Dead end membrane gas separation process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11007484-B2
Application number	US-201816114984-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2018
Priority date	Aug 28, 2017
Publication date	May 18, 2021
Grant date	May 18, 2021

Abstract

A feed fluid mixture including at least one condensable component and at least one non-condensable component is separated into a gaseous permeate and an at least partially liquid retentate with a gas separation membrane through simultaneous condensation of at least one of said at least one condensable component on a retentate side of the membrane and permeation of at least one of said at least one non-condensable component through the membrane.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of separating components of fluid mixtures to yield a product permeate gas and an at least partially liquid product retentate, comprising the steps of:
feeding a fluid mixture feed stream containing at least one condensable gas component and at least one non-condensable gas component to a gas separation module containing at least one gas separation membrane;
withdrawing a permeate gas product stream from said gas separation module enriched in said at least one non-condensable gas component in comparison to the feed fluid mixture stream, thereby leaving a retentate that deficient in said at least one condensable gas component in comparison to the feed, the retentate being either wholly or partially liquid, said permeate gas product stream being at a pressure of at least 3 atm lower than that of said feed fluid mixture, wherein the liquid portion of the retentate comprises said at least one condensable gas component in condensed form; and
from the retentate in the gas separation module, withdrawing a liquid retentate product stream that is enriched in said at least one condensable component in comparison to the feed fluid mixture stream.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a volumetric flow rate of the permeate gas stream to a volumetric flow rate of the feed fluid mixture ranges from 0.7 to 1.0.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one gas separation membrane is a composite membrane including a separation layer that is extruded with, or coated upon, a substrate support layer that is chemically distinct from the separation layer.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the substrate is made of a poly(aryl ether ketone).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one gas separation membrane includes a separation layer made of an amorphous perfluoropolymer.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one gas separation membrane has a separation layer made of a polymer exhibiting a selectivity for the at least one non-condensable gas component over the at least one condensable gas component.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one non-condensable gas comprises a main component having a highest concentration of all of the components of the at least one non-condensable gas, a selectivity of each of the at least one gas separation membrane for the main component of the non-concensable gases over each of the condensable gas(es) is at least about 1.5.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one non-condensable gas comprises a main component having a highest concentration of all of the components of the at least one non-condensable gas, a permeance of the main component of the at least one non-condensable gas in the at least one gas separation membrane is at least 10 GPU, where 1 GPU=10 −6 cm 3 (STP)·cm −2 ·s −1 ·(cm Hg) −1 .

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one condensable gas component comprises C 3+ hydrocarbons and each of the at least one gas separation membrane has a separation layer with a selectivity of least 1.5 for the at least one non-condensable gas over C 3+ hydrocarbons.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one non-condensable gas is selected from one or more of oxygen, nitrogen, methane, ethane, and hydrogen.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one gas separation membrane has a separation layer made of an amorphous perfluoropolymer.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the amorphous perfluoropolymer is selected from one or more of copolymers of 2,2-bistrifluoromethyl-4,5-difluoro-1,3-dioxole and tetrafluoroethylene, copolymers of 2,2,4-trifluoro-5-trifluoromethoxy-1,3-dioxole and tetrafluoroethylene, 2,2,4-trifluoro-5-trifluoromethoxy-1,3-dioxide based polymer, and poly(perfluorobutenyl vinyl ether).

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one gas separation membrane is a composite hollow fiber membrane having a substrate made of poly(ether ether ketone) and a separation layer made of a copolymer of 2,2-bistrifluoromethyl-4,5-difluoro-1,3-dioxole and tetrafluoroethylene.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid mixture feed stream is either wholly gaseous or a biphasic mixture of gas and liquid.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one condensable gas component comprises C 3+ hydrocarbons and the at least one non-condensable gas component comprises methane, ethane and carbon dioxide.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid mixture feed stream is biphasic gas/liquid at a pressure of above 6 atm.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one condensible gas component is selected from one or more of propane, butane, pentane, a C 6+ hydrocarbon acetone, methanol, and hexane.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one non-condensable gas component is selected from one or more of methane, ethane, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the retentate is biphasic gas/liquid, the gas phase of the retentate is recycled to an inlet of the gas separation membrane module with or without intermediate heating, cooling, pressurization, or combination with the fluid feed mixture stream, and the liquid retentate product stream is withdrawn from a liquid retentate port of the gas separation module.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the retentate is biphasic gas/liquid and at least 50 mol % of the at least one condensable gas component is recovered in the liquid retentate product stream.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least 50 mol % of the at least one condensable gas component in the fluid mixture feed stream is recovered in the liquid retentate product stream.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a volumetric flow rate of the permeate gas product stream to a volumetric flow rate of the feed fluid mixture stream is ranges from 0.5 to 1.0, more typically from 0.7 to 1.0.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein a pressure of the feed fluid mixture stream is higher than 50 psig (3.45 barg).

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein a pressure of the feed fluid mixture stream is in a range of 50-1500 psig (3.45-103 barg).

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein a pressure of the permeate gas product stream is 0 psig to 50 psig.

26. The method of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a pressure of the fluid mixture feed stream to a pressure of the permeate gas product stream is above 2.

27. The method of claim 1 , wherein a pressure of the permeate gas product stream is at least 3 atm lower than that of the feed fluid mixture stream.

28. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid feed mixture is stream is a stream of unstabilized natural gas liquids comprising a mixture of C 1-2 hydrocarbons and C 3+ hydrocarbons.

29. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid feed mixture stream is a stream of associated gas.

30. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid feed mixture stream is a stream of a mixture of hydrogen and hydrocarbons, optionally from a hydrogenation plant, optionally the hydrocarbons being a mixture of C 1-2 hydrocarbons and C 3+ hydrocarbons.

31. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid mixture feed stream is a stream comprising volatile organic compound-containing industrial waste gas, the volatile organic compound optionally being selected from one or more of benzen

Assignees

• Air Liquide Advanced Tech Us Llc

Inventors

• Ding Yong
• Bikson Benjamin

Classifications

• B01D61/36 Primary

  Pervaporation; Membrane distillation; Liquid permeation · CPC title

• B01D71/52

  Polyethers · CPC title

• B01D71/38

  Polyalkenylalcohols; Polyalkenylesters; Polyalkenylethers; Polyalkenylaldehydes; Polyalkenylketones; Polyalkenylacetals; Polyalkenylketals · CPC title

• B01D71/48

  Polyesters · CPC title

• B01D2311/25

  Recirculation, recycling or bypass, e.g. recirculation of concentrate into the feed · CPC title