Flow uneven-distribution and its impact on performances of forward osmosis module
Progresses on development of forward osmosis (FO) membrane should be accompanied with development of acceptable FO modules. Most flat-sheet FO membranes are assembled into the modified spiral wound module by introduction of an internal baffle which results in a U-shape flow path that allows flow une...
| Main Authors: | Qing, L., Bilad, M.R., Sun, G., Jaafar, J., Fane, A.G. |
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| Format: | Article |
| Institution: | Universiti Teknologi Petronas |
| Record Id / ISBN-0: | utp-eprints.23446 / |
| Published: |
Elsevier Ltd
2020
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| Online Access: |
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85074456758&doi=10.1016%2fj.jwpe.2019.101014&partnerID=40&md5=a4d3b08bff4c9b95759af8083e285f7f http://eprints.utp.edu.my/23446/ |
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| Summary: |
Progresses on development of forward osmosis (FO) membrane should be accompanied with development of acceptable FO modules. Most flat-sheet FO membranes are assembled into the modified spiral wound module by introduction of an internal baffle which results in a U-shape flow path that allows flow uneven-distribution. This study assesses the flow uneven-distribution and its impact on a U-shape flow path and compares it with a straight flow path (I-shape), like the one in the plate-and-frame module. The flow distribution was visualized through the salt tracing test, dye tracing, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation and particle image velocimetry (PIV). The performance of a bench-scale module of I-shape and U-shape was then assessed. Results from all visualization methods demonstrate large spatial flow variations in the U-shape flow path. However, it does not really affect the overall flux. The U-shape flow path benefits over the Ishape when operated at equal volumetric velocities. The I-shape path only shows higher fluxes by 21 and 3 when operated under equal cross flow velocities under active layer facing feed solution and active layer facing draw solution modes, respectively. The low fluxes in the U-shape flow path occur in the dead-zones. The flux variations in the U-shape flow path does not significantly affect the short-term membrane fouling but is expected to be more intense in the larger modules. A simple approach to combat flow uneven-distribution via inclusion of internal baffle can reduce uneven-distribution of flow. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd |
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