Hollow fiber membrane module for direct contact membrane distillation-based desalination

A system for desalination of brine, comprising:

• a first module having:
• a first housing with a substantially cylindrical wall and first and second ends together defining a first chamber with an axis passing through the first and second ends;
• a first delivery conduit having an outlet in said first chamber;
• a first membrane formed by a plurality of porous hydrophobic hollow fibers in said first chamber, the hollow fibers being arranged with a packing fraction of less than about 0.3, lumens of said hollow fibers forming a tube side of the first chamber the plurality of porous hydrophobic hollow fibers being unbundled, and a first chamber volume external to said hollow fibers and said first delivery conduit and between first and second sealed ends forming a first shell side of the first chamber in which shell side fluid is contained by and between the first and second sealed ends;
• a first tube side port in said first housing fluidically coupled to the tube side of said first chamber;
• a second tube side port in said first housing fluidically coupled to the tube side of said first chamber;
• a first shell side port in said substantially cylindrical wall of said first housing opening to the shell side of said first chamber between the first and second sealed ends for conveying shell side fluid out from the shell side of the first chamber;
• a second module having:
• a second housing with a substantially cylindrical wall and first and second ends together defining a second chamber with an axis passing through the first and second ends;
• a second delivery conduit having an outlet in said second chamber, and a first inlet fluidically coupled to said shell side of said first chamber;
• a second membrane formed by a plurality of porous hydrophobic hollow fibers in said second chamber, the hollow fibers being arranged with a packing fraction of less than about 0.3, lumens of said hollow fibers forming a tube side of the second chamber the plurality of porous hydrophobic hollow fibers being unbundled, and a second chamber volume external to said hollow fibers and said second delivery conduit and between third and fourth sealed ends forming a shell side of the second chamber in which shell side fluid is contained by and between the third and fourth sealed ends;
• a first tube side port in said second housing fluidically coupled to the tube side of said second chamber and said first tube side port in said first housing;
• a second tube side port in said second housing fluidically coupled to the tube side of said second chamber;
• and
• a second shell side port in said substantially cylindrical wall of said second housing opening to the shell side of said second chamber between the first and second sealed ends for conveying shell side fluid out from the shell side of the second chamber.