Mass transport and the design of membrane systems

A description of the common equipment commonly available for the application of reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), ultrafiltration (UF) and microfiltration (MF) on an industrial scale has already been given in chapter 3 together with a description of membrane materials and the popular modes of operation. Gas separation and pervaporation (PV) applications will be highlighted in chapter 5. This chapter will take a more fundamental look at membrane systems and one of the main aims is to examine the link between mass transport and performance. The other is to develop mass transport equations and relate them to process development and design.