Patent ID: 6156096
Filing Date: 2000-12-05
Classification: B01D,C01B

Abstract:
The method of gaseous component separation of at least one gaseous component from a feed gas comprising a mixture of gases in a hollow fiber liquid membrane system employing a rigid treatment chamber enclosing a first and a second plurality of elongated hydrophobic microporous hollow fibers, a liquid membrane barrier, and a sweep fluid, and comprising the steps of:(a) selecting a predetermined sweep fluid;(b) providing a treatment zone disposed within said rigid treatment chamber, with the rigid treatment chamber enclosing said first and said second plurality of elongated hydrophobic microporous hollow fibers, each having a non-porous coating thereon and with the non-porous coating being on the outer surface of said elongated hydrophobic microporous hollow fibers and in direct communication with the hollow interior thereof, said rigid treatment chamber comprising an elongated enclosure with an axis, side walls defining an elongated cylindrical chamber for retaining said pluralities of elongated hydrophobic microporous hollow fibers with a non-porous coating thereon in a configuration to extend generally along the axis of said elongated chamber, said chamber having opposed end walls with ports formed therewithin and including a feed gas inlet port, a liquid membrane reservoir retaining a supply of liquid membrane therein and with the liquid membrane being in communication with said rigid treatment chamber through a liquid membrane inlet port disposed at a first end of said rigid treatment chamber, said rigid treatment chamber further having a sweep fluid outlet port at said first end, and with a sweep fluid inlet port, a feed gas outlet port, and a liquid membrane outlet port at the opposed end thereof;(c) said first and second pluralities of elongated hydrophobic microporous hollow fibers extending between said feed gas and sweep fluid inlet ports and feed gas and sweep fluid outlet ports, with said first plurality of hollow fibers coupled to said feed gas ports and with said second plurality of hollow fibers coupled to said sweep fluid ports, and with said pluralities of fibers arranging for counter-current flow of said mixture of gases comprising said feed gas and said predetermined sweep fluid therethrough;(d) delivering a liquid membrane, a feed gas and said predetermined sweep fluid into each of said liquid membrane inlet port, feed gas inlet port and predetermined sweep fluid in let ports respectively, with the liquid membrane being in surface-to-surface contact with the non-porous coating on each of said pluralities of elongated hydrophobic microporous hollow fibers with a non-porous coating thereon, and wherein the partial pressure of the component of said feed gas to be selectively removed from the feed gas and passing through said first plurality of fibers is controllably maintained to be higher than that partial pressure in said predetermined sweep fluid within said second plurality of fibers, and wherein the static pressure of said membrane liquid within said rigid treatment chamber is maintained at a level which is substantially higher than the static pressure maintained within the hollow interior of either of said pluralities of microporous hollow fibers containing said mixture of gases comprising and present within said feed gas or said predetermined sweep fluid.