Abstract
Cross-flow hollow fiber membranes are commonly applied in humidification/dehumidification. Hollow fiber membranes vibrate and deform under the impinging force of incoming air and the gravity of liquid in the inner tube. In this study, fiber deformation was caused by the pulsating flow of air. With varied pulsating amplitudes and frequencies, single-fiber deformation was investigated numerically using the fluid–structure interaction technique and verified with experimental data testing with a laser vibrometer. Then, the effect of pulsating amplitude and frequency on heat and mass transfer performance of the hollow fiber membrane was analyzed. The maximum fiber deformation along the airflow direction was far larger than that perpendicular to the flow direction. Compared with the case where the fiber did not vibrate, increasing the pulsation amplitude could strengthen Nu by 14–87%. Flow-induced fiber vibration could raise the heat transfer enhancement index from 13.8% to 80%. The pulsating frequency could also enhance the heat transfer of hollow fiber membranes due to the continuously weakened thermal boundary layer. With the increase in pulsating amplitude or frequency, the Sh number or Em under vibrating conditions can reach about twice its value under non-vibrating conditions.
Highlights
A hollow fiber membrane is a membrane formed by the intersection of functional fiber materials and separation membrane technology
Hollow fiber membrane modules have become widely used in wastewater treatment [1,2,3], membrane extraction [4,5,6,7], gas separation [8,9,10], and air humidification [11,12,13,14,15] and dehumidification processes [16,17,18,19,20]
The water vapor can permeate through the membrane, but liquid water will be intercepted by the membrane
Summary
A hollow fiber membrane is a membrane formed by the intersection of functional fiber materials and separation membrane technology. It has the advantages of high packing density, small occupying space, simple membrane module structure, and relatively low cost. Hollow fiber membrane modules have become widely used in wastewater treatment [1,2,3], membrane extraction [4,5,6,7], gas separation [8,9,10], and air humidification [11,12,13,14,15] and dehumidification processes [16,17,18,19,20]. The heat and mass transfer characteristics of the hollow fiber membrane bundle for humidification/dehumidification have been investigated by many researchers theoretically [18,21,22,23,24] and experimentally [25,26,27,28]
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