Liquid purification or separation – Casing divided by membrane into sections having inlet – Each section having inlet
Patent
1996-05-09
1998-11-24
Fortuna, Ana
Liquid purification or separation
Casing divided by membrane into sections having inlet
Each section having inlet
21032178, 2103232, 210330, 210336, 210456, B01D 6300
Patent
active
058401865
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to apparatus for the filtration of liquids. In particular, the invention relates to a cross-flow filtration apparatus of the type comprising a plurality of membrane tubes, each having a wall permeable to at least one component of the liquid undergoing treatment.
A filter of this type for dewatering a radioactive sludge is described in GB Patent No 2180775. The filter comprises a housing which surrounds a plurality of parallel membrane tubes arranged in two groups, each group containing an equal number of tubes. In use, a sludge to be treated passes along one group of tubes, the flow then being reversed so that the sludge passes back through the other group of tubes to be discharged from the filter. The discharged sludge is more concentrated than the inflowing sludge as some of the water permeate passes through the walls of the tubes into the housing.
A disadvantage of this known filter arrangement is that it is limited in the amount of permeate that can be removed from the sludge.
According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for the filtration of a liquid, the apparatus comprising an elongate housing having an inlet port for liquid to be treated, an outlet port for concentrated liquid and a discharge port for permeate liquid, a plurality of parallel tubes extending through said housing, each tube having a wall permeable to at least one component of the liquid undergoing treatment such that the permeate passes through said wall into a common chamber defined by said housing for discharge through said discharge port, and channel means provided at each end of the tubes, the channel means being in communication with the tubes and disposed so as to direct the liquid along at least three successive passes through the tubes, the arrangement being such that the volume of liquid in a first of said passes is greater than the volume of liquid in a final one of said passes.
The channel means may be disposed so as to direct the liquid along at least seven successive passes. In one embodiment of the invention the channel means may be disposed so as to direct the liquid along eleven successive passes.
Desirably, the first pass of liquid is made through a first group of tubes arranged to receive liquid from said inlet port, an intermediate pass of liquid being made through an intermediate group of tubes and the final pass of liquid being made through a final group of tubes arranged to direct liquid towards said outlet port.
In a preferred embodiment the tubes each have substantially the same internal diameter, the number of tubes in the first group being greater than the number of tubes in the final group.
Preferably, the number of tubes in said intermediate group of tubes is less than the number of tubes in the first group and greater than the number of tubes in the final group, whereby the volume of liquid passing through the intermediate group of tubes is less than the volume of liquid passing through the first group of tubes and greater than the volume of liquid passing through the final group of tubes.
A manifold member may be provided at each end of the housing, each manifold member having a surface adjacent to the ends of the tubes, the channel means being formed in said surface and communicating with a plurality of said tubes.
In a preferred arrangement the inlet port is provided in a manifold member at an inlet end of the housing and the outlet port is provided in the other manifold member at an outlet end of the housing.
Advantageously the inlet port communicates with a channel means which encompasses the ends of the group of tubes forming the first pass, the remaining channel means at said inlet end each encompassing the ends of two groups of tubes forming two successive passes.
The outlet port may communicate with a channel means which encompasses the ends of the group of tubes forming the final pass, the remaining channel means at said outlet end each encompassing the ends of two groups of tubes forming two successive passes.
Preferably the housing comprises a cylindric
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patent: 5141640 (1992-08-01), Sasajima et al.
patent: 5169530 (1992-12-01), Schucker et al.
MacAlpine Peter Bruce
Wigg Graeme Michael
British Nuclear Fuels PLC
Fortuna Ana
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