Numerical modelling and simulation of membranes for separating gases in supercritical state

• Grant number: 22/14357-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2023
• End date: December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mechanical Engineering - Transport Phenomena
• Principal Investigator: Bruno Souza Carmo
• Grantee: Flávio Silva Ferro
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Company: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Politécnica (EP)
• Associated research grant: 20/15230-5 - Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Innovation - RCG2I, AP.PCPE

Abstract

The use of membranes for separating gases has been increasing due to its various qualities. The gas separation process turns to be a necessity in recovering hydrogen and helium, removing SO2 and CO2 from natural gas, among other uses. The utilization of membranes in these processes can make them cheaper when compared to other technologies and has an easy scale-up. This research explores the use of membranes in the separation of gases in supercritical state, as the subject is still underexplored, and verifies the influence of geometric parameters in membrane modules with the goal of optimizing the process. Aiming to do so, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CDF) modelling and simulations, employing the finite element method and implemented in the commercial software COMSOL will be used. With this model, we will assess the separation performance of the membrane for different operation conditions and will optimize the basic design of the membrane bundle.