Arrangement for removing water vapor from pressurized gases or gas mixtures

An arrangement for removing water vapor from pressurized gases or gas mixtures, comprising a gas-vapor seperation structure in which a gas-vapor stream is separated into a vapor-enriched permeate stream and a vapor-depleted retentate stream, said separation structure including a membrane separating apparatus having a retentate side and a permeate side and a mixture inlet, a membrane with a selectivity of α=100 to 10,000 disposed between and separating said retentate side from said permeate side, a vapor-depleted gas outlet in communication with the retentate side of said membrane separating apparatus and a vapor-enriched gas outlet in communication with the permeate side of said membrane separating apparatus, means for supplying said pressurized gas including said vapors to said membrane separating apparatus, wherein said gas-vapor stream is separated into said vapor depleted retentate stream remaining on the retentate side of said membrane separating apparatus and said vapor-enriched permeate stream at the permeate side of said membrane separating apparatus, and a vacuum pumping device connected to said vapor-enriched gas outlet for generating a vacuum at the permeate side of said membrane separating apparatus.