Separation Membrane Glass Seal Extension Crack Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
During the manufacturing of separation membranes, the accumulation of slurry at the lower glass seal can lead to crack formation in the membrane due to drying or heating processes, affecting the mechanical integrity and performance of the membrane.
Innovation Solution
The separation membrane structure incorporates a first glass seal with a seal body and an extension part that connects to the inner surface of the through-holes, with a connection part thickness less than or equal to 10 microns, reducing stress and preventing crack formation by minimizing thickness differences at the seal interfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If slurry is caused to flow through through-holes using gravity (downflow method), then the separation membrane can be formed on the inner surface of through-holes, but slurry accumulates before the lower glass seal causing cracks during drying or heating
Solution Approach 1:
The glass seal is segmented into two functional parts: a seal body part covering the through-hole opening and an extension part protruding into the through-hole. This segmentation allows the extension part to act as a barrier preventing slurry accumulation, while the seal body part maintains sealing function, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and membrane integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The extension part of the glass seal acts as an intermediary element between the slurry flow and the seal body. It intercepts the slurry before it reaches the seal body, preventing harmful accumulation and subsequent cracking, thereby protecting the membrane integrity while maintaining the simplicity of the downflow formation method
2Reliability
If the connection part thickness is reduced to suppress cracks, then membrane reliability improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention specifies a quantitative parameter range for the connection part thickness (≤10 microns and ≤3.2 times the central thickness) to optimize both crack suppression and manufacturability. This parameter control resolves the contradiction by providing clear manufacturing targets that balance reliability improvement with achievable precision requirements
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 design effectively suppresses crack formation in the separation membrane, enhancing its mechanical strength and separation performance by maintaining a low thickness ratio of the connection parts to the central membrane thickness, thereby improving permeation efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The extension part is connected to the seal body part and disposed on an inner surface of the through-holes... the first thickness of the first connection part is less than or equal to 10 microns
Implementation Method 2
a step of placing the porous support in a formulated starting material solution to thereby form a zeolite membrane by hydrothermal synthesis
Implementation Method 3
A separation membrane structure is known to typically comprise a columnar porous support that includes a plurality of through-holes connecting both end surfaces
Data Source
AI summary
A separation membrane structure comprising a porous support, a first glass seal, and a separation membrane. The porous support includes through-holes which connect a first end surface and a second end surface. The first glass seal is configured to cover the first end surface. The separation membrane is formed on an inner surface of the through-holes. The first glass seal has a first seal body part and a first extension part. The first seal body part is disposed on the first end surface. The first extension part is connected to the first seal body part and disposed on the inner surface of the through-holes. The separation membrane has a first connection part connected to the first extension part of the first glass seal. A first thickness of the first connection part is less than or equal to 10 microns, and less than or equal to 3.2 times a center thickness at a longitudinal center of the separation membrane.