Filtration system
AssigneePPG Industries Ohio, Inc.
InventorsQunhui Guo, James C. Peters, Scott P. Yaeger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A filtration system includes at least one spiral wound first filter section in fluid communication with at least one spiral wound second filter section. The first and second filter sections include: (i) a filtration membrane; (ii) a feed spacer located adjacent the filtration membrane and defining a feed flow channel; and (iii) a permeate spacer located adjacent the filtration membrane and defining a permeate flow channel. A thickness of the feed flow channel in the first filter section is different than a thickness of the feed flow channel in the second filter section, and/or an effective volume of the first filter section is different than an effective volume of the second filter section. A method of filtering a feed flow is also disclosed.
Claims20
A filtration system, comprising:
- at least one spiral wound first filter section in fluid communication with at least one spiral wound second filter section, wherein the first and second filter sections comprise:
- a filtration membrane;
- a feed spacer located adjacent the filtration membrane and defining a feed flow channel;
- and
- a permeate spacer located adjacent the filtration membrane and defining a permeate flow channel,
- wherein (i) a thickness of the feed flow channel in the first filter section is different than a thickness of the feed flow channel in the second filter section, and/or (ii) an effective volume of the first filter section is different than an effective volume of the second filter section,
- wherein the thickness of the feed spacer defines the thickness of the feed flow channel, and
- wherein a velocity of feed through the first filter section and the second filter section is substantially constant.
A method of filtering a feed flow, comprising:
- introducing a feed flow into at least one spiral wound first filter section comprising a filtration membrane, a feed spacer located adjacent the filtration membrane and defining a feed flow channel, and a permeate spacer located adjacent the filtration membrane and defining a permeate flow channel;
- removing permeate via the permeate flow channel of the first filter section to form a concentrated feed flow;
- discharging the concentrated feed flow from the first filter section to a spiral wound second filter section, the second filter section comprising a filtration membrane, a feed spacer located adjacent the filtration membrane and defining a feed flow channel, and a permeate spacer located adjacent the filtration membrane and defining a permeate flow channel,
- wherein a thickness of the feed flow channel in the first filter section is different than a thickness of the feed flow channel in the second filter section such that a velocity of feed flow through the filtration system is substantially constant, and
- wherein the thickness of the feed spacer defines the thickness of the feed flow channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.