Hollow fiber bundle element

A hollow fiber element used to provide interaction between minute solid particles and a particular component or components of a feedstream, comprising:

• a bundle of hollow fibers, each fiber having a wall having effective pore diameters in the range of about 0.05 to 5 .mu.m, each fiber forming a lumen, said bundle having means at each end for sealing the lumina of the fibers and the void space between the fibers;
• an impermeable casing sealing the side periphery of the bundle;
• first means for introducing the feedstream into one end of the void space between the fibers and second means for removing the stream after interaction from the other end of the void space;
• a charge of individually free, minute solid particles, packing each lumen substantially through its length and breadth, said charge having a density substantially equal to or greater than the free-standing bulk density of the particles, said particles being adapted to interact with the feedstream component or components;
• the pores of each fiber wall being smaller than the particles;
• said particles being immobilized in the lumina but accessible to the component or components introduced into the void space between the fibers in the feedstream.

A hollow fiber element used to provide interaction between minute solid particles and particular component or components of a feedstream, comprising:

• a bundle of hollow fibers, each fiber having a wall having effective pore diameters in the range of about 0.05 to 5 .mu.m, each fiber forming a lumen, said bundle having means at each end for sealing the void space between the fibers;
• an impermeable casing sealing the side periphery of the bundle;
• a vessel encapsulating the bundle;
• means sealing the casing against the inside surface of the vessel;
• first means for introducing the feedstream into one end of the vessel and second means for removing the stream after interaction from the other end of the vessel;
• a charge of individually free, minute solid particles, packing the void space between the fibers substantially throughout its length and breadth, said charge having a density substantially equal to or greater than the free-standing bulk density of the particles, said particles being adapted to interact with the feedstream component or components;
• the pores of each fiber wall being smaller than the particles;
• said particles being immobilized in the void space but accessible to the feedstream component or components introduced into the lumina in the feedstream.

A process for packing a hollow fiber element used to provide interaction between minute solid particles and a particular component forming part of a feedstream, comprising:

• providing a bundle of hollow fibers, each fiber having a wall having pore openings whose effective diameters are in the range of about 0.05 to 5 .mu.m and permeable relative to the feedstream component but not to the particles, each fiber forming a lumen, said lumina and the void space between the fibers providing, respectively, first and second longitudinal passageways extending through the bundle, each passageway having corresponding first and second ends, said bundle having means at the second end of the first passageway for sealing said first passageway, said bundle having means at the first end of the second passageways for sealing said second passageway, said bundle having an impermeable casing sealing its side periphery;
• pumping a suspension or solution of the minute solid particles in a carrier fluid, formed of liquid or gas, under pressure into the first end of the first passageway, said fiber walls being permeable to the carrier fluid, whereby the carrier fluid filters through the fiber walls into the second passageway and exits the element and the particles are retained in the first passageway and accumulate to form a dense, substantially uniform packing of individually free particles, said packing having a density substantially equal to or greater than the free-standing bulk density of the particles;
• and
• sealing the first end of the first passageway to immobilize the particle and opening the first end of the second passageway.