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US 7,404,843 B2Granted
Gas separation membrane module assembly
AssigneeMembrane Technology and Research, Inc.
InventorsJürgen Kaschemekat, Donald Fulton, Nicholas Wynn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas-separation membrane module assembly and a gas-separation process using the assembly. The assembly includes a set of tubes, each containing gas-separation membranes, arranged within a housing. The housing contains tube sheets that divide the space within the housing into three separate, gas-tight spaces, with the tubes mounted in the central space. Within this space, each tube has an aperture or hole in its wall that enables gas that has been retained on the feed side of the membranes to flow out of the tubes and into the space. The assembly can be used in various ways to carry out gas separation processes.
Claims34
A gas-separation assembly, comprising:
- (a) a plurality of tubes each having a longitudinal tube wall and a tube interior containing gas separation membranes;
- (b) a housing containing the tubes, the housing having a housing interior and comprising a feed end, a permeate end and a central portion between the ends;
- (c) a feed-end tube sheet mounted in the housing towards the feed end;
- (d) a permeate-end tube sheet mounted in the housing towards the permeate end;
- the tube sheets dividing the housing interior into three separate gas-tight spaces:
- (i) a feed gas space at the feed end, (ii) a permeate gas space at the permeate end, and (iii) a residue gas space in the central portion between the feed and permeate spaces, and in which the tubes are mounted in spaced-apart relationship with each other;
- the feed-end tube sheet having a plurality of feed openings that provide gas-transferring communication between the tube interior and the feed gas space;
- and
- the permeate-end tube sheet having a plurality of permeate openings that provide gas-transferring relationship between the membranes and the permeate end space;
- (e) a feed gas port at the feed end;
- (f) a permeate gas port at the permeate end;
- (g) a residue gas port in the central portion;
- (h) at least one aperture in each longitudinal tube wall enabling residue gas to flow from the tube interior to the residue gas space.
10 more elements
A gas-separation assembly, comprising:
- (a) a plurality of tubes, each having a longitudinal tube wall and a tube interior containing at least one spiral-wound membrane module, the module having a protruding permeate pipe;
- (b) a housing containing the tubes, the housing having a housing interior and comprising a removable feed head, a removable permeate head and a shell between the heads;
- (c) a feed-end tube sheet mounted in the housing towards the feed head, the feed-end tube sheet containing a feed opening for each tube of a first diameter approximately the same as the tube, the tubes being aligned over the feed openings and attached to the feed-end tube sheet so as to provide a gas-tight seal between the tubes and the feed-end tube sheet;
- (d) a permeate extension pipe, connected to the permeate pipe by a connector, the connected pipes protruding longitudinally out of the tube;
- (e) a permeate-end tube sheet mounted in the housing towards the permeate head, the permeate-end tube sheet containing a permeate opening for each permeate extension pipe of a second diameter approximately the same as the connector, and large enough to permit the connector and the permeate extension pipe to slide through the permeate opening;
- (f) an end plate attached to the permeate extension pipe and reversibly sealed to the permeate-end tube sheet in gas-tight manner around the permeate openings;
- the tube sheets dividing the housing interior into three separate gas-tight spaces:
- (I) a feed gas space adjacent to the feed head, (II) a permeate gas space adjacent to the permeate head, and (III) a residue gas space inside the shell between the feed and permeate spaces and containing the tubes;
- (g) a feed gas port in the feed head;
- (h) a permeate gas port in the permeate head;
- (i) a residue gas port in the shell;
- (j) at least one aperture in each longitudinal tube wall enabling residue gas to flow from the tube interior to the residue gas space.
9 more elements
A gas-separation assembly, comprising:
- (a) a vessel having an outer wall and an interior space divided into three gas-tight spaces:
- a first end space, a second end space and a middle space between the end spaces;
- (b) a plurality of tubes, each having a tube interior containing at least one membrane module, the tubes being mounted in the middle space;
- (c) three ports in the outer wall, one for each space, that enable gas to flow between an environment outside the vessel and the space;
- (d) first means to allow gas flow between the first space and the tubes;
- (e) second means to collect a permeate gas from a permeate region of the membrane modules and allow gas flow between the permeate region and the second end space;
- (f) third means to allow gas to flow between the tube interiors and the middle space.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.