Designing for guaranteed 100% uptime at a semiconductor fab.
The challenge
A major semiconductor manufacturer needed to treat 19,000 m³/day (5 MGD) of wastewater with zero liquid discharge (ZLD) – and the system could not be allowed to stop.
The approach
As part of the owner’s engineering team, Rick’s team designed, costed, and specified a multi-stage RO and OARO process, integrating upstream ion-exchange softening and downstream crystallization.
The design incorporated redundancy and other features to assure continuous operation.
The result
The design targets more than 98% recovery. The project was awarded to an EPC contractor that was required to guarantee 100% uptime.
Status: Rick Stover’s prior professional experience. Figures are design targets and contract requirements; startup is expected in late 2027, so no operating results are available yet. The process diagram is conceptual.
