Patent Application
20220054982
A membrane is a thin layer of semi-permeable material that separates substances when TMP is applied to the membrane. Membrane processes are increasingly used for removal of bacteria, microorganisms, particulates, and natural organic material, which can impart color, tastes, and odors to water and react with disinfectants to form disinfection byproducts. As advancements are made in membrane production and module design, capital and operating costs continue to decline. Often used membrane processes are microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO).
Microfiltration (MF) is loosely defined as a membrane separation process using membranes with a pore size of approximately 0.03 to 10 microns (1 micron=0.0001 millimeter), and a relatively low feed operating pressure of approximately 50 to 400 kPa (7 to 60 psi). Materials commonly removed by MF include sand, silt, clays, Giardia lamblia and Crypotosporidium cysts, algae, and some bacterial species. MF is also used as a pretreatment to RO or NF to reduce fouling potential.
Ultrafiltration (UF) is loosely defined as a membrane separation process using membranes with a pore size of approximately 0.002 to 0.1 microns, a MWCO of approximately 1,000 to 100,000 daltons, and an operating pressure of approximately 120 to 700 kPa (17 to 100 psi). UF will remove all microbiological species removed by MF (partial removal of bacteria), as well as some viruses (but not an absolute barrier to viruses) and humic materials.
The document WO 2015/135545 discloses an apparatus and a method for membrane filtration. The apparatus has a membrane housing (2) comprising a feed inlet (3) and a feed outlet (4), further, the membrane housing (2) comprises at least two membrane elements (10, 20) each element having an associated permeate tube and outlet (11, 21). WO 2015/135545 teaches how to increase flux of material by placing more than one membrane element in serial position relative to fluid feed flow, but as the permeate flows countercurrent compared to the fluid feed flow, the permeate will face an increasing pressure and increasing incoming flux when flowing towards the feed inlet (3). This feature causes a risk of a dead pocket appearing in the permeate tube closest to the central ATD (15), either during production or during cleaning, which is highly undesirable if the apparatus is used for separating food components such as whey or the like. Also, it is necessary to use a non-standard component in form of the ATD (15) blocking transport of permeate between the membrane elements, contrary to standard operation where the ATD allows transport of permeate through a central opening of the ATD.
The document WO 2003/055580 discloses a process for ultrafiltration using a spiral wound membrane filter. The document points to that the membrane elements of the apparatus disclosed in WO 2003/055580 may be operated at pressures significantly higher than the pressures known before publication of this document, the membrane elements may be operated at a pressure difference of 2 bar or more between the entrance and the outlet of a membrane element having a length of approximately 1 meter (see page 6, lines 3-7). The high pressure is established by designing the filter in a way so that the passage between the spiral wound element and the housing is open for incoming fluid at the entrance of the membrane element and blocked or restricted at the outlet of the membrane element. FIG. 11 discloses an embodiment where 4 membrane elements are serially positioned inside a membrane housing, in this embodiment, the flow is also directed toward the inlet of the fluid feed thereby providing the risk of a dead pocket. The prior art documents do not teach how to overcome use of non-standard components and prevent possible dead-pockets in the permeate flow.
Thus, the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for cross-flow membrane filtration which may be used for filtration processes requiring a controllable low Transmembrane Pressure (TMP) and at the same time a controllable high cross-flow. This may be the case both for microfiltration and for ultrafiltration processes. Particularly, the apparatus is directed to use in preparation of food ingredients where fractionating is required.
Also, the present invention secures concurrent flow directions for both retentate and permeate in all membrane elements using only standard equipment in the modules.
Also, the prior art documents do not teach how to build membrane systems where membrane housing in the same fluid feed loop can be placed on top of each other e.g. in layers e.g. in a square or rectangular matrix while problems relating to increased static pressure are overcome.
ATD—Anti Telescoping Device, prevents spiral wound membranes from extending in a longitudinal direction due to liquid flow through the membrane element.
TMP—Trans Membrane Pressure, pressure difference between feed and permeate.
The TMP is calculated according to the formula:
where pin is the fluid feed/retentate pressure before or at the inlet of a membrane module and pout is the fluid feed/retentate pressure after or at the outlet of a membrane module. pperm is the permeate pressure at the permeate outlet of the module.
Dead leg—or dead pocket is used to describe a piping or the like where flow has ceased creating pockets of stagnant fluid which pockets support microbial amplification in the fluid. This is highly undesirable in systems used to prepare foodstuff or food components or drinking water.
Cross flow—Linear flow along the membrane surface. Purpose is to minimize or control the dynamic layer on the membrane surface.
Pressure loss per membrane element or dP per membrane element or dP/element—is the driving force for the above described cross flow. dP/element is the difference in pressure between pm, pressure of the fluid feed/retentate pressure before or at the inlet of a membrane module, and pout, pressure of the fluid feed/retentate pressure after or at the outlet of a membrane module. dP/element=pin−pout.
Membrane element or element—a membrane element is an element comprising or constituted of a membrane which membrane provides a barrier allowing permeate to pass through the membrane and preventing retentate from passing through. In the context of the present application a membrane element may be a spiral wound membrane, where permeate flows from a peripheral position to a central opening of the membrane element.
Membrane module or module—assembly of one membrane housing including or comprising one or more membrane elements and ATDs and similar membrane housing interior, an inlet for fluid feed/retentate, an outlet for retentate and an outlet for permeate through which permeate separated from the one or more membrane elements of the one membrane housing is removed. The outlet for retentate and the outlet for permeate is positioned at the same end of the housing, i.e. opposite the inlet for feed/retentate providing concurrent flow of retentate and permeate.
Membrane module segment or segment—assembly of two or more membrane modules in serial connection
Section—parallel assembly of one or more segments
Loop—assembly of one or more modules or modules which may constitute one or more sections through which fluid feed is forced by a circulation pump.
The present invention provides a possibility for building both small and large compact apparatus for cross flow membrane filtration comprising membrane modules for filtration processes requiring even very low TMP. The apparatus according to the present invention offers a high controllability for TMP of each membrane module, independence of static lift height and allows independently adjustable cross flow.
According to one aspect of the invention, the invention relates to an apparatus for cross-flow membrane filtration comprising a plurality of n membrane housings (2, . . . , n) and a pump (13), where the membrane module (1) positioned immediately downstream of the pump is named the first membrane module (1a),
The apparatus is directed to working at a low TMP, which is normally the case for microfiltration. That an outlet is connected to an inlet means that at least part of the fluid leaving through the outlet, normally all of the fluid, will enter the inlet.
According to any embodiment of the invention, each membrane module (1) may comprise a maximum of four membrane elements, normally each membrane module comprises only one or two membrane elements (4).
According to any embodiment of the invention, the number of membrane modules n is: n≥2, or n≥4, or 2≤n≤40, or 2≤n≤36, or 4≤n≤32.
The number n of membrane modules refers to membrane modules belonging to one segment, a segment is a group of membrane modules being serially connected on the fluid feed side of the membrane module, i.e. a part of the fluid feed entering the first membrane module of the segment through an inlet for fluid feed exits the first membrane module through an outlet for fluid feed, and the complete amount of fluid feed exiting the first membrane module enters the inlet for fluid feed of the second membrane module, then a part of the fluid feed entering the second membrane module of the segment through the inlet for fluid feed exits the second membrane module through the outlet for fluid feed, and the complete amount of fluid feed exiting the second membrane module enters the inlet for fluid feed of the following membrane module, if such a membrane module exists, etc., and this procedure is repeated for all membrane modules being part of the segment. A part of the fluid feed entering a membrane module will in each membrane module enter into the permeate. The number of membrane modules in a segment and the number of segments in an apparatus will be determined by the desired capacity of the apparatus.
According to any embodiment of the invention, the membrane element may be a spiral wound membrane and may e.g. be made of polymer such as cellulose acetate, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyacrylonitrile, polypropylene, polysulfone, polyethersulfone.
According to any embodiments of the invention, an ATD allowing flow of permeate through a central opening of the ATD may be positioned between the membrane elements, if more than one membrane element is applied in one membrane module.
In the context of the present application an ATD allowing flow of permeate through a central opening of the ATD is referred to as a standard ATD.
According to any embodiment of the invention, at least one of the membrane modules is positioned above at least one of the other membrane modules, i.e. the fluid feed is pumped upwards when passing from one membrane module to a following membrane module.
According to any embodiment of the invention, the plurality of membrane modules may be positioned in layers of 2 or 3 or 4 or more on top of each other, i.e. the fluid feed is pumped upwards when passing through the plurality of membrane modules being part of same segment or same section.
According to any embodiment of the invention, at least one membrane module(s), optionally 2, 3, 4 or more or all membrane modules, may comprise a second inlet for a secondary fluid such as washing fluid e.g. water or diafiltration buffer which secondary fluid is added to the feed or retentate flow.
According to any embodiment of the invention, where a plurality of membrane modules is positioned in segments of 2 or 3 or 4 or more on top of each other, and the fluid feed is pumped upwards when passing through the plurality of membrane modules, and at least one layer of membrane modules, optionally 2, 3, 4 or more or all layers, each may comprise a second inlet for a secondary fluid such as washing fluid e.g. water or diafiltration buffer, the secondary fluid being added to the feed or retentate flow, and may optionally comprise a common feeding pipe for all membrane modules at one level.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the invention relates to a method for filtrating a liquid comprising the following step,
a) An amount of fluid feed is continuously pumped with pressure PB through a loop comprising a multiplicity of n membrane modules which modules are serially connected, the fluid feed and permeate flow concurrently through each of the n membrane module(s),
b) generated permeate is continuously drained from each membrane module through a permeate outlet,
c) the permeate pressure or flow at the permeate outlet of each membrane module is controlled keeping TMP within a desired range, optionally the pressure is measured at the feed inlet end and/or at the outlet end of the membrane module,
d) optionally, to obtain a desired separation the number n of membrane modules which the fluid feed flows through may be varied either when designing the separation process or during the separation process i.e. the number of active membrane modules may be varied before or during operation.
That membrane modules are serially connected means that the outlet for fluid feed of the first membrane module is connected to the fluid inlet of the second membrane module, and if further membrane module(s) is/are present, the outlet for fluid feed of a previous membrane module (n−1) is connected to the fluid inlet of a following membrane module (n), and for the last membrane module (n), the outlet (3) for fluid feed is connected to the fluid inlet for fluid feed of the first membrane module.
According to an embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, a loop may comprise one or two or more Membrane module segment or a loop may comprise one or two or more Sections where a section is a parallel assembly of one or more membrane module segments.
According to any embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, a secondary fluid such as a diafiltration buffer may be added to at least one of the n membrane modules, optionally a secondary fluid such as a diafiltration buffer may be added to a plurality of membrane modules, optionally a secondary fluid such as a diafiltration buffer may be added to a plurality of segments of membrane modules at one or 2 or 3 or 4 or more levels or at all levels.
According to any embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the pressure p1 at the outlet of a first membrane module (1a) may be higher than the pressure p2 at the outlet of a second membrane module (1b), and similar for the following membrane modules, i.e. p1>p2>p3> . . . >pn.
According to any embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the pressure at the inlet of the first membrane module may be in the area of 0.05-35 bar, e.g. at 0.1-25 bar or at 0.5-10 bar or at 2-4 bar, and/or the TMP may be in the area of 0.02-12 bar, e.g. 0.07-10 bar, or at 0.2-8 bar, or at 0.3-2 bar.
According to any embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the base line pressure PBL i.e. the pressure with which fluid feed is pumped into the loop, may be above 0.2 bar, or above 0.3 bar, or above 0.5 bar, or above 0.9 bar, or above 1.0 bar.
According to any embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the booster pressure PB may be above 0.1 bar per module in the loop or segment, i.e. PB>n times 0.1 bar, or PB may be above 0.2 bar, or above 0.3 bar, or above 0.4 bar, or above 0.5 bar, or above 0.6 bar, or above 0.9 bar, or above 1.0 bar per module in the loop or segment. The preferred booster pressure will depend on the application i.e. for which separation process the method is used.
According to any embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the permeate pressure of each module Pperm is smaller than or equal to the pressure at the outlet of the module POUT, i.e. Pperm≤POUT, or e.g. Pperm≤POUT+0.5 bar.
According to any embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the feed fluid may be a fluid in dairy industry or in dairy ingredients industry or in liquid food industry requiring accurate and same time control of TMP and cross flow, in particular the feed fluid can be feed for protein separation, fat separation, protein fractionation in dairy industry or dairy ingredients industry or liquid food industry, typically the fluid feed may be
Throughout the application identical or similar elements of different embodiments are given the same reference numbers.
The prior art membrane module 1 shown in
According to the prior art membrane module, each membrane element is provided with pressure regulating means contrary to the present invention where each membrane module—no matter the number of membrane elements inside each housing—comprises a single permeate tube or central opening and a single outlet for permeate and therefore also a single means for regulating the pressure at the outlet of the permeate tube or central opening.
A complete facility or apparatus comprising prior art membrane module(s) will normally comprise a circulation pump forcing feed liquid through a plurality of parallelly positioned prior art membrane modules, i.e. each membrane module is fed directly from the pump and the permeate flowing from each membrane of each membrane module is collected into a common flow as illustrated in FIG. 5 in WO 2015/135545 for two membrane modules.
Also, as the first membrane element 4a is constructed having a permeate flow running countercurrent compared to the fluid feed flow, the permeate will face an increasing pressure and an increasing incoming flux as the permeate flow approaches the feed inlet 2 and the permeate outlet 6a. This feature causes a risk of an undefined flow behavior (possible dead leg 11) appearing in the central tube 5a closest to the central ATD 8, either during production or during cleaning. This is highly undesirable if the apparatus is used for separating food ingredients.
Also, it is necessary to use a non-standard component in form of the ATD 8 blocking transport of permeate between the membrane elements 4a and 4b, contrary to a standard operation where the ATD allows transport of permeate through a central opening of the ATD.
The present invention relates to an apparatus for cross-flow membrane filtration working at a low TMP and the apparatus comprises one or more segment(s) where each segment is constituted of a plurality of n membrane modules: 2, 3, 4, . . . , n. The membrane modules in one segment are serially connected on the fluid feed or retentate side, i.e. one segment has one inlet for fluid feed which fluid feed is forced through all membrane modules of the segment, whereas a plurality of segments may be either parallelly connected, i.e. each segment may have a separate inlet for fluid feed, or serially connected. The apparatus comprises a loop circulation pump forcing feed or retentate through one or more segment(s) of n membrane modules.
A single circulation pump may force the feed or retentate through a segment comprising a plurality of membrane modules, such as two membrane modules or a larger group of membrane modules e.g. 4 or 8 or 16 or 32 membrane modules, or all membrane modules of the apparatus. The maximum number nmax of membrane modules in a loop is determined by the ability of the circulation pump to maintain an adequate pressure in all membrane modules and the ability to maintain a desired
TMP. To increase capacity, a single circulation pump may be replaced by a plurality of circulation pumps.
A membrane module positioned immediately downstream of a loop circulation pump is named the first membrane module 1a.
Embodiments of a single membrane module 1 of the present invention are shown in
Each membrane module 1 will normally only comprise one or two membrane elements 4, possibly up to 4 or up to 6 membrane elements during a microfiltration operation or an ultrafiltration operation.
Each membrane module 1 has one inlet 2 for fluid feed leading fluid feed to an inlet distribution chamber 2a and an outlet distribution chamber 3a wherefrom fluid feed is lead through one outlet 3 for fluid feed, one outlet for permeate 6 and a back-pressure control means 9 configured to control the pressure at the outlet for permeate 6. Each membrane module 1 may also comprise a pressure transmitter 10 which may be used to control the pressure at the permeate outlet 6, e.g. providing an automatic control procedure maintaining a constant pressure at the outlet or maintaining a constant TMP in the membrane module. Also, the feed-side of the membrane module 1 may optionally be provided with a pressure transmitter 12 either at the inlet distribution chamber 2a or at the outlet distribution chamber 3a for more precise control of the TMP, the presence of a pressure transmitter 12 will increase the likeliness of being able to maintain a constant TMP in a membrane module.
Each membrane element 4 may have a central tube or opening 5 configured to collect permeate and direct the permeate to the outlet for permeate 6, permeate may flow into the central opening 5 over the full length of the opening 5, and the opening 5 will be closed at the end facing the inlet distribution chamber 2a to prevent unfiltered retentate to enter the opening 5. A central opening 5 is e.g. provided when using a spiral wound membrane as membrane element 4. The outlet for permeate 6 is positioned at the same end of the membrane module 1 as the outlet 3 for fluid feed providing concurrent flow of fluid feed and permeate in the complete length of the membrane element 4 and the membrane module.
Optionally, a single membrane module 1 according to the present invention may comprise a second inlet 24 as illustrated in
Although a membrane module 1 comprises a second inlet 24, liquid may not enter into the membrane module 1 through this second inlet 24. The flow of liquid through the second inlet 24 may be continuous or temporary or not take place at all during some operations.
The apparatus comprises a storage unit 19 for fluid feed or retentate, the storage unit 19 may be constituted of one or more tanks or containers which may provide a continuous flow of feed or retentate or a mixture between feed and retentate into the membrane modules. A pump 20 e.g. together with a not shown control device such as a frequency converter or valve may control the inlet of retentate or fluid feed to fluid flow recirculating through the membrane modules 1a-1d.
A loop of recirculating retentate may be provided with an outlet 21 for retentate, the outlet for retentate may be controlled by a valve 22. The outlet for retentate may be positioned upstream of the inlet for new retentate from the storage unit 19. However, if the loop shown in
I.e. the membrane modules 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d are serially connected at the fluid side of the membrane modules 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, i.e. the same flow of fluid enters all membrane modules although the amount is reduced by the amount of permeate leaving for each membrane module. The permeate is removed from each membrane module 1 and may be collected in a joint flow of permeate. The membrane modules 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d provide a segment in a loop through which feed or retentate may be continuously pumped by the circulation pump 13 until a desired amount of permeate has been removed via the permeate outlets 6 of the membrane modules.
As it is possible to control the pressure in each membrane module it is possible to overcome static pressure and therefore it is possible to design a matrix comprising a number of segments of membrane modules 1 in two dimensions i.e. it is not necessary to position the membrane modules 1 at the same level, instead membrane modules 1 being serially connected on the feed or retentate side, may be positioned on top of each other providing vertically extending segments. Traditionally, matrices of membrane modules are placed beside each other i.e. at the same level to prevent the static pressure from influencing the TMP and therefore the filtration process.
Also, as the permeate is removed from the end of the permeate tube 5 having the lowest pressure on the feed or retentate side, the risk of creating dead pockets during filtration or cleaning of the equipment is eliminated.
This embodiment comprises 4 segments A, B, C, D of four membrane modules 1 positioned beside each other and each segment comprises four membrane modules 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d placed on top of each other. The connections between the membrane modules of a segment comprising 4 membrane modules may be as shown in
In the embodiment shown in
In prior art, segments of membrane modules may be serially connected on the fluid feed side, but if this is the case, then the serially connected membrane modules are normally positioned at the same vertical level, i.e. the serially connected membrane modules are placed beside each other, particularly if the demand for a constant and/or low TMP is high. Also, a segment would normally only comprise a few membrane modules, e.g. a maximum of two membrane modules.
In the shown embodiment of the present invention, the membrane modules 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d in each segment are placed on top of each other and the membrane modules are serially connected at the feed side of the membrane module, i.e. the fluid feed or retentate exiting the last membrane module 1d also entered the first membrane module 1a of the segment. The four segments each comprising vertically aligned membrane modules are fed with fluid feed or retentate from a common feeding pipe 14a which is normally fed by a single pump or a pumping system.
When using a constant pressure pump, the static pressure psi in the feeding pipe 14a may be kept constant.
From the feeding pipe 14a, the fluid feed flows into each of first membrane modules 1a in each of the segments A, B, C and D, the fluid feed is then forced through the following membrane modules 1b, 1c, and 1d. In each segment the fluid feed or retentate is collected in the feed outlet pipe 16 wherefrom fluid feed or retentate normally is recirculated to the feeding pipe 14a of the filtration apparatus by a not shown circulation pump. To maintain a continuous process, a flow of new fluid feed is normally added to the fluid feed circulation loop between the outlet pipe 16 and the feeding pipe 14a. Also, a flow of fluid feed or retentate may be removed from the recirculating flow, either as a product or to a second filtration loop, to maintain a desired yield of product.
The permeate flowing from the permeate outlets of each membrane module level are collected in outlet permeate pipes 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d, i.e. the first membrane module 1a of each segment A, B, C and D, has a common outlet permeate pipe 15a, the second membrane module 1b of each segment A, B, C and D, has a common outlet permeate pipe 15b, the third membrane module 1c of each segment A, B, C and D, has a common outlet permeate pipe 15c and the fourth membrane module 1d of each segment A, B, C and D, has a common outlet permeate pipe 15d. A pressure transmitter 10 is positioned in each permeate outlet pipe 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d downstream of the last permeate outlet, as the membrane modules 1 of each level a, b, c or d, are positioned at the same height and as the outlet permeate pipes 15 are horizontal, the pressure is assumed constant in the full length of each outlet permeate pipe and therefore a single common pressure transmitter 10 and a single common back pressure valve for each outlet permeate pipe may provide for proper control of the pressure in each membrane module.
In general, the number of membrane modules 1 being vertically aligned in a segment may be from 2-16, normally between 2-12, e.g. between 2-8, and the number of segments of vertically aligned membrane modules may be from 1-32, e.g. between 2-32 or between 4-16. The optimum number of membrane modules in the vertical dimension as well as the optimum number of sets of vertically aligned membrane modules will depend on the pump capacity and area available for the filtration facility.
This embodiment comprises a first section of 4 segments A, B, C, D of four membrane modules 1 positioned beside each other, each segment comprises four membrane modules 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d as the embodiment of
The first or lower section of the embodiment comprises the same elements as the embodiment of
This embodiment comprises one section of 4 segments A, B, C, D of eight membrane modules 1 positioned beside each other, each segment comprises eight membrane modules 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1g, 1h. The embodiment may comprise the same elements as the embodiments shown in
To provide an optimized flow of fluid feed into the membrane modules positioned at the top or upper half of the segments, a supply of feed fluid may be distributed directly to membrane modules at the top or upper half of the segments, e.g. via a supply pipe 14c. The flow to the supply pipe 14c may be controlled by a flow transmitter 17 and a valve 18. The fluid feed to the supply pipe 14c may be distributed by the same pump or pumping system supplying the fluid feed to the first membrane module 1a of each segment A, B, C and D.
This embodiment—like the embodiment of
In the embodiment shown in
In the shown embodiment, the membrane modules 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d of each segment are placed on top of each other, where the membrane modules 1a are lowest and the membrane modules 1d are at the top. The membrane modules within a segment A, B, C and D are serially connected at the feed side of the membrane modules, i.e. the fluid feed or retentate exiting the last membrane module 1d may be pumped to the first membrane module 1a of either the same segment or to a common feed container receiving circulating feed or retentate from all four segments.
The four segments A, B, C, D each comprise vertically aligned membrane modules which may be fed with fluid feed or retentate from a common feeding pipe 14a, the feeding pipe 14a may be fed by a single pump or by a pumping system.
Also, each membrane module at each level 1a, 1b, 1c or 1d may be fed with secondary liquid through a common feeding pipe for each level 27a, 27b, 27c or 27d. Each of the common feeding pipes for secondary liquid 27a, 27b, 27c or 27d may comprise inlet control means e.g. comprising an inlet valve 25a, 25b, 25c and 25d for each level (25b and 25d are not shown on
When using a constant pressure pump system, the static pressure psi in the feeding pipe 14a may be kept constant.
From the feeding pipe 14a, the fluid feed flows into each of first membrane modules 1a, i.e. the first level a, in each of the segments A, B, C and D, the fluid feed is then forced through the following membrane modules 1b, 1c, and 1d. From the last membrane module 1d of each segment the fluid feed or retentate is collected in the feed outlet pipe 16 wherefrom fluid feed or retentate normally is recirculated to the feeding pipe 14a of the filtration apparatus by a not shown circulation pump. To maintain a continuous process, a flow of new fluid feed may be added to the fluid feed circulation loop between the outlet pipe 16 and the feeding pipe 14a. Also, a flow of fluid feed or retentate may be removed from the recirculating flow, either as a product or to a second filtration loop, to maintain a desired yield of product.
The permeate flowing from the permeate outlets of each membrane module level are collected in outlet permeate pipes 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d, i.e. the first membrane module 1a of each segment A, B, C and D, has a common outlet permeate pipe 15a, the second membrane module 1b of each segment A, B, C and D, has a common outlet permeate pipe 15b, the third membrane module 1c of each segment A, B, C and D, has a common outlet permeate pipe 15c and the fourth membrane module 1d of each segment A, B, C and D, has a common outlet permeate pipe 15d. Compared to the embodiment of
A pressure transmitter 10 is positioned in each permeate outlet pipe 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d downstream of the last permeate outlet, as the membrane modules 1 of each level a, b, c or d, are positioned at the same height and as the outlet permeate pipes 15 are horizontal, the pressure is assumed constant in the full length of each outlet permeate pipe and therefore a single common pressure transmitter 10 and a single common back pressure valve for each outlet permeate pipe may provide for proper control of the pressure in each membrane module.
A pressure transmitter 12 is positioned at the outlet distribution chamber 3a at each membrane module or at each level i.e. a, b, c, d, . . . in a section, to improve the possibility for controlling the TMP at each level and thereby control the separation process.
In general, the number of membrane modules 1 being vertically aligned in a segment may be from 2-16, normally between 2-12, e.g. between 2-8, and the number of segments of vertically aligned membrane modules may be from 1-32, e.g. between 2-32 or between 4-16. The optimum number of membrane modules in the vertical dimension as well as the optimum number of sets of vertically aligned membrane modules will depend on the pump capacity and area available for the filtration facility.
In general, an apparatus according to the present invention may comprise one or more matrices of membrane modules. Each matrix comprises one or more segments of vertically displaced and/or aligned membrane modules which are serially connected in respect of fluid feed, i.e. the fluid feed which enters the first membrane module flows through all membrane modules of the segment and will either be removed as fluid feed from an outlet of the last membrane module of the segment or be removed as permeate from permeate outlets of one of the membrane modules comprised in the segment. If a matrix comprises more than one segment, the fluid feed may be distributed in parallel to the segments through a common feeding pipe which feeding pipe is connected to a source of feeding fluid and a constant pressure pump forcing the feeding fluid into the feeding pipe and through the segments of membrane modules. If the apparatus comprises more than one matrix of membrane modules, each matrix may be referred to as a section, and a second or following sections may be positioned on top of a first or lower section, the fluid feed flow from a first or lower section may be connected to a second or upper section through a manifold having a number of inlets corresponding to the number of segments in the lower section and a number of outlets corresponding to the number of segments in the upper section. If a segment comprises more than 2 or 3 or 4 membrane modules displaced and/or aligned in a vertical direction, where the lowest membrane module is considered the first membrane module, then a supply of fluid feed may be added to the third or fourth or fifth membrane module, respectively, e.g. through a supply pipe which may distribute fluid feed to more than one segment of membrane modules. Also, a series of membrane modules at a same vertical level and fed by the same pump or pumping system, may have an permeate outlet feeding permeate into a common outlet permeate pipe which is provided with a common pressure transmitter and back pressure valve.
Description of method for filtration of a liquid
The apparatus of the present invention is primarily directed to use within food production as the apparatus provides a high sanitary level by avoiding dead legs in the apparatus structure.
Also, as the apparatus only use standard components it is less expensive and less complex than apparatus using non-standard components.
The apparatus and the method according to the invention are particularly suitable for microfiltration, or processes of ultrafiltration facing the same problems as microfiltration. Microfiltration, and some ultrafiltration processes, works at a very low TMP, and it is difficult to optimize the cross flow while maintaining a constant low TMP through a series of inter-connected membrane elements whether these membrane elements are positioned in a single membrane module or a series of membrane modules. The pressure at the inlet of the fluid feed is determined by the settings of the pump, and it is possible to control the pressure on the permeate side of the membrane module by positioning a back-pressure valve at the permeate outlet. According to the present invention the pressure in a series of membrane modules through which membrane modules fluid feed is pumped in a loop is adapted to the decrease in pressure occurring in the fluid feed as the distance between a membrane module and the pump is increased in the flow direction of the fluid feed.
In general, the present invention relates to a method for filtrating a liquid in an apparatus for membrane filtration comprising the following step,
b) generated permeate is continuously drained from each membrane module through the permeate outlet,
During microfiltration or ultrafiltration, the TMP may be in the area of 0.02-12 bar, e.g. 0.07-10 bar, or 0.2-8 bar, or 0.3-2 bar.
The method of the present invention can be used in connection with membrane filtration operations within the dairy industry. E.g. the feed fluid can be a fluid in the dairy industry and dairy ingredients industry requiring accurate and same-time control of TMP and cross flow to obtain the result in particular protein separation, fat separation, micro-organism separation and protein fractionation on
Also, method of the present invention can be used in connection with membrane filtration operations within a fluid in the
requiring accurate and same-time control of TMP and cross flow to obtain the result in
on
This build is according to prior art the prevalent method for achieving the lowest possible TMP per membrane element same time with the highest possible cross flow.
In this process example the dP/element is set to 0.5 bar and at traditionally 0 bar in pperm.
QCROSSFLOW is the volumetric flow (m3/h) in the loop after the circulation pump 13, the volumetric flow downstream of the modules are lower as permeate is removed in the modules, additional feed is added to the loop by the feed pump 20.
The membrane modules are positioned in a parallel structure receiving fluid feed/retentate at the same pressure PIN. The base line pressure PBL provided by the feed pump 20 of this system is set to 0.3 bar in order to minimize TMP. The pressure at the inlet of each membrane module is the same for all 10 membrane modules i.e. the inlet pressure PIN is the sum of the base line pressure PBL and the booster pressure PB, which in the example is 0.3+0.5=0.8 bar.
The system is difficult to control because it may be under influence from differences in static head i.e. differences in geographic height may influence on the desired low and uniform TMP per membrane element. Also, the system is influenced by the base line pressure, PBL, which has to be sufficiently high to avoid damaging cavitation in the circulation pump(s) which in some cases can have a negative effect on TMP, but also sufficiently low in order to obtain a desired low TMP.
The flow QCROSSFLOW through the booster pump or recirculation pump 13 is high as the recirculation pump 13 delivers equal amounts of fluid to all 10 membrane modules 1a-1j. A high flow through the recirculation pump, means that the installation has a relatively high consumption of energy and therefore this apparatus is relatively expensive to operate.
Inside the one module, the membrane elements are positioned in an end-to-end structure receiving fluid feed/retentate feed at different pressures corresponding to dP/element. The numbering 1a, 1b, . . . , 1j is applied, although this embodiment only comprises a single module according to the definition of a module of this specification, to illustrate that the number of membrane elements are the same as in the prior art example of
In the process example the dP/element is set to 0.5 bar and at traditionally 0 bar in pperm. The base line pressure PBL provided by the feed pump 20 of this system is set to 0.3 bar in order to minimize TMP. The pressure into the membrane module is the sum of the base line pressure PBL and the booster pressure PB, which in the example is 0.3+5=5.3 bar.
As the below Table 2 clearly indicates it is for an apparatus of this configuration or a similar configuration with fewer membrane elements, not possible to maintain the same and low TMP per membrane element, however, the index figure QCROSSFLOW is 100, a factor 10 lower than for the prior art example of FIG. 8. As below table 2 illustrates, it is according to this prior art example impossible to obtain a constant low TMP if the number of membrane elements in a module is two or higher, if an example instead of ten membrane elements comprised two membrane elements the TMP would be as for 1i and 1j.
In the great majority of filtration processes requiring a low TMP, a system according to
In the process example of
The pressure difference between fluid feed/retentate and permeate at the outlet end of a membrane module is set to 0.1 bar.
The base line pressure PBL provided by the feed pump 20 is set to 1 bar. The base line pressure PBL is the pressure at which the fluid feed is directed to the circulating fluid feed or retentate, and there is a limit to how low this pressure may be due to risk of cavitation in the circulation pump(s) and it suits commercially available pumps better than a very low pressure at needed volumetric capacities.
The circulation pump 13 is set to increase or boost the pressure PB by 5 bar. In general, the pressure to be provided by the circulation pump is determined by the need for dP/element and by the number of serially and parallel connected membrane modules/elements, the used membranes etc. (pout,1j=PBL)
The permeate pressure Pperm is controlled for each module thereby establishing a desired TMP for each membrane element in each module. By this method it is possible to maintain a low and constant TMP at each membrane modules at a reasonable cost.
In order to obtain a desired flux and permeation through membrane elements over long time, it is necessary to maintain for the application a suitable cross flow—high or low—, the cross flow being the flow along the surface of the membrane on the retentate side. The cross flow minimizes accumulation of material on the surface of the membrane. The cross flow through each membrane module 1a, 1b, . . . , 1j corresponds to the recirculated fluid minus the permeate being drained from upstream membrane modules plus possible added diafiltration water.
Table 3 shows the effect of the present invention in terms of being able to provide
Thus, to reiterate, the present invention pertains to an apparatus and a method for cross-flow membrane filtration which may be used for filtration processes requiring a controllable low Transmembrane Pressure (TMP) and at the same time a controllable high cross-flow. This may be the case both for microfiltration and for ultrafiltration processes. Particularly, the apparatus is directed to use in preparation of food ingredients where fractionating is required. An apparatus comprises a plurality of n membrane modules (2, . . . , n) and a pump, where the membrane module (1) positioned immediately downstream of the pump is named the first membrane module (1a), each membrane module (1) comprises at least one membrane element (4), one inlet (2) for fluid feed and one outlet (3) for fluid feed, one outlet for permeate (6), and a back-pressure control means (9) such as a valve configured to control the pressure and/or the flow at the outlet for permeate (6), each membrane element (4) has a central opening (5) configured to collect permeate and direct the permeate to the outlet for permeate (6), which outlet for permeate (6) is positioned at the same end of the membrane module (1) as the outlet (3) for fluid feed providing concurrent flows in fluid feed and permeate in full length of each membrane module (1). The outlet (3) for fluid feed of the first membrane module (1a) is connected to the fluid inlet (2) of the second membrane module (1b), and if further membrane module(s) is/are present, the outlet (3) for fluid feed of a previous membrane module (n−1) is connected to the fluid inlet (2) of a following membrane module (n), and for the last membrane module (n), the outlet (3) for fluid feed is connected to the fluid inlet (2) for fluid feed of the first membrane module (1a). A method comprises the following steps a), b) and c): a) An amount of fluid feed is continuously pumped with pressure PB through a loop comprising a multiplicity of n membrane modules which modules are serially connected, the fluid feed and permeate flow concurrently through each of the n membrane module(s), b) generated permeate is continuously drained from each membrane module through a permeate outlet, c) the permeate pressure at the permeate outlet of each membrane module is controlled keeping TMP within a desired range.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA 2018 00984 | Dec 2018 | DK | national |
| PA 2019 00668 | May 2019 | DK | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2019/084371 | 12/10/2019 | WO | 00 |
