Method for Fouling Reduction in Membrane Based Fluid-Flow Processes, and Device Capable of Performing Such Method

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for fouling reduction and/or fouling removal and/or prevention of fouling in membrane based fluid-flow processes, such as ED, RED, EDR, CDI, fuel cells, filtration, flow batteries, and a device capable of performing such methods. The method comprises the steps of: —providing a dynamic membrane stack with a number of membranes, the stack capable of changing the average inter-membrane distance between two adjacent membranes with the inter-membrane distance being the distance between the membrane surfaces of two adjacent membranes; —performing the membrane based fluid-flow process in a first state with the stack having a first set of average inter-membrane distances; —switching the membrane based fluid-flow process between the first state and a second state wherein the stack having a second set of average inter-membrane distances different from the first set; and —performing the membrane based fluid-flow process in the second state, wherein, at least in an initiating phase, fouling is removed and/or reduced and/or prevented.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.