Lip seals play a critical role in maintaining separation efficiency within membrane systems. With the high value of protein components and the energy required for membrane processing, even small losses between streams can have a significant impact on overall performance, yield and cost.
Also referred to as ATD rubber or U-cup seals, lip seals are designed with a high surface area to maintain strong, consistent contact with the permeate tube, even when membranes are slightly out of alignment.
Compared to traditional o-rings, lip seals are more forgiving particularly under real plant conditions and maintain effective sealing during movement, vibration, and system start‑up, reducing the risk of bypass and performance loss.
Selecting the right seal material is critical to maintaining performance and avoiding premature degradation. SMS lip seals are available in VITON and EPDM, with material selection based on your application and cleaning regime.
Lip seals form a dynamic seal between the membrane permeate tube and adjacent components (ATDs or end plugs), ensuring that all permeate flow is directed correctly and preventing feed or concentrate from bypassing the membrane element and into the permeate.
SMS EPDM and VITON lip seals are designed to fit global membrane permeate tube internal diameter dimensions standards. SMS have designed its own combination of ATD and Lip seal to meet these global standards. Depending on what OEM membrane component end users have in their plants there may be some subtle differences when SMS lip seals are applied to non SMS components. Providing shipping is covered, SMS can send samples to you to ensure seal fit meets your needs.
First check that the membrane permeate tube has a seal lead in chaffer (bevel), and apply a small amount of water soluble/food grade lubricant to the seal. Use of the SMS large Viton lip seal (L-L-VITON) will also provide a slightly easier fit which may be a suitable option.
