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Membrane Water Treatment Volume 10, Number 5, September 2019 , pages 387-394 DOI: https://doi.org/10.12989/mwt.2019.10.5.387 |
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Numerical study of direct contact membrane distillation process: Effects of operating parameters on TPC and thermal efficiency |
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Mohammadmehdi Zamaniasl
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| Abstract | ||
| Membrane distillation (MD) is one of the water treatment processes which involves the momentum, heat and mass transfer through channels and membrane. In this study, CFD modeling has been used to simulate the heat and mass transfer in the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). Also, the effect of operating parameters on the water flux is investigated. The result shows a good agreement with the experimental result. Results indicated that, while feed temperature is increasing in the feed side, water flux improves in the permeate side. Since higher velocity leads to the higher mixing and turbulence in the feed channel, water flux rises due to this increase in the feed velocity. Moreover, results revealed that temperature polarization coefficient is rising as flow rate (velocity) increases and it is decreasing while the feed temperature increases. Lastly, the thermal efficiency of direct contact membrane distillation is defined, and results confirm that thermal efficiency improves while feed temperature increases. Also, flow rate increment results in enhancement of thermal efficiency. | ||
| Key Words | ||
| computational fluid dynamic (CFD); heat transfer; water flux; temperature polarization coefficient (TPC); thermal efficiency; membrane distillation | ||
| Address | ||
| Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran | ||
