MEMBRANE APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING LIQUID MIXTURES Russian patent published in 2002 - IPC

FIELD: devices for separating liquid mixtures by means of semi-permeable membranes; microfiltration, ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis performed for cleaning, concentration and fractionating liquids including industrial wastes in nuclear power, microbiological, food-processing and medical industries. SUBSTANCE: proposed membrane apparatus is provided with set of revolving round membrane elements each of which consists of two semi-permeable membranes with drainage layer provided with hole in the center located between them and sealing layer over periphery, central hollow shaft with perforated walls on which set of membrane elements is secured, set of immovable separator elements each of which is made if form of inner and peripheral rings connected by means of radial strips; each separator element is located between each two adjacent membrane elements; peripheral rings are provided with holes; when these holes are registered, passages are formed in set of separator elements; these passages are used for placing coupling studs; apparatus has cylindrical shell and bottom, upper cover with starting mixture inlet pipe union, central hollow shaft sealing unit, unit for connecting the central shaft with electric motor, concentrate discharge unit and permeant discharge unit; each membrane element of this unit is provided with rigid non-deformable base located in drainage layer; central hollow shaft is provided with upper and lower end plugs; upper end plug is located under upper cover; radial strips of separator element are made in form of equilateral trapezium in cross section; unit connecting the central shaft with electric motor is made in form of sleeve located coaxially relative to central shaft; permeant discharge unit is located in central shaft sealing unit under lower end plug. Besides that, semi-permeable membranes are made in form of two-layer plates whose lower layer is made from porous metal, for example porous stainless steel with pores no less than 1.5 mkm in size, thickness of metal sheet is no more than 0.2 mkm; upper layer is made from porous ceramics; oxides, nitrides, carbides and borides of metals of Al, Ti, Zr and Mg group or their mixture; pores of ceramics do not exceed 0.5 mkm at thickness not exceeding 10 mkm. EFFECT: increased productivity; improved quality; enhanced reliability in cleaning highly toxic and badly contaminated liquids, solutions of nuclear industry first of all, radioactive liquid wastes inclusive. 4 cl, 4 dwg, 3 ex