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.