Formed sheet membrane element and filtration system

Abstract

A piece of substrate material is formed under heat and pressure by a roller against a cavity or platen into a shaped substrate sheet having one or more depressions. Two substrate sheets are bonded together to form a substrate wherein the one or more depressions form one or more interior channels. The substrate is coated with a dope in a casting device having a guide portion corresponding to the shape of the substrate sheets and quenched to form a filtering membrane.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A process for forming a permeate sheet, the process comprising the steps of:
 a) heating a substrate material;   b) shaping the substrate material to have a plurality of parallel spaced depressions separated by connectors, the depressions defined by the inner surface of the substrate material and corresponding ridges defined by the outer surface of the substrate material; and   c) bonding the inner surface of the substrate material at its connectors to another substrate material to provide a permeate sheet having one or more internal channels.   
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1  further comprising a step of coating the substrate material with a membrane material before shaping the substrate material. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1  further comprising cooling the substrate material after shaping. 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 3 , wherein the substrate material is heated to a temperature above a heat deflection temperature of the substrate material and cooled to a temperature below a heat deflection temperature of the substrate material. 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate material is a porous non-woven textile. 
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 1 , further comprising a step of coating the permeate sheet by passing the permeate sheet in a generally downward direction though a coating die having a shape generally matching that of the permeate sheet.