The Raptor Laboratory Water RO/DI System is a Game-Changer
I am sure most of you know that there are several levels or “types” of laboratory-grade water available. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) under D1193-91 lists four (4) types of lab or “Reagent Grade Water" :
There are other factors involved, including bacteria, endotoxin, and others, but this is meant to be an overview of the subject, not an exhaustive treastie on the subject. Type 1 requires a 0.2 2µm membrane filter, while Type 2 is made by distillation and Type 3 requires a 0.45 µm membrane filter.
Labs and their water needs vary greatly, but many labs or other applicatuons where ultrapure water is needed can be best served with our Raptor Lab Water System. The Raptor is a game-changer, because it is not expensive, it's compact, it's powerful and simple to operate and maintain. We offer it in two models:
- Up to 70 Liters per hour
- Up to 118 liters per hour
This is a complete system and includes a reverse osmosis membrane(s) which is preeded by three pre-filters:
- 5 Micron Sediment Depth Filter;
- Carbon Block Filter
- Chloramine Block Filter
Why Does It Have Reverse Osmosis - I Just Need Deionized Water?
The short answer is that you don't need to use Reverse Osmosis ahead of a DI system… unless you prefer to spend a lot more money than you need. Then by all means, just use DI. In fact, there are many companies out there who's revenue streams count on you not using Reverse Osmosis. Many companies have large DI tanks (pictured below) that they transport to any from your facility and then back to their plant when they are exhausted and need to be regenerated.
Traditional DI Tanks range from 2 - 12. Looks expensive and it is!
Here's what you need to know:
If you use DI as the PRIMARY demineralization method, your cost will likely be 40 to 50 cents a gallon (depending upon your source water).
If you use RO as the PRIMARY demineralization method, your cost will likely be just 3 to 5 cents a gallon (depending upon your source water).
The Raptor RO Pays For Itself
Let me tell you about an actual client who was spending $74,000.00 a year on DI tanks. They were using several thousand galons a day, and contacted us to see what they could do to cut this cost. We recommended a RO system instead of the DI system. The cost of the RO/DI system and installation was $38,000.00 and their yearly DI cost dropped to less than $5,000.00 a year. They broke even in less than 6 months and saved almost $70,000 a year!
Made For The Lab
Raptor which is for small lab water systems that require up to 118 liters of high purity water an hour. The larger system is the most popular because you can undersize the tank, due to the fact that it makes water 40% faster. The Raptor is available with the following tank sizes:
- 20 Gallons
- 40 Gallons
- 80 Gallons
- 120 Gallons
Due to the fact that the tank has a bladder, it will hold about 60% of it's rated capacity. The tank accumulates RO water, which then feeds the DI filters. The Reverse Osmosis system removes 95% to 99% of the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). You do not want to store DI water without circulating it, so we store the RO water and instantly deionize it as called for.
Savings You Can See
Do the math. That is an astronomical savings! If the RO produces 10 ppm TDS then it will deliver 10,000 gallons, but if it's 5 ppm, then that increases to 20,400 gallons. If a 14 x 47 tank costs $350.00 ( I think it's more), the cost per gallon of DI water is 78 cents a gallon, versus 1.5 to 3 cents a gallon.
If your water is more than 200 ppm, then it's likely a water softener will increase the filter and membrane life and the cost of producing DI water. If your facility does not have a water softener, then US Water Systems offers a “mini” water softener for applications such as this.
We Are Standing By To Assist
Don't get soaked by grossly overpaying for DI water. You can easily cut costs up to ten times, if you use reverse osmosis instead of DI. If you are not sure what your application requires, our team of commercial RO/DI specialists can help you understand how the Raptor can cut your DI water costs dramatically. Even when adding in the cost of RO membranes and filters, the total cost per gallon rarely exceeds 5 cents a gallon. Don't you have other needs for your budget dollars? We can help!
2 Comments
Why is DI so much more expensive?
It is simply the cost of the specialty ion exchange resins. Once exhausted they have to be regenerated or replaced. Then there is the cost of chemicals to regenerate and the labor involved. That why you usually would want RO ahead of DI to mitigate the cost.