CHARLOTTE, NC, March 17, 2006 -- Membrana announced that a Liqui-Cel® membrane contactor system is being expanded to handle increased demands for ultra pure water at a major semiconductor fab in Singapore. Choosing the product to meet the low oxygen requirements of the expanding fab was an easy decision for the fab because the contactors have been operating very well and producing water within specification of less than 3 parts per billion (ppb) of dissolved oxygen since the first phase was commissioned in 2003's first quarter.
The first phase contactor degassing system is 150 m3/hr (660 gpm) and it operates in combo mode where a small nitrogen sweep and vacuum is used. Phase two will use the same operating conditions to remove dissolved oxygen to less than 1 ppb. One of the benefits of commissioning Liqui-Cel systems for oxygen removal is that they can be fine-tuned to remove oxygen for the specific requirements of the end user. This system was designed to produce an oxygen outlet of 3 ppb three years ago and it is now being easily upgraded to produce water with a tighter outlet specification of 1 ppb of dissolved oxygen.
The expanded contactor system will be installed in two new lines at this plant. The first line in the make-up loop will degas 240 m3/hr (1,057 gpm) of water and the second line in the polishing loop will degas 360 m3/hr (1,585 gpm) of water. The contactors are being fabricated into the final system now and the system expansion is scheduled to begin operation in 2006's second quarter.
Liqui-Cel membrane contactors are used around the world for adding or removing oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrogen (N2) to or from different liquids in the semiconductor, power, pharmaceutical, photographic, food and beverage, ink jet and many other industries. For example, it is known that O2 negatively impacts many processes; it is corrosive and can oxidize materials. In the power and industrial areas, piping and equipment are susceptible to corrosion. Specifically to the semiconductor market, high levels of O2 can cause lower wafer yields. Additionally, CO2 negatively impacts performance of EDI and Ion Exchange. The contactors offer a modular solution for O2/CO2 removal before these processes without chemicals.
They're also used to add gasses to liquids to enhance megasonic cleaning. The beverage industry looks to membrane contactors for carbonation, nitrogenation and O2 removal. These reflect only a few examples of the variety of applications where the membrane contactors are used. New applications and products are constantly being developed.
Additionally, Membrana offers liquid ring vacuum pumps, eductors and oxygen sensors to complement the membrane contactors.
Membrana's Industrial Membrane Group also manufactures a variety of membranes used for filtration in various industries and applications. There are ten strategically located manufacturing facilities in the United States, Europe and Asia and global markets are served through sales offices in North and South America, Europe, Japan, Australia, South East Asia and China. The company (www.liqui-cel.com, www.liqui-flux.com or www.membrana.com) is part of Membrana GmbH, of Wuppertal, Germany.
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