Concentration polarization model of spiral-wound membrane modules with application to batch-mode RO desalination of brackish water

Qiu, Tianyu; Davies, Philip A.

doi:10.1016/j.desal.2014.12.048

Cited by 34 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In case of spiral wound RO membranes and fully developed turbulent flow, the mass transfer coefficient in the channel of the feed spacer can be predicted by the following relation [23,51] (12) For a fully developed laminar flow, the mass transfer coefficient has the following form [52]:…”

Section: Fig 3 Schematic Of Concentration Gradient Developed By Conmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reverse osmosis desalination: A state-of-the-art review

et al. 2019

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Water scarcity is a grand challenge that has always stimulated research interests in finding effective means for pure water production. In this context, reverse osmosis (RO) is considered the leading and the most optimized membrane-based desalination process that is currently dominating the desalination market. In this review, various aspects of RO desalination are reviewed. Theories and models related to concentration polarization and membrane transport, as well as merits and drawbacks of these models in predicting polarization effects, are discussed. An updated review of studies related to membrane modules (plate and frame, tubular, spiral wound, and hollow fiber) and membrane characterization are provided. The review also discusses membrane cleaning and different pre-treatment technologies in place for RO desalination, such as feed-water pre-treatment and biocides. RO pre-treatment technologies, which include conventional (e.g., coagulationflocculation, media filtration, disinfection, scale inhibition) and non-conventional (e.g., MF, UF, and NF) are reviewed and their relative attributes are compared. As per the available literature, UF, MF and coagulation-flocculation are considered the most widely used pre-treatment technologies. In addition, this review discusses membrane fouling, which represents a serious challenge in RO processes due to its significant contribution to energy requirements and process economy (e.g., flux decline, permeate quality, membrane lifespan, increased feed pressure, increased pre-treatment and membrane maintenance cost). Different membrane fouling types, such as colloidal, organic, inorganic, and biological fouling, are addressed in this review. Principles of RO process design and the embedded economic and energy considerations are discussed. In general, cost of water desalination has dropped to values that made it a viable option, comparable even to conventional water treatment methods. Finally, an overview of hybrid RO desalination processes and the current challenges faced by RO desalination processes are presented and discussed.

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Section: Fig 3 Schematic Of Concentration Gradient Developed By Conmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reverse osmosis desalination: A state-of-the-art review

et al. 2019

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“…A circulation pump that produces crossflow serves as the stirrer in practical batch RO systems [5,9]. Without the circulation pump, higher pressures would be required to drive the permeate flow due to salt accumulation at the membrane surface (i.e., concentration polarization).…”

Section: Circulation Pumpmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of salt retention on true batch reverse osmosis energy consumption: Experiments and model validation

Wei

Tucker

et al. 2020

Desalination

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In theory, the batch reverse osmosis (RO) process achieves the lowest practical energy consumption by varying pressure over time. However, few batch RO systems have been built and operated. We have designed, built, and operated the first "true" batch RO prototype using a flexible bladder. The flexible bladder serves as the high-pressure variable-volume tank that is inherent to true batch RO designs (as opposed to batch RO with energy recovery devices). We experimentally validated a model of batch RO energy consumption (≤ 2.7% difference) by measuring the hydraulic work of the high pressure and circulation pumps. We find that batch RO energy consumption will be greater than expected mostly due to salt retention, a problem neglected by most previous studies. However, despite operating at elevated salinity and flux conditions, batch RO can still save energy relative to single-stage and multi-stage continuous systems. For a seawater desalination plant (35 g/kg intake, 50% recovery, 15 L m −2 h −1), our newly-validated model predicts that batch RO would save 11% energy compared to a single-stage continuous RO plant. Our work demonstrates that batch RO is an energy-efficient process with the potential to reduce the cost of water desalination.

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“…In general, low energy requirement for batch-mode reverse osmosis is highly advantageous. Researchers have carried out studies on concentration polarization of batch reverse osmosis processes [9]. RO desalination unit to desalinate seawater has also been proposed, wherein, the pressure required to initiate the process has been provided by utilizing the mechanical potential energy arising from the difference in heads between a high level column of seawater and a low level column of pure water [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%