The activities of our group are in the broad area of heat and mass transfer, thermodynamics, and fluid dynamics. Our focus is on technologies for desalination of seawater and brackish water, remediation of various waste waters, and recycling of water, with increased energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact as core objectives. This work includes thermodynamic cycle analysis, transport processes in components, solar-energy driven systems, and both thermal and membrane separations.
Past activities in our lab have included: convection and fluid dynamics in liquid jet impingement; high heat flux engineering; thermally stratified turbulent flow and instrumentation; electronics thermal management; and thermally driven instabilities.
Selected Publications
Recent Journal Papers
E. W. Tow, Q. J. Wei, A. R. Abraham, K. L. Chua, M. J. Plumley, J. H. Lienhard, “Piloting Batch Reverse Osmosis with a Flexible Bladder for Water Recovery from Scaling-Prone Brine,” npj Clean Water, 8, eid:30, 15 April 2025, (open access).
T. Lee, Z. H. Foo, V. Nguyen, and J. H. Lienhard, “Enhancing Resource Circularity in Aluminum Production Through Nanofiltration of Waste Cryolite,” ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 13(2):846-858, 6 January 2025. (doi) (share link)
Z. H. Foo and J. H. Lienhard, “Emerging Membrane Technologies for Sustainable Lithium Extraction from Brines and Leachates: Innovations, Challenges, and Industrial Scalability,” Desalination, online 11 December 2024, 598:118411, 2025. (doi: open access thru May 2025)
Z. H. Foo, T. Lee, J. M. Wegmueller, S. M. Heath, J. H. Lienhard, “Toward a Circular Lithium Economy with Electrodialysis: Upcycling Spent Battery Leachates with Selective and Bipolar Ion-Exchange Membranes,” Environmental Science & Technology, 58(43):19486–19500, 17 October 2024. (doi)
Z. H. Foo, S. Liu, L. A. Kanias, T. Lee, S. M. Heath, Y. Tomi, T. Miyabe, S. Keten, R. M. Lueptow, J. H. Lienhard, “Positively‐Coated Nanofiltration Membranes for Lithium Recovery from Battery Leachates and Salt‐Lakes: Ion Transport Fundamentals and Module Performance,” Advanced Functional Materials, 34:2408685, 16 August 2024, eid:408685. (open access) (DSPACE)
K.I. McKee and J.H. Lienhard, “Symmetry criteria for the equality of interior and exterior shape factors with exact solutions,” ASME J. Heat Mass Transfer, online 4 July 2024, 146(11):111401, Nov. 2024. (open access) (Graphical Abstract) (arXiv:2403.19030) (high rez preprint)
A. Deshmukh, A.D. Wilson, and J.H. Lienhard, “Electrically Powered High-Salinity Brine Separation Using Dimethyl Ether,” Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 63(18):8341–8356, 23 April 2024. (doi) (preprint)
C.D. Díaz-Marín, A. Deshmukh, M.A. Roper, J.H. Lienhard, and G. Chen, “Dynamic Water Absorption-Desorption by Aqueous Salt Solutions,” Cell Reports Physical Science, online 16 April 2024, 5:101929, 15 May 2024. (open access) (DSPACE)
Z.H. Foo, A. Deshmukh, A.D. Wilson, and J.H. Lienhard, “Harnessing Dimethyl Ether with Ultra-Low-Grade Heat for Scaling-Resistant Brine Concentration and Fractional Crystallization,” Chemical Engineering Journal, online 10 April 2024, 489:151159, 1 June 2024. (doi) (preprint)
R. Zhou, M.M. Swisher, A. Deshmukh, C. Sun, J.H. Lienhard, and N.G. Hadjiconstantinou, “Dense fluid transport through nanoporous graphene membranes in the limit of steric exclusion,” Physical Review Fluids, 9(4):044202, 9 April 2024. (doi) (preprint)
Spotlight Publications
Z.H. Foo, C. Stetson, E. Dach, A. Deshmukh, H. Lee, A.K. Menon, R.Prasher, N.Y. Yip, J.H. Lienhard, and A.D. Wilson, “Solvent-Driven Aqueous Separations for Hypersaline Brine Concentration and Resource Recovery,” Trends in Chemistry, online 7 October 2022, 4(12):1078-1093, 1 December 2022. (open access) Cover article
A.T. Bouma, Q.J. Wei, J.E. Parsons, J. Buongiorno, and J.H. Lienhard, “Energy and water without carbon: Integrated desalination and nuclear power at Diablo Canyon,” Applied Energy, online 13 July 2022, 323:119612, 1 October 2022. (doi) (preprint)
Z.H. Foo, D. Rehman, O.Z. Coombs, A. Deshmukh, and J.H. Lienhard V, “Multicomponent Fickian Solution-Diffusion Model for Osmotic Transport through Membranes,” Journal of Membrane Science, online 7 September 2021, 640:119819, 15 December 2021. (doi) (preprint)
A. Kumar, Y. Kim, X. Su, H. Fukuda, G. Naidu, F. Du, S. Vigneswaran, E. Drioli, T.A. Hatton, and J.H. Lienhard V, “Advances and Challenges in Metal Ion Separations from Water,” Trends in Chemistry, online 26 August 2021, 3(10):819-831, 1 October 2021. (doi) (preprint)
A. Kumar, G. Naidu, H. Fukuda, F. Du, S. Vigneswaran, E. Drioli, and J.H. Lienhard V, “Metals Recovery from Seawater Desalination Brines: Technologies, Opportunities and Challenges,” ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, online 1 June 2021, 9(23):7704-7712, 1 June 2021. (doi) (preprint) (corrected figures) (preprint-figures)
J.H. Lienhard V, “Heat transfer in flat-plate boundary layers: a correlation for laminar, transitional, and turbulent flow,” J. Heat Transfer, online 31 March 2020, 142(6):061805, June 2020. (doi: Open access) (presentation) (one-page summary) (preprint)
T. Altmann, J. Robert, A.T. Bouma, J. Swaminathan, and J.H. Lienhard V, “Primary Energy and Exergy of Desalination Technologies,” Applied Energy, online 17 June 2019, 252:113319, 15 October 2019. (doi link) (preprint)
J.H. Lienhard V, “Energy savings in desalination technologies: reducing entropy generation by transport processes,” J. Heat Transfer, online 17 May 17 2019, 141(7):072001, July 2019. (doi link) (preprint) This paper provides an overview of much of our work on balancing and equipartitioning.
J.H. Lienhard V, “Linearization of Non-gray Radiation Exchange: The Internal Fractional Function Reconsidered,” J. Heat Transfer, online 3 Dec. 2018, 141(5):052701, May 2019. (OPEN ACCESS)
For small temperature differences (e.g., internal to a spacecraft), linearization requires a different fractional function
E.W. Tow and J.H. Lienhard V, “Unpacking compaction: effect of hydraulic pressure on alginate fouling,” J. Membrane Sci., online 8 Sept. 2017, 544C:221-233, 15 Dec. 2017. (doi link) (preprint)
High pressure does not cause foulant compaction
E.K. Summers and J.H. Lienhard V, “Experimental Study of Thermal Performance in Air Gap Membrane Distillation Systems including Direct Solar Heating of Membranes,” Desalination, 330:100-111, December 2013. (doi link) (preprint)
First measurements of direct solar heating of MD membranes
D. Michels, J. Hadeler, and J.H. Lienhard V, “High Heat Flux Resistance Heaters from VPS and HVOF Thermal Spraying,” Exptl. Heat Transfer, Vol.11, 1998, pp.341-359. (doi) (preprint)
Heat flux of 1.7 kW/cm2 by convection alone
S.K. Bhunia and J.H. Lienhard V, “Surface Disturbance Evolution and the Splattering of Turbulent Liquid Jets,” J. Fluids Engineering, 116:(4):721-727, 1994. (pdf)
Discover the k-19/3 spectrum!
X. Liu and J.H. Lienhard V, “Extremely High Heat Fluxes Beneath Impinging Liquid Jets,” J. Heat Transfer, Vol.115, No.2, 1993, pp.472-476.
Heat flux of ~40 kW/cm2 beneath a high speed impinging liquid jet.
And Some Popular Publications
K.G. Nayar, M.H. Sharqawy, L.D. Banchik, and J.H. Lienhard V, “Thermophysical properties of seawater: A review and new correlations that include pressure dependence,” online 7 April 2016, Desalination, 390:1-24, 15 July 2016. (doi link) (preprint)
G.P. Thiel, E.W. Tow, L.D. Banchik, H.W. Chung, J.H. Lienhard V, “Energy consumption in desalinating produced water from shale oil and gas extraction,” Desalination, 366:94-112, 15 June 2015. (doi link) (preprint)
D.E.M. Warsinger, J. Swaminathan, E. Guillen, H.A. Arafat, and J.H. Lienhard V, “Scaling and Fouling In Membrane Distillation for Desalination Applications: A Review,” Desalination, 356:294-313, 15 January 2015. (doi link) (preprint)
R.K. McGovern and J.H. Lienhard V, “On the potential of forward osmosis to energetically outperform reverse osmosis desalination,” J. Membrane Sci., 469:245-250, Nov. 2014. (doi link) (preprint)
D. Cohen-Tanugi, R.K. McGovern, S. Dave, J.H. Lienhard V, and J.C. Grossman, “Quantifying the Potential of Ultra-permeable Membranes for Water Desalination,” Energy Environ. Sci., 7(3):1134-1141, Feb. 2014. (Open access pdf)
A.K. Plappally and J.H. Lienhard V, “Energy Requirements for Water Production, Treatment, End Use, Reclamation, and Discharge,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 16(7):4818-4848, Sept. 2012. (doi link)
K.H. Mistry, R.K. McGovern, G.P. Thiel, E.K. Summers, S.M. Zubair, and J.H. Lienhard V, “Entropy generation analysis of desalination technologies,” Entropy, 13(10):1829-1864, Sept. 2011 (Open access).
Received Best Paper Award
G.P. Narayan, M.H. Sharqawy, E.K. Summers, J.H. Lienhard V, S.M. Zubair, and M.A. Antar, “The potential of solar-driven humidification-dehumidification desalination for small-scale decentralized water production,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 14(4):1187-1201, May 2010. (doi link) (preprint)
M.H. Sharqawy, J.H. Lienhard V, and S.M. Zubair, “The thermophysical properties of seawater: A review of existing correlations and data,” Desalination and Water Treatment, 16:354-380, April 2010. (pdf)
G.P. Narayan, M.H. Sharqawy, J.H. Lienhard V, and S.M. Zubair, “Thermodynamic analysis of humidification-dehumidification desalination cycles,” Desalination and Water Treatment, 16:339-353, April 2010. (pdf)
A.E. Bergles, J.H. Lienhard V, G.E. Kendall, and P. Griffith, “Boiling and Evaporation in Small Diameter Channels,” Heat Transfer Engineering, 24(1):18-40, 2003. (Open access doi)
X. Liu, J.H. Lienhard V, and J.S. Lombara, “Convective Heat Transfer by Impingement of Circular Liquid Jets,” J. Heat Transfer, 113(3):571-582, 1991. (pdf)
J.H. Lienhard V and C.W. Van Atta, “The decay of turbulence in thermally stratified flow,” J. Fluid Mechanics, 210:57-112, Jan. 1990. (pdf) (Link to journal) (doi)