Polymer and Separations (PolySep) ResearchLaboratory
Last update:
12/27/2005
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Michal Uchymiak Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (December 2002) University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Degree Objective at UCLA: Ph.D. |
Research Interests
- Surface mineral scaling of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes
- Optical observation of surface crystal growth
Current Project
My research project focuses on the design and construction of a transparent reverse osmosis (RO) cell for direct observation of surface crystallization of mineral salt crystals. Mineral salt scaling of reverse osmosis is the single most important impediment to high product water recovery in desalination of both inland water and seawater. In order to develop effective mineral scale mitigation strategies, it is essential that effective diagnostic tools are developed to assess membrane scaling propensity and that models of surface crystallization are developed based on direct data of surface crystallization. Once surface crystals reach size in the micron range their growth is dominated by mass transfer limitations of ions from solution to the crystal surface. Direct observation of surface crystal growth can serve to determine not only the rate of growth but the development of the unique surface crystal morphology (e.g., formation of gypsum rosettes). Information on the rate of single surface crystal growth, for example, can then be utilized in fundamental models of surface scale formation. Such models can be utilized to predict permeate flux decline, assess the early stages of scale formation, and evaluate membrane scale mitigation strategies.
In order to determine the rate of single crystal growth kinetics a transparent plate-and-frame RO cell was designed to enable direct optical observation of crystal growth. The cell is equipped with a sapphire cell with lighting provided by a series of LEDs. Optical imaging is provided by a high resolution time-lapse digital photography through an optical microscope. Digital images will be analyzed by image analysis software to obtain the change in crystal dimensions as a supersaturated solution is circulated through the RO cell at a constant cross-flow velocity and constant transmembrane pressure. .
References:
Publications and Conference Presentations:
Contact Information
5531 Boelter Hall Chemical Engineering Department UCLA, Los Angeles CA-90095, USA PH: (310) 2061297 Fax: (310)206 4107
Email:
