A spiral wound membrane module is suitable for use with high temperature water that may also have a high pH, for example steam injection produced water. The module uses a membrane with a polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) backing material. The feed spacer of the module may be made from polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) or ethylene chlorotrifluoroethylene (ECTFE). The permeate carrier may be made of a woven nylon (i.e. nylon 6, 6) fabric coated with high temperature epoxy. The core tube and anti-telescoping device may be made of polysulfone. In some examples, the module may be used at a temperature of up to 130 C. Optionally, the module may be used at a pH of 9.5 or more. In a filtration method, the module may be operated at a pressure in the range of 150 to 450 psi. The module may be operated at a generally constant pressure.

The present invention is intended to provide a spiral membrane element, a permeation spacer, and a membrane separation method. A spiral membrane element includes a central tube and a membrane leaf. The membrane leaf has a separation membrane and a permeation spacer. The permeation spacer has a plurality of grooves and a plurality of projections on one surface thereof. The grooves and the projections each extend in a first direction and are arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on the surface. When the groove has a width defined as W1 and the projection has a width defined as W2 in the second direction and the projection has a height defined as H, 9.11000{(W1/W2)/H}<18.2 is satisfied, where W1, W2, and H are in unit of m.

A spiral wound membrane module, comprising a perforated core having an axially extending internal bore; at least one membrane packet comprising a folded membrane sheet defining a first outer face, a first inner face, a second outer face and a second inner face, the fold of the folded membrane sheet being a leading end of the membrane packet; a feed sheet positioned between the first and second inner faces so as to be sandwiched by the folded membrane sheet; a first permeate screen adjacent the first outer face of the membrane sheet defining a first permeate channel; a second permeate screen adjacent the second outer face of the membrane sheet defining a second permeate channel; and a fluid impermeable support coupled to the leading edge of the membrane packet. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing the spiral wound membrane module.

Embodiments of the present invention provide the integration of arbitrary flow directing patterns, deposited or integrated on or into the porous permeate spacer in a spiral-wound membrane separation element.

A spiral wound membrane module, comprising a perforated core having an axially extending internal bore; at least one membrane packet comprising a folded membrane sheet defining a first outer face, a first inner face, a second outer face and a second inner face, the fold of the folded membrane sheet being a leading end of the membrane packet; a feed sheet positioned between the first and second inner faces so as to be sandwiched by the folded membrane sheet; a first permeate screen adjacent the first outer face of the membrane sheet defining a first permeate channel; a second permeate screen adjacent the second outer face of the membrane sheet defining a second permeate channel; and a fluid impermeable support coupled to the leading edge of the membrane packet. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing the spiral wound membrane module.

The present invention provides a new spiral membrane element suitable for recovering a permeated fluid efficiently. A spiral membrane element of the present invention includes: a central tube; a separation membrane that is wound around the central tube and separates a feed fluid into a permeated fluid and a non-permeated fluid; and a feed space and a permeation space separated from each other by the separation membrane. The permeation space communicates with an outer space of the spiral membrane element via an outer circumferential surface of the spiral membrane element.

The present invention provides a spiral membrane element suitable for suppressing a decrease in a permeation rate (or a permeation flux) of a permeated fluid from a separation membrane. A spiral membrane element of the present invention includes: a central tube; a membrane leaf that has a separation membrane and a permeation spacer and is wound around the central tube; and a flow passage spacer that is connected to the permeation spacer and is wound around the central tube on a side closer to the central tube than the membrane leaf is. A pressure loss of the flow passage spacer measured by a predetermined test is smaller than a pressure loss of the permeation spacer.

This document describes systems and methods for treating and recovering water from feed solutions using a multilayer module with an expansion chamber. The multilayer module comprises a feed spacer layer, a permeate spacer layer and a membrane layer, wherein water vapor evaporated from the feed solution in the feed spacer passes through the membrane layer into the permeate spacer layer. The expansion chamber receives the water vapor from the permeate spacer layer and the feed solution from the feed spacer layer.

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatuses that can alter flow characteristics within the feed channel of a cross-flow filtration element by employing a varying geometry of the feed spacer at a fixed channel height.