Flux limitation in ultrafiltration: Osmotic pressure model and gel layer model

The characteristic permeate flux behaviour in ultrafiltration, i.e., the existence of a limiting flux which is independent of applied pressure and membrane resistance and a linear plot of the limiting flux versus the logarithm of the feed concentration, is explained by the osmotic pressure model. In the mathematical description presented here, a quantity ΔΠn/(Rmk) is introduced which is the ratio of the resistance caused by the osmotic pressure and the resistance of the membrane itself. For high values of this quantity (19) the flux is practically limited by the osmotic pressure. p]Factors leading to high values of the quantityΔΠnn/(Rmk) are discussed and it is concluded that in the ultrafiltration of medium molecular weight solutes (10,000 to 100,000 daltons) osmotic pressure limitation is more likely than gel layer limitation