Membrane Separation

Part 2
 Recall
Introduction
Classification of Membrane
Membrane Material
Classification of Membrane Processes

Gas diffusion in porous solid

Liquid permeation or dialysis
Gas permeation in a membrane
Pervaporation

Types of Equipment (Membrane modules)

Reverse osmosis(RO)
Nano filtration membrane process(NF)
Ultra filtration membrane process(UF)
Micro filtration membrane process(MF)
 Gas permeation in a membrane
Types of flow in gas permeation:
Assumptions: Isothermal conditions; negligible pressure
drop in the feed stream and permeate stream,
permeability (PM) of each gas component is constant
 Gas permeation in a Membrane:
Complete-mixing model for gas separation by membranes
 Gas permeation in a Membrane:
Complete-mixing model for gas separation by membranes
 Gas permeation in a Membrane:
Complete-mixing model for gas separation by membranes
 Gas permeation in a Membrane:
Complete-mixing model for gas separation by membranes
 Gas permeation in a Membrane:
Complete-mixing model for gas separation by membranes
 Gas permeation in a Membrane:
Complete-mixing model for gas separation by membranes

Example:
A membrane is to be used to separate a gaseous mixture
of A and B whose feed flow rate is Lf=1*104 cm3/s and
feed composition of A is xf=0.5 (mole fraction). The
desired composition of the reject is XD = 0.25. The
membrane thickness is 2.54*10-3 cm, the pressure in the
feed side is ph= 80 cm Hg, and on the permeate side it is
pl=20 cm Hg. The permeabilities are PA =50*10-
10cm3.cm/s.cm2.cmHg (Barrer) and P = 5*10-10.
B
Assuming the complete mixing model, calculate the
permeate composition, yp, the fraction permeate, theta
and the membrane area Am
 Gas permeation in a Membrane:
Complete-mixing model for gas separation by membranes
 Gas permeation in a Membrane:
Complete-mixing model for gas separation by membranes

Example:
Effect of feed composition on minimum reject
concentration
Calculate the minimum reject concentration for
previous example where the feed concentration is
Xf= 0.5. Also, what us the effect of raising the feed
purity to Xf-0.65
 Gas permeation in a Membrane:
Complete-mixing model for multicomponent mixtures
 Gas permeation in a Membrane:
Complete-mixing model for multicomponent mixtures
Iteration Solution procedure for multicomponent mixture
 Gas permeation in a Membrane:
Complete-mixing model for multicomponent mixtures

Example: Design of membrane unit for multicomponent

mixture (Just for Knowledge)
 Pervaporation
Pervaporation: Is a the separation of liquid mixtures by partial vaporization through a non-porous
selectively permeable membrane. A phase change occurs when the permeate changes from liquid to
vapor during its transport through the membrane. A gradient in the chemical potential of the substance
on the feed side and the permeate side is the driving force for the process. (Separation mainly due to
polarity difference not on volatility difference
Liquid mixture is in direct contact with one side of membrane and where the permeate stream is
removed in vapor state from the other side of the membrane. Because of the presence of the
membrane, the liquid vapor equilibrium is perturbed

Application: Separation of azeotropic mixtures (close boiling point component), heat sensitive products
 Types of Equipment (membrane
modules)
Flat membrane/Plate and frame membrane
Spiral wound membrane
Tubular membrane, based on polymers
Tubular membrane, based on ceramics
Hollow-fiber membrane
 Plate and Frame Modules
Mainly used in experiments to characterize the permeability of the
membrane (PM)

Advantages:
1. Low hold up volume
2. Permeate from individual membrane element
3. Easy to fabricate and use, membrane replacement easy
4. Area of the membrane are well defined

Disadvantages:
1. Difficult to clean
2. Susceptible to plugging
3. High cost
 Plate and Frame Modules
In some cases modules are stacked together
like a multilayers sandwich or plate and frame
filter press
 Spiral Wound Membrane
Retain the simplicity of the flat membranes while increasing markedly the
membrane area per unit separator volume up to328 m2/m3 and decreasing
pressure drops.

Advantages:
1. Compact
2. Minimum energy consumption
3. Low capacity/operating cost

Disadvantages:
1. Not suitable for very viscous fluid
2. Dead spaces
3. Difficult to clean
4. Faulty membrane-Change whole module
 Spiral Wound Membrane
The assembly consists of a sandwich of 4 sheets wrapped
around a central core of a perforated collecting tube.
The whole spiral-wound element is located inside a metal
shell.
 Spiral Wound
Used in plate-and-frame modules can be circular, square, or rectangle in
cross-section. The sheets are separated by support plates that channel
the permeate. Flat sheets can also be fabricated into spiral-wound
modules. The simplest design is the single-leaf spiral wound module.
 Hollow fiber membranes
An alternative to the flat sheet membranes is the hollow-fibre membranes.
The diameter of hollow fibers varies over a wide range from 50 to 3,000
micrometer.
 Hollow fiber membranes
The membranes are in the
shape of very-small diameter
hollow fibers. The inside
diameter of the fibers is in the
range of 100-500m and the
outside 200-1000 m, with
the length up to 3-5m.

Thousands of fine tubes are

bound together at each end
into a tube sheet that is
surrounded by a metal shell
having a diameter of 0.10.2
m, so that the membrane
area per unit volume is up to
10000 m2/m3
 Hollow fiber membranes
Advantages:
1.Low hold up volume
2.Back flushing possible
3.Low energy consumption

Disadvantages:
1.Not suitable for viscous fluids
2.Single fiber damage-replace entire module
 Tubular Membrane
These modules are now generally limited to ultrafiltration
applications, for which the benefit of resistance to membrane fouling
outweighs the high cost.
Tubular membranes contains as many as 5 to 7 smaller tubes, each
0.5 to 1.0 cm in diameter, nested inside a single larger tube. In a
typical tubular membrane system, a large number of tubes are
manifolded in series.
The permeate is removed from each tube and sent to a permeate
collection header.

Advantages:
1. Easy to clean

Disadvantages:
1.High energy consumption
2.High hold up volume
Module Cost Estimation
Some Membrane module Applications
 Flow patterns in Membrane modules

High pressure drop

occurs between the feed
and the permeate
streams across the
membrane but not with
the retentate stream.