Industry

Desalination & Reverse Osmosis Plants

HydroFLOW dramatically reduces limescale build-up on RO membranes, cuts the need for chemicals and significantly extends the life of equipment and filters.

Consultation & assessment Full solution
Less scaling on RO membranes Fewer chemicals Longer equipment life
Operational challenges

What makes desalination plants in Israel harder to run?

Desalination plants operate under constant pressure to deliver high-quality, continuous water, while facing complex technical and economic challenges.

01

Limescale formation on membranes

During reverse osmosis, calcium and magnesium ions build up on the membrane surface and impair filtration efficiency.

✓ With HydroFLOWCalcium ions cluster within the water itself rather than on the membrane, and flush away easily.
02

Heavy chemical costs

Preventing limescale with traditional methods requires a constant, costly injection of anti-scalant chemicals.

✓ With HydroFLOWReduced need for chemicals while maintaining high filtration efficiency.
03

Biological contamination and biofilm on membranes

Biofilm clogging the membrane reduces flow rates and shortens equipment life.

✓ With HydroFLOWOngoing reduction in biofilm build-up on the membranes, alongside a longer interval between CIP cleanings.
Desalination plant with HydroFLOW unit installed
60–80%
Reduction in biofilm density measured on surfaces treated with HydroFLOW
Want proof first? See our installation results and case studies →
The solution

How does HydroFLOW improve desalination?

HydroFLOW generates an electrical signal induced into the pipework via an external ferrite ring, with no direct contact with the water. The signal affects calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate ions, encouraging the formation of less-sticky aragonite crystals instead of hard calcite.

60–80%
Biofilm reduction

Studies reported reductions in biofilm density on treated surfaces.

Lower LSI
Lower saturation index

The Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) at the membrane surface stays lower, enabling higher recovery rates.

Lower cost
Fewer chemicals

Reduced use of chemical agents for limescale prevention.

None
Infrastructure changes

External installation with no pipe cutting and no plant shutdown.

Operating principle

Three steps to an advanced solution.

01

Installation

The HydroFLOW system is installed externally onto the desalination plant’s pipework, with no cutting or plant shutdown.

02

Treatment

The signal creates an alternating electrical field within the fluid, affecting calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate ions.

03

Result

Less limescale and biofilm on the membrane, higher recovery rates and a longer equipment lifespan.

The right place in the process

Pretreatment for RO — not a chemical replacement

An important clarification upfront: HydroFLOW acts as a physical pretreatment stage that adds to the plant’s existing treatment scheme — it does not replace the chemical regime required by the plant’s design and regulation. The core benefit is efficiency: less limescale and biofilm load reaches the membranes to begin with, so chemical dosing can be reduced, CIP cleanings can be less frequent, and filter-media life is sometimes extended too — but operational chemistry isn’t eliminated wholesale.
✕ Don’t say

“The system eliminates the need for anti-scalant and biocide at the desalination plant.”

✓ Do say

“The system helps optimise and reduce the chemical dosing required, as an addition to the existing treatment scheme.”

Israel’s central challenge

Biofilm: not just limescale — usually the real thing clogging the membranes

Israel’s major desalination plants (Sorek, Hadera, Ashkelon, Ashdod) are all seawater facilities. In warm seawater rich in organic matter, biofilm builds up on intake surfaces and membranes faster than classic limescale — and that’s usually the real reason behind declining recovery rates and more frequent cleanings.

How biofilm forms on the membrane

Marine bacteria and microorganisms attach to intake surfaces and RO membranes, building a protective layer (biofilm) around themselves that resists disinfectant penetration. The layer gradually blocks water flow, raises the pressure required and accelerates the need for chemical cleaning.

How HydroFLOW disrupts the process

The continuous electrical signal operates along the entire water line — including the seawater intake line, before the pretreatment stage — and continuously disrupts bacterial attachment to surfaces, 24/7. The result: less biofilm reaches the membrane stage at all.

Seawater intake → Pre-filtration → RO membranes
A case study relevant to Israel

Chile: the exact same scenario — seawater, an intake line, biofouling

Case study — desalination plant, Chile

223 days with no seawater intake-line cleaning

A desalination plant in Chile kept its seawater intake line completely free of mussels for 223 days using a HydroFLOW Custom i20″ unit, with no cleaning and no chemicals — while a parallel, untreated control line accumulated over 3cm of mussel coverage.

Days with no cleaning223
Mussels on treated line0
Coverage on control lineOver 3cm
Read the full case study ←
Why this is especially relevant to Israel

The exact same scenario: a warm seawater intake line, high risk of marine biofouling, and a plant that keeps running continuously with no shutdown for cleaning. Israel’s desalination plants share the same starting conditions as the plant in Chile — making this result a more meaningful indicator than most other case studies on the site.

Applications

Who is it for?

Municipal and industrial desalination plants

Protecting large-scale RO membranes.

Pre-treatment for reverse osmosis

Improving the efficiency of pre-treatment stages before water enters the RO system.

Industrial water facilities with membranes

Extending membrane life and reducing the frequency of cleaning and replacement.

Management and control
Hydropath Care dashboard

One device. One platform. Full transparency.

HydroKNCT and Hydropath Care are designed to work together as a single connected monitoring solution for every HydroFLOW installation across your network.

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Real-time signal performance data from every unit

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24/7 temperature and power monitoring

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Instant alerts when readings change

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Central dashboard for all sites

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Full logging and trend transparency

FAQ

Your questions answered

How does HydroFLOW protect RO membranes?
The electrical signal causes calcium ions to cluster around nucleation sites within the water itself rather than on the membrane, significantly reducing limescale formation on it.
Can anti-scalant use be reduced?
Yes. Thanks to the reduction in limescale formation, the amount of anti-scalant chemicals required can be cut.
How does the system affect biofilm?
The signal disrupts bacterial quorum sensing and damages the EPS structure that holds biofilm together, with measured reductions of up to 60–80% in biofilm density.

Ready to extend your membranes’ lifespan?

Tell us about your RO plant and our team will estimate your expected savings — at no cost and with no obligation.

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