Spacer geometry and particle deposition in spiral wound membrane feed channels

作者：Radu A I^*; van Steen M S H; Vrouwenvelder J S; van Loosdrecht M C M; Picioreanu C

来源：Water Research, 2014, 64: 160-176.

DOI：10.1016/j.watres.2014.06.040

• Membrane fouling
• Hydrodynamics
• Microsphere
• Particle tracking
• Desalination

Deposition of microspheres mimicking bacterial cells was studied experimentally and with a numerical model in feed spacer membrane channels, as used in spiral wound nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane systems. In-situ microscopic observations in membrane fouling simulators revealed formation of specific particle deposition patterns for different diamond and ladder feed spacer orientations. A three-dimensional numerical model combining fluid flow with a Lagrangian approach for particle trajectory calculations could describe very well the in-situ observations on particle deposition in flow cells. Feed spacer geometry, positioning and cross-flow velocity sensitively influenced the particle transport and deposition patterns. The deposition patterns were not influenced by permeate production. This combined experimental-modeling approach could be used for feed spacer geometry optimization studies for reduced (bio)fouling.

• 出版日期2014-11-1