Independent Study · University of Washington
Nanofiltration
How much pressure does cleaner water need?
- Role
- Independent Study · University of Washington
- When
- Aug 2024 – Dec 2024
I used computational fluid dynamics to explore nanofiltration for municipal water treatment. The question was about tradeoffs: what changes when you push water harder through a membrane?
Look inside the process
In Ansys Fluent, I studied hydraulic resistance, ion rejection, and contaminant transport. Modeling offered a way to examine those mechanisms together rather than judge a membrane only by the water leaving it.
Change the operating conditions
I varied pressure and flow rate to inspect how treatment performance changed. More pressure is an input with a cost, so it had to be considered alongside the separation it produced.
Bring it back to a utility
I compared nanofiltration with reverse osmosis through energy use, cost, and feasibility at municipal scale. A treatment process has to make sense beyond a simulation.
Tools & methods
Ansys Fluent · CFD · Membrane transport · Energy analysis