| Water Planet’s IMS-500 pilot unit comprising mechanical oil-water separator, ceramic ultrafiltration membranes and dewatering centrifuge. |
According to Hoek, IntelliFlux can help reduce these costs and conserve water by automatically optimizing filter operating conditions in real-time. The control technology runs a filtration system using artificial intelligence, adjusting backwashing and cleaning in response to filtration performance.
“Our artificial intelligence-based controls technology becomes smarter over time, factoring in variables like the time of day or seasonal fluctuations,” said Hoek.
IntelliFlux was initially developed to run on Water Planet’s IMS-5000 oil-water separation system, but can now be used with any filtration system. The company, which started up in 2011, is already operating globally, with installations in the U.S., Canada and Kuwait.
Case Study: Bakersfield, CA
Delegates to BlueTech Forum heard how IntelliFlux was integrated into the advanced treatment process being piloted at a proposed water recycling facility in Bakersfield, Calif. The facility is being used to demonstrate better options for managing produced water from the oil and gas industry and now provides an offsite disposal option, transferring purified water to food and beverage processers and drought-hit farms.
The facility comprises two IMS-5000 ceramic ultrafiltration membrane units integrated with a mechanical oil-water-solids separation pretreatment unit, which removes oil, grease and suspended solids. A PRO-500 reverse osmosis desalination unit removes dissolved salts, metals and organics.
