Researching and modelling the dependence of MD flux on membrane dimension for scale-up purpose

Abstract

Membrane distillation has great advantages in treating high-concentration brine water, and desalinating salty water in areas where low grade heat is available. In this paper, we develop a mathematical model to predict the effect of process design (eg. temperature, flowrates, module length) on flux for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). As with traditional engineering practice, basic data such as mass transfer coefficients and heat transfer coefficients are obtained directly from experimental results. Results for both co-current and counter flow DCMD are presented and comparisons are made to verify these models using experimental results conducted at different temperatures.