Patent ID: 7608185

Claim:
A membrane module comprising: an outer casing having an interior region; a seal disposed within the outer case, thereby dividing a portion of the interior region into a first chamber and a second chamber; an inlet opening extending through the outer casing at the first chamber; an outlet opening extending through the outer casing at the second chamber; a conduit interconnecting the first chamber and the second chamber to permit flow of a feed solution from the first chamber to the second chamber; and a plurality of hollow fiber membranes extending through the first chamber and the second chamber, and having inner hollow regions configured to provide flow paths for a distillate fluid, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of hollow fiber membranes have first segments located within the first chamber and second segments located within the second chamber, the first segments being configured to allow vapor transmission from the first chamber into the inner hollow regions, and the second segments being configured to substantially prevent vapor transmission between the second chamber and the inner hollow regions, and further configured to allow transmission of thermal energy therethrough.