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US 5,002,590 AGranted
Countercurrent dehydration by hollow fibers
AssigneeBend Research, Inc.
InventorsDwayne T. Friesen, Roderick J. Ray, David D. Newbold
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gas dehydration method and apparatus are disclosed which utilize lumen-side feed, thin-film which is highly permeable, such composite membranes being used in a module wherein the permeate flows countercurrent to the flow of the feed.
Claims17
A gas dehydration process comprising:
- (a) contacting a feed gas containing water vapor with the lumen side of thin film composite hollow fiber membranes arranged substantially parallel to each other in a chamber, each of said composite hollow fiber membranes having an effective water vapor permeability greater than 33.times.10.sup.-4 cm.sup.3 /cm.sup.2 .multidot.sec.multidot.cmHg (200 SCFH/ft.sup.2 .multidot.100 psi) and a ratio of effective water vapor permeability to effective feed gas permeability of at least 100 and comprising
- (i) a highly permeable support fiber having an effective air permeability greater than 33.times.10.sup.-4 cm.sup.3 /cm.sup.2 .multidot.sec.multidot.cmHg (200 SCFH/ft.sup.2 .multidot.100 psi) and a ratio of effective water vapor permeability to effective air permeability of less than 2, and
- (ii) a coating on the lumens of said support fiber, said coating having a ratio of effective water vapor permeability to effective feed gas permeability of at least 100;
- and
- (b) permitting water in said feed gas to permeate from the lumens to the outside of said hollow fiber membranes;
- and
- (c) removing permeated water from said chamber at a point near the feed end of said chamber.
4 more elements
A dehydration module for removing water vapor from a feed gas comprising:
- (a) a chamber having feed and raffinate ends and a permeate port near the feed end;
- (b) a bundle of thin film composite hollow fiber membranes arranged substantially parallel to each other in said chamber, each of said composite hollow fiber membranes having an effective water vapor permeability greater than 33.times.10.sup.-4 cm.sup.3 /cm.sup.2 .multidot.sec.multidot.cmHg (200 SCFH/ft.sup.2 .multidot.100 psi) and a ratio of effective water vapor permeability to effective feed gas permeability of at least 100 and comprising
- (i) a highly permeable support fiber having an effective air permeability greater than 33.times.10.sup.-4 cm.sup.3 /cm.sup.2 .multidot.sec.multidot.cmHg (200 SCFH/ft.sup.2 .multidot.100 psi) and a ratio of effective water vapor permeability to effective air permeability of less than 2, and
- (ii) a coating on the lumens of said support fiber, said coating having a ratio of effective water vapor permeability to effective feed gas permeability of at least 100;
- and
- (c) sealing means for securing and sealing said bundle of hollow fiber membranes to said chamber shell at said feed and raffinate ends so as to permit the lumens of the hollow fiber membranes to be in fluid communication with said feed gas;
- wherein said permeate port is in fluid communication with the outside of said hollow fiber membranes.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.