Pervaporation at Pilot-Relevant Scale: A Multi-Cell Test Skid with Integrated DAQ for Purity ReSource Inc., Arizona

Pervaporation is a demanding membrane process. A hot liquid feed flows on one side of the membrane and a cold, vacuum-drawn permeate leaves on the other. The data are only as good as the control of temperature, vacuum and sealing. When Purity ReSource Inc., a water technology company in Tempe, Arizona, needed to test membranes at a large active area of about 625 to 1,000 cm², they asked Tech Inc. to build the complete platform.

The Brief: Large-Area Pervaporation, Built for the US Grid

The customer wanted a turnkey system rather than a set of parts. Tech Inc. configured a Multi Test Cell Pervaporation Test Skid with Integrated Data Acquisition (DAQ). It came with a dedicated pervaporation test cell, a feed heater unit and a permeate chiller unit.

Every unit was built for the US 110 V, 60 Hz supply. Running a 50 Hz design through a converter makes motors and pumps hard to operate correctly in the USA, so our engineers recommended building natively for 60 Hz from the start. The customer accepted.

After a detailed technical meeting, Tech Inc. issued the General Arrangement (GA) drawing and Piping & Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) for approval in about ten days.

Engineering the Test Cell: Sealing a Large Membrane Reliably

Large flat membranes are hard to seal. The bigger the area, the more any unevenness in clamping shows up as a leak or a bypass. Tech Inc. reworked the cell design for this project:

• A hybrid square-and-circular O-ring profile. It combines the stable seating of a square section with the compliance of a round one. We developed a dedicated die for it over roughly two months.

• A fixed lower half in horizontal orientation, with handles on the upper half. This makes it easier to change membranes repeatably without disturbing the seal geometry.

• Pressure-integrity verification. The cell was held at 2.5 bar air for 20 minutes with no pressure drop and no bubbles, and separately at 8 bar for more than 15 minutes.

Factory Testing with a Real Feed

Before shipment, the complete skid was tested at our facility under realistic conditions:

• Feed: salt water at about 8,000 ppm TDS, heated to 60 °C

• Permeate side: chilled to about 5 °C under vacuum

• Results: permeate below 50 ppm TDS and flux above 6 L/m²/h, with no leaks

During testing, our team also added more thermal insulation on all touch-accessible hot surfaces. This was an operator-safety improvement beyond the original drawing.

Documentation and Delivery

The system was crated for sea freight and shipped in early 2026. It came with a full documentation set:

• Factory test report

• Operation manual

• Mechanical and electrical drawings

• Packing list

• Recommended spares

Remote Commissioning Across Time Zones

Tech Inc. supported start-up in Arizona remotely through video sessions, working through each subsystem with the customer's team:

• Recirculation and valve line-up

• Weighing-balance set-up for flux measurement

• Heater and chiller interlocks

• Electrical protection settings

Where on-site findings called for it, our engineers sent replacement components and upgraded electrical protection, along with the full electrical circuit drawings so the customer could troubleshoot independently.

Why It Matters

Large-area pervaporation data bridges the gap between coupon-scale screening and pilot operation. A platform that holds stable feed temperature, permeate vacuum and a reliable seal over a large membrane gives developers numbers they can scale up with confidence.

What We Delivered

• Multi-cell pervaporation test skid with integrated DAQ: feed, permeate and data logging on a single skid

• Large-area pervaporation test cell: hybrid O-ring sealing, pressure-verified

• Feed heater and permeate chiller units: native 110 V / 60 Hz

• Factory acceptance: a real saline feed at 8,000 ppm TDS and 60 °C

• Complete documentation and remote commissioning support

Developing a Membrane Process?

Tech Inc. designs and manufactures pervaporation, RO, NF, UF and gas-separation test equipment, test cells and membrane-making machines for universities, start-ups and industry worldwide.

Visit techincresearch.com or write to mail@techincresearch.com to discuss your test platform.