Integrated membrane module rack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11383205-B2
Application number	US-201816636704-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2018
Priority date	Oct 19, 2017
Publication date	Jul 12, 2022
Grant date	Jul 12, 2022

Abstract

Fluid treatment system comprising a row of vertically arranged cylindrical filtration modules having a cylindrical shell, an upper end, a lower end and a shell interior and an upper and a lower header coupled to upper and lower end of the shell. In the shell interior, hollow fiber membranes are embedded with their ends in an upper and a lower tube sheet and are open at the ends. An exterior filtrate space is formed around the membranes extending between upper and lower tube sheets and an inner surface of the shell. Upper and lower head spaces are formed between upper and lower tube sheets and the respective headers. The lumina of the hollow fiber membranes are in fluid communication with the head spaces. The cylindrical shells comprise outlet ports being in fluid communication with the exterior filtrate spaces and being connected to a filtrate branch pipe. Upper headers are in fluid connection with each other thereby forming an upper collecting duct running along the row at the same level as or above the upper headers. Lower headers are in fluid connection with each other thereby forming a lower collecting duct running along the row on the level of or below the lower headers. The filtrate branch pipes are connected to and open into a filtrate collecting pipe running lengthwise of the row at the upper end of the filtration modules. Upper collecting duct and filtrate collecting pipe are arranged at the upper headers eccentrically and on different sides with respect to a cross-sectional center of the shell and parallel to each other at the same height level.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Fluid treatment system comprising at least one row of a plurality of vertically arranged cylindrical filtration modules,
each of the vertically arranged cylindrical filtration modules having a cylindrical shell with an upper end, a lower end and a shell interior and having an upper header and a lower header coupled to the upper end and the lower end, respectively, of the cylindrical shell,
a bundle of hollow fiber membranes being arranged in the shell interior with the hollow fiber membranes being embedded with their ends in an upper tube sheet and a lower tube sheet such that the hollow fiber membranes are open at their ends, which tube sheets being fluid-tightly sealed to an inner surface of the cylindrical shell such that an exterior filtrate space is formed around the hollow fiber membranes which extends between upper tube sheet, lower tube sheet and the inner surface of the cylindrical shell,
wherein an upper head space being formed between upper tube sheet and upper header and a lower head space being formed between lower tube sheet and lower header,
wherein the hollow fiber membranes each having a lumen and a wall and the lumina of the hollow fiber membranes being in fluid communication with upper and lower head spaces,
wherein the cylindrical shell comprises an outlet port attached thereto and being in fluid communication with the exterior filtrate space and being connected to a filtrate branch pipe,
wherein each row of the vertically arranged cylindrical filtration modules comprises two collecting ducts and a filtrate collecting pipe,
wherein the upper headers of the cylindrical filtration modules are in fluid connection with each other whereby a first of the two collecting ducts is formed as an upper collecting duct allowing fluid flow into the upper head spaces of the cylindrical filtration modules and running lengthwise of the at least one row at the same level as or above the upper headers of the cylindrical filtration modules,
wherein the lower headers of the cylindrical filtration modules are in fluid connection with each other whereby a second of the two collecting ducts is formed as an lower collecting duct allowing fluid flow into the lower head spaces of the cylindrical filtration modules and running lengthwise of the at least one row on the level of or below the lower headers of the cylindrical filtration modules
wherein the filtrate branch pipe of each cylindrical filtration module is connected to and opens into the filtrate collecting pipe running lengthwise of the at least one row at the upper end of the cylindrical filtration modules,
wherein the upper collecting duct and the filtrate collecting pipe are arranged at the upper headers of the filtration modules eccentrically with respect to a cross-sectional center of the cylindrical shell and on different sides of the center and are arranged side by side and parallel to each other at the same height level, and
wherein the lower collecting duct is arranged eccentrically with respect to the cross-sectional center of the cylindrical shell and wherein upper collecting duct and lower collecting duct are positioned at opposite sides of the cross-sectional center of the cylindrical shell.

2. Fluid treatment system according to claim 1 , characterized in that the upper collecting duct is integrated into the upper header in that the upper header of each cylindrical filtration module has a T-shaped form having a lower part being connected to the upper end of the cylindrical shell and horizontal side ports being directed lengthwise of the at least one row, wherein the horizontal side ports of neighbouring filtration modules facing each other are connected to form the upper collecting duct.

3. Fluid treatment system according to claim 2 , wherein the upper header has an asymmetric contour when looked along the at least one row with a higher section on the side of the upper collecting duct and a lower section on the side of the filtrate collecting pipe and wherein the filtrate collecting pipe is positioned on top of the lower part such that it is on the same level as the upper collecting duct.

4. Fluid treatment system according to claim 2 , wherein each upper header has a filtrate passageway therethrough being part of the filtrate collecting pipe,
wherein the filtrate passageways are fluid-tightly sealed to an outer wall of the upper headers at the points where the filtrate passageways pass through the outer wall of said headers,
wherein the filtrate passageways are arranged parallel to an extension of the at least one row of the plurality of vertically arranged filtration modules and
wherein the filtrate passageways of neighbouring filtration modules are connected to each other to form the filtrate collecting pipe.

5. Fluid treatment system according to claim 1 , characterized in that the upper header of each of the plurality of vertically arranged cylindrical filtration modules has a port connecting the upper head space of the filtration modules to respective side ports of an upper collecting pipe forming the upper collecting duct, which upper collecting pipe running lengthwise of the at least one row above the upper headers of the cylindrical filtration modules and connecting the upper head spaces of the cylindrical filtration modules.

6. Fluid treatment system according to claim 1 , characterized in that the lower header of each cylindrical filtration modules has a T-shaped form having an upper part being connected to the lower end of the cylindrical shell and horizontal side ports directed lengthwise of the at least one row, wherein the horizontal side ports of neighbouring filtration modules facing each other are connected to form the lower collecting duct.

7. Fluid treatment system according to claim 1 , characterized in that the lower header of each cylindrical filtration module has a port connecting the respective lower head space to a lower collecting pipe forming the lower collecting duct which lower collecting pipe running lengthwise of the at least one row below the lower headers of the cylindrical filtration modules and connecting the lower head spaces of the cylindrical filtration modules.

8. Fluid treatment system according to claim 1 , characterized in that the filtrate branch pipes of the cylindrical filtration modules within the at least one row are arranged between the filtration modules such that the branch pipes do not extend beyond the cylindrical filtration modules when looked along the at least one row.

9. Fluid treatment system according to claim 1 , characterized in that upper header or upper collecting duct and filtrate collecting pipe extend beyond an outer diameter of the cylindrical shell of the filtration modules by at most 20%, relative to the outer diameter of the cylindrical shell, when looked along the at least one row.

10. Fluid treatment system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the upper header of each cylindrical filtration module has a port connecting the respective upper head space to an upper collecting pipe forming the upper collecting duct, which upper collecting pipe is connecting the upper head spaces of the cylindrical filtration modules and is running lengthwise of the at least one row above the upper headers of the cylindrical filtration modules at the same height level as the filtrate pipe and/or
wherein the lower header of each cylindrical filtration module has a port connecting the respective lower head space to a lower collecting pipe forming the lower collecting duct which lower collecting pipe running lengthwise of the at least one row below the lower headers of the cylindrical filtration modules and connecting the lower head spaces of the cylindrical filtration modules.

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Selzer Norbert
• Richterich Stefan
• Ruetering Martin

Classifications

• B01D2313/13

  Specific connectors · CPC title

• B01D2317/04

  Elements in parallel · CPC title

• B01D2313/105

  Supply manifolds · CPC title

• B01D2313/21

  Specific headers, end caps · CPC title

• B01D65/02

  Membrane cleaning or sterilisation {; Membrane regeneration} · CPC title