# Hussain Al-Sairfi research profile

> Associate Research Scientist at the Water Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR). Research spans desalination, membrane distillation, produced-water treatment, brine and mineral recovery, AI/ML for renewable energy, PV performance, wind-battery control, thermofluids and advanced materials.

## Canonical identity
- Official academic website: https://hussainalsairfi.bio
- ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5914-0510
- Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=NWJc8aQAAAAJ
- Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=58941908400
- Web of Science: https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/NDT-1115-2025
- Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/author/Hussain-Al-Sairfi/2287568935
- ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hussain-Al-Sairfi
- Kudos: https://www.growkudos.com/profile/hussain_al-sairfi
- Academia.edu: https://kisr.academia.edu/HussainAlSairfi
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hussain-al-sairfi-081aa1362

## Core research themes
- Seawater desalination and membrane distillation (DCMD, AGMD and VMD).
- Oilfield-produced water and hypersaline-brine treatment.
- Brine chemistry, scaling control, controlled precipitation and mineral recovery.
- AI and machine learning for PV performance, pollution impacts and predictive O&M.
- Adaptive fuzzy control of renewable-powered desalination and wind-battery systems.
- Thermofluid CFD, thermocapillary droplet dynamics and membrane-channel hydrodynamics.
- Rapid solidification and high-entropy-alloy microstructure.

## Publications and research outputs
- [Modeling the Influence of Ionic Strength on Mineral Solubility in Concentrated Brine Solutions](https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/publications/ionic-strength-mineral-solubility-kuwait-brines/) — This study measures how ionic strength changes the solubility of calcium sulfate and magnesium hydroxide in concentrated brines collected from Kuwait desalination facilities. It identifies non-ideal behavior that can be used to time precipitation, limit scaling and improve mineral-recovery process design. Official source: https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14010172
- [Mineral Extraction from Mixed Brine Solutions](https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/publications/mineral-extraction-from-mixed-brine-solutions/) — This paper evaluates sulfate-mineral recovery when high-salinity brines are mixed with seawater. A practical model predicts saturation index, precipitation yield and induction time for barite, celestite and calcium-sulfate phases under different mixing and operating conditions. Official source: https://doi.org/10.3390/separations12100266
- [Membrane Materials for Desalination](https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/publications/membrane-materials-for-desalination/) — This open-access chapter reviews the evolution of desalination membrane materials, from cellulose acetate and polyamide thin-film composites to graphene oxide, aquaporin-based membranes and metal-organic frameworks. It compares performance, durability, chlorine resistance, fouling behavior, scalability and sustainability. Official source: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1014282
- [Membrane distillation of saline feeds and produced water: A comparative study of an air-gap and vacuum-driven modules](https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/publications/agmd-vmd-saline-feeds-produced-water-comparative-study/) — This comparative experimental study evaluates air-gap membrane distillation and vacuum membrane distillation for saline feeds, Arabian Gulf seawater and oilfield-produced water. It examines temperature, concentration, recirculation flow, air-gap depth and vacuum-space depth as determinants of permeate flux and salt rejection. Official source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dwt.2024.100145
- [Performance feasibility study of direct contact membrane distillation systems in the treatment of seawater and oilfield-produced brine: the effect of hot- and cold-channel depth](https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/publications/dcmd-seawater-oilfield-produced-brine-channel-depth/) — This laboratory study assesses direct-contact membrane distillation for Arabian Gulf seawater and oilfield-produced brine using polypropylene and PVDF membranes. It evaluates channel depth, temperature, flow rate and feed concentration in relation to permeate flux and salt rejection. Official source: https://doi.org/10.5004/dwt.2023.29942
- [Hydrodynamic Enhancement of Direct Contact Membrane Distillation Using a Corrugated Feed Channel: A Numerical Study](https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/publications/hydrodynamic-enhancement-dcmd-corrugated-feed-channel/) — This numerical study models a direct-contact membrane-distillation channel fitted with rectangular corrugations. It evaluates how rib height, breadth and pitch alter hydrodynamic mixing, temperature polarization, pressure drop and permeate flux, identifying a practical trade-off between mass-transfer enhancement and hydraulic loss. Official source: https://editorial.neptjournal.com/index.php/1/article/view/2436
- [Adaptive Fuzzy Energy Management of Wind-Battery Systems With Flexible Desalination Load](https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/publications/adaptive-fuzzy-wind-battery-desalination-flexible-load/) — This study develops an adaptive fuzzy energy-management system for a wind-turbine and battery system supplying a flexible reverse-osmosis desalination load. The controller coordinates wind power, battery state of charge and water production while explicitly reducing battery cycling and degradation. Official source: https://doi.org/10.1002/ese3.70570
- [Quantifying the Economic Loss and Operational Implications of Air Pollution on Grid-Connected PV Systems in the Arabian Peninsula: A Machine Learning-Based Analysis](https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/publications/air-pollution-economic-loss-pv-arabian-peninsula-machine-learning/) — This IEEE Access study uses a validated Random Forest model and counterfactual clean-air scenarios to estimate energy and financial losses caused by air pollution and module soiling in grid-connected photovoltaic systems across the Arabian Peninsula. It also proposes a predictive cleaning schedule for operation and maintenance planning. Official source: https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2025.3649764
- [Thermocapillary Droplet Flow in Small-scale Containers: the Effect of Gravity](https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/publications/thermocapillary-droplet-flow-small-scale-containers-gravity/) — This numerical investigation tracks an FC-75 droplet suspended in silicone oil inside differentially heated cylindrical containers. Volume-of-Fluid simulations compare zero gravity, normal gravity and combined thermocapillary–buoyancy forcing and derive a practical criterion for the droplet size at which the two forces nearly balance. Official source: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-026-10253-4
- [Achieving single solid solution in equimolar AlCrCuFeNi via rapid solidification](https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/publications/alcrcu-feni-high-entropy-alloy-rapid-solidification/) — This study uses a 6.5-m drop-tube facility to investigate the effect of cooling rate on equimolar AlCrCuFeNi high-entropy alloy. Rapid solidification suppresses phase complexity, produces a single B2 structure above approximately 10² K/s and increases microhardness as cooling rate rises. Official source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2026.114897
- [Assessment of Membrane Distillation Modules for Seawater Desalination and Oilfield-Produced Water Treatment Applications](https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/publications/phd-thesis-membrane-distillation-seawater-produced-water/) — This doctoral thesis experimentally evaluates direct-contact, air-gap and vacuum membrane-distillation modules for seawater, synthetic saline feeds and oilfield-produced water. It examines membrane material, temperature, salinity, flow rate and channel or gap dimensions to establish performance and design guidance under Kuwait-relevant conditions. Official source: https://stax.strath.ac.uk/concern/theses/6d56zx233

## Usage note
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## Research topic pages

- Brine Mineral Recovery, Ionic Strength and Scaling Control: https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/research-topics/brine-mineral-recovery/
- Membrane Distillation for Seawater and Oilfield-Produced Water: https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/research-topics/membrane-distillation-produced-water/
- AI, Renewable Energy and Water-Energy Systems: https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/research-topics/ai-renewable-water-energy-systems/
- Thermofluids, CFD, Microgravity and Advanced Materials: https://hussainalsairfi.github.io/research-topics/thermofluids-cfd-materials/