US 11,938,449 B2
Ceramic membrane filtration assembly with multi port endcap and related methods
Paul Osmundson, Eden Prairie, MN (US)
Assigned to Nanostone Water Inc., Waltham, MA (US)
Appl. No. 16/302,455
Filed by Nanostone Water Inc., Waltham, MA (US)
PCT Filed Jul. 21, 2017, PCT No. PCT/US2017/043385
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 16, 2018,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/018012, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 25, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/365,220, filed on Jul. 21, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2019/0291055 A1, Sep. 26, 2019
Int. Cl. B01D 63/00 (2006.01); B01D 61/18 (2006.01); B01D 63/06 (2006.01); B01D 71/00 (2006.01); B01D 71/02 (2006.01)
CPC B01D 63/066 (2013.01) [B01D 63/06 (2013.01); B01D 71/05 (2022.08); B01D 61/18 (2013.01); B01D 2313/025 (2013.01); B01D 2313/04 (2013.01); B01D 2313/08 (2013.01); B01D 2313/083 (2013.01); B01D 2313/10 (2013.01); B01D 2313/125 (2013.01); B01D 2313/201 (2022.08); B01D 2313/21 (2013.01); B01D 2313/44 (2013.01); B01D 2315/10 (2013.01); B01D 2321/04 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A ceramic membrane filtration assembly, comprising:
a housing having a first housing end and second housing end, the housing having an outer circumference, the housing having an inner diameter;
a membrane assembly disposed within the housing and extending from a first membrane assembly end to a second membrane assembly end, the membrane assembly comprising a ceramic membrane extending from a first membrane end to a second membrane end and having channels therein, each channel of the ceramic membrane comprising an interior and an exterior;
a first inner end cap device disposed within the housing at the first housing end and coupled with the membrane assembly, the first inner end cap device comprising an inner port fluidly coupled with interiors of the channels of the ceramic membrane; and
a first outer end cap device sealed within the housing at the first housing end, the first outer end cap device fluidly coupled with the first inner end cap device, the first outer end cap device comprising a feed water inlet connected to the inner port and a permeate outlet fluidly coupled to exteriors of the channels of the ceramic membrane through a bypass,
wherein:
the bypass is defined by a gap between the inner diameter of the housing and the first inner end cap device; and
the ceramic membrane filtration assembly has a fluid path from the feed water inlet through the inner port to the interiors of the channels of the ceramic membrane, through the ceramic membrane to the exteriors of the channels of the ceramic membrane, and from the exteriors of the channels of the ceramic membrane past the bypass to the permeate outlet.