Filled Microporous Membrane Anti-Fouling Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Filtration membranes used for separating oil from water in oil and gas operations tend to foul over time, reducing their efficiency and flux rates, necessitating a solution for extended life and improved anti-fouling properties.
Innovation Solution
A method involving sequential treatment of microporous membranes with an epoxy-silane compound and polyalkylene polyamine, amine functional polysaccharide, or amino silane to enhance the membrane's surface properties, promoting condensation and epoxy ring-opening reactions, which improves the membrane's anti-fouling capabilities and maintains high flux rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If filtration membranes are used for separating oil from water, then separation efficiency is improved, but the membranes become fouled over time reducing flux rates
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane surface is pre-treated with epoxy-silane compounds and polyamines before use to create anti-fouling properties. This preliminary chemical modification establishes a protective surface layer that prevents oil and contaminant adhesion, allowing the membrane to maintain high flux rates throughout its service life while continuing to provide effective oil-water separation
Solution Approach 2:
The surface chemistry parameters of the membrane are changed by introducing epoxy groups and amine functional groups through chemical treatment. These parameter changes modify the surface energy and wettability characteristics, creating a surface that resists fouling by oil and contaminants, thereby maintaining both separation efficiency and flux rate over extended periods
2Duration of action of stationary object
If filtration membranes are used for extended periods, then operational duration is improved, but fouling accumulates reducing performance
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane undergoes preliminary chemical treatment with epoxy-silane and polyamine compositions to establish anti-fouling properties before deployment. This pre-conditioning creates a protective surface barrier that prevents contaminant accumulation, enabling the membrane to maintain reliable separation performance throughout its extended service life without degradation
Solution Approach 2:
The anti-fouling treatment creates a continuous protective effect on the membrane surface throughout its operational life. The chemically modified surface continuously resists adhesion of oil and contaminants, ensuring that separation efficiency remains stable and reliable over the entire duration of membrane service
3Productivity
If membrane surface is treated to improve anti-fouling, then flux rate is maintained, but pore integrity must be preserved
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment modifies only the local surface properties of the membrane without affecting the bulk pore structure. The epoxy-silane and polyamine compounds concentrate their effect at the membrane surface, creating anti-fouling characteristics locally while leaving the underlying pore architecture intact, thus maintaining both flux rate and structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The epoxy-silane and polyamine compounds act as intermediary substances that modify the surface interface between the membrane and the fluid stream. These intermediaries create a protective surface layer that maintains flux by preventing fouling, while the treatment conditions are controlled to ensure the intermediary does not compromise the underlying pore structure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The treated membranes exhibit extended practical lifetimes with decreased fouling, improved flux rates, and robustness against cleaning procedures, maintaining pore integrity and reducing shrinkage, thus outperforming untreated membranes in oil-water separation applications.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the membrane of (1) to conditions sufficient to effect a first reaction between the inorganic filler and the silane groups of the epoxy-silane compound, wherein the first reaction effected is at least a condensation reaction
Implementation Method 2
subjecting the membrane of (3) to conditions sufficient to effect a second reaction, wherein the second reaction effected is at least an epoxy ring-opening reaction
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is directed to a method for treating a surface of a filled microporous membrane. The microporous membrane includes a polyolefinic matrix, inorganic filler distributed throughout the matrix, and a network of interconnecting pores throughout the membrane. The method includes sequentially (1) contacting the membrane with a first treatment composition comprising an epoxy-silane which is in intimate contact with the inorganic filler; (2) subjecting the membrane of (1) to conditions sufficient to effect a first reaction between the inorganic filler and the silane groups of the epoxy-silane compound; (3) contacting the membrane of (2) with a second treatment composition comprising polyalkylene polyamine, an amine functional polysaccharide and/or an amino silane; and (4) subjecting the membrane of (3) to conditions sufficient to effect a second reaction. Treated membranes also are provided.