Journal of Membrane Science, Vol.154, No.1, 41-51, 1999
Analysis of the slip effect on the permeate flux in membrane ultrafiltration
A method for predicting the mass transfer coefficient as well as the limiting permeate flux in membrane ultrafiltration has been found, based upon the boundary-layer theory which takes into account the slip velocity on the membrane surface. The theory presupposes the existence of a slip flow on a porous membrane surface, especially for the limiting permeate-flux operations. Further. the slip velocity increases with the size of the pores of the membrane, with feed velocity and also with feed concentration. The theory also showed that the permeate flux increases with the increase of the slip velocity. A considerable improvement in theoretical prediction of the permeate flux is expected if the slip flow effect is taken into consideration.