Effect of operating conditions on water transport during the concentration of sucrose solutions by osmotic distillation

A recent membrane technique, osmotic distillation (OD), is used to concentrate binary water–sucrose solutions at ambient temperature under atmospheric pressure. The principle is based on the extraction of water vapour from a dilute aqueous solution, which is put in contact with a hypertonic salt solution by means of a macroporous hydrophobic membrane. The concentration difference between both solutions translates into a transmembrane vapour pressure drop, that constitutes the driving force for mass transfer. An experimental device is designed at laboratory scale for this study, allowing achievement of vapour fluxes of 10 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ under standard conditions. The effect of various operating parameters on vapour flux is studied. The solute content results in the most influencing variable via water activity in brine and via viscosity in sugar solutions. The effect of concentration polarisation on the brine side is not negligible and would have to be taken into account for process optimisation. This phenomenon could not be quantified on the sugar solution side due to pressure drop limits of the pilot rig. Eventually, the vapour flux can be significantly increased by adding a temperature difference to the transmembrane concentration difference, when pure water is evaporated.     

Improvement of the performance of facilitated transport membrane process through nonuniformity

Facilitated transport process has attracted much attention because high selectivity and high permeability may be achieved. However, most research on facilitated transport process is concerned only with uniform membranes. In this paper, a model predicting the gas separation performance of a hollow-fiber module with facilitated transport membrane is developed. The influence of feed rate, operation pressure, and permeant-feed flow pattern on the module performance are analyzed and the effect of the nonuniform distribution of reaction equilibrium constant is examined. The calculated results show that the nonuniform active distribution may cause an improved module performance. Because of the passive transport characteristics of the facilitated transport process, the mass transfer driving force across the membrane has a great influence on the improvement of the module performance through a facilitated transport effect.     

热致相分离聚偏氟乙烯膜接触器法高压吸收CO2过程及数学模拟

研究了膜接触器法高压吸收混合气中CO2的过程,考察水作为吸收剂时,操作压力、气体和吸收剂流量对聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)中空纤维膜脱除CO2效果的影响.通过物理传质模型得出气相、膜相和液相的传质方程式,构建了二维数学模型,并结合边界层条件和多物理场耦合分析软件(COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS)对膜接触器法高压物理吸收CO2的过程进行了模拟预测.结果表明,吸收过程中膜的润湿情况显著影响CO2传质效果;在数学模型中引入润湿率,可以较准确预测CO2的物理吸收效果.     

A novel automated method for the determination of membrane permeability in gas-liquid transfer applications

A novel automated test method for determining the gas transmission rates of sheet membranes is described. The experimental conditions are relevant to applications involving a hydrophobic membrane barrier separating a liquid phase and a gas phase, such as an oxygenator for use in heart-lung bypass. Steady state transfer is accomplished by passing the test gas tnder isobaric condition tthrough the membrane into a recirculating reaction solution. The gas transfer rate is given by the timed volumetric displacement of the test gas which is logged by a microcomputer. The microcomputer also implements a controller which maintains constant (atmospheric) gas pressure.Oxygen and carbon dioxide permeabilities of microporous flat sheet polypropylene (Celgard^® 2400 and 2500 series, Hoechst Celanese Corp.) and polydimethylsiloxane (Scimed Life Systems Inc.) membranes were evaluated using this method. As expected, the transfer rate of the homogeneous membrane was found to be lower than that of the microporous membranes, while the results for microporous membranes point towards the importance of liquid “plugs” in the pores in influencing permeability. The method was found to give rapid and reproducible results, and automation facilitated the transfer of data for analysis.     

Characterization of microporous membranes for use in membrane contactors

Methods of selecting applicable membranes for use in membrane contactors for flue gas desulfurization are proposed in this paper. The mass transfer mechanism for SO₂ diffusion through gas filled pores is explored by simple measurements in order to identify suitable membrane structures for use in contactors for flue gas cleaning. It is attempted to correlate the experimentally determined membrane mass transfer coefficient to intrinsic physical properties of the membrane by applying theoretical and empirical correlations for the porosity-tortuosity relationship of the porous structure. Thereby limiting fluxes can be predicted with good accuracy from data quoted in the manufactures catalogue.     

Study of mass transfer in oil-water-oil multiple emulsions by differential scanning calorimetry

A multiple emulsion of the type O1/W/O2 is studied experimentally by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The aim of this work is to characterize and measure the time-dependent changes within the emulsion. In particular, interest is focused to quantify the concentration changes in the internal and external phases of the O1/W/O2 multiple emulsion. In order to accomplish the objective, the measurement and analysis carried out by DSC are based on the crystallization behavior of the emulsion. A volume of a few mm3 is periodically removed from the O1/W/O2 multiple emulsion. The sample is submitted to steady cooling and the crystallization thermogram is recorded. The experimental data provided by the crystallization thermogram makes it possible to quantify the crystallized mass for both phases, the internal and the external. In addition, the composition in each phase can also be deduced from the thermogram. To deduce the composition, a diagram of crystallization temperatures is elaborated, employing several mixtures of known composition. In addition to the main objective previously mentioned, the influence of formulation parameters such as surfactant concentration in the aqueous phase and the mass ratio of the internal and external phases are also analyzed. The experimental results made it possible to conclude that a mass transfer took place from the internal phase toward the external phase; this transfer is caused by the composition difference on both sides of the aqueous membrane. In this work we analyzed the mass transfer in the multiple emulsion carried out by a composition gradient through the aqueous membrane. The most likely mechanism of mass transfer through the aqueous membrane is a solution-diffusion of tetradecane enhanced by the micelles of the surfactant Tween 20. The model of mass transfer confirms that the osmotic pressure difference controls the kinetics of tetradecane transfer. It is also confirmed that an increment of surfactant concentration in the aqueous phase allows a faster kinetics of the tetradecane transfer.     

Electrochemical potentials from first principles

The electrochemical potential is the fundamental parameter in the theory of electrochemistry. Not only does it determine the position of electrochemical equilibria but also it acts as the driving force for electron transfer reactions, diffusion-migration phenomena, and phase transformations of all kinds. In the present work, the electrochemical potential is defined as the total work done in transferring a single particle of a substance from a universal reference state to a specified location, at constant temperature and pressure. It is the sum of two scalar fields: the electrostatic potential energy and the chemical potential energy. The electrochemical potential is widely underutilized within the fields of solid-state science and electrochemical engineering. For historical reasons, many authors prefer to analyze driving forces in terms of electrode potentials, concentration gradients, or Gibbs free energies. In this paper, the author provides a short introduction to the electrochemical potential and then shows how some of the major branches of electrochemistry can benefit from using it. Topics examined include the Volta potential difference, the membrane potential difference, the scanning Kelvin probe microscope, the electromotive force, the proton motive force, and the activation of electron transfer.

     

Extraction of glyphosate by a supported liquid membrane technique

The possible application of the supported liquid membrane (SLM) technique for the extraction of glyphosate is presented. For the extraction of this compound the SLM system has been applied with utilisation of Aliquat 336 as a cationic carrier incorporated into the membrane phase. The extraction efficiency of glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine] is dependent on the donor phase pH, carrier concentration in the organic phase and NaCl concentration in the acceptor phase. The optimal extraction conditions are: donor phase pH>11, acceptor phase of 2 M NaCl solution and the organic phase composed of 20% (w/w) Aliquot 336 solution in di-hexyl ether. Counter-coupled transport of chloride anions from the acceptor phase to the donor phase is a driving force of the mass transfer in this system.     

气驱油油气混相过程的界面传质特性及其分子机制

油气混相过程的界面传质特性对气驱提高原油采收率技术非常重要。本文针对吉林某油田的实际油组分,采用分子动力学模拟研究了气驱油过程,分析了不同气体和驱替压力下油气两相的状态变化以及界面特性,获得不同驱替气体的最小混相压力(MMP)。结果表明,随着驱替气体压力的升高,气相的密度逐渐增大,油相膨胀密度降低,气相与油相的混合程度增强,油气两相界面厚度增加,界面张力随之减小。同时发现,驱替相中二氧化碳浓度越高,在同等气体压力下,油气界面更厚,油气混合程度更高。纯CO₂驱油得到的MMP远远小于纯N₂驱油,当这两种气体摩尔比为1 : 1混合时MMP介于两种纯气体之间,说明要达到同样的驱油效果二氧化碳需要的压力更小。最后,本文从分子微观作用力角度解释了驱替气体不同时影响油气混相程度的机制,通过分子平均作用势曲线发现油相分子对CO₂的吸引力要大于N₂分子,因此CO₂分子更容易与油相混合,驱替效果更明显。     

Temperature drop of feed liquid during pervaporation

Heat transfer during pervaporation through a membrane module of silicone-rubber microtubes was studied for ammonia/water and ethanol/water feeds. The temperature drops of the feed mixture were measured as a function of flow rate, concentration and permeate side pressure. A model calculation with a vapor-phase driving force was compared with the data. The vapor permeability of the permeate components needed in the model were independently measured using an original measurement method with a differential transformer. The present simple model for heat and mass transfer during pervaporation proved to be applicable to the theoretical calculation for a membrane module of pervaporation to be used as a heat-transfer unit.     

Study on Mass Transfer of Isopropylbenzene and Oxygen in a Two-Phase Partitioning Bioreactor in the Presence of Silicone Oil

A two-phase partitioning bioreactor to treat gas effluents polluted by volatile organic compound has been developed. In this work, both the mass transfer of isopropylbenzene (IPB) and oxygen have been considered in relation to their influence on the hydrodynamics of the reactor and the type of silicone oils used as a second phase. The synergistic effect of silicone oil and stirrer speed on the global oxygen mass transfer coefficient (K _L a) and gas holdup (up to 12%) have been investigated. The addition of 10% of low viscosity silicone oil (10 cSt) in the reactor does not significantly affect the oxygen transfer rate. The very high solubility of IPB in the silicone oil leads to an enhancement of driving force term, especially for high fraction of silicone oil. However, it does not seem useful to exceed a volume fraction of 10% since K _L a _IPB decreases sharply at higher proportions of silicone oil. K _L a _IPB and K _L a _O2 evolve in the same way with the proportion of silicone oil. These results confirm the potentialities of our bioreactor to improve both the oxygen and pollutant gas transfer in the field of the treatment of gaseous pollutants, even for highly concentrated effluents.     

The effect of gas surface diffusion on the asymmetric permeability of two-layer porous membranes

The permeability is calculated for two-layer membranes composed of porous layers with nano- and microsized pores. It is found that, in nanosized pores, the gas transfer occurs in the free-molecular regime in the pore volume and via diffusion along the adsorption layer. The degree of adsorption layer filling is determined from the Langmuir isotherm. The dependence of the diffusion coefficient in the adsorption layer on the degree of surface coverage is taken into account. The transfer in the microsized pored is described in a hydrodynamic regime. The values of the membrane permeability are determined at different orientations with respect to the direction of a gas flow. It is shown that the difference between the permeability values may be as large as 60%.     

Effect of Sodium dodecyl sulfate on the Mass Transfer Rate between Styrene and Water

Summary: The effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the mass transfer rate between styrene and water has been investigated. SDS increases the solubility of styrene in water even below the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and therefore increases the thermodynamic driving force for the mass transfer. The mass transfer coefficient however is not altered by SDS, even if the interface is almost saturated with emulsifier.     

膜亲和色谱用于胰蛋白酶抑制剂的分离

分别采用酰化-胺化和氯甲基化-胺化对聚砜进行化学修饰,用相转化法制成平均孔径为450nm的超滤膜,经重氮化反应,共价键合上具有活性的胰蛋白酶。其相对活力可达10200 u/g。每克化学改性聚砜膜上可固载化上15 mg胰蛋白酶。用此酶膜对胰蛋白酶抑制剂进行了亲和分离,一次可得6.5mg纯胰蛋白酶抑制剂。     

Driving force and composition for multicomponent gas hydrate nucleation from supersaturated aqueous solutions

The expression for driving force is presented for multicomponent gas hydrate nucleation in an aqueous phase. The derivation includes working equations for predicting the composition of a hydrate nucleus. The results for driving force in multicomponent systems show a significant effect of the composition of the hydrate nucleus. All past work assume a fixed composition based on the three-phase equilibrium point independent of subcooling and supersaturation.     

Osmotic-driven mass transport of water: Impact on the adhesiveness of hydrophilic polymers

Adhesion is an important property for the functionality of many medical devices. One reason for the development of adhesive forces is dehydration caused by mass transport of water. Osmotic pressure is one main driving force for mass transport and the correlation between osmotic pressure and adhesive force has not been studied yet, which was the aim of the present study. A model system was used where a Carbopol tablet was lowered onto a 1% (w/w) agarose gel. The force required to detach the tablet (adhesive force) and the weight gain of the tablet (as a measure of transported water) were determined. Sodium chloride and mannitol were added to the agarose gel to decrease the osmotic pressure difference between the agarose gel and the partially hydrated Carbopol tablet. This resulted in a decrease of both mass transport and adhesive force. In addition, experiments with restricted water transport within the agarose gel were performed by preparing gels with different agarose concentrations. An increase of the agarose concentration resulted in decreased water transport and higher adhesive forces. Hence, the results confirmed our hypothesis that osmotic-driven mass transport and restricted mass transport of water correlate very well with the adhesive force.     

Calculation of the Liquid and Gas Permeability of Hydrophobic Low-Porosity Membranes of an Arbitrary Thickness

A method for calculating the liquid and gas permeability of hydrophobic low-porosity membranes of an arbitrary thickness is described. The calculation is based on the solution of a problem on percolation—the procedure of finding the distribution of liquid and gas over the membrane thickness. The dependence of the permeability for liquid on the share of pores that are potentially accessible to being filled with liquid is obtained for both thin and thick membranes. This dependence is of a universal nature and can easily be recalculated into a dependence of permeability on the pressure drop for membranes with any distribution of pores by size. Numerical estimates of principal characteristics for a membrane that possesses pores of three types are performed. The characteristics in question include permeabilities for liquid and gas; fluxes of the liquid; critical pressures, at which the permeability for liquid turns other than zero; and the working range of pressures, in which the membrane is capable of working normally. All these data permit the optimization of the operation of similar membranes, in particular, gas-delivering membranes that are used in hydrogen–oxygen fuel cells with a solid polymer electrolyte.     

Characterization of substructure resistance in asymmetric gas separation membranes

Gas permeation through a typical state-of-the-art membrane can be described by defining three morphological features: namely skin thickness, skin integrity, and substructure resistance. Traditional gas permeation measurements tend to characterize skin thickness and skin integrity, but not substructure resistance. This presents a serious obstacle to the optimization of advanced hollow fiber membranes, since as skin thicknesses are reduced, substructure resistance becomes an increasingly significant contribution to the overall permeation rate. This paper illustrates how substructure resistance can affect permeation properties and demonstrates a new technique for characterizing this frequently important morphological feature. The technique involves applying a constant transmembrane pressure while varying the average gas pressure within the membrane. Thus, the mean free path of gas molecules permeating through the substructure can be altered while maintaining a constant driving force for permeation. Such experiments characterize the magnitude of the substructure resistance, as well as provide insight into the governing transport mechanism. These constant driving force/variable pressure permeation measurements can estimate the average pressure or mean free path at the transition where substructure resistance becomes negligible. This can then be used to compare the morphological features of different membranes. This technique is demonstrated on well-defined coated ceramic membranes, asymmetric polymeric flat sheet membranes, and asymmetric polymeric hollow fiber membranes.     

Memory effect on the pressure-temperature condition and induction time of gas hydrate nucleation

The focus of this study is to investigate the influence of memory effect and the relation of its existence with the dissociation temperature, using gas hydrate formation and dissociation experiments. This is beneficial because memory effect is considered as an effective approach to promote the thermodynamic and dynamic conditions of gas hydrate nucleation. Seven experimental systems (twenty tests in total) were performed in a 1 L pressure cell. Three types of hydrate morphology, namely massive, whiskery and jelly crystals were present in the experiments. The pressures and temperatures at the time when visual hydrate crystals appeared were measured. Furthermore, the influence of memory effect was quantified in terms of pressure-temperature-time (p-T-t) relations. The results revealed that memory effect could promote the thermodynamic conditions and shorten the induction time when the dissociation temperature was not higher than 25 ℃. In this study, the nucleation superpressure and induction time decrease gradually with time of tests, when the earlier and the later tests are compared. It is assumed that the residual structure of hydrate dissociation, as the source of the memory effect, provides a site for mass transfer between host and guest molecules. Therefore, a driving force is created between the residual structures and its surrounding bulk phase to promote the hydrate nucleation. However, when the dissociation temperature was higher than 25 ℃, the memory effect vanished. These findings provide references for the application of memory effect in hydrate-based technology.