Honeycomb Adsorbent Pretreatment for Membrane Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Membrane separation systems using zeolite, activated carbon, or silica membranes face deterioration due to impurities in the treated fluid, requiring extended contact time or additional operations to prevent adsorption, which complicates the pretreatment process and reduces membrane lifespan.
Innovation Solution
A membrane separating system with a pretreatment device featuring a honeycomb structure with porous partition walls containing an adsorbent, where the adsorbent is either the main component or disposed on the partition walls, allowing for increased contact area and efficient impurity removal without the need for extensive contact time or stirring, thereby protecting the separation membranes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If zeolite particles are used in the pretreatment means to adsorb impurities, then impurity removal efficiency is improved, but the pretreatment device becomes large or requires extra stirring operation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a honeycomb structure with porous partition walls that provide extensive internal surface area for adsorption. The porous nature of the partition walls allows impurities to be adsorbed as the fluid flows through the honeycomb cells, eliminating the need for additional stirring mechanisms or excessively large device dimensions while maintaining high impurity removal efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The honeycomb structure transforms the adsorption process from a three-dimensional particle suspension system to a two-dimensional surface adsorption system. The fluid flows through channels formed by the hexagonal cells, allowing contact with the porous partition wall surfaces without requiring the fluid to permeate through a bed of particles, thus reducing device size and operational complexity
2Reliability
If sufficient contact time between fluid and adsorbent is extended to remove impurities, then impurity removal efficiency is improved, but the pretreatment device becomes large
Solution Approach 1:
The porous partition walls of the honeycomb structure provide extremely high surface area per unit volume, allowing impurities to be adsorbed efficiently as the fluid flows through the cells. This eliminates the need for extended contact times or large device volumes, as the adsorption occurs rapidly along the flow path
Solution Approach 2:
The honeycomb structure enables continuous adsorption of impurities as the fluid flows through the cells. The porous partition walls are in constant contact with the flowing fluid, providing continuous impurity removal without requiring stagnant contact periods or recirculation systems that would increase device volume
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
This configuration enhances the efficiency of impurity removal, reduces pressure loss, and extends the lifespan of zeolite, activated carbon, or silica membranes by ensuring effective pretreatment before membrane separation, while maintaining system efficiency and membrane integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the partition walls include an adsorbent as a main component
Implementation Method 2
a membrane-like adsorbent is disposed on the surfaces of the partition walls
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
There is disclosed a pretreatment device for membrane separation including a honeycomb structure having porous partition walls with which a plurality of cells extending from one end surface to the other end surface are formed to become through channels of a fluid, and a storage container in which the honeycomb structure is stored and which has an inflow port and an outflow port of the fluid, and the partition walls include an adsorbent as a main component, a membrane-like adsorbent is disposed on the surfaces of the partition walls, or the partition walls include the adsorbent as the main component and the membrane-like adsorbent is disposed on the surfaces of the partition walls. The pretreatment device for membrane separation is disclosed in which impurities in the fluid to be treated which influence (adversely affect) a separation membrane are efficiently adsorbed, to enable suppression of deterioration of the separation membrane.