SCALING-UP PULSATILE FILTRATION FLOW METHODS TO A PILOT APPARATUS EQUIPPED WITH MINERAL MEMBRANES

This paper addresses the problem of extrapolating the technique used f or filtration enhancement by superimposing pressure and flow pulsation s to a pilot model of an actual production unit equipped with 14 Carbo sep mineral membranes. The experimental results obtained with raw appl e juice show that the maximum permeate flux enhancement is obtained at a frequency of 1 Hz and a pulsed volume of 200 ml which is significan tly less than the internal volume of the membranes. The flux enhanceme nt is a linear function of the ratio of pulsatile to steady flow and c an reach up to 140% when the circuit settings are unchanged. However, when the time-averaged mean transmembrane pressure is conserved the fl ux enhancement is much smaller and barely exceeds 25%.