A separator element comprising a porous rigid single-piece substrate (2) presenting firstly, at its periphery, a perimeter wall (2.sub.1) that is continuous between an inlet (4) for the fluid medium for treatment at one end of the porous substrate and an outlet (5) for the retentate at the other end of the porous substrate, and secondly, internally, a surface covered by a separator layer (6) and defining an open structure made up of empty spaces (3) for passing a flow of the fluid medium for treatment. The empty spaces (3) are arranged in the porous substrate so as to create within the porous substrate a first flow network (R1) for the fluid medium for treatment, having at least two interconnected flow circuits (R1.sub.1, R1.sub.2) for the fluid medium between the inlet (4) and the outlet (5) of the porous substrate.

Composite polyether block amide (PEBA) copolymer tubes incorporate an ultra-thin PEBA extruded layer that enables rapid moisture transfer and exchange through the tube. An extruded composite PEBA film may include a porous scaffold support and may be formed or incorporated into the composite PEBA tube. An extruded PEBA may be melted into pores of a porous scaffold support. Extruded PEBA may be wrapped on a mandrel or over a porous scaffold support to form a composite PEBA tube. A film layer may be applied over a wrapped composite PEBA film to secure the layers together. A support tube may be configured inside or outside of the PEBA tube.

A fluid conduit includes a first portion having a first porosity, a second portion disposed immediately adjacent to the first portion, the second portion having a second porosity that is greater than the first porosity, and a third portion of the fluid conduit disposed immediately adjacent to the second portion, the third portion having a third porosity that is less than the second porosity. Each of the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion may be integrally formed as a single, continuous piece defining the fluid conduit.

In some embodiments, a filter membrane module includes at least one ceramic filter element made of a sintered, porous, ceramic structure, a potting material for potting the ceramic filter element, the potting material having an uncured state and a cured state, and a housing, wherein the potting material is a thermoplastic or a thermosetting plastic that in the cured state has a tensile strength in the range of about 2-65 MPa and a thermal expansion coefficient in the range of about 55-260×10−6/K, and a penetration depth of the potting material into the structure of the filter element is in the range of 0.24 mm to 3.0 mm, and a shrinkage after curing is less than 1.24%.

An object of the present invention is to provide a separation membrane module in which an end member is prevented from coming out even at the occurrence of a reverse pressure or the like. The invention relates to a separation membrane module which is equipped with a cylinder-shaped housing and a tubular separation membrane and which takes out a fluid which has permeated the tubular separation membrane. An end pipe is connected to one end portion of the tubular separation membrane; the end pipe is supported by a support plate which is disposed so as to traverse the housing; and an end plug is connected to the other end portion of the tubular separation membrane. The separation membrane module is further equipped with a coming-out preventive member.

A fluid conduit includes a first portion having a first porosity, a second portion disposed immediately adjacent to the first portion, the second portion having a second porosity that is greater than the first porosity, and a third portion of the fluid conduit disposed immediately adjacent to the second portion, the third portion having a third porosity that is less than the second porosity. Each of the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion may be integrally formed as a single, continuous piece defining the fluid conduit.

Provided is a method of forming a filter module. The method includes: forming a non-pore ion-exchange membrane including: preparing a mixed solution of a polymer material and an ion-exchange material; and electrospraying the mixed solution to obtain the non-pore ion-exchange membrane; and interposing the non-pore ion-exchange membrane between a first polymer nanofiber web and a second polymer nanofiber web to form the filter module.

A fluid conduit includes a first portion having a first porosity, a second portion disposed immediately adjacent to the first portion, the second portion having a second porosity that is greater than the first porosity, and a third portion of the fluid conduit disposed immediately adjacent to the second portion, the third portion having a third porosity that is less than the second porosity. Each of the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion may be integrally formed as a single, continuous piece defining the fluid conduit.

Composite polyether block amide (PEBA) copolymer tubes incorporate an ultra-thin PEBA layer that enables rapid moisture transfer and exchange through the tube. A composite PEBA film may include a porous scaffold support and may be formed or incorporated into the composite PEBA tube. A porous scaffold support may be coated or imbibed with PEBA to form a composite PEBA film. A composite PEBA film may be wrapped on a mandrel or over a porous scaffold support to form a composite PEBA tube. A film layer may be applied over a wrapped composite PEBA film to secure the layers together. The film layer by applied by dipping, spraying or painting.

Apparatus and methods for use in water processing include housing sections that house in their interiors water treating membranes, the respective interiors being separate from one another. A distributor chamber for containing a flow of water to be treated conveys water to be treated from a feed inlet and distributes the water to be treated into the interiors of the housing sections. A collector chamber for collecting treated water from the interiors of the housing sections is provided to communicate a merged flow of the treated water to an extraction outlet. The device may be employed in subsea systems or in a topside water processing system