GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MEMBRANE MODULES
(Basic guidelines for selecting the right module geometry for a specific application) |
| Characteristics |
Spiral Wound |
Hollow Fiber |
Tubular |
Plate-and-Frame |
Typical Packing Density
(ft2/ft3)
(m2/m3) |
245
[800] |
1830
[6000] |
21
[70] |
150
[500] |
Required Feed Flow Rate
(ft3/ft2-s)
(m3/m2 -s) |
0.8-1.6
[0.25 - 0.50] |
~0.016
[~0.005] |
3-15
[1.0 - 5.0] |
0.8-1.6
[0.25 - 0.50] |
Feed Side Pressure Drop
(psi)
(Kg/m2) |
43 - 85
3 - 6 |
1.4 - 4.3
0.1 - 0.3 |
28-43
2 - 3 |
43-85
3 - 6 |
| Membrane Fouling Propensity |
High |
High |
Low |
Moderate |
| Ease of Cleaning |
Poor to good |
Poor |
Excellent |
Good |
| Typical Feed Stream Filtration Requirement |
10 - 25 µ
filtration |
5 -10 µ
filtration |
Not required |
10 - 25 µ
filtration |
Recommended
Applications |
Clean dilute streams such as water for desalination. Not good for high
concentration & fouling chemicals |
Very clean streams such as water. For UF/MF on dirty streams with built-in back wash system. |
For high conc. in dirty streams or streams containing fouling chemicals, such as dye desalting & concentration |
Laboratory
work and
membrane
evaluations.
Good for high
viscous liquids. |
