A CONTINUOUS MEMBRANE COLUMN MODEL INCORPORATING AXIAL DIFFUSION TERMS

A newly developed model for capillary gas permeators which includes the diffusion term is extended to simulate a continuous membrane column. It has been tested successfully to interpret a series of experimental data including three cases which the plug-flow model failed to simulate. The sensitivity of the numerical solution the perturbation of feed condition is also studied. The optimal feed location is found to the point where the feed composition matches to that of the tube-side stream. The present model is numerically stable and can be solved with any combination of operating conditions. Therefore, it is very convenient for the design purpose and optimization of a continuous membrane column.