Watermaker membrane - 4" versus 8"

[svrevelations]

I have a water maker with the following spec;

Cat pump 5CP6221 (6.0 gpm, max 1200 psi),
3.7kW Motor 240V 1Ph 50Hz 1725 RPM,
4 x SWC5-4040 membranes.

I'm thinking about removing the 4 x Hydranautics SWC5-4040 membranes and installing 1 x Hydranautics SWC5 LD 8040 membrane. The reason is more simplicity and cheaper when replacing membranes.

Question
Will the 1 x 8040 membrane yield as much freshwater as the 4 x 4040 membranes?

[SV THIRD DAY]

The single membrane will give you more fresh water production...
BUT you won't have the minimum flow rate needed for the 8" membrane.
It will work, but you will see a loss in membrane life due to scaling affects.
Exactly how much membrane life loss is honestly a "technical guess" but from a commercial perspective you wouldn't put the 8" membrane on that small a Hp pump flow.


Cheers

[svrevelations]

Originally Posted by SV THIRD DAY

The single membrane will give you more fresh water production...
BUT you won't have the minimum flow rate needed for the 8" membrane.
It will work, but you will see a loss in membrane life due to scaling affects.
Exactly how much membrane life loss is honestly a "technical guess" but from a commercial perspective you wouldn't put the 8" membrane on that small a Hp pump flow.

Cheers

Hello Rich

Thank you for your response.
I bought the machine on a auction, it is brand new, beautifully crafted - but unbranded. It was made in Germany but other than that I have no clue who made the machine. I'm 800 miles from the nearest ocean and have not tested the machine as yet.

Let's say the machine is located is in the Caribbean with warm water. In it's current configuration, how much fresh water (roughly) will this machine produce?