Method and apparatus for testing the integrity of filtering membranes
US6324898A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 21, 1999 |
| Grant date | Dec 4, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 21, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2015/086
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An improvement to an outside/in hollow fiber membrane filtration system includes a source of suction on the lumens of the membranes or pressure on the outside of the membranes operable without producing permeate and an air collector to collect any air that passes from the outside of the membranes to their lumens during an integrity test. A method for testing the integrity of filtering membranes involves exposing a first side of the membranes to air while a second side of the membranes remains exposed to water. A transmembrane pressure forces air through defects of concern in the membranes. Air that passes through a set of membranes is collected and its amount measured and compared to an acceptable amount of air to indicate whether there is a defect in the set of membranes. Preferably, air is collected individually from a plurality of membrane units in a filtration train and the amounts so collected compared to indicate if one of the membrane units is defective.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.