Filtration Device Compressible Nonwoven Intermediate Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filtration devices with functionalized membranes face performance issues due to swelling, leading to uneven flow distribution, increased pressure drop, and reduced chromatographic performance, particularly in optimized designs with small channel cross-sections.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a compressible and flowable nonwoven intermediate layer between membrane layers, with a thickness of 75 to 125% of the membrane layers and a basis weight of 30 to 80 g/m², to compensate for swelling and reduce pressure loss, while maintaining homogeneous flow distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If functionalized membranes are used to increase adsorption capacity, then chromatographic performance is improved, but membrane swelling occurs leading to uneven flow distribution and increased pressure drop
Solution Approach 1:
A compressible and flowable intermediate layer is introduced between the membrane layers to act as a mediator. This intermediate layer compensates for swelling of the functionalized membranes by providing compressibility that absorbs volume changes, while its flowable nature maintains homogeneous fluid distribution. The intermediate layer thus mediates between the swelling membrane and the fluid flow, preventing pressure drop increases while preserving chromatographic performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical parameters of the intermediate layer (compressibility and flowability) are specifically selected to counteract the swelling parameters of the membrane. By changing the physical state and mechanical properties of the intermediate layer, the system compensates for membrane swelling without sacrificing the adsorption capacity of the functionalized membrane.
2Productivity
If optimized channel cross-sections are used to reduce dead volume, then flow distribution is improved, but membrane swelling narrows channels and increases pressure drop
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate layer serves as a buffer between the optimized channel geometry and the swelling membrane. Its compressible nature allows it to accommodate membrane swelling while maintaining the intended channel cross-section, preventing channel narrowing and the associated pressure drop increase.
3Reliability
If multiple membrane layers are stacked to increase adsorption capacity, then chromatographic performance is improved, but swelling leads to reduced flow rate and increased buffer consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The flowable intermediate layer ensures that fluid can easily pass through the multi-layer membrane stack by providing low-flow-resistance pathways. This compensates for the increased flow resistance from multiple layers, maintaining flow rate and reducing the buffer volume needed for effective chromatographic separation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively mitigates the negative effects of membrane swelling, ensuring consistent flow and reducing pressure loss across the filtration device, thereby enhancing chromatographic performance and reducing buffer consumption.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one membrane is swellable and the at least one intermediate layer is compressible to compensate for swellings of the membrane layers
Implementation Method 2
the at least one intermediate layer is compressible to compensate for swellings of the membrane layers
Implementation Method 3
maintaining homogeneous flow distribution
Implementation Method 4
reducing pressure loss across the filtration device
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a filtration device (1, 1') comprising a housing (2, 2') with an inlet (3, 3') for supplying liquid to be filtered, an outlet (4, 4') for discharging filtered permeate, and a filter module (5, 5') which is arranged between the inlet (3, 3') and the outlet (4, 4') and has a plurality of membrane layers (9, 9') comprising at least one membrane, which membrane layers are connected fluid-tight to the housing (2, 2'), wherein an impinging flow channel (11, 11') is mounted upstream from the filter module (5, 5') to the inlet (3, 3') and an outflow channel (12, 12') is mounted downstream from the outlet (4, 4'). The invention is characterized in that at least one compressible and permeable intermediate layer (10, 10') is arranged between at least two membrane layers (9, 9'), the intermediate layer (10, 10') is formed from a non-woven material, the thickness of the intermediate layer (10, 10') is 20 to 200% of the thickness of the membrane layers (9, 9'), the mass per unit area of the intermediate layer (10, 10') is 10 to 150 g/m², and the air permeability of the intermediate layer (10, 10') is 150 to 5000 L/(m² * s).