US 9,636,631 B1 · Mechanical membrane for the separation of a paramagnetic constituent from a fluid

Abstract

The disclosure provides an apparatus and method for the separation of a paramagnetic component from a mixture using a mechanical membrane apparatus. The mechanical membrane comprises a supporting material having a plurality of pores where each pore is surrounded by a plurality of magnetic regions. The magnetic regions augment a magnetic field on one side of the supporting material while mitigating the field to near zero on the opposite side. In operation, a flow of fluid such as air comprising a paramagnetic component such as O2 is directed toward the mechanical membrane, and the paramagnetic component is typically attracted toward a magnetic field surrounding a pore while dimagnetic components such as N2 are generally repelled. As some portion of the fluid passes through the plurality of magnetic apertures to the opposite side of the mechanical membrane, the mechanical membrane generates a fluid enriched in the paramagnetic component. Alternately, the magnetic field may act to repel the paramagnetic component while diamagnetic components such as N2 are generally unaffected and pass to the opposite side of the mechanical membrane.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A mechanical membrane for the separation of a paramagnetic component from a fluid comprising the paramagnetic component comprising:

a supporting material having a first surface and a second surface;
a plurality of magnetic apertures, where each magnetic aperture comprises
a pore extending through the supporting material and comprising a first pore opening on the first surface of the supporting material and a second pore opening on the second surface of the supporting material, and,
a magnetic area around the first pore opening, where the magnetic area comprises a plurality of magnetic regions, where each magnetic region in the plurality of magnetic regions has a magnetic field in a direction from a south pole to a north pole, and where the magnetic area generates a pore magnetic field comprising a first magnetic field portion above the first pore opening and a second magnetic field portion above the second pore opening, where a magnitude of the first magnetic field portion is greater than a magnitude of the second magnetic field portion.

1 more element

A system for the separation of a paramagnetic component from a fluid comprising the paramagnetic component comprising:

a forced circulation means generating a flow of the fluid comprising the paramagnetic component;
a fluid reservoir in fluid communication with the forced circulation means and receiving the flow of the fluid;
and
a mechanical membrane in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir and comprising,
a supporting material having a first surface and a second surface and,
a plurality of magnetic apertures, where each magnetic aperture comprises
a pore extending through the supporting material and comprising a first pore opening on the first surface of the supporting material and a second pore opening on the second surface of the supporting material and,
a magnetic area around the first pore opening, and where the magnetic area comprises a plurality of magnetic regions, where each magnetic region in the plurality of magnetic regions has a magnetic field in a direction from a south pole to a north pole, and where the magnetic area generates magnetic field comprising a first magnetic field portion above the first pore opening and a second magnetic field portion above the second pore opening, where a magnitude of the first magnetic field portion is greater than a magnitude of the second magnetic field portion, and some part of the first magnetic field portion extending into some portion of the flow of the fluid and the first pore opening receiving an enriched fluid, where the enriched fluid comprises a quantity of the some portion of the flow of fluid, and the second pore opening issuing the enriched fluid.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Mechanical membrane for the separation of a paramagnetic constituent from a fluid

Life of this patent

Mechanical membrane for the separation of a paramagnetic constituent from a fluid

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13