Effects of salinity and feed temperature on permeate flux of an air gap membrane distillation unit for sea water desalination

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Eziyi ◽  
A. Krothapalli ◽  
J. D. Osorio ◽  
J. C. Ordonez ◽  
J. V. C. Vargas
Keyword(s):  
Sea Water ◽  
Membrane Distillation ◽  
Air Gap ◽  
Water Desalination ◽  
Distillation Unit ◽  
Permeate Flux ◽  
Air Gap Membrane Distillation ◽  
Feed Temperature

Performance of Air Gap Membrane Distillation Unit for Water Desalination

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atia E. Khalifa ◽  
Dahiru U. Lawal ◽  
Mohamed A. Antar
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Membrane Distillation ◽  
Air Gap ◽  
Water Desalination ◽  
Feed Water ◽  
Feed Flow Rate ◽  
Permeate Flux ◽  
Air Gap Membrane Distillation ◽  
Gap Width ◽  
Feed Temperature

Due to water scarcity in the Arabic gulf region, water desalination technologies are considered extremely important. The present work represents a fundamental study on the effect of basic operating and design variables on the flux of an air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) unit for water desalination. The flat sheet, channeled air gap membrane distillation module was designed and manufactured locally. The effect of feed flow rate, feed temperature, coolant water temperature, the air gap width, and the water salinity on the module flux are investigated. Analytical model for heat and mass transfer is used to predict the flux and the model results are compared to the experimental ones. Results showed that the technique has good potential to be used for water desalination. The permeate flux is increased by increasing feed flow rate, feed temperature, decreasing the air gap width, decreasing coolant temperature, and decreasing salinity of feed water. For a given feed flow rate, the width of the air gap and the feed water temperature are found to be the most effective parameters in increasing the distillate flux. Predicting the permeate flux with analytical models for heat and mass transfer showed good agreement with experimental results.

scholarly journals A Comparison Study of Brine Desalination using Direct Contact and Air Gap Membrane Distillation

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 47-54
Author(s):  
Ahmed Shamil Khalaf ◽  
Asrar Abdullah Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Direct Contact ◽  
Polyvinylidene Fluoride ◽  
Membrane Distillation ◽  
Air Gap ◽  
Feed Flow Rate ◽  
Permeate Flux ◽  
Air Gap Membrane Distillation ◽  
Flat Sheet ◽  
Feed Temperature

Membrane distillation (MD) is a hopeful desalination technique for brine (salty) water. In this research, Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD) and  Air Gap Membrane Distillation (AGMD) will be used. The sample used is from Shat Al –Arab water (TDS=2430 mg/l). A polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) flat sheet membrane was used as a flat sheet form with a plate and frame cell. Several parameters were studied, such as; operation time, feed temperature, permeate temperature, feed flow rate. The results showed that with time, the flux decreases because of the accumulated fouling and scaling on the membrane surface. Feed temperature and feed flow rate had a positive effect on the permeate flux, while permeate temperature had a reverse effect on permeate flux. It is noticeable that the flux in DCMD is greater than AGMD, at the same conditions. The flux in DCMD is 10.95LMH, and that in AGMD is 7.14 LMH.  In AGMD, the air gap layer made a high resistance. Here the temperature transport reduces in the permeate side of AGMD due to the air gap resistance. The heat needed for AGMD is lower than DCMD, this leads to low permeate flux because the temperature difference between the two sides is very small, so the driving force (vapor pressure) is low.                                                                                               

scholarly journals Performances of air gap and water gap MD desalination modules

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 200-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atia E. Khalifa
Keyword(s):  
Specific Energy Consumption ◽  
Membrane Distillation ◽  
Air Gap ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
Feed Water ◽  
Permeate Flux ◽  
Hydrophobic Membrane ◽  
Air Gap Membrane Distillation ◽  
Gap Width ◽  
Feed Temperature

Abstract Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising thermally-driven membrane separation technology for water desalination. In MD, water vapor is being separated from the hot feed water solution using a micro-porous hydrophobic membrane, due to the difference in vapor pressures across the membrane. In the present work, experiments are conducted to compare the performance of water gap membrane distillation (WGMD) and air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) modules under the main operating and design conditions including the feed and coolant temperatures, membrane material and pore sizes, and the gap width. Results showed that the WGMD module produced higher fluxes as compared to the AGMD module, for all test conditions. The feed temperature is the dominant factor affecting the system flux. The permeate flux increases with reducing the gap width for both water and air gap modules. However, WGMD module was found to be less sensitive to the change in the gap width compared to the AGMD module. The PTFE membrane produced higher permeate flux as compared to the PVDF membrane. Bigger mean pore diameter enhanced the permeate flux, however, this enhancement is marginal at high feed temperatures. With increasing the feed temperature, the GOR values increase and the specific energy consumption decreases.

Development and Testing of a Lab-Scale Air-Gap Membrane Distillation Unit for Water Desalination

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Baghaei Lakeh ◽  
Keaton Cornell ◽  
Benny Ly ◽  
Aaron Chan ◽  
Sepideh Jankhah
Keyword(s):  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Membrane Distillation ◽  
Air Gap ◽  
Water Desalination ◽  
Coolant Temperature ◽  
Feed Water ◽  
Permeate Flux ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Air Gap Membrane Distillation ◽  
Membrane Porosity

As the population grows, one issue that is continually being addressed is the lack of clean water resources. In order to explore viable solutions, rapid experimentation and research has been underway to alleviate the water crisis. With the addition of new emerging technology, the development, improvement, and understanding of various techniques used to treat non-potable water has expanded. One subcategory of water filtration in particular that has seen rapid growth is Membrane Distillation (MD). MD is a filtration process that utilizes thermal energy to desalinate and decontaminate water. Compared to current industry leading techniques such as reverse osmosis, MD does not require such large operating pressures, leading to less power consumption. MD is accomplished primarily by flowing contaminated feed water at elevated temperatures across semi-permeable membranes. The membranes used are made to allow water vapors to penetrate through and separate from the contaminated liquid portion. By maintaining a temperature difference across the membrane, a pressure gradient is created, which drives the vapor of feed water through the pores in the membrane. Once the vapor passes through the membrane, it condenses through various methods and is collected. Air Gap Membrane Distillation (AGMD) has shown significant ability to desalinate water effectively in small scales. The air gap between the membrane and condensation plate minimizes heat loss through conduction, making AGMD a more attractive option for upscaling. In this project a laboratory-scale test cell was developed to test AGMD using different membranes, and operational parameters. In order to test such parameters, a unique design with baffled channels to induce turbulence was designed and manufactured. Feed water and coolant temperature differences, flow rates, membrane porosity, and air gap thickness are among the parameters that has been studied in this research. Temperatures of the hot feed were varied from 40°C to 80°C while the cold feed temperature was kept at a near constant temperature of 0°C. Flow rates of feed water and coolant water range from 1 to 3 L/Min. It was observed that the permeate flux is an increasing function of feed water temperature and membrane porosity. The air gap thickness plays a major role in permeate flux and energy consumption of the system.

scholarly journals Design study of the coupling of an air gap membrane distillation unit to an air conditioner

Desalination ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 420 ◽  
pp. 308-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmadou Tidiane Diaby ◽  
Paul Byrne ◽  
Patrick Loulergue ◽  
Béatrice Balannec ◽  
Anthony Szymczyk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Distillation ◽  
Air Gap ◽  
Distillation Unit ◽  
Air Conditioner ◽  
Design Study ◽  
Air Gap Membrane Distillation

scholarly journals Performance Investigation of O-Ring Vacuum Membrane Distillation Module for Water Desalination

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adnan Alhathal Alanezi ◽  
H. Abdallah ◽  
E. El-Zanati ◽  
Adnan Ahmad ◽  
Adel O. Sharif
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Membrane Distillation ◽  
Membrane Module ◽  
Water Desalination ◽  
Feed Flow Rate ◽  
Permeate Flux ◽  
Vacuum Degree ◽  
Flat Sheet ◽  
Vacuum Membrane Distillation ◽  
Feed Temperature

A new O-ring flat sheet membrane module design was used to investigate the performance of Vacuum Membrane Distillation (VMD) for water desalination using two commercial polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) flat sheet hydrophobic membranes. The design of the membrane module proved its applicability for achieving a high heat transfer coefficient of the order of 103 (W/m2 K) and a high Reynolds number (Re). VMD experiments were conducted to measure the heat and mass transfer coefficients within the membrane module. The effects of the process parameters, such as the feed temperature, feed flow rate, vacuum degree, and feed concentration, on the permeate flux have been investigated. The feed temperature, feed flow rate, and vacuum degree play an important role in enhancing the performance of the VMD process; therefore, optimizing all of these parameters is the best way to achieve a high permeate flux. The PTFE membrane showed better performance than the PVDF membrane in VMD desalination. The obtained water flux is relatively high compared to that reported in the literature, reaching 43.8 and 52.6 (kg/m2 h) for PVDF and PTFE, respectively. The salt rejection of NaCl was higher than 99% for both membranes.

Experimental Study and Numerical Simulation of the Air Gap Membrane Distillation (AGMD) Process

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehsan Karbasi ◽  
Javad Karimi-Sabet ◽  
J. Mohammadi Roshandeh ◽  
M. A. Moosavian ◽  
H. Ahadi
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Membrane Distillation ◽  
Air Gap ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Permeate Flux ◽  
Air Gap Membrane Distillation ◽  
Temperature Polarization ◽  
Output Ratio ◽  
Cfd Method

Abstract Some challenges, including inappropriate distribution of currents on the membrane surface, poor hydrodynamics and existing severe temperature polarization (TP) phenomenon in MD modules, impede industrialization of MD process. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method was used for numerical simulation of hydrodynamics in air gap membrane distillation modules. One of two simulated modules in this work is a novel developed one in which heat and mass transfer data was compared with available literature data. Moreover, the effect of using baffles in module was investigated. Comparison between the novel module and conventional module indicates higher trans-membrane mass flux and gained output ratio (GOR) coefficient by 7% and 15%, respectively. Moreover, the effects of different operating conditions including feed temperatures and feed flow rates on permeate flux were investigated.

scholarly journals Enhanced production from an Air Gap Membrane Distillation Desalination system by varying the feed entry angle

2021 ◽  
Vol 945 (1) ◽  
pp. 012026
Author(s):  
Rubina Bahar ◽  
Mohammad Jabed Perves Bappy
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Distillation ◽  
Air Gap ◽  
Coolant Temperature ◽  
Entry Angle ◽  
Hydrophobic Membrane ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Enhanced Production ◽  
Air Gap Membrane Distillation ◽  
Scale Unit ◽  
Feed Temperature

Abstract The membrane distillation (MD) process is an evaporative metho driven by the partial pressure difference between two different temperature solutions, namely the hot feed and the coolant. The hot feed evaporates, and the vapour gets condensed to the cooler side. A hydrophobic membrane maintains the evaporating surface. Air Gap Membrane Distillation(AGMD) separates the hot feed from the coolant by a narrow air gap and a coolant plate. The condensate forms on the coolant plate, and the air gap works as an insulation for the heat loss through the membrane. The salient parameters like feed temperature, coolant temperature, and air gap thickness have already been identified through research in previous years. In this study, an innovative technique has been tested to minimize the polarization and increase the production from an AGMD lab-scale unit. The effect of the feed flow entry angle has been investigated. Also, the combined effect of inclined flow entry and a finned coolant surface has been studied. It has been found from the experiments that with a feed flow entry angle of 60°, the system shows an average of 10% to 14% boost in performance. When 60° inlet flow angle and finned coolant plate work in combination, an average of 69% to 78% increase of distillate flux was observed with the same energy input.

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