Numerical Modeling of a Turbulent Flow in Tubular Membranes Applied to the Crossflow Filtration Process

In this paper, a turbulent fluid flow of a non-Newtonian aqueous solution in a tubular membrane is numerically studied. The effects of several physical parameters on the concentration profile are investigated. The mathematical model, in cylindrical coordinates, comprises the mass conservation, momentum conservation and mass transport equations. The suction velocity is described by Darcy’s law (resistance-in-series model). The turbulence model utilized is the Prandtl mixing length and the equations with the associated boundary conditions are discretized by a finite-difference scheme on a staggered grid system. The convective terms are approximated by a new high-resolution upwind scheme. In order to demonstrate the capabilities of the numerical model, various test cases are presented. The numerical results compare favorably with the experimental data and the analytical solutions.© 2008 ASME