Optimum operating condition of a hollow fiber reverse osmosis desalination system

A numerical simulation for an optimal operating condition of a hollow fiber reverse osmosis desalination system has been carried out by utilizing the membrane transport model based on the porous media theory. The validity of the present numerical simulation has been examined by comparing permeate salinity and flow rate obtained by the present method with the available experimental data. The three-dimensional numerical computations have revealed individual velocity and concentration distributions for brine, permeate and membrane phases in a hollow fiber reverse osmosis module containing a feeder core tube. Moreover, it has been found that optimal feed brine pressure exists in order to receive the maximum permeate flow rate under the same pumping power. The present numerical methods is useful to design a hollow fiber desalination module and find the operating conditions of a desalination system.