Gas Dehydration Membrane Module with Integral Carbon Filter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas-separation membranes degrade in the presence of water vapor, requiring upstream dehydration to maintain performance, and carbon beds used for oil removal are inefficient under high humidity conditions, necessitating a more effective method for producing clean and dry air.
Innovation Solution
A membrane-based air dehydration module with hollow polymeric fibers and an integral activated carbon cloth filter pad within the same pressure vessel, utilizing a fraction of the dried gas as a sweep gas to enhance dehydration efficiency and integrate pre-treatment within the module.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If carbon beds are used to remove oil particles and vapor from the air stream, then oil removal is achieved, but excessive humidity degrades the performance of the carbon beds
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary dehydration to remove water vapor from the air stream before it enters the carbon bed. By placing the dehydration membrane upstream of the carbon bed, the system pre-treats the air to reduce humidity to levels that do not degrade carbon bed performance, thereby enabling effective oil removal without the harmful effects of excessive humidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the air treatment process into distinct stages: first dehydration through the membrane, then oil removal through the carbon bed. This segmentation allows each component to operate in its optimal condition range, with the carbon bed receiving pre-dried air that maintains its performance while effectively removing oil contaminants.
2Reliability
If dehydration membranes are placed upstream of gas-separation membranes, then water vapor is removed to protect the membranes, but additional pre-treatment equipment and complexity are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the dehydration membrane and carbon bed into a single integrated pre-treatment unit that processes air in one pass. This consolidation reduces the number of separate equipment components and connections needed, simplifying the overall system while maintaining effective membrane protection through combined dehydration and filtration functions.
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 module effectively produces clean, dry air with reduced humidity and oil vapor, extending membrane life and reducing pre-treatment costs by up to 50% for small systems, while allowing the output to be used directly or as a feed for gas-separation modules.
Implementation Method 1
The material of the fibers is chosen so as to have a permeability for water vapor which is different from its permeability for air
Implementation Method 2
A filter pad, made of activated carbon cloth, is disposed at the outlet end of the module, such that all gas flowing out of the module through the outlet end must pass through the filter pad
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
An air dehydration module includes polymeric fibers for separating water vapor from air, and also includes a carbon filter material, positioned at an outlet end of the module, and within the same pressure vessel which houses the fibers. The module may generate its own sweep stream, in which case a portion of its output is directed to flow through an orifice, towards the inlet end of the module. In an alternative embodiment, the sweep gas is produced by a distinct gas-separation module, which receives an input stream from the output of the dehydration module. The dehydration module produces clean and dry air which can be used as is, or as an input stream to an air separation module.