THE DESIGN CASE
Specify pre-treatment for variability — the four criteria that decide it
Rewrite the filtration question from “what does the average influent look like?” to “does the system hold acceptable performance during the worst influent the process can produce?” Four criteria separate a system that survives that question from one that doesn’t — with what to ask any vendor before you spec them in.
CRITERION 01
TSS at the upper bound
Design to the peak the process can generate, not the mean. Averaged data hides the spike; the spike is what fails the install.
Ask the vendor: Show single-pass performance data at 2,000–5,000 mg/L, not at “typical” conditions.
CRITERION 02
Continuous flow during cleaning
If filtrate stops every time the system cleans itself, the downstream train sees interruptions the design didn’t model. Continuity is a spec requirement, not a nicety.
Ask the vendor: Does filtrate output continue during the cleaning cycle, or does cleaning create a flow gap?
CRITERION 03
Automation under spike conditions
“Automated” at steady state means nothing if a solids surge forces manual intervention. The claim is only worth specifying if it holds during upset conditions.
Ask the vendor: What operator action is required during a TSS spike — and what’s the failure mode if none is taken?
CRITERION 04
Water recovery, measured honestly
Backwash and dump cycles quietly erode recovery that looks good on paper. In water-stressed or reuse-driven sites, recovery is a design constraint the spec has to hold.
Ask the vendor: Is recovery quoted across full operation including cleaning, or under ideal conditions only?
VelRay X: superior performance when suspended solids are at their worst
VelRay X changes what engineers can specify. It removes suspended solids up to 5,000 mg/L in a single pass, under variable conditions, holds continuous filtrate flow during its own cleaning cycle, runs without chemicals or consumable media, and recovers up to 99% of the water it processes. For a specifier, that resolves to one thing: a design envelope wide enough to forgive the data that doesn't provide a complete picture.
BENEFITS
What changes for the engineer who signs the spec
Each benefit maps to a risk you carry personally: the design envelope, the post-handover call, the compliance line, the downstream train you’re protecting, and the credibility you keep with operations.
Expand the design envelope
Specify a system that holds across 300–5,000 mg/L in a single pass. The margin you used to build by oversizing and layering is engineered into the technology instead — a wider operating envelope you can defend, not a stack of assumptions.
Forgive the data you were given
When the influent characterization turns out optimistic — and it usually does — the system absorbs the variability instead of transferring it to operators.
The spec survives incomplete data because it wasn’t sized against the average in the first place.
Fewer post-install apologies
No blinding during spikes, no manual overrides, no “automated” system that still needs human intervention.
The events that generate the callback become non-events — so you’re not the engineer explaining why the design needs babysitting.
Protect the downstream train
In a ZLD or membrane system, front-end TSS removal is a risk-management decision, not a commodity choice.
Consistent suspended solids removal protects RO/UF membranes, brine concentrators, and evaporators from the cascade failures that pre-filtration gaps cause.
Defensible worst-case data
Clear operating envelopes, a defined 20-micron cut point, and documented performance at spike conditions — the failure-mode substance your spec needs.
Every claim is one you can stand behind if the design is ever questioned in review.
Enable reuse and recovery
Produced water becomes an asset only if it’s treated effectively at the point of generation.
Up to 99% recovery and chemical-free operation make the front-end filtration decision a system-enablement decision — the difference between a reuse train that delivers on design intent and one that doesn’t.
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Frequently asked questions
Get the spec package for your design case
Send your influent characterization, flow rates, and target effluent quality. We’ll model VelRay X performance against your worst-case conditions, assess downstream compatibility for your train, and return specification-ready cut sheets and a documented operating envelope — so the filtration stage you specify is one you can defend long after handover.