Pilot Plant Water Treatment Systems

About Pilot Plant Testing Units

Scaling a water treatment process directly from bench theory to full-size plant is a risk most engineers aren't willing to take — and for good reason. The interaction between source water chemistry, pre-treatment efficiency, membrane performance, and product water quality doesn't always translate cleanly from calculation to reality. A pilot plant test on the actual source water, at actual operating conditions, reveals the problems that desktop design cannot predict.

AMPAC USA builds bench-scale and skid-scale pilot systems for water treatment applications where full-scale commitment requires proof of performance first. Pilot units contain the same treatment stages and membrane technology as the production system — the scale is smaller, but the process is identical. This means pilot results translate directly to full-scale design, not just conceptually but in terms of membrane selection, pre-treatment sizing, recovery rate optimization, and chemical dosing.

Pilot systems are available for customer-site installation or for testing at AMPAC USA's facility. Running pilots at AMPAC USA's facility is particularly valuable when the source water is difficult or variable — AMPAC engineers can make rapid adjustments to the pilot configuration, swap membrane elements, modify pre-treatment chemistry, or change operating pressures without the logistics of field modifications. Sites with unusually high silica, difficult scaling chemistry, or biological fouling challenges benefit from this hands-on iteration before committing to full-scale equipment.

Pilot test programs typically run two to eight weeks and produce a validated design basis for the production system specification. Data collected includes permeate flow, salt rejection, pressure differential, and normalized membrane performance over time. Contact AMPAC USA at (909) 548-4900 to discuss pilot testing for your water treatment application.

Emergency Portable Reverse Osmosis 20,000 GPD | 3.18m3/hr

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Emergency Portable Reverse Osmosis 20,000 GPD, AP20K-LX-C by AMPAC USA is suitable to serve commercial & residential units. To order it today, call 909-548-4900.

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Ampac USA Reverse Osmosis 800 Gallons per Day

Commercial Reverse Osmosis 800 GPD | 3000 LPD

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Commercial Reverse Osmosis 800 GPD system removes impurities & TDS for your business. Reliable water treatment. | AMPAC USA

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Commercial Reverse Osmosis 3000 GPD | 11,350 LPD

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Get TDS-free, contamination-free water with the Commercial Reverse Osmosis 3000 GPD system for your business | AMPAC USA

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Commercial Reverse Osmosis 2200 GPD | 8300 LPD

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Ampac USA Fully Packaged Reverse Osmosis Systems

Commercial Turnkey Reverse Osmosis 2,200 GPD | 8.3m3/Day

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Commercial Turnkey Reverse Osmosis 2,200 GPD system for brackish water treatment. Best price on AP2200-LX RO systems | AMPAC USA

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of a pilot RO skid, and when is one justified before full-scale system design?

A pilot RO skid tests membrane performance, fouling rates, and pretreatment effectiveness on actual site water before committing to a permanent system design. Pilot testing is particularly valuable for unusual water chemistries, high-value projects above $500,000, or applications where membrane fouling risk is elevated by organics, silica, or biological content. Three to six months of pilot data reduces design risk and can prevent costly oversizing or undersizing of the full-scale system.

What parameters does a standard RO pilot unit measure and record?

A fully instrumented pilot unit monitors feed, permeate, and concentrate flow rates; feed, permeate, and concentrate pressure; conductivity or TDS at each stream; and temperature continuously. Normalized permeate flow and normalized salt rejection are calculated from these measurements to separate actual membrane performance changes from the effects of temperature and feed concentration variation. AMPAC USA pilot skids include data logging at user-adjustable intervals from 1 minute to 1 hour for trend analysis over extended test periods.

How long must a pilot test run before results are statistically meaningful?

A minimum of 90 days of continuous operation is generally needed to observe initial fouling trends, assess the effectiveness of antiscalant programs, and identify seasonal water quality effects on system performance. Sites with known biological fouling risk benefit from testing through summer months when bacterial activity peaks. Shorter tests of 30 days can confirm basic feasibility but are insufficient to size cleaning frequency or predict membrane replacement intervals with confidence.

Can pilot testing units be rented from AMPAC USA rather than purchased?

We offer pilot systems on rental programs for standard testing durations from 3 to 12 months, including delivery, commissioning, and technical support during the test period. Rental is practical for engineering studies, competitive membrane evaluations, and one-time project feasibility work where the pilot unit has no long-term use after testing is complete. Rental rates are credited toward a full-scale system purchase when the project proceeds.

What deliverables does AMPAC USA provide at the conclusion of a pilot test program?

At program completion we provide a formal pilot study report including normalized performance trend charts, fouling indices, cleaning effectiveness data, recommended pretreatment modifications, and a recommended full-scale system design basis. The report includes membrane manufacturer review of the element autopsy results if elements are sacrificed for inspection at test conclusion. This report is formatted to support capital appropriation requests and engineering design packages for the full-scale system.