Filtration assembly including spiral wound bioreactors and hyperfiltration membrane modules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10286361-B2
Application number	US-201515552977-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2015
Priority date	Apr 16, 2015
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

A filtration assembly including: i) a hyperfiltration assembly including: a high pressure vessel including a feed port, concentrate port and permeate port, and a plurality of serially arranged spiral wound hyperfiltration membrane modules; ii) a bioreactor assembly including: a plurality of spiral wound bioreactors each comprising a flat sheet having two opposing bio-growth surfaces and a feed spacer spirally wound about an axis (Y); and iii) a fluid flow pathway adapted for fluid connection with a fluid feed source and extending in a parallel flow pattern through the bioreactors, and subsequently into the feed port of the high pressure vessel, successively through the spiral wound hyperfiltration membrane modules in a serial flow pattern and out of the concentrate port and permeate port.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A filtration assembly ( 86 ) comprising:
i) a hyperfiltration assembly ( 38 ) comprising:
a) a high pressure vessel ( 40 ) comprising a feed port ( 42 ), concentrate port ( 43 ) and permeate port ( 44 );
b) a plurality of serially arranged spiral wound hyperfiltration membrane modules ( 2 ) located within the high pressure vessel ( 40 ) and each comprising at least one membrane envelop wound ( 4 ) around a permeate tube ( 8 ) forming a permeate pathway to the permeate port ( 44 );

ii) a bioreactor assembly ( 72 ) comprising:
a) a plurality of spiral wound bioreactors ( 52 ) each comprising a flat sheet ( 54 ) having two opposing bio-growth surfaces ( 56 , 56 ′) and a feed spacer ( 58 ) spirally wound about a hollow conduit ( 70 ) having an inner surface ( 71 ) extending along axis (Y) from a first end ( 60 ) to a second end ( 62 ) with a first scroll face ( 64 ) located near the first end ( 60 ) and a second scroll face ( 66 ) located near the second end ( 62 ) and an end cap ( 78 ) sealed about the second scroll face ( 66 ); and
b) a first and second manifold ( 74 , 76 ) in fluid communication with each bioreactor ( 52 ); wherein the first and second manifolds ( 74 , 76 ) are in a common housing ( 79 ), the first manifold ( 74 ) includes a feed pathway ( 80 ), the second manifold ( 76 ) includes a treated feed pathway ( 82 ), and the feed pathway ( 80 ) and treated feed pathway ( 82 ) are sealed from each other within the common housing ( 79 ); and

iii) a fluid flow pathway adapted for fluid connection with a fluid feed source ( 88 ) and extending:
a) from the feed source ( 88 ) to the first manifold ( 74 ),
b) from the first manifold ( 74 ) to the second manifold ( 76 ) in a parallel flow pattern passing through each of said bioreactors ( 52 ), wherein the fluid pathway between first and second manifolds ( 74 , 76 ) through each bioreactor is defined by flow channels ( 68 ) of the feed spacer ( 58 ) that provide a fluid connection between the first scroll face ( 64 ) and second scroll face ( 66 ), the end cap ( 78 ) that contains a passage providing fluid connection between the second scroll face ( 66 ) and the interior of the hollow conduit ( 70 ), and the interior of the hollow conduit ( 70 ) providing fluid connection between first and second scroll faces ( 64 , 66 ); wherein inside surfaces of the conduit ( 70 ) are in fluid communication with the flat sheet ( 54 ) and feed spacer ( 58 ) only through the inlet or outlet scroll faces ( 64 , 66 ); and subsequently
c) from the second manifold ( 76 ) into the feed port ( 42 ) of the high pressure vessel ( 40 ), successively through the spiral wound hyperfiltration membrane modules ( 2 ) in a serial flow pattern and out of the concentrate port ( 43 ) and permeate port ( 44 ).

2. The filtration assembly ( 86 ) of claim 1 wherein the outer periphery of each bioreactor ( 52 ) includes an outer shell ( 84 ) that is exposed to ambient pressure.

3. The filtration assembly ( 86 ) of claim 1 comprising at least one microfiltration or ultrafiltration device located along the fluid flow pathway at a location including at least one of:
a) between the hyperfiltration assembly ( 38 ) and the bioreactor assembly ( 72 ), and
b) between a fluid feed source ( 88 ) and the bioreactor assembly ( 72 ).

4. The filtration assembly ( 86 ) of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of hyperfiltration assemblies ( 38 ) each in fluid communication with the bioreactor assembly ( 72 ), wherein the fluid flow pathway extends from the second manifold ( 76 ) of the bioreactor assembly ( 72 ) and into the feed port ( 42 ) of each hyperfiltration assembly ( 38 ).

5. The filtration assembly ( 86 ) of claim 1 wherein the filtration assembly ( 86 ) includes a plurality of parallel bioreactor assemblies ( 72 ) and valves ( 94 ) that enable each bioreactor assembly ( 72 ) to be isolated from a both common source of pressurized feed fluid ( 88 ) and other bioreactor assemblies ( 72 ′).

Assignees

• Dow Global Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Jons Steven D
• Johnson Jon E

Classifications

• B01D2317/04

  Elements in parallel · CPC title

• B01D2311/2688

  Biological processes · CPC title

• B01D2311/04

  Specific process operations in the feed stream; Feed pretreatment · CPC title

• B01D63/12

  comprising multiple spiral-wound assemblies · CPC title

• B01D61/04 Primary

  Feed pretreatment · CPC title