Membrane air dryer with integral diffuser and method of manufacture thereof
AssigneePorous Media Corporation
InventorsJohn H. Burban, Robert O. Crowder, Michael R. Spearman, Keith A. Roberts
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A membrane air drier utilizes an orifice to serve as the sweep air inlet with a sweep diffuser placed a short distance from the orifice. Preferably, an open channel extends from the product end of the membrane module on the shell side of the fibers with a porous diffuser at one end of the open channel and an orifice at the other end of the channel.
Claims16
A membrane air drier comprising;
- a) a shell,
- b) a bundle of hollow fibers sealingly mounted within said shell so that the interior of said hollow fibers is blocked from fluid communication with the exterior of said hollow fibers,
- c) a first endcap sealingly mounted at one end of said shell to provide a first plenum adjacent a first end of said bundle of hollow fibers, said first endcap having an inlet in fluid communication with said first plenum,
- d) a second endcap sealingly mounted at one end of said shell to provide a second plenum adjacent a second end of said bundle of hollow fibers, said second endcap having an outlet in fluid communication with said second plenum,
- e) at least one open channel extending from said bundle of hollow fibers;
- wherein each of said at least one open channels comprises a diffuser, and each diffuser comprises an orifice and a porous tube.
A fiber bundle for a membrane air dryer comprising:
- a bundle of hollow fibers sealed at each end, so that the interior of said hollow fibers is blocked from fluid communication with the exterior of said hollow fibers, and
- at least one channel extending from an end of said bundle of hollow fibers, each of said at least one channels comprising a diffuser, each diffuser comprising an orifice and a porous tube.
A method of manufacturing a membrane module having fibers which have a shell side, the membrane module having an open channel extending from a product end of the membrane module on the shell side of the fibers with a porous diffuser at one end of the open channel, and an orifice at the other end of the channel comprising the steps of:
- inserting a plug into a one ended porous tube;
- inserting the combination so produced into the end of a bundle of fibers before potting;
- potting at least one end of the membrane module to fix in place the combination of the plug and porous tube;
- cutting the at least one end of the potted module for sufficient distance to open up the lumen side of the fibers;
- removing the plug from the porous tube;
- and
- inserting an orifice into the open channel proximate the end of the module.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.