• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.775-780
• /
• 2005

This study was performed to investigate the effect of foulant characteristics on Membrane fouling index such as Silt Density Index (SDI) and Modified Fouling Index (MFI). A linear relationship was found relating the fouling index (both SDI and MFI) on particle concentration, but fouling index values were nonlinearly (exponentially) with increasing organic concentration. When organic matter was the primary cause of fouling, the MFI was not accurately predicted due to internal fouling such as pore adsorption. The fouling index was determined mainly by particle characteristics when both particle and organic coexisted in the feed water. This observation was attributed to lessening of organic pore adsorption by particle cake layer formed on the membrane surface. Bench-scale actual fouling experiments demonstrated that permeate flux declines much faster with feed water containing particles than organic matters although fouling potential predicted by SDI values were identical, indicating that the accurate prediction of fouling potential requires the development of fouling index reflecting different foulant characteristics.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.19 no.5
• /
• pp.632-638
• /
• 2005

Membrane fouling index such as Silt Density Index (SDI) and Modified Fouling Index (MFI) is an important parameter in design of the integrated RO/NF membrane processes for drinking water treatment. In this study, the effect of particle, membrane and feed water characteristics on membrane fouling index were investigated systematically. Higher fouling index values were observed when filtering suspensions with smaller particle size and higher feed particle concentration. Larger membrane resistance due to smaller pore size resulted in an increased membrane fouling index. The variations of feed water hardness and TDS concentrations did not show any impact on fouling index, suggesting that there were no significant colloidal interactions among particles and thus the porosity of particle cake layer accumulated on the membrane surface could be assumed to be 0.36 according to random packing density. Based on the experimental observations, fundamental membrane fouling index model was developed using Happel Cell. The effect of primary model parameters including particle size ($a_p$), particle concentration ($C_o$), membrane resistance ($R_m$), were accurately assessed without any fitting parameters, and the prediction of membrane fouling index such as MFI exhibited very good agreement with the experimental results.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.534-541
• /
• 2003

Membrane processes are now frequently considered for application in drinking water treatment. The biggest impediment for applying membrane processes is fouling that comes from mass flux (such as particle and organic matter) to the membrane surface and its pores due to convection flow through the membrane. Natural organic matter (NOM) has been reported as the most detrimental foulant. Some research also indicated that particles were often the dominant cause of fouling. Therefore, both NOM and particle fouling need to be examined to better understand fouling in ultrafiltration. Two waters from natural sources, Lake Austin water and Missouri River water, were selected. Both waters are relatively hard waters but has significantly different particle concentrations, which will elucidate effects of particles on membrane fouling. Precipitative softening is traditionally designed to remove hardness ions in hard waters but it can also remove particles and organic matter. Therefore, the integrated water treatment with softening and ultrafiltration is proposed as a promising option for hard waters. The three levels of softening were used to represent different degrees of pretreatment to ultrafiltration in terms of organic matter (i.e., NOM fouling) and precipitates (i.e., particle fouling by further precipitation). Results showed that natural particles in Missouri River water was detrimental foulants of ultrafiltration. As the levels of softening were increased, NOM and particle removal was increased, and thus fouling was decreased. Direct images of the surface of the membranes by scanning electron microscopy allowed observation of the different properties of particles caught in fibril networks of natural organic matter.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.20 no.11
• /
• pp.3695-3705
• /
• 1996

We designed the hot wind tunnel to reproduce the conditions of utility boiler and carried out its performance test, in order to investigate the particulate two-phase flow behaviour, the fouling and heat transfer characteristics to the heat exchanger. The hot wind tunnel introduces the control system to control the temperature in the test section. The particle is injected into the hot gas stream. The fouling probe (cylindrical tube) is positioned normal to the particulate gas-particle two-phase flow and cooled by the air. The temperature of gas and cooling air, and temperature in the fouling probe are measured as a function of time, giving the local and averaged heat transfer and fouling factor. The shape of particulate deposition adhered to the fouling probe is also observed.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
• /
• v.15 no.10
• /
• pp.802-808
• /
• 2003

The air-side particulate fouling of the HVAC heat exchangers degrades the performance of cooling capacity, pressure drop across a heat exchanger, and indoor air quality. The purpose of this study is to investigate the fouling characteristics using accelerated particle loading system. The fouling characteristics are analyzed as functions of a dust concentration, a face velocity and a wet or dry surface condition. The pressure drop increases with increasing test operation and reaches constant asymptotic level. For the saturated condition due to particle loading, the pressure drop across the slitted finned-tube heat exchangers at the face velocity of 1 m/sec increases up to 57% and the cooling capacity decreases about 2%. The cooling capacities are not affected greatly by the presence of the fouling deposits if the thickness of the fouling deposits can not change substantially the flow pattern through the fins.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.161-169
• /
• 2001

Single and mixed particle suspensions of kaolin, bentonite, starch and PMMA were carried out using a dead-end Amicon fi1tration cell with microfilteration membranes. The experimental data of permeate fluxes were fitted by the constant pressure fi1tration models in order to investigate fouling steps. In 0.1 wt% mixed solution of equal amount of kaolin and starch, the permeation flux was about 30% lower than the average of each particle flux. However, the permeation flux for kaolin/PMMA mixed solution was about 10% higher than the average of each particle flux. In the cases of bentonite and PMMA or starch mired solution, the improvement effect on permeation flux was weaken than that of kaolin mixed solution. Also, the membrane fouling resistance for mixed particle solution of equal amount of kaolin and starch was minimum at 0.05 wt% particle concentration.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2000.12a
• /
• pp.176-183
• /
• 2000

The performance of gas turbines decreases as their operating hours increase. Compressor fouling is the main reason for this time-dependent performance degradation. Airborne particles adhere to the blade surface and results in the change in the blade shape. It is difficult to exactly analyze the mechanism of the compressor fouling because the growing process of the fouling is very slow and the dimension of the fouled depth is very small compared with blade dimensions. In this study, an analytic method to predict the motion of particles and their deposition inside axial flow compressors is proposed. The analytic model takes into account the blade shape and the flow within the blade passage. Comparison of simulation result with field data shows the feasibility of the model. Influence of the particle distribution on the compressor fouling is also examined.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
• /
• v.16 no.8
• /
• pp.770-777
• /
• 2004

Fouling and cleaning tests are performed for a uniquely designed 7,000 ㎉/hr fluidized bed heat exchanger for exhaust gas heat recovery. Fuel rich condition is maintained in the combustor for a limited time period to generate soot that is to be deposited on the heat transfer surfaces (fouling) and 600 Um glass beads are circulated inside the heat exchanger system for cleaning and enhancing the heat transfer performance. According to the present experimental study, performance degradation mode could be monitored and the effect of particle circulation on the heat transfer improvement could be identified. Through the present study, it is demonstrated that circulating particles contribute not only to the fouling reduction in gas side, but also to the heat transfer enhancement of the unit, while other possible aging factors including water side corrosion seemed to contribute to the accumulated performance deterioration.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.489-495
• /
• 2011

Silt Density Index (SDI) has been used as a fouling index for reverse osmosis (RO) processes for decades. In order to decrease RO fouling, feed water should meet SDI standard, which was used to select a proper pretreatment system for RO processes. However, SDI is supposed to be sensitive only to particles larger than 0.45 ${\mu}m$ in terms of diameters while nanoparticles and dissolved organic matter can be potent foulants for RO processes. Our study started from the suspected performance of SDI as a RO fouling index. SDI data from pilot plants located world wide including South Korea were collected and analyzed. Suspended partcle concentration (i.e., turbidity and particle counts), and dissolved organic matter concentration (i.e., dissolved orgnaic carbon (DOC) concentration) data were also collected and compared to SDI values of same water samples. We found that SDI values were not only affected by suspended particle concentration but also by dissolved organic matter concentration. Therefore SDI can be used as a reasonable fouling index for RO feed water because the main foulants for RO processes are suspended particle and dissolved organic matter.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.262-267
• /
• 2005

The air-side particulate fouling in the heat exchangers of HVAC applications degrades the performance of cooling capacity, pressure drop across a heat exchanger, and indoor air quality. Indoor and outdoor air contaminants foul heat exchangers. The purpose of this study is to investigate and to model the air-side particulate fouling characteristics of the heat exchangers using accelerated particle loading system. The main variables of the modeling equation are face velocity and dust concentration. The modeling equation shows good agreements with the experimental results at the face velocity of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 m/s and the dust concentration of 1.28 and $3.84\;g/m^3$. It will be very useful to predict fouling characteristics such as variations of pressure drop and heat transfer capacity in finned-tube heat exchangers of air conditioners.