Spiral membrane module with controlled by-pass seal
AssigneeAbcor, Inc.
InventorsDuilio Setti, Peter M. Balbo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A membrane apparatus, which apparatus comprises a housing and a spiral membrane module positioned in the housing to define an annular clearance space between the outside wall of the spiral membrane module and the interior wall surface of the housing, and an open-mesh type or netting material peripherally surrounding the spiral membrane module and positioned in the annular clearance space in a partial sealing relationship, to provide a controlled by-pass of the feed stream through the open-mesh-type material in the annular clearance space, to prevent accumulation of feed material in the annular space.
Claims24
In a membrane apparatus, which apparatus comprises:
- (a) a housing adapted to contain a spiral-membrane module, the housing having an interior wall surface;
- (b) a spiral-membrane module positioned within the housing, to define a generally annular clearance space between the exterior surface of the spiral membrane and the interior wall of the housing, the spiral-membrane module designed to separate a feed stream into a permeate stream and a concentrate stream;
- (c) means to introduce a feed stream axially of the spiral-membrane module;
- (d) means to withdraw a concentrate stream;
- and
- (e) means to withdraw a permeate stream, the improvement which comprises:
- a mesh means peripherally surrounding the spiral membrane in the annular clearance space, the mesh means in a close, partially sealing relationship between the exterior surface of the module and the interior surface of the housing, to provide for a controlled by-pass of the feed stream in the annular clearance space, thereby improving the cleanliness of the clearance space downstream of the open-mesh material, by preventing the accumulation of products in the annular clearance space.
In a membrane apparatus, which apparatus comprises:
- (a) a housing adapted to contain a spiral-membrane module, the housing having an interior wall surface;
- (b) a spiral-membrane module positioned within the housing, to define a generally annular clearance space between the exterior surface of the spiral-membrane module and the interior wall surface of the housing, the spiral-membrane module designed to separate a feed stream into a permeate stream and a concentrate stream;
- P1 (c) means to introduce a feed stream axially of the spiral-membrane module;
- (d) means to withdraw a concentrate stream;
- and
- (e) means to withdraw a permeate stream, the improvement which comprises:
- an open-mesh, strand-type, tubular, sheet material composed of synthetic strands and peripherally surrounding the spiral-membrane module and positioned in the annular clearance space and extending substantially the length of the spiral membrane, the mesh material having a thickness ranging from about 5 to 100 mils in thickness and being in a close, partially sealing relationship between the exterior surface of the spiral-membrane module and the interior wall surface of the housing, to provide for a controlled by-pass of the feed stream in the annular clearance space, thereby improving the cleanliness of the clearance space downstream of the open-mesh material, by preventing the accumulation of products in the annular clearance space.
A method of controlling the amount of feed-stream by-pass in a spiral-membrane module, wherein the apparatus comprises:
- (a) a housing adapted to contain a spiral-membrane module, the housing having an interior wall surface;
- (b) a spiral-membrane module positioned within the housing, to define a generally annular clearance space between the exterior surface of the spiral-membrane module and the interior wall surface of the housing, the spiral-membrane module designed to separate a feed stream into a permeate stream and a concentrate stream;
- (c) means to introduce a feed stream axially of the spiral-membrane module;
- (d) means to withdraw a concentrate stream;
- and
- (e) means to withdraw a permeate stream, the improvement which comprises;
- axially flowing a controlled by-pass amount of the feed stream about the exterior surface of the spiral-membrane module and through the annular clearance space in a tortuous flow path through and about an open-mesh-type material in the annular clearance space, to permit a controlled amount of feed stream by-pass to pass through the annular clearance space and to prevent the accumulation of products from the feed stream in the annular clearance space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.