Modeling concentration polarization in crossflow microfiltration of oil-in-water emulsion using shear-induced diffusion; CFD and experimental studies

Akbar Asadi Tashvigh, Amir Fouladitajar*, Farzin Zokaee Ashtiani

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

44 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Membrane filtration has become firmly established as a primary technology for ensuring treatment of oily wastewater. A detailed study on concentration polarization (CP) during microfiltration (MF) of oil-in-water emulsions was carried out in order to predict permeate flux decline. A two dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling was conducted using the finite difference method. A combination of molecular and shear-induced diffusion coefficient was employed to describe back-diffusion of oil droplets from the membrane wall toward the bulk. Evaluation of the proposed approach was carried out by comparing the results to the experimental data in which good agreement was observed almost in every operating condition. The effects of oil concentration, trans-membrane pressure (TMP), and cross-flow velocity (CFV) on the model precision were also studied. Finally, the growth rate of CP layer along the membrane length was predicted in different operating conditions, in which the obtained trend was found to be in agreement with the CP theory.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)225-232
Number of pages8
JournalDesalination
Volume357
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Feb 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • CFD modeling
  • Concentration polarization
  • Microfiltration
  • Oil-in-water emulsion
  • Shear-induced diffusion

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