A one-way valve includes a housing with a center axis. The housing includes a peripheral side wall around the center axis, and an inward flange protruding from the peripheral side wall toward the center axis. A valve member is inserted into the housing and includes an outer peripheral surface around the center axis, and an outward flange protruding from the outer peripheral surface toward the peripheral side wall. A coil spring includes a first axial end having a first diameter and being in contact with the inward flange and the peripheral side wall, a second axial end having a second diameter smaller than a first diameter, the second axial end being in contact with the outward flange and the outer peripheral surface, and a body portion provided between the first axial end and the second axial end and having diameters decreasing from the first diameter to the second diameter.

A filter assembly for removing a solute from a solvent includes a first annular filter element and a second annular filter element disposed radially inwardly and concentrically aligned with the first filter element together defining a common axis. The first annular filter element is defined by a first annular coil of a flat wire and the second filter element are each defined by a second annular coil of a flat wire being generally helical in the axial direction. A filter membrane is cylindrically shaped and concentrically disposed between the first and second annular filter element. The filter membrane is porous having aperture size of less than a nano-particulate size of the solute, but greater than a nano-particulate size of the solvent. The second annular filter includes adjustable porosity for selectively preventing particles from reaching the filter membrane and selectively cleaning the membrane by reversed flow of solvent through the membrane.

Mass transfer packing with a minimal surface or a triply periodic minimal surface which enables significantly improved performance for separation and mixing applications particularly with respect to distillation, liquid-liquid contacting, and heat exchange applications.

The oxygenator of organic fluids comprises: a container body having a longitudinal axis; a first inlet opening for the oxygen and a second outlet opening for an exhaust gas obtained in the container body; a third inlet opening for an organic fluid to be oxygenated and a fourth outlet opening for oxygenated organic fluid obtained in the container body; an oxygenation chamber of the fluid to be oxygenated that is defined inside the container body; a distribution pre-chamber of the fluid to be oxygenated fitted between the third inlet opening and the oxygenation chamber; a mass of capillary fibers that are impermeable to liquids and porous to gasses, designed to be lapped by the organic fluid and arranged inside the oxygenation chamber according with a common parallel direction; dynamic distribution means supported in the distribution pre-chamber by support means.

The invention provides a water-alcohol separation system and a method for water-alcohol separation for producing a high purity alcohol while achieving energy saving as the whole process. Namely, a water-alcohol separation system including plural separation membrane modules connected in series, a vacuum apparatus for reducing a pressure at a permeated side of each of the separation membrane modules, and a condenser for condensing a vapor that has passed through a membrane, in which plural independent vacuum systems reduce the pressure at the permeated side of the membrane of the separation membrane modules.

A heat-pipe membrane module belongs to a heat recycle device. The heat-pipe membrane module is composed of a membrane module and heat pipes. The whole heat pipe is placed in the membrane module where there is heat can be recycled; or one end of heat pipe is placed in the membrane module where there is heat can be recycled and the other end of heat pipe is outside the membrane module. Here, the heat pipe comprises a metal tube, wick and the working fluid, wherein, both ends of the metal tube have covers; the wick is evenly distributed in the inner surface of metal tube, which has a capillary effect; the working fluid fills the wick. The heat-pipe membrane module mentioned above is simple, cheap, and heat efficiency.

A heat-pipe membrane module belongs to a heat recycle device. The heat-pipe membrane module is composed of a membrane module and heat pipes. The whole heat pipe is placed in the membrane module where there is heat can be recycled; or one end of heat pipe is placed in the membrane module where there is heat can be recycled and the other end of heat pipe is outside the membrane module. Here, the heat pipe comprises a metal tube, wick and the working fluid, wherein, both ends of the metal tube have covers; the wick is evenly distributed in the inner surface of metal tube, which has a capillary effect; the working fluid fills the wick. The heat-pipe membrane module mentioned above is simple, cheap, and heat efficiency.

A distillation apparatus having a hot liquid block, a thermoelectric module (TEM), a condensation surface, a feed liquid chamber having a feed chamber inlet, a feed chamber outlet, and a membrane disposed on at least one side of the feed liquid chamber. One side of the membrane faces to the condensation surface. An air gap of 1 mm to 20 cm separates the condensation surface and the membrane. A permeate outlet in fluid communication with the air gap. A heating unit in fluid communication with the feed liquid chamber and the hot liquid block. A cooling unit in fluid communication with the permeate outlet. A multi-stage distillation apparatus with a plurality of distillation apparatuses. A process of distilling water, by feeding a liquid into the distillation apparatus through the hot block inlet and collecting distilled water from the permeate outlet.

Described are methods of membrane distillation for processing organic liquids, hydrophobic distillation membranes useful for membrane distillation methods, and methods of preparing the hydrophobic distillation membranes.

A distillation apparatus having a hot liquid block, a thermoelectric module (TEM), a condensation surface, a feed liquid chamber having a feed chamber inlet, a feed chamber outlet, and a membrane disposed on at least one side of the feed liquid chamber. One side of the membrane faces to the condensation surface. A water gap of 1 mm to 20 cm separates the condensation surface and the membrane. A permeate outlet in fluid communication with the water gap. A heating unit in fluid communication with the feed liquid chamber and the hot liquid block. A cooling unit in fluid communication with the permeate outlet. A multi-stage distillation apparatus with a plurality of distillation apparatuses. A process of distilling water, by feeding a liquid into the distillation apparatus through the hot block inlet and collecting distilled water from the permeate outlet.