Wetted Membrane Desorption for CO2 Stripping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional solvent regeneration systems for CO2 capture are inefficient and costly due to limitations in membrane stability, mass transfer coefficients, and the need for multiple stages to achieve high CO2 purity, with scarce literature on CO2 stripping processes.
Innovation Solution
A membrane desorption apparatus using a porous membrane operated in a 'wetted' mode, where the solvent fills the membrane pores, and enhanced by trans-membrane pressure drops, allowing for efficient CO2 stripping from CO2-rich solvents at elevated temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional reboiling heat application is used for CO2 stripping, then CO2 removal is achieved, but energy consumption is high and equipment size is large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional thermal reboiling system with a membrane-based separation system. The microporous membrane enables CO2 transfer from liquid solvent to gas phase through pressure-driven diffusion, eliminating the need for high-temperature reboiling equipment and significantly reducing energy consumption while maintaining effective CO2 stripping performance
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes microporous membranes with controlled pore structures to enable selective CO2 transport. The porous material allows CO2 molecules to diffuse through the membrane from the CO2-rich liquid phase to the gas phase under pressure differential, providing an energy-efficient alternative to thermal stripping while achieving high CO2 removal rates
2Manufacturing precision
If membrane area is increased to achieve high CO2 purity, then separation performance improves, but equipment complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes operating parameters including pressure differential across the membrane, feed flow rate, and temperature to maximize CO2 transfer efficiency. By carefully controlling these parameters, the system achieves high CO2 purity in a single stage without requiring multiple membrane modules or complex multi-stage configurations, thereby reducing equipment complexity while maintaining manufacturing precision
3Productivity
If pressure differential is increased to enhance CO2 transfer rate, then productivity improves, but membrane stability and breakthrough pressure become limiting factors
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs microporous membranes with high mechanical strength and optimized pore structures that can withstand elevated pressure differentials. The porous material is specifically selected or engineered to maintain structural integrity and prevent breakthrough at the high pressures required for efficient CO2 transfer, thereby enabling high productivity while maintaining membrane reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes composite membrane structures combining different materials with complementary properties. The composite construction provides both the necessary porosity for CO2 diffusion and the mechanical strength to resist high operating pressures, resolving the contradiction between achieving high CO2 transfer rates and maintaining membrane stability under elevated pressure differentials
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
This approach significantly reduces the size and cost of solvent regeneration systems, achieving high CO2 stripping rates and overcoming limitations of conventional membrane processes by utilizing nano-porous hydrophilic membranes like PEEK hollow fibers.
Implementation Method 1
a microporous membrane operated in wetted mode
Implementation Method 2
enhanced by trans-membrane pressure drops
Implementation Method 3
desorption of at least a portion of the at least one gas from the liquid stream
Data Source
AI summary
A method for desorption of one or more gases from a liquid stream in which a liquid stream containing at least one gas is provided to the feed side of a porous membrane and a trans-membrane pressure drop from the feed side to the opposite gas side of the membrane is created, resulting in a portion of the liquid stream filling at least a portion of the pores of the porous membrane and desorption of at least a portion of the at least one gas from the liquid stream to the gas side of the porous membrane.