MASS TRANSFER METHOD AND APPARATUS

摘要

The invention relates to a method for transferring mass between a flow of a first fluid, preferably a gas phase such as a combustion flue gas, and a flow of a second fluid, preferably a liquid phase, where the first fluid is contacted with the outer surface of porous (semi-permeable) membranes, e.g. polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, Teflon) membranes, in the form of hollow fibres having gas-containing pores and contacting the second fluid with the inner surface of the membranes. Useful membranes are characterized in that they e.g. have a porosity ( epsilon ) of at least 0.50, a mass transfer coefficient of e.g. at least 1 cm/s, and a tortuosity factor of e.g at the most 1.4/ epsilon when the porosity epsilon is lower than 0.80 and at the most 1.3/ epsilon when the porosity epsilon is 0.80 or higher.