Methods to modify supersaturation rate in membrane distillation crystallisation: Control of nucleation and crystal growth kinetics (including scaling)

• DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2023.122249
• Publication Date: 2023-11-08T09:33:31Z
• Authors: A. Ouda; Y. Bajón-Fernández; E. McAdam
• Keywords: Supersaturation; Crystal (programming language); Membrane Distillation; Classical nucleation theory

While water vapour flux is often regarded as the critical parameter in membrane distillation crystallisation (MDC), there are multiple factors that will determine kinetics of nucleation and crystal growth. A Nývlt-like equation therefore introduced can relate how conditional parameters (membrane area, flux, temperature difference, crystalliser volume, magma density) independently modify rate supersaturation, enabling a normalising approach for characterisation growth within MDC. Each be modified to increase supersaturation rate, which reduced induction time broadened metastable zone width (MSZW) at induction. An mitigated scaling favoured bulk nucleation. This due volume free energy provided by elevated reduces requirement favour homogeneous primary mechanism. difference or density narrowed MSZW. For each parameter, either were fixed, while other two amended. higher rates generally larger sizes with broader size distributions, high level low increased particle distribution. In practice, these may applied collectively synergistically deliver strict control over growth, remains challenge current evaporative technology. was illustrated when facilitating an where identical order identified between systems, from it implied MDC affords inherently scalable solution crystallisation.