Natural Convection as an Asymmetrical Factor of the Transport Through Porous Membrane

Abstract

For nonionic substances, which density of solution depends on its concentration, concentration polarization of the membrane in horizontal plane depends not only on diffusion but on the hydrodynamic instabilities at the membrane surfaces also. Such instabilities are the cause of asymmetry of membrane transport in gravitational field. On the basis of results of glucose transport through the Nephrophan membrane in horizontal plane we can state that this asymmetry was observed for the cases with concentration Rayleigh number greater than critical value (R C )crit = 1709.3. The mathematical model based on Kedem–Katchalsky equations and Rayleigh number was presented. On the basis of this model and the dependence of volume flux through the Nephrophan membrane as a function of glucose concentration in the upper (configuration B) and lower (configuration A) chamber of the membrane system, the dependencies of thickness of concentration boundary layer, Rayleigh number, and introduced coefficient of asymmetry as a function of glucose concentration were presented for both configurations. These dependencies show that asymmetry of the membrane transport is observed for glucose concentration higher than 0.015 mol l−1.