Success Stories

Pall Corporation

Pall’s AccuSep^TM inorganic filter and membrane product line is competing in the world market and helping to lead the way in opening up new market applications for Pall and other parties, such as your company. This product line makes commercial use of IMTL's technology.

Pall’s facilities in the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) have been leased from DOE. Pall’s 60,000 ft² manufacturing workspace may be expanded as product markets are expanded. Additional facilities in ETTP are available for lease at very competitive rates. See www.ettpreuse.com for more information on leasing opportunities.

The following applications are targets for Pall’s first microfiltration products:

• Blowback filters. Microfiltration metal tubes are offered for both new and retrofit blowback applications. AccuSep^TM blowback technology is more economical because of the lower tube costs and the greater amount of filter area for a given vessel diameter.
  
  
• Crossflow filtration. Low cost, smooth surface, small diameter and uniform pore size distribution of AccuSep^TM tubes are ideal for crossflow applications. The liquid holdup volume within a crossflow system is substantially less than for a backwash system. Crossflow technology is therefore preferred in many applications as a means of reducing costs. Further, the liquid permeability of the AccuSep^TM filter technology is 3X higher than the published data for other porous metal tubes.
  
  
• Backwashable filters. Because of small diameter, 30% more area can be packed into a backwash filter with AccuSep^TM technology versus Pall’s ProSep^TM elements. Resulting backwash systems are more cost effective for new systems and allow increased production capacity.
  
  
• OEM/Specialty uses. Researchers in academia and in industry are evaluating AccuSep^TM technology as the substrate for gas/gas separation membranes or as reactive filters. The researchers (mostly under Pall’s additional CRADAs with IMTL, Sandia, and Los Alamos National Laboratories) apply functional membrane layer(s) to the AccuSep^TM substrate using various methods. Ceramic membranes are the competing technology. AccuSep^TM microfiltration metal tubes are 1/3 to 1/2 the price of the ceramic technology. AccuSep^TM sintered metal products typically overcome the difficulties encountered with sealing and the fragility of ceramic products.