Gong-ju WTP, the first full-scale membrane plant for drinking water treatment in Korea: the result of detailed design

The construction of Gong-ju WTP (30,000 m³/day), the first practical full-scale integrated membrane system in Korea, has been launched after 6 months of pilot plant operation and 10 months of detailed design. Powdered activated carbon process was applied in order to remove taste and odor caused by algae and coagulation process was applied in consideration of reducing membrane fouling in this micro filtration system. Pilot testing concluded that the pressure type of hollow fiber membrane was more suitable for the raw water characteristic and economical aspects than submerged type membrane system. For the best flow distribution of each unit, CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analysis was performed on aspects of pipe arrangement and daily integrity test system was applied to ensure the safety for leakage under the criteria of 5-log removal. In view of the complicated and equipment-intensive nature of this membrane system, a 3D CAD system was utilized to minimize trial and errors of construction in accordance with combination of each equipments rendered by 3D CAD, and also optimised operation and maintenance were verified through the simulation of 3D rendering.