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US 12,350,627 B2Granted
Permeate flow patterns
AssigneeAqua Membranes Inc.
InventorsKevin Roderick, Rodney Herrington, Kendall Weingardt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention provide the integration of arbitrary flow directing patterns, deposited or integrated on or into the porous permeate spacer in a spiral-wound membrane separation element.
Claims4
An assembly comprising:
- (a) a first permeate spacer layer, comprising a first material having a first permeability, and having a first plurality of features comprising a second material having a second permeability, disposed within the first permeate spacer layer extending from a first surface of the first permeate spacer layer, through the thickness of the first permeate spacer layer, and above a second surface of the first permeate spacer layer by a distance, where the first surface is opposite the second surface, wherein the first plurality of features provide flow paths within the first permeate spacer layer, and wherein the second permeability is less than the first permeability;
- (b) a membrane, disposed adjacent to the second surface of the first permeate spacer layer such that the first plurality of features emboss the membrane.
A method of producing an assembly, comprising:
- (a) providing a first permeate spacer layer comprising a first material having a first permeability;
- (b) depositing a plurality of features comprising a second material, having a second permeability, into the first permeate spacer layer, wherein the features extend from a first surface of the first permeate spacer layer, through the thickness of the first permeate spacer layer, and above a second surface of the first permeate spacer layer by a distance, where the first surface is opposite the second surface, wherein the first plurality of features provide flow paths within the first permeate spacer layer, and wherein the permeability of the second material is less than the permeability of the first material;
- (c) providing a membrane;
- (d) placing the membrane adjacent the second surface of the first permeate spacer layer such that the first plurality of features emboss the membrane.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.