Water vapor capture using microporous ceramic membrane

Abstract

Porous ceramic membrane can effectively capture water vapor from flue gas. In this paper, the transport membrane condenser (TMC) is manufactured using microporous ceramic membranes with a pore size of 0.4 nm, and its feasibility to capture water vapor is verified on a gas-fired boiler experimental platform. The water vapor capture mechanism of microporous ceramic membrane is analyzed by designing different experiments under different operating conditions and different operating modes. According to the results, film condensation is the main capture mechanism; under the action of Knudsen diffusion mechanism, the microporous ceramic membrane can capture water vapor, but the capture flux is very small; no capillary condensation occurs in the pores of microporous ceramic membrane. Based on laboratory-scale research, a pilot-scale experimental platform is set up to test water vapor capture performance in the coal-fired power plants. The pilot-scale testing result further demonstrates the feasibility of capturing water vapor with microporous ceramic membrane, which greatly expands the selection range of materials used to manufacture TMC.