Numerical Approach for Optimal Design of a Hollow Fiber Dialyzer System

Abstract

A numerical approach for an optimal designing of a countercurrent hollow fiber dialyzer has been proposed by utilizing the membrane transport model based on the porous media theory. The three-dimensional numerical computations have been conducted to capture individual concentration fields, namely, blood, dialysate and membrane phases within a hollow fiber dialyzer. Clearances for the Creatinine and Vitamin B12 obtained from present numerical simulations are compared against available experimental date so as to examine the validity of the present method. Subsequently, the effects of housing of countercurrent hollow fiber dialyzers on the mass transfer rate have been also investigated by utilizing several types of hollow fiber dialyzers. Furthermore, a series of calculations have been carried out with variation of the number of hollow fibers so as to find the effective hollow fiber dialyzer for given pumping power. The present numerical methods based on the membrane transport model can be useful for optimization of hollow fiber dialyzer systems.