Improving the performance of vacuum membrane distillation using a 3D-printed helical baffle and a superhydrophobic nanocomposite membrane

Li, Qiyuan; Lian, Boyue; Zhong, Wenwei; Omar, Amr; Razmjou, Amir; Dai, Pingping; Guan, Jing; Leslie, Greg; Taylor, Robert A.

doi:10.1016/j.seppur.2020.117072

Cited by 27 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Such enhancement in ux with pore size increase is notable compared with reported strategies such as surface modication 52 and MD module design. 53 The percentage increase was 20% higher at 50 C than they were at 65 C, which suggests that increasing pore size has a more signicant effect on Knudsen diffusion at lower temperature. 19,54 On the other hand, saline concentration does not affect the permeate ux enhancement that much.…”

Section: Performancementioning

confidence: 90%

Large-pore-size membranes tuned by chemically vapor deposited nanocoatings for rapid and controlled desalination

Zhu

Mao

2020

RSC Adv.

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Section: Performancementioning

confidence: 90%

Large-pore-size membranes tuned by chemically vapor deposited nanocoatings for rapid and controlled desalination

Zhu

Mao

2020

RSC Adv.

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“…An intermittent operation mode with 3D printed spiral baffle and super hydrophobic membrane coating was proved to improve the MD performance [ 36 ]. The experimental results show that improving the heat and mass transfer and enhancing the hydrophobicity of the membrane will help the MD system to become a feasible choice for industrial wastewater treatment.…”

Section: Applications Of Cfd In Optimization Analysis Of Membrane Module Designsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations of Membrane Distillation Processes: A Review

Chen

2021

Membranes

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Membrane distillation (MD) can be used in drinking water treatment, such as seawater desalination, ultra-pure water production, chemical substances concentration, removal or recovery of volatile solutes in an aqueous solution, concentration of fruit juice or liquid food, and wastewater treatment. However, there is still much work to do to determine appropriate industrial implementation. MD processes refer to thermally driven transport of vapor through non-wetted porous hydrophobic membranes, which use the vapor pressure difference between the two sides of the membrane pores as the driving force. Recently, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation has been widely used in MD process analysis, such as MD mechanism and characteristics analysis, membrane module development, preparing novel membranes, etc. A series of related research results have been achieved, including the solutions of temperature/concentration polarization and permeate flux enhancement. In this article, the research of CFD applications in MD progress is reviewed, including the applications of CFD in the mechanism and characteristics analysis of different MD structures, in the design and optimization of membrane modules, and in the preparation and characteristics analysis of novel membranes. The physical phenomena and geometric structures have been greatly simplified in most CFD simulations of MD processes, so there still is much work to do in this field in the future. A great deal of attention has been paid to the hydrodynamics and heat transfer in the channels of MD modules, as well as the optimization of these modules. However, the study of momentum transfer, heat, and mass transfer mechanisms in membrane pores is rarely involved. These projects should be combined with mass transfer, heat transfer and momentum transfer for more comprehensive and in-depth research. In most CFD simulations of MD processes, some physical phenomena, such as surface diffusion, which occur on the membrane surface and have an important guiding significance for the preparation of novel membranes to be further studied, are also ignored. As a result, although CFD simulation has been widely used in MD process modeling already, there are still some problems remaining, which should be studied in the future. It can be predicted that more complex mechanisms, such as permeable wall conditions, fouling dynamics, and multiple ionic component diffusion, will be included in the CFD modeling of MD processes. Furthermore, users’ developed routines for MD processes will also be incorporated into the existing commercial or open source CFD software packages.

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“…The shear strain rate exerted by the fluid on the draw-channel is a measure of the perpendicular force acting on the channel and membrane surface. Shear strain rate is a typically reported CFD output of membrane process modelling as it provides the strain rate of membrane processes with a high degree of accuracy [24,31]. Wall shear rate increases are associated with improved CP and fouling mitigation.…”

Section: Cfd Hydrodynamic Parameter Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Forward Osmosis Operating Pressure on Deformation, Efficiency and Concentration Polarisation with Novel Links to CFD

et al. 2021

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Forward osmosis (FO) modules currently suffer from performance efficiency limitations due to concentration polarisation (CP), as well as pressure drops during operation. There are incentives to further reduce CP effects, as well as optimise spacer design for pressure drop improvements and mechanical support. In this study, the effects of applying transmembrane pressure (TMP) on FO membrane deformation and the subsequent impact on module performance was investigated by comparing experimental data to 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations for three commercial FO modules. At a TMP of 1.5 bar the occlusion of the draw-channel induced by longitudinal pressure hydraulic drop was comparable for the Toray (16%) and HTI modules (12%); however, the hydraulic perimeter of the Profiera module was reduced by 46%. CFD simulation of the occluded channels indicated that a change in hydraulic perimeter due to a 62% increase in shear strain resulted in a 31% increase in the Reynolds number. This reduction in channel dimensions enhanced osmotic efficiency by reducing CP via improved draw-channel hydrodynamics, which significantly disrupted the external concentration polarization (ECP) layer. Furthermore, simulations indicated that the Reynolds number experienced only modest increases with applied TMP and that shear strain at the membrane surface was found to be the most important factor when predicting flux performance enhancement, which varied between the different modules. This work suggests that a numerical approach to assess the effects of draw-spacers on pressure drop and CP can optimize and reduce investment in the design and validation of FO module designs.

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Improving the performance of vacuum membrane distillation using a 3D-printed helical baffle and a superhydrophobic nanocomposite membrane

Cited by 27 publications

References 44 publications

Large-pore-size membranes tuned by chemically vapor deposited nanocoatings for rapid and controlled desalination

Large-pore-size membranes tuned by chemically vapor deposited nanocoatings for rapid and controlled desalination

Research Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations of Membrane Distillation Processes: A Review

Impact of Forward Osmosis Operating Pressure on Deformation, Efficiency and Concentration Polarisation with Novel Links to CFD

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