Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
188 words
Separating apparatus particularly suitable for gas permeation and pervaporation, said apparatus comprising, in combination: a. a plurality of parallelepipedonal frame members having a certain width and defining a central cell forming aperture; b. a plurality of parallelepipedonal membrane members, stacked alternately with said frame members and having substantially the same width to form a stack, said membrane members each including: aa. two permeable membranes, bb. a porous support interposed between said permeable membranes, cc. means defining at least one opening in said porous support, near one side thereof, said means extending across between 40 and 90% of the width of the support, said two membranes being secured to one another, in a fluidtight manner over a zone within said opening, the openings of alternate membrane members being at opposite sides of the stack; dd. means defining at least one orifice through the membranes in said zone; c. means for supplying a fluid to one end of the stack; d. means for withdrawing the fluid from the other end of the stack; e. a fluidtight chamber enclosing said stack; and f. means for removing permeate fluid from said chamber.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
188 words
Separating apparatus particularly suitable for gas permeation and pervaporation, said apparatus comprising, in combination: a. a plurality of parallelepipedonal frame members having a certain width and defining a central cell forming aperture; b. a plurality of parallelepipedonal membrane members, stacked alternately with said frame members and having substantially the same width to form a stack, said membrane members each including: aa. two permeable membranes, bb. a porous support interposed between said permeable membranes, cc. means defining at least one opening in said porous support, near one side thereof, said means extending across between 40 and 90% of the width of the support, said two membranes being secured to one another, in a fluidtight manner over a zone within said opening, the openings of alternate membrane members being at opposite sides of the stack; dd. means defining at least one orifice through the membranes in said zone; c. means for supplying a fluid to one end of the stack; d. means for withdrawing the fluid from the other end of the stack; e. a fluidtight chamber enclosing said stack; and f. means for removing permeate fluid from said chamber.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
77 words
Separating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising a header connected to said supply means, a header connected to said withdrawing means and at least one intermediate plate dividing the membranes and frames into sub-assemblies, said at least one intermediate plate having two ports each connected to a different one of said headers, the ports of an intermediate plate communicating with said orifices of the adjacent membrane member effective to connect the sub-assemblies in parallel.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
58 words
Separating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising two rigid end plates arranged one at each end of the stack and a port formed in said end plates, one connected to said supply means and the other to said withdrawing means, the ports of the end plates communicating with said orifices of the adjacent membrane member.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
Separating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said chamber comprises a base plate on which said stack is mounted and a transparent cover secured in fluidtight manner to said base plate.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
Separating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the membrane members includes anisotropic vinyltriorganosilane polymer membranes heat-sealed together within said openings.