A possible link between critical and limiting flux for colloidal systems: consideration of critical deposit formation along a membrane

Patrice Bacchin (1)

1 LGC - Laboratoire de Génie Chimique

A simple model based on (a) the formation of a deposit under critical conditions and (b) on a boundary layer growing along a hollow fiber or tubular membrane in cross-flow filtration suggests that the limiting and critical fluxes can be theoretically linked.With certain assumptions, it is shown that the critical flux is equal to 2/3 of the limiting flux. The assumptions made and the existence of a direct relationshiop between critical and limiting flux in “real world” membrane process are further discussed.

Mots clés: Fouling; Critical flux; Cross-flow filtration; Ultrafiltration

Domaines: Génie des procédés

Patrice Bacchin. A possible link between critical and limiting flux for colloidal systems: consideration of critical deposit formation along a membrane. Journal of Membrane Science, 2004, 228 (2), pp.237-241. ⟨10.1016/j.memsci.2003.10.012⟩. ⟨hal-00201498⟩