Hydraulic distribution of water and air over a membrane module using AirFlush^®

Delft University of Technology, Department of Sanitary Engineering, is researching the fundamentals of air-water flushing (AirFlush^®) for membrane cleaning. The research is focused on two topics: velocities of water and air for optimal cleaning and the distribution of water and air over the cross sectional area of the module. In an earlier study the velocities of water and air to achieve an optimal cleaning for tubular membranes have been investigated. In this article the distribution of water and air over the cross sectional area of a 3ʺ-membrane module will be discussed. Experiments have been performed and the fundamental processes that influence the distribution of air and water have been studied.