Cartridge of hybrid frameless arrays of hollow fiber membranes and module containing an assembly of cartridges

A unitary cartridge of hollow fibers of selectively permeable material for use in a membrane device, comprising,

• plural frameless arrays of said fibers held near their opposite terminal portions in a pair of mirror-image split-clip headers, one split-clip header in a first array being bonded to a second split-clip header in a successive array, so as to define a fluid-tight axial conduit having open ends;
• said fibers having bores in open fluid communication outside said cartridge, said bores being disposed so as to duct fluid in opposite directions;
• each split-clip header having
• (i) lateral grooves which provide a through-passage in the plane of the fibers, said grooves being adapted snugly to embrace terminal end portions of each fiber so that fibers of an array lie in parallel spaced-apart relationship in a plane substantially orthogonal to said axial conduit, and the fibers of one array lie transversely to those of another array, and,
• (ii) a potting channel in each split-clip header traversing at least the width of an array of fibers, the potting channel of one split-clip header being in open communication with that of a contiguous split-clip header;
• and,
• (iii) an annular shell of potting resin filling said potting channels of said split-clip headers, and potting said fibers near their ends.

A method for making a cartridge of multiple split-clip headers each holding an array of hollow fibers potted near their ends in an annular shell of potting resin, said method comprising,

• (1) securing said array of fibers in each of said splitclip headers without potting said fibers, by
• (i) training said plural fibers in parallel spaced apart relationship, into longitudinal, laterally spaced apart grooves provided in a first pair of opposed, longitudinally spaced apart laminar sections each having an elongated potting channel within a width corresponding to the length of one terminal portion of a fiber to be secured in one groove;
• (ii) placing a second pair of laminar sections, each having longitudinal, laterally spaced apart grooves therein, and a potting channel, coextensively over said first pair so as to embrace each said terminal portion between the grooves of said laminar sections;
• and,
• (iii) bonding said laminar sections with said fibers therebetween in at least near-fluid-tight relationship to secure said fibers in each of said split-clip headers;
• (2) coaxially aligning potting channels and bonding plural split-clip headers in at least near-fluid-tight relationship;
• (3) filling said potting channels with potting resin substantially without flowing resin out of said laminar sections;;
• and,
• (4) curing said resin to form said annular shell which seals said end portions and said split-clip headers in fluid-tight relationship with each other.

An array of hollow fibers for use in a membrane device, comprising,

• (i) a pair of mirror-image split-clip headers longitudinally spaced apart by the length of said fibers, each said split-clip header comprising an upper and a lower laminar section, each having a peripheral potting channel therein, and each section having a width sufficient to negate damage to terminal portions of said fibers when subjected to a drag force produced by a feedstream flowing transversely over said fibers;
• (ii) plural longitudinal, laterally spaced apart grooves in each said section, the number of said grooves being equal to the number of said hollow fibers, with each groove having an arcuate profile adapted to snugly embrace a corresponding arcuate portion of one of said hollow fibers near one of its ends;
• (iii) said grooves in said lower section being spaced apart with the same spacing as those in said upper section, so as together to embrace each one of said one hollow fibers near its one end;
• (iv) means for bonding said sections and said terminal portions held between said sections, at least in near-fluid-tight relationship, to form said array having a pair of split-clip headers;
• and,
• (v) means for interfitting said array with another array in a generally planar configuration, said means being provided in each said split-clip header.