A general model for membrane-based separation processes

A separation process could be defined as a process that transforms a given mixture of chemicals into two or more compositionally distinct end-use products. One way to design these separation processes is to employ a model-based approach, where mathematical models that reliably predict the process behaviour will play an important role. In this paper, modelling of membrane-based processes for separation of gas and liquid mixtures are considered. Two general models, one for membrane-based liquid separation processes (with phase change) and another for membrane-based gas separation are presented. The separation processes covered are: membrane-based gas separation processes, pervaporation and various types of membrane distillation processes. The specific model for each type of membrane-based process is generated from the two general models by applying the specific system descriptions and the corresponding modelling assumptions. Analyses of the generated models, together with their validation and application in process design/analysis are highlighted through several case studies. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.