SEPURAN® NobleMembrane technology forefficient helium recovery

EVONIK, THE CREATIVEINDUSTRIAL GROUP FROMGERMANY, IS ONE OF THE
WORLD LEADERS IN SPECIALTYCHEMICALS, OPERATING IN
THE NUTRITION & CARE,RESOURCE EFFICIENCY ANDPERFORMANCE MATERIALSSEGMENTS.

The Resource Efficiency segmentsupplies high performance materials
such as high performance polymers
for environmentally friendly andenergy-efficient system solutions;
we ensure sustainability – in businessand everyday life.
SEPURAN® stands for customized
hollow fiber membranes for efficient
gas separation. The SEPURAN® Noblemembrane has been especiallydeveloped for helium recovery andpurification enabling highly pure
helium to be efficiently produced evenwhen inlet concentrations of helium
are very low.
Evonik. Power to create.

SEPURAN® NOBLE
VALUE CHAINEVONIK
BUSINESS
Monomer

Polymer

Membrane

Module/Cartridge System

EVONIKTECHNOLOGYSUPPORT
OEM
Partner

CONTENTAPPLICATION

How does the membrane work?

4Our products

5Helium purification

6

Helium recovery

7

CO2O2CON2

CH4feedfastslow

retentate

H2MODE OF OPERATION
OF A SHELL SIDE MEMBRANE
FOR GAS SEPARATION

feed

H2O HeMODE OF OPERATION
OF A BORE SIDE MEMBRANE
FOR GAS SEPARATION

permeate

RELATIVE PERMEATION RATESOF VARIOUS GASES

retentatepermeatehollow fiber
membranes

hollow fibermembranes

HOW DO THE
MEMBRANES WORK?
Gas separation membranes work

The greater this difference, the higher

have higher solubility and smaller

on the principle of selective

the proportion of the gas that permeates

molecular size permeate the membrane

through the membrane. In a separation,

faster than larger, less soluble gases.

such as between helium and methane,

The ratio of the transport speeds ofpermeation of helium through the mem-two gases is called selectivity.

permeation through a membranesurface. The driving force forpermeation of the gas through themembrane is the difference between
the partial pressures of the gas on
the retentate side (the interior ofthe hollow fiber) and the permeateside (the exterior of the hollowfiber).

4

brane is much faster while methaneis retained within. The driving force
required for the separation is obtained

The higher the selectivity, the higher
the energy efficiency of the resulting

through a partial pressure gradient.

membrane process.

The permeation rate of each gas depends

Different membrane materials haveon its solubility in the membrane material

different separation properties.

and on the diffusion rate. Gases thatPATENTED
PATENTED3-STEP
3-STAGEMEMBRANE-BASEDMEMBRANE-BASEDGASGASSEPARATIONSEPARATIONPROCESSPROCESS

12-STEP
2-STAGEMEMBRANEMEMBRANEBASEDBASEDGASGASSEPARATIONSEPARATIONPROCESSPROCESS2123

HELIUM RECOVERYAND PURIFICATION
Our products

SEPURAN® Noble2”

Stainless steel

SS316

SS316

SS316

SS316

Trans membrane pressure

25 bar / 362 psi

40 bar / 580 psi

25 bar / 362 psi

80 bar / 1160 psi • 70 bar/1015 psi

Temperature< 70 °C / 158 °F< 70 °C / 158 °F< 70 °C / 158 °F< 50 °C / 122 °F • < 70 °C / 158 °F

Module*4”

Cartridge

Recovery advantages

Overall features• Helium recovery of more

• Low space requirements

than 90 percent possible

6”

Cartridge

8”

Cartridge• Continuous separation process• Simple modular setup

Upgrading advantages• Flexible and easily expanded• High selectivity• No other auxiliary materials, such as• Low energy consumption

water and sorbents, required• No emissions into the environment

5HELIUM
PURIFICATION
Linde and Evonik collaborate

The village of Mankota in the Canadian

drical stainless steel cartridges.

in the area of membrane-based

province of Saskatchewan has around

The pre-treated raw gas is fed into thegas separation.

240 inhabitants and one motel withmembrane cartridge under high pres-

In Canada, Linde Engineering built

18 rooms. Apart from that, it’s mostlysure. Small molecules in the gas mixture

grassland. A lot of flat grassland. With(for example, helium and hydrogen) andthe next major town a three-hour car

molecules with a high specific rate ofride away, anyone travelling here should

diffusion (for example, gaseous water

not expect to be overwhelmed by theor carbon dioxide) can pass through thesights. Six kilometres from the centre ofmembrane faster than larger molecules

the village, US company the Weil Groupand leave the membrane module as per-is recovering high-purity helium frommeate on the low-pressure side (firstnitrogen-rich natural streams using aexit). Larger molecules such as methane

new process developed by Linde Engi-and nitrogen diffuse through the mem-neering that does not rely on cryogenic

brane at a much slower rate. As a result,gas separation. This makes it cheaper

the majority of these leave the hollow

and more energy-efficient than conven-fibres again as retentate gas from thetional processes in many cases. It also

module’s second exit (high-pressure

produces a very high helium yield.

side). The technical name for this pro-the world's first plant to recoverhigh-purity helium from N2-richnatural gas without the need forcryogenic technology using Evonik'smembrane technology.

Linde sources the membranes for thisnew process from its technology partner and specialty chemicals expert
Evonik. At the heart of the system arehollow fibres made of high-performancepolymers that Evonik embeds in cylin-

6

cess is the principle of selective permeation. Depending on the gas composition and the size of the plant, any
number of cartridges can be combinedin one or more membrane stages tooptimise the yield.

HELIUMRECOVERY
Collecting and upgrading used

Helium is expensive, and large users

A mere two years after market launch,helium leads to enormous cost

may find it worthwhile to recover theSEPURAN® Noble has now becomesaving.

used noble gas; they too can benefit

established in the glass fiber industry;

Optical fiber production world-from SEPURAN® Noble. These large

the SEPURAN® team owes this successusers include producers of optical fibers

partly to the support of their coleagues

transmitting internet data and phonefrom Silanes, who are familiar with thiscalls. The helium is particularly effective

sector. Moreover, membrane technol-for cooling the glass fibers as these areogy can be very easily integrated intodrawn from the hot melt. This increases

glass fiber production because theproduction speed: A single plant canupgraded helium need not be liquid

produce more than two kilometers of

nor ultrapure. In many applications

fiber per minute. But helium cooling is

Helium is mixed with air, nitrogen or

costly: Many glass fiber productionargon. By recovering the very valuablefacilities spend hundreds of thousands

helium from these gas mixtures, highof euros on helium annually. Nextrom,cost savings can be realized. Thea leading global plant engineering firm

highly selective SEPURAN® Noblefor the glass fiber industry, has now

Membrane developed by Evonik,

developed a solution for fiber producers

together with the clever membranethat is based on SEPURAN® Noble.

configuration of Evonik, enables both

It offers a system in which the useda high product gas purity and a highhelium is collected, cleaned, and re-usedhelium yield.

wide uses 10% of the overall He
consumption. This helium can berecovered easily by using Evonik’s
membrane technology leading
up to 90% of savings of this costly
and rare noble gas.”

for cooling. As much as 90 percent of
the helium can be recovered in this way.

7

This information and all technical and otheradvice are based on Evonik’s present knowledge and experience. However, Evonik assumes no liability for such information or advice,including the extent to which such information or advice may relate to third party intellectual property rights. Evonik reserves theright to make any changes to information oradvice at any time, without prior or subsequent notice.
EVONIK DISCLAIMS ALL REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, WHETHER
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SHALL HAVENO LIABILITY FOR, MERCHANTABILITY
OF THE PRODUCT OR ITS FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE (EVEN IF EVONIKIS AWARE OF SUCH PURPOSE), OR OTHERWISE. EVONIK SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOSSOF PROFITS) OF ANY KIND.

It is the customer’s sole responsibility toarrange for inspection and testing of all products by qualified experts. Reference to tradenames used by other companies is neither arecommendation nor an endorsement of thecorresponding product, and does not imply
that similar products could not be used.
® = registered trademark

phone +43 7672 6006-0
sepuran@evonik.com
www.sepuran.com
www.evonik.com

Evonik Corporation
High Performance Polymers
299 Jefferson Road
Parsippany, NJ 07054
United States

Evonik Specialty Chemicals(Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
55 Chundong Road
Xinzhuang Industry Park
Shanghai 201108

phone +1 973 929-8000
01/en

Evonik Fibres GmbH
Gewerbepark 44861 Schörfling
Austria