Hollow fibre separation module and method for the use thereof

Abstract: Apparatus (60, 105, 115, 130, 150) for the separation of a fluid into permeate and retentate portions. Such apparatus provides a plurality of hollow fiber separation wafers (10), each wafer comprising a mat (25) of hollow fibers (18) arranged chord-wise of the wafer; and peripheral support means (11) encompassing the ends (19) of the hollow fibers and having inside (14) and outside (15) faces and upper (12) and lower (13) faces. The apparatus further includes vessel means (59, 121, 149) providing a first port (66, 132, 155) for receiving the fluid, a second port (69, 136, 158) for withdrawing the retentate and a third port (68, 135, 156) for withdrawing the permeate; means for compressing (73, 104, 111, 138, 161) the plurality of wafers in axial alignment; and permeate chamber means (71, 148, 164) within the vessel, separate from the feedstream and the retentate by the means for compressing and the support means. A method for the separation of fluid feedstreams into permeate and retentate portions includes the steps of feeding the fluid into a module containing a plurality of hollow fibers arranged chord-wise in parallel sheets, each sheet being oriented perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the module; providing separate chambers for the permeate, communicating with the lumens of the hollow fibers, and for the retentate, communicating with the areas between the hollow fibers; and removing the permeate and retentate from the module.

Description: This invention relates generally to a separation module, employing hollow fibre membranes for separating a fluid into permeate and retentate portions. More specifically, the invention relates to the use of a plurality of wafers coaxially disposed and compressed within the module having ports for admitting a fluid and for discharging the permeate and retentate portions of the fluid. Each wafer contains a plurality of hollow fibre membrane sheets, the hollow fibres of each sheet being arranged in parallel alignment which run chord-wise across the wafer. The ends of each hollow fibre terminate at the exterior surface of the wafer, through which the permeate flows. The module is useful in microfiltration applications and can be employed for the separation of gases, liquids and mixtures thereof, herinafter referred to as liquid feedstreams. Thus, a variety of membrane materials can be selected from known compositions. As will become more apparent hereinbelow, the wafers employ relatively short hollow fibres which are no greater in length than the diameter of the wafer which is, in turn, significantly less than the overall length of the separation module. The use of membranes in various forms for the separation of fluids to obtain a desired portion of the fluid is well known. Generally, one or several components of the feed fluid permeate through the membrane and are collected as the permeate portion. The portion of the fluid that cannot pass through the membranes, the retentate, is retained and discharged as fresh portions of the fluid be be separated are supplied to the membrane. Membranes formed as hollow fibres or tubes are particularly useful because they are inherently strong to resist filtration pressures, they provide high surface area to volume ratios and, they can be readily arranged in various mechanical mountings. Conventional separation modules are configured as long cylinders with the hollow fibres arranged in an axial direction and terminatied by plugs of potting material. One or both plugs are sliced to expose the open fibre ends and permit the flow of the permeate from the lumen of the tubular fibre. In the existing devices, the fluid to be separated may be supplied to the outside of a fibre and the permeate may be collected from the lumen of the fibre. Alternatively, the fluid to be separated may be supplied to the lumen of the fibre and the permeate drained from outside of the fibre. Hollow fibre membranes may be conveniently mounted in annular or similar frames or retainers having a continuous perimeter and an open central portion. The fibres are strung across the open central portion of the frame and the ends are embedded in the retainer thereby forming a wafer. The ends of the fibres are exposed at the outside surface of the retainer, giving access to the interior of the fibres, while the outside surfaces of the fibres are accessible in the open central portion of the retainer. In order to obtain relatively high volume separation rates, membrane wafers are generally stacked coaxially so that the retainers bear on each other in sealing contact. Tight sealing of adjacent wafers is essential to avoid contamination of retentate and permeate. To achieve desirably high volume separation rates, the pressure of the fluid being subjected to the separation process is as large as possible. However, the fluid pressure is limited by the mechanical strength of the fibres, so that they are neither crushed nor ruptured, depending upon the direction of the pressure differential. The operating pressure is also limited by the fluid forces that tend to force the wafers apart, threatening the sealing engagement of adjacent water retainers. Such membranes and corresponding separators incorporating the membranes are disclosed in various patents and applications, UK Pat. No. 3,993,816, for instance, describes an apparatus in which the interiors of the hollow fibres are connected to the exterior of the container so that either fluid permeate flows out of the apparatus or, in the event of fluid exchange, a second fluid flows in through the interiors of the fibres. US Pat. No. 4,752,305 provides a hollow fibre device for separating fluids and a related method. The device employs a bundle of fibres 11, oriented axially of the housing 10. The fluid feedstream is fed through the centre of the bundle via distributor tube 12, one end of which is plugged. The permeate fluids flow out of each end, via outlets 39 and 40, while the retentate is drawn from outlet 35. French Pat. No. 2,222,134 discloses a module separator wherein the wafers comprise of a fabric placed in a tube perpendicular to the direction of flow so that the openings of the hollow fibres are located around the periphery. EP-A-0350 853 discloses a hollow fibre device for filtering fluid. The fibres are formed into transverse slices and superimposed. The open end of the fibre assembly is embedded in material forming an access channel for dispersion but impermeable thereto. Japanese Pat. No. 56-2803 discloses a hollow fibre membrane separator consisting of a hollow fibre tube formed by use of a synthetic resin which fixes and integrates the ends of the hollow tubes, and a channel for fluid flow outside of the hollow tubes. The tube plate is disposed such that the flow direction of the fluid outside of the tubes if perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hollow fibre tubes. Finally, in German Pat. No. 2,650,341 a hollow fibre wafer is disclosed for use in a separator in which the hollow fibres are arranged in planes with an essentially non-parallel arrangement, essentially perpendicular to the flow direction of the substance to be separated. While the aforementioned art discloses some of the ways in which hollow fibre wafers may be employed in a separator apparatus, it is nonetheless desirable to provide simple separation apparatus employing a plurality of hollow fibre membrane wafers in which the seals between adjacent wafers in the stack are maintained. Furthermore, it is desirable that the apparatus respond to changes in the fluid inlet pressure by altering the compression forces applied to the wafer stack to aid sealing engagement of adjacent water retainers. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a separation module containing a plurality of hollow fibre membrane wafers wherein the hollow fibres are arranged in layers and chord-wise of the wafer rather than axially of the module. It is another object of the present invention to provide a separation module containing a plurality of hollow fibre membrane wafers that are compressed in axial alignment so that a fluid passing through the wafers is separated into a retentate portion and a permeate portion. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a separation module containing a plurity of hollow fibre membrane wafers, each wafer containing a plurality of layers of hollow fibres arranged in parallel sheets, said fibres being generally shorter than hollow fibres employed axially of the module in existing hollow fibre membrane separation devices. It is another object of the present invention to provide a separation module which can be assembled in a variety of sizes from smaller wafers. Each wafer can be individually tested during assembly and can be readily removed should it fail during use. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for the separation of fluids in a module employing hollow fibre membranes provided in a plurality of layers with the fibres oriented chord-wise of the module. The present invention provides a module for the separation of a fluid into permeate and retentate portions according to claim 1. The present invention also provides a method for the separation of fluid feedstreams comprising propylene into permeate and retentate portions according to claim 13. The invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to figures 1 to 9 of the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wafer member of the present invention, partially broken away to show the individual hollow fibre layers; Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partially in section, depicting the stacking of adjacent wafers; Fig. 3A-3C are perspective views of several hollow fibres taken from a layer of fibres and depicting alternative means by which they can be joined together to form a layer; Fig. 4 is a side elevation, in cross-section, of a mould for fabricating the wafer member of the present invention and depicting the formation of a wafer therein; Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partially in section, of a hollow fibre separation module of the prior art. Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partially in section, of a hollow fibre separation module according to the present invention; Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional side elevation depicting in greater detail a hollow fibre separation module according to the present invention. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional side elevation of the upper portion of an alternative hollow fibre separation module, utilising a standard piping seal, according to the present invention. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional side elevation of the upper portion of an alternative hollow fibre separation module, utilising a bellows seal, according to the present invention; The basic component of the separation apparatus of the present invention is a cylinder, depicted in Fig. 1 and hereinafter referred to as a wafer 10. The wafer 10 comprises an outer annular potting ring 11 having upper and lower surfaces 12 and 13, respectively, an inner and outer cylindrical surfaces, 14 and 15, respectively. A plurality of layers 16 of hollow fibres 18 are stacked within each ring 11, the ends 19 of which are mounted within the ring 11 and terminate at the outer surface 15. The construction of each layer 16 is a woven mat of fibres with the hollow fibres 18 running parallel to one another in the woof direction and held together by filaments 20 in the warp direction, as depicted in Fig. 3A. The hollow fibres 18 are preferably woven by the warp filaments 20 which are a thinner, non-hollow fibre thread such as nylon, polyester or the like. The object is for each layer 16 to form a flat sheet and that the hollow layers 18 be parallel. and as straight as possible, not woven or twisted relative to the warp filaments 20. The hollow fibers of each layer 16 can also be affixed together with a suitable adhesive coated filament 21 on the upper or under sides 22 and 23, respectively, or both, of each layer 16, as depicted in Fig. 3B. Alternatively, a thin bead of adhesive 24 can be employed to tie the fibers 18 together, as depicted in Fig. 3C. As should be apparent from the drawings, the hollow fibers 18 are arrayed chord-wise and the layers 16 are arranged either in parallel alignment or at cross-wise angles as depicted in Fig. 1 to provide a dense mat 25, through which a fluid, gas or liquid may flow axially. In operation, a feed stream is passed axially through the mat 25, i.e. , through the wafer 10. As the fluid contacts the hollow fibers 18, some components pass through the hollow fiber 18 into the lumen and then flow out to the perimeter of the wafer where they (the permeate) are discharged from the open ends 19 of the fibers. Meanwhile, the retentate flow passes axially through the mat and wafer to be collected therebelow. With respect to the composition of the hollow fibers, substantially any hollow fibers currently available, can be employed. Inasmuch as the composition and preparation of hollow fibers for the separation of a variety of gas mixtures and liquid mixtures, is well known to those skilled in the art, a detailed description thereof is not provided herein, it being understood that the present invention is not limited to any specific hollow fiber composition or method of preparation or fabrication. The wafers 10 are manufactured by a potting technique utilizing a centrifuge. With reference to Fig. 4, a mold 30 is provided which comprises a bottom section 31, fastened to the spindle 32 of a centrifuge (not shown), a side mold section 33, a top mold section 34 and a slinger plate 35. To fabricate a wafer, a plurality of hollow fiber layers 16 are cut to the dimension of the mold interior 36 and placed therein. The mold is then closed and rotated while a layer of resin such as a quick setting epoxy or wax or the like is poured onto the slinger plate 35. During rotation, the resin is cast centrifugally and, as is apparent from Fig. 4, the resin flows down through the layers of hollow fibers to become deposited in an annular ring 38 against the inner mold wall 39 which encompasses the ends of the fiber layers 16. Next, a potting resin is poured onto the slinger plate. It too is cast centrifugally and flows down through the layers of hollow fibers to form the annular ring 11 of the wafer, the outer diameter of which is defined by annular ring 38, while the inner diameter is formed by the amount of resin provided. After the potting resin has set and the ring 11 has formed, the wafer 10 is removed from the mold 30. At this stage, the first annular ring 38 is removed by cutting, grinding or melting away flush with the outer circumferential edge 15 of ring 11. This leaves a plurality of hollow fiber ends entirely around the edge, some of which are perpendicular to the edge while others are angled or even parallel thereto. In this manner, all fiber ends 19 are open to the exterior of wafer 10. Although not shown, it may be desirable to truncate the layer 16 along the opposite sides that are tangential to the ring 11 because they are otherwise not exposed to any feedstream material and hence wasted. Of course, the hollow fibers that are exposed within the ring 11 will extend through the ring 11 and open to the exterior face 15. An advantage attributable to the use of wafers 10 is their relatively short, chord-wise disposed fibers. Existing hollow fiber apparatus for separating fluid mixtures, employ long, axially disposed fibers within the apparatus or module, as is generally depicted in Fig. 5. Such modules, indicated by the numeral 40, employ a long, continuous bundle 41 of axially disposed fibers. The fibers terminate in flat, disc shaped upper and lower epoxy plugs or tubesheets 42 and 43, respectively, through which the fibers pass and terminate at one or both ends. The bundle is placed within a cylindrical housing 44, having a base 45, upper housing 46 and removable top 48. Typically, the upper housing 46 provides an inner flange 49, upon which the upper epoxy plug 42 is supported. The top 48 may also provide a flange 50 or similar structure engageable with the upper tubesheet 42 to hold the bundle 41 within the module 40. A port 51, provided in the side of the upper housing is provided as an inlet for the feed stream. Permeate moves axially through the fibers and passes through a port 52 in the top while the retentate flows between the fibers and the port 53 at the base. While this design is functional, the hollow fibers all terminate axially in the tubesheet 42. The tubesheets present flat surfaces perpendicular to the direction of the pressure differential between the feedstream fluid and the permeate fluid which are very weak to the resistance of pressure forces. Consequently, the diameter of the tubesheet is limited; the tubesheet must be made very thick, or the pressure differential must be limited. The equivalent of the tubesheet for the wafer design of the present invention is the potting ring 11 which is inherently stronger and resistant to the differential pressure forces within the module. Although the hollow fibers 18 tend to weaken the potting ring 11 by passing therethrough, this effect can be minimized by orienting adjacent layers 16 at cross-wise angles and also by truncating the layers, in which instance not as many fibers are passed through the ring 11. The module of the present invention is depicted for comparison in Fig. 6 and is indicated generally by the numeral 60. It employs a vessel 59 which comprises a cylindrical housing 61, base 62, upper housing 63 and removable top 64. Near the bottom of housing 61 a support shelf 65 is provided upon which the wafers 10 are stacked. Module 60 also provides feed, permeate and retentate ports 66, 68 and 69, respectively, as well as feedstream chamber 70, permeate chamber 71 and retentate chamber 72, which will be discussed hereinbelow. Finally, means for compressing the stack of wafers, referred to generally by the numeral 73, are provided. Several variations of the means 73 are depicted in Figs. 7-9. With reference to Fig. 7, the module 60 is depicted in greater detail. The cylindrical housing 61 and base 62 and upper housing 63 are preferably constructed of steel or other metal such as stainless steel. Although they may be manufactured as separate components, they are joined together by welding or other suitable means to form a continuous one-piece module 60, to which the top 64 is affixed. The use of metal of proper thickness is desirable as a safeguard against catastrophic failure of one or more wafers. Saddles 74A and 74 can be affixed to the housings 63 and 61 to mount the module 60 horizontally. The wafers 10 are held within cage means 80 which comprises a first ring 81, which actually rests on support shelf 65 at the base, an upper centering ring 82, which fits within the permeate chamber 71 and housing means 63, and an open mesh body 83 that is generally cylindrical for receipt of the wafers 10 and connects the rings 81 and 82 together. The cage 80 not only facilitates insertion and removal of the wafers 10 but also aids in maintaining their axial alignment during assembly of the module 60. During assembly and subsequent use of the module 60 it is important that the wafers 10 be sealed together to prevent the feedstream from passing between contiguous rings 11 and contaminating the permeate. As best depicted in Fig. 2, this is accomplished by fitting O-rings 84 into recesses 85 in the upper face 12 of each ring 10 as well as on cage ring 81 upon which the lowermost wafer 10A rests. The wafers 10 are also sealed together by compression means 73 as shall be explained next. An outer flange 90 is part of upper housing member 63 to which the top 64 is affixed by studs 91, which pass through axially aligned bores in flange 90 and top 64, and nuts 92. Feed port 66 is welded or otherwise affixed within top 64 and provides a throat 93 which is affixed at its opposite end to a pusher plate 94. The feedstream (not shown) is fed into the port 66, through an inlet passageway 95, defined by the throat 93, and into contact with the uppermost wafer 10B. In this embodiment, no feedstream chamber is provided. The pusher plate carries at least one O-ring 96 and a metal piston ring 98 to seal the permeate chamber 71 and it rests against the uppermost wafer 10B. Use of a piston ring provides a safeguard where the module 60 is employed with flammable feedstreams. It should be evident that as the top 64 and flange 90 are joined together, the pusher plate 94 urges the stack of wafers firmly against support 65. In order to accommodate differences in thermal expansion between the epoxy rings 11 of the wafers and the metal housing, a stack of Belleville washers 100 are located above the top 64 and under the uppermost nuts. The washers 100 bias the wafers together when they are partially compressed. With reference to Fig. 8, an alternative embodiment is depicted by the module 105. Module 105 is essentially identical to module 60 with the exception of the compression means 104 and related upper module components. First, while the throat 93 of port 66 is rigidly affixed to the top 64, it is separately movable with respect to pusher plate 106. Next, a stack of larger Belleville washers 108 is employed between the pusher plate 106 and top 64. In this embodiment a metallic gasket or the like 109 is employed between the top 64 and flange 90 to provide the main seal therebetween. Hence, the pusher plate 106 is provided with O-rings 96. In module 105 a separate feedstream chamber 110 is provided between the inlet passageway 95 and wafers 10. In addition to the force exerted by the Belleville washers, the pressure of the feedstream also exerts an axial force on the wafers 10. An alternative means for sealing the module 115 and the wafers therein is depicted in Fig. 9. Module 115 is again similar to module 60 with the exception of the compression means 111 and related upper module components. This module employs a compression ring 116, rather than a pressure plate, which contains O-rings 96 to seal within permeate chamber 71. Compression ring 116 comprises a base 119 and cylindrical sidewall forming a neck 120 and a radially outwardly extending flange 121 therefrom. The feed port 66 is again joined to the top 64 but does communicate directly with the compression ring 116. A compression spring 122 is received within the compression ring 116 and urges the base 119 against the uppermost wafer 10B as the top 64 is bolted down. A bellows seal 124 is affixed to the underside 125 of top 64 and the flange 121 of compression ring 116 to enclose a separate feedstream chamber 126 between the passageway 95 and wafers 10. Feedstream fluid exerts pressure on the flange 121 which acts a larger diameter piston urging downward pressure on the wafers. As should now be apparent, the modules of the present invention employ a stack of individual wafers which contain hollow fibers oriented chord-wise. Because fluid flow pressure losses of the permeate in the fiber lumen are detrimental to the performance of hollow fiber modules, the longer the fiber, the more performance is adversely affected. Thus, a specific improvement in the performance of the module design of the present invention over existing modules employing axial fibers is obtained by the use of the shorter, chord-wise fibers. The present invention also provides a method for the separation of fluid feedstreams into permeate and retentate portions. As noted hereinabove, the fluid that can be separated can include gaseous mixtures or liquid mixtures. For purposes of discussion, the module 60 in Fig. 7 can be considered although it is to be understood that the method can be practiced with any of the other modules, 105, 115, depicted in Figs. 8-9. The fluid feedstream, gas or liquid, is fed to the module 60 via port 66 into the inlet passageway 95. The module provides a plurality of wafers 10 which separate the feedstream passageway 95 at one end, from the retentate chamber 72, at the opposite end. The wafers 10 are arranged axially as individual units, compressed together in the module 60 and the like or affixed to one another with a suitable adhesive as in the module 150. The fluid is directed from the inlet passageway through the wafers and over each sheet of hollow fibers. As should be apparent from the foregoing disclosure, each sheet of fibers is oriented perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis A of the module. Within each wafer, the permeable portion of the fluid enters the hollow fibers and flows through the lumens thereof and through the peripheral support of the wafer to enter the permeate chamber 71. The latter is formed between the walls of the module and the coaxially aligned supports 11 of the wafers. In this step the fluid becomes separated into permeate and retentate portions which are ultimately removed from the module. In order to demonstrate such use, a test module was fabricated and employed for the separation of propylene from propane and established operability of the wafers and the module. Based upon the foregoing description and examples, it should be apparent that the modules and wafers disclosed herein fulfill the objects of the present invention. The modular nature of the individual wafers allows chord-wise modules of almost any length to be assembled from one size of wafer, merely by adding wafers to the stack. Many different module configurations can be assembled with only a few different wafer diameters. Moreover, wafers can be tested individually prior to assembly of the module and thus, defective wafers can be removed from a module and discarded with less loss of hollow fibers, than where an entire axial fiber module must be replaced. Another important feature of the present invention which should be apparent is the alternative means possible for providing a compressive loading of the wafers within the module. The various embodiments depicted each provide more uniform compression and sealing of the wafers which can accommodate dimensional changes due to pressure and temperature variations. Thus, it should be clear to those skilled in the art the manner in which the hollow fiber separation modules described herein are constructed assembled and used. Based upon the foregoing disclosure, it should also be apparent that the use of the modules described herein will carry out of the objects set forth hereinabove. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the modules of the subject invention can readily be utilized in conjunction with various types of feedstream separations.

Claims: A module (60), (105), (115) for the separation of a fluid into permeate and retentate portions comprising a plurality of hollow fibre separation wafers (10) for the separation of said fluid passing axially therethrough, each said wafer comprising a mat (25) of hollow fibres (18) arranged chord-wise of said wafer (10), continuous peripheral support means (11) encompassing the ends (19) of said hollow fibres (18) and having inside (14) and outside (15) faces and upper (12) and lower (13) faces, said fibres extending through said support means (11) such that the ends (19) are open to said outside faces (15), a vessel (59) providing a first port (66) for receiving said fluid, a second port (69) for withdrawing said retentate and a third port (68) for withdrawing said permeate, said vessel (59) including an elongate body (61), and end cap means, removable affixed to one end of said elongate body means, said first port (66) being affixed to said end cap means, means for compressing (73), (104), (111) said plurality of wafers (10) in axial alignment and acting against said support means (11) and permeate chamber means (71) within said vessel, separated from said feedstream and said retentate by said means for compressing (73), (104), (111); said support means (11) characterised in that the mat (25) of hollow fibres is arranged in a plurality of flat, continuous layers, each said layer having a plurality of straight hollow fibres (18) in adjacent, parallel alignment with axial flow space therebetween and said elongate body being closed at the opposite end and said vessel including internal shelf means (65) for receiving and supporting said plurality of wafers (10) in axial alignment, said means for compressing (73) includes pusher plate means (94), (106), (119), communicable with said first port (66) and with the first of said plurality of wafers (10) in axial alignment and spring means urging said end cap and said pusher plate means against said first of said wafers. A module according to claim 1, wherein said layers are arranged so that said hollow fibres of at least some layers lie at a crosswise angle to adjacent layers of said hollow fibres. A module according to claim 2, comprising feedstream inlet passageway means within said first port (66) and communicating with said mat of hollow fibres (25) within said inside faces (14) of said support means (11) and retentate chamber means downstream of said feedstream passageway means and in communication with said second port (69) and said mat of hollow fibres (25) within said inside faces (14) of said support means (11), wherein said permeate enters said hollow fibres and flows through said support means (11) into said permeate chamber means. A module according to claim 1 comprising cage means (80) locatable within said vessel (59) and having a first ring supportable by said internal shelf means, a second ring for centering said cage means within said elongate body and open mesh body member therebetween for receipt of said plurality of wafers (10). A module according to claim 3 comprising feedstream chamber means in communication with said first port (66) and said mat of hollow fibres (25) within said inside faces of said support means (11) and retentate chamber means downstream of said feedstream chamber means (70) and in communication with said second port (69) and said mat of hollow fibres (25) within said inside faces of said support means, wherein said permeate enters said hollow fibres (18) and flows through said support means (11) into said permeate chambers means (71). A module according to claim 5, wherein said first port means (66) is carried by said end cap means and provides throat means extending into said feedstream chamber (70). A module according to claim 1, wherein said pusher plate means (106) communicable with the first of said plurality of wafers (10) in axial alignment further comprises spring means urging said pusher plate means (106) away from said end cap means and against said first of said wafers. A module according to claim 7 comprising cage means locatable within said vessel and having a first ring supportable by said internal shelf means (65), a second ring for centering said cage means within said elongate body and an open mesh body member therebetween for receipt of said plurality of wafers. A module according to claim 8, wherein said compression plate means (73) includes a base engageable with said support means of the first of said plurality of wafers, neck means extending from said base opposite said wafers and external flange means carried by said neck means at the opposite end thereof and extending outwardly relative to said base. A module according to claim 9, wherein said compression plate (73) means moves independently of said end cap means. A module according to claim 10 comprising bellows means forming an expandable seal between said external flange means and said end cap means defining said feedstream chamber. A module according to claim 11 comprising cage means as defined in claim 8. A method for the separation of fluid feedstream comprising propylene into permeate and retentate portions comprising the steps of providing a separation module as defined in claim 1 having a feedstream inlet (70) and a retentate chamber (69), connected by a plurality of wafers in axial alignment, directing said feedstream through said feedstream inlet over said wafers and axially therethrough, separating said feedstream into a permeate portion, which permeates said hollow fibres and flows radially through said peripheral support means into said permeate chamber (68), and a retentate portion, which passes around said hollow fibres and axially into said retentate chamber (69) and removing said permeate and said retentate from said module. A method according to claim 13 wherein the permeate comprises propylene.

Inventors: NICHOLS RANDALL WESLEY, NICHOLS, RANDALL WESLEY
Applicants: STANDARD OIL CO OHIO, THE STANDARD OIL COMPANY
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B01D63
IPC codes: B29C70, B29C41, B01D63