Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling of Hollow Membrane Filtration for Concentration Polarization

Based on CFD and film theory, filtration’s two-dimensional CFD model of the hollow membrane was established by integrating the mass transformation and the hydrodynamic transportation. Parameters of concentration polarization in the membrane channel (i.e., solute mass concentration, concentration polarization factors, and concentration polarization layer thickness) were estimated under different hydraulic conditions. In addition, the algorithm for the thickness of the concentration polarization layer has been improved. The results showed that decreasing the feed Reynolds number or increasing the transmembrane pressure can enhance the concentration polarization phenomena. Concentration polarization parameters increased sharply at the initial place (X/H < 25, where H is the entrance width, X is the distance from entrance) and then flatten out (X/H > 25) along the membrane channel; solute concentration and concentration polarization factors were arranged in a U-shape in the membrane channel’s cross-section. The improved algorithm could match well with cross section data, δ2H at X/H = 1, 25, and 200 are 0.038, 0.11, and 0.25, respectively, which can reasonably reflect the distribution of the concentration polarization phenomenon in the membrane channel.

NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE OCCURRENCE OF A CONCENTRATION-POLARIZATION LAYER

This work describes the appearance of a concentration polarizing boundary layer on the membrane surface during the separation of the H2/CO2 gas mixture. Concentration polarization occurs when the rejection solution accumulates near the surface of the membrane, forming a boundary layer. The inclusion of concentration polarization effects in the processing of porous walls creates additional difficulties. The boundary layer formed by concentration polarization can be considered as a type of a second porous wall with a lower permeability than the membrane. The main difficulty in modeling this situation is to determine the appropriate boundary conditions for the concentration on the wall, since the concentrations on the wall will constantly change, and the wall geometry itself may change over time due to particle deposition. To account for this effect, a numerical approach was developed, which is discussed in this work

Oily Water Separation Process Using Hydrocyclone of Porous Membrane Wall: A Numerical Investigation

This research aims to study the process of separating water contaminated with oil using a hydrocyclone with a porous wall (membrane), containing two tangential inlets and two concentric outlets (concentrate and permeate), at the base of the equipment. For the study, the computational fluid dynamics technique was used in a Eulerian–Eulerian approach to solve the mass and linear momentum conservation equations and the turbulence model. The effects of the concentration polarization layer thickness and membrane rejection coefficient on the permeate flow, hydrodynamic behavior of the fluids inside the hydrocyclone, and equipment performance were evaluated. Results of the velocity, transmembrane pressure and oil concentration profiles along the equipment, and hydrocyclone performance are presented and analyzed. The results confirmed the effect of the membrane rejection coefficient on the equipment performance and the high potential of the hydrocyclone with a porous wall to be used in the oil–water mixture separation.

The Effect of the Concentration Polarization and the Membrane Layer Mass Transport on the Membrane Separation

The negative effect of the concentration polarization layer on the membrane separation is well known. How the mass transport parameters of the membrane matrix, e.g. the solubility coefficient, membrane Peclet number, can affect the concentration profile of the boundary layer, and consequently, the separation efficiency is not investigated in detail yet. This paper gives the suitable mathematical expressions, in order to predict the well known parameters as polarization modulus, enrichment factors, etc., taking into account the transport parameters for both the concentration boundary and the membrane layers, and analyses the concentration distribution and the polarization modulus. It has been shown that the transport properties of the membrane layer have significant effect on the concentration profiles of the boundary layer and thus, on the polarization modulus, enrichment factors, etc., as well. Thus, the well known equations, e.g. the polarization modulus, enrichment factor given in the literature [see e.g. Equations (2) and (3)], could be considered as approaches.

A concentration-independent micro/nanofluidic active diode using an asymmetric ion concentration polarization layer

The new class of micro/nanofluidic diodes with an ideal perm-selective membrane were demonstrated at a wide concentration range from 10−5 M to 3 M. Moreover, the rectification factor was actively controlled by adjusting the external convective flows.