Membrane flow model

In the membrane flow model of Fig. 1-7, membranes move through the cell from ER—> Golgi apparatus— secretory vacuoles— plasma membrane. In the membrane shuttle proposal, the vesicles shuttle between ER and Golgi apparatus, while secretory vacuoles shuttle back and forth between the Golgi apparatus and the plasma membrane. 

Reverse osmosis models can be divided into three types irreversible thermodynamics models, such as Kedem-Katchalsky and Spiegler-Kedem models nonporous or homogeneous membrane models, such as the solution—diffusion (SD), solution—diffusion—imperfection, and extended solution—diffusion models and pore models, such as the finely porous, preferential sorption—capillary flow, and surface force—pore flow models. Charged RO membrane theories can be used to describe nanofiltration membranes, which are often negatively charged. Models such as Dorman exclusion and the... 

Ultrafiltration separations range from ca 1 to 100 nm. Above ca 50 nm, the process is often known as microfiltration. Transport through ultrafiltration and microfiltration membranes is described by pore-flow models. Below ca 2 nm, interactions between the membrane material and the solute and solvent become significant. That process, called reverse osmosis or hyperfiltration, is best described by solution—diffusion mechanisms. 

This condition has been recently used in a vaporization-exchange model for water sorption and flux in phase-separated ionomer membranes. The model allows determining interfacial water exchange rates and water permeabilities from measurements involving membranes in contact with flowing gases. It affords a definition of an effective resistance to water flux through the membrane that is proportional to... 

Other Springer model derivatives include those of Ge and Yi, ° van Bussel et al., Wohr and co-workers, and Hertwig et al. Here, the models described above are slightly modified. The model of Hertwig et al. includes both diffusive and convective transport in the membrane. It also uses a simplified two-phase flow model and shows 3-D distributions... 

Eikerling et al. ° used a similar approach except that they focus mainly on convective transport. As mentioned above, they use a pore-size distribution for Nafion and percolation phenomena to describe water flow through two different pore types in the membrane. Their model is also more microscopic and statistically rigorous than that of Weber and Newman. Overall, only through combination models can a physically based description of transport in membranes be accomplished that takes into account all of the experimental findings. 

Calculation of Solute Separation and Product Rate. Once the pore size distribution parameters R, ou R >,2, 02, and h2 are known for a membrane and the interfacial interaction force parameters B and D are known for a given system of membrane material-solute, solute separation f can be calculated by eq 6 for any combination of these parameters. Furthermore, because the PR-to-PWP ratio (PR/PWP) can also be calculated by the surface force-pore flow model (9), PR is obtained by multiplying experimental PWP data by this ratio. 

The interfacial force constants available in the literature for many organic solutes that constitute potential pollutants in water enable one to calculate the separation of such solutes at various operating conditions by a membrane of a given average pore size and pore size distribution on the basis of the surface force-pore flow model. The product rate of the permeate solution can also be calculated. Such data further allow us to calculate the processing capacity of a membrane to achieve a preset ratio of concentration in the concentrate to concentration of the initial feed solution. 

The difference between the solution-diffusion and pore-flow mechanisms lies in the relative size and permanence of the pores. For membranes in which transport is best described by the solution-diffusion model and Fick s law, the free-volume elements (pores) in the membrane are tiny spaces between polymer chains caused by thermal motion of the polymer molecules. These volume elements appear and disappear on about the same timescale as the motions of the permeants traversing the membrane. On the other hand, for a membrane in which transport is best described by a pore-flow model and Darcy s law, the free-volume elements (pores) are relatively large and fixed, do not fluctuate in position or volume on the timescale of permeant motion, and are connected to one another. The larger the individual free volume elements (pores), the more likely they are to be present long enough to produce pore-flow characteristics in the membrane. As a rough rule of thumb, the transition between transient (solution-diffusion) and permanent (pore-flow) pores is in the range 5-10 A diameter. 

For relatively porous nanofiltration membranes, simple pore flow models based on convective flow will be adapted to incorporate the influence of the parameters mentioned above. The Hagen-Poiseuille model and the Jonsson and Boesen model, which are commonly used for aqueous systems permeating through porous media, such as microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes, take no interaction parameters into account, and the viscosity as the only solvent parameter. It is expected that these equations will be insufficient to describe the performance of solvent resistant nanofiltration membranes. Machado et al. [62] developed a resistance-in-series model based on convective transport of the solvent for the permeation of pure solvents and solvent mixtures ... 

Thus, changes in the phase composition of a membrane as a result of its operation may substantially alter local mechanical characteristics, a process that should be taken into account and controlled when analyzing experiments in which intense flows of hydrogen pass through a palladium membrane. The model also makes it possible to relate independent experimental data on equilibrium, transport, and mechanical properties of palladium membranes. The estimates obtained are in close agreement with a large numbers of experimental data [200-202] on the behavior of various characteristics of palladium membranes with different prehistories and under different condition of hydrogen transport. 

Good quality RO membranes can reject >95-99% of the NaCl from aqueous feed streams (Baker, Cussler, Eykamp et al., 1991 Scott, 1981). The morphologies of these membranes are typically asymmetric with a thin highly selective polymer layer on top of an open support structure. Two rather different approaches have been used to describe the transport processes in such membranes the solution-diffusion (Merten, 1966) and surface force capillary flow model (Matsuura and Sourirajan, 1981). In the solution-diffusion model, the solute moves within the essentially homogeneously solvent swollen polymer matrix. The solute has a mobility that is dependent upon the free volume of the solvent, solute, and polymer. In the capillary pore diffusion model, it is assumed that separation occurs due to surface and fluid transport phenomena within an actual nanopore. The pore surface is seen as promoting preferential sorption of the solvent and repulsion of the solutes. The model envisions a more or less pure solvent layer on the pore walls that is forced through the membrane capillary pores under pressure. 

Experiments have shown that the solution - diffusion imperfection model fits data better than the solution - diffusion model alone and better than all other porous flow models.6 However, the solution-diffusion model is most often cited due to its simplicity and the fact that it accurately models the performance of the perfect RO membrane. 

Using a developed plug-flow membrane reactor model with the catalyst packed on the tube side, Mohan and Govind [1986] studied cyclohexane dehydrogenation. They concluded that, for a fixed length of the membrane reactor, the maximum conversion occurs at an optimum ratio of the permeation rate to the reaction rate. This effect will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 11. They also found that, as expected, a membrane with a highly permselective membrane for the product(s) over the reactant(s) results in a high conversion. 

In a somewhat similar paper, diffusion through a 2D porous solid modeled by a regular array of hard disks was evaluated [65] using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics. It was found that Pick s law is not obeyed in this system unless one takes different diffusion constants for different regions in the flow system. Other non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of diffusion for gases within a membrane have been presented [66]. The membrane was modeled as a randomly... 

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