| MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH, INC Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
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| 20110269854 | PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF METHANOL INCLUDING ONE OR MORE MEMBRANE SEPARATION TYPES - Disclosed herein is a methanol production process that includes a membrane separation step or steps. Using the process of the invention, the efficiency of methanol production from syngas is increased by reducing the compression requirements of the process and/or improving the methanol product yield. As an additional advantage, the membrane separation step generates a hydrogen-rich stream which can be sent for other uses. An additional benefit is that the process of the invention may debottleneck existing methanol plants if more syngas or carbon dioxide is available, allowing for feed of imported carbon dioxide into the synthesis loop. This is a way of sequestering carbon dioxide. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110262328 | PROCESS FOR SEPARATING CARBON DIOXIDE FROM FLUE GAS USING SWEEP-BASED MEMBRANE SEPARATION AND ABSORPTION STEPS - A gas separation process for treating flue gases from combustion processes, and combustion processes including such gas separation. The invention involves routing a first portion of the flue gas stream to be treated to an absorption-based carbon dioxide capture step, while simultaneously flowing a second portion of the flue gas across the feed side of a membrane, flowing a sweep gas stream, usually air, across the permeate side, then passing the permeate/sweep gas to the combustor. | 10-27-2011 |
| 20110260112 | MEMBRANE LOOP PROCESS FOR SEPARATING CARBON DIOXIDE FOR USE IN GASEOUS FORM FROM FLUE GAS - The invention is a process involving membrane-based gas separation for separating and recovering carbon dioxide emissions from combustion processes in partially concentrated form, and then transporting the carbon dioxide and using or storing it in a confined manner without concentrating it to high purity. The process of the invention involves building up the concentration of carbon dioxide in a gas flow loop between the combustion step and a membrane separation step. A portion of the carbon dioxide-enriched gas can then be withdrawn from this loop and transported, without the need to liquefy the gas or otherwise create a high-purity stream, to a destination where it is used or confined, preferably in an environmentally benign manner. | 10-27-2011 |
| 20110219949 | GAS SEPARATION PROCESS USING MEMBRANES WITH PERMEATE SWEEP TO REMOVE CO2 FROM GASEOUS FUEL COMBUSTION EXHAUST - A gas separation process for treating exhaust gases from the combustion of gaseous fuels, and gaseous fuel combustion processes including such gas separation. The invention involves routing a first portion of the exhaust stream to a carbon dioxide capture step, while simultaneously flowing a second portion of the exhaust gas stream across the feed side of a membrane, flowing a sweep gas stream, usually air, across the permeate side, then passing the permeate/sweep gas back to the combustor. | 09-15-2011 |
| 20110219778 | POWER GENERATION PROCESS WITH PARTIAL RECYCLE OF CARBON DIOXIDE - Disclosed herein is a power generation process in which a portion of the carbon dioxide generated by gaseous fuel combustion is recycled back to the power generation process, either pre-combustion, post-combustion, or both. The power generation process of the invention may be a combined cycle process or a traditional power generation process. The process utilizes sweep-based membrane separation. | 09-15-2011 |
| 20110219777 | POWER GENERATION PROCESS WITH PARTIAL RECYCLE OF CARBON DIOXIDE - Disclosed herein is a power generation process in which a portion of the carbon dioxide generated by gaseous fuel combustion is recycled back to the power generation process, either pre-combustion, post-combustion, or both. The power generation process of the invention may be a combined cycle process or a traditional power generation process. The process utilizes sweep-based membrane separation. | 09-15-2011 |
| 20110200491 | COMBUSTION SYSTEMS AND POWER PLANTS INCORPORATING PARALLEL CARBON DIOXIDE CAPTURE AND SWEEP-BASED MEMBRANE SEPARATION UNITS TO REMOVE CARBON DIOXIDE FROM COMBUSTION GASES - Disclosed herein are combustion systems and power plants that incorporate sweep-based membrane separation units to remove carbon dioxide from combustion gases. In its most basic embodiment, the invention is a combustion system that includes three discrete units: a combustion unit, a carbon dioxide capture unit, and a sweep-based membrane separation unit. In a preferred embodiment, the invention is a power plant including a combustion unit, a power generation system, a carbon dioxide capture unit, and a sweep-based membrane separation unit. In both of these embodiments, the carbon dioxide capture unit and the sweep-based membrane separation unit are configured to be operated in parallel, by which we mean that each unit is adapted to receive exhaust gases from the combustion unit without such gases first passing through the other unit. | 08-18-2011 |
| 20110167821 | COMBUSTION SYSTEMS, POWER PLANTS, AND FLUE GAS TREATMENT SYSTEMS INCORPORATING SWEEP-BASED MEMBRANE SEPARATION UNITS TO REMOVE CARBON DIOXIDE FROM COMBUSTION GASES - Disclosed herein are combustion systems, power plants, and flue gas treatment systems that incorporate sweep-based membrane separation units to remove carbon dioxide from combustion gases. In its most basic embodiment, the invention is a combustion system that includes three discrete units: a combustion unit, a carbon dioxide capture unit, and a sweep-based membrane separation unit. In a preferred embodiment, the invention is a power plant including a combustion unit, a power generation system, a carbon dioxide capture unit, and a sweep-based membrane separation unit. In yet another embodiment, the invention is a flue gas treatment system that incorporates three membrane separation units with a carbon dioxide liquefaction unit. | 07-14-2011 |
| 20110100914 | ULTRAFILTRATION PROCESS - An inorganic membrane suitable for ultrafiltration or nanofiltration, and methods for making and using the membrane. The membrane has a organic polymer deposited on the feed surface, but is not able to perform separations by solution-diffusion. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110005272 | Process for separating carbon dioxide from flue gas using parallel carbon dioxide capture and sweep-based membrane separation steps - A gas separation process for treating flue gases from combustion processes, and combustion processes including such gas separation. The invention involves routing a first portion of the flue gas stream to be treated to a carbon dioxide capture step, while simultaneously flowing a second portion of the flue gas across the feed side of a membrane, flowing a sweep gas stream, usually air, across the permeate side, then passing the permeate/sweep gas to the combustor. | 01-13-2011 |
| 20100243549 | Pervaporation Assembly - The invention is a pervaporation process and pervaporation equipment, using a series of membrane modules, and including inter-module reheating of the feed solution under treatment. The inter-module heating is achieved within the tube or vessel in which the modules are housed, thereby avoiding the need to repeatedly extract the feed solution from the membrane module train. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100051441 | Membrane-augmented distillation with compression to separate solvents from water - Processes for removing water from organic solvents, such as ethanol. The processes include distillation in two columns operated at sequentially higher pressure, followed by treatment of the overhead vapor by one or two membrane separation steps. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20090277328 | Efficient gas-separation process to upgrade dilute methane stream for use as fuel - A membrane-based gas separation process for treating gas streams that contain methane in low concentrations. The invention involves flowing the stream to be treated across the feed side of a membrane and flowing a sweep gas stream, usually air, across the permeate side. Carbon dioxide permeates the membrane preferentially and is picked up in the sweep air stream on the permeate side; oxygen permeates in the other direction and is picked up in the methane-containing stream. The resulting residue stream is enriched in methane as well as oxygen and has an EMC value enabling it to be either flared or combusted by mixing with ordinary air. | 11-12-2009 |
| 20090277326 | Gas separation processes using membrance with permeate sweep to recover reaction feedstocks - A gas separation process for treating off-gas streams from reaction processes, and reaction processes including such gas separation. The invention involves flowing the off-gas across the feed side of a membrane, flowing a sweep gas stream, usually air, across the permeate side, and passing the permeate/sweep gas mixture to the reaction. The process recovers unreacted feedstock that would otherwise be lost in the waste gases in an energy efficient manner. | 11-12-2009 |
| 20090057224 | Dehydration processes using membranes with hydrophobic coating - Processes for removing water from organic compounds, especially polar compounds such as alcohols. The processes include a membrane-based dehydration step, using a membrane that has a dioxole-based polymer selective layer or the like and a hydrophilic selective layer, and can operate even when the stream to be treated has a high water content, such as 10 wt % or more. The processes are particularly useful for dehydrating ethanol. | 03-05-2009 |
| 20090004713 | Membrane-augmented distillation with pressure change to separate solvents from water - Processes for removing water from organic solvents, such as ethanol. The processes include distillation in two columns operated at sequentially higher pressure, followed by treatment of the overhead vapor by one or two membrane separation steps. | 01-01-2009 |
| 20080216649 | Liquid-phase and vapor-phase dehydration of organic/water solutions - Processes for dehydrating an organic/water solution by pervaporation or vapor separation using fluorinated membranes. The processes are particularly useful for treating mixtures containing light organic components, such as ethanol, isopropanol or acetic acid. | 09-11-2008 |
