Hollow fiber membrane separation device with a housing made from a flexible material
First Claim
1. A hollow fiber separation device comprising:
- (a) a bundle of hollow fiber membranes having open bores in one or more tubesheets;
(b) at least one of said tubesheet or tubesheets being enclosed by an end cap; and
(c) a flexible housing made from a polymeric shrinkable material, substantially impermeable to the fluids being treated, contacting and enclosing the bundle and extending between the ends of the bundle, said housing being sealingly in contact with the tubesheet(s) or the end cap(s) or both, at each end of the bundle.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is a hollow fiber separation assembly having one or more bundles of hollow fiber membranes with a tubesheet at each end enclosed by an end cap. An impermeable housing, preferably made from a flexible polymeric material, most preferably a shrinkable tubing, contacts and encloses the bundle, extending between the end caps. The polymeric, impermeable housing contacts and compacts the array of fibers in the bundle to enhance axial flow along the outside of individual fibers, protects the fiber bundle between the end caps, and contains the permeated fluid and diverts it to a port or ports at the end(s) of the bundle. This hollow fiber separation device provides a large capacity, and is also low cost, lightweight, may be used as a stand-alone separation device, and does not have a high-pressure section which requires testing.
43 Citations
15 Claims
-
1. A hollow fiber separation device comprising:
-
(a) a bundle of hollow fiber membranes having open bores in one or more tubesheets; (b) at least one of said tubesheet or tubesheets being enclosed by an end cap; and (c) a flexible housing made from a polymeric shrinkable material, substantially impermeable to the fluids being treated, contacting and enclosing the bundle and extending between the ends of the bundle, said housing being sealingly in contact with the tubesheet(s) or the end cap(s) or both, at each end of the bundle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A process for assembling a separation device comprising:
-
(a) fabricating a bundle of hollow fiber membranes with one or more tubesheets; (b) machining the tubesheets to open the ends of the hollow fiber membranes; (c) pacing an end cap having an open end over at least one tubesheet; and (d) placing a flexible housing made of an impermeable material over the bundle and over the open end of the end cap, said material being a polymeric shrinkable material. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
Specification