Influence of specially modulated ultrasound on the water desalination process with ion-exchange hollow fibers

The enhancing effect of specially modulated ultrasound signals (SMUS) on the process of water desalination by means of ion-exchange hollow fibers was investigated. For Na+ - H+ ion exchange the enhancement effect increased with increasing power of the ultrasound, reaching about 40% at a signal power of 61 W. Depending on the concentration of the solutions and hydrodynamic conditions, ultrasound enhanced different steps of the overall ion-exchange process. In the range of 20-50 degrees C, the effect increased with temperature from 40% to 60%. We also demonstrated the feasibility of utilizing SMUS for improvement of a cavitation process and thus for improving the performance of our desalination system.