US 11,633,700 B2 · Independent spacers and methods

Abstract

Methods of making membrane elements for fluid or gas filtration, comprising applying feed or reject spacers, or intermediate spacers, or fold line protection strips, or end support strips directly to a membrane sheet, or to a substrate material which are subsequently applied to a membrane sheet, which thereby avoids contamination from directly printed adhesives, inks, or polymers, or damage from heat or radiation damage to the membrane sheet during direct application of spacers or patterns to the surface of the membrane sheet, thereby avoiding utilization of conventional feed spacer mesh materials. Membrane sheets and spiral wound filtration elements having spacers applied to defined regions of the sheet, in some embodiments having spacers mounted on substrates with different material properties, e.g., stiffness, than the underlying membrane.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method of producing a membrane element for fluid processing, comprising:

(a) forming a spacer sheet comprising a first substrate sheet with a plurality of spacing features disposed thereon;
(b) adhering the spacer sheet to a membrane sheet, wherein the spacer sheet is adhered to the membrane sheet such that the spacing features are adhered to the membrane sheet;
and
(c) separating the first substrate sheet from the spacing features after the spacing features are adhered to the membrane sheet, leaving the spacing features and not the first substrate sheet adhered to membrane sheet.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Independent spacers and methods

Life of this patent

Independent spacers and methods

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims11