The New 14 x 28-inch Liqui-Cel® Membrane Contactor Makes O2 And CO2 Removal From Liquids Even More Economical

Charlotte, NC. - Membrana has introduced a New 14 x 28 Liqui-Cel® Membrane Contactor to its product family. This is the largest integrally potted Membrane Contactor available today for removing dissolved gasses from a variety of liquids. It contains 2370 ft2 (220 m2) or 60% more membrane area than the current 10 x 28 Liqui-Cel Membrane Contactor and it is more cost effective in higher liquid flow rate applications.

Considerable R&D resources were focused on designing a larger contactor that would specifically meet the needs of end markets with high liquid flow rates. This contactor is currently being bid and selected for systems with flow rates as large as 2000 m3/hr (8806 gpm). An individual 14 x 28 Membrane Contactor can process up to 91 m3/hr (400 gpm) in one device. Larger flows can be handled by piping multiple contactors in parallel and system modeling will be completed in the GasCADTM sizing program. The 14 x 28 Membrane Contactor with X40 membrane has a liquid pressure rating of 8.2 bar (120 psi).

Membrane Contactors offer a modular option for many applications and they can be put in virtually any area of a building. They are rapidly displacing forced draft deaerators and vacuum towers in new systems as well as many older ones.

The 14 x 28 Contactor uses commercially available plastics for the containment vessel and end cap components. The potting material is epoxy, which is used in many other Liqui-Cel products and has been proven in the field for years. Both of the high performance X40 and X50 fibers are available in this product for very cost effective dissolved CO2 and O2 removal from water.

These devices are clean enough to be used in the make up loop of a semiconductor plant. More specifically they can be used to deoxygenate large make-up systems and to deoxygenate large water streams used in TFT plants. Additionally they offer a perfect solution for removing Carbon Dioxide prior to mixed bed or EDI technology to eliminate or reduce chemical usage and improve water quality exiting these technologies. They are also used in Boiler Feed water applications for oxygen removal to protect the boiler and piping from corrosion. In the Boiler application they also have lower operating costs because blow down frequency is reduced and less energy is required for the contactor system's operation.

The changes made to materials, product design and testing allow for more favorable economics of this device for many large industrial and make-up applications. If purity and FDA compliance are important in the customer's application, the high-purity 10 x 28 Liqui-Cel Membrane Contactor is available for those end uses.

Membrane Contactors utilize thousands of Celgard® microporous polypropylene hollow fibers knitted into an array that is wound around a distribution tube with a central baffle. During operation, the liquid flows over the shellside (outside) of the hollow fibers. The patented Extra-Flow design incorporates a baffle in the middle of the contactor, which directs the liquid radially across the array. A strip gas or vacuum, either separately or in combination, is applied on the lumenside (inside) of the hollow fibers.

Because of its hydrophobic nature, the membrane acts as an inert support to allow direct contact between a gas and liquid phase without dispersion. The dissolved gas in the liquid travels through the pore by applying a higher pressure to the liquid stream relative to the gas stream.

Liqui-Cel Membrane Contactors are used around the world for adding or removing Oxygen (O2), Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Nitrogen (N2) to or from different liquids in the Semiconductor, Power, Pharmaceutical, Photographic, Food and Beverage, and many other industries. Liqui-Cel Contactors are also used to add gasses to liquids to enhance megasonic cleaning. The beverage industry looks to membrane contactors for carbonation, nitrogenation and O2 removal. These reflect only a few examples of the variety of applications where the Liqui-Cel Membrane Contactors are used. New applications are constantly being developed. Visit www.liqui-cel.com for the latest information.

Additionally, Membrana offers liquid ring vacuum pumps, eductors and Orbisphere sensors to complement the membrane contactors.

Membrana´s Industrial Membrane Group also manufactures a variety of membranes used for filtration in various industries and applications. Manufacturing facilities are located in the USA and Europe. Global markets are served through sales offices and affiliates in North America, Europe, Japan, South East Asia and China.

Source: Membrana-Charlotte

Membrana