Filter cartridge having a tunable asymmetric fluoropolymer alloy filter membrane

A tunable filter cartridge for sparging, comprising:

• a fluid passage;
• a gas passage;
• a fluoropolymer filter membrane separating the fluid passage from the gas passage and having a first surface confronting the gas passage and a second opposite surface confronting the fluid passage, wherein the filter membrane has a microstructure comprised of nodes joined by fibrils aligned in a direction of orientation sufficient to selectively adjust the size of the pore microstructure, which nodes and fibrils form pores through the filter membrane, wherein the microstructure changes from a relatively large pore microstructure on the first surface to a relatively small pore microstructure on the second surface
• tuning means for physically adjusting the dimension of the filter membrane along the direction of orientation sufficient to selectively adjust the size of the pore microstructure.

A tunable filter cartridge for removing contaminates from a filter medium, comprising:

• a sealed filter medium compartment having first and second opposite ends, each end having an axial hole therethrough;
• an inlet tube slideably disposed in the axial hole of the first opposite end of the filter medium compartment, wherein one end of the inlet tube is within the filter medium compartment and a second opposite end of the inlet tube is out of the filter medium compartment and provides a connection to a filter medium source;
• an outlet tube slideably disposed in the axial hole of the second opposite end of the filter medium compartment, wherein one end of the outlet tube is within the filter medium compartment and a second opposite end of the outlet tube is out of the filter medium compartment and provides a connection to a filter medium destination;
• a filter medium guide disposed on the end of the inlet tube within the filter medium compartment, wherein the guide occludes the end of the inlet tube within the filter medium compartment and guides filter medium from the inside of the inlet tube into the filter medium compartment;
• a tunable, asymmetric, tubular fluoropolymer filter membrane having a pore microstructure and first and second open opposite ends, wherein the first open opposite end axially connects in sealed engagement to the filter medium guide and the second open opposite end axially connects in sealed engagement to the end of the outlet tube within the filter medium compartment such that a fluid passage is provided from the inside of the filter membrane to the inside of the outlet tube;
• the inlet and outlet tubes being slidable to adjust the axial dimension of the filter membrane sufficient to adjust the size of the pore microstructure;
• and
• means for locking the inlet and outlet tubes at selected positions within the axial holes of the first and second opposite ends of the filter medium compartment.

A tunable filter cartridge for sparging, comprising:

• a sealed gas compartment having first and second opposite ends, each end having an axial hole therethrough, and a gas port providing a gas passage into and out of the inside of the sealed gas compartment;
• first and second tubes slideably disposed in the axial holes of the opposite ends of the gas compartment, wherein one end of each of the first and second tubes is within the gas compartment and a second end of each of the first and second tubes is out of the gas compartment and provides a connection to an external fluid line;
• a tunable, asymmetric tubular fluoropolymer filter membrane having a pore microstructure and first and second open opposite ends, wherein the open opposite ends axially connects in sealed engagement to the ends of the first and second tubes within the gas compartment such that a fluid passage is provided from the first tube through the filter membrane to the second tube the first and second tubes being slidable to adjust the axial dimension of the filter membrane sufficient to adjust the size of the pore microstructure;
• means for locking the first and second tubes at selected positions within the axial holes of the opposite ends of the gas compartment.