Porous tube device for bilateral osmotic processes

Claim 1

An osmotic tube device for use in separating fluids by osmosis comprising a first self-supporting tubular lamination of fiber-reinforced resin having a multiplicity of passages extending through the wall thereof, a semipermeable osmotic membrane on the exterior of said first lamination in intimate engagement therewith, and a second self-supporting tubular lamination of fiber-reinforced resin having a multiplicity of passages through the wall thereof on the exterior of said membrane and in intimate engagement therewith, said first and second laminaTions being of such strength and rigidity to support said membrane under the conditions of bilateral osmosis, said passages providing paths for solvent passing through said membrane, said first and second laminations each comprising at least two contiguous layers of glass-fiber reinforcement, said layers being embedded within and bonded to each other by cured resinous material, said material being discontinuous and having voids therein thereby providing said passages in said layers between glass fibers, one of said layers including a plurality of longitudinally extending substantially straight circumferentially adjacent strands of glass fibers, the other of said layers including strands of glass fibers extending in the form of a first helix in one circumferential direction and a second helix in the opposite circumferential direction, and said other layer surrounding said one layers, said other layer being a braided seamless tube with the strands thereof contiguous.