Effect of Teflon-Coated PVDF Membrane on the Performance of a Solar-Powered Direct Contact Membrane Distillation System

Pon Pavithiran C. K., Govindaraj Kumaresan, Raju Abraham, Ravichandran Santosh and Ramalingam Velraj
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Pon Pavithiran C. K.: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore 632014, India
Govindaraj Kumaresan: Institute for Energy Studies, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai 600025, India
Raju Abraham: National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai 600025, India
Ravichandran Santosh: Energy and Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University, 55 Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan 15588, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Ramalingam Velraj: Institute for Energy Studies, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai 600025, India

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-15

Abstract: The present study dealt with the generation of freshwater through the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) technique, powered by an evacuated tube solar collector (ETSC). The major objective of the present work was to determine the optimum conditions of fluid flow rate and temperature for maximum freshwater productivity across both the feed and permeate sides of the membrane module. A flat hydrophobic membrane composed of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) coated with Teflon was utilized for the DCMD process. The rate of freshwater production was examined with the variation in the feed/permeate flow rates (from 3 to 7 LPM) and feed temperature (from 45 °C to 75 °C) for a constant permeate-side temperature of 30 °C. The experimental results indicated that a maximum freshwater productivity of 45.18 kg/m 2 h was achievable from the proposed system during its operation with a high solar heated inlet feed temperature of 75 °C and mass flow rates of 7 LPM across both sides of the membrane. Further, a detailed assessment of the performance parameters indicated that the present solar-powered DCMD system exhibited a maximum evaporative efficiency of about 80% and temperature polarization coefficient (TPC) of 0.62 respectively.

Keywords: direct contact membrane distillation; flux production; freshwater; Teflon-coated PVDF membrane; temperature polarization coefficient (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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