The present invention provides a submerged type membrane separation device and a membrane separation method which allow long-term stable filtration. In the submerged type membrane separation device including a membrane module having membrane units stacked on top of each other in stages, in each of which flat sheet membrane element each having a separation membrane are arranged, the membrane module is constructed of various membrane units differing in sludge-filtration resistance or pure-water permeation resistance, whereby it becomes possible to extend a device operation period of time lapsing before transmembrane plugging occurs, or equivalently, the necessity to clean membranes arises. Further, it also becomes possible to design to synchronize timings with which a plurality of membrane units require cleaning.

An object of the present invention is to provide a specific method for determining the fouling potential of an activated sludge solution on the basis of the characteristics of the activated sludge solution after chemical cleaning of a membrane, and to provide a suitable method for resuming operation in a rational manner after chemical cleaning of the membrane, while accurately determining the degree of recovery of the membrane filtration characteristics for the activated sludge solution. Moreover, an object of applying the present invention is to enable more effective suppression of an increase in a transmembrane pressure difference after chemical cleaning than in the prior art, leading to a reduction in the cleaning frequency of the membrane and a reduction in the used amount of cleaning chemicals and to extension of the life of the membrane.

The present invention relates to a method for operating a membrane-separation activated sludge treatment device after chemical cleaning of a membrane, the method including, after the chemical cleaning of the membrane is completed, controlling an operating condition until a normal filtration operation is resumed on the basis of characteristics of an activated sludge solution.

A method of operating a pressure-retarded osmosis plant, the plant comprising at least one osmosis element having a semi-permeable membrane, the semi-permeable membrane defining a feed side and a permeate side of the osmosis element, the method comprising, in a first mode of operation, supplying a feed stream having a relatively high concentration of solute to the feed side, supplying a permeate stream having a relatively low concentration of solute to an inlet of the permeate side, and receiving a feed outlet stream from the feed side wherein permeate has passed through the semi-permeable membrane from the permeate side to the feed side, in a second mode of operation, supplying a backwash stream having a relatively low concentration to the feed side of the osmosis element such that water passes through the semi-permeable membrane, and receiving a permeate outlet stream from an outlet of the permeate side, the method further comprising alternately performing the first mode of operation, to perform a production step, and performing the second mode of operation, to reduce fouling of the semi-permeable membrane.

The invention discloses an automatic off-line gas-water combined-washing membrane bioreactor, comprising a PLC automation control cabinet, a MBR reactor, a MBR membrane assembly, a rotating hood, an annular guide rail, a lifting device, a washing pipe network, an external interface, a gas washing pipe, a water washing pipe, a gas pump and a water pump, wherein the gas pump, the water pump and the three-way change valve are all connected with the PLC automation control cabinet, the washing pipe network is provided with several nozzles. The present invention adopts a full PLC automation control system, the PLC automation control cabinet controls a pressure washing pump (gas pump and water pump), and gas or water is injected into the washing pipe network by flexibly adjusting the three-way change valve, so that the operation is simple, the cleaning is complete, and the manual operation load is reduced.

Provided herein are an apparatus and process for manufacturing a formulation comprising a drug substance, said drug substance comprising a recombinant Listeria strain comprising a prostate specific antigen (PSA) or a chimeric HER2 antigen fused to a Listeriolysin O (LLO) protein fragment.

A flushable filter system is configured to purify a contaminated liquid containing substances that degrade filter performance and includes a filter cartridge including semi-permeable hollow fiber membrane that separates the filter cartridge into an upstream compartment and a downstream compartment. The system includes a flush port in communication with the upstream compartment of the filter cartridge for periodically discharging accumulated particulates and contaminates from an upstream side of the semi-permeable hollow fiber membrane. A device is provided to reduce mechanical stress imposed on the semi-permeable hollow fiber membrane during operation of the flushable filter system resulting in maintenance of integrity of the semi-permeable hollow fiber membrane during extended use and cyclic operation of the filter cartridge. The device is configured to dampen any fluid pressure spike that is observed within the flushable filter system during operation thereof.

A control system for monitoring a filter in a subsea control module (SCM) of an underwater hydrocarbon well is presented. The control system includes an upstream pressure transducer disposed upstream of a filter of the SCM and configured to sense an upstream pressure. The control system further includes a downstream pressure transducer disposed downstream of the filter and configured to sense a downstream pressure. Furthermore, the control system includes a subsea electronics module (SEM) coupled to the upstream pressure transducer and the downstream pressure transducer. The SEM is configured to determine average pressure differential values at different instances based on the upstream pressure and the downstream pressure. Moreover, the control system also includes a master control station (MCS) coupled to the SEM and configured to predict a filter maintenance generate an indication of the predicted filter maintenance due time for an operator of the underwater hydrocarbon well.

A system and method for predictive analysis of Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) desalination plants receives first data associated with a SWRO plant, including a first set of parameters associated with seawater, a second set of parameters associated with a permeate, and a third set of parameters associated with a brine. The system determines a fourth set of parameters by applying normalization techniques to the received first data. The system determines, based upon the fourth set of parameters, a set of membrane performance parameters associated with the SWRO plant, or a set of diagnostic indicators associated with at least one of the SWRO plant and the seawater. The system outputs the determined set of membrane performance parameters or the set of diagnostic indicators.

Membrane filtration systems can be used to purify liquid streams for downstream use. In practice, foulant can build-up on the surface of a membrane within a filtration system over time. The effectiveness of the filtration system will deteriorate if the fouling is not properly controlled. In some examples, a method of controlling membrane fouling in a pressurized membrane system involves supplying a feed stream that is predominately air mixed with water to the membrane. In other words, the feed stream a greater volume of air than water, even though it is the water being processed by the membrane. Supplying the pressurized membrane system with a feed stream that contains a greater volume of air than water can yield significantly better performance than supplying the membrane with a feed stream that contains a greater volume of water than air.

A method for controlling slime is used in a reverse osmosis membrane apparatus and has a water-supplying step of supplying water to be treated to the reverse osmosis membrane. The water-supplying step includes a first water-supplying step in which a slime controlling agent X which contains 2,2-dibromo-3-nitrilopropionamide (DBNPA) and a slime controlling agent Y which contains at least one type selected from a group consisting of components (A) to (D) are added to the water to be treated which has a pH of 10 or less, and the water to be treated which contains the slime controlling agent X and the slime controlling agent Y is supplied to the reverse osmosis membrane. The component (A) is mixture of 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (Cl-MIT) and 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (MIT), the component (B) is chloramine compound, the component (C) is stabilized bromide, and the component (D) is glutaraldehyde.