Assembly of permeable hollow fibers and a tubesheet supportable at its face and opened by bores parallel thereto

A hollow fiber and tubesheet assembly having utility as a component of a permeability separation apparatus and comprising a non-random fiber bundle having two ends, one of which is potted in a shaped, solid resin body which constitutes said tubesheet and is the only end of said bundle potted therein, said bundle consisting of permeable, hollow fiber lengths,

• said tubesheet having a first face, from which the unpotted portions of said fiber lengths depend, and a second, opposed face, the portions of the fiber lengths potted in said tubesheet extending therethrough from said first face and terminating at or adjacent to said second face,
• at least half of said potted fiber portions being interrupted by and opening into bores in the tubesheet, each of which extends to and opens upon a surface of said tubesheet other than said first and second faces,
• said assembly being adapted to be disposed, together with cooperating sealing and permeate collecting means, in a pressurizeable casing fitted with appropriately located feed fluid ingress and egress means and with permeate egress means, in such manner that:
• a. when fluid is supplied under pressure to the exterior surfaces of the unpotted fiber portions, it will permeate through the fiber walls, pass through the fiber lumen and said bores to said permeate collecting means and out through said permeate egress means;
• b. said assembly is positioned in said casing with said second face in contact with at least a major portion of an end member thereof so that the tubesheet is supported against the pressure exerted by said fluid on said first face, and
• c. egress of permeate from the fiber lumens is not interfered with by said contact.