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US 4,060,566 AGranted
Membrane process for separating materials
AssigneeStandard Oil Company (Indiana)
InventorRobert L. Yahnke
Life of this patent
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AssigneeStandard Oil Company (Indiana)
InventorRobert L. Yahnke
Estimating the term…
A process is disclosed for separating components, e.g., olefinically-unsaturated hydrocarbons, from mixtures with other materials by liquid barrier permeation and metal-complexing techniques using a semi-permeable membrane and a partial pressure differential across the membrane for the material being separated. The process is characterized by the use of elevated pressure on the feed side of the membrane, preferably at least about 200 psig, a low total pressure differential, if any, across the membrane, and preferably a partial pressure of the material being separated on the exit side of the membrane which is at least about 20 psi less than on the feed side. The separated material may be removed with advantage by the use of a liquid solvent in which the material is soluble, and preferably the concentration of the material in the solvent is up to about 25 weight percent of saturation when the solvent is charged to the exit side of the membrane. The separation of ethylene from its mixture with methane and ethane is of particular interest.
A process for separating a material from a fluid mixture comprising contacting said mixture containing said material with a first side of an essentially solid, water-insoluble, semi-permeable membrane having in contact therewith an aqueous liquid barrier having metal-containing ion which combine with said material to form a water-soluble complex, the partial pressure of said material on a second side of the semi-permeable membrane being sufficiently less than the partial pressure of said material on said first side to provide separated material on the second side of the semi-permeable membrane, and removing said separated material from the vicinity of the second side of the semi-permeable membrane, wherein the total pressure on the second side is about 75 to 125% of the total pressure of the mixture on the first side, and the latter total pressure is at least about 50 psig.
A process for the separation of a material from a fluid mixture comprising contacting said mixture containing said material at a total pressure of at least about 200 psig with a first side of an essentially solid, water-insoluble, hydrophilic, semi-permeable membrane having at least partially therein an aqueous liquid barrier having dissolved therein metal-containing ions which combine with said material to form a water-soluble complex, the partial pressure of said material on a second side of the semi-permeable membrane being sufficiently less than the partial pressure of said material on said first side to provide separated material on the second side of the semi-permeable membrane, said partial pressure on said first side being at least about 20 psi greater than said partial pressure on said second side, and removing said separated material from the vicinity of the second side of the semi-permeable membrane, wherein the total pressure on the second side of the semi-permeable membrane is within about 10 psi of that of said first side.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.