Fluid separation assembly and fluid separation module
OwnerChester B. Frost, Brett R. Kruegerinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fluid separation assembly (10) having a fluid permeable membrane (38 and 62) and a wire mesh membrane (18 and 28) adjacent the fluid permeable membrane (38 and 62), wherein the wire mesh membrane (18 and 28) supports the fluid permeable membrane (38 and 62) and is coated with an intermetallic diffusion barrier. The barrier may be a thin film containing at least one of a nitride, oxide, boride, silicide, carbide and aluminide. Several groups of multiple fluid separation assemblies (104) can be used in a module (85) to separate hydrogen from a gas mixture containing hydrogen.
Claims77
A method for separating a desired fluid from a fluid mixture, comprising the step of passage a fluid through a passageway through a module, the module comprising:
- (a) a housing having a wall;
- (b) a first plurality of fluid separation assemblies within the housing, each of the first plurality of fluid separation assemblies are adjacent one another;
- (c) a fluid passageway defined by the fluid separation assemblies and the housing wall;
- and
- (d) a turbulence screen within the passageway between adjacent fluid separation assemblies.
A fluid separation module, comprising:
- (a) a housing having a wall;
- (b) a first plurality of fluid separation assemblies within the housing, wherein each of the first plurality of fluid separation assemblies are adjacent one another;
- (c) a fluid passageway defined by the fluid separation assemblies and the housing wall;
- and
- (d) a turbulence screen within the passageway between adjacent fluid separation assemblies.
A fluid separation module, comprising:
- (a) a housing having a wall;
- (b) a first plurality of fluid separation assemblies within the housing, each of the first plurality of fluid separation assemblies are adjacent one another,
- (c) a second plurality of fluid separation assemblies within the housing, each of the second plurality of fluid separation assemblies are adjacent one another;
- (d) a plurality of plates within the housing, the plurality of plates positioned between and separating the first plurality of fluid separation assemblies from the second plurality of fluid separation assemblies;
- (e) a fluid passageway defined by the plurality of plates, the membrane assemblies and the housing wall;
- and
- (f) a turbulence screen within the passageway between adjacent fluid separation assemblies, the fluid separation assemblies comprising:
- (i) a permeate plate having a first surface, a second surface, a fluid outlet and fluid passageways extending from the first surface and the second surface to the fluid outlet;
- (ii) first and second wire mesh membranes adjacent the first surface and the second surface of the permeate plate, respectively, each of the first and second wire mesh membranes comprising a wire mesh having a coating that is an intermetallic diffusion bonding barrier and having an opening aligned with the fluid outlet of the permeate plate;
- and
- (iii) first and second fluid permeable membranes, the first fluid permeable membrane adjacent a surface of the first wire mesh membrane opposite the permeate plate, the second fluid permeable membrane adjacent a surface of the second wire mesh membrane opposite the permeate plate, each of the first and second permeable membranes having an opening aligned with the fluid outlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.