Microporous membrane solvent extraction in multiple-fiber passes and one-shell pass hollow-fiber modules

The performance for solvent extraction in microporous membrane hollow-fiber modules with various fiber passes, but with a specified total number of hollow fibers, has been calculated. Increasing the fiber passes, as well as decreasing the total cross-section area of flowing channels inside the hollow fibers, will increase the fluid velocity, thereby leading to an increased mass-transfer coefficient. Considerable improvement in the mass-transfer rate is obtainable if multiple-fiber passes, instead of a one-fiber pass, are arranged in a hollow-fiber module with a total number of fixed hollow fibers.