KMS Hollow Fiber Filtration Technology - Setting New Standards In The Field
KMS hollow fiber membranes have been successfully employed in a wide variety of industries including food, juice, pharmaceutical, and metalworking, dairy, wine and most recently municipal drinking water. Depending on the application, hollow fiber membranes can be highly practical and cost effective alternatives to conventional chemical and physical separation processes.
Hollow fiber membranes offer the unique benefits of high membrane packing densities, sanitary designs and, due to their structural integrity and construction, can withstand permeate back pressure thus allowing flexibility in system design and operation.
The hollow fiber geometry allows a high membrane surface area to be contained in a compact module. This means large volumes can be filtered, while utilizing minimal space, with low power consumption. Hollow fiber membranes can be designed for circulation, dead-end, and single-pass operations.
KMS hollow fiber microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes have become the filtration method of choice for a wide variety of applications. Some of the many hollow fiber membrane filtration applications include:
- Potable water treatment
- Juice clarification
- Citrus juice upgrading
- Vinegar clarification
- Wine filtration
- Dairy processing
- Oily wastewater minimization
- Pharmaceutical drug processing
- Fermentation broth clarification
Hollow Fiber Membrane Cartridges
KMS hollow fiber cartridges operate from the inside to the outside during filtration. This means that process fluid (retentate) flows through the center of the hollow fiber and permeate passes through the fiber wall to the outside of the membrane fiber. Crossflow can help limit membrane fouling. Other operating techniques that can be employed with hollow fiber membrane systems include back flushing with permeate and retentate reverse flow. Contact KMS and let them help you design your next hollow fiber membrane system.
Benefits of Hollow Fiber Membranes (inside to outside permeate flow direction)
- Affords controlled flow hydraulics
- Crossflow along the membrane surface limits membrane fouling
- Open process flow channel which results in less fouling
- Physical membrane barrier that provides consistent permeate quality
- Membranes can be backflushed to remove solids from the membrane inside surface, thus extending the time between chemical cleaning cycles
- High membrane packing density resulting in systems with small footprint
- Modular system designs can allow for easy future expansion
KMS can help you evaluate your specific application requirements and determine if hollow fiber membranes are the best choice for your fluid separation needs. KMS can also enable existing hollow fiber membrane users to enhance the performance and extend the life of their membranes by improving system operating, cleaning and maintenance procedures. KMS also offers submerged hollow fiber membrane modules for MBR treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater.
Spiral wound membrane technology
Spiral wound membrane technology was first introduced more than 30 years ago when the first FLUID SYSTEMS® RO element was created. Abcor pioneered the applications of spiral wound ultrafiltration membranes in food and dairy wastewater and E-coat applications.
Today, KMS is still a leader in the field of spiral wound membrane technology with innovative products, world-class customer support and unparalleled knowledge of spiral membrane technology.
KMS spiral membranes span the full spectrum of membrane filtration and separation from microfiltration to reverse osmosis. Offered in a variety of materials, diameters and lengths, KMS spiral wound membranes have quickly become the most prevalent of all the available membrane configurations.
Spiral wound elements are generally the more economical to operate. Spiral systems are:
- Compact – high membrane packing density results in more efficient utilization of floor space
- Energy efficient – lower power consumption compared to other membrane configurations
- Lower capital cost, when extensive feed pretreatment is not required
- Robust – high pressure spiral elements can withstand pressures in excess of 1,000 psi
Some of the many applications that employ KMS spiral wound membranes include:
- Seawater desalination
- Brackish Water Treatment
- Potable Water Treatment
- Industrial and Municipal Wastewater Recovery
- High purity water production
- Dairy processing
- Whey protein concentration
- Electrocoat paint recovery
- Oily wastewater minimization
- Gelatin concentration
- Protein Separation
- Acid, caustic and solvent recovery
- Purification and concentration of antibiotics
The list of spiral wound membrane applications that have been successfully commercialized is growing every day. However, the selection of the proper membrane is only the first step to designing a successful spiral wound membrane system. Careful attention must be paid to the membrane system pretreatment requirements, operating and cleaning procedures, system maintenance and a multitude of other critical factors. KMS spiral wound membrane products have been engineered for peak performance and efficiency when installed in a well designed and properly maintained system. Today KMS has commercialized the worlds largest NF and RO spiral, the MegaMagnum® element. With an 18 inch diameter MegaMagnum® elements can reduce RO/NF system footprint by as much as 50%.
KMS Spiral Family of Membranes includes:
- FLUID SYSTEMS® TFC® Membranes for softening, brackish water, sea water and sanitary net wrap applications
- FLUID SYSTEMS® ROGA® Cellulose acetate membranes for RO and UF applications
- KPAK™ Membranes for electrocoat paint recovery
- SR® SPIRALS Industrial and sanitary nanofiltration membranes
- SPIRAPAK™ Industrial membranes for high volume, low solids wastewater minimization
- SelRO® Solvent and pH resistant nanofiltration membranes
- MegaMagnum® RO Elements – the world’s largest spiral wound elements for brackish water, municipal wastewater recovery and seawater desalination
