Novel Method for Characterization of Gas Separation Membranes

气体分离膜表征的新方法

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-04443
• 负责人: Kruczek, Boguslaw
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: University of Ottawa
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=656043
• 关键词: Novel; Method; Characterization; Gas; Separation

Separation processes are a major contributor to the total energy consumed in the world. Over 40,000 of the distillation columns currently in operation in the United States alone are responsible for 11% of the global energy usage. Implementation of less energy-intensive competitors of distillation could bring a huge reduction in the energy used for separation. ******Gas separation membranes are attractive because they do not require a thermal driving force and do not involve sorbents to separate mixtures. Since the 1980s they have become widely used in various industrial applications, competing with cryogenic distillation, absorption, and adsorption. Nevertheless their share in the global separation market remains rather insignificant. The main challenge that limits this technology is a tradeoff between permeability and selectivity of the membranes. Overcoming this challenge requires improvements in properties of membrane materials. Recent developments in thermally rearranged (TR) polymers and polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) have helped to push the tradeoff line up, but more progress is needed for gas separation membranes to increase their share of the global separation market. The key aspects in the development of membrane materials is the accurate characterization of their gas transport coefficients, such as diffusion, solubility and permeability coefficients. These transport coefficients are determined in a dynamic membrane gas permeation test, also referred to as a time-lag test.******The objective of this research is to develop a new method for characterization of gas separation membranes, which relies on accurate monitoring of pressure decay due to gas molecules entering the membrane at high pressure. Unlike the conventional method, which relies on monitoring of pressure rise due to gas molecules emerging from the membrane, the new method will allow to maintain a zero concentration of the gas at the permeate-side of the membrane during the entire test. The latter is the key assumption of the time-lag analysis, which is inherently violated in the current state-of-the-art testing systems. The new method, which will require building a new generation of membrane testing systems, will allow for the more accurate determination of gas transport properties in membranes, and the better understanding of transport mechanism taking place in membranes. Ultimately, the progress in these most fundamental aspects of gas separation membranes will help them to become more competitive in the already existing markets such as refinery gas purification, syngas ratio adjustment, acid gas purification, nitrogen enrichment and dehydration, as well as making them attractive in other applications including separation of nitrogen from natural gas and capture of carbon dioxide from flue gases.

分离过程是世界上消耗的总能量的主要贡献者。仅美国目前正在运营的蒸馏柱中有40,000多个造成了全球能源使用量的11％。实施较少的能源密集型蒸馏竞争者可能会大大减少用于分离的能量。 ******气体分离膜很有吸引力，因为它们不需要热驱动力，并且不涉及吸附剂以分离混合物。自1980年代以来，它们已被广泛用于各种工业应用，与低温蒸馏，吸收和吸附竞争。然而，他们在全球分离市场中的份额仍然微不足道。限制这项技术的主要挑战是渗透性和膜选择性之间的权衡。克服这一挑战需要改善膜材料的性能。热重排（TR）聚合物和内在微孔度（PIMS）的聚合物的最新发展有助于推动折衷方案的上升，但是对于气体分离膜以增加其在全球分离市场中所占的份额需要更多的进展。膜材料发展的关键方面是其气体传输系数的准确表征，例如扩散，溶解度和渗透率系数。这些传输系数在动态膜气渗透试验中确定，也称为时间延迟测试。******这项研究的目的是开发一种表征气体分离膜的新方法，该方法依赖于由于在高压下进入膜而导致的气体分子引起的压力衰减的准确监测。与常规方法不同，该方法依赖于监测由于膜上出现的气体分子而导致的压力上升，新方法将使在整个测试期间在膜的渗透侧保持零浓度的气体浓度。后者是时差分析的关键假设，该假设在当前的最新测试系统中固有地违反了。新方法将需要建立新一代的膜测试系统，它将可以更准确地确定膜中的气体传输性能，并更好地理解对膜中发生的运输机制的理解。最终，在气体分离膜的这些最基本方面的进步将有助于它们在已经存在的市场中变得更有竞争力，例如炼油气体净化，合成剂比调整，酸性气纯化，氮富集和脱水和脱水，以及在其他应用中在其他应用中从天然气体中脱离天然气和捕获Carbon dioxide的其他应用，使它们有吸引力。