Gas Separation Membranes Based on Fluorinated and Perfluorinated Polymers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016236141-A1
Application number	US-201615141303-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 28, 2016
Priority date	Feb 19, 2014
Publication date	Aug 18, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A process for separating components of a gas mixture using gas-separation copolymer membranes. These membranes use a selective layer made from copolymers of an amorphous perfluorinated dioxolane and a fluorovinyl monomer. The resulting membranes have superior selectivity performance for gas pairs of interest while maintaining fast gas permeance compared to membranes prepared using conventional perfluoropolymers such as Teflon® AF, Hlyflon® AD, and Cytop®.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A process for separating two components, A and B, of a gas mixture having a ratio (Rf) of A:B, comprising:
(a) passing the gas mixture across a separation membrane having a feed side and a permeate side, the separation membrane having a selective layer comprising a copolymer comprising a perfluorinated dioxolane monomer and a fluorovinyl monomer selected from one of the following formulas: F 2 C═CFR, where R is H, Cl, a C1-C6 perfluoroalkyl, or OX, where X is a C1-C6 perfluoroalkyl or a C1-C12 perfluorooxyalkyl having one or more ether groups, or H 2 C═CR 1 R 2 , where R 1 is F, H, C1-C6 perfluoroalkyl, or OX, or where X is a C1-C6 perfluoroalkyl or a C1-C12 perfluorooxyalkyl having one or more ether groups, and R 2 is F, C1-C6 perfluoroalkyl, or OX, or where X is a C1-C6 perfluoroalkyl or a C1-C12 perfluorooxyalkyl having one or more ether groups, (b) providing a driving force for transmembrane permeation; (c) withdrawing from the permeate side a permeate stream having a ratio (Rp) of A:B, where Rp>Rf; and (d) withdrawing from the feed side a residue stream having a ratio (Rr) of A:B, where Rr<Rf.

2 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the fluorovinyl monomer is selected from the group consisting of trifluoroethylene, chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE), perfluoro methyl vinyl ether (PFMVE), perfluoroethyl vinyl ether (PFEVE), perfluoropropyl vinyl ether (PFPVE), vinyl fluoride (VF), vinylidene fluoride (VDF), and perfluoromethoxy vinyl ether (PFMOVE).

3 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the perfluorinated dioxolane monomer is selected from the group consisting of:

4 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture comprises at least one gas selected from the group consisting of helium, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide.

5 . The process of claim 1 , wherein component A is hydrogen.

6 . The process of claim 1 , wherein component A is carbon dioxide.

7 . The process of claim 1 , wherein component A is nitrogen.

8 . The process of claim 1 , wherein component A is helium,

9 . The process of claim 1 , wherein component B is methane.

10 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture further comprises methane and C 3+ hydrocarbon vapors.

11 . The process of claim 1 , wherein component A is nitrogen and component B is methane.

12 . The process of claim 1 , wherein component A is carbon dioxide and component B is methane.

13 . The process of claim 1 , wherein component A is hydrogen and component B is methane.

14 . The process of claim 1 , wherein component A is helium and component B is methane.

15 .The process of claim 1 , wherein the separation membrane has a selective layer of thickness less than 10 μm.

16 . A process for separating two components, A and B, of a gas mixture having a ratio (Rf) of A:B, comprising:
(a) passing the gas mixture across a separation membrane having a feed side and a permeate side, the separation membrane having a selective layer comprising a copolymer comprising a perfluorinated dioxolane monomer selected from the group comprising

and tetrafluoroethylene (TFE);

(b) providing a driving force for transmembrane permeation;
(c) withdrawing from the permeate side a permeate stream having a ratio (Rp) of A:B, where Rp>Rf; and
(d) withdrawing from the feed side a residue stream having a ratio (Rr) of A:B, where Rr<Rf.

17 . The process of claim 16 , wherein the gas mixture comprises at least one gas selected from the group consisting of helium, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide.

18 . The process of claim 16 , wherein the separation membrane has a selective layer of thickness less than 10 μm.

Assignees

• Membrane Tech And Res Inc
• Univ New York

Inventors

• Merkel Timothy C
• Zhang Hao
• He Zhenjie
• Okamoto Yoshiyuki

Classifications

• B01D71/32

  containing fluorine atoms · CPC title

• B01D71/38

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

• B01D53/228 Primary

  characterised by specific membranes · CPC title

• B01D2257/108

  Hydrogen · CPC title

• C07C7/144

  using membranes, e.g. selective permeation · CPC title