Polymeric Membranes With Sufficient Thermo‐Mechanical Stability to Deploy Temperature Enhanced Backwash

The alternative membrane cleaning method Temperature Enhanced Backwash exploits elevated temperatures of typically 125 °C to realize high shear rate. This exceeds usual operating temperatures by far. Therefore, the thermo‐mechanical properties of polymeric membranes were investigated. A repeated load cycle testing was suited and sensitive to detect the failure of membrane material and potting. All tested PES membranes showed to be stable during the repeated load cycle testing. The potting adhesive may be decisive, thus, a tensile test at 125 °C is proposed. The thermo‐mechanical stability of polymeric membranes is investigated using the methodology of a repeated load cycle testing. The key performance indicators consist of a combination of hydraulic resistance Rhydr and model solute (gelatin) retention Rgelatin.