Ceramem Corporation

Ceramem Separations Limited Partnership

Veolia Water Technologies, Inc.

Crosstek Membrane Technology

Stobbe Tech Holding A/s

Bruce A Bishop

Robert L Goldsmith

Richard J Higgins

Peter J Hayward

David E Gamache

Per Stobbe

Stanton R Smith

Robert R Goldsmith

Garry G Haacke

Job Omweno

Stanton Smith

Richard Higgins

Helical separation membranes, helical separation assemblies including one or more helical separation membranes, and separation technologies that include one or more helical membrane assemblies are described. In embodiments the helical membrane assemblies include one or more one or more helical membrane leaves. Methods of making helical separation membranes, helical membrane assemblies, helical membrane modules that include one or more helical membrane assemblies are also described.

Helical separation membranes and technologies utilizing the same

A method for cleaning a ceramic membrane used in an oil recovery process. The cleaning method includes online and offline modes. In the online mode, the method includes periodically backflushing the ceramic membrane with an aqueous media. In the offline mode, the method includes backpulsing or statically cleaning the ceramic membrane by utilizing an aqueous alkaline media, an aqueous acidic media, and a liquid hydrocarbon solution.

Process for recovering oil and treating resulting produced water with ceramic membranes

A crossflow membrane device that receives a feedstock at a feed end face and separates the feedstock into permeate and retentate. The device has a membrane support containing at least one monolith of porous material defining a plurality of passageways extending longitudinally from the feed end face of the monolith to a retentate end face of the monolith through which the feedstock flows to pass retentate from the device. A permselective membrane coating of finer pore size than that of the porous material is applied to the passageway wall surfaces of the monolith. At least one permeate conduit is formed within the monolith, the conduit containing a plurality of longitudinal permeate chambers communicating with a means of permeate introduction at or near the feed end face and permeate withdrawal at or near the retentate end face. The permeate is separated from feed and retentate, and a portion of the permeate is circulated through the permeate conduit to create a decreasing permeate pressure within the permeate conduit from the feed end of the membrane device to the retentate end of the device to control transmembrane pressure along the length of the device.

Membrane devices with controlled transmembrane pressure and method of use

A porous ceramic support for a gas separation membrane formed by sintering a green body containing grains of a refractory ceramic oxide with a high coefficient of thermal expansion and grains of a reactive binder precursor. Upon sintering, the reactive binder precursor reacts with at least one gaseous, liquid or solid reactant to create a reaction bond that binds the refractory ceramic oxide grains. The support configuration can be a tubular, flat plate, hollow fiber, or multiple-passageway monolith structure.

High CTE reaction-bonded ceramic membrane supports

A reaction-bonded &agr;-alumina filter element is provided. The filter element includes a monolith of porous material having multiple passageways extending from one end face to an opposing end face. The monolith is extruded from a mixture containing at least aluminum metal and alumina powders in a proportion such that on sintering the volume change of the monolith is minimized. The filter body can be used as a filter or as a membrane support for crossflow or dead end flow filter elements. A method for making the filter element is also provided.

Reaction bonded alumina filter and membrane support

A cross-flow filtration device which receives a feed stock at a feed end face and separates the feed stock into filtrate and retentate. The device has a structure formed from a plurality of substantially parallel monolith segments of porous material, each segment having a plurality of passageways which extend longitudinally from the feed end face to a retentate end face of the structure. The structure contains a filtrate conduit network comprised of both an intersegment filtrate conduit, formed by the arrangement of the segments, and at least one intrasegment filtrate conduit formed within at least one segment. The filtrate conduit network provides low pressure drop flow paths for filtrate flow through the porous material from the passageways to nearby filtrate conduits, and at least some of the passageways are separated from filtrate conduits by intervening passageways, thereby enabling a high ratio of passageway surface area to volume of the device and a high rate of filtrate removal.

Cross-flow filtration device with filtrate conduit network and method of

A catalytic filtration device for separating a particulate-containing feed stock into a filtrate and a particulate-containing filter cake, having a monolith of porous material containing a plurality of passageways extending longitudinally from an inlet end face to an outlet end face, having a plurality of plugs in the ends of the passageways at the inlet end face and at the outlet end face to prevent direct passage of the feed stock through the passageways from the inlet end face to the outlet end face; a microporous membrane selected to separate the feed stock into a filtrate and particulate-containing filter cake, the membrane applied to at least the wall surfaces of the passageways open at the inlet end face and of mean pore size smaller than the mean pore size of the porous material; the device regenerable by withdrawal of the filter cake from the inlet end face of the device; and a catalyst applied to the device for catalyzing a reaction in the filtrate as it passes through the device. The catalytic filtration device suitable for use for catalyzing a gas phase reaction. Methods for forming and using the catalytic filtration device.

Catalytic filtration device and method

A process for forming a porous inorganic membrane on a porous support is provided. The support is coated with refractory particles which sinter at a first temperature. The coating then is impregnated with an inorganic binder which reacts at a second temperature, lower than the first temperature. The impregnated, coated support then is processed at a temperature at least as high as the second temperature, but less than the first temperature.

Impregnating porous inorganic membrane with reactive inorganic binder

A back-flushable filtration device is provided. The device includes a monolith of porous material having an inlet end and an outlet end. The passageways of the monolith are plugged at the inlet and outlet ends of the monolith, thereby preventing direct passage of feed stock through the passageways from the inlet end to the outlet end. A microporous membrane of mean pore size smaller than the mean pore size of the monolith material covers the surface of the passageways. Methods for making the back-flushable filter as well as methods for using the back-flushable filter also are provided.

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Bruce A Bishop