Background: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the standard treatment for BCLC-B hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A novel glass membrane emulsification device (GMD) produces a high percentage of water/oil emulsions with homogeneous and stable droplets. There are few reports on the efficacy of GMD-conventional-TACE (GMD-c-TACE)；therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of GMD-c-TACE. Methods: Seventy-one patients with HCC with tumor diameter <5 cm who underwent c-TACE with and without GMD were included in this study to investigate local recurrence and hepatic functional reserve. Results: The local recurrence rates of TACE without GMD were 3.0% at 6 months, 16.7% at 12 months, and 35.0% at 18 months, around where it plateaued. Hence, the local recurrence rates in the GMD-c-TACE group were 7.7% at 14 months and 23.1% at 20 months, respectively. Thus, GMD-c-TACE had a significantly lower local recurrence. Multivariate analysis showed that GMD-c-TACE could suppress local recurrence and maintain hepatic reserve. Conclusions: GMD-c-TACE allows dense lipiodol accumulation in the tumor and attainment of good local control. Additionally, the inhibition of the release of anticancer drugs may maintain hepatic reserve. GMD-c-TACE is useful in preventing local recurrence and is expected to become the standard treatment form of c-TACE in the future.