Study of Semi-Industrial Polymeric Vapor Permeation Modules

Abstract

The use of biofuels such as ethanol is an attractive alternative to replace fossil fuels, however, traditional separation processes to remove water from these compounds are energy intensive. Thus, membrane technology is an energy efficient alternative, capable of selectively separating target components while achieving high rates of permeation. Innovative semi-industrial hollow fiber modules were tested in a pilot scale unit at different conditions. From the samples obtained, discrepancies were found between cartridges. Experimental results showed some deviation (up to ±15%) with respect to the existing membrane model. The variables responsible for those differences have been identified and were incorporated into the existing model reducing the error to less than 5 %. The effects of leakage were found to increase with pressure severely affecting the module performance and product recovery. It was found that an efficient membrane module should possess less than 30 STLPM in non-destructive tests to achieve performance requirements.