Stackable Membrane Module for Water Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing membrane technologies are capital intensive and prone to integrity breaches, leading to high replacement costs and reduced productivity, which deter their implementation in water and wastewater treatment applications, especially when demand fluctuates or increases over time.
Innovation Solution
The development of expandable, adjustable, and repairable membrane treatment systems with self-contained, pressure-holding membrane sub-units that can be stacked to form modules, allowing for customization of capacity and ease of maintenance without the need for replacing entire modules, and incorporating a pressure housing to operate under various pressures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If membrane filtration technology is implemented to provide higher effluent quality and smaller footprint, then treatment performance is improved, but capital costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane module is divided into multiple stackable sub-units, each containing individual membrane elements. This segmentation allows the system to be configured in smaller, more affordable increments rather than requiring large capital investments in monolithic systems, while still achieving the required effluent quality through modular scalability.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If membrane systems are designed for long service life, then durability is improved, but adaptability to increasing treatment demands deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane module employs stackable sub-units that can be dynamically added or removed based on treatment demands. This dynamic configuration allows the system to adapt its capacity over time while maintaining the structural integrity and long service life of each individual sub-unit, resolving the contradiction between durability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
Each membrane sub-unit is designed as a universal, self-contained module that can function independently or be stacked with identical units. This universality enables the system to maintain its core filtration function over decades while adapting capacity by simply adding or removing standardized sub-units, achieving both long service life and flexibility.
3Reliability
If entire membrane modules are replaced when integrity breaches occur, then reliability is maintained, but productivity and cost efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane module is segmented into multiple stackable sub-units, each containing individual membrane elements. When an integrity breach occurs in one sub-unit, only that specific sub-unit needs to be replaced rather than the entire module. This segmentation maintains system reliability by isolating failures while preserving productivity by keeping other sub-units operational during replacement activities.
4Device complexity
If fixed-capacity membrane systems are constructed, then design simplicity is improved, but adaptability to changing treatment demands deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from fixed-capacity design to dynamic scalability through stackable sub-units. Each sub-unit maintains a simple, standardized design that is easy to manufacture and install, while the overall system capacity can be dynamically adjusted by stacking additional identical sub-units, achieving both design simplicity and adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
One aspect of the present disclosure is a membrane for water treatment. The membrane preferably includes at least one membrane sub-unit, and at least one membrane cartridge disposed in the at least one membrane sub-unit, the at least one membrane cartridge having a non-cylindrical profile.