Abstract: A hand drying system includes a drying chamber, a drain assembly, an intake assembly, and an exhaust assembly. The drying chamber defines an opening that is sized to receive hands of a user into the drying chamber. The drain assembly is connected to a chamber drain and is configured to drain fluids from within the drying chamber. The intake assembly has an intake conduit and a blower fan. The blower fan is configured to draw air into the intake conduit through an intake inlet and flow the drawn air into the drying chamber via chamber inlets. The exhaust assembly includes an exhaust conduit and an exhaust fan. The exhaust fan is configured to draw chamber air into the exhaust conduit via an exhaust inlet in the drying chamber and reduce air exiting the drying chamber through the opening.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for separation of substances using a membrane separation device includes a housing which is mechanically coupled to a substance inlet and a permeate outlet. The housing also supports a membrane filter that includes a tubular structure that is at least partially porous and is constructed in a helical-type shape. The membrane separation device separates substances by receiving a mixture of substances at the substance inlet and passing the substance to the membrane filter. Due to the helical-type shape, centrifugal force aids in the separation process, by mining fouling, and does so in a relatively small space while maximizing the specific membrane area.