Lab 1 Discussion Question – Hardware Factors that Affect the Outcome of the Membrane

Separation of Air Experiment

One hardware factor that will influence the outcome of the experiment is the geometry of
the system. The shape of each hollow fiber, the shape of hollow fiber membrane bundle, and the
orientation of the membrane bundle with respect to the inlet and outlet ports are all important. In
this experiment, each hollow fiber is a thin cylinder, and the membrane bundle is simply a larger
cylinder made up of many of the hollow fibers. This is important because the total membrane
surface area plays a large role in determining how effective the separation is. This can be seen
from Fick’s first law: Ni,membrane = Di,membrane (ci,z – ci,z+z)/ z, where ci,z is the concentration of
species i at position z, ci,z+z is the concentration of species i at a position z+z, Di,membrane is the
diffusion coefficient, and Ni,membrane is the molar flux of species i through the membrane. The
flux has units of moles/(area*time), so multiplying both sides of Fick’s law by the surface area of
the membrane gives the total number of moles that have diffused. The number of moles diffused
is therefore proportional to the surface area. A larger number of thin hollow fibers are employed
because this increases the overall surface area available for mass transfer. Furthermore, the shape
of the fibers is important because different shapes with identical length dimensions will have
different surface areas. For example, consider a rectangular prism (open at both ends) made up of
four rectangles of width a and length b. The surface area is 4ab. Next, consider a cylinder (open
at both ends) of radius a and length b. The surface area is 2ab. This is different from the prism’s
surface area, so the number of moles that diffuse through a cylindrical membrane will be
different than the number of moles that diffuse through a rectangular prism membrane. The
orientation of the membrane bundle with respect to the inlet and outlet ports is also important. In
this experiment, the gas is fed into an inlet chamber; it can either diffuse through the membrane
and flow into the outlet chamber or it can remain behind as the retentate. The spacing between
the inlet chamber, outlet chamber, and retentate exit port can affect the separation because this
spacing determines how much membrane surface area the gas encounters. Longer distances
mean that the total surface area encountered will be larger, which means that more diffusion will
occur for the reasons described above.
Another hardware factor relevant to this experiment involves the measuring devices that
are used to measure flow rate, pressure, and composition. The purpose of the experiment is to
measure the compositions of the retentate and permeate as a function of time and inlet air
pressure. The product flow rates are also measured at each inlet air pressure. Therefore, the
accuracy of these devices is extremely important. Different measurement techniques have
varying degrees of accuracy, so using a different measuring device may give a different answer
even when the application is the same. A related hardware factor that must be considered is the
presence of fittings on the experimental apparatus. One such fitting is the metal casing that holds
the fiber bundles. It is important that this is sealed tightly so that no gas can escape. The casing
must also be impermeable to all of the chemical species relevant to the experiment. Another
fitting is the baffle used to bundle the hollow fibers together. More tightly bound membranes
may give different results than ones that are more loosely bound. A third fitting is the sealant on
the ends of the hollow fibers in the inlet chamber. The sealant must be impermeable to the
diffusing species, and it must also tightly cover the end of the membrane fiber so that no gas can
enter the tube from that end. Issues with the seals can certainly impact the outcome of the
experiment.