Since its invention, spiral wound (SW) membrane geometry design has not undergone many significant changes. The conventional design consists primarily of two rectangular membrane leaves sandwiching a feed spacer and rolled over a permeate tube. The significant energy requirement for reverse osmosis, largely utilized to generate the pressure necessary to overcome the osmotic pressure and the pressure drop within the SW membrane, presents a considerable challenge. A significant portion of this energy is dissipated when the fluid traverses the restrictive feed spacer. Numerous studies have been conducted to improve the hydrodynamics of the feed spacer, to mitigate concentration polarization and enhancing overall system efficiency .In this paper a novel SW membrane design is investigated using CFD. 2D and 3D models of SW membrane were constructed to validate against published experimental data under various operational conditions. The model is then used to explore irregular shapes for the membrane leaf as an alternative to the conventional rectangular design. A comparison was made between the traditional rectangular shape and irregular shapes that have the same membrane area. Promising results were obtained for the new design, which also provides an easy to implement remedy for fouling and self-cleaning in SW membranes. Crucially, this innovative design introduces a new factor that can positively influence restrictive criteria controlling SW membrane design optimization.
 
Special Issue of AEIC 2024 (Mechanical & Chemical and Material Engineering  Session)