Technology Sheet Degassing of Liqids Using Membrane Technology

1
TECHNOLOGY SHEET
DEGASSING OF LIQIDS USING MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY
APPLICATIONS
Possible applications of gas-liquid contacting system, such as degassing, are as follows:
1. Drinking water with the smell of “rotten eggs” due to the presence of naturally dissolved
hydrogen sulfide, are often encountered in shallow, poorly constructed wells or wells located
close to sewer lines or septic systems. Often wells drilled in shale or sandstone or near coal or
oil fields often will have hydrogen sulfide present in the water. Although typical
concentrations in household water are not a health risk, high concentrations do affect the taste
of water, at concentrations as low as 0.1 mg of hydrogen sulfide per liter of water (mg/L).
Hydrogen sulfide can also corrode plumbing metals (iron, steel, copper, brass), resulting in
black stains in laundry and bathroom fixtures, darken silverware and discolor copper and
brass utensils. In addition, presence of dissolved sulfides increases the cost of chlorination,
since chlorine is chemically consumed by dissolved sulfide.
2. In treating water using an ion-exchange resin, the presence of dissolved carbon dioxide in the
water can substantially increase the chemical costs for resin regeneration. When the dissolved
carbon dioxide is removed from the water, the frequency of regeneration of the resin bed can be
reduced, hereby saving thousands of dollars in sodium hydroxide costs.
3. Pretreatment of water for electro deionization (EDI) systems requires removal of dissolved
gases from the water. The presence of dissolved carbon dioxide adds a significant ionic load to
EDI units and decreases their performance levels.
4. Removal of dissolved gases from boiler feed water is needed to prevent corrosion of pipes that
feed the boiler. The use of neutralizing chemicals negatively impacts the environment. Carbon
dioxide is formed when water containing dissolved salts, such as sodium bicarbonate, is heated
in a boiler. This dissolved carbon dioxide creates acidic water which attacks the inner surface
of the pipes. Dissolved oxygen in water also causes corrosion in boiler pipes. Corrosion of pipes
results in poor heat transfer within the boiler. The presence of dissolved oxygen can also result
in bacterial growth in warm water pipes, resulting in plugging of the pipes.
5. In pharmaceutical production, the concentration of dissolved gases in the water is very critical.
Water with low conductivity (< 1.3 µS/cm) is often needed and this requires high removal
efficiencies for the dissolved carbon dioxide.
6. In the manufacture of microelectronics, the need for ultrapure water is critical. New roadmaps
for 300 mm wafers and other small devices point to requirements of < 1 ppb of dissolved
oxygen.
PRD Tech, Inc. 1776 Mentor Avenue Mail Box Suite # 107 Cincinnati, OH 45212
Tel: (513) 673 3583; Fax: (513) 984 5710 Email: rgovind837@aol.com
2
7. Many manufacturing processes and in making analytical measurements require the removal of
gas bubbles from fluid streams. For example, liquids used in cleaning or coating process, such
as dyes in the manufacture of photographic films, the presence of gas bubbles, which adhere to
the surface, can result in defects, resulting in significant yield losses of the final product.
Presence of gas bubbles in liquid lines can also blanket sensors, resulting in erroneous
measurements.
8. Ammonia is widely used as a cleaning and bleaching agent in the production of many products,
such as fertilizers, plastics and explosives. This requires the removal of ammonia from the
wastewater produced by these manufacturing processes.
9. Removal of trihalomethanes (THMs) from drinking water is a major issue, especially since
these halogenated compounds are carcinogenic. THMs often result from the use of
chloroanilines by municipal water treating plants. The presence of these compounds can
adversely affect downstream processes that require high purity water.
10. Removal of dissolved and gas bubbles from emulsions, liquids capable of foaming, fuel lines,
etc. is often encountered in many applications, since gas bubbles can retard or completely stop
liquid flows.
11. Saturation of air with water, i.e., humidification. Although in this case, water vapor is being
added to the air, by designing a countercurrent flow of water and air on either side of the
porous membrane system, the high surface area of the membrane allows the water to
evaporate and mix with the air to give a fully saturated air.
12. Carbonation of liquid in which compressed carbon dioxide is mixed with the liquid before the
liquid is packaged. Membranes systems can be used to achieve a more uniform carbonation
with small bubbles than plain bubbling or any other type of mechanical mixing.
13. The primary sources of taste and odor (T&O) problems in drinking water are algae and
bacteria. In many cases, anthropogenic sources, such as wastewater discharges and chemical
spills also act as sources of chemicals that cause or promote off taste and odors. For example,
discharges of nitrogen and phosphorus from municipal treatment plants increases the potential
for algae blooms by providing nutrients that feed algae.
14. Algae and bacteria release a variety of chemicals, such as Geosmin (earthy odors), 2-
methylisoborneol (MIB) (musty odors) as well as algal toxins (microcystin), which are
responsible for off tastes, odors and acute/chronic health impacts on animals and humans. Due
to their small molecular weight and limited ability to adsorb to carbon, these compounds are
difficult to remove.
3
Current Methods for Degassing

There are several methods that have been commercialized for degassing liquids. Table 1 provides
a summary of the various methods and their characteristics.
Table 1. Summary of Liquid Degassing Methods.
Degassing Method
Dense/Porous Inert Gas Heating Vacuum Method Ultrasonic
Characteristics Membrane Purge Method Method
Concentration Inert gas Heating Decrease in pressure Oscillating
difference decreases decreases gas causes dissolved gases to pressure causes
Principle across dense partial solubility in form gas phase and dissolved gases to
membrane pressure of liquid phase separate due to density form gas phase
dissolved difference
gases
Type of system Continuous Continuous Batch Batch/Continuous Continuous
flow flow
Limited by Can cause explosive Safe if liquid is not
Safety Very safe Very safe flammability, limits in the gas phase, heated by
heat sensitivity depending on liquid ultrasonic energy
volatility dissipation
Membranes Heating Large vacuum pumps can Ultrasonic
Reliability can foul Reliable surfaces can have reliability issues generators need to
decreasing corrode and with maintenance of seals be maintained
performance foul
Cost varies High cost due Cost of Cost can be high due to Low cost for small
depending on to high thermal energy large losses of liquid with liquid flows but
Cost membrane consumption is increasing dissolved gases, which increases rapidly
geometry and of inert gas due to rising have to be separated with increasing
material and cost of fuel costs liquid flowrates
inert gas
Other methods use a combination of the methods summarized in the above table. For example,
steam injection is used in some cases for degassing, where steam is the inert gas and also provides heat to
the liquid being degassed. The dissolved gases with steam are separated from the liquid phase and then
steam is condensed to separate the dissolved gases from the water. Recently, a novel pump was
introduced by Yokota Manufacturing Company in Japan, which degasses liquids by subjecting the liquid
to a vacuum condition within the pump structure, thereby enabling the liquid to be degassed continuously
instead of in a batch mode. The main issue is with its performance efficiency. For example, with 8 ppm of
dissolved oxygen at the inlet, the pump can deliver liquid with 0.5 ppm dissolved oxygen at the outlet,
giving it 94% efficiency of removal. It does not exhibit removal efficiencies in excess of 98% as in the case
of membranes. Also, in the case of dissolved hydrogen sulfide, corrosion of the pump will occur due to
hydrogen sulfide gas. Another concern is the energy consumption of the pump since it actively pumps the
liquid while degassing it.
4
Membrane Degassification
Hollow fiber membranes have been used for degasification of liquids. Hollow fiber porous
membranes consist of small diameter fibers through which the liquid flows and vacuum or air is used to
remove the contaminants, such as hydrogen sulfide, into the shell side, outside the fibers. The main
disadvantages of hollow fiber degassing systems are:
1. High cost of the membrane module, since hollow fibers are expensive to manufacture, which
then have to be assembled and sealed into a cylindrical container, using special sealants;
2. Leakage of any fiber either due to manufacturing defects in the fiber or in the seal between
the fibers and the shell side causes system failure of the entire cartridge, requiring
replacement;
3. Large pressure drop of the liquid since it has to flow through small diameter fibers;
4. Possible clogging of the small diameter fibers due to sand, grit, etc.;
5. Exposure of drinking water to sealants and adhesives used to construct the module; and
6. Clogging of the membrane pores due to deposition of salts and precipitates.
PRD Tech’s Degassification System
PRD Tech uses a spiral wound membrane module, shown below, instead of hollow fiber module,
which offers several advantages:
• Lower cost than hollow fiber;

• Does not use any adhesives/sealants, which can leach organics into drinking water;
• Extremely low extractables, which is important for drinking water applications;
• Modular, i.e., several membrane cartridges are used to achieve the desired surface area,
and each cartridge can be changed in the field with no tools;
• Each cartridge uses a double O-ring seal, which ensures no leakages;
• Precise pore size;
• Natural barrier to water without the use of surface modifying agents, which can leach or
wash out;
• Reliable integrity under severe process conditions; and
• Meets FDA requirements for food contact use and passes USP Class VI biological tests for
plastics.
Double O-ring seals
5
PRD Tech’s Treatment Systems
The figure below a schematic of a typical treatment system for treating 500 gpm of water:
PRESSURE GAUGE
VACUUM
EXIT WATER
52-1/2” 2-5/16”
15-1/2” SQUARE
WITH 11 MEMBRANE
TIE ROD CARTRIDGES
INLET WATER
CLOSURE
WITH TEE
CPVC BASE, COVER AND SHELL. CPVC VENT VALVE
HANDLES AND INTERNALS. TIE ROD ENCLOSURE WITH TEE
HANDLES, STAINLESS STEEL SHELL HOLD-DOWN
BRACKET, TOP REINFORCING PLATE, 0-60 PSI
2-1/2” PRESSURE GAUGE AND GUARD, EPDM GASKETS.
ALL FASTNERS ARE STAINLESS STEEL.
15-1/2”
NUMBER OF CARTRIDGES: 11
CARTRIDGE DIMENSIONS: 2-5/8” X 40”
It consists of a chamber which is mounted on a 15-1/2” square base. The chamber contains 11 cartridges, each
cartridge being 40” long and 2-5/8” diameter. The cartridge contains a pleated, thermally bonded membrane
with a single open “O”-ring (double O-rings) installed within the chamber without any tools. Each 40” long
cartridge contains 22 square foot of membrane area.
The figure below shows several such systems connected in parallel to handle 1500 gpm water flow
rate:
WATER OUTLET
WATER INLET
62”
6” SCHEDULE 80
PVC PIPE
MANUAL VALVES
VACUUM
PUMP
AMBIENT
AIR
6
Similar systems can be designed for removing other gases, such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, volatile
organics, chlorine, etc. Depending on the type of dissolved gas, its concentration, water flow rate and
operating temperature, a suitable degassing system can be designed and supplied by PRD Tech, Inc.
Economic Analysis
The following cost and operating parameters have been determined for PRD Tech’s membrane degassing
system.
System Parameter Value

0.002 – 0.05 cents/gallon of water
Investment Cost of unit treated (cost decreases for
increasing water flow rate)
0.1 – 1 W/gpm (higher power for
Electrical power consumption increasing dissolved gas
concentration)
Membrane Area 3.5 – 350 square feet
Foot print of unit Footprint Area/Membrane Area
varies in the range 0.01 – 0.03
Pressure Drop across unit 0.07 – 0.12 psi/gpm
PRD Tech warranties its treatment systems including membrane cartridges against manufacturing
defects for a period of 3 years, and warranties the performance to be at least 90% of the inlet recoverable
dissolved gas concentration. For a detailed proposal for a specific application, please contact Dr. Rakesh
Govind.

Technology Sheet Degassing of Liqids Using Membrane Technology

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Technology Sheet Degassing of Liqids Using Membrane Technology

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

1

Current Methods for Degassing

Table 1. Summary of Liquid Degassing Methods.

PRD Tech’s Degassification System

• Lower cost than hollow fiber;

Double O-ring seals

PRD Tech’s Treatment Systems

System Parameter Value

You might also like