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US 6,368,382 B1Granted
Epoxysilicone coated membranes
AssigneeUop LLC
InventorJeffrey J. Chiou
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AssigneeUop LLC
InventorJeffrey J. Chiou
Estimating the term…
The invention relates to a method of making an epoxysilicone coated membrane by coating a porous asymmetric membrane layer with a UV-curable controlled release epoxysilicone coating. A mixture of the epoxysilicone resin and an onium photocatalyst are applied to the porous asymmetric membrane layer in a dilute non-polar solution and cured by UV or electron beam radiation to produce a dry epoxysilicone coated membrane. The porous asymmetric membrane layer is comprised of an asymmetric cellulosic membrane or an asymmetric polymer membrane with a low selectivity. The epoxysilicone coating was found to provide the asymmetric membrane layer with improved selectivity which extends to separation temperatures below 70° C. and provides stable flux rates. Membranes produced in this manner are useful for the separation of gases such as carbon dioxide from natural gas.
A process for the separation of a permeable component from a feed stream comprising the permeable component and natural gas, said process comprising passing the feed stream at effective conditions to a membrane separation zone containing a porous asymmetric membrane layer coated with a uniform UV-curable epoxysilicone coating and recovering a permeate stream enriched in the permeable component relative to the feed stream, and a non-permeate stream depleted in the permeable component relative to the feed stream.
A membrane comprising a porous asymmetric membrane layer having a uniform epoxysilicone coating wherein the uniform epoxysilicone coating comprises the reaction product of an epoxysilicone resin and an onium photocatalyst.
A method for preparing an epoxysilicone coated asymmetric membrane, said method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.