Gas permeation separation

BHAVE SIRKAR Gas Permeation Separation with Aqueous Membranes 145... 

LEB Leblanc, N., LeCerf, D., Chappey, C., Langevin, D., Metayer, M., and Muller, G., Influence of solvent and non-solvent on polyimide asymmetric membranes formation in relation to gas permeation, Separation Purification Technol, 22-23, 277, 2001. 

Gas separation using ethylceUulose hoUow fiber has also recendy become important. A/G Technology is leading this effort. Fluoroaceylated ethylceUulose is reported to have good gas permeation and blood compatibUity (26). 

The second step, permeation of components / andy through the membrane, is related directiy to conventional gas permeation. The separation achieved in this step, can be defined as the ratio of components in the permeate vapor to the ratio of components in the feed vapor (eq. 14). 

Selective gas permeation has been known for generations, and the early use of p adium silver-alloy membranes achieved sporadic industrial use. Gas separation on a massive scale was used to separate from using porous (Knudsen flow) membranes. An upgrade of the membranes at Oak Ridge cost 1.5 billion. Polymeric membranes became economically viable about 1980, introducing the modern era of gas-separation membranes. Hg recoveiy was the first major apphcation, followed quickly by acid gas separation (CO9/CH4) and the production of No from air. 

Plasticization and Other Time Effects Most data from the literature, including those presented above are taken from experiments where one gas at a time is tested, with Ot calculated as a ratio of the two permeabihties. If either gas permeates because of a high-sorption coefficient rather than a high diffusivity, there may be an increase in the permeabihty of all gases in contact with the membrane. Thus, the Ot actually found in a real separation may be much lower than that calculated by the simple ratio of permeabilities. The data in the hterature do not rehably include the plasticization effect. If present, it results in the sometimes slow relaxation of polymer structure giving a rise in permeabihty and a dramatic dechne in selectivity. 

Gas separations by distillation are energy-consuming processes. The driving force for the gas permeation is only the pressure difference between two compartments separated by the membrane. The permeation is governed by two parameters—diffusion and solubility ... 

An internally-staged, gas-permeation module is used for the oxygen enrichment of air, using the flow arrangement shown in Fig. 5.206. Enrichment depends on differing membrane permeabilities for the oxygen and nitrogen to be separated. The permeation rates are proportional to the differences in component partial pressures. 

Chemical modifications of PPO by electrophilic substitution of the aromatic backbone provided a variety of new structures with improved gas permeation characteristics. It was found that the substitution degree, main chain rigidity, the bulkiness and flexibility of the side chains and the polarity of the side chains are major parameters controlling the gas permeation properties of the polymer membrane. The broad range of solvents available for the modified structures enhances the possibility of facile preparation of PPO based membrane systems for use in gas separations. 

Encouraged by the X-ray and contact angle results, we performed some preliminary gas-permeation measurements. Here, a self-supporting film is required and only the longer block copolymers were used. Fluoro-PSB-II and Fluoro-triblock were coated on porous Celgard 2400 membranes the measurements were taken at room temperature at a driving pressure of 5 bars. Since no absolute polymer layer thickness has been determined, only relative values of the permeability are given (Table 10.6). In the case of the separation of C02 from... 

The main emphasis in this chapter is on the use of membranes for separations in liquid systems. As discussed by Koros and Chern(30) and Kesting and Fritzsche(31), gas mixtures may also be separated by membranes and both porous and non-porous membranes may be used. In the former case, Knudsen flow can result in separation, though the effect is relatively small. Much better separation is achieved with non-porous polymer membranes where the transport mechanism is based on sorption and diffusion. As for reverse osmosis and pervaporation, the transport equations for gas permeation through dense polymer membranes are based on Fick s Law, material transport being a function of the partial pressure difference across the membrane. 

Figure 19.6. Gas permeation equipment and performance, (a) Cutaway of a Monsanto Prism hollow fiber module for gas separation by permeation, (b) Flowsketch of a continuous column membrane gas separator, (c) Composition profiles of a mixture of C02 and Oz in a column 5 m long operated at total reflux [Thorman and Hwang in ( Turbak, Ed.), Synthetic Membranes II, American Chemical Society, Washington DC, 1981, pp. 259-279],...

To verify the membrane integrity prior to attempting separations, pure gas permeation rates for nitrogen and helium were determined and compared to the vendor s data supplied with the membrane. Figure 4 and Table V verify the vendor s data reasonably well for the only membrane which survived shipment and startup. The agreement of the nitrogen values is particularly indicative of the membrane s integrity. 

The separation efficiency for a given membrane with a particular binary gas mixture will be dependent mainly upon three factors gas composition, the pressure ratio between feed and permeate gas, and the sepration factor for the two components. A higher separation factor gives a more selective membrane, resulting in a greater separation efficiency. This parameter is a function of the membrane material and is determined by the individual gas permeation rates. 

In the discussion of concentration polarization to this point, the assumption is made that the volume flux through the membrane is large, so the concentration on the permeate side of the membrane is determined by the ratio of the component fluxes. This assumption is almost always true for liquid separation processes, such as ultrafiltration or reverse osmosis, but must be modified in a few gas separation and pervaporation processes. In these processes, a lateral flow of gas is sometimes used to change the composition of the gas on the permeate side of the membrane. Figure 4.14 illustrates a laboratory gas permeation experiment using this effect. As the pressurized feed gas mixture is passed over the membrane surface, certain components permeate the membrane. On the permeate side of the membrane, a lateral flow of helium or other inert gas sweeps the permeate from the membrane surface. In the absence of the sweep gas, the composition of the gas mixture on the permeate side of the membrane is determined by the flow of components from the feed. If a large flow of sweep gas is used, the partial... 

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