The present invention is related to a new membrane cartridge system comprising hollow fiber membranes, a special new end cap for the production of the new cartridge, membrane separation devices comprising the new membrane cartridges and a process for manufacture of the new cartridges.

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 ceramic membrane filtration assembly includes a housing and a membrane assembly. The membrane assembly includes at least one membrane with channels therein. A first inner end cap device is disposed within the housing and is coupled with the membrane assembly. The housing has a bypass near an outer perimeter of the first inner end cap device, the first inner end cap device has an inner port, the inner port fluidly coupled with the channels of the membrane, where the bypass includes a space between the housing and the first inner end cap device. A first outer end cap device is coupled with the first inner end cap device; the first outer end cap device has a first port and a second port, where the first port is fluidly separate from the second port, and the first port is fluidly coupled with the inner port.

A ceramic membrane filtration assembly comprising a membrane assembly extending from a first membrane assembly end to a second membrane assembly end, where the membrane assembly is defined by a membrane assembly length, the membrane assembly including at least one membrane. At least one of the membranes have channels therein, and at least one channel has channel ends. The filtration assembly further includes at least one sealing device coupled with the membrane assembly adjacent to at least one of the first and second membrane assembly ends, where the sealing device has an inner and outer perimeter. The sealing device has a sealing feature disposed along the outer perimeter, and the inner perimeter of the sealing device is sealed with a portion of the membrane assembly.

A gas-permeable well for use with a bioreactor may include a reinforced gas-permeable membrane. The gas-permeable membrane may include an integrated reinforcing structure such as a stainless steel mesh or perforated screen, and may include an integrated gasket or O-ring, or other regions of increased thickness. A sensor brought into close proximity to the reinforced gas-permeable membrane may take an indirect measurement of a condition of process medium on the other side of the gas-permeable membrane, such as a measurement of dissolved oxygen or carbon dioxide.

Described are filtration membranes that include a porous fluoropolymer membrane and thermally stable ionic groups; filters and filter components that include these filtration membranes; methods of making the filtration membranes, filters, and filter components; and method of using a filtration membrane, filter component, or filter to remove unwanted material from fluid.

A humidifier for transferring water vapor from a first gas stream to a second gas stream in a fuel cell system has a stack of thin plates joined together at their edges by planar sealing surfaces, with water permeable membranes between the plates. Each plate defines a gas flow passage along its top and bottom surfaces, with an inlet and outlet defined along edges of the plate, and a flow field extending between the inlet and outlet openings. Inlet and outlet passages connect the inlet and outlet openings to the flow field, with the planar sealing surfaces including bridging portions extending across these passages. Support structures are provided throughout the flow field to support the membrane and diffusion medium layer(s). Each support structure comprises a porous material which is sufficiently porous to permit gas flow through the flow field.

A housing (30) of a hollow-fiber membrane module (101) is so configured as to have a small-diameter part (3B) having an inner diameter smaller than an inner diameter of a flow regulation cylinder (9) facing a part of the housing (30) on which a nozzle (8) is provided, and which is arranged on a lower side than a lower end of the flow regulation cylinder (9) in an axial direction of the hollow-fiber membrane module (101); or the flow regulation cylinder (9) is so configured as to have a small-diameter part (9G) which has an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the flow regulation cylinder (9) facing the part of the housing (30) on which the nozzle (8) is provided, and which is arranged on a lower side than the existing region of the flow regulation holes (10) in the axial direction of the hollow-fiber membrane module (101).

Provided is a spiral membrane element that has a restricted outer diameter and is capable of being decreased in operation energy therefor. The element is a spiral membrane element including plural membrane leaves in each of which a permeation-side flow-channel member is interposed between opposed separation membranes; a supply-side flow-channel member interposed between any two of the membrane leaves; a perforated central pipe on which the membrane leaves and the supply-side flow-channel member are wound; and a sealing part that prevents a supply-side flow-channel member from being mixed with a permeation-side flow-channel member. This element has an efficiency index E of 0.005 to 0.10, the index being calculated in accordance with an expression described below, and the thickness of the supply-side flow-channel member is from 10 to 110 mil. Efficiency index: E=0.0024X0.2373+(Y/(D.sup.2L)) wherein X is a thickness [mil] of the supply-side flow-channel member, Y is an effective membrane area [ft.sup.2] of the separation membranes, D is an outer diameter [inch] of the membrane element, and L is a length [inch] of the membrane element.

A spiral membrane element is provided which has a restricted outer diameter but is heightened in effective membrane area, and further which can be decreased in operation energy therefor. The spiral membrane element is an element including plural membrane leaves L in each of which a permeation-side flow-channel member 3 is interposed between opposed separation membranes 1; a supply-side flow-channel member 2 interposed between any two of the membrane leaves L; a perforated central pipe 5 on which the membrane leaves L and the supply-side flow-channel member 2 are wound; and sealing parts that prevent a supply-side flow-channel from being mixed with a permeation-side flow-channel. The sealing parts include both-end sealing parts 11 in which an adhesive is used to seal two-side end parts of each of the membrane leaves L on both sides of the leaf in an axial direction A1 of the leaf. The thickness T1 of the both-end sealing parts 11 is 390 to 540 m.