SBIR Phase II: Fabrication of Low-Cost Modules Incorporating Microporous Silica Membranes for Natural Gas Purification

这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段项目致力于开发经济的基于膜的设备，主要适用于：(A)提纯劣质原始天然气以获得管道质量，以及(B)从强化采油作业中回收二氧化碳。根据目前的市场条件，国内天然气储量的很大一部分对于开采来说是不经济的，因为它们含有大量的非甲烷气体。基于膜的装置目前在商业上被用于净化劣质天然气，但与目前最先进的装置相比，需要生产率更高的膜来允许经济地使用目前无法回收的天然气。该计划的总体目标是开发一种创新的制造方法，将微孔二氧化硅膜结合到低成本、高度紧凑的模块中。微孔二氧化硅膜具有二氧化碳透过率和CO2/CH4选择性的组合，这是传统的有机气体分离膜所无法比拟的，但尚未被纳入低成本模块中以实现其商业化。此类模块的商业供应将大大降低与升级劣质天然气储量相关的成本。在第一阶段，论证了新的模块制造方法的可行性。在第二阶段，将通过系统的工艺优化来改善极小组件的分离性能。膜面积约为0.1平方米的组件将被制造和测试，以延长模拟原始天然气的分离时间，并将制定详细的制造方案和相关成本，为该技术的商业化做准备。该计划中开发的设备将显著降低与以下应用中的气流净化相关的成本：天然气升级、从强化石油回收操作中回收二氧化碳和沼气处理。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project addresses development of economical membrane-based devices primarily suitable for: (a) purification of sub-quality raw natural gas to pipeline quality and (b) carbon dioxide recovery from enhanced oil recovery operations. A large fraction of domestic natural gas reserves are uneconomical for recovery based on current market conditions because they contain significant amounts of non-methane gas. Membrane-based devices are currently commercially employed to purify sub-quality natural gas, but membranes with improved productivity compared to now state-of-the-art devices are required to allow economic use of currently unrecoverable natural gas. The overall objective of this program is to develop an innovative fabrication approach to incorporate microporous silica membranes within low-cost, highly compact modules. Microporous silica membranes exhibit combinations of carbon dioxide permeance and CO2/CH4 selectivity that are unrivaled by conventional organic gas separation membranes, but have not yet been incorporated in low-cost modules to allow their commercialization. Commercial availability of such modules would greatly reduce costs associated with upgrading sub-quality natural gas reserves. In Phase I, the feasibility of the novel module fabrication approach was demonstrated. In Phase II, the separation properties of very small modules will be improved through systematic optimization of processing. Modules with ca. 0.1 m2 membrane area will be fabricated and tested for extended duration for separation of simulated raw natural gas, and a detailed manufacturing scheme with related costs will be developed in preparation for commercialization of the technology.The devices to be developed in this program would significantly reduce costs associated with purification of gas streams in the following applications: natural gas upgrading, carbon dioxide recovery from enhanced oil recovery operations, and biogas processing.