Chapter 7 - Heat and Mass Transfer Across a Hollow Fiber Membrane Bundle

Abstract

Hollow fiber membrane bundles are widely used as liquid-to-air contactors. As a module, hollow fiber membranes are packed together to form a bundle which is then placed in a shell and sealed at both ends. The shell-and-tube structure makes heat and mass transfer between the liquid and the air stream efficient. The fiber bank can be considered as a special heat and mass transfer duct with air flowing in the voids surrounded by fibers. In this chapter, conjugate heat transfer and mass transfer across a hollow fiber membrane bundle are investigated. Liquid flows inside the fibers and air flows across the bank. Laminar flow, transitional flow, and turbulent flow conditions for the shell-side air stream are considered. The Nusselt and Sherwood numbers for the tube-side liquid flow and the shell-side air flow are calculated. The free surface cell model and periodic cell models with in-line and/or staggered fiber arrays are selected as the basic elements for investigation. Additionally, both counter-flow and cross-flow arrangements are considered.