Indian Journal of Science and Technology
DOI: 10.17485/ijst/2017/v10i25/111456
Year: 2016, Volume: 10, Issue: 25, Pages: 1-4
Original Article
Chel-Ken Chiam* and Rosalam Sarbatly
Membrane Technology Research Group, Material and Mineral Research Unit, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia; [email protected], [email protected]
*Author for correspondence
Chel-Ken Chiam
Membrane Technology Research Group, Material and Mineral Research Unit, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia; [email protected]
Objectives: This work presents a study of the effect of membrane surface with dimples on the heat transfer in vacuum membrane distillation (VMD). Methods/Statistical Analysis: Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane and distilled water as feed solutions are tested in a laboratory-scale cross-flow flat-sheet membrane module with membrane area of 72.4 cm2 . A perforated aluminum support embedded in the permeate compartment is used to support the membrane during the VMD process. Findings: The results show that the dimples stamped on the membrane surface by the perforated support having the diameter and depth approximately 5 and 1 mm, respectively. The permeability of the membrane with dimples increases by 3 – 20% at the corresponding feed temperature of 75 – 95°C. The deviations between the heat transfer coefficients predicted by a Nusselt correlation with dimpled effect and the experimental values are less than 10%. Application/Improvements: These findings are significant to reveal the influence of membrane deformation effect on the heat transfer correlation which is used to predict the VMD flux.
Keywords: Dimpled Surface, Heat Transfer, Perforated Permeate Support, Vacuum Membrane Distillation
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