Hollow fiber filter module and method of manufacturing same

Abstract

A filter module for filtering raw liquid that includes an outer housing having a longitudinal axis and raw liquid inlet and outlet ends. A non-porous member is attached to each end of the outer housing to form a seal between a hollow tube and the outer housing. A plurality of fins are disposed among hollow fiber filter elements to separate the elements into a plurality of bundles. Each of the fins has a plurality of spacers abutting the hollow tube to form liquid pathways between each of the respective fins in the hollow tube. The spacing of the fibers in the bundles of the filter module may be increased by twisting a bundle in a first direction about a longitudinal axis to stretch the fibers, sliding a plurality of sleeved segments over the twisted bundle to fix the position of portions of the fibers at predetermined points along the length of the bundle, and untwisting the bundle to generate a plurality of outward bows of the fibers from the longitudinal axis of the bundle, thus creating spaces between the fibers in the bundles. The module may also include a first plurality of nettings each enclosing a separate one of the plurality of bundles and a second plurality of nettings each positioned over one of the first plurality of nettings and having a coarser texture than the first plurality of nettings.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.