Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4988696 | Journal of Membrane Science | 2017 | 12 Pages |
Abstract
In this study, Internally Staged Design (ISD) was numerically optimized in order to demonstrate the long-term performance of full-scale seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) membrane systems in the presence of colloidal foulants. To this end, a numerical model based on a finite difference method was developed and optimized with various feed water qualities, such as fouling potential and total dissolved solids (TDS). As a result, the optimized ISD exhibited greater water flux and higher energy efficiency in long-term operation (90 days) compared to conventional designs, where single-type membrane elements were employed over a pressure vessel while achieving potable TDS concentration in permeate (< 400Â mg/L). This enhanced performance was attributed to the reduction of colloidal fouling on the lead elements and the alleviation of concentration polarization (CP) at the tail elements. Among fouling mechanisms, cake-enhanced concentration polarization (CECP) played a dominant role in flux decline at the lead elements, whereas CP was the chief flux decline mechanism at the tail elements. In addition, it was found that the employment of a low-permeability membrane at the lead element was important to maintain acceptable TDS in the permeate at either high TDS or high fouling potential of feed water.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Filtration and Separation
Authors
Kwanho Jeong, Minkyu Park, Seo Jin Ki, Joon Ha Kim,