Effects of Membrane Structural Parameters on Heat Mass Transfer Property of a Composite Supported Liquid Membrane

Supported liquid membranes have been used in many industries due to their inherent high mass transfer rates. In this study, the heat and moisture transfer through the composite supported liquid membrane is numerically investigated. The composite membrane comprises two hydrophobic skin layers and a hydrophilic porous layer in which a layer of LiCl solution is supported. Focus of this study is on the effects of membrane structural parameters such as pore diameters, porosity, tortuosity, and membrane thickness on the effective moisture diffusivity and the effective heat conductivity of the whole membrane. The established effective diffusivity and heat conductivity are combined with the heat and moisture conservation equations for air streams to calculate the temperature and humidity profiles in the unit. The variations of the effective diffusivity with membrane parameters are estimated.