Troubleshooting Guide

  
Introduction

When the performance of an ion exchange resins bed has changed, it is a clear indication that at least one factor in the entire process has changed. Therefore, a very effective method of troubleshooting an ion exchange resins bed is to view the demineralizer station or plant as being directly affected by several factors. To summarize, we can look at four areas:

  • What goes into the bed? This includes the feed stream, especially the current TDS, the backwash and rinse water, and the chemicals used for regeneration.

  • What is going on as far as what comes out of the bed? This includes instrumentation that measures pressure drops and both quality and quantity of effluent.

  • The mechanical aspects of the plant, which include pumps, valves, the vessel internals and fittings.

  • The ion exchange resin - its condition, age and the quantity in the vessel.

    • Click on a link on the left to see typical problems for each step of the process.