Provided herein are membrane separation systems and methods suitable for use in separating carbonylation catalyst from a beta-lactone product stream. Such membrane separation systems utilize a cross flow separation technique and employ a sweep stream.

A wastewater filter assembly has a base, a filter module or casing, modular filter plates disposed in said filter module or casing atop the base, a header disposed on the filter module, tie rods each coupled at a lower end to the base, and tensioning elements removably connected to upper ends of the tie rods to fix the tie rods to the filter module and press the filter plates into relative rigid relationship. The tie rods are disposed in laterally open elongate channels extending along vertical edges of the filter module. The tie rods, upon a loosening or removal of the respective tensioning elements, can be shifted at least partially in a horizontal direction out of the laterally open elongate channels and laterally away from the filter module.

A humidifier has a plurality of humidifier modules that are clamped between end plates by tie rods and have a membrane that is permeable to water vapor, in which on both sides of the membrane there is respectively arranged a flow field frame having a multiplicity of webs defining a flow field. The tie rods are configured as hollow rods forming coolant tubes for a coolant to be led through. A fuel cell device and a motor vehicle having such a humidifier are also provided.

A device for exchange of water molecule and temperature between two fluids. The device comprises thin molecular sieve membrane sheets that allow water molecules to permeate through while blocking cross-over of the exchanging fluids. The device provides two sets of flow channels having a hydraulic diameter ranged from 0.5 to 2.0 mm for respective process and sweep fluid flows. The two sets of the channels are separated by a membrane sheet having a thickness less than 200 μm. The thin molecule sieve membrane may be prepared by forming an ultra-thin zeolite membrane layer on a porous metal-based support sheet which provides very high water permeance so that the exchange can be conducted in a compact membrane module at high throughput. The device can be used to remove water from a process stream of higher water content by use of a sweep fluid of lower water content or higher water affinity. For example, the device can be used to condition outdoor fresh air close to the temperature and humidity of indoor air by conducting humidity and heat exchange between the fresh air flow drawn from outdoors and waste air discharged indoors.

A vibrating device for a filter-plate assembly for liquid filtration having a vessel housing for the filter-plate assembly and one or more flexible volume chambers being filled with gas. The volume chambers are adapted to expand and/or compress the volumes of the chambers inside the vessel housing allowing the liquid in the vessel chamber to move relative to the surface of the filter-plates when the vessel housing including the filter-plate assembly is subjected to a vibrating motion.

Disclosed herein is a gas separation section for separating a first gas from one or more other gasses in a separation device, the gas separation section comprising: a first membrane that is substantially planar; a second membrane that is substantially planar; a first substrate that has a first surface and a second surface, wherein the second surface of the first substrate is on an opposite side of the first substrate than the first surface of the first substrate; a second substrate that has a first surface and a second surface, wherein the second surface of the second substrate is on an opposite side of the second substrate than the first surface of the second substrate; and a mesh that is arranged between the second surface of the first substrate and the second surface of the second substrate; wherein: the first substrate and the second substrate are sintered plates; the first membrane is on the first surface of the first substrate; the second membrane is on the first surface of the second substrate; the first and second membranes are both permeable by at least a first gas and not permeable by one or more other gasses; the thickness of the first membrane in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the first membrane is less than 10 micrometres; and the thickness of the second membrane in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the second membrane is less than 10 micrometres. Embodiments provide an improved gas separation device over known techniques. Advantages of the separation device according to embodiments include improved performance, easy implementation, a modular design and a scalable design.

A humidifier is provided having a humidifier module which is arranged between end plates and has a steam-permeable membrane, wherein on each of the two sides of the membrane, a flow field frame having a plurality of bridges defining a flow field is arranged, and between each flow field frame and the membrane a seal is arranged. A motor vehicle with a fuel cell device having a humidifier is also provided.

A filtration element has one or more rigid inserts in a housing. The inserts are covered with membranes. The element is configured to provide open feed channels beside the inserts. The membranes and inserts are potted at an edge, optionally at only part of an edge such as a corner. Permeate flows between the membrane and the insert to the potted edge. The membranes may be potted in a centrifuge.

The invention relates to a multistage membrane distillation apparatus (5000), comprising a plurality of multistage membrane distillation modules (500, 600), the modules being configured to be flowed through in parallel by a liquid (F) to be concentrated. Each module comprises a plurality of serial condensation/evaporation stages (50, 60) configured to be flowed through in series by the liquid to be concentrated. Each condensation/evaporation stage comprises a plurality of parallel condensation/evaporation elements (101, 102) configured to be flowed through in parallel by the liquid to be concentrated. Each condensation/evaporation element comprises at least one condensation unit and at least one evaporation unit. The apparatus further comprises at least one of: a centralized heating stage configured to generate steam and to provide the steam to each of the modules in parallel, and a centralized condensation stage configured to receive steam from each of the modules in parallel and to condensate the steam.

The invention relates to a modular flow system having a plurality of frame elements (101, 102) configured to be combined together to form a stack for forming a functional member. This functional member may be in particular a membrane distillation stage, a vapor generator, a condenser, a heat exchanger, a filter and/or a pervaporation stage. The frame elements (101, 102) each include: ⋅ an outer frame (39) and an inner frame (43), the inner frame (43) encasing a central inner region (40) and being surrounded by the outer frame (39), and ⋅ passage openings (13 to 16) and vapor and/or liquid channels (17, 18) arranged between the outer frame (39) and the inner frame (43). At least one of the two vapor and/or liquid channels (17, 18) is connected to the central inner region (40) by at least one vapor and/or liquid channel opening (22) constituting a through hole in the inner frame. In the frame elements (101, 102), when combined together to form the modular flow system, the vapor and/or liquid channels (17, 18) are arranged above the inner region (40).