ARMY TM 10-4610-309-14
MARINE CORPS TM 10802A-14/1
TACTICAL WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEM (TWPS)
OPERATOR INSTRUCTIONS
CLEANING, PRESERVATION, AND CLEANING WASTE
NEUTRALIZATION AND PUMP-OUT
GENERAL
The MF modules and the RO elements are cleaned and/or preserved at specific times for specific
reasons. The cleaning and preservation procedures vary depending on the purpose of the procedure.
The types of cleaning and preservation that are performed on the MF and RO are as follows:
MF Cleaning
RO Acid Cleaning
RO Detergent Cleaning
MF Cleaning with RO Acid Cleaning
RO Preservation
MF Preservation
This work package briefly describes the purpose and basic principle of each type of cleaning and
preservation procedure. The specific steps for each procedure are described in work packages WP 0021
through WP 0026.
This work package also provides the procedures for neutralizing and pumping out the cleaning wastes
when using the Cleaning Waste Storage Tank.
MF CLEANING
The MF fibers filter suspended solids (dirt) and microorganisms out of the raw water. The dirt and
microorganism materials collect on the outside of the MF fibers. The fibers are automatically backwashed
at 15 minute intervals during normal TWPS operation to remove most of the material. However,
backwash alone is not sufficient to remove all of the material that collects on the fibers. Some of the
material sticks on the fibers or gets trapped inside the pores of the fibers. Over a period of time the fiber
pores become clogged and need to be cleaned.
MF cleaning, then, is a fairly routine procedure. The time interval between cleanings depends on the
water source characteristics. Typically, the interval between cleanings will be at least 300 hours of
operation and could be as long as 1000 hours. The need for routine cleaning is indicated by an MF
Trans-Membrane Pressure (TMP) High alarm. MF cleaning should be performed within 40 hours after the
alarm first indicates a high TMP. (Refer to Table 6 in WP 0016, Maintaining Normal Operation, for a TMP
chart that correlates TMP High alarms with varying temperatures.)
MF cleaning consists of two cleaning stages. In the first stage the MF fibers are cleaned with a low pH,
acid solution. AC-210 citric acid is used for the acid cleaning. In the second stage the MF fibers are
cleaned with a high pH, caustic detergent solution. AC-310 detergent plus AC-350 caustic are used
together for the caustic detergent cleaning. Both cleaning stages are required to properly clean the MF
fibers.
Extended cleaning is required if the operator has chosen to wait 40 hours after the first transmembrane
pressure (TMP) alarm, the maximum TMP has been exceeded (refer to WP 0021), the water temperature
does not reach at least 100 F during the cleaning cycle, or the TMP is higher than the normal reading
after cleaning (3 to 5 psi at 50 to 60 gpm MF Feed Flow). The extended cleaning steps are included in
the regular MF Cleaning procedures and would be performed at the next cleaning. MF cleaning
procedures are described in WP 0021, MF System Cleaning and in WP 24, MF Cleaning with Reverse
Osmosis System Acid Cleaning.
0020 00-1
