The invention relates to an apparatus for separating hydrogen from a gas mixture, comprising a vessel which defines an inlet collection space for the gas mixture and an offtake collection space for hydrogen, where the inlet collection space is separated from the offtake collection space by means of a hydrogen-permeable membrane. The invention is also directed to a process for producing an apparatus for separating hydrogen from a gas mixture, which comprises a hydrogen-permeable membrane, a gas mixture inlet, a hydrogen offtake and a residual gas outlet.

Methods of making membrane elements for fluid or gas filtration, comprising applying feed or reject spacers, or intermediate spacers, or fold line protection strips, or end support strips directly to a membrane sheet, or to a substrate material which are subsequently applied to a membrane sheet, which thereby avoids contamination from directly printed adhesives, inks, or polymers, or damage from heat or radiation damage to the membrane sheet during direct application of spacers or patterns to the surface of the membrane sheet, thereby avoiding utilization of conventional feed spacer mesh materials. Membrane sheets and spiral wound filtration elements having spacers applied to defined regions of the sheet, in some embodiments having spacers mounted on substrates with different material properties, e.g., stiffness, than the underlying membrane.

Methods of making membrane elements for fluid or gas filtration, comprising applying feed or reject spacers, or intermediate spacers, or fold line protection strips, or end support strips directly to a membrane sheet, or to a substrate material which are subsequently applied to a membrane sheet, which thereby avoids contamination from directly printed adhesives, inks, or polymers, or damage from heat or radiation damage to the membrane sheet during direct application of spacers or patterns to the surface of the membrane sheet, thereby avoiding utilization of conventional feed spacer mesh materials. Membrane sheets and spiral wound filtration elements having spacers applied to defined regions of the sheet, in some embodiments having spacers mounted on substrates with different material properties, e.g., stiffness, than the underlying membrane.

In embodiments of the present invention, flow dividing strips are used in the construction of the spiral wound element to segregate and direct feed to reject flow of a reverse osmosis element Flow dividing strips isolate the flow of fluid through distinct regions of the spiral-wound element. The flow dividing features can also be used to direct flow within the element in order to create a longer flow path for the fluid through the element, enabling even higher recovery in some applications.

Embodiments of the invention provide replacements for a continuous layer of feed spacer mesh in spiral-wound reverse osmosis elements and replacing such mesh with discrete regions of feed spacer supporting the inlet and outlet ends of the element and a stiffening bridge feature to bridge between these regions at the tail end of each membrane leaf comprising the element during the element rolling process. The stiffening bridge feature prevents inward deflection of the inner layer of the membrane leaf during rolling, facilitating proper sealing of the adhesive through the permeate carrier to the adjacent membrane film using known membrane rolling techniques.

The present disclosure relates to carbon nanotube based desalination membranes and methods of manufacturing thereof. The carbon nanotube based desalination membranes may be manufactured by: providing a polymer matrix; providing carbon nanotubes directly contacting the polymer matrix; stirring the carbon nanotubes into the polymer matrix in order to make a carbon nanotube composite solution; and coating a substrate with the carbon nanotube composite solution to form a carbon nanotube desalination membrane. The carbon nanotube based desalination membranes may provide superior flow rate and high levels of salt rejection.

In embodiments of the present invention, flow dividing strips are used in the construction of the spiral wound element to segregate and direct feed to reject flow of a reverse osmosis element Flow dividing strips isolate the flow of fluid through distinct regions of the spiral-wound element. The flow dividing features can also be used to direct flow within the element in order to create a longer flow path for the fluid through the element, enabling even higher recovery in some applications.

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.

Gas separation membranes as may be used in separating gaseous materials from one another and methods of forming the membranes are described. The separation membranes include polymer-grafted nanoparticles (GNPs) as a platform and a relatively small amount of free polymer. The free polymer and the polymer grafted to the nanoparticles have the same chemical structure and similar number average molecular weights. The gas separation membranes can exhibit high ideal selectivity and can be used in a variety of applications, such as carbon capture.

A spiral wound module assembly including a plurality of serially arranged spiral wound modules axially aligned within a chamber of a pressure vessel, wherein each spiral wound module includes at least one membrane envelope wound about a permeate collection tube and wherein the permeate collection tubes of each spiral wound module are in sealed fluid communication with each other and with a permeate adaptor tube that extends to a permeate outlet port, and wherein the assembly is characterized by including a monitoring system including a set of sensors in contact with the inner periphery of the permeate adaptor tube and a micro-processing unit located within the vessel and connected to the sensors.