Polymeric Hollow-Fiber Heat Exchangers for Thermal Desalination Processes 

 -  Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 49(23), p.11961-11977, 2010 .
<br/><br/> Metallic shell-and-tube heat exchangers used in thermal desalination require huge capital investments, suffer from corrosion/erosion, create heavy metal pollution, and display a large footprint. This paper has explored their potential replacement by polymeric solid hollow fiber-based heat exchangers. Using solid hollow-fibers of polypropylene (PP)(wall thickness 75 ¦Ìm, outside diameter 575 ¦Ìm)a number of heat exchangers were fabricated in the laboratory (heat exchange area, 195-960 cm2)and at a commercial manufacturing facility (heat exchange area, 0.15-0.44 m2). The heat transfer performances of these devices were studied for a hot brine (4