Optimizing Membrane Distillation Performance through Flow Channel Modification with Baffles: Experimental and Computational Study
It has been identified that temperature polarization and concentration polarization are typical near-surface phenomena limiting the performance of membrane distillation. The module design should allow for effective flow, reducing the polarization effects near the membrane surfaces and avoiding high...
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MDPI AG
2023-09-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2297-8739/10/9/485 |
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| author | Yaoling Zhang Xingsen Mu Jiaqi Sun Fei Guo |
| author_facet | Yaoling Zhang Xingsen Mu Jiaqi Sun Fei Guo |
| author_sort | Yaoling Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | It has been identified that temperature polarization and concentration polarization are typical near-surface phenomena limiting the performance of membrane distillation. The module design should allow for effective flow, reducing the polarization effects near the membrane surfaces and avoiding high hydrostatic pressure drops across and along the membrane surfaces. A potential route to enhancing the membrane distillation performance is geometry modification on the flow channel by employing baffles as vortex generators, reducing the polarization effects. In this work, various baffles with different structures were fabricated by 3D printing and attached to the feed flow channel shell in an air gap membrane distillation module. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the modified flow channels were systematically investigated via computational fluid dynamics simulations with various conditions. The membrane distillation tests show that adding the baffles to the feed channel can effectively increase the transmembrane flux. The transmembrane flux with rectangular baffles and shield-shaped baffles increases by 21.8% and 28.1% at the feed temperature of 70 °C. Moreover, the shield-shaped baffles in the flow channel not only enhance the transmembrane flux but also maintain a low-pressure drop, making it even more significant. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:00:50Z |
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| id | doaj.art-da6399281f9140b7a9e29b2e81b678b2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-8739 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:00:50Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-da6399281f9140b7a9e29b2e81b678b22023-11-19T12:57:49ZengMDPI AGSeparations2297-87392023-09-0110948510.3390/separations10090485Optimizing Membrane Distillation Performance through Flow Channel Modification with Baffles: Experimental and Computational StudyYaoling Zhang0Xingsen Mu1Jiaqi Sun2Fei Guo3School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, No. 2 Linggong Road, Dalian 116024, ChinaSchool of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, No. 2 Linggong Road, Dalian 116024, ChinaSchool of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, No. 2 Linggong Road, Dalian 116024, ChinaSchool of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, No. 2 Linggong Road, Dalian 116024, ChinaIt has been identified that temperature polarization and concentration polarization are typical near-surface phenomena limiting the performance of membrane distillation. The module design should allow for effective flow, reducing the polarization effects near the membrane surfaces and avoiding high hydrostatic pressure drops across and along the membrane surfaces. A potential route to enhancing the membrane distillation performance is geometry modification on the flow channel by employing baffles as vortex generators, reducing the polarization effects. In this work, various baffles with different structures were fabricated by 3D printing and attached to the feed flow channel shell in an air gap membrane distillation module. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the modified flow channels were systematically investigated via computational fluid dynamics simulations with various conditions. The membrane distillation tests show that adding the baffles to the feed channel can effectively increase the transmembrane flux. The transmembrane flux with rectangular baffles and shield-shaped baffles increases by 21.8% and 28.1% at the feed temperature of 70 °C. Moreover, the shield-shaped baffles in the flow channel not only enhance the transmembrane flux but also maintain a low-pressure drop, making it even more significant.https://www.mdpi.com/2297-8739/10/9/485membrane distillationmodule designbafflesnear-surface polarizationcomputational fluid dynamics simulation |
| spellingShingle | Yaoling Zhang Xingsen Mu Jiaqi Sun Fei Guo Optimizing Membrane Distillation Performance through Flow Channel Modification with Baffles: Experimental and Computational Study Separations membrane distillation module design baffles near-surface polarization computational fluid dynamics simulation |
| title | Optimizing Membrane Distillation Performance through Flow Channel Modification with Baffles: Experimental and Computational Study |
| title_full | Optimizing Membrane Distillation Performance through Flow Channel Modification with Baffles: Experimental and Computational Study |
| title_fullStr | Optimizing Membrane Distillation Performance through Flow Channel Modification with Baffles: Experimental and Computational Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimizing Membrane Distillation Performance through Flow Channel Modification with Baffles: Experimental and Computational Study |
| title_short | Optimizing Membrane Distillation Performance through Flow Channel Modification with Baffles: Experimental and Computational Study |
| title_sort | optimizing membrane distillation performance through flow channel modification with baffles experimental and computational study |
| topic | membrane distillation module design baffles near-surface polarization computational fluid dynamics simulation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2297-8739/10/9/485 |
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