Performance improvement of an air gap membrane distillation process with rotating fan

The current paper presents an experimental study on the performance of a novel air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) desalination system where a fan blade is installed within the air gap to improve the system's productivity and energy utilization. The installed blade creates suction inside the air gap behind the membrane and increases the air turbulence, thereby reducing the vapor mass transfer resistance across the membrane and improving the productivity and energy efficiency of the system. Results revealed that the proposed design and process improve the vapor permeate flux by about 250% when compared to the conventional AGMD module. Furthermore, the average improvement in the gained output ratio of the system is about 67%, with a corresponding 77% reduction in the specific thermal energy consumption. Influences of the feed temperature and the motor speed are dominating the performance of the new system.

Automated summary

The experimental study on a novel air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) desalination system demonstrated that installing a fan blade within the air gap can significantly improve the system's productivity and energy utilization. The proposed design increased the vapor permeate flux by about 250% and improved the gained output ratio by an average of 67%, with a corresponding 77% reduction in specific thermal energy consumption.