Gas separation

SEPURAN® Noble Membranes for efficient hydrogen recovery

Evonik's SEPURAN® Noble membrane has been especially developed for hydrogen recovery and purification enabling highly pure hydrogen to be efficiently produced even when inlet concentrations of hydrogen are very low.

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In general, hydrogen separation and recovery from gas streams using membranes have been processing for nearly 50 years. Therefore, it’s a very mature technology. Evonik's SEPURAN® Noble membrane technology has been especially developed for hydrogen recovery and purification enabling highly pure hydrogen to be efficiently produced even when inlet concentrations of hydrogen are very low. The very selective SEPURAN® Noble membrane developed by Evonik enables high product gas purity, a high hydrogen yield as well as reduced energy consumption.

SEPURAN® Noble membranes can be used in the existing hydrogen markets like refineries, ammonia or methanol production as well as other chemical processes to efficiently recover unused hydrogen which can be recycled and re-used in a very efficient way. In addition, our technology offers a great tool for separation of hydrogen from natural gas when transported by natural gas grids.

HOW DOES HYDROGEN RECOVERY WITH EVONIK'S SEPURAN® NOBLE MEMBRANES WORK?

Gas separation membranes work on the principle of selective permeation through a membrane surface. The driving force for permeation of the gas through the membrane is the difference between the partial pressures of the gas on the retentate side (the interior of the hollow fibre) and the permeate side (the exterior of the hollow fibre). 

Hydrogen is a very small and fast molecule, permeating very quickly through the wall of the membrane to the pressure-less side. Natural gas for example, on the other hand, is quite a big molecule so stays inside the membrane or inside the membrane fibre and thus retains on the high-pressure side. One key advantage of our membrane technology is its efficiency. The pressure inherent in the natural gas blend is sufficient to separate the hydrogen from the natural gas. No electricity or additional resources such as chemicals or water are required.

The possible concentration increase depends on the selectivity of the membrane material. The high-performance material our SEPURAN® Noble membranes are based on is tailored to offer one of the most selective membranes in the market being still very permeable. These well-balanced properties make it possible to achieve high concentrations with high recoveries simultaneously. The number of membrane cartridges depends on the flow which is treated. But you cannot increase the hydrogen purity by just using more membranes.
 

Advantages of SEPURAN® Noble for efficient hydrogen recovery

  • High efficiency in purification through highly selective membranes
  • Stable and long-lasting
  • Space-saving and flexible

Typical fields of application

  • Recovery of purge gas
  • Ammonia production
  • Methanol production
  • Desulfurization
  • Hydrocracking
  • H2-PSA
  • H2/CO ratio adjustment
  • Debottlenecking PSA and cryogenic Systems
  • Gas to liquid (GTL)
  • Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

next generation SEPURAN® Noble membranes for hydrogen markets

Evonik has launched its next generation SEPURAN® Noble membranes for helium and hydrogen markets. The group's new SEPURAN® Noble membranes are available as 6-inch products and feature higher capacity and selectivity, reducing the number of membranes required by up to 70 percent!

Our new product portfolio includes:

  1. SEPURAN® Noble 2nd generation - High capacity and selective membrane for helium or hydrogen purification
  2. SEPURAN® Noble® Fast - Ultra-high capacity and medium selective membrane for helium or hydrogen purification

backward-integrated manufacturer of  membranes for hydrogen recovery

Evonik is a backward-integrated manufacturer of hollow-fibre gas separation membranes. Thanks to our comprehensive expertise in polymer chemistry, we are able to adjust the membrane properties already at the development stage of the base material—the high-performance polymer—to produce especially selective and robust membranes that can withstand extreme pressures and temperatures. For hydrogen separation applications, the hollow-fibres are coiled up in a cross-counter winding pattern, forming a structured packing for optimal flow distribution. This makes these modules more forgiving of pressure shocks and reversal of transmembrane pressure than conventional flat-sheet modules.

Further information

Efficient gas separation using hollow fibre membranes

Evonik boosts the chemistry of high-performance polymers into highly efficient gas separation membranes SEPURAN®.

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