(363b) Advanced Membranes for Gas Separations: From Dense Films to Asymmetric Membranes

Membrane technologies compete with cryogenic distillation, absorption, and pressure swing adsorption for gas and vapor separations. Gas separation membrane systems have been successfully used for several industrial applications such as the production of N₂ from air, natural gas upgrading, and H₂ recovery from refinery streams.

Significant numbers of advanced membrane materials with much better intrinsic gas separation performance than the current commercial membrane materials for gas separations have been reported from both academia and industry over the past 10-15 years. However, successful development of large scale commercially viable defect-free asymmetric integrally skinned or thin film composite membranes has been a challenge.

Honeywell UOP Separex™ spiral wound membrane systems are currently holding the membrane market leadership for natural gas upgrading. Over 170 Separex^TM membrane systems have been installed on-shore and off-shore around the world for the removal of acid gases such as CO₂ and H₂S from natural gas and for H₂ purification applications. This talk will use several examples to discuss the UOP approach for the development of new tough and high performance gas separation membranes from new membrane materials to dense films, from dense films to asymmetric membranes, and from lab scale membrane sheets to large commercial membrane elements and systems. Converting advanced membrane materials into commercial gas separation membranes not only requires high intrinsic gas permeability and high selectivity, but also needs relatively low cost, good processability, high mechanical stability, and high contaminant resistance. Successful development of advanced membranes with high permeance, high selectivity, high plasticization resistance, high contaminant resistance, and long term performance stability is critical to the future success in membrane gas separation technologies.