Organic Vapor Separation: Process Design with Regards to High-Flux Membranes and the Dependence on Real Gas Behavior at High Pressure Applications

Abstract

High-flux membranes are well-suited for separating organic vapor from air. There are many applications for organic vapor recovery at tank farms. Here, the membrane technology is already considered as state of the art. However, new applications operating at higher pressures, e.g., water and hydrocarbon dewpointing of natural gas, real gas behavior, and the so-called “concentration polarization” effect have to be taken into account. Experimental investigations have been carried out and the results are presented. The performance of a membrane module is calculated considering real gas behavior.