Microchannel membrane separation applied to confined thin film desorption

A review of membrane contactors applied in absorption refrigeration systems

“…They achieved a desorption rate of about 0.01 kg/m 2 /s which is higher than the reported work of Thorud et al [5]. They observed that the desorption of water vapour from the aqueous solution of LiBr starts at a temperature of approximately 60 1C and increases slightly with an increase in temperature, however, the increase in the desorption rate is more pronounced at temperatures over 90 1C.…”

“…Thorud et al [5], Isfahani et al [8,9] and Bigham et al [12] used the concept of the plateand-frame heat exchanger and manufactured a laboratory scale desorber to investigate the performance of a plate-and-frame membrane module. Ali [49,50], Ali and Schwerdt [7,15], Yu et al [16], Isfahani et al [8], Isfahani and Moghaddam [10] and Bigham et al [11] used the plate-and-frame membrane module for investigating the application of membrane contactors in the absorber.…”

“…Thorud et al [5] experimentally tested a constrained thin film desorption scheme to determine the desorption rates of water from an aqueous solution of LiBr through a confining hydrophobic porous membrane made up of Teflon material. The assembly of the module resembled that of a plate-and-frame module in which desorption takes place in a channel created between two parallel plates with one of the walls being both heated and porous.…”

“…Yu et al [2] used a cellulose triacetate membrane, Riffat et al [3] used dense membrane and silicon porous membrane, Schaal et al [4], Thorud et al [5], Wang et al [6], Ali and Schwerdt [7] used hydrophobic porous membrane, Isfahani et al [8,9], Isfahani and Moghaddam [10] and Bigham et al [11,12] used superhydrophobic nanofibrous membrane, Drost et al [1] used a woven membrane and a laser-machined membrane. The laser-machined membranes have higher water vapour permeability as compared to commercially available hydrophobic porous membranes, albeit with a high cost.…”

Novel absorption refrigeration system with a hollow fiber membrane-based generator

“…Thorud et al presented the experimental results of the water desorption rate from LiBr solution flowing through an array of micro-channels, 170 and 745 μm in height, which were confined by a flat membrane. They reported the desorption rate with respect to height of micro-channel, inlet concentration of the solution, and the pressure difference across the membrane (Thorud et al, 2006). It was observed that the heat transfer resistance was less for thinner micro-channels, and consequently, the permeate rate was high.…”