Hollow fiber membrane contact apparatus and process
AssigneeEntegris, Inc.
InventorsBipin S. Parekh, Rajnikant B. Patel, Kwok-Shun Cheng
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is a shell side contactor which can be used to form ozonated water. The contactor includes a shell and a plurality of porous perfluoroalkoxy resin thermoplastic hollow fibers that are potted at each end of the shell. The perfluoroalkoxy resin hollow fibers can be unskinned, skinned on their inner surface, or skinned on their outer surfaces. The contactor is provided with a spacer that spreads the hollow fibers adjacent an inlet to the shell, thereby permitting liquid flow at desirably high flow rates with acceptable pressure drop through the shell. The mass transfer efficiency of the contactor can be enhanced by jetting water into the fiber bundle and introducing gaps into the bundle.
Claims19
A shell side liquid-gas phase contactor comprising:
- a bundle of a plurality of porous perfluorinated thermoplastic hollow fiber membranes comprising a polymer selected from the group consisting of poly (tetrafluoroethylene-co-perfluoro (alkylvinylether)), tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene, and blends of these,
- the hollow fibers having a first end and a second end, an outer surface and an inner surface;
- the hollow fiber membranes selected from the group consisting of:
- hollow fiber membranes having a porous skinned inner surface, a porous outer surface, and a porous support structure between;
- hollow fiber membranes having a porous skinned outer surface, a porous inner surface, and a porous support structure between;
- and
- hollow fiber membranes having a porous outer surface, a porous inner surface, and a porous support structure between,
- a perfluorinated thermoplastic housing wherein both ends of the hollow fibers are potted with a perfluorinated thermoplastic seal forming a unitary end structure with the housing where the fiber ends are open to fluid flow,
- the housing having an inner wall and an outer wall wherein the inner wall of the housing and the outer surface of the hollow fiber membranes define a fluid flow volume,
- the housing having a gas inlet to supply a gas to the first end of the hollow fiber lumen and a gas outlet for removal of gas from the second end of the hollow fibers,
- the housing having a liquid inlet fitting to supply a liquid to be contacted with the outer surface of the hollow fiber membranes and a liquid outlet fitting to remove the liquid contacted with the outer surface of the fibers in the housing, said liquid inlet fitting and said liquid outlet fitting are ½ inch to 1 inch and carry water at flow rates up to 10 gallons per minute;
- and
- spacer means for reducing pressure drop within said housing, said spacer means located at an unpotted portion of the hollow fibers adjacent the liquid inlet spreads said hollow fiber membranes, said contactor has packing density of said hollow fiber membranes whereby a shell side liquid pressure drop of said contactor is between about 2 psig and about 15 psig at a water flow rate of 5 gpm at 25° C.
A shell side liquid-gas phase contactor made from a perfluorinated thermoplastic polymer for contacting a liquid with a gas said contactor comprising:
- a bundle of porous perfluorinated thermoplastic hollow fibers having a first end and a second end, the hollow fibers formed of a polymer selected from the group consisting of poly (tetrafluoroethylene-co-perfluoro (alkylvinylether)), tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene, and blends of these polymers,
- the hollow fibers having an outer surface and an inner surface,
- a perfluorinated thermoplastic housing wherein each end of the hollow fiber are potted to form a liquid tight seal forming a unitary end structure with the surrounding housing wherein the hollow fiber ends are open;
- the housing having an inner wall and an outer wall wherein the inner wall of the housing and the hollow fiber outer surface defines a liquid flow volume,
- the housing having a gas inlet to supply a gas to the first end of the hollow fibers and a gas outlet to remove gas from the second end of the hollow fibers;
- the housing has a spacer that reduces the pressure drop within said housing, said spacer, located at an unpotted portion of the hollow fibers adjacent the liquid inlet, spreads said hollow fibers, said contactor has packing density of said hollow fibers whereby a shell side liquid pressure drop of said contactor is between about 2 psig and about 15 psig at a water flow rate of 5 gpm at 25° C.;
- the housing has a liquid inlet fitting to supply a liquid to be contacted with the outer surface of the hollow fibers and a liquid outlet fitting to remove the contacted liquid from the housing, said inlet fitting and said outlet fitting are ½ inch to 1 inch and carry water at flow rates up to 10 gallons per minute.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.