Patent Description:
In the process of manufacturing filtration module assemblies, the assemblies can experience large range of temperatures which can affect the individual components within the assembly and their performance in the field. In addition, the filtration assembly has important sealing requirements which can also be affected during assembly. Still further, in the field there is limited amount of space for the filtration modules. What is needed is an improved method of manufacture of filtration assemblies, and improved filtration assemblies that address space constraints and cost of operating in the filtration assembly.

<CIT> describes a filtration assembly includes a membrane housing and at least one membrane fixture device disposed in the housing. Each membrane fixture device has a plurality of membrane fixture members extending from fixture device inner surface, and each membrane fixture device has membrane openings between the membrane fixture members. The filtration assembly further includes a plurality of ceramic membranes each extending from a first membrane end portion to a second membrane end portion, and each first membrane end portion is disposed in one of the membrane openings, where the membrane fixture members fixture the membranes therein.

<CIT> describes an allegedly long-life filtration element that is inexpensive to manufacture, easily configured to have a large opening diameter, and comparatively low in terms of filtration resistance. The filtration element comprises porous ceramic bodies in which fluid through-holes are formed passing between a pair of facing surfaces, and a fluid to be treated is treated between the inner surfaces of the fluid through-holes and a peripheral surface sandwiched between the facing surfaces. A plurality of the porous bodies are disposed adjacent to each other interposed by spacer members so that a gap is formed in the space bounded by the peripheral surface.

A ceramic membrane filtration assembly according to the present invention is defined by claim <NUM>. A method of filtering water with the ceramic membrane filtration assembly according to the present invention is defined by claim <NUM>. Further advantageous developments of the present invention are set out in the dependent claims.

According to the present invention, a ceramic membrane filtration assembly comprising a membrane assembly extending from a first membrane assembly end to a second membrane assembly end, where the membrane assembly is defined by a membrane assembly length, the membrane assembly including one or more membranes. At least one of the membranes has a plurality of channels therein, and the channels have channel ends. The filtration assembly further includes at least one sealing device coupled with the membrane assembly adjacent to at least one of the first and second membrane assembly ends, where the sealing device has an inner and outer perimeter. The sealing device has a sealing feature disposed along the outer perimeter, and the inner perimeter of the sealing device is sealed with a portion of the membrane assembly.

In one or more embodiments, the sealing device further includes structural members extending from an inner diameter of the sealing device.

In one or more embodiments, the structural members include an inner open section structural substantially aligned with a feed water input port.

In one or more embodiments, the structural members do not contact the membrane assembly ends such that a gap is between the structural members and the membrane assembly ends.

In one or more embodiments, the filtration assembly further includes a housing, the membrane assembly disposed within the housing, the housing having a first housing end and second housing end and a housing side therebetween, the housing having an outer circumference, the housing having an inner diameter, the sealing feature forms a seal between the housing and the sealing device.

In one or more embodiments, the sealing feature separates feedwater and permeate water.

In one or more embodiments, the housing has a feed port and at least one permeate output port.

In one or more embodiments, the at least one permeate output port exits the housing side.

In one or more embodiments, sealing between the sealing device and the housing occurs outside of the membrane assembly length.

In one or more embodiments, the filtration assembly further includes a first end cap disposed within the housing at a first end of the housing, the first end cap having a feed water input, a second end cap disposed within the housing at a second end of the housing, the second end cap having a concentrate port.

In one or more embodiments, the filtration assembly further includes two sealing devices, each sealing device disposed at each end of the housing, the permeate output port disposed between the two sealing devices fluidly separating permeate from feed water and concentrate solutions.

In one or more embodiments, the sealing device further includes a recessed portion disposed along the outer perimeter.

In one or more embodiments, the filtration assembly further includes a sealing member disposed within the recessed portion.

According to the present invention, the sealing device is coupled with the membrane such that there is an axial gap disposed between an end planar surface of the sealing device and the membrane assembly. An axial direction is defined by an axial direction of the channels.

In one or more embodiments, the sealing feature comprises an O-ring.

In one or more embodiments, the sealing feature comprises two O-rings.

According to the present invention, a method of filtering water with the ceramic membrane filtration assembly as described herein is provided, where the method includes pumping feed water through the first end cap, through the first sealing device and into the channels of the membrane assembly, and releasing permeate though the permeate outlet port.

In one or more embodiments, the method further includes periodically interrupting pumping with a reverse flow to clean the membrane assembly.

In one or more embodiments, the method further includes releasing concentrate through a concentrate port while segregating the feed water from the permeate and the concentrate with the sealing device.

In the detailed description of the embodiments presented below, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:.

The present embodiments are detailed below with reference to the listed figures.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form part of the description, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the embodiments may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be practiced in other ways within the scope of the claims.

The present embodiments relate to a ceramic membrane filtration assembly <NUM> which includes membrane module assembly <NUM>, one or more sealing devices <NUM>, and one or more end caps <NUM> (<FIG>). The ceramic membrane filtration assembly <NUM> can be used for fluid processing and/or separation applications, for example, to treat water in a water treatment plant. In one or more examples, the filtration assembly <NUM> can be loaded in a basin, used for membrane bioreactor, used for waste affluence, or used in other process separation applications.

The filtration assembly <NUM> includes a membrane assembly <NUM> and a housing <NUM>, where the housing <NUM> receives the membrane assembly <NUM> therein. The housing <NUM> extends from a first housing <NUM> end to a second housing end <NUM>, and has a housing side <NUM>, and a housing outer circumference. In one or more embodiments, the housing <NUM> includes one or more permeate outlet ports <NUM> and a feed port <NUM> therein. In one or more embodiments, the at least one permeate output port exits the housing side. The housing <NUM> is defined in part by an external housing surface <NUM> and an internal housing surface <NUM>.

The ends <NUM>, <NUM> of the housing <NUM> can be sealed with an end cap <NUM>. In one or more embodiments, a first end cap <NUM> is disposed at an end <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. In one or more embodiments, the first end cap <NUM> has a feed water input <NUM> into which untreated water flows, such as feed water. In one or more embodiments, a first end cap <NUM> is disposed at end <NUM> of the housing <NUM>, and a second end cap <NUM> is disposed at second end <NUM> of the housing. In one or more embodiments, the second end cap <NUM> has a concentrate port <NUM>, through which concentrate flows in the direction of the arrow.

The membrane assembly <NUM>, shown in <FIG>, includes one or more membranes <NUM> (<FIG>). The membrane assembly <NUM>, in one or more embodiments, includes one or more of elongate membranes, tubular membranes, flat membranes, or plate membranes. The one or more membranes <NUM> extend from a first membrane end <NUM> to a second membrane end <NUM>. The membranes <NUM> include one or more channels <NUM> therein. The membrane assembly <NUM> has a membrane assembly length <NUM>, and extends from a first membrane assembly end <NUM> to a second membrane assembly end <NUM>.

The filtration assembly further includes at least one sealing device <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>. In one or more embodiments, the sealing device <NUM> has a general ring shape, defined in part by a dimension r, where r is the radius of the sealing device <NUM>. The sealing device <NUM> is further defined by an inner surface <NUM> and an outer surface <NUM>. The sealing device <NUM> is further defined by an inner perimeter and an outer perimeter.

The at least one sealing device <NUM> further optionally includes a sealing portion <NUM>, such as sealing features <NUM>. In one or more embodiments, the at least one sealing device <NUM> includes two or more sealing portions <NUM> or two different recessed portions. In one or more embodiments, the sealing portion <NUM> includes a groove or recessed portion, for example, for an O-ring or elastomer. In one or more embodiments, two O-rings <NUM> are disposed in two different sealing portions <NUM>. A seal can be further included, such as an elastomeric seal, and is disposed within the groove or recessed portion. In one or more embodiments, various shaped seals can be included such as conical seals, wedge shaped seals, O-rings, L-shaped seals, U-cup, Quad seals, packings, boot seals, cup seals, dynamic or static seals, adhesives, bonding and potting materials, welds, or others, or a combination thereof. A multiple seal configuration can also be included. Sealing surfaces can also be located in the housing as well as on the sealing device <NUM>.

At least one sealing device <NUM> is disposed in the housing <NUM>. In one or more embodiments, a first sealing device <NUM> is disposed at the first housing end <NUM>, and a second sealing device <NUM> is disposed at the second housing end <NUM>. In one or more embodiments, the sealing device <NUM> is sealed to the housing <NUM>, such as to an internal housing surface and/or to the external housing surface. The sealing feature <NUM> separates feed water (untreated waster) and permeate (treated water). In one or more embodiments, two sealing devices <NUM>, <NUM> are disposed in the housing <NUM>, and each sealing device disposed at each end of the housing. The permeate output port <NUM> is disposed between the two sealing devices <NUM>, <NUM> fluidly separating permeate from feed water and concentrate solutions. In one or more embodiments, sealing between the sealing device and housing occurs outside of the length <NUM> of the membrane assembly <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>.

The sealing device <NUM> includes one or more structural members <NUM>. Within an inner diameter of the ring shape are the structural members <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. Each sealing device <NUM> has a plurality of structural members <NUM> extending from the inner surface <NUM>, where the structural members <NUM> are defined by a length <NUM>. Other structural shapes could be used to reinforce the circumference of the sealing structure, provided they properly distributed the flow and properly reinforced the outside of the seal holder. The seal holder could also be a multiple piece assembly.

In one or more embodiments, the structural members <NUM> extend from an inner surface <NUM> and meet a center ring <NUM> of the sealing device. The structural members <NUM> assist in uniformly dispersing the feed water to the membrane assembly.

The at least one sealing device <NUM> is sealing with the membrane assembly <NUM> at an end surface projection <NUM> of the at least one sealing device <NUM>. Since the feed water can only enter the channels of the membrane assembly <NUM>, the permeate exits from the membrane assembly <NUM> to the permeate port, and the sealing device <NUM> is sealed against the housing, sealing device <NUM> assists in preventing the feed water from mixing with the clean permeate. In one or more embodiments, the end surface projection <NUM> is bonded with the membrane assembly <NUM>. In one or more embodiments, there is a gap <NUM> disposed between the planar surface <NUM> of the sealing device <NUM> and the membrane assembly. In one or more embodiments, there is a gap <NUM> between the structural members and the membrane assembly, allowing for improved flow during the operation of the filtration assembly since the structural members do not block the ends of the membrane assembly.

The at least one sealing device <NUM> can be made by molding, printing, 3D printing, stamping, or machining, for example, from thermoplastic or metallic material. In one or more embodiments, the sealing device <NUM> is formed of glass filled, metal, and/or ceramic material. This will assist with chemical and structural stability during temperature swings during manufacturing or use, as temperatures can move over <NUM> degrees F.

In one or more embodiments, a method of filtering water with the ceramic membrane filtration assembly as described herein, where the method includes pumping feed water in the through the first end cap, through the first sealing device and into the channels of the membrane assembly, and releasing permeate though the permeate outlet port.

In one or more embodiments, a ceramic membrane filtration assembly includes a housing having a first housing end and second housing end, where the housing has an outer circumference and an inner diameter, and at least one permeate output port. The filtration assembly further includes a membrane assembly that extends from a first membrane assembly end to a second membrane assembly end. The membrane assembly includes at least one membrane, where each membrane extends from a first membrane end to a second membrane end, and the membrane assembly is disposed within the housing. Each membrane has channels therein, and the channels have channel ends.

The filtration assembly further includes a first and second end cap disposed within the housing at each end of the housing, where the first end cap has a feed water input, and the second end cap has a permeate output port. A sealing device is disposed at the first housing end near the first membrane assembly end of the membrane assembly, where the sealing device disposed between the membrane assembly and the end cap. The sealing device has an outer perimeter disposed adjacent to the inner diameter of the housing. The sealing device has a sealing feature disposed along the outer perimeter, where the sealing feature is sealed between the sealing device and the inner diameter of the housing, and the sealing device is sealed with an outer edge portion of the membrane assembly.

In one or more embodiments, the structural members include an inner center circular structural substantially aligned with the feed water input port. In one or more embodiments, other geometric shapes could be used as structural members when they reinforce the outer circumference and allow proper distribution of flow to and from the membrane channels.

In one or more embodiments, the end cap and the sealing device are interfaced together.

In one or more embodiments, the end cap and sealing device are interfaced by one or more of snap fit, adhesive, or welding.

In one or more embodiments, the sealing member includes one or more filtrate gaps.

In one or more embodiments, a sealing member is disposed within the recessed portion.

In one or more embodiments, a ceramic membrane filtration assembly includes a housing having a first housing end and second housing end, where the housing has an outer circumference and an inner diameter, and a permeate output port. The assembly further includes a membrane assembly including at least one membrane, each of the at least one membrane extends from a first membrane end to a second membrane end, and the membrane assembly disposed within the housing. Each membrane has channels therein, and the channels have channel ends. A first end cap is disposed within the first housing end, and a second end cap is disposed within a second housing end. The first end cap has a feed water input, the second end cap has a concentrate port. A sealing device is disposed at each end of the membrane assembly, the sealing device disposed between the membrane assembly and each end cap, where the sealing devices have an outer perimeter disposed adjacent to the inner diameter of the housing. The sealing devices have a sealing feature disposed along the outer perimeter, the sealing feature is sealed with the inner diameter of the housing, and the sealing devices are sealed with ends of the membrane assembly.

In one or more embodiments, the structural members include an inner center circular structural substantially aligned with the feed water input port.

In one or more embodiments, a method of filtering water with the ceramic membrane filtration assembly includes pumping feed water in the through the first end cap, through the first sealing device, and into the channels of the membrane assembly, releasing permeate though the permeate outlet port, and releasing concentrate through the concentrate port while segregating the feed water from the permeate and the concentrate.

A ceramic membrane filtration assembly comprising a membrane assembly extending from a first membrane assembly end to a second membrane assembly end, where the membrane assembly is defined by a membrane assembly length, the membrane assembly including at least one membrane. At least one of the membranes have channels therein, and at least one channel has channel ends. The filtration assembly further includes at least one sealing device coupled with the membrane assembly adjacent to at least one of the first and second membrane assembly ends, where the sealing device has an inner and outer perimeter. The sealing device has a sealing feature disposed along the outer perimeter, and the inner perimeter of the sealing device is sealed with a portion of the membrane assembly.

In one or more embodiments, the sealing device is coupled with the membrane such that there is a gap disposed between an end planar surface of the sealing device and the membrane assembly.

The assembly facilitates the ease of element assembly, and helps control temperature expansion and will facilitate the use of drop in elements in standard housing. The sealing device allows for the contraction and expansion when a predetermined thermoplastic and fill material are used. In addition, the sealing device provides a place to hold a seal and provides a sealing surface.

The fixture device aligns the ceramic membranes and allows the assembly to be efficiently assembled and sealed. It offers the benefit of allowing for expansion and contraction and facilitates external sealing of the membrane element to the wall of the housing in which it operates. The sealing used to separate the treated and untreated streams, for example, permeate and feed water, overcomes inner diameter tolerance issues in standard housings. The sealing features, such as the multiple O-rings, are able to withstand the pressure differentials over a much longer period of time.

Claim 1:
A ceramic membrane filtration assembly (<NUM>) comprising:
a membrane assembly (<NUM>) extending from a first membrane assembly end to a second membrane assembly end, the membrane assembly (<NUM>) defined by a membrane assembly length (<NUM>); the membrane assembly (<NUM>) including one or more membranes, at least one membrane (<NUM>) having a plurality of channels (<NUM>) therein, the channels having channel ends; and
at least one sealing device (<NUM>) coupled with the membrane assembly (<NUM>) adjacent to at least one of the first and second membrane assembly ends; wherein
the sealing device (<NUM>) has an inner and outer perimeter,
the sealing device (<NUM>) has a sealing feature (<NUM>) disposed along the outer perimeter, and
the inner perimeter of the sealing device (<NUM>) is sealed with a portion of the membrane assembly (<NUM>); and
wherein the sealing device is coupled with the membrane (<NUM>) such that there is an axial gap (<NUM>) disposed between an end planar surface of the sealing device (<NUM>) and the membrane assembly (<NUM>), an axial direction being defined by an axial direction of the channels (<NUM>).