An experimental study for the characterization of fluid dynamics and heat transport within the spacer-filled channels of membrane distillation modules

Albeirutty, Mohammed; Turkmen, Nedim; Al-Sharif, Sharaf F.; Bouguecha, Salah; Malik, Aneeqa Ashfaq; Faruki, O.; Cipollina, Andrea; Ciofalo, Michele; Micale, G.

doi:10.1016/j.desal.2017.12.043

Cited by 24 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The experimental results were obtained in a previous study [35] using the setup shown in Figure 2. It is composed of two narrow (~4 mm height) hot and cold water channels separated by a 1 mm thick polycarbonate sheet.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Julabo temperature-controlled heating and cooling circulators were used to control the hot and cold water temperatures at the channel inlets. Further details on experimental procedure and data processing can be found in [35]. The color distribution of the TLC at the upper surface of the hot channel was monitored by a high resolution camera, and images (1920 × 1080 pixels) were captured for different feed temperatures and flow rates (from 1 to 4 L/min), while the flow rate in the cold channel was kept at 8 L/min.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, local data (i.e., flow fields and temperature distributions) are more suitable than global quantities because they better allow one to check if the assumptions made in CFD simulations (e.g., assuming simple boundary conditions or neglecting geometrical irregularities) reproduce sufficiently well the actual physics of the system. Experiments based on thermochromic liquid crystals (TLC) and digital image processing (DIP) can provide local results, such as temperature and heat transfer coefficient distributions, which can also be processed to obtain global quantities [27,32,33,34,35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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CFD Investigation of Spacer-Filled Channels for Membrane Distillation

et al. 2019

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The membrane distillation (MD) process for water desalination is affected by temperature polarization, which reduces the driving force and the efficiency of the process. To counteract this phenomenon, spacer-filled channels are used, which enhance mixing and heat transfer but also cause higher pressure drops. Therefore, in the design of MD modules, the choice of the spacer is crucial for process efficiency. In the present work, different overlapped spacers are investigated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and results are compared with experiments carried out with thermochromic liquid crystals (TLC). Results are reported for different flow attack angles and for Reynolds numbers (Re) ranging from ~200 to ~800. A good qualitative agreement between simulations and experiments can be observed for the areal distribution of the normalized heat transfer coefficient. Trends of the average heat transfer coefficient are reported as functions of Re for the geometries investigated, thus providing the basis for CFD-based correlations to be used in higher-scale process models.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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CFD Investigation of Spacer-Filled Channels for Membrane Distillation

et al. 2019

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“…Among these approaches, the use of turbulence promoters, such as spacers and textured surfaces to decrease the thickness of the kinetic and thermal boundary layers have been investigated. [156,157] Filling the air gap with solid materials is another way to enhance the efficiency of MD. When different materials such as polyethylene mesh, glass beads, and stainless steel beads are used as the filler, the thermal conductivity and transport behavior during the MD process are governed by the filler properties and their packing structure in the gap.…”

Section: Membrane Distillationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Efficient Seawater Desalination: Strategies and Opportunities

2021

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With the change in climate patterns, rapid industrialization, and population growth, the increasing water and energy demand became a major concern in the past decades. Desalination has been touted as the answer to the global water crisis, due to its capability in producing high‐quality fresh water from saline water. The continual research and innovations in the desalination field have resulted in the commercialization of large‐scale desalination in many water scarce regions. In the energetic context, all desalination processes are energy intensive. With the necessity to make desalination a more affordable and sustainable process, the energy efficiency of desalination is becoming an important topic. Herein, it is aimed to provide insights into the recent efforts and strategies established to tackle the energy‐related issues of both, thermal‐based and membrane‐based desalination processes. Depending on the principle of various commercial and emerging desalination processes, the directions of energy efficiency improvements, which include operating condition optimization, high‐performance material development, and renewable energy exploitation are discussed. The ideas and strategies reviewed herein, whether in their implementation or theoretical stage, are expected to provide insights into the possible improvement for application in commercial desalination plants.

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“…Therefore, in regards of the later module design a more reliable and accurate detailed model of spacer-filled MDs is essentially required when evaluating the MD performance. [46] Therefore, the main objective of this study was to theoretically investigate the influence of spacers adjacent 1 to the membrane on the permeate flux enhancement in the DCMD process with a PTFE/PP composite 2 membrane using a detailed and rigorous theoretical model, an effort that was complemented with experimental 6 studies for model validation. The developed model took into account the structural characteristics of the composite membrane, the heat and mass transfer mechanism through the membrane, and the mass, species, momentum, and energy balance for both bulk feed and permeate flows in the spacer-filled channels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of non-woven net spacer on a direct contact membrane distillation performance: Experimental and theoretical studies

Kim

Francis

Lee

et al. 2018

Journal of Membrane Science

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This study provides a comprehensive and systematic overview of the fundamental characteristics of heat and mass transfer in the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process that employs different types of spacers on (i.e., adjacent to) one or both surfaces of the membrane. Detailed theoretical investigations were carried out to demonstrate the effects of spacers adjacent to the membrane surface on heat and mass transfer enhancement in the DCMD with a PTFE/PP composite membrane, complemented with experimental data for model validation. Thus, this work aimed to propose and demonstrate the heat transfer correlation for spacerfilled channels to reliably predict the heat and mass transfer improvement by non-woven net spacers in the DCMD process. The results showed that the permeate flux enhancement by the spacers ranged between 7%-19% only for the spacer-filled permeate channels and between 21%-33% only for the spacer-filled feed channels even at higher flow rates, thus indicating lower flux enhancements in the spacer-filled permeate channels. This was because the influence of spacers on flux improvement became more evident at higher temperatures owing to higher temperature polarization. In this study, the maximum flux enhancement of approximately 43% over the empty channels, which was achieved using the thinnest and densest spacer with a hydrodynamic angle of 90°, adjacent to both membrane surfaces.

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An experimental study for the characterization of fluid dynamics and heat transport within the spacer-filled channels of membrane distillation modules

Cited by 24 publications

References 16 publications

CFD Investigation of Spacer-Filled Channels for Membrane Distillation

CFD Investigation of Spacer-Filled Channels for Membrane Distillation

Energy Efficient Seawater Desalination: Strategies and Opportunities

Effect of non-woven net spacer on a direct contact membrane distillation performance: Experimental and theoretical studies

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