Simulation of the Effect of Centrifugation on Membrane Efficiency by Using Computational Fluid Dynamics During the Clarification of Pomegranate Juice

Background and Objectives: Pomegranate juice is prone to turbidity, which makes it hard to preserve and concentrate. Microfiltration is one of the membrane processes that can be used to reduce its turbidity, but, it is prone to membrane fouling. Pretreatment is considered the most effective way to reduce membrane fouling. Materials and Methods: This study simulated the effect of centrifugation on membrane clarification during the filtration of pomegranate juice using computational fluid dynamics. The geometry of the membrane unit was plotted in GAMBIT software and meshed with quad-mapped meshes, and the problem was solved using fluent software. Samples were centrifuged  at 2000 and 4000 rpm for 5 and 10 min. Results: The results of simulation showed that centrifugation at 2000 rpm for 10 min had the highest permeate flux. One the other hand, centrifugation at 4000 rpm had the lowest permeate flux. The experimental results were in agreement with the simulation results. Conclusions: Velocity of centrifugation should be controlled to maintain the optimum level and achieve the best results. In this study centrifugation at 2000 rpm improved the process yield.