A housing of a separation apparatus includes therein a zeolite membrane complex. A sheath includes therein the housing. A fluid supplied to the inside of the housing has a temperature higher than the temperature around the sheath. A second exhaust port is used to exhaust a permeated substance that has permeated through the zeolite membrane complex in the fluid to the outside of the housing. The permeated substance exhausted from the housing can be led into an exterior space between the sheath and the housing through the second exhaust port and can be exhausted through an exterior exhaust port. At least part of the zeolite membrane complex is included in an inter-port space surrounded by the sheath, the second exhaust port, and the exterior exhaust port. This structure reduces energy required for fluid separation performed under high temperatures.

A petal-like inner support frame for use in a tubular filter membrane and an application thereof. The support frame includes a central column and a plurality of support arms surrounding, the outside of the central column, the support arms extend along an axis of the central column, and a medium channel is formed between two adjacent support arms. The beneficial effects are: the structure can be processed by equipment at one time without multiple processing; the support frame installed in the tubular filter membrane can realize the enlargement and optimization of the cross sections of the medium channels, thereby improving the, filter efficiency of the filter membrane, obtaining a higher filtration flux of the filter membrane, and achieving a better filtration/separation effect.

Composite membrane tubing includes a porous scaffold support combined with polyether block amide copolymer. The composite membrane tubing has overlapping fusion areas that are an artifact of the manufacturing process. The methods of manufacturing above-mentioned composite membrane tubing have also been addressed. The composite membrane tubing can be reinforced with a structural mesh to further provide rigidity and strength. Composite membrane tubing or generally extruded tubing can be integrated into a multi-tube module for various applications.

A cell retention device includes a structured support with a plurality of circumferentially distributed ribs to retain the active filtering surface of a flexible, porous membrane filter medium. The filter medium surrounds the support in contact with the peaks of the ribs, thereby forming axial voids between the rib peaks. This arrangement imparts sufficient structural support over small regions of the filter medium to facilitate its use in a circular (or other rounded) configuration while providing sufficient channel volume to support high throughput of fluid sparse of cells.

A catalytic membrane reactor and methods of operating and producing the same are provided that efficiently produces highly pure hydrogen (H.sub.2) from ammonia (NH.sub.3) as well as operates according to other chemical conversion processes. In one embodiment, a tubular ceramic support made from porous yttria-stabilized zirconia has an outer surface that is impregnated with a metal catalyst such as ruthenium and then plated with a hydrogen permeable membrane such as palladium. An inner surface of the ceramic support is impregnated with cesium to promote conversion of ammonia to hydrogen and nitrogen (N.sub.2). The resulting catalytic membrane reactor produces highly pure hydrogen at low temperatures and with less catalytic loading. Therefore, ammonia can be used to effectively transport hydrogen for use in, for example, fuel cells in a vehicle.

A membrane assembly for the permeative separation of a fluid from fluid mixtures includes a porous, fluid-permeable, metallic support substrate, a membrane that is disposed on the support substrate and is selectively permeable to the fluid to be separated off, and a connecting part which is formed, at least on the surface, of a fluid-tight, metallic material. The support substrate is cohesively bonded along a peripheral section thereof to the connecting part. A ceramic, fluid-permeable, porous, first intermediate layer is disposed between the support substrate and the membrane. At least one ceramic bonding layer is disposed directly on the connecting part and the material bond and extends at least over the cohesive material bond and an adjoining section of the connecting part. The first intermediate layer ends on the bonding layer and has a greater average pore size than the bonding layer.

The present invention provides a preparation method for a composite porous structure, comprising the following steps: step (a): preparing a porous substrate having multiple pores, a first surface and a second surface; and step (b): continuously feeding a cooling fluid to contact the first surface and to flow continuously to the second surface through the pores of the porous substrate, and heating a coating material to multiple molten particles by a heat source and spraying the molten particles onto the second surface of the porous substrate, so as to form a coating layer having multiple micropores on the second surface of the porous substrate and obtain the composite porous structure formed. Besides, also provided is a composite porous structure prepared by the preparation method.

Provided is an adsorptive liquid filter including: a support tube having a hollow portion formed in a tubular shape and having a plurality of throughholes penetrating the hollow portion from an outer circumferential surface thereof; and an adsorptive membrane which is enclosed by the outer circumferential surface of the support tube and adsorbs foreign substances contained in contaminated liquid, the adsorption membrane including: a support member having a plurality of first pores; and a first adsorptive member which is stacked on the support member and has a plurality of second pores formed therein and is made by accumulating ion exchange nanofibers for adsorbing foreign substances.

An object of the present invention is to provide a filtering device which makes it possible to obtain a chemical liquid having excellent performance and enables filter media to have sufficiently long pot life. Another object of the present invention is to provide a purification device, a chemical liquid manufacturing device, a filtered substance to be purified, a chemical liquid, and an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition. A filtering device according to an embodiment of the present invention has a first filter unit including a first filter, which satisfies at least one condition selected from the group consisting of following conditions 1 to 3, and a housing accommodating the first filter and a second filter unit including a second filter different from the first filter and a housing accommodating the second filter, in which the first filter unit and the second filter unit are independently disposed in a pipe line through which a substance to be purified is supplied.

Condition 1: the filter has a filter medium including two or more layers containing materials different from each other.

Condition 2: the filter has a filter medium including two or more layers having different pore structures.

Condition 3: the filter has a filter medium including one layer in which different materials are mixed together.

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.