Fluid exchange membrane module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10158129-B2
Application number	US-201415025089-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2014
Priority date	Sep 30, 2013
Publication date	Dec 18, 2018
Grant date	Dec 18, 2018

Abstract

A fluid exchange membrane module includes a case including at least two pairs of fluid inlets and fluid outlets, and a fluid exchange membrane installed within the case and disposed so that a dry fluid flowing between one pair of a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet does not directly contact a high-humidity fluid flowing between another pair of a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet in the operating state of the module. The fluid inlet for the high-humidity fluid includes a diffuser. The fluid exchange membrane module may adiabatically expand a fluid flowing toward one side of a fluid exchange membrane and thus increase the relative humidity of the high-temperature and high-humidity fluid so as to maximize fluid transmission through the fluid exchange membrane, and may decrease the pressure of the fluid so as to uniform pressure distribution of a fluid flow.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fluid exchange membrane module comprising
a case including at least two pairs of fluid inlets and fluid outlets, the at least two pairs comprising a first pair of a first fluid inlet and a first fluid outlet and a second pair of a second fluid inlet and a second fluid outlet,
a fluid exchange membrane installed within the case and disposed so that a dry fluid flowing between the first fluid inlet and the first fluid outlet does not directly contact a high-humidity fluid flowing between the second fluid inlet and the second fluid outlet in the operating state of the fluid exchange membrane module, wherein among the at least two pairs of fluid inlets and fluid outlets, only the first fluid inlet to introduce the high-humidity fluid into the fluid exchange membrane module therethrough includes a diffuser, and
an adiabatic member configured to thermally insulate the diffuser.

2. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 1 , wherein the diffuser is installed at a pipe connected to the first fluid inlet.

3. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 1 , wherein the diffuser includes a first inner diameter part and a second inner diameter part having different inner diameters.

4. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 3 , wherein the inner diameter of the second inner diameter part is greater than the inner diameter of the first inner diameter part.

5. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 3 , wherein the first inner diameter part is disposed at an upstream region of a fluid flow and the second inner diameter part is disposed at a downstream region of the fluid flow.

6. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 3 , wherein the ratio of the inner diameter of the second inner diameter part to the inner diameter of the first inner diameter part is 2:1 to 20:1.

7. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 3 , wherein the diffuser further includes an inner diameter extension part located between the first inner diameter part and the second inner diameter part.

8. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 7 , wherein the inner diameter of the inner diameter extension part is gradually increased from the inner diameter of the first inner diameter part to the inner diameter of the second inner diameter part.

9. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 8 , wherein the diffuser has a Venturi tube shape.

10. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 9 , wherein the inner diameter of the first inner diameter part is gradually decreased.

11. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 10 , wherein the ratio of a length at which the inner diameter of the inner diameter extension part is gradually increased to a length at which the inner diameter of the first inner diameter part is gradually decreased is 1:1 to 10:1.

12. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 3 , wherein the first inner diameter part is an orifice plate.

13. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 12 , wherein:
the orifice plate includes a plate including at least one opening; and
the ratio of the inner diameter of the second inner diameter part to the diameter of the opening is 3:1 to 30:1.

14. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 3 , wherein the first inner diameter part is a nozzle.

15. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 14 , wherein the inner diameter of the first inner diameter part is gradually decreased.

16. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid exchange membrane is formed as a hollow fiber membrane, and the case and the fluid exchange membrane are disposed such that the dry fluid flows through hollows of the hollow fiber membrane and the high-humidity fluid flows outside the hollow fiber membrane.

17. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 16 , wherein:
the case includes an inlet case provided with the first fluid inlet, an outlet case provided with the first fluid outlet, and a connection case provided with the second fluid inlet and the second fluid outlet;
the case has a connection structure in which the inlet case and the outlet case are connected by the connection case; and
hollow fibers are disposed within the case such that one end of each of the hollow fibers in the length direction is located at the inlet case and the other end of each of the hollow fibers is located at the outlet case.

18. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 17 , in which potting parts to fix the hollow fibers are installed at both ends of the connection case.

19. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid exchange membrane is formed as a flat sheet membrane, and the case and the fluid exchange membrane are disposed such that the dry fluid flows along one surface of the flat sheet membrane and the high-humidity fluid flows along the other surface of the flat sheet membrane.

20. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 19 , wherein:
the case has an inner space formed therein and is provided with the at least two pairs of fluid inlets and fluid outlets so that fluids are supplied from the outside of the case to the inner space and the fluids are discharged from the inner space to the outside of the case; and
the fluid exchange membrane is disposed within the case such that the circumference of the flat sheet membrane contacts the inner wall of the case so as to divide the inner space of the case into two sub-spaces, one sub-space of the two sub-spaces is connected to the first fluid inlet and the first fluid outlet and the other sub-space is connected to another pair of the second fluid inlet and the second fluid outlet.

21. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid exchange membrane module is any one of selected from the group consisting of a moisture supply module, a heat exchange module, a gas separation module and a water treatment module.

22. The fluid exchange membrane module according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid exchange membrane module does not include a heat exchanger.

Assignees

• Kolon Inc

Inventors

• Kim Kyoung Ju
• Oh Young Seok
• Lee Jin Hyung

Classifications

• B01F3/04241

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01D71/68

  Polysulfones; Polyethersulfones · CPC title

• C02F1/44

  by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis {(general membrane separation processes B01D61/00, membrane modules B01D63/00, electrodialysis C02F1/4693, combination of membrane modules and bioreactors C02F3/1268)} · CPC title

• B01D53/228

  characterised by specific membranes · CPC title

• B01F2003/04319

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic