Membrane separation apparatus and membrane separation method

A membrane separation apparatus, comprising:

• a membrane separator supplied with a fluid X containing a component A and a component B and separating the fluid X into a fluid Y having a higher concentration of the component A than the fluid X and a fluid Z having a lower concentration of the component A than the fluid X by using a separation membrane;
• a second compressor adiabatically compressing the fluid Z exiting from the membrane separator;
• a first heat exchanger to which the fluid Y exiting from the membrane separator is introduced as a heat source;
• and
• a second heat exchanger to which the fluid Z adiabatically compressed by the second compressor is introduced as a heat source, wherein
• the fluid X is divided and conveyed by a first supply line and a second supply line, and the fluids X conveyed by the first and second supply lines are heated by the first and second heat exchangers, respectively, then merged again at a merging point where the first supply line and the second supply line are merged, adiabatically compressed by a third compressor provided between the merging point and the membrane separator, and supplied to the membrane separator.

A membrane separation method, comprising:

• a step α of separating a fluid X containing a component A and a component B into a fluid Y having a higher concentration of the component A than the fluid X and a fluid Z having a lower concentration of the component A than the fluid X by using a membrane separator;
• and
• a step β of subjecting the fluid Y separated by the step α to a temperature increase and a pressure increase, wherein
• the fluid X is divided and conveyed by a first supply line and a second supply line, and the fluids X conveyed by the first and second supply lines are heated by heat exchanges with the fluid Y having been subjected to the temperature increase and the pressure increase in the step β and the fluid Z exiting from the membrane separator, then merged again, and supplied to the membrane separator.

A membrane separation method, comprising:

• a step α of separating a fluid X containing a component A and a component B into a fluid Y having a higher concentration of the component A than the fluid X and a fluid Z having a lower concentration of the component A than the fluid X by using a membrane separator;
• a step ε of expanding the fluid Y separated by the step α;
• and
• a step γ of subjecting the fluid Z separated by the step α to a temperature increase and a pressure increase, wherein
• the fluid X is divided and conveyed by a first supply line and a second supply line, and the fluids X conveyed by the first and second supply lines are heated by heat exchanges with the fluid Y having been expanded by the step ε and the fluid Z having been subjected to the temperature increase and the pressure increase by the step γ, respectively, then merged again, adiabatically compressed, and supplied to the membrane separator.