KR101537353B1 - Apparatus for testing performance of membrane - Google Patents

Abstract

The present relates to an apparatus for testing membrane performance, which comprises: an air supply unit which supplies different types of gases; a gas mixing unit which is connected to the air supply unit and mixes the gases supplied from the air supply unit; an air separation unit which lets some of mixed gases pass through and the rest of gases being interrupted by supplying the gases mixed in the gas mixing unit; an oven which accommodates the air separation unit and supplies heat to maintain the temperature within the air separation unit at a predetermined temperature; a first discharge line which is connected to the air separation unit and discharges the gases passed through the air separation unit; a second discharge line which is connected to the air separation unit and discharges the gases interrupted by the air separation unit; and a first analysis unit which is connected to the first discharge line and analyzes the gases discharged to the first discharge line, wherein the air separation unit comprises a separation membrane module and a separation membrane cell, which are placed within the oven and can be coupled selectively with the air mixing unit.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS FOR TESTING PERFORMANCE OF MEMBRANE [0002]

The present invention relates to an apparatus for evaluating the performance of a gas separation membrane capable of selectively separating a specific gas according to a gas permeation rate in a gas mixture. In particular, the present invention relates to a separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus which can accurately and efficiently evaluate the performance of a separation membrane by testing various types of separation membrane under the same one experimental environment.

As ecosystem and environmental problems such as global warming due to greenhouse gases and climate change become serious, researches to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide, which is a representative greenhouse gas, are actively being carried out. Considering current industrial activities, it is not easy to reduce the use of fossil fuels, which is the emission source of carbon dioxide. As a technical alternative to reduce greenhouse gas, carbon capture and storage or carbon capture and sequestration .

Recently, CCS technology, one of the fastest developing technologies, is one of the effective methods of separating and recovering carbon dioxide by using membranes. The gas separation membrane is a technique for selectively separating a specific gas according to the permeation rate, and organic materials and inorganic membranes are used as materials to be used.

Separation membranes are highly environmentally friendly processes that do not have high energy efficiency and environmental pollution problems and can be developed into modular and hybrid processes. As a result, CCS technology shows high growth and various membrane materials are actively developed and developed. The range is expanding.

Inventors of the present invention can not only carbon dioxide, and continues the test to separate the various gases, such as SOx, NOx, CH ₄ that cause air pollution and other environmental issues through the membrane. Accordingly, the present invention has been completed after efforts and studies to test the performance of various types and sizes of membranes.

A related art is Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0711237 (Registered on April 18, 2007, Separation Membrane Filled with Adsorbent and Carbon Dioxide Separation Method Using the Same).

It is an object of the present invention to evaluate the performance of a gas separation membrane for separating a specific gas among mixed gases in which a plurality of different gases are mixed, And to provide a performance evaluation apparatus.

First, a membrane module and a membrane cell are disposed together in an oven to form the same temperature environment, and the amount of gas discharged is controlled to form the same pressure environment, so that the performance of different kinds of membranes can be tested under the same environment And to provide a separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus capable of overcoming the limitations of the length of modules to be accommodated in the oven space by vertically arranging the plurality of separation membrane modules in the oven and connecting them to each other.

In addition, a plurality of supply lines and a flow rate regulating portion are formed in each line, so that various types of gas can be supplied, thereby enabling performance evaluation according to the gas composition.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus which enables a vacuum and moisture-containing test including a vacuum pump and a water supply pump.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a gas supply apparatus for supplying a plurality of gases of different types; A gas mixing unit connected to the gas supply unit and mixing the gas supplied from the gas supply unit; A gas separation unit for supplying a mixed gas mixed in the gas mixing unit to permeate a certain gas in the mixed gas and not to permeate the remaining gas; An oven accommodating the gas separating unit and supplying heat to maintain the temperature inside the gas separating unit at a preset temperature, a gas supply unit connected to the gas separating unit, for discharging the gas permeated from the gas separating unit, 1 discharge line; A second discharge line connected to the gas separator for discharging a gas which is not permeated from the gas separator; And a first analyzer connected to the first discharge line and analyzing the gas discharged from the first discharge line, wherein the gas separator includes a separator module and a separator cell, wherein the separator module and the separator cell Is disposed together in the oven, and can be selectively combined with the gas mixing portion.

The present invention may further include a back pressure valve coupled to the first discharge line for regulating an amount of the exhaust gas discharged from the first discharge line.

Further, the present invention may further include a preheating unit disposed between the gas mixing unit and the gas separating unit, for preheating the mixed gas to raise the temperature of the mixed gas to a predetermined temperature.

Further, the present invention may further comprise a water supply unit connected to the preheating unit to supply moisture to the preheater, wherein the moisture supplied by the water supply unit is vaporized by the preheater and mixed with the mixed gas .

Further, the present invention may further include a second analyzing unit connected to the second exhaust line and analyzing the gas exhausted from the second exhaust line.

Further, the present invention may further include a vacuum pump coupled to the first discharge line and capable of decompressing the first discharge line.

The present invention may further comprise a chiller coupled to the first discharge line for lowering the temperature of the moving gas in the first discharge line and liquefying the gas.

In addition, the present invention may further include a separator coupled to the first discharge line for storing and separating the gas liquefied by the cooler.

The gas supply unit may include a plurality of supply lines corresponding to different types of gas, and each of the supply lines may be combined with a flow rate adjusting unit for adjusting the supply amount.

Wherein each of the separation membrane modules is arranged in a vertical direction and connected to each other so that the mixed gas supplied from the gas mixing section passes through each of the separation membrane modules, Can be discharged to the discharge line.

The separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus according to the present invention can evaluate the performance of various types and sizes of separation membranes in one experimental apparatus.

That is, the separation membrane module and the separation membrane cell are disposed together in the oven and the back pressure regulation valve is provided, so that the performance of various separation membranes can be tested under the same temperature and the same pressure.

In addition, a plurality of the separation membrane modules are provided, and they are vertically disposed in the oven and connected to each other, thereby overcoming the limitation of the length of the module.

In addition, a vacuum pump and a water supply pump are provided to enable experiments in various environments.

On the other hand, even if the effects are not explicitly mentioned here, the effect described in the following specification, which is expected by the technical features of the present invention, and its potential effects are treated as described in the specification of the present invention.

1 is a schematic view showing a separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a front view illustrating a separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a side view showing a separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a plan view showing a separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view illustrating a separation membrane module and a separation membrane cell of a separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

It is to be understood that the present invention is capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments,

And will be described in detail in the detailed description. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like are used to specify that there is a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component or a combination thereof described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, a separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring to the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, It will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an overall process of a separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2 to 4 show a front view, a side view, and a plan view of a separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 to 4, the separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus according to the present invention includes a gas supply unit 100, a gas mixing unit 200, a gas separation unit 350, an oven 300, a first discharge line 400, A second exhaust line 500, and a first analyzing unit 600. The apparatus for evaluating the performance of a separation membrane according to the present invention is characterized in that a mixed gas of various gases is selectively passed through a gas separation unit 350 including a separation membrane to selectively separate a specific gas according to a permeation rate, The performance of the separator is evaluated.

The gas supplier 100 can supply a plurality of different gases of different kinds to test the performance of the separator in various gas compositions. The gas supply unit 100 includes a plurality of supply lines 110 corresponding to different types of gas and a flow rate control unit 120 for controlling the flow rate of each gas is coupled to each of the supply lines 110 have. The gas composition of the mixed gas and the composition ratio of each gas constituting the mixed gas can be controlled by adjusting the flow rate of the flow rate regulator 120. Thus, various mixed gas compositions can be made through the plurality of supply lines 110 and the flow rate regulator 120 installed in each supply line 110, thereby testing the performance of the separator in various mixed gas compositions.

The flow rate regulator 120 may include mass flow control (MFC). Also, each supply line 110 may be set equal to a constant pressure, e.g., 3 bar. The pressure of the gas flowing through the gauge G formed in each supply line 110 can be confirmed.

The gas mixing section 200 mixes the gas supplied through the plurality of supply lines 110. It is very important to mix a plurality of gases together to make them identical to the environment to be tested. Exhaust gas is high temperature gas. Therefore, it is very important to test the membrane performance by forming an environment similar to this environment. The gas mixing unit 200 supplies high temperature heat to raise the internal temperature to 300 ° C. and mixes the gas supplied from the gas supplying unit 100 evenly while the temperature of the mixed gas is raised.

The gas separating unit 350 separates the mixed gas supplied from the gas mixing unit 200 according to the permeation rate of the gas. The gas separator 350 includes a separator module 351 and a separator cell 352 and the separator module 351 and the separator cell 352 are disposed inside the oven 300 together.

The oven 300 receives the gas separation unit 350 including the separation membrane module 351 and the separation membrane cell 352 and supplies heat to the separation membrane module 351 and the separation membrane cell 352. At this time, the temperature inside the oven 300 can be increased to 300 ° C, so that the temperature of the mixed gas can be increased to be similar to the temperature of the exhaust gas.

The gas supplied from the gas mixing section 200 can be selectively coupled to the separation membrane module 351 or the separation membrane cell 352 of the gas separation section 350. In order to evaluate the performance of the separation membrane module 351, the experiment is performed in combination with the separation membrane module 351, and the experiment is conducted in combination with the separation membrane cell 352 to evaluate the performance of the separation membrane cell 352.

The same gas mixing unit 200 and the same oven 300 can be used to conduct the experiment while changing the separation membrane to be accommodated in the oven 300 to be tested. Therefore, it is possible to test various membranes under the same environment, so that objectivity can be maintained for comparison of the membrane mutual evaluation, and accurate performance evaluation is possible.

The separation membrane module 351 and the separation membrane cell 352 can be disposed together in the oven 300 and selectively tested for performance so that the performance of the separation membrane module 351 and the separation membrane cell 352 Can be evaluated and compared, so that the membrane performance evaluation is very efficient and accurate evaluation is made.

The first discharge line 400 is connected to the gas separating unit 350 to discharge the gas passing through the gas separating unit 350. The gas permeating through the separation membrane of the gas separator 350 is discharged. The separation membrane is formed so as to permeate only a specific gas, so that only the gas passing through the gas separation membrane can be separated, or conversely, the gases which can not pass through the gas separation membrane can be separated.

The first analyzer 600 is coupled to the first discharge line 400 to analyze the gas discharged from the first discharge line 400. That is, it is possible to determine whether the performance of the separation membrane is good by analyzing the components of the gas permeated by the separation membrane, the flow rate, and the like.

The second discharge line 500 discharges the gas that has not been permeated by the separation membrane into the gas separation unit 350. A second analyzing unit 510 such as the first analyzing unit 600 of the first discharging line 400 may be coupled to the second discharging line 500 as well.

The second analysis unit 510 is coupled to the second discharge line 500 to analyze the gas discharged from the second discharge line 500. The accuracy of the performance evaluation of the separation membrane can be improved by analyzing the components of the gas discharged from the second discharge line 500, the flow rate, and the like, like the first analysis unit 600. In addition, the second separator 520 may be coupled to the second discharge line 500 to collect the gas discharged to the second discharge line 500.

For example, in order to test the performance of a separation membrane capable of separating carbon dioxide in a mixed gas, a mixed gas containing carbon dioxide is supplied, and the supplied mixed gas is passed through the carbon dioxide separation membrane of the gas separation section 350, The exhaust gas is discharged to the discharge line 400, and the remaining gases other than the carbon dioxide are discharged to the second discharge line 500. The first analyzer 600 coupled to the first discharge line 400 can evaluate the performance of the carbon dioxide separator by analyzing the flow rate and the like of the carbon dioxide permeated through the separation membrane.

At this time, the gas separator 350 selectively or sequentially tests the carbon dioxide separator module 351 or the carbon dioxide separator cell 352 to evaluate the performance of each separator objectively and efficiently.

The separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus according to the present invention may further include a back pressure valve (700). The back pressure regulating valve 700 may be coupled to the first exhaust line 400 to control the amount of exhaust gas exiting the first exhaust line 400. Likewise, the second exhaust line 500 is also connected to the back pressure regulating valve 700 to regulate the amount of gas that is not permeated.

The pressure in the separation membrane module 351 or the separation membrane cell 352 is adjusted by controlling the amount of the exhaust gas permeated through the separation membrane module 351 or the separation membrane cell 352 of the gas separation unit 350. It is possible to control the amount of the gas to be permeated and discharged so that the gas can form the same pressure at the time of permeation of the separator, so that the different separator can be tested under the same pressure, and the objective evaluation of the separator performance can be made possible.

The separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus according to the present invention may further include a preheating unit 800. The preheating unit 800 is disposed between the gas mixing unit 200 and the gas separating unit 350 and functions to raise the gas mixture supplied to the gas separating unit 350 to a predetermined temperature. That is, the temperature of the mixed gas is increased to a predetermined temperature before the mixed gas is introduced into the oven 300, thereby sharing the heat supply of the oven 300.

The separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus according to the present invention may further include a water supply unit 900. The water supply unit 900 is connected to the preheating unit 800 and supplies moisture to the mixed gas supplied from the gas mixing unit 200. The moisture is vaporized into gas by the high internal quantity of heat of the preheating unit 800 Can be mixed together with the mixed gas. The water supply unit 900 may be further included and the water supply may be controlled to make various mixed gas compositions and to simulate the composition of the exhaust gas more closely.

The performance evaluation apparatus according to the present invention may further include a vacuum pump. The vacuum pump 610 is coupled to the rear of the back pressure regulating valve 700 of the first exhaust line 400 to reduce the pressure of the first exhaust line 400 so that the exhausted gas can easily escape. Also, the present invention can be combined with a chiller 630 (chiller) to the first discharge line 400. The cooler 630 can lower the temperature of the discharged gas to liquefy it. The gas can be liquefied to reduce the volume and facilitate the storage of the separated gas.

Accordingly, the present invention may further include a separator 620 to store gas liquefied by the cooler 630. Moisture and liquefied gas can be separated and stored, removed or recycled.

5 is a view showing a separation membrane module 351 and a separation membrane cell 352 of a separation membrane performance evaluation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. At this time, a plurality of separation membrane modules 351 are formed, and the separation membrane modules 351 are arranged vertically and connected to each other. In order to test the performance of the separation membrane module 351 that is longer than the size of the oven 300 because of the space limitation of the oven 300 accommodating the separation membrane module 351, And the performance of the long separation membrane module 351 of a desired size can be tested by connecting them to each other. At this time, the first discharge line 400 is disposed in each of the plurality of the separation membrane modules 351, and the gas passing through each separation membrane module 351 is collected and discharged to the first discharge line 400. 5, three separation membrane modules 351 of the same size are formed, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is obvious that a separation membrane module 351 of a more various number or size can be arranged.

The scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the description and the expression of the embodiments explicitly described in the foregoing. It is again to be understood that the present invention is not limited by the modifications or substitutions that are obvious to those skilled in the art.

G: Gauge
100:
110: Supply line
120:
200: gas mixture part
300: oven
350: gas separation unit
351: Membrane module
352:
400: first discharge line
500: second discharge line
510: Second analysis section
520: second separator
600: first analysis section
610: Vacuum pump
620: Separator
630: cooler
700: Back Pressure Regulating Valve
800: preheating part
900:

Claims (10)

A gas supply unit for supplying a plurality of gases of different kinds;
A gas mixing unit connected to the gas supply unit and mixing the gas supplied from the gas supply unit;
A gas separation unit for supplying a mixed gas mixed in the gas mixing unit to permeate a certain gas in the mixed gas and not to permeate the remaining gas;
An oven accommodating the gas separator and supplying heat to maintain the temperature inside the gas separator at a preset temperature;
A first discharge line connected to the gas separator for discharging the gas permeated from the gas separator;
A second discharge line connected to the gas separator for discharging a gas which is not permeated from the gas separator; And
And a first analyzer connected to the first discharge line for analyzing the gas discharged from the first discharge line,
Further comprising a preheating unit disposed between the gas mixing unit and the gas separating unit for preheating the mixed gas to raise the temperature to a predetermined temperature,
And a moisture supply unit connected to the preheating unit and supplying moisture to the preheating unit,
The moisture supplied by the water supply part is vaporized by the preheating part and mixed with the mixed gas,
The gas-
And a separator module and a separator cell, wherein the separator module and the separator cell are disposed together in the oven, wherein the separator module and the separator cell can be selectively coupled to the gas mixing section. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a back pressure valve coupled to the first discharge line for regulating an amount of the exhaust gas discharged from the first discharge line. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a second analyzer connected to the second discharge line for analyzing the gas discharged from the second discharge line. 3. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising a vacuum pump coupled to the first discharge line to depressurize the first discharge line. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a chiller coupled to the first discharge line for reducing the temperature of the gas moving through the first discharge line to liquefy the gas. 8. The method of claim 7,
Further comprising a separator coupled to the first discharge line for storing and separating gas liquefied by the cooler. The method according to claim 1,
The gas-
Wherein a plurality of supply lines corresponding to different kinds of gases are included, and each supply line is connected to a flow rate regulating unit for regulating a supply amount. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein each of the separation membrane modules is arranged in a vertical direction and connected to each other so that the mixed gas supplied from the gas mixing section passes through each of the separation membrane modules, And discharged through a discharge line.

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