Provided are certain polyolefinic membranes which are useful as components of filters for liquid purification. Advantageously, the filter membranes of the disclosure possess greatly reduced concentrations of certain trace metals, thus making them particularly useful in the filtration of liquids used in the fabrication of microelectronic devices. In one aspect, the disclosure provides a filter membrane comprising a polyolefin, wherein said polyolefin has less than about 4 ppm total of metals chosen from titanium, aluminum, iron, zinc, and magnesium.

A novel fibrous membrane comprises at least one substrate layer comprising at least 80% by weight of microfibers that carry positively charged and/or negatively charged functional groups, and at least one layer of filtration material attached to the substrate layer, wherein the layer of filtration material comprises at least 80% by weight of nanofibers that carry negatively charged and/or positively charged functional groups. The fibrous membrane is able to remove or reduce the concentration of bacteria, viruses and heavy metals while maintaining relatively high water flow. A filter comprising the fibrous membrane and a method for manufacturing the fibrous membrane are also provided.

According to one embodiment, a gas recovering apparatus includes a casing and a tube. The casing is provided with an inlet through which a gas flows in, a first outlet for discharging a first gas containing a gas to be recovered of the gas, and a second outlet for discharging a second gas other than the first gas of the gas. The casing is evacuated via the first outlet. The tube is provided in the casing from the inlet to the second outlet, and has a high permeability to the first gas and a low permeability to the second gas.

A frusto-conical filter includes at least one layer of a filtering material, wherein one or more layers of the at least one layer of a filtering material comprises a plurality of pleats. Each of the pleats has a center axis which essentially maintains a constant distance from the center axis of its adjoining pleats. The media filter has a first end and a second end, the second end being spaced apart from the first end, and one of the first and second ends is larger than the other of the first and second ends. A method of making this media involves cutting out a frusto-conical section from a generically shaped media and aligning it in such a way as to maintain the constant distance of the pleats from the adjacent pleats.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a filtration membrane module with which is possible to improve the centrifugal separation effect of the primary-side flowpath during filtration, and the centrifugal separation effect of the area following the outer peripheral surface of the flowpath membrane element of the outer ring-shaped flowpath during backwash, and improve filtration efficiency and cleaning efficiency while curbing the accumulation of deposits on the membrane surface during filtration and during backwash. This filtration membrane module comprises: a membrane element equipped with a primary-side flowpath on the outside of a hollow cylindrical filtration surface; and a cylindrical housing positioned on the outside thereof. A flow adjuster is positioned inside the primary-side flowpath. A flow adjuster for backwash is positioned inside the secondary-side flowpath, which is an outer ring-shaped flowpath between the membrane element and the housing. The flow adjuster and the flow adjuster for backwash comprise spiral-shaped fins or the like in order to exhibit a centrifugal separation function in an area that follows the outer peripheral surface of the membrane element or the filtration surface.

A filter unit for a mixing apparatus includes a hydrophilic filter and a hydrophobic vent filter. The hydrophilic filter is configured to receive a fluid including a liquid and gas. The hydrophilic filter is further configured to sterilize the liquid. The hydrophobic vent filter is configured to receive the gas from the hydrophilic filter. The hydrophobic vent filter further includes a vent and a membrane configured to separate an interior of the filter unit from an exterior of the filter unit, the gas being vented from the filter unit by flowing across the membrane and out of the vent. In some embodiments, the filter unit further includes a defoaming device configured to receive gas, foam comprised the liquid containing trapped gas, and some of the liquid from the hydrophilic filter and is further configured to release at least some of the gas from the foam.

A fluid circuit (160) defining a flow path for a fluid from a fluid supply (152) toward a process stage (156). The fluid circuit may include a plurality of operative components (168) including a body portion (182) and a plurality of tubing connector fittings (186). The operative components may be connected by a plurality of tubing segments (164). Each body portion may include a non-conductive fluoropolymer portion and an outer conductor (234) that extends between each of the plurality of tubing connector fittings and that is unitary with the non-conductive fluoropolymer portion. The plurality of tubing segments may include a non-conductive fluoropolymer tubing portion (187) and an axial strip (188) of conductive polymer. The outer conductor of each body portion conductively connected with tubing segments connected thereto. Each of the connectors may include a bridging component (262) for conductively connecting the respective outer conductor of the body portion to the strip of conductive polymer of the connecting tubing segments.

An integrity testing method for a porous medium in a housing having an interior separated by the medium into upstream and downstream portions, an inlet and an outlet communicating, respectively, with the upstream and downstream portions, the outlet connected to a closeable conduit, comprises filling the downstream portion and conduit with liquid, draining the upstream portion and filling it with gas while retaining liquid in the downstream portion, connecting a gas-filled testing volume to the downstream portion, maintaining gas pressure of a predetermined testing differential pressure in the upstream portion, the differential pressure being lower than a predefined bubble point of the medium, determining the pressure in the testing volume, the testing volume selected such that, when a medium is tested having a bubble point corresponding to the predefined bubble point, a pressure increase within the testing volume of about 100 mbar or more is obtained within 10 minutes.

According to one embodiment, a gas recovering apparatus includes a casing and a tube. The casing is provided with an inlet through which a gas flows in, a first outlet for discharging a first gas containing a gas to be recovered of the gas, and a second outlet for discharging a second gas other than the first gas of the gas. The casing is evacuated via the first outlet. The tube is provided in the casing from the inlet to the second outlet, and has a high permeability to the first gas and a low permeability to the second gas.

A filter unit for a mixing apparatus includes a hydrophilic filter and a hydrophobic vent filter. The hydrophilic filter is configured to receive a fluid including a liquid and gas. The hydrophilic filter is further configured to sterilize the liquid. The hydrophobic vent filter is configured to receive the gas from the hydrophilic filter. The hydrophobic vent filter further includes a vent and a membrane configured to separate an interior of the filter unit from an exterior of the filter unit, the gas being vented from the filter unit by flowing across the membrane and out of the vent. In some embodiments, the filter unit further includes a defoaming device configured to receive gas, foam comprised the liquid containing trapped gas, and some of the liquid from the hydrophilic filter and is further configured to release at least some of the gas from the foam.