DEAD-END ULTRAFILTRATION IN HOLLOW-FIBER MODULES - MODULE DESIGN AND PROCESS SIMULATION

Ultrafiltration in a hollow-fiber module operating with outside-in and dead-end flow at a constant flow rate was simulated using a model tha t takes into account the longitudinal pressure drops inside the fibers and within the fiber bundle. The model considers both the filtration phase during which the membrane is fouled by the formation of a filter cake and the backwash phase in which it is cleaned, so as to predict the net rate of production of the module during an operating cycle. Th e results show that there is a combination of packing density and fibe r diameter that gives a maximum net flow rate. Furthermore, this model allows the influence of operating conditions and feed properties on t he module performance to be estimated. This can be used to determine h ow operating parameters must be modified when there is a change in the feed properties. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.