Sweeping air membrane distillation: Conjugate heat and mass transfer in a hollow fiber membrane tube bank with an in-line arrangement

Abstract Background In this research work, a coupled heat and mass transfer model was developed for salt recovery from concentrated brine water through an osmotic membrane distillation (OMD) process in a hollow fiber membrane contactor (HFMC).The model was built based on the resistance-in-series concept for water transport across the hydrophobic membrane. The model was adopted to incorporate the effects of polarization layers such as temperature and concentration polarization, as well as viscosity changes during concentration. Results The modeling equations were numerically simulated in MATLAB® and were successfully validated with experimental data from literature with a deviation within the range of 1–5%. The model was then applied to study the effects of key process parameters like feed concentrations, osmotic solution concentration, feed, and osmotic solution flow rates and feed temperature on the overall heat and mass transfer coefficient as well as on water transport flux to improve the process efficiency. The mass balance modeling was applied to calculate the membrane area based on the simulated mass transfer coefficient. Finally, a scale-up for the MD process for salt recovery on an industrial scale was proposed. Conclusions This study highlights the effect of key parameters for salt recovery from wastewater using the membrane distillation process. Further, the applicability of the OMD process for salt recovery on large scale was investigated. Sensitivity analysis was performed to identify the key parameters. From the results of this study, it is concluded that the OMD process can be promising in salt recovery from wastewater.

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Coupled heat and mass transfer of cross-flow random hollow fiber membrane tube bundle used for seawater desalination

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer ◽

10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2020.119499 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 152 ◽

pp. 119499 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Liehui Xiao ◽

Minlin Yang ◽

Wu-Zhi Yuan ◽

Si-Min Huang

Keyword(s):

Mass Transfer ◽

Heat And Mass Transfer ◽

Hollow Fiber ◽

Hollow Fiber Membrane ◽

Tube Bundle ◽

Cross Flow ◽

Seawater Desalination ◽

Fiber Membrane ◽

Membrane Tube

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Heat and mass transfer in a hollow fiber membrane contactor for sweeping gas membrane distillation

Separation and Purification Technology ◽

10.1016/j.seppur.2019.03.046 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 220 ◽

pp. 334-344 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Si-Min Huang ◽

Yang-Hui Chen ◽

Wu-Zhi Yuan ◽

Shuaifei Zhao ◽

Yuxiang Hong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Transfer ◽

Heat And Mass Transfer ◽

Hollow Fiber ◽

Hollow Fiber Membrane ◽

Membrane Distillation ◽

Membrane Contactor ◽

Fiber Membrane ◽

Sweeping Gas

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Turbulent Heat and Mass Transfer Across a Hollow Fiber Membrane Tube Bank in Liquid Desiccant Air Dehumidification

Journal of Heat Transfer ◽

10.1115/1.4006208 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 134 (8) ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Si-Min Huang ◽

Li-Zhi Zhang ◽

Kai Tang ◽

Li-Xia Pei

Keyword(s):

Mass Transfer ◽

Fluid Flow ◽

Heat And Mass Transfer ◽

Hollow Fiber ◽

Hollow Fiber Membrane ◽

Tube Bundle ◽

Turbulent Heat ◽

Fiber Membrane ◽

Liquid Desiccant ◽

Membrane Tube

The fluid flow and conjugate heat and mass transfer across a hollow fiber membrane tube bundle used for liquid desiccant air dehumidification are investigated. In this process, humid air flows across the fiber bank and salt solution flows inside the fibers packed in a shell. They exchange heat and moisture through the membranes. To overcome the difficulties in the direct modeling of the whole tube bundle, a representative cell, which comprises of a single fiber, a solution stream inside the fiber, and an air stream flowing across the fiber, is selected as the calculation domain. The liquid flow inside the fibers is assumed to be laminar due to the low Reynolds numbers, while the air flow across the bank is considered to be turbulent as a result from the disturbances from the numerous fibers. The governing equations for fluid flow and heat and mass transfer in the two flows and in the membrane are coupled together and solved numerically with a self-built code. Experimental work on hollow fiber membrane-based liquid desiccant air dehumidification is performed to validate the model. The fundamental data on friction factor, Nusselt and Sherwood numbers on both the shell and the tube sides are then obtained for Re = 300–600.

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