Application of Ochemate® Water Treatment Chemicals in the Electronics Industry --- Control of Fluctuating Surface Water Quality
I. Water Quality Dilemma of an Industry Pioneer
In today’s booming photovoltaic industry, a leading domestic enterprise shines like a bright star, with its business scope spanning key fields such as polycrystalline silicon ingots, monocrystalline silicon rods, silicon wafers, solar cells and modules, as well as related engineering consulting and project development. For such an enterprise that holds an important position in the electronics industry, the production process of the slicing workshop is undoubtedly a crucial part of its core competitiveness. The water treatment system relied on in this process is as critical as the heart to the body, because the quality of water directly determines the cleaning effect of blades and silicon wafers, thereby profoundly affecting product quality and production efficiency.
The raw water for the enterprise’s water treatment system is taken from canal water, which seems like a convenient water source choice but hides huge challenges. The water quality of the canal shows extremely significant seasonal fluctuations, like a dancer with unpredictable emotions. Key indicators such as pH, conductivity, turbidity, alkalinity, hardness, and COD fluctuate drastically in different months of the year. Taking turbidity as an example, the measured value was 12.5 NTU in March, and it soared to 15 NTU in September; the calcium hardness index also changed dramatically, rising from 323.9 mg/L (as CaCO₃) in June to 410.89 mg/L (as CaCO₃) in December. Such high turbidity, alkalinity, and hardness, coupled with these irregular seasonal fluctuations, are like turbulent waves constantly impacting the stable operation of the water treatment system.
II. System Crisis and Production Obstacles
In the initial stage of system operation, problems followed one after another. The integrated water purifier in Phase I was like an exhausted guard, with its effluent quality frequently exceeding standard limits. This situation was like pushing over a domino, directly triggering a chain reaction in subsequent links. The ultrafiltration unit and reverse osmosis (RO) unit were the first to bear the brunt, blocked by a large amount of pollutants. The RO system was even in a serious predicament: due to fouling, its cleaning cycle was drastically shortened to only about one month. This meant that the enterprise had to frequently stop production, investing a lot of manpower, material resources, and time in cleaning and maintaining the equipment. Equipment maintenance costs soared like a rocket, and the increase in downtime severely disrupted production continuity. Overall production efficiency plummeted like sinking into a quagmire, and the enterprise’s development pace was thus heavily dragged down. See the operating data trend chart for details:
III. Ochemate’s Wisdom to Break the Deadlock
Facing this severe situation, Ochemate’s professional technical team stepped forward like a group of experienced navigators, ready to meet the storm of this water quality challenge. They delved into every detail of the system, used advanced technical means and rich industry experience to conduct a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the problem, and finally formulated a highly targeted solution.
Ochemate® GPF8112 was cleverly dosed before the integrated water purifier. This chemical, like a magical filter elf, can effectively intercept and pre-treat impurities in the water at the initial stage of water entering the system, significantly reducing the content of suspended solids, colloids, and other pollutants in the water, thereby reducing the burden on subsequent treatment links. Before the RO security filter, Ochemate® CPE8000 scale inhibitor and TBC9527 non-oxidizing biocide were precisely dosed. CPE8000 scale inhibitor is like a wise manager of calcium and magnesium ions: through its strong chelating effect, it tightly binds calcium, magnesium, and other ions in the water that are prone to scaling, preventing them from arbitrarily gathering to form scale. This ensures the normal operation of the RO membrane and extends its service life. TBC9527 non-oxidizing biocide is like a brave microbial hunter: with strong bactericidal ability, it launches a carpet-like attack on various microorganisms in the water, completely eliminating hidden dangers that may breed biofilms, effectively preventing the formation of biofilms on the RO membrane surface, and ensuring the flux and separation efficiency of the RO system. See the following trend table for details:
IV. Remarkable Achievements and a New Chapter for the Enterprise
Since the application of Ochemate® special chemicals, the entire water treatment system has undergone a transformative change, with its operating conditions significantly improved. The cleaning cycle of the RO system has achieved a qualitative leap, from the original troublesome one month or so to more than half a year. The benefits of this change are obvious: equipment maintenance frequency has been significantly reduced, downtime has been greatly shortened, and production continuity has been strongly guaranteed. The enterprise’s production rhythm is no longer disrupted by frequent equipment cleaning, enabling more stable and efficient operation. At the same time, the treated water quality has always remained stable and excellent, like a clear stream continuously delivering high-quality water to the slicing workshop. This has brought the cleaning effect of blades and silicon wafers to an unprecedented level, product quality has been significantly improved, and production efficiency has been greatly enhanced like being equipped with a high-speed engine. The enterprise has taken a solid step on the path of energy conservation and efficiency improvement, successfully gaining a more favorable position in the fierce market competition. This successful case undoubtedly demonstrates the excellent performance of Ochemate® water treatment chemicals in the field of fluctuating surface water quality treatment in the electronics industry, as well as the great value of Ochemate’s professional technical services, providing a highly referenceable model case for water treatment in the entire electronics industry.
