Membrane module with layered hollow-fiber membranes
First Claim
1. An apparatus for substance-specific treatment of a fluid comprising:
- a) a housing, b) an inlet arrangement, connected to a distribution space, for introducing the fluid to be treated into the housing, c) an outlet arrangement, connected to a collection space, for removing the treated fluid from the housing, d) an arrangement of first hollow-fiber membranes, and second hollow-fiber membranes, whereby the first and second hollow-fiber membranes in the arrangement are substantially parallel to each other and each of the hollow-fiber membranes respectively have an end facing the distribution space and an end facing the collection space, whereby the first hollow-fiber membranes have cavities formed by their walls, open in the direction of the distribution space and closed in the direction of the collection space, and at least at the respective end facing the distribution space are embedded in a sealing compound that is joined in a fluid-tight manner with a wall of the housing, and whereby the second hollow-fiber membranes have cavities formed by their walls, open in the direction of the collection space and closed in the direction of the distribution space, and at least at the respective end facing the collection space are embedded in a sealing compound that is joined in a fluid-tight manner to the wall of the housing, wherein the first hollow-fiber membranes are arranged in at least one flat first layer of adjacent first hollow-fiber membranes and the second hollow-fiber membranes are arranged in at least one flat second layer (19) of adjacent second hollow-fiber membranes, wherein each first layer is adjacent on at least one of its sides, over substantially the entire extent of its surface, to a second layer, and each second layer is adjacent on at least one of its sides, over substantially the entire extent of its surface, to a first layer, wherein the first and second layers have substantially the same thickness, wherein the housing contains a matrix on and/or in which substance-specific groups acting in a substance-specific manner are immobilized, and the filling ratio ε
of the housing is greater than 0.55.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and process for substance-specific treatment of fluids, whereby the apparatus comprises a housing with a distribution space and a collection space, between which is arranged a structure of adjacent flat first and second layers containing first and second hollow-fiber membranes, respectively, and a matrix on which groups acting in a substance-specific manner for fluid treatment are immobilized, whereby the filling ratio ε of the housing determined by the hollow-fiber membranes and the matrix is greater than 0.55. The first hollow-fiber membranes are open in the direction of the distribution space and closed in the direction of the collection space, and the second hollow-fiber membranes are open in the direction of the collection space and closed in the direction of the distribution space, and the hollow fiber membranes are embedded at least at their open end in the sealing compounds. The layers contained in the apparatus are substantially of equal thickness, and each first layer is, on at least one of its sides, adjacent to a second layer and each second layer is, on at least one of its sides, adjacent to a first layer.
-
Citations
37 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for substance-specific treatment of a fluid comprising:
-
a) a housing, b) an inlet arrangement, connected to a distribution space, for introducing the fluid to be treated into the housing, c) an outlet arrangement, connected to a collection space, for removing the treated fluid from the housing, d) an arrangement of first hollow-fiber membranes, and second hollow-fiber membranes, whereby the first and second hollow-fiber membranes in the arrangement are substantially parallel to each other and each of the hollow-fiber membranes respectively have an end facing the distribution space and an end facing the collection space, whereby the first hollow-fiber membranes have cavities formed by their walls, open in the direction of the distribution space and closed in the direction of the collection space, and at least at the respective end facing the distribution space are embedded in a sealing compound that is joined in a fluid-tight manner with a wall of the housing, and whereby the second hollow-fiber membranes have cavities formed by their walls, open in the direction of the collection space and closed in the direction of the distribution space, and at least at the respective end facing the collection space are embedded in a sealing compound that is joined in a fluid-tight manner to the wall of the housing, wherein the first hollow-fiber membranes are arranged in at least one flat first layer of adjacent first hollow-fiber membranes and the second hollow-fiber membranes are arranged in at least one flat second layer (19) of adjacent second hollow-fiber membranes, wherein each first layer is adjacent on at least one of its sides, over substantially the entire extent of its surface, to a second layer, and each second layer is adjacent on at least one of its sides, over substantially the entire extent of its surface, to a first layer, wherein the first and second layers have substantially the same thickness, wherein the housing contains a matrix on and/or in which substance-specific groups acting in a substance-specific manner are immobilized, and the filling ratio ε
of the housing is greater than 0.55.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
a) introducing the fluid to be treated via the inlet arrangement into the distribution space in the housing, the distribution space connected to the inlet arrangement, b) passing of the fluid from there into the cavities of the first hollow-fiber membranes and through the walls of the first hollow-fiber membranes, c) passing of the fluid out of the walls of the first hollow-fiber membranes, d) passing of the fluid into and through the walls of second hollow-fiber membranes, e) passing of the fluid out of the walls of the second hollow-fiber membranes into their cavities, f) passing of the fluid into the collection space, and, g) removing the fluid from the housing via the outlet arrangement, whereby the fluid on the way from the distribution space to the collection space flows through the matrix on and/or in which groups acting in a substance-specific manner are immobilized, and whereby at least one substance-specific treatment of the fluid takes place as it passes through the matrix.
-
-
34. The process according to claim 33, wherein the fluid to be treated in flowing through the matrix is successively subjected to at least two different substance-specific treatments.
-
35. The process according to claim 33, in that wherein the fluid to be treated is recirculated.
-
36. The process according to claim 33 conducted for cleaning/separation of ligates from a ligate-containing liquid by affinity, wherein the matrix is used on and/or in which ligands for the ligates are immobilized.
-
37. The process according to claim 33 conducted for catalytic treatment of fluids, characterized in that the matrix is used on and/or in which catalysts are immobilized.
Specification