Spacer production scale-up via proprietary 3D-additive manufacturing for industrial desalination

用于海水淡化和其他应用的水过滤支持供应链和制造过程中的净零和资源效率。全球膜过滤市场规模约为250亿美元(2019年验证市场研究)，但一个关键问题是过滤是能源密集型的，特别是在出现流压下降或生物污染的情况下。例如，海水淡化每处理一立方米的水大约需要3千瓦时。工厂运营商要求降低到1.5千瓦时/立方米，这将降低成本和碳足迹。解决这些性能问题的行业解决方案包括设计膜间隔以减少导致压力下降的流体阻力。然而，目前的间隔物技术包括第一代塑料结构，这些结构不是特定于应用或膜的。它们的简单化设计加速了需要化学处理的生物污垢。这将膜和间隔器的使用寿命从目标的10年减少到约3年。Evove是拥有专利过滤产品的领先膜制造商和尖端间隔器技术的设计者。Additive Science(ASL)是添加剂制造(AM)和3D打印领域的独立专家。他们合作开展了一个工业研究项目，旨在解决过滤过程中间隔器性能不佳的行业挑战。该项目将包括彻底开发和重新设计Evove的TRL5间隔器原型，以便能够使用新型3D材料打印机在高通量和高保真度下扩大间隔器的生产。由于目前没有打印机技术，将设计和制造一种定制的打印机。该项目的结果将导致Evove间隔器的完全商业化制造解决方案。该项目将为利物浦带来先进的添加剂制造能力，为当地创造就业机会，并为英国带来出口机会。出于这些原因，这个工业研究项目与LaunchPad第二轮的竞争范围非常一致。

Water filtration for desalination and other applications supports net zero and resource efficiency in supply chains and manufacturing processes. The global membrane filtration market is ~$25bn (Verified Market Research 2019) but a key problem is that filtration is energy intensive, especially if flow pressure drops or biofouling occurs. For instance, desalination consumes ~3 KWh per m3 of water processed. Plant operators demand reductions to 1.5 KWh/m3 which would reduce costs and carbon footprint.Industry solutions to address these performance issues include designing membrane spacers to decrease fluid resistance causing pressure drops. However, current spacer technology comprises first-generation plastic structures that are not application or membrane specific. Their simplistic design accelerates biofouling which requires chemical treatment. This reduces membrane and spacer lifespan to ~3 years vs a targeted 10 years.Evove are leading membrane manufacturers with patented filtration products and designers of a cutting-edge spacer technology. Added Scientific (ASL) are independent experts in Additive Manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing. Together they have partnered to conduct an industrial research project that aims to solve the industry challenge of poor spacer performance during filtration. The project will involve thorough development and re-engineering of Evove's TRL5 spacer prototype to enable scaled-up production at high-throughput and high-fidelity of spacers using novel 3D-material printers. As no current printer technology exists, a bespoke printer will be designed and built.The outcome of this project would result in a fully commercial manufacturing solution for Evove's spacers. This project will bring advanced additive manufacturing capability to Liverpool, create local jobs and deliver export opportunities for the UK. For these reasons, this industrial research project strongly aligns with the launchpad round2 competition scope.