Ceramic membranes have been used in the pretreatment of seawater desalination, but few studies investigate the desalination by ceramic membranes. In this paper, we establish a hydrodynamic model of a ceramic membrane channel to study the influencing factors of fluid flow and desalination efficiency in membrane nanochannels. A complex model that characterizes the tortuosity and nonuniformity of the membrane channel with pores and throats is established. The effects of pore diameter, pore-to-throat ratio, slip distance, applied potential, ionic charge number and transmembrane pressure (TMP) on the fluid flow and the desalination efficiency are analyzed. Simulation shows that the zeta potential of the membrane material generates an electric potential in the membrane channel, which causes the ceramic membrane to adsorb anions and repel cations, producing a desalination effect. Meanwhile, the application of external potential enhances the desalination effect. Effects of the above six parameters on the desalination are compared quantitatively. The maximum desalination rate of 85.7% is achieved when E = 150 mV, d = 40 nm, and TMP = 40 kPa. The flow model and simulation results demonstrated in this study provide important guidance for the further development and industrialization of desalination technology using ceramic membranes.

陶瓷膜已被用于海水淡化的预处理，但很少有研究研究陶瓷膜的海水淡化。在本文中，我们建立了陶瓷膜通道的流体动力学模型，以研究膜纳米通道中流体流动和脱盐效率的影响因素。建立了表征具有孔喉的膜通道的曲折和非均匀性的复杂模型。分析了孔径、孔喉比、滑移距离、外加电位、离子电荷数和跨膜压力（TMP）对流体流动和脱盐效率的影响。模拟表明，膜材料的zeta电位在膜通道中产生电位，使陶瓷膜吸附阴离子和排斥阳离子，产生海水淡化效果。同时，外部电位的应用增强了海水淡化效果。定量比较了以上六个参数对脱盐效果的影响。最大脱盐率达到 85.7%E  = 150 mV，d  = 40 nm，TMP = 40 kPa。本研究中展示的流动模型和模拟结果为陶瓷膜海水淡化技术的进一步发展和产业化提供了重要指导。