Patent ID: 6755894
Filing Date: 2004-06-29
Classification: B01D,C01B

Abstract:
A hollow fiber membrane gas separation apparatus comprising (i) a housing body defined by an essentially cylindrical bowl connected in a sealed and removable manner in correspondence with its axial end portion to a lid, wherein said lid having formed therethrough a feed gas inlet port and an outlet nonpermeate gas port and wherein said bowl being provided with a permeate gas exit port placed coaxially to said housing body, and (ii) a substantially cylindrical hollow fiber membrane gas separation cartridge placed coaxially in said housing body and connected in a sealed and removable manner with its first axial end to said feed gas inlet port or said nonpermeate gas outlet port in said lid and with its second axial end to said permeate gas exit port in the bowl, said cartridge includes:(a) an elongated tubular inner core member in communication with said feed gas inlet port or said outlet nonpermeate gas port, (b) a substantially cylindrical hollow fiber membrane bundle positioned coaxially to and at least partially surrounding said inner core member constructed from hollow fiber membranes having permeate and nonpermeate sides, said bundle being characterized as having a substantially countercurrent flow arrangement between the gas flow on said permeate side and the gas flow on said nonpermeate side, (c) a first and second tubesheet encapsulating the opposite ends of the hollow fiber bundle in a fluid-tight arrangement with one end of the inner core member opening out of one of the tubesheets to permit flow of gas in or out of said inner core member, said tubesheets are severed to permit unobstructed flow of gas in and out of the hollow fiber lumens, (d) a first and second end closure attached to said tubesheets in a fluid-tight arrangement, wherein said first end closure is in fluid communication with said permeate gas exit port, and wherein said second closure is equipped with a flow control orifice that allows a portion of the nonpermeate gas to be used as a sweep gas on the permeate side of said hollow fibers.