Rapid vapor transport through unwetted porous barriers
US4743378A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 17, 1986 |
| Grant date | May 10, 1988 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 17, 2006 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S203/18
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A method of increasing the rate the transport of volatiles through porous barriers (13) such as membranes consists of subjecting the porous barriers (13) to a vacuum for sufficient time to remove any permanent gas from the pores (V), admitting a non-wetting liquid through inlet (14) to the barrier (13) either before or during the application of the vacuum whereby the non-wetting liquid forms films or bubbles (16) which seal the pores (V) to create a low pressure region within each pore (V) which is filled with vapor of the non-wetting liquid. The invention may be used to transport volatiles such as ethanol across a membrane and to transfer heat across a membrane.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.