Industrial Flat Ultrafiltration Equipment for Wastewater & Material Separation

Flat ultrafiltration equipment adopts plate-frame flat sheet membrane assembly to complete solid-liquid separation under low pressure, widely used as pretreatment for reverse osmosis water treatment system and matched with chemical CIP cleaning unit to maintain stable long-term operation. This modular UF device intercepts colloids, macromolecular organics and suspended solids, providing reliable separation solutions for industrial wastewater recycling, food clarification and biotech concentration. Compared with hollow fiber ultrafiltration machines, flat ultrafiltration equipment features easy disassembly, single membrane sheet replacement and strong anti-blocking performance, which effectively reduces downtime and comprehensive operation costs for factories.

Product Description

Flat ultrafiltration equipment is a pressure-driven membrane separation system built with stacked flat sheet ultrafiltration membrane cassettes. The core flat membrane sheets are usually made of PVDF, PES and PAN materials with controllable MWCO ranging from 1000 Da to 100,000 Da. Raw fluid flows through the open channels between membrane plates under cross-flow mode. Water molecules and small soluble substances penetrate the membrane layer to form permeate, while suspended particles, bacteria, colloids and macromolecular substances are trapped on the membrane surface to form concentrated retentate.

Different from tubular ultrafiltration equipment, flat ultrafiltration equipment uses open flow channels without narrow gaps, so it can tolerate feed liquid with relatively high solid content. The whole set consists of membrane stack, feed pump, pipeline assembly, PLC control cabinet, pressure sensors and dosing accessories. Clients can select manual or fully automatic operating modes according to production scale. Many manufacturers provide customized frame sizes, membrane areas and material configurations to satisfy laboratory pilot test and large-scale industrial continuous production. As key separation equipment, flat ultrafiltration equipment is commonly connected with subsequent desalination units to realize full-process water recycling and resource recovery.

Working Principle

Flat ultrafiltration equipment operates based on the principle of size exclusion and cross-flow filtration. Driven by transmembrane pressure, feed liquid circulates along the surface of flat membrane sheets at a certain flow velocity. The uniform pore structure of flat membrane allows small molecules and water to pass through the selective separation layer into the permeate side. Large-size pollutants are intercepted and taken away by circulating feed flow, slowing the formation of filter cake layer on membrane surface.

During continuous operation, membrane fouling is inevitable. The system supports online backwashing and periodic chemical cleaning. When flux declines to the preset threshold, operators can start CIP procedures to remove organic contamination, inorganic scaling and microbial slime. The plate-frame assembly structure enables independent disassembly of each membrane sheet. If partial damage occurs, only defective membrane sheets need replacement instead of the entire module, greatly cutting maintenance investment. The system can continuously run under stable pressure and flow parameters, realizing uninterrupted separation and purification for 24-hour industrial production.

Technical Features

• Open channel plate-frame structure avoids particle deposition and blockage inside the membrane module, adapting to feed liquid with high turbidity and high suspended solids.

• Flat membrane sheets can be replaced individually; damaged units do not affect the normal operation of the whole membrane stack.

• Multiple optional membrane materials and MWCO specifications support customized separation requirements for different raw fluid characteristics.

• Equipped with real-time pressure, flow and flux monitoring sensors; automatic alarm for abnormal working conditions.

• Support cross-flow filtration, backwashing and chemical online cleaning to extend membrane service life.

• Modular layout design; users can expand membrane stack quantity step by step according to growing processing capacity demand.

• Main frame optional 304/316 stainless steel, meeting general industrial and sanitary food-grade standards.

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• Product Advantages

• 1. Strong anti-fouling capacity:

• Wide flow channel reduces sediment accumulation, suitable for wastewater, fermentation broth and oily feed liquid difficult to treat by hollow fiber UF.

• 2. Low maintenance cost:

• Single membrane sheet replacement avoids overall module scrapping, saving long-term spare parts investment.

• 3. Stable separation effect:

• Uniform membrane pore distribution guarantees consistent permeate quality under long-term continuous operation.

• 4. Flexible operation mode:

• Switch freely between intermittent batch processing and continuous automatic production.

• 5. Wide chemical tolerance:

• Compatible with acid, alkali and oxidant cleaning agents, convenient for thorough membrane regeneration.

• 6. Simple installation and maintenance:

• The plate-frame structure is easy to disassemble without complex professional tools for daily inspection.

• 7. Scalable capacity:

• Standardized membrane cassettes allow capacity expansion without reconstructing the whole equipment foundation.

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• Application Fields

• 1. Industrial wastewater reuse:

• Pretreatment for electroplating wastewater, printing and dyeing wastewater, chemical wastewater before advanced desalination.

• 2. Food and beverage industry:

• Clarification of fruit juice, plant extract separation, dairy whey protein concentration.

• 3. Biopharmaceutical industry:

• Fermentation broth clarification, enzyme liquid purification, active macromolecule concentration.

• 4. Environmental protection MBR system:

• Submerged flat ultrafiltration equipment for municipal sewage and landfill leachate treatment.

• 5. Laboratory and pilot test:

• Small flat ultrafiltration equipment for process verification before large project investment.

• 6. Resource recovery:

• Concentration and recycling of valuable macromolecular substances in industrial waste liquid.

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• FAQ

Q1: What is the main difference between flat ultrafiltration equipment and hollow fiber ultrafiltration equipment?

A1: Flat ultrafiltration equipment adopts plate-frame flat sheet membrane with open flow channels, which can treat feed liquid with higher solid content. Damaged membranes can be replaced separately. Hollow fiber UF owns higher membrane packing density, suitable for low-turbidity raw water. Hollow fiber membrane wire breakage usually requires whole module replacement.

Q2: What materials are available for flat ultrafiltration membranes?

A2: Common materials include PVDF, PES, PAN and regenerated cellulose. PVDF flat membranes have outstanding chemical resistance for wastewater treatment; PES membranes are widely used in food and pharmaceutical sanitary separation scenarios.

Q3: Can flat ultrafiltration equipment operate continuously for 24 hours?

Yes. Under proper pretreatment and regular cleaning plans, the system supports 24-hour continuous cross-flow operation. Operators need to monitor transmembrane pressure and flux to arrange periodic cleaning in advance.

Q4: How to confirm suitable MWCO specification when purchasing flat ultrafiltration equipment?

A4: MWCO selection depends on target intercepted substances. We recommend customers send raw fluid samples for laboratory filtration tests, or provide component analysis data to engineers for accurate membrane selection proposals.

Q5: Does flat ultrafiltration equipment support customized processing capacity?

A5: Absolutely. Our factory provides full customization on membrane area, frame material, control mode and pipeline configuration. Small pilot machines and large industrial skid-mounted flat ultrafiltration systems are both available.

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