Flux Decline (flux + decline)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


QUANTIFICATION OF FLUX DECLINE OF DEPECTINIZED MOSAMBI (CITRUS SINENSIS[L.] OSBECK) JUICE USING UNSTIRRED BATCH ULTRAFILTRATION

JOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2005
P. RAI
ABSTRACT Ultrafiltration of enzymatically treated mosambi (Citrus sinensis [L.] Osbeck) juice was performed in a batch, unstirred membrane cell. Thin film composite polyamide membrane of molecular weight cut-off 50,000 was used. The flux-decline mechanism was identified by the growth of a gel-type layer over the membrane surface. The flux decline, the gel resistance, the gel-layer thickness and various domains of resistances were calculated at a constant pressure difference in the range of 276,552 kPa. The conventional gel-filtration theory was employed to analyze the flux-decline behavior. The calculated permeate flux and gel-layer resistances were consistent with the experimental results. The calculated gel-layer thickness varied from 4.12 to 74.1 µm for different operating condition (pressure) and time. The time at which the gel resistance becomes equal to the membrane-hydraulic resistance ranged from 13 to 31 s for the pressure range studied herein. Thus, the deposited layer resistance to permeate flow was substantial, throughout the whole operation, except in the first few seconds. [source]


Experimental Study and Design of a Submerged Membrane Distillation Bioreactor

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 1 2009
J. Phattaranawik
Abstract A hybrid process incorporating membrane distillation in a submerged membrane bioreactor operated at elevated temperature is developed and experimentally demonstrated in this article. Since organic particles are rejected by an ,evaporation' mechanism, the retention time of non-volatile soluble and small organics in the submerged membrane distillation bioreactor (MDBR) is independent of the hydraulic retention time (mainly water and volatiles). A high permeate quality can be obtained in the one-step compact process. The submerged MD modules were designed for both flat-sheet membranes and tubular membrane configurations. The process performance was preliminarily evaluated by the permeate flux stabilities. The module configuration design and air sparging used in the MDBR process were tested. Flux declines were observed for the thin flat-sheet hydrophobic membranes. Tubular membrane modules provided more stable permeate fluxes probably due to the turbulent condition generated from air sparging injected inside the tubular membrane bundles. The experiments with the submerged tubular MD module gave stable fluxes of approximately 5,L/m2 h over 2,weeks at a bioreactor temperature of 56,°C. The total organic carbon in the permeate was consistently lower than 0.7,mg/L for all experiments. [source]


Evaluation of factors influencing membrane performance

ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, Issue 4 2005
Weihua Peng
Abstract Three commercial water treatment membranes, TFC-S (Koch membranes, San Diego, CA), ESPA1, and NTR7450 (Hydranautics, San Diego, CA), were tested under various physical and chemical conditions to investigate their fouling behaviors. It was found that TFC-S always displayed the greatest rate of flux decline, ESPA1 displayed a mild trend in flux decline, and NTR7450 presented a nearly stable flux. Multivariable regression models showed that the flux decline rates for TFC-S and ESPA1 were controlled by the initial permeate flux, whereas their initial (that is, instantaneous) foulings were controlled by the interaction between permeate drag and electrostatic repulsions. Feed bacteria concentration also contributed to the initial fouling of ESPA1 as a result of cell deposition on the membrane surface. NTR7450 showed an initial decline in flux followed by a steady flux, and its initial fouling was significantly affected by feed water total organic carbon (TOC) arising from the initial accumulation of colloidal organic particles on the surface. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2005 [source]


CLARIFICATION OF WATERMELON (CITRULLUS LANATUS) JUICE BY MICROFILTRATION

JOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 6 2008
Ch. CHHAYA
ABSTRACT Microfiltration of watermelon juice was conducted using stirred membrane cell in continuous mode. The experiments were conducted at operating pressures of 136.5, 204.7 and 276 kPa, and stirring speeds 1,200 rpm (Re = 1.40 × 105), 1,400 rpm (Re = 1.63 × 105) and 1,600 rpm (Re = 1.87 × 105). Permeate flux decline was analyzed using a first-order kinetic model, and correlations were developed for the steady-state polarized layer resistance with the operating conditions, e.g., transmembrane pressure difference, Reynolds number and membrane resistance. The permeate flux was calculated based on the developed correlation, and found to be in good agreement with the actual experimental flux. The change in quality parameters of clarified juice was marginal compared to that of original juice. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The application of membrane technology is one of the emerging areas in food industry. The major application includes fruit juice clarification and concentration. Because of the nonthermal nature of membrane separation, the juice can be clarified at room temperature and packed aseptically for a longer shelf life without the loss of its initial quality parameters. The major problem during clarification is decline in permeate flux of fruit juice with time. Identification of causes for flux decline is essential for designing of membrane modules to make the clarification process commercially viable. The quality of juice during storage is vital, and therefore, determination of variation of its physicochemical properties during storage is also important. [source]


Theoretical analysis of the effects of asymmetric membrane structure on fouling during microfiltration

AICHE JOURNAL, Issue 6 2009
Weiyi Li
Abstract There is a growing interest in the use of both asymmetric and composite membranes for microfiltration and ultrafiltration processes. This includes particle removal applications in the semiconductor industry and virus clearance in biopharmaceutical applications. Filter fouling plays an important role in these processes. Although flux decline models have been developed for homogeneous membranes, the effects of asymmetric membrane structure on flux decline behavior remain poorly understood on a fundamental level. Here, we develop a theoretical model to describe the effects of asymmetric membrane structure on flux decline. The asymmetric structure was described by the spatial variation in Darcy permeability in the directions normal to and parallel to the membrane surface. The velocity profile and flux decline because of pore blockage were described using Darcy's law and a pore blockage and cake filtration model. Flux decline data were obtained using pseudocomposite membranes with highly interconnected polyvinylidene fluoride membranes (PVDF) and straight through pore polycarbonate track-etched membranes (PCTE). Model composite membranes were formed by layering PCTE or PVDF membranes with different pore sizes on top of each other. Flux decline data for the composite membrane were in good agreement with model calculations. The results provide important insights into the effects of asymmetric membrane pore structures on flux decline. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source]


A simple and effective model for cross-flow microfiltration and ultrafiltration

THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2002
Anais (Alice) A. Makardij
Abstract A semi-theoretical unsteady-state model for the flux in cross-flow microfiltration and ultrafiltration has been developed. The model predicts fouling behaviour for a wide range of particle sizes and foulant concentrations. The developed model uses only two coefficients, k1 and k2, incorporating both the influences of the cake formation and the shear cleaning of the membrane, to describe flux decline. These two parameters were found to be almost independent of the operating conditions. The model provides both a fundamental understanding of the key physical phenomena governing flux decline and a rational basis for the design of an improved and modified cross flow filters. Un modèle semi-théorique à l'état non permanent a été mis au point pour les écoulements en microfiltration tangentielle et en ultrafiltration. Le modèle prédit le comportement d'encrassement pour une large gamme de tailles de particules et de concentrations des salissures. Ce modèle emploie seulement deux coefficients, k1 et k2, incorporant les influences de la formation du gåteau et le nettoyage par cisaillement de la membrane, afin de décrire le déclin du flux. Ces deux paramètres s'avèrent quasi indépendants des conditions opératoires. Le modèle permet une compréhension fondamentale des principaux phénomènes physiques qui gouvernent le déclin du flux et fournit une base rationnelle en vue de la conception de filtres tangentiels améliorés et modifiés. [source]


Probing protein colloidal behavior in membrane-based separation processes using spectrofluorometric Rayleigh scattering data

BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 3 2010
Rand Elshereef
Abstract One of the primary problems in membrane-based protein separation is membrane fouling. In this study we explored the feasibility of employing Rayleigh light scattering data from fluorescence studies combined with chemometric techniques to determine whether a correlation could be established with membrane fouling phenomena. Membrane flux was measured in a dead-end UF filtration system and the effect of protein solution properties on the flux decline was systematically investigated. A variety of proteins were used as a test case in this study. In parallel, the colloidal behavior of the protein solutions was assessed by employing multiwavelength Rayleigh scattering measurements. To assess the usefulness of Rayleigh scattering measurements for probing the colloidal behavior of proteins, a protein solution of ,-lactoglobulin was used as a base-case scenario. The colloidal behavior of different ,-lactoglobulin solutions was inferred based on published data for this protein, under identical solution conditions, where techniques other than Rayleigh scattering had been used. Using this approach, good agreement was observed between scattering data and the colloidal behavior of this protein. To test the hypothesis that a high degree of aggregation will lead to increased membrane fouling, filtration data was used to find whether the Rayleigh scattering intensity correlated with permeate flux changes. It was found that for protein solutions which were stable and did not aggregate, fouling was reduced and these solutions exhibited reduced Rayleigh scattering. When the aggregation behavior of the solution was favored, significant flux declines occurred and were highly correlated with increased Rayleigh scattering. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010 [source]