The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 02, 2008
Filed:
May. 07, 2007
Sun-nan Hong, Cary, NC (US);
Hong W. Zhao, Raleigh, NC (US);
Richard W. Dimassimo, Raleigh, NC (US);
Sun-Nan Hong, Cary, NC (US);
Hong W. Zhao, Raleigh, NC (US);
Richard W. DiMassimo, Raleigh, NC (US);
I. Kruger Inc., Cary, NC (US);
Abstract
A membrane bioreactor system includes one or more biological reactors and one or more membrane tanks with each membrane tank having one or more membrane filters. To control membrane fouling, various process control variables are employed. First, the membrane filters are cleaned by an air scouring process where bubbles are moved upwardly adjacent the membrane filters and clean the same in the process. To control membrane fouling, a process is utilized that dynamically varies the air scouring flow rate (V) as a function of transmembrane pressure (TMP). In addition, the process entails allowing permeation to start and stop which results in a series of cycles where each cycle includes a permeation phase and a relaxation phase. The duration of the relaxation phase (TR) and the duration of the permeation phase (TP) is varied from cycle to cycle as a function of one or more process variables including the change in TMP over a selected period within a membrane phase, or the change in TMP over a selected time period spanning at least two membrane phases.