In the recent decade, 3D printing technology has been used to produce spacers in the membrane industry due to its advantages at dealing with complicated geometries and simplifying the assembling process. A new spacer methodology is investigated that uses 3D printing to directly attach spacers to the membrane surface. The novelty of this method is that the spacer channels can be built thinner, which leads to smaller spacer heights. Therefore, within the same module volume, more layers can be packed and more surface area can be created to achieve higher permeate flux. The research goal is to design efficient models that help us discover the best parameters for 3D-printed spacers. Spacer heights and spacer patterns are directly related to pressure drop and concentration polarization (CP). Thus, computational fluid dynamics is useful in helping expedite the process of discovering the best designs with both low pressure drop and low CP. Simulations investigated spacer shapes including regular cylinders, elliptical cylinders, and airfoils. Spacer heights ranging from 200 ?m to 500 ?m were simulated to discover the height to achieve the same pressure drop as a 30 mil conventional spacer. Simulation results indicate that 3D-printed spacers with elliptical design can greatly increase water productivity in a spiral-wound module by increasing packing capacity. These designs also reduce CP by improving the hydrodynamics. Ellipses with a length:width ratio of 2.4 were optimal.
This presentation is available to AMTA Members only.
Speaker
- David Lader
Company
- Clemson University
Event
- AMTA/AWWA Membrane Technology Conference, West Palm Beach, FL
Session
- AMTA/AWWA Membrane Technology Conference
Date
- 07/20/21
Media
Keywords
- CFD, desalination, thin-film composite membranes, 3D-printed spacers
Reference
- 9710-DP2657