This CFD study aims to simulate the impact of fiber distance and position on fiber-fiber interaction within a bundle. In order to display the filtration performance of fibers at different positions, a hollow fiber membrane filtration setup based on nine fibers arranged in a 3 × 3 square array was constructed. A CFD porous media model approach was employed using the liquid phase as the main phase. The numerical simulation of multiphase flow on the average velocity of each fiber is validated by the experimental results. The presence of “bundle resistance” and “permeate competition” among fibers was confirmed by the axial liquid velocity simulation. When fiber distance was less than the fiber diameter, the interaction between fibers became notable due to “permeate competition”. When fiber distance was equal to fiber diameter, the “permeate competition” effect disappeared, while the “bundle resistance” became dominant within the bundle. When the fiber distance was larger than the fiber diameter, both “permeate competition” and “bundle resistance” could be neglected. The variations of fiber flux at different positions along the fiber height also proved the distribution of axial liquid velocity and sludge density in the bundle. These results highlight the difference between fiber distance and position in the bundle that ensured the fouling deposition.

中文翻译：

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中空纤维膜束中纤维与纤维相互作用的 CFD 模拟：纤维距离和位置很重要

该 CFD 研究旨在模拟光纤距离和位置对束内光纤间相互作用的影响。为了展示纤维在不同位置的过滤性能，构建了基于9根纤维排列成3×3方形阵列的中空纤维膜过滤装置。采用 CFD 多孔介质模型方法，使用液相作为主相。实验结果验证了多相流对各纤维平均速度的数值模拟。轴向液体速度模拟证实了纤维之间存在“束阻力”和“渗透竞争”。当纤维距离小于纤维直径时，由于“渗透竞争”，纤维之间的相互作用变得显着。当纤维距离等于纤维直径时，“渗透竞争”效应消失，而“束阻力”在束内占主导地位。当纤维距离大于纤维直径时，“渗透竞争”和“束阻力”都可以忽略不计。沿纤维高度不同位置的纤维通量变化也证明了管束内轴向液体速度和污泥密度的分布。这些结果突出了纤维距离和束中位置之间的差异，从而确保了污垢沉积。