The present invention relates to a damage inspection method for a reverse osmosis membrane, in which at least one of: presence or absence of physical damage; and a degree of physical damage in a reverse osmosis membrane is inspected based on presence or absence of a stained area on at least a permeate side of a stained membrane obtained by supplying a water-to-be-treated including a staining agent to the reverse osmosis membrane to stain the reverse osmosis membrane.

A conventional media filter such as a gravity sand filter is converted into a membrane filter. The media is removed and replaced by immersed membrane modules. Transmembrane pressure is created by a static head pressure differential, without a suction pump, thereby creating a membrane gravity filter (MGF). Membrane permeate passes through a bed of adsorption media optionally located in a tank with the membrane modules. The membranes are backwashed periodically with permeate, which bypasses the adsorption media as it returns to the membrane module.

In the present invention, a method for determining at least one pore-related parameter of a porous structure is provided. In a preferred embodiment, an enhanced evapoporometry (EP) technique is provided to determine pore size distribution of continuous pores of a porous structure. In this enhanced EP technique, a volatile liquid, such as isopropoyl alcohol or water, is supplied to one side of a porous structure in order to enable the volatile liquid to penetrate and saturate the porous structure through capillary force. Thereafter, an immiscible non-volatile liquid, such as glycerol, mineral oils, silicon oils or hydrophilic ionic liquid, is supplied to the one side of the porous structure. As the volatile liquid evaporates progressively from the filled pores, the emptied pores may be immediately filled by the non-volatile liquid drawn upwards by capillary action. This prevents formation of a t-layer formed from the adsorption of vapour emanating from the volatile liquid that is used to saturate the pores.

Provided is a membrane distillation system capable of real-time monitoring of membrane wetting, which includes: a raw water storage tank configured to store fluid; a membrane distillation water treatment unit configured to receive raw water stored in the raw water storage tank to generate pure water, the membrane distillation water treatment unit having an inlet water chamber into which an inlet water flows from the raw water storage tank, a membrane for separating the inlet water in the inlet water chamber into a steam and a concentrated water, and a treated water chamber for receiving the steam separated by the membrane and concentrating the steam; and a membrane wetting detection unit to detect a membrane wetting phenomenon and a membrane wetting location of the membrane by measuring a light passing through the membrane in real time.

The present invention relates to methods for determining the change in concentration of a substance in solution over time by continuously monitoring in real time. In particular, the present invention relates to methods for continuously monitoring the concentration of compounds during the manufacturing process of biomolecules.

The present invention relates to a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a clogging location determination program for a separation membrane module, in which, in order to determine a clogging location of a separation membrane module in a fresh water generation system for obtaining treated water by filtrating water to be treated by a separation membrane module having a separation membrane, a computer is caused to function as a clogging location determination means for determining a clogging location of the separation membrane module from a resistance in a lower part of the separation membrane module, a filtration resistance of a hollow-fiber membrane, and a resistance in an upper part of the separation membrane module.

The present invention relates to a method for determining the logarithmic reduction value LRV of a size-exclusion filter for a particle of a process solution, which particle is to be clarified, the size-exclusion filter being protected from a blocking adsorbing species present in the process solution by a process adsorber which is connected upstream in series.

Various examples are related to smart membranes for monitoring membrane based process such as, e.g., membrane distillation processes. In one example, a membrane, includes a porous surface and a plurality of sensors (e.g., temperature, flow and/or impedance sensors) mounted on the porous surface. In another example, a membrane distillation (MD) process includes the membrane. Processing circuitry can be configured to monitor outputs of the plurality of sensors. The monitored outputs can be used to determine membrane degradation, membrane fouling, or to provide an indication of membrane replacement or cleaning. The sensors can also provide temperatures or temperature differentials across the porous surface, which can be used to improve modeling or control the MD process.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for evaluating dialyzers used in different medical applications (e.g., hemodialysis). Red blood cell volume lost in a dialyzer is monitored by obtaining blood flowrate measurements and hematocrit measurements at input ports and output ports of the dialyzer. The flowrate and hematocrit measurements are used to determine an accumulation of red cell blood volume in the dialyzer. The measurements may be obtained in a lab environment with an in-vitro blood source or may be obtained in a clinical setting with an in-vivo blood source from a patient.

A filtration membrane fouling index measuring method including: (a) serially connecting two filtration membranes having the same membrane properties, and sequentially passing influent water therethrough; (b) measuring the flow volume that has passed through the first of the filtration membranes; (c) measuring the flow volume that has passed through the second of the filtration membranes; (d) measuring the cumulative pass-through volume that has passed through the first or the second filtration membrane; and (e) determining the fouling index of the filtration membrane, based on the flow volume that has passed through the first filtration membrane, the flow volume that has passed through the second filtration membrane and the cumulative pass-through volume. The method eliminates pore-blocking-induced measurement errors that occur with measurement methods involving Modified Fouling Index which is a fouling index for filtration membranes.