Non-selective membranes for separations

✍ Scribed by Edward L Cussler

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 102 KB
• Volume: 78
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0268-2575
• DOI: 10.1002/jctb.679

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Membranes which give high fluxes without selectivities provide a large interfacial area between fluid phases which is independent of the normal constraints of loading and flooding. These membranes offer a largely unexplored route to separation process intensification. Three examples are given in the paper. First, studies of hollow fiber blood oxygenators show that flows which are only a few percent from uniform can reduce overall mass transfer by an order of magnitude. Second, flat sheet membrane evaporators promise the performance of a centrifugal evaporator at a fraction of that unit's cost. Third, distillation in hollow fibers means that the height of the transfer units can be smaller than 0.1 cm, indeed as small as desired.

© 2003 Society of Chemical Industry