Transport and Permeation Properties of a Ternary Gas Mixture in a Medium-Size Polysulfone Hollow Fiber Permeator

Abstract

Permeation properties were analyzed for a mixture of CO₂, O₂, and N₂ in a medium-size polysulfone hollow fiber permeator with a net permeation area of 4.22 m². Measurements were conducted as a function of feed composition, reject flow rate, and feed pressure. Results included variations in species permeability, separation factor, permeate enrichment, reject depletion, and stage cut as a function of system parameters. Variations in permeation properties show strong dependence on feed composition, reject flow rate, and feed pressure. Permeability of carbon dioxide was higher at larger feed pressures and higher carbon dioxide content in the feed stream. Effect of increasing the reject flow rates on the permeability of carbon dioxide was affected by the system pressure and the carbon dioxide content in the feed stream. At low pressures, increase of the reject flow rate resulted in a decrease of carbon dioxide permeability. The opposite behavior was obtained at higher feed pressures. Increase of the reject flow rate reduced the gas residence time within the permeator. Increase of reject flow rate reduced species residence within the permeator and in turn increased resistance to species transport within the permeator. However, higher system pressures and carbon dioxide content in the feed stream resulted in larger levels of membrane plasticization, which increased the permeation rates of all species. The combined efféct of reducing the species residence time within the permeator and the level of membrane plasticization favored the permeation of carbon dioxide versus the other two species. Variations in other permeation properties, which include oxygen and nitrogen permeabilities, stage cut, permeate enrichment in carbon dioxide, and reject depletion in carbon dioxide, were also explained in terms of resistances encountered within the permeator and the membrane.