Simulation analysis of UF membrane filtration process based on magnetic field characteristics

Abstract

Abstract Membrane fouling will affect the performance of the membrane, resulting in the increase of filtration cost and reduced membrane life. Magnetization technology has the advantages of being green, pollution-free and energy saving, and it has broad potential applications in water treatment. In this study, COMSOL Multiphysics realizes the coupling of magnetic field and flow field by adding the magnetic field force formula in the fluid module. The influence of magnetic field on fluid flow and inorganic pollutant distribution in an ultrafiltration (UF) membrane device were investigated. The simulation results show that the magnetic field improves the water flow velocity in the device to a certain extent, reduces the volume fraction of pollutant particles on the membrane surface, and then reduces the possibility of forming a thicker filter cake layer, which is beneficial to slow down membrane fouling and thus slow down the reduction rate of membrane flux. In addition, the simulation results were verified by the membrane specific flux experiment, and consistent conclusions were obtained.