RESUMEN
A numerical study was conducted to investigate the effect of rotating patterned disks on the flow and permeate flux in a dynamic filtration (DF) system. The DF system consists of a rotating patterned disk and a stationary housing with a circular flat membrane. The feed flow is driven by the rotating disk with the angular velocity ranging from 200 to 1000 rpm and the applied pressure difference between inlet and outlet ports. Wheel-shaped patterns are engraved on the disk surfaces to add perturbation to the flow field and improve the permeate flux in the filtration system. Five disks with varying numbers of patterns were used in numerical simulations to examine the effects of the number of patterns and the angular velocity of the disk on the flow and permeate flux in the DF system. The flow characteristics are studied using the velocity profiles, the cross-sectional velocity vectors, the vortex structures, and the shear stress distribution. The wheel-shaped patterns shift the central core layer in the circumferential velocity profile towards the membrane, leading to higher shear stresses at the membrane and higher flux compared to a plain disk. When the number of patterns on the disk exceeded eight at a fixed Reynolds number, there were significant increases in wall shear stress and permeate flux compared to a plain disk filtration system with no pattern.
RESUMEN
Fouling mitigation using chaotic advection caused by herringbone-shaped grooves in a flat membrane module is numerically investigated. The feed flow is laminar with the Reynolds number (Re) ranging from 50 to 500. In addition, we assume a constant permeate flux on the membrane surface. Typical flow characteristics include two counter-rotating flows and downwelling flows, which are highly influenced by the groove depth at each Re. Poincaré sections are plotted to represent the dynamical systems of the flows and to analyze mixing. The flow systems become globally chaotic as the groove depth increases above a threshold value. Fouling mitigation via chaotic advection is demonstrated using the dimensionless average concentration (c¯w*) on the membrane and its growth rate. When the flow system is chaotic, the growth rate of c¯w* drops significantly compared to that predicted from the film theory, demonstrating that chaotic advection is an attractive hydrodynamic technique that mitigates membrane fouling. At each Re, there exists an optimal groove depth minimizing c¯w* and the growth rate of c¯w*. Under the optimum groove geometry, foulants near the membrane are transported back to the bulk flow via the downwelling flows, distributed uniformly in the entire channel via chaotic advection.
RESUMEN
In this study, we report on a numerical study on design optimization for a microfluidic crossflow filtration system incorporated with the staggered herringbone micromixer (SHM). Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and the Taguchi method were employed to find out an optimal set of design parameters, mitigating fouling in the filtration system. The flow and the mass transfer characteristics in a reference SHM model and a plain rectangular microchannel were numerically investigated in detail. Downwelling flows in the SHM model lead to backtransport of foulants from the permeable wall, which slows down the development of the concentration boundary layer in the filtration system. Four design parameters - the number of grooves, the groove depth, the interspace between two neighboring grooves, and the interspace between half mixing periods - were chosen to construct a set of numerical experiments using an orthogonal array from the Taguchi method. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using the evaluated signal-to-noise (SN) ratios enabled us to identify the contribution of each design parameter on the performance. The proposed optimal SHM model indeed showed the lowest growth rate of the wall concentration compared to other SHM models.
RESUMEN
Although manganese (Mn) is critical for the proper functioning of various metabolic enzymes and cofactors, excess Mn in the brain causes neurotoxicity. While the exact transport mechanism of Mn has not been fully understood, several importers and exporters for Mn have been identified over the past decade. In addition to Mn-specific transporters, it has been demonstrated that iron transporters can mediate Mn transport in the brain and peripheral tissues. However, while the expression of iron transporters is regulated by body iron stores, whether or not disorders of iron metabolism modify Mn homeostasis has not been systematically discussed. The present review will provide an update on the role of altered iron status in the transport and toxicity of Mn.
