Sources of non-ideal flow distribution and their effect on the performance of hollow fiber gas separation modules

Hollow fiber membrane gas separation modules are used predominantly in membrane gas separation processes. The performance of these modules is often captured by simple flow and mass transfer models. However, as processes are pushed to the limits of their commercial viability, non-ideal performance is often observed. Potential sources of this non-ideality due to non-uniform flows through the module are summarized and their effect on module performance evaluated.