Theoretical modeling and experimental analysis of direct contact membrane distillation

A two-dimensional mathematical model was theoretically developed to predict the temperature polarization profile of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) processes. A concurrent flat-plate device was designed to verify the theoretical prediction of pure water productivity on saline water desalination. The numerical results from the temperature polarization profile were obtained using the finite difference technique to reduce the two-dimensional partial differential equations into an ordinary differential equations system. The resultant simultaneous linear equations system was solved with the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. The results show theoretical prediction agreement with the measured values from the experimental runs. A combination of the Knudsen flow and Poiseuille flow models in the present mathematical formulation for membrane coefficient estimation was used to establish theoretical agreement. The influence of the inlet saline water temperature and volumetric flow rate on the pure water productivity as well as the hydraulic dissipated energy are also delineated.

[1]  Anthony G. Fane,et al.  Heat and mass transfer in membrane distillation , 1987 .

[2]  L. Martinez-diez,et al.  Temperature and concentration polarization in membrane distillation of aqueous salt solutions , 1999 .

[3]  Antoni W. Morawski,et al.  Membrane distillation of NaCl solution containing natural organic matter , 2001 .

[4]  Anthony G. Fane,et al.  Gas and vapour transport through microporous membranes. II. Membrane distillation , 1990 .

[5]  Anthony G. Fane,et al.  Gas and vapour transport through microporous membranes. I. Knudsen-Poiseuille transition , 1990 .

[6]  Kim Dam-Johansen,et al.  Characterization of microporous membranes for use in membrane contactors , 1997 .

[7]  Anthony G. Fane,et al.  Heat transport and membrane distillation coefficients in direct contact membrane distillation , 2003 .

[8]  Matthias Rommel,et al.  Solar thermal-driven desalination plants based on membrane distillation☆ , 2003 .

[9]  D. R. Lloyd,et al.  Membrane distillation. II. Direct contact MD , 1996 .

[10]  E. Drioli,et al.  Membrane Distillation and Related Operations—A Review , 2005 .

[11]  Robert E. Wilson,et al.  Fundamentals of momentum, heat, and mass transfer , 1969 .

[12]  Noam Lior,et al.  Membrane-distillation desalination: Status and potential , 2005 .

[13]  I. Karagiannis,et al.  Water desalination cost literature: review and assessment , 2008 .

[14]  Anthony G. Fane,et al.  Mass transfer mechanisms and transport resistances in direct contact membrane distillation process , 2006 .

[15]  Sidney L. Phillips,et al.  Thermal conductivity of aqueous sodium chloride solutions from 20 to 330.degree.C , 1980 .

[16]  Mohamed Khayet,et al.  Coupling of a membrane distillation module to a multieffect distiller for pure water production , 1998 .

[17]  R. W. Rousseau,et al.  Elementary principles of chemical processes , 1978 .

[18]  N. Selçuk,et al.  METHOD-OF-LINES SOLUTION OF TIME-DEPENDENT TWO-DIMENSIONAL NAVIER-STOKES EQUATIONS , 1996 .

[19]  Enrico Drioli,et al.  Membrane distillation in the textile wastewater treatment. , 1991 .

[20]  J. Mengual,et al.  Concentration of Bovine Serum Albumin Aqueous Solutions by Membrane Distillation , 1998 .

[21]  James O. Wilkes,et al.  Fluid Mechanics for Chemical Engineers , 1998 .

[22]  Runyu Ma,et al.  Concentrating the extract of traditional Chinese medicine by direct contact membrane distillation , 2008 .

[23]  Frank P. Incropera,et al.  Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer , 1981 .

[24]  Enrico Drioli,et al.  Theoretical and Experimental Study on Membrane Distillation in the Concentration of Orange Juice , 1994 .