ABSTRACT
A membrane contactor is a mass transfer and separation ‘device’ where immiscible fluid phases, such as a gas and a liquid, contact with each other without a need to be dispersed into each other. The interface between the fluids remains immobilized while fluids are flowing. The membrane in the so-called membrane contactor is usually microporous, with very small pores, and non-selective. The membrane acts as the means to create and maintain the phase interface and allow mass transfer between phases to take place. Membrane contactors are used for various applications in many industries, as presented in other chapters of this handbook. The internal design of the membrane contactor is critical to make it functional and to allow efficient mass transfer. Many creative designs have been proposed and adopted over time. This chapter describes the historical evolution of membrane contactor design and identifies the key milestones in the development of design and manufacturing of the device. Since device design and manufacturing are often the competitive advantages, they are often protected by intellectual properties and trade secrets. Therefore, authors of this chapter have necessarily used only published patents and papers as resources.
