A tube unit includes multiple tubes and bundling portions that bundle end portions of respective tubes at opposite ends of the tubes. At least one of the end portions of respective tubes has a tube wall portion that tubularly extends in an extension direction of the tubes and also has a protrusion protruding radially outward from the tube wall portion.

Embodiments described herein are directed to methods of manufacturing a multi-leaf membrane module for filtering product fluid flow (e.g., food products or wastewater) and such multi-leaf membrane modules. In an embodiment, a multi-leaf membrane module is disclosed. The multi-leaf membrane module includes a permeate fluid flow tube defining a permeate fluid flow channel for permeate, and a membrane sheet spirally wound about the permeate fluid flow tube. The membrane sheet includes two or more leaves. Each of the two or more leaves includes a feed spacer including at least one opening formed therein that at least partially defines a feed channel for product fluid flow therethrough and a permeate structure defining a permeate fluid flow channel. The permeate structure of each of the two or more leaves includes at least one membrane and at least one porous permeate spacer.

Hydrogen generation assemblies and methods of generating hydrogen are disclosed. In some embodiments, the method may include receiving a feed stream in a fuel processing assembly of the hydrogen generation assembly; and generating a product hydrogen stream in the fuel processing assembly from the received feed stream. Generating a product hydrogen stream may, in some embodiments, include generating an output stream in a hydrogen generating region from the received feed stream, and generating the product hydrogen stream in a purification region from the output stream. The method may additionally include receiving the generated product hydrogen stream in a buffer tank of the hydrogen generation assembly; and detecting pressure in the buffer tank via a tank sensor assembly. The method may further include stopping generation of the product hydrogen stream in the fuel processing assembly when the detected pressure in the buffer tank is above a predetermined maximum pressure.

Provided is a water treatment module including a bundle of hollow fiber membranes that includes a treatment portion extending between bottom and top ends and at least one gas diffuser. The membranes may be gas permeable and water impermeable. At least one end of the hollow fiber membranes is linked to a source of biofilm growth-supporting gas (BGSG) and configured to permit inlet of said BGSG into the hollow fiber membranes. Also provided herein are devices, systems and methods making use of the module.

A corrosion-resistant cover system, having a corrosion-resistant cover structured and configured to be arrangeable around an object having one or more metallic surfaces that are susceptible to corrosion. The corrosion-resistant cover is operable to provide increased corrosion resistance to the object by preventing contact between the one or more metallic surfaces and ambient conditions exterior to the corrosion-resistant cover.

The present application includes a system and method that introduces a rather new and unique approach to desalinating or recovering energy from hyper saline waters. The system includes a flat sheet membrane panel assembly including a plurality of membranes laid flat. A plurality of end caps are coupled to the plurality of membranes on opposing ends. A frame is configured to house the plurality of membranes and the plurality of end caps. The frame includes a top and bottom header to secure the membranes and permit the passage of fluid away from the membranes. The method includes subjecting a flat sheet membrane to pressurized untreated fluid. The fluid passes through a porous portion of a frame and is filtered by one or more flat sheet membranes. The treated fluid is collected and the brine is discharged. Pressure of the fluid is regulated to maintain consistent levels.

A membrane filter module configured to treat a liquid contained in a tank at an ambient pressure. The module may have a header, with a bundle containing a plurality of substantially vertical hollow fiber membranes, wherein a lower end of each hollow fiber membrane is fixed in the header. The module may also have a gasification device adapted to periodically generate a gaseous bubble and configured to release the gaseous bubble within the bundle. The module may further have an enclosure that substantially surrounds the bundle that extends from a lower region to an upper region of the membrane bundle, wherein the enclosure is configured to retain the liquid introduced into the enclosure such that the liquid surrounds the membrane bundle. The gaseous bubble has a cross-sectional area that corresponds with a cross-sectional area of the enclosure, such that the cross-sectional area of the gaseous bubble occupies substantially the entire cross-sectional area of the enclosure as it flows along the bundle.

A membrane separation device includes a plurality of membrane elements each having a separation membrane arranged on front and back sides of a flat filter plate, wherein the membrane elements are oriented vertically and arranged in an array separated by a fixed distance such that the separation membranes are facing one another. A narrowing member is provided outside of the membrane element arranged at the outermost position along the arrangement direction, the narrowing member being disposed at least in a vicinity of a bonding portion of the filter plate and the separation membrane along the vertical direction thereof so as to be separated from the outermost membrane element by a predetermined distance smaller than the fixed distance T, thereby avoiding rupture of the separation membrane provided on outer side of the outermost membrane element even if aeration is continued in a state in which the filtering operation is stopped.

Printed spacer membrane elements offer the unique advantage of applying any pattern on the membrane surface to act as the feed spacer material. This is in contrast to conventional feed spacer mesh material that is uniform in thickness and density throughout the mesh. More open feed spaces can be utilized but may also result in higher stress concentration, and where the spacer material comes in contact with the opposing membrane leaf. This patent presents concepts for reducing the damage on membrane leaves by increasing the concentration of the print pattern near the center tube where the stress concentration on the membrane leaves is greatest, orienting the membrane sheets prior to rolling to minimize damage from slippage during rolling, moving the fold away from the first features to minimize leaks at the insertion point.

A housing-free first dialyzer element has a hollow-fiber bundle, a fluid-permeable sheath wrapped around the periphery of the hollow-fiber bundle, cast elements at the axial ends of the hollow-fiber bundle, and end caps fastened to the cast elements for connection to an extracorporeal blood circulation. A second dialyzer element has a housing and can be closed, opened and reused. A dialyzer includes the housing-free first dialyzer element and the second dialyzer element that has a housing. A blood treatment device includes the second dialyzer element that has the housing, the second dialyzer element being rigidly fastened to a machine front. A method for reprocessing the second dialyzer element that has the housing can be used after blood treatment therapy.