Purpose
Membrane permeation is a separation process involving selective transport of gas molecules through a permeable polymeric film. Unlike many chemical engineering separation processes, which are governed by phase equilibrium relations, membrane separation is based on the relative rates of mass transfer. A significant benefit of permeation is the reduction of the energy requirements because a phase change is not required in membrane separation, as it is in, say, distillation.
Available in the laboratory is a Prism® separator.. The Prism ® unit consists of two, hollow fiber tube bundles through gas can be permeated in any number of flow configurations. The gas to be separated is compressed air.
The parameters that can be varied are:
- air pressure,
- permeant flow rate
- configuration
The following effects can be studied directly:
- determination of separation factors
- effectiveness of flow configurations,
- effects of membrane area, pressure ratio, and stage separation
Typical Experimental Program
For compressed air, measure the permeability and separation factor for the Prism™ permeation device with two columns in series.
Operational Notes
An instruction manual for the permeation apparatus is attached to the system is available from the Chemical Engineering Shop.
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