A Study on the Appropriateness Evaluation of Membrane Module Piping Design using CFD Simulation Technique

Abstract

This study was conducted to suggest the hydraulic modification for improving evenness of inlet flow distribution into the manifold pipe having a structure in which the treated water flows in parallel arranged membrane modules using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation and experiment. From a result of CFD simulation, it was confirmed that the standard deviation of the inlet flows into each membrane module from the manifold pipe was reduced by about 76% by installing other orifice pipe inside header pipe (double piping header). In addition, the experimental results showed that the coefficient of variation was reduced by 50% in the case of double piping header compared to the case of single piping header. Consequently, the design concept of doubling header pipe with rough internal pipe is much effective to improve the evenness of the flow distribution rate in parallel arranged membrane modules. Key words: Membrane Modules, CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), Coefficient of Variation, Double Piping Header