Simulation Study of Direct Contact Membrane Distillation for the Textile Effluent Treatment

Abstract

The present study provides a comprehensive probe of heat and mass transfer in direct contact membrane distillation along with the effect of operating parameters like permeate temperature, feed temperature, feed concentration, and feed flow rate on temperature polarization, thermal efficiency, and permeate flux. As heat and mass transfer occur simultaneously, a mathematical model was used to understand the membrane module better using MATLAB. For modeling studies, a membrane module with an operative area of 42.75 cm² was considered. A hydrophobic PTFE membrane with a thickness of 150 μm and porosity of 85% is equipped within the membrane module. Methylene blue synthetic solution is taken for this study. The prevailing temperatures at the membrane-feed side and membrane-permeate side cannot be easily measured experimentally. Hence, mathematical modeling is used. These findings aided in a better understanding of the membrane module in terms of the thermal boundary layer's heat transfer coefficient, which in turn helped in finding the temperature polarization effect. The obtained flux at various operating conditions is validated successfully with the data available from the literature.