Abstract: The present invention is related to a new membrane cartridge system comprising hollow fiber membranes, a special new end cap for the production of the new cartridge, membrane separation devices comprising the new membrane cartridges and a process for manufacture of the new cartridges.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel cartridges and modules for separation of fluid mixtures, especially for gas separation, to a process for production thereof and to a method of use thereof.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a new membrane cartridge system comprising hollow fiber membranes, a special new end cap for the production of the new cartridge, membrane separation devices comprising the new membrane cartridges and a process for manufacture of the new cartridges.

Abstract: A membrane module (100) has an upper header.(108) and multiple lower headers (110). A bundle of membranes (24) potted in the upper header is sub-bundled into the lower headers. The membranes (24) may be arranged in the upper header into a number of generally parallel sheets or planes and arranged into a lower header (110) into a lesser number of sheets or planes. Spaces between the multiple lower headers (110) help gas bubbles rise into the module (100) or water containing solids drain from the module (100). The module (100) may be used in batch or continuous filtration processes. In one specific process, water flows downwards through the module (100) and air bubbles are provided from near the bottom of the module (100).

Abstract: A module has a housing and a tube-sheet. Hollow fiber membranes are potted in the tube-sheet with their ends open. Mechanical interference prevents excessive movement of the tube-sheet along the length of the housing. A gasket is placed in a groove between the tube-sheet and the housing, opening towards the outer face of the tube-sheet. A cap is secured and sealed to the end of the housing. To construct the module, membranes are placed inside of the housing with their ends protruding. A potting fixture is attached to the end of the housing over the ends of the membranes and protruding into the end of the housing so as to form the groove. Liquid potting material is injected into the potting fixture and solidified into a tube-sheet. The potting fixture is removed and the ends of the fibers are cut open. The module may be used, for example, to dehydrate a fermentation product vapour mixture fed through the lumens of the fibres by extracting water vapour permeated into the housing under partial vacuum.

Abstract: A module is disclosed for use as a membrane device, comprising, a shell with fluid couplings removably affixed to each of its ends and at least one non-disassemblable cartridge operably held within the shell. The cartridge is constructed from plural wafers sequentially coaxially aligned, each wafer consisting essentially of a generally planar frame and an array of hollow fibers of selectively permeable material adhesively held by their ends in opposed portions of the border of the frame, without initially potting the ends. Each frame has a central through-passage, and multiple frames together define an axial through passage in each cartridge through which a feedstream is typically flowed in "outside-in" flow. Each opposed portion of border is provided with longitudinal, laterally spaced apart grooves in its upper surface and the fibers trained in the grooves, and successive wafers are bonded together. The bores of the fibers are in open fluid communication with the permeate zone in the shell.

Abstract: A frameless array unconfined in a modular shell, proves to be a surprisingly effective membrane device for withdrawing permeate from a substrate, the flux through the membranes reaching an essentially constant relatively high value because of the critical deployment of fibers of the array as a skein, arching in a buoyantly swayable generally parabolic configuration within the substrate, above at least one of the array's headers in which the terminal end portions of the fibers are potted. The length of each fiber must be greater than the direct center-to-center distance between the array's pair of headers. For use in a large reservoir, an assembly of the array and a gas distributor means has fibers preferably >0.5 meter long, which together provide a surface area >10 m.sup.2. The terminal end portions of fibers in each header are substantially free from fiber-to-fiber contact.

Abstract: A module is disclosed for use as a membrane device, comprising, a shell with fluid couplings removably affixed to each of its ends and at least one non-disassemblable cartridge operably held within the shell. The cartridge is constructed from plural wafers sequentially coaxially aligned, each wafer consisting essentially of a generally planar frame and an array of hollow fibers of selectively permeable material adhesively held by their ends in opposed portions of the border of the frame, without potting the ends. Several cartridges may be coaxially "ganged" to provide the required filtration area. The cartridges may be removably disposed in the shell, or secured therein so that the entire module may be discarded when its efficiency is unacceptably low. The wafers are adhesively secured to define a fluid-tight conduit with open ends through which a feedstream is flowed transversely over the fibers. The bores of the fibers are in open fluid communication with the permeate zone in the shell.

Abstract: A module is disclosed for use as a membrane device, comprising, a shell with fluid couplings removably affixed to each of its ends containing at least one cartridge having an axial conduit. The cartridge is formed with plural frameless arrays of hollow fibers of selectively permeable material. Each array is free of any means to support the fibers intermediate split-clip headers in which the fibers are held near their opposite ends, except for tension cords which may be substituted for fibers. The split-clip headers are mirror-images of each other. Each has a peripheral potting channel and longitudinal, laterally spaced apart grooves in the split-clip headers. The upper and lower sections, placed one upon the other, together form through-passages ("grooves") in which terminal portions of the fibers are snugly embraced. The fibers lie in parallel spaced-apart relationship in a plane substantially orthogonal to the axial conduit, and their ends are cut before a stack of arrays is potted.