Advanced Membrane Technology

Ahmad Fauzi Ismail, Azimin Tazilan, Juhana Salim, Norasmah Othman

AKEPT International

Putrajaya, Malaysia
.

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

 1.0 Introduction
• Separation processes play an important role in the chemical process industries
(CPI) for purifying raw materials, recovering products streams and treatment of
waste streams.

• Separation and purification processes are energy intensive accounting for 15%
global usage in 2008.

• Membrane is known as one of the most recent and advanced technology in

chemical engineering for separation and purification processes.

• Membrane technology therefore, can be an alternative technology offering huge

energy and operation cost saving.

• Carbon dioxide, which falls into the category of acid gases (as does hydrogen
sulfide, for example) is commonly found in natural gas streams at levels as high as
80%.
• Processing of natural gas is, by far, the largest industrial gas separation
application. The U.S. consumption of natural gas is ~22 trillion Scf/yr,
total worldwide consumption is ~95 trillion scf/yr.

• This consumption drives a worldwide market for new natural gas

separation equipment of ~5 billion per year.
The necessity for natural gas sweetening (CO2 removal) is to;

1) Increase the fuel heating value

2) Decrease the volume of gas to be transported in pipelines and cylinders
3) Reduce pipeline corrosion within the gas distribution network and
4) Prevent atmospheric pollution
 2.0 The need statements

• Robust and efficient membrane material that can dealt with increasing CO 2
concentration

• Cost effective membrane system for stable and long terms operation

• Viable energy saving alternative for CO 2 removal process.

• Develop and own technology that can envy the oil and
gas industries
 3.0 The Approach

• A simple yet very practical approach has been design and

implemented in order to achieve the need statements. They are:

– Incorporating an inorganic filler to cater for harsh and long term

operating conditions

– Develop new formulation which can heightened membrane

separation performance
 4.0 The benefits
 The new membrane system achieved >100% performance improvement
compared to conventional membrane system

 Can be operated at >100 oC

 Promote greener environment by efficiently removing CO 2 gas.

 High value factor technology:

 Save OPEX up to 50%
 Save CAPEX up to 30%

Based on total process Capacity of 1000 MMSCFD of 15% CO2.

 The material developed allows membrane system to be tailored in advanced

way to separate other gas impurities.
 5.0 Competition

 There are existing four companies producing similar products, but

without incorporating inorganic filler. They are:
 UOP
 MTR
 Natco
 Air Liquide

 However, they are using different base material and their overall
investment cost for similar capacity is higher by about 20%.
 Conclusion

Would you like to own technology

that envy the oil and gas industries ??

Advanced Membrane Technology CO2
Removal from Natural Gas

A business proposal

by

AKEPT International
Thank You