Heat and mass transfer enhancement in conductive heating vacuum membrane distillation using graphene/silica modified heat carriers

Conductive heating vacuum membrane distillation (CHVMD) is an emerging desalination technology. By heating the membrane surface with a heat carrier, it solves the issue of temperature polarization inherent in the membrane distillation process. However, additional research is needed to understand its heat and mass transfer. Herein, aluminum heat carrier was enhanced by incorporating graphene (GPE) and hydrophobic silica (SiO 2 ) nanoparticles, and the effects of these heat carriers on heat and mass transfer were discussed. Results showed that the graphene-modified heat carrier had a higher infrared emissivity, effectively enhancing radiative heat dissipation and increasing the internal temperature by 1.8 degree celsius. The SiO 2 nanoparticles improved the evaporation efficiency of feed by altering the liquid surface curvature, resulting in an 11.5 % increase in flux. Additionally, the flux increased to 12.1 L/(m 2 & sdot; h), and the specific energy consumption decreased by 20 % using GPE/SiO 2 composite -modified heat carrier. Furthermore, the modified carrier demonstrated a notable 23.3 % increase in thermal efficiency. This feat was made possible by the innovative double -sided heat carrier modification, forming a dual liquid layer structure upon contact with the feed. These results highlight the effectiveness of the modification heat carrier enhancing the CHVMD system ' s heat and mass transfer.