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, and the thickness of the supply-side flow-channel member is from 10 to 110 mil.

A method for reducing beverage loss during loading of beverage into an ethanol concentration system having a set of reverse osmosis pressure vessels, each pressure vessel having a feed inlet, a retentate outlet, and a permeate outlet. The method includes feeding deaerated water into the feed inlet of a first pressure vessel, feeding the beverage into the feed inlet of the first pressure vessel, monitoring an alcohol percentage at the retentate outlet of a second pressure vessel, the second pressure vessel coupled directly or indirectly to the first pressure vessel, and coupling a retentate from the retentate outlet of the second pressure vessel to a feed tank coupled to the feed inlet of the first pressure vessel when the alcohol percentage is within a first target range of 0.5 to 18% alcohol-by-volume (ABV).

The present invention relates to a spiral wound membrane element designs that utilize entrance and exit points in the feed space channel and utilize barriers on the perimeter of the feed space as well as barriers in the feed space area to direct fluid flow in the membrane element.

A gas separation membrane module includes a center pipe; a plurality of separation membranes each having a feed surface and a permeate surface, the separation membranes arranged such that the feed surfaces face each other and the permeate surfaces face each other; a feed channel material arranged between the feed surfaces; and a permeate channel material arranged between the permeate surfaces, wherein the separation membranes, the feed channel material, and the permeate channel material are wound around the center pipe, an average pore size on a front surface and an average pore size on a back surface of the feed channel material are each 0.95 mm or less, and an average pore size on a front surface and an averaged pore size on a back surface of the permeate channel material are each 0.95 mm or less.

The present invention provides compact spiral-wound filter elements having cassette-like performance. The invention further provides filtration systems (e.g., TFF systems) and processes (e.g., SPTFF processes) employing compact spiral-wound filter elements having cassette-like performance.

Spacers are attached to membranes of an array of flat plate ceramic membranes. The spacers limit bending of the membranes which can be caused by buildup of solids on the faces of adjacent membranes.

A membrane device is presented that can used for a wide range of applications from once-through filtration, crossflow filtration, molecular separation, gas/liquid absorption or reaction, gas dispersion into liquid, and degassing of liquid. The device comprises a thin flat sheet membrane that allows certain fluid or molecules go through while blocking others. The membrane sheet is fixed on a supporting structure with mini channel on two sides of the membrane for respective feed and sweep flows. The membrane sheet is sealed with gaskets with two cover plates that the membrane sheet can be replaced or cleaned. The cover plate provides connection ports to connect the feed fluid to the feed channels on one membrane surface and to connect the sweep fluid to the sweep channels on the other surface of the membrane.

A modular structure for a mitigating evaporative fuel emissions, such as for an automobile, is described. The structure may include a plurality of frames and membranes for flowing fuel vapor and reducing the emission of hydrocarbon therefrom. The structure may include flow guides that provide a meandering flow path for both the fuel vapor and a permeate. A flow guide providing parallel flow paths is also described.

The present invention relates to a counterflow membrane module configured to separate a feed fluid into a permeate fluid and a residue fluid across one or more membrane sheet(s). The counterflow module comprises a second end offset from a first end along the first direction where an inlet is provided at the first end and an outlet is provided at the second end. The one or more membrane sheet(s) each have a first portion, a second portion and a permeate section. A conduit is adjacent to the permeate section of the membrane and is configured to receive and output the permeate fluid separated from the feed fluid.

A device and a method for detecting deposits in a membrane module which produces a permeate and which comprises at least one permeable or semipermeable membrane layer. At least one polymer optical fiber for detecting deposits on the membrane layer is integrated in the membrane module such that the polymer optical fiber is in contact with at least one membrane layer. A method of detecting deposits in a membrane module producing a permeate and to a membrane module for producing a permeate from a feed stream of a fluid, in particular an aqueous solution, with the membrane module comprising a plurality of adjacently disposed or stacked sheets of a permeable or semipermeable membrane layer and with at least one polymer optical fiber being embedded or integrated in the membrane module, which polymer optical fiber is in contact with at least one sheet of the membrane layer.