Study of Nonsteady-State Continuous Membrane Column for Gas Separation

Abstract

The permeation and transport processes occurring in a continuous membrane column (CMC) are quite complex, and the system will exhibit inverse response behavior in a certain operating regime. To understand the complex interaction of system variables, this work developed a mathematical model for the CMC and solved the model equations. Dynamic responses of a CMC for the separation of N₂-CO₂, CO₂-O₂, and O₂-N₂ gas mixtures with capillary silicone rubber membranes are presented. The effect of the membrane permeabilities on the CMC dynamics is examined. Responses of system variables to various disturbances, together with the start-up transient of the system, are discussed. The knowledge of the unsteady-state behavior of the CMC will enable us to predict the performance of the CMC and to control the CMC in a dynamic environment.