Patent ID: 6309550
Filing Date: 2001-10-30
Classification: B01D,C12H,C12M,Y02E,Y02P

Abstract:
A method for transferring mass between a flow of a first fluid and a flow of a second fluid, one of the fluids being a gas phase and the other being a liquid phase, comprising contacting the first fluid with the outer surface of at least one porous membrane in the form of at least one hollow fibre of a poly(halogenated olefins), the pores of which membranes are gas-containing and have an average pore size between 0.2 and 1 .mu.m, and contacting the second fluid with the inner surface of said membranes, the maximum pore size of said membranes being such as to prevent direct mixing of the two fluids, the membranes having a porosity (.epsilon.) of at least 0.50 and at most 0.90, the tortuosity factor of the membranes being at the most 1.4/.epsilon. when the porosity .epsilon. is lower than 0.80 and at the most 1.3/.epsilon. when the porosity .epsilon. is 0.80 or higher, the liquid phase resistance with respect to the mass being transferred in the liquid (1/k.sub.i,l) being substantially negligible and the mass transfer coefficient of the membranes with respect to the mass being transferred in the liquid (1/k.sub.i,l) being at least 3 cm/s, wherein the thickness of the membrane is in the range of 5-200 .mu.m.