Patent ID: 7150830

Claim:
A permselective membrane module comprising i) two permselective membrane elements formed of hollow fibers arranged substantially in parallel and bundled together and ii) a container, the two elements being arranged in the container longitudinally of the hollow fibers, wherein the respective elements comprise i) a feed tube disposed longitudinally of the hollow fibers and ii) a hollow fiber bundle covering the outer surface of the feed tube, the feed tube having a number of holes therein, and the hollow fibers having one end closed and the other end opened, wherein the feed tubes of the two elements communicate with each other via a connecting tube to form a conduit having one end opened and the other end closed, wherein the container comprises i) an inner wall surrounding the two elements with a space, ii) a feed port provided at one end of the container in communication with the opened end of the conduit, iii) a permeate-liquid outlet facing the open end of the hollow fiber bundle of each element and extending through the container wall, and iv) a non-permeated fluid discharge outlet located as opposed to the outer surface of each element and extending through the container wall in communication with a gap and the outside of the container wall, and further wherein the centerline of the discharge outlet of the container being substantially proximal to one end of the container whereby any space downstream of said outlet is sufficiently small to allow purging of suspended materials, thereby minimizing pressure loss in the permselective membrane module.