Details to Hollow-Fibre-Filter module’s
Hollow-Fiber-Filter (HFF) membrane module - is a device that can serve to transfer selected gases, liquids, particles between two fluids. Often a HFF device is designed with an outer rigid wall tube equipped with tube housing end covers. Inside the HFF a bundle of thin wall circular straws, lumen fabricated from porous polymeric material such as polyethersulfone. This bundle of straws is sealed, cast into end covers separating the straw inside surface from the straw outside surface. The HFF has technically a first broth inlet, a second retentate outlet and one or more third permeate outlet(s).
HFF modules are typically based on a stack of straws, lumen with inner diameters (ID) of 0.5 or 1 mm. Lately also available in 2 and even 3 mm diameter for biotech purposes.
SEM photo of a 0.4 mm straw wall section Polyethersulfone (PES). Illustration of Hollow-Fiber-Filter (HFF) principle with 3 bundled straws - red particles = CHO cells, blue particles = proteins passing the cylindrical membrane wall, barrier. SEM photo of MPES membrane from old SpectrumLabs.