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10.9 COMMODITIZATION 231
The current diversity of membrane element sizes and configurations and the lack of stan- dardization and commoditization may have a number of disadvantages for the membrane plant owner in the long run. If an existing membrane manufacturer discontinues the produc- tion of membrane elements or a given type (e.g., abandon production of submersible systems in favor of pressure membrane systems), the submersible membrane pretreatment system owner would incur additional costs to procure and install a new pretreatment system because the other available membrane systems would be incompatible with the owner’s existing sys- tem. While replacing/retrofitting the existing pretreatment system to accommodate new membranes, the desalination plant owner would likely face reduced plant production capac- ity due to the downtime needed for membrane system replacement and the fact that the pro- ductivity of old membrane elements, which cannot be replaced with alternative membrane product when needed, will decrease over time.
The membrane plant owner is likely to also incur additional costs to train their staff in operating and maintaining the new membrane pretreatment system. In addition, the owner may experience a potential increase in unit membrane element and vessel costs over time because the membrane elements would have to be purchased from a sole- source manufacturer rather than to be competitively procured at market price and warrantee conditions.
Installation of nonstandardized membrane elements and vessels limits the desalination plant owner opportunities to benefit from the use of new and improved membrane pretreat- ment technologies, and elements, which might be readily available in the future. In the cur- rent highly diversified membrane technology market, membrane plant owner would be very dependent on the commitment of the pretreatment membrane manufacturer, whose system they use, to excel in their existing technology and to develop competitive and compatible membrane elements and technologies in the future.
An example that illustrates the concerns discussed earlier was observed in the seawater desalination membrane market approximately 20 years ago, when one of the key manufac- turers of hollow-fiber RO membrane elements, the DuPont’s subsidiarydPermasep, decided to exit the market for these membranes. In the nineties, Permasep had a dominant portion of the membrane source water desalination market supplying hollow-fiber RO membrane elements to several thousand membrane installations worldwide. The hollow- fiber membrane elements and vessels used by Permasep were different from these used by other hollow-fiber membrane manufacturers and incompatible with these of other man- ufacturers offering spiral-wound desalination membranes. Permasep’s exit of the mem- brane source water desalination market triggered the need for significant modifications and expenditures by the desalination plant owners using their RO membranes to accommo- date the necessary changes.
Standardization of membrane systems, elements, and vessels has another significant advantage to the owner of the desalination facility, which has been proven by the evolution of the RO membrane marketdthe significant reduction of membrane costs. Currently, RO desalination membranes and vessels produced by various manufacturers are standardized in size, configuration, and performance and can be used interchangeably. The commoditi- zation of the RO desalination market over the past 20 years contributed to the two- to three- fold reduction of RO membrane element costs, which on the other hand spurred the development of new large size RO desalination plants worldwide.