Computational Modeling of Coupled Free and Porous Media Flow for Membrane-based Filtration Systems: A Review

We review different mathematical models proposed in literature to describe fluid-dynamic aspects in membrane-based water filtration systems. Firstly, we discuss the societal impact of water filtration, especially in the context of developing countries under emergency situations, and then review the basic concepts of membrane science that are necessary for a mathematical description of a filtration system. Secondly, we categorize the mathematical models available in the literature as (a) microscopic, if the pore-scale geometry of the membrane is accounted for; (b) reduced, if the membrane is treated as a geometrically lower-dimensional entity due to its small thickness compared to the free flow domain; (c) mesoscopic, if the characteristic geometrical dimension of the free flow domain and the porous domain is the same, and a multi-physics problem involving both incompressible fluid flow and porous media flow is considered. Implementation aspects of mesoscopic models in CFD software are also discussed with the help of relevant examples.