AWWA WQTC65756

Submerged hollow fiber membrane offers a cost-effective means of removing particles and pathogens for drinking water production. However, fouling has been regarded as a major hurdle for economic operation of membrane systems. This study focused on the investigation of filtration characteristics of a pilot-scale hollow fiber membrane system based on the critical flux concept. A simple hydrodynamic model was used for the analysis of axial flux variations and critical flux in hollow fiber membranes. Experimental results indicated that the seasonal variations of raw water quality parameters significantly affected membrane permeability. The temperature of feed water ranged from 1.1 to 28.4 ºC and the turbidity ranged from 1.0 to 560 NTU, leading to completely different conditions in summer and winter. A stepwise increase in imposed flux showed the apparent critical flux is about 50 L/m²-hr. The model calculation was also compared with the experimental data for better understanding of fouling in hollow fiber membrane modules. Includes 11 references, tables, figures.