Improved performance of vacuum membrane distillation process

This study presents a theoretical model based on integrated heat and mass transfer in a vacuum membrane distillation module. The vacuum membrane distillation is being investigated using a parametric analysis with the objective of investigating the influence of operating parameters on process performance. The study considers various factors associated with VMD operation, such as feed inlet temperature, feed inlet flowrate, and vacuum pressure. Two key performance metrics, namely permeate flux and gained output ratio (GOR), are employed to evaluate the system's performance. The results reveal that raising the feed temperature and flowrate results in improved output flux and GOR. Nevertheless, the impact of changing the feed temperature on performance enhancement surpasses that of adjusting the feed flowrate. Furthermore, decreasing the pressure in the permeate channel, thereby achieving higher vacuum levels, significantly improves the permeate flux, particularly at lower feed temperatures. However, this productivity increase comes at the expense of increased heat loss and reduced GOR. Additionally, all the parameters investigated demonstrate substantial effects on the permeate flux, while their influences on the GOR are negligible.