Fluid-membrane separation
OwnerStephen E. Pettyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for the separation of mixture components uses a supercritical fluid that is fresh to at least one side of a nonporous membrane after which the fluid is either recycled to the opposite side of the membrane or removed from the separation process. Fluids and membranes, including modified membranes, are provided to facilitate passage of one or more components of a mixture through the membrane while retarding passage of other components of the mixture. The process is useful for the separation of mixtures with similar components including axeotropic mixtures and pharmaceutical and biological products.
Claims30
A fluid-membrane separation process comprising
- a. providing a nonporous membrane with a first side and a second side;
- b. providing a mixture having at least a first component and a second component;
- c. providing a first fluid and a second fluid to said process wherein at least one of said first fluid and said second fluid is fresh to and cannot be recycled to the same side of said process and at least one of said first fluid and said second fluid is in a supercritical state;
- d. mixing said mixture having said first component and said second component with said first fluid to form a fluid mixture of said first fluid and said mixture;
- e. passing said fluid mixture of said first fluid and said mixture of said first component and said second component over said first side of said membrane to obtain a mixture of a retenate of said second component and said first fluid;
- and
- f. removing said first component of said mixture from said second side of said membrane by passing said second fluid over said second side of said nonporous membrane to obtain a mixture of a permeate of said first component and said second fluid.
A fluid-membrane separation process comprising
- a. providing a nonporous membrane with a first side and a second side;
- b. providing a mixture having at least a first component and a second component;
- c. passing said mixture of said first component and said second component over said first side of said membrane to obtain a retenate of said second component on said first side of said membrane and a permeate of said first component on said second side of said membrane;
- d. passing a fresh fluid in a supercritical state over at least one of said first side and said second side of said nonporous membrane wherein said fresh fluid cannot be recycled to the same side of said nonporous membrane;
- and
- e. removing said fresh fluid from said first side or said second side of said nonporous membrane after a single pass over said first side or said second side of said membrane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.