Patent ID: 7790030

Claim:
A separation system comprising: an elongated pressure vessel having a feed stream inlet, a residual stream outlet and at least one permeate stream outlet; a first tube sheet assembly disposed within the pressure vessel and defining a first permeate reservoir therebetween, the first tube sheet assembly including a first pair of tube sheets and a plurality of first sleeves disposed therebetween, the first permeate reservoir in fluid communication with the at least one permeate stream outlet; a first fluid reservoir disposed within the pressure vessel between a first end of the pressure vessel and the first tube sheet assembly; and a plurality of membrane cartridge assemblies disposed within the pressure vessel and extending between the first end and a second end of the pressure vessel, at least one membrane cartridge assembly including a first permeate adapter and a membrane cartridge, the first permeate adapter joined to a first end of the membrane cartridge and disposed within one of the first sleeves, the first permeate adapter in fluid communication with the first fluid reservoir and the first permeate reservoir and wherein the at least one membrane cartridge assembly further includes a permeate passage tube extending from the first end of the membrane cartridge to a second end of the membrane cartridge and wherein the first permeate adapter comprises a first front portion, a first back portion and a first body portion extending between the first front portion and the first back portion, the first body portion defining a central blind bore for receiving a first end of the permeate passage tube and a plurality of permeate discharge ports extending radially from the central blind bore to an outer surface of the first body portion, the plurality of permeate discharge ports in fluid communication with the first permeate reservoir.