Woven geometric textile material with ultra low solid fraction, apparatus and method of making

1 . A woven geometric textile material comprising:

first and second sides, a width between the first and second sides and a length parallel to the first and second sides;

a plurality of weft strands woven with a plurality of warp strands, the plurality of weft strands extending between the first and second sides, and the plurality of warp strands extending along the length of the material;

the plurality of weft and warp strands comprising thermoplastic strands;

the plurality of warp strands including a set of body warp strands;

a body portion disposed between the first and second sides, the body portion comprising a body weave including the body warp strands woven with the plurality of weft strands;

the body weave comprising a plurality of repeating weave patterns in a grid of patterns having a plurality of rows of the repeating weave patterns across the width of the material and a plurality of columns of the repeating patterns along the length of the material;

each weave pattern of the plurality of repeating weave patterns including at least 44 body warp strands and at least 44 weft strands; and

the body portion having a solid fraction of less than 3 percent.

2 . The woven geometric material of claim 1 , wherein the body portion has a solid fraction of less than 2.7 percent.

3 . The woven geometric material of claim 1 , wherein the body portion has a solid fraction of less than 2.6 percent.

4 . The woven geometric material of claim 1 , wherein the body portion has a solid fraction of less than 2.5 percent.

5 . The woven geometric material of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of weft and warp strands consist of polypropylene.

6 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 1 , further comprising:

each of the plurality of repeating weave patterns shares a body warp strand with a first adjoining repeating weave pattern and shares a weft strand with a second adjoining repeating weave pattern.

7 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 6 , further comprising:

the plurality of repeating weave patterns have an identical weave pattern.

8 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 1 , further comprising:

first and second selvedges, and the body portion being disposed between the first and second selvedges;

each selvedge having an inner selvedge cord and an outer selvedge cord, and the inner and outer selvedge cords extending along the length of the material;

the plurality of warp strands including a first set of selvedge warp strands disposed between the inner and outer selvedge cords of the first selvedge, and including a second set of selvedge warp strands disposed between the inner and outer selvedge cords of the second selvedge;

each selvedge having a selvedge weave comprising the plurality of weft strands woven with the associated inner and outer selvedge cords and the associated first and second sets of selvedge warp strands;

the outer selvedge cord of each selvedge being disposed along a lateral edge of the material and the inner selvedge cord of each selvedge being disposed inwardly from the associated outer selvedge cord;

the inner selvedge cord of each selvedge having a diameter equal to or more than 1.5 times greater than the plurality of body warp strands; and

a spacing between adjacent selvedge warp strands of the first and second sets of selvedge warp strands being greater than a spacing between the plurality of body warp strands.

9 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 8 , further comprising:

the selvedge weave of each selvedge comprising a plain weave and having a first thickness;

the body portion having a second thickness substantially greater than the first thickness of the selvedge weave; and

a diameter of the inner selvedge cord of each selvedge being between the first thickness and the second thickness.

10 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 8 , further comprising:

a distance between the inner selvedge cord of each selvedge and a closest body warp strand being substantially greater than a spacing between the plurality of body warp strands, wherein a gap is formed between the inner selvedge cord of each selvedge and the body weave.

11 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 8 , further comprising:

the inner selvedge cord having a rough exterior surface relative to the weft strands.

12 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 8 , further comprising:

the inner and outer selvedge cords being a color contrasting with the warp strands and weft strands.

13 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 1 , further comprising:

the body being a geometric mesh structure;

the geometric mesh structure comprising a woven material of a waffle-weave construction comprising repeating groups of first and second sets of strands;

the first set of strands comprising generally parallel strands which extend in substantially straight fashion in one predetermined direction;

each repeating group of strands of the first set being arranged in a generally saw-tooth cross sectional configuration whereby a thickness of the woven material is substantially equal to a height of the saw-tooth cross sectional configuration;

each repeating group of strands of the second set being arranged in a generally saw-tooth cross sectional configuration intersecting at right angles with the strands of the first set.

14 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 1 , further comprising:

the body portion comprising a geometric mesh structure;

the geometric mesh structure comprising a woven material having a first set of generally parallel strands extending in substantially straight fashion in one predetermined direction and a second set of strands extending at right angles to the predetermined direction;

the strands of said first set being arranged in a repeating two-dimensional cross sectional geometric pattern in which strands at the extremes of the pattern define a fabric thickness which is a multiple of at least about 44 of a diameter of a strand;

the strands of the second set also being arranged in a repeating two-dimensional cross sectional geometric pattern intersecting with the strands of the first set;

the strands of the second set, at the extremes of the geometric pattern thereof, additionally defining a material thickness which is a multiple of at least about 44 of a diameter of a strand;

the strands of the second set extending in substantially straight manner in regions between contact with strands of the first set; and

the intersecting strands of the first and second sets forming a substantially non-nestable construction.

15 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 1 , further comprising:

the body portion comprising a geometric mesh structure comprising a first set of strands of material and a second set of strands of material;

each strand of the first set being substantially straight and parallel to every other strand in the first set;

each strand of the first set being spaced from every other strand in the first set both vertically and horizontally;

the second set of strands of material being interleaved with the first set, each of the strands of the second set being substantially parallel to every other strand in the second set;

the strands of the first set being perpendicular to the strands of the second set;

the lengths of each strand of the second set extending in interleaved fashion through the strands of the first set in a geometric orientation to fit vertical and horizontal offset spacing of each strand in the first set;

each of the strands of the second set including a plurality of substantially straight-line portions connected at angles to provide the geometric orientation; and

the geometric orientation of the second set and the offset spacing of the first set giving the geometric mesh structure a thickness in cross section substantially greater than a diameter of the strands of the first and second sets of strands.

16 . A separation media for use in a separation device, the separation media comprising:

a woven geometric textile material according to claim 1 .

17 . A separation device, comprising:

a vessel; and

the separation media of claim 16 disposed within the vessel.

18 . A woven geometric textile material comprising:

first and second sides, a width between the first and second sides and a length parallel to the first and second sides;

a plurality of weft strands woven with a plurality of warp strands, the plurality of weft strands extending between the first and second sides, and the plurality of warp strands extending along the length of the material;

the plurality of weft and warp strands comprising thermoplastic strands;

the plurality of warp strands including a set of body warp strands;

a body portion disposed between the first and second sides, the body portion comprising a body weave including the body warp strands woven with the plurality of weft strands;

the body weave comprising a plurality of repeating weave patterns in a grid of patterns having a plurality of rows of the repeating weave patterns across the width of the material and a plurality of columns of the repeating patterns along the length of the material;

each weave pattern of the plurality of repeating weave patterns including at least 44 body warp strands and at least 44 weft strands; and

the woven geometric textile material having a flooding velocity at or above a flooding velocity profile defined by Formula 1 where a void fraction (ε) associated with the flooding velocity profile is at or greater than 0.97, at least in a liquid load (L) range of a gas stream of 0.001 to 0.03 m 3 /m 2 -s;

where Formula 1 is:

V

f

=

0.144

ε

2.3

⁢

d

f

-

0.071

(

1

+

3.1

L

0.5

)

-

1

⁢

ρ

L

-

ρ

V

ρ

V

wherein:

V f is the flooding velocity of the woven geometric textile material;

ε is the void fraction of the woven geometric textile material;

d f is a diameter of the warp and weft strands comprising the woven geometric textile material;

L is the liquid loading of the gas stream;

ρL is a density of a liquid phase of the gas stream; and

ρV is a density of a gas phase of the gas stream.

19 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 18 , further comprising:

the woven geometric textile material having a fiber diameter of 0.00095 meters; and

the woven geometric textile material having a flooding velocity at or above a flooding velocity profile defined by Formula 1, where the void fraction (ε) associated with the flooding velocity profile is at or greater than 0.97, at least in a liquid load (L) range of 0.001 to 0.03 m 3 /m 2 -s and where the gas stream is an air-water mixture at ambient temperature and pressure such that the density of the gas and liquid phases are about 1.204 kg/m 3 and 1000 kg/m 3 , respectively.

20 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 18 , further comprising:

the void fraction (ε) associated with the flooding velocity profile is at or greater than 0.973.

21 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 18 , further comprising:

the void fraction (ε) associated with the flooding velocity profile is at or greater than 0.974.

22 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 18 , further comprising:

the void fraction (ε) associated with the flooding velocity profile is at or greater than 0.975.

23 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 18 , further comprising:

the body being a geometric mesh structure;

the geometric mesh structure comprising a woven material of a waffle-weave construction comprising repeating groups of first and second sets of strands;

the first set of strands comprising generally parallel strands which extend in substantially straight fashion in one predetermined direction;

each repeating group of strands of the first set being arranged in a generally saw-tooth cross sectional configuration whereby a thickness of the woven material is substantially equal to a height of the saw-tooth cross sectional configuration;

each repeating group of strands of the second set being arranged in a generally saw-tooth cross sectional configuration intersecting at right angles with the strands of the first set.

24 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 18 , further comprising:

the body portion comprising a geometric mesh structure;

the geometric mesh structure comprising a woven material having a first set of generally parallel strands extending in substantially straight fashion in one predetermined direction and a second set of strands extending at right angles to the predetermined direction;

the strands of said first set being arranged in a repeating two-dimensional cross sectional geometric pattern in which strands at the extremes of the pattern define a fabric thickness which is a multiple of at least about 44 of a diameter of a strand;

the strands of the second set also being arranged in a repeating two-dimensional cross sectional geometric pattern intersecting with the strands of the first set;

the strands of the second set, at the extremes of the geometric pattern thereof, additionally defining a material thickness which is a multiple of at least about 44 of a diameter of a strand;

the strands of the second set extending in substantially straight manner in regions between contact with strands of the first set; and

the intersecting strands of the first and second sets forming a substantially non-nestable construction.

25 . The woven geometric textile material of claim 18 , further comprising:

the body portion comprising a geometric mesh structure comprising a first set of strands of material and a second set of strands of material;

each strand of the first set being substantially straight and parallel to every other strand in the first set;

each strand of the first set being spaced from every other strand in the first set both vertically and horizontally;

the second set of strands of material being interleaved with the first set, each of the strands of the second set being substantially parallel to every other strand in the second set;

the strands of the first set being perpendicular to the strands of the second set;

the lengths of each strand of the second set extending in interleaved fashion through the strands of the first set in a geometric orientation to fit vertical and horizontal offset spacing of each strand in the first set;

each of the strands of the second set including a plurality of substantially straight-line portions connected at angles to provide the geometric orientation; and

the geometric orientation of the second set and the offset spacing of the first set giving the geometric mesh structure a thickness in cross section substantially greater than a diameter of the strands of the first and second sets of strands.