for the weekends. The volume is recommended to be 1400 L, to
hold water over the weekdays plus any excess after the week is done. Convert to gallons and find
the capital cost using the equation on Page 3, Figure 3 ($/yr = $5.38 * (capacity)0.57) where
capacity is volume in gallons.

5) The calculations for the scenario where the increase is 2%. The same approach as above in 4)
is used. The results of the 2% increase is that a tank with a volume is 600 L to hold excess is
calculated and converted to gallons and used in the capital cost using the equation on Page 3,
Figure 3 ($/yr = $5.38 * (capacity)0.57) where capacity is volume in gallons.

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