Modified Solution Approach in Modeling of Separation of Gaseous Hydrocarbons using Nanostructure MFI Zeolite Membranes with M-S Formulation and DSL and IAST Assumptions

Abstract

In this study, Maxwell-Stefan (M-S) formulation was used to describe the behavior of diffusion in steady state of light (gaseous) hydrocarbons in nanostructure MFI zeolite membranes. Also, ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) and dual site Langmuir (DSL) for evaluating sorbate loading were used. A new solution method was used to calculate fluxes through zeolite membranes. For a mixture of methane, ethane, propane and n-butane, the proposed method was used and showed the same behavior as predicted in the literature using single site Langmuir adsorption theory. Then, for a binary mixture of methane and propane, this method showed that the predicted permeation selectivity of gaseous hydrocarbons through nanostructure MFI zeolite membranes has better agreement with literature experimental data compared to that of the models presented in the literature.