Removable Membrane Stack Assembly With Sealing Side Plates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stack assemblies for membrane processes have a non-removable membrane stack, rendering the entire assembly useless if errors occur, and lack modular flexibility and efficient fluid distribution.
Innovation Solution
A stack assembly with a removable membrane stack, utilizing side plates and sealing connectors to form an enclosing structure that allows for modular assembly and improved fluid distribution, eliminating the need for separate pressure vessels and reducing fluid leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the membrane stack is fixedly connected to the external housing, then the stack assembly has high structural stability, but the membrane stack cannot be removed for replacement or maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The stack assembly is divided into separable components: the external housing, the membrane stack, and side plates that can be independently assembled and disassembled. This segmentation allows the membrane stack to be removed and replaced without replacing the entire assembly, while maintaining structural stability when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between the membrane stack and external housing is made dynamic rather than fixed. The side plates with sealing connectors provide a configurable connection that can be assembled and disassembled, allowing the system to transition between stable operation and maintenance states.
2Device complexity
If the membrane stack is assembled inside the external housing, then the assembly is compact, but quality control and error detection become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane stack is assembled and quality-checked outside the external housing before final installation. This preliminary action allows for easier inspection and error detection without compromising the compactness of the final assembled system.
3Device complexity
If traditional sealing methods are used, then the structure is simple, but fluid leakage between different sides of the membrane stack occurs
Solution Approach 1:
Sealing connectors are introduced as intermediary elements between the side plates and external housing. These sealing connectors specifically address the fluid leakage problem by providing dedicated sealing interfaces, while the overall structure remains relatively simple.
4Ease of manufacture
If the stack assembly is designed as a single integrated unit, then manufacturing is straightforward, but modular expansion and flexibility are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The stack assembly uses segmented side plates that can be configured in different numbers and arrangements. This segmentation enables modular expansion while keeping individual components simple to manufacture, allowing flexibility in scaling the system.
Data Source
AI summary
Stack assembly comprising a hollow external housing having a central axis, the external housing extending from a first end to a second end and enclosing a housing space, and a membrane stack comprising a plurality of membranes, wherein the membrane slack is positionable inside the external housing and a number of side plates extending substantially parallel to the central axis, wherein each side plate of the number of side plates is associated with a side of the membrane stack and extending along the associated side and a number of sealing connectors that extend substantially parallel to the central axis and adjacent with an inner surface of the external housing, wherein each sealing connector of the number of sealing connectors is configured to connect two side plates to each other, wherein the sealing connectors and the side plates cooperate to form an enclosing structure, and wherein, in use of the stack assembly, the enclosing structure encloses the membrane stack. The invention also relates to a method for assembling a stack assembly and a method for generating energy or performing an electrodialysis process.