Hydrogen purification devices and their components are disclosed. In some embodiments, the devices may include at least one foil-microscreen assembly disposed between and secured to first and second end frames. The at least one foil-microscreen assembly may include at least one hydrogen-selective membrane and at least one microscreen structure including a non-porous planar sheet having a plurality of apertures forming a plurality of fluid passages. The planar sheet may include generally opposed planar surfaces configured to provide support to the permeate side. The plurality of fluid passages may extend between the opposed surfaces. The at least one hydrogen-selective membrane may be metallurgically bonded to the at least one microscreen structure. In some embodiments, the devices may include a permeate frame having at least one membrane support structure that spans at least a substantial portion of an open region and that is configured to support at least one foil-microscreen assembly.

A filtration membrane unit includes a filtration membrane and a suction side socket fixed to an end on one side in a longitudinal direction of the filtration membrane to hold the filtration membrane. The suction side socket extends in a lateral direction of the filtration membrane in a fixed state, and includes a recess into which the end is inserted. A flow path communicated with the recess extends in an extending direction of the suction side socket. A discharge port for discharging filtrate in the flow path is provided. The suction side socket includes a first outlet disposed on one side in the extending direction with respect to a center in the extending direction of the suction side socket, and a second outlet disposed on another side in the extending direction with respect to the center in the extending direction of the suction side socket.

A filter plate device has an inlet and an outlet where the filter plate has a polymeric framework having a filtration zone and a membrane bed of one or more membranes bonded and sealed to the polymeric framework in said filtration zone with a thermosetting plastic, where a flow distributor is placed within the membrane bed such that fluid flows evenly through the membrane bed.

In an immersed membrane system, the influent flows into an open membrane tank. The membrane tank can have multiple horizontally spaced immersed membrane units. The immersed membrane units may have flat sheet membrane elements within a membrane case. One or more ducts are provided in the tank for directing the flow of influent to the immersed membrane units. In some examples, the influent is divided into sub-streams that are fed through baffles to a corresponding immersed membrane unit, optionally in generally equal amounts, optionally in a single pass flow pattern. In a process of operating a membrane tank, the influent flow is directed across the bottom of the membrane tank and divided into multiple portions. Each of the multiple portions is fed directly to the bottom of a corresponding immersed membrane unit located in the tank. The influent may be mixed liquor in a membrane bioreactor (MBR).

An immersed membranes uses aeration (air bubbles rising past the membranes) as a means to scour the membrane surface and keep it clean from solids, or foulants, allowing for continuous and effective operation. In a module of flat sheet membranes, fine bubble aeration is used to create and maintain space between the membrane sheets. The bubbles inhibit the sheets from touching and clogging together, thus reducing their surface area and their productivity. The aeration may be used for scouring, to supply oxygen to biomass and as a spacer to maintain the working surface area of immersed flat sheet membranes. The face-to-face spacing between the membrane sheets may be 4 mm or less. The bubbles may be less than twice the face-to-face spacing between the membrane sheets.

A tangential flow filtration manifold takes a modular form for interconnection in a manifolded arrangement for aggregating a total filtration area of the aggregate filter (membrane) surface. A plurality of modular TFF cassette filters may be or stacked on the TFF manifold such that it allows the number of interconnected filters, as well as the membrane surface area within each cassette, to be readily reconfigured. A single output, or filtrate connection on the TFF manifold simplifies fluidic plumbing connections for directing and gathering the filtrate (permeate) produced as output.

A contactor system includes a plurality of contactor panels. Each contactor panel includes a frame member and a membrane array adapted to be received within the frame member. The membrane array defines a first end portion, a second end portion, and a plurality of hollow fibers. The contactor system also includes a first manifold in selective fluid communication with the first end portion of the membrane array of each contactor panel. The contactor system further includes a second manifold in direct fluid communication with the second end portion of the membrane array of each contactor panel. The contactor system includes a controller configured to provide selective fluid communication between the first manifold and the first end portion of the membrane array of each contactor panel.

Disclosed is a membrane bioreactor (MBR) system. The MBR system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a membrane filtration tub, a filtration portion including a filter member and installed in the membrane filtration tub, a filtered water storage tank, an air tank configured to store air to be supplied to the filtration portion, a flow channel portion including a first flow channel configured to connect the filtration portion to the filtered water storage tank and a second flow channel configured to connect the filtration portion to the air tank, a valve portion including a first valve located on the first flow channel and configured to open or close the first flow channel and a second valve located on the second flow channel and configured to open or close the second flow channel, and a decompression portion.

A separation membrane element includes: a container; and a separation membrane including a region provided in a flat membrane shape in the container. The separation membrane includes a separation functional layer that selectively separates a specific fluid component contained in a raw material fluid. The container houses a laminate that includes (i) two permeate-side spacer members through which a permeate fluid that has permeated through the separation membrane flows, (ii) the separation membrane provided between the two permeate-side spacer members, and (iii) a feed-side spacer member through which the raw material fluid flows. The separation membrane element includes a sealing part for preventing a fluid flowing through the feed-side spacer member and a fluid flowing through the two permeate-side spacer members from being mixed with each other.

Stack assembly comprising a hollow external housing having a central axis, the external housing extending from a first end to a second end and enclosing a housing space, and a membrane stack comprising a plurality of membranes, wherein the membrane slack is positionable inside the external housing and a number of side plates extending substantially parallel to the central axis, wherein each side plate of the number of side plates is associated with a side of the membrane stack and extending along the associated side and a number of sealing connectors that extend substantially parallel to the central axis and adjacent with an inner surface of the external housing, wherein each sealing connector of the number of sealing connectors is configured to connect two side plates to each other, wherein the sealing connectors and the side plates cooperate to form an enclosing structure, and wherein, in use of the stack assembly, the enclosing structure encloses the membrane stack. The invention also relates to a method for assembling a stack assembly and a method for generating energy or performing an electrodialysis process.