Multi-stage membrane systems with polymeric and microporous zeolitic inorganic membranes for gas separations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11033856-B2
Application number	US-201816009126-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2018
Priority date	Jun 14, 2018
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

A multistage membrane system and a process for treating a gas stream is provided in which the multistage membrane system comprises at least two membrane units wherein a first stage membrane unit comprises a polymeric membrane and a second membrane unit comprises a microporous zeolitic inorganic membrane or a combination of a microporous zeolitic inorganic membrane and a polymeric membrane.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for treating a gas stream comprising:
sending said gas stream through a two-stage membrane system having two membrane units wherein a first membrane unit comprises a polymeric membrane and a second membrane unit comprises a micoporous zeolitic inorganic membrane or a combination of a micoporous zeolitic inorganic membrane and a polymeric membrane, wherein said gas stream first contacts said first membrane unit to separate said gas stream into a first permeate stream and a first residue stream;
sending said first residue stream to a product stream;
compressing the first permeate stream in an interstage compressor to pressurize the first permeate stream to about 100 psig;
sending said compressed first permeate stream to said second membrane unit to be separated into a second permeate stream and a second residue stream; and
compressing the second residue stream in a second stage residue compressor to pressurize said second residue stream.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said second permeate stream is a waste stream.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein said second residue stream is recycled to said gas stream post compression in said second stage residue compressor.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said compressed second residue stream is sent to said product stream.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the polymeric membrane is selected from the group consisting of polysulfones, polyethersulfones, sulfonated polysulfones, sulfonated polyether sulfones, polyetherimides, cellulosic polymers, polyimides, polyamide/imides, polyketones, polyether ketones, poly(arylene oxides), poly(benzobenzimidazole), polyhydrazides, polyoxadiazoles, polybenzoxazoles, polytriazoles, poly(benzimidazole), polycarbodiimides, polyphosphazines, microporous polymers, and mixtures thereof.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein the micoporous zeolitic inorganic membrane comprises a selective layer of a microporous aluminosilicate, a silicate zeolite, a silicoaluminophosphate (SAPO), a metalloaluminophosphate (MeAPO), a metallosilicoaluminophosphate (MeAPSO), a metal-organic framework (MOF), a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF), or a covalent organic framework (COF).

7. The process of claim 1 wherein both the first membrane unit and the second membrane unit comprise the same polymeric membrane or a different polymeric membrane.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein the micoporous zeolitic inorganic membrane comprises a structure selected from the group consisting of AlPO-14, AlPO-18, AlPO-34, SAPO-34, SSZ-13, DD3R, ITQ-12, CDS-1, UZM-25, MOF-5, ZIF-8, ZIF-67, and mixtures thereof.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein said gas stream is natural gas.

10. The process of claim 1 wherein said gas stream is a pair of gases selected from the group consisting of CO 2 /CH 4 , H 2 S/CH 4 , N 2 /CH 4 , H 2 /CH 4 , and He/CH 4 .

11. The process of claim 1 wherein the process is applied in the separation application selected from the group consisting of: (i) H 2 from N 2 , CH 4 , and Ar in ammonia purge gas streams, (ii) H 2 recovery in refineries, (iii) CO 2 removal and olefin recovery from ethylene oxide or ethylene glycol plants, (iv) olefin/paraffin separations, (v) liquid natural gas separations, and (vi) C 2 + hydrocarbon recovery.

12. The process claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:
sensing at least one parameter of the process and generating a signal from the sensing;
sensing at least one parameter of the process and generating data from the sensing;
generating and transmitting a signal; and
generating and transmitting data.

Assignees

• Uop Llc

Inventors

• Liu Chunqing
• Albo Simon E
• Greer David W
• Dong Xueliang
• Davis Mark M

Classifications

• B01D71/5222

  Polyetherketone, polyetheretherketone, or polyaryletherketone · CPC title

• B01D71/643

  Polyether-imides · CPC title

• B01D71/5223

  Polyphenylene oxide, phenyl ether polymers or polyphenylethers · CPC title

• B01D71/0281

  Zeolites · CPC title

• B01D2319/06

  Use of membranes of different materials or properties within one module · CPC title