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US 2021/0260531 A1Published application
Bubble feed membrane distillation system
AssigneeKing Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
InventorsWail Sulaiman FALATH, Dahiru Umar Lawal
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Devices and techniques may improve the permeate productivity in membrane distillation separation by modifying the feed and/or coolant sides of a membrane distillation module depending on the membrane distillation configuration. The bubbling of a carrier gas through the feed liquid in the feed liquid side of the module can increase the turbulent dissipation rate and/or enhance mass transfer across the membrane pores.
Claims20
A membrane distillation module, comprising:
- a vessel with an internal cavity;
- a hydrophobic membrane dividing the internal cavity into a feed zone and a distillate zone, such that the feed zone and a distillate zone are accessible to each other within the internal cavity only via permeation across the membrane;
- a feed inlet fluidly connected to the feed zone for delivering a feed stream, comprising a liquid, to the feed zone;
- a feed outlet fluidly connected to the feed zone for discharging the feed stream from the feed zone;
- a carrier gas inlet fluidly connected to the feed zone for introducing a carrier gas to the feed zone;
- a carrier gas outlet fluidly connected to the feed zone and optionally further to the distillate zone, configured to transfer the carrier gas and feed stream vapor from the feed side to the distillate zone and/or to an external condenser;
- a distillate outlet fluidly connected to the distillate zone;
- and
- a carrier gas inlet configured to enter the feed zone in the internal cavity,
- wherein the membrane is configured such that a portion of the feed stream vapor permeates through the hydrophobic membrane and is transferred to the distillate zone, and
- wherein the distillate zone is configured such that the vapor condenses in the distillate zone in the form of a distillate.
8 more elements
A method of membrane distilling a feed stream, the method comprising:
- providing the feed stream, comprising a liquid and a vapor, in a feed zone of a membrane distillation module;
- injecting a carrier gas into the feed stream in the feed zone;
- and
- allowing a portion of the vapor to permeate from the feed zone through a hydrophobic membrane to condense in a distillate zone of the module.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.