A flow plate for a humidifier, having flow fields on both mutually opposite flat sides of the flow plate is described. The flow plate proposed here has a multiplicity of through-openings, wherein the through-openings are designed such that a perpendicular projection of the through openings onto a plane oriented parallel to the plane of the flat surface of the flow plate has a non-vanishing area, so that gas passing through the through-openings effects, at least in part, mixing of a gas guided in the flow fields perpendicular to the plane of the flat surface of the flow plate. The through-openings improve the power of the humidifier, thus permitting a lower number of flow plates and therefore a more lightweight and more compact design.

The present disclosure provides an electrodialysis stack that may be used for the treatment of an electrically conductive solution. The stack includes two electrodes (at least one is a recessed electrode), a plurality of ion-transport membranes and stack spacers. The membranes and spacers are arranged between the electrodes to define electrodialysis cell pairs. The stack includes an electrically insulated zone that extends substantially from a distribution manifold past the recessed edge of the electrode and substantially from the recessed electrode to the opposite electrode for a distance that is about 8% to 100% of the total distance between the electrodes. The overlap distance that the electrically insulated zone extends past the recessed edge of the electrode is calculated as:

distance in cm=(0.062 cm.sup.?1)*(exp(?60/total cp)*(area in cm.sup.2 of the manifold ducts of the concentrated stream at the recessed edge)+/?10%.

The present invention provides compact spiral-wound filter elements having cassette-like performance. The invention further provides filtration systems (e.g., TFF systems) and processes (e.g., SPTFF processes) employing compact spiral-wound filter elements having cassette-like performance.

A cross-flow membrane filtration channel defined by at least one membrane, wherein at least one surface of the channel is inclined at an angle away from a centreline of the channel in a direction of feed flow in the channel.

The present invention provides compact spiral-wound filter elements having cassette-like performance. The invention further provides filtration systems (e.g., TFF systems) and processes (e.g., SPTFF processes) employing compact spiral-wound filter elements having cassette-like performance.

An osmosis element comprising a central permeate tube and a membrane element, the membrane having a first part and a second part, the first part having a top edge for location adjacent the central tube, the second part being disposed at the opposite edge, the first part comprising a material to allow water to flow therethrough, the second part comprising at least two adjacent permeate spacers extending from the first part to allow water to flow therethrough, the permeate spacers having a semi-permeable membrane attached to opposed faces of the two adjacent permeate spacers, the first part comprising a barrier extending from the vicinity of the top edge, the central tube comprising an external wall and a longitudinally extending internal separator defining a first channel and a second channel each extending longitudinally of the central permeate tube, at least one first aperture extending from the first channel though the external wall and at least one second aperture extending from the second channel through the external wall.

Provided is a spiral membrane element that has a restricted outer diameter and is capable of being decreased in operation energy therefor. The element is a spiral membrane element including plural membrane leaves in each of which a permeation-side flow-channel member is interposed between opposed separation membranes; a supply-side flow-channel member interposed between any two of the membrane leaves; a perforated central pipe on which the membrane leaves and the supply-side flow-channel member are wound; and a sealing part that prevents a supply-side flow-channel member from being mixed with a permeation-side flow-channel member. This element has an efficiency index E of 0.005 to 0.10, the index being calculated in accordance with an expression described below, and the thickness of the supply-side flow-channel member is from 10 to 110 mil. Efficiency index: E=0.0024X0.2373+(Y/(D.sup.2L)) wherein X is a thickness [mil] of the supply-side flow-channel member, Y is an effective membrane area [ft.sup.2] of the separation membranes, D is an outer diameter [inch] of the membrane element, and L is a length [inch] of the membrane element.

A flow plate for a humidifier, and to such a humidifier having a plurality of flow plates and water exchange membranes are described. The flow plate has a flow field with a plurality of free-standing support elements, wherein the support elements extend, at least in sections, perpendicular to the flat surface plane of the flow plate. Gas to be humidified or gas giving off moisture flows on the flow field. In the humidifier, the flow plates are arranged in a stack, wherein a membrane composite having at least one water exchange membrane is arranged between each pair of adjacent flow plates in the stack. The support elements improve the performance of the humidifier and therefore the number of flow plates can be reduced, making a lower-weight and space-saving design possible.

The present invention provides compact spiral-wound filter elements having cassette-like performance. The invention further provides filtration systems (e.g., TFF systems) and processes (e.g., SPTFF processes) employing compact spiral-wound filter elements having cassette-like performance.

A component for a spiral wound membrane, suitably for water filtration. The component includes an integrally formed non-uniform lattice structure. The lattice structure includes a first and second repeating unit cell, wherein the first and second unit cell are different.