# US 9,433,903 B2 · Gas sparger for a filtering membrane

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- Number: US 9,433,903 B2
- Document ID: US9433903B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/394,104
- Filed: 2010-07-30
- Published: 2012-12-27
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2009-09-03
- Assignees: Zenon Technology Partnership
- Applicants: Jeffrey Ronald Cumin; Henry Behmann; Youngseck Hong; Reid Bayly; Zhaoyang Wan; Joseph Breitner
- Inventors: Jeffrey Ronald Cumin; Henry Behmann; Youngseck Hong; Reid Bayly; Zhaoyang Wan; Joseph Breitner
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9433903B2

## CPC

- B01D 65/02: Membrane cleaning or sterilisation {; Membrane regeneration}
- B01D 61/18: Apparatus therefor
- B01D 65/00: Accessories or auxiliary operations, in general, for separation processes or apparatus using semi-permeable membranes
- B01D 65/08: Prevention of membrane fouling or of concentration polarisation
- B01F 23/23123: {consisting of rigid porous or perforated material}
- B01F 23/231242: {in the form of slits or cut-out openings}
- B01F 23/231244: {Dissolving, hollow fiber membranes}
- B01F 23/231263: {having dome-, cap- or inversed cone-shape}
- B01D 61/12: Controlling or regulating
- B01D 61/22: Controlling or regulating
- B01D 2313/26: Specific gas distributors or gas intakes
- B01D 2315/06: Submerged-type; Immersion type
- B01D 2321/185: Aeration
- B01D 2321/26: By suction
- B01F 23/231265: {being tubes, tubular elements, cylindrical elements or set of tubes}
- Y02W 10/10: Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)
- B01F: MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING (mixing paints B44D3/06)
- Y02W: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT

## Abstract

A gas sparger for a filtering membrane system produces an intermittent flow of bubbles even if provided with a relatively continuous gas flow. The sparger has a housing to collect a pocket of gas and a conduit to release some of the gas from the pocket when the pocket reaches a sufficient size. Optionally, a cover over an outlet from the conduit may break up or distribute the released gas. A large sparger for can comprise a plurality of smaller units or areas. The supply of gas to the sparger may vary in flow rate over larger periods of time in response to changes in conditions in the membrane system to change the time between consecutive bursts of bubbles. A gas supply pipe may have two or more outlets at different elevations in communication with each of two or more units or areas.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for gas sparging a membrane module immersed in a liquid in a membrane system, the process comprising the steps of,
a) immersing a sparger in the liquid, the sparger having a conduit with an outlet from the sparger and an inlet, the inlet in communication with a chamber defined by the sparger and adapted to hold a pocket of gas in the liquid, the conduit having a low point between the inlet and outlet; and,
b) feeding gas into the sparger at a specified minimum rate sufficient to cause bubbles to emerge from the outlet at least once every 30 seconds;
c) observing or calculating a membrane system operating parameter while operating the membrane system to withdraw permeate during a series of polling intervals;
d) feeding gas into the sparger at a pre-selected increased rate in a subsequent polling interval if the membrane system operating parameter crosses a first specified threshold value while feeding gas into the sparger at the specified minimum rate in a polling interval; and,
e) feeding gas at the specified minimum rate in another subsequent polling interval if the membrane system operating parameter crosses a second specified threshold value while feeding gas into the sparger at the pre-selected increased rate in another polling interval.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising a step of diffusing or distributing the bubbles after they emerge from the outlet.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising a step of locating the sparger below, beside or in combination with the membrane module.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1, 2, 3)

The process of any of claims 1 to 3 wherein gas is fed into the sparger at the specified minimum rate and at the pre-selected increased rate such that bubbles emerge from the outlet in a burst once every 2 to 20 seconds.

### Claim 5

A process for gas sparging membrane modules immersed in a liquid, the process comprising the steps of,
a) immersing a first sparger and a second sparger in the liquid below the membrane modules, each of the first and second spargers having a conduit with an outlet from the sparger and an inlet, the inlet in communication with a chamber defined by the sparger and adapted to hold a pocket of gas in the liquid, the conduit having a low point between the inlet and outlet; and,
b) feeding gas into the first and second spargers at a rate sufficient to cause bubbles to emerge from the outlet at least once every 30 seconds;
c) wherein the second sparger is optionally integral with or separate from the first sparger; and,
d) flowing gas from the pocket of gas in the first sparger to the chamber of the second sparger to thereby reduce a time delay between the release of bubbles from the first and second spargers.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein the membrane system operating parameter is selected from the group consisting of resistance, transmembrane pressure, permeability, flux, solids concentration, temperature and mathematical combinations or conversions thereof.