Hollow Fiber Membranes

Description

Hollow fiber filtration utilizes thousands of long, porous filaments ranging from 1-3.5mm wide, that are potted in place in a PVC shell. Each filament is very narrow in diameter and flexible. Hollow fiber can find uses in all types of filtration, ranging from microfiltration to reverse osmosis. 

How it works

Hollow fiber filtration works on the same principle as tubular and capillary configurations but utilizes a small tube diameter which allows for flexibility. Common applications for hollow fiber membranes include MBR, RO pretreatment, Industrial water/wastewater, juice processing, and biotech applications.

Disadvantages

Irreversible fouling and fiber breakage are the main problems concerning hollow fiber filtration. Because of the flexibility of the fibers, they are more likely to break when under high strain compared to other methods of filtration such as tubular or spiral wound elements. Hollow fiber membranes tend to have moderate capital costs, but high operating costs compared to other configurations.

Advantages

Hollow fiber membranes feature a very high packing density because of the small strand diameter. Because of the flexibility of the strands, certain filter configurations are possible that cannot be achieved in other filtration configurations. They can also be backflushed from the permeate side and air scoured, and can process feed streams with high total suspended solids (TSS).