3M Liqui-Cel General brochure

Summary

Product Identification

3M™ Liqui-Cel™ Membrane Contactors are gas transfer membrane devices designed to remove, add, or control dissolved gases in liquids.

Product Series include:

• EXF Series
• SP Series
• MM Series

Operating Limits

• Fiber Types:
  • Polypropylene: Primarily used for gas transfer to and from water streams.
  • Polyolefin: Used to remove gases from low surface tension liquids (>40 dynes/cm).
• Capable of operation over a wide range of flow rates.
• Designed for high inlet pressure.

Product Water

• Achieves low levels of dissolved gas concentration:
  • <1 ppm CO₂
  • <1 ppb O₂

Mechanical / Hydraulic

• Technology: Utilizes microporous hollow fiber membranes, knitted into an array and wrapped around a center tube inside a contactor housing.
• Operating Principle: Liquid flows around the outside (shellside) of the hollow fiber membrane, while a vacuum or sweep gas is applied to the inside (lumenside) of the fiber. This creates a concentration difference that drives rapid and efficient dissolved gas transfer.
• Key Features:
  • Modular design for flexibility and future capacity increases or tighter specification requirements.
  • High gas exchange surface area, offering nearly 10x the surface area of conventional vacuum towers.
  • Compact design with a smaller footprint and typically less weight than vacuum towers and forced draft deaerators.
  • Low pressure drop, reducing the need for repressurization pumps.
  • Membrane-based technology reduces or eliminates chemical use.
  • Fast equilibrium allows for quick start-up.
  • Available in different contactor sizes and with various material options.
  • Low operating costs.
  • Simple operation reduces instrumentation and maintenance requirements.
• Contactor Configurations:
  • Extra-flow: Liquid flows around the outside (shellside) of the hollow fibers. A baffle in the middle of the contactor directs liquid radially across the membrane array. A strip gas and/or vacuum is applied to the inside (lumenside) of the hollow fibers.
  • Transverse flow: Liquid flows into the liquid inlet, crosses the hollow fibers, and then exits through the opposite port. No baffle is used. A vacuum or strip gas can be applied to either gas port.
  • Parallel flow: The liquid and gas sides of the membrane are reversed: liquid flows through the inside (lumenside) of the hollow fiber while a vacuum or strip gas is applied to the outside (shellside) of the fibers.
  • Radial flow: A plugged center tube on one side forces liquid radially over the hollow fibers. Primarily used for degassing low surface tension fluids.
  • Extra-flow in high pressure vessel: An RO-style vessel generates a much higher maximum pressure. Liquid is directed radially across the membrane array by a baffle.
• Series Specific Design Notes:
  • EXF Series: Includes contactor designs with a center baffle to improve degassing efficiency by maximizing contact with the membrane surface area.
  • SP Series: Includes extra flow, radial, and transverse flow contactor designs, featuring only polyolefin fiber.
  • MM Series: Includes transverse flow and parallel flow designs, and does not use a baffle.

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Disclaimer: This summary is based on the provided text extract and may not include all figures, footnotes, or revisions present in the full OEM PDF datasheet. For contractual data and complete specifications, the official OEM PDF revision used on the project must be consulted.

Official datasheet (PDF)

PDF datasheet