RT Journal Article ID 3850821d529634fb A1 Taamneh, Yazan T1 HEAT AND FLUID FLOW THROUGH A SPACER-FILLED CHANNEL IN A MEMBRANE MODULE JF Heat Transfer Research JO HTR YR 2017 FD 2017-11-10 VO 48 IS 17 SP 1567 OP 1580 K1 fluid flow K1 spacer K1 heat transfer K1 direct contact membrane distillation K1 CFD AB Flow through commercially available membrane modules is commonly accompanied by different types and orientations of spacer. Most commonly used spacers change the flow patterns and promote regions of secondary flow. In this study, experimental and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed to gain insight into the effect of a spacer on the commercial direct contact membrane module performance. Fluid flow and heat transfer through an empty and a spacer-filled channel were simulated using a three-dimensional model. Besides predicting the Nusselt number and total drag coefficient, the simulated results present understanding of the role of a spacer in the fluid flow structure. The Nusselt number and the total drag coefficient for the special case of an empty channel were found to be in good agreement with the previous experimental results. The simulated results showed that the spacer enhanced the wall shear stress and increased the Nusselt number by approximately two times over the empty channel. PB Begell House LK https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/46784ef93dddff27,54fca1a6497976c8,3850821d529634fb.html