Challenge

BP Solar’s Frederick, MD plant was undergoing rapid expansion and needed to upgrade their existing reverse osmosis / service deionization water system to handle higher production needs.  They were using approximately 20 DI tanks a week to keep up with the demand for water.  The system required considerable maintenance, as well as acid and caustic chemicals.  Their specification for a new water system called for a 200 gpm loop providing 15 megohm water with less than 100 ppb of total organic carbon (TOC).

Solution

We recommended that BP Solar replace their mixed bed deionizers with CDI-LX™ continuous electrodeionization systems as a way to meet their water quality specification.  The CDI® continuous deionization systems would also eliminate acid and caustic chemicals and reduce maintenance costs.  In the spring of 2001, BP Solar installed a high-purity water system consisting of:

• Multimedia filters
• Softeners
• Carbon filters
• Two FlowMAX™ reverse osmosis systems
• Two 75-gpm CDI-LX™ systems
• A 6,400-gallon storage tank
• Two ultraviolet sterilizers
• Four 30 cubic feet mixed bed service DI polishers
• Four 0.2-micron cartridge filters

We recommended that BP Solar purchase a central DI system rather than simply add on to their existing system.  Says BP Solar plant engineer Bruce Pickett, “We had two separate distribution loops, but needed another one.  So, we designed a main header loop and tied it into the existing ones, saving us money on installation costs and eliminating storage tanks and other equipment.”

Results

• Started up in May 2001, the high-purity water system has exceeded BP Solar’s specification for electronics-grade water.  The DI polishers are producing 18-megohm water with less than 10 ppb TOC
• A maintenance contract eliminated the need for BP Solar personnel to maintain the equipment, allowing the company to use these four people in other areas of the plant
• BP Solar uses our maintenance agreement standards as a boilerplate for all other vendors who visit the plant
• With two identical treatment trains installed in parallel, one system can be placed on-line, while the other is taken off-line for regularly scheduled maintenance

The customer reports the system has been very reliable.  It’s “out of sight, out of mind and virtually maintenance-free.”  They had to check on their old system two or three times a day, whereas with the new system, they typically check it once a week.