Modeling and Simulation of Limiting Flux in Membrane Filtration of Skimmed Milk

In this research, modeling of limiting flux in membrane filtration of skimmed milk as well as the results of simulation by MATLAB is presented. The presented model is actually a force balance approach and consists of drag, gravitational and lift forces, and forces between colloidal particles (electrostatic repulsive and van der Waals attractive forces). To consider the back diffusion phenomenon in modeling, the Brownian and shear-induced diffusions have also been considered.To evaluate the ability of the presented model in this study for prediction of limiting flux of membrane filtration of skimmed milk, comparisons between the results of the present model and experimental data and the results of the model presented by Samuelsson et al. have also been made in this research. By surveying some statistical parameters obtained from these comparisons, it was found that in order to predict the limiting flux in membrane filtration of skimmed milk, interaction forces between particles should be considered.