Membrane distillation (MD) process testing
One of the novel, upcoming desalination technologies that combines aspects of both thermal and membrane desalination is membrane distillation (MD). CMAT contains one of the most extensive spectrum of setups to test novel membranes in MD in different configurations, as well as to design and
optimize various process operational parameters that can further develop this emerging technology, such as temperature, flow-rate, cleaning cycles, anti-scalant dosage etc. Novel membranes designed for MD can be characterized by custom-built tools to measure the liquid entry pressure (LEP) as well as bubble point of the membrane. Multiple configurations of MD such as direct contact MD (DCMD) and air-gap MD (AGMD) are available at CMAT, as well as a state-of-the-art AGMD-in-series which closely replicates industrial configuration for this process. These can be used for wide ranging applications such as seawater desalination, scaling mitigation tests and brine management studies. Moreover, CMAT houses 2 pilot scale MD test setups.
