Hydrogen Permeability of Tubular Polymer Membranes for Biological Methanation Membrane Reactors

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hydrogen permeability of different tubular polymer membranes for the usage in a biological methanation (BM) membrane reactor. An extensive literature research was conducted to collect permeability data of various polymers. Furthermore, five polymers were chosen concerning commercial availability, chemical resistance and the capability to endure elevated temperatures up to 63°C and pressures up to 5 bar. The hydrogen permeability of these selected polymers was experimentally determined for different tube sizes. The permeability measurement was conducted with a highly reproducible and reliable measurement method for tubular polymer membranes. From these results, the most promising polymer (PTFE with 3 × 2 mm size) with a mean hydrogen permeability of 18.208 at 63°C was chosen. This tube was further investigated by varying the size (outer and inner diameter) and the feed pressure. In addition, the gas permeability for carbon dioxide was determined. Finally, the hydrogen permeation characteristics were evaluated for a tubular polymer membrane immersed in deionized water to imitate the operating conditions of a BM membrane reactor.