0000000000441465
AUTHOR
Sharaf F. Al-sharif
Modelling flow and heat transfer in spacer-filled membrane distillation channels using open source CFD code
Abstract A good understanding of the details of hydrodynamic and heat transport conditions and their impact on temperature polarisation and pressure drops is essential for optimum design of membrane distillation (MD) modules. To this end, the present work reports on initial progress in the development of a tool for 3D simulation of spacer-filled MD channels based on the open source CFD code library OpenFOAM. The paper discusses a number of modelling and implementation aspects including model geometry and computational domain, choice of boundary conditions, and discretisation schemes. The results pertaining to the effect of three different spacer types on the fluid dynamics and heat transfer…
ASSESMENT OF TEMPERATURE POLARIZATION IN MEMBRANE DISTILLATION CHANNELS BY LIQUID CRYSTAL THERMOGRAPHY
AbstractThe measurement of local temperature distributions within a membrane distillation (MD) channel is a crucial step for the optimization of the channel and spacer geometry. This information allows the estimation of temperature polarization phenomena, which can dramatically influence the thermal efficiency of the process and the optimal choice of the geometric configuration (net spacer features, channel size, etc.). In the present work, a recently presented experimental technique, based on the use of thermochromic liquid crystals and digital image analysis, has been employed in order to assess the temperature polarization phenomena. The local heat transfer coefficient distribution on th…
An experimental study for the characterization of fluid dynamics and heat transport within the spacer-filled channels of membrane distillation modules
Abstract The thermo-fluid dynamic behavior of spacer-filled channels for membrane distillation was investigated experimentally. Several different geometry were investigated thanks to customized reference spacers manufactured using a 3D printer. In particular, two sets of experiments were conducted: in the first set, cylindrical filaments were orthogonally arranged and the flow attack angle was made to vary from 0o to 90o; in the second set, the flow attack angle was kept symmetrical and the filament angle was made to vary from 30° to 150°. Each spacer was tested for Reynolds numbers between 200 and 900 in the hot channel, while maintaining a constant temperature difference of 13 °C between …