HIGH PRESSURE FACILITATED MEMBRANES FOR SELECTIVE SEPARATION AND PROCESS FOR THE USE THEREOF

摘要

The subject invention relates to a process for the selective separation of at least one component of a gaseous feedstream comprising passing the feedstream containing the component through a separation unit, the separation unit containing a porous membrane having a feed side and a permeate side, and a pore size of from about 10Angstroms to about 200Angstroms, and having disposed in the pores of the porous membrane a facilitator liquid comprising a carrier dissolved in a suitable solvent, including: a) dissolving the component in the facilitator liquid on the feed side of the porous membrane at the feed gas/membrane interface; b) forming a component-carrier complex; c) diffusing the complex to the permeate side of the porous membrane; and d) releasing the component from the carrier. The invention further relates to a membrane for the selective separation of at least one component of a gaseous feedstream comprising a porous membrane, having pores of from about 10Angstroms to about 200Angstroms, the pores containing a facilitator liquid having an affinity for the component to be selectively separated, the membrane being capable of operating at a transmembrane pressure of about 100psig to about 300psig. The subject invention also relates to use of the aboveidentified process and membrane for the separation of vapor phase olefins from olefin-containing feed streams.