MARK PETERS graduated with both undergraduate and PhD degrees in chemical engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has previously worked at Sasol Technology, where he focused on low–temperature Fischer–Tropsch gas–to–liquids conversion. He is currently a separations consultant at the Centre of Material and Process Synthesis (COMPS), based at the University of the Witwatersrand.

DAVID GLASSER is a Personal Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Centre of Material and Process Synthesis (COMPS) at the University of the Witwatersrand. He has been awarded an A1 rating as a scientist by the National Research Foundation, the central research–funding organization in South Africa, and has authored or coauthored more than a hundred scientific papers.

DIANE HILDEBRANDT is the Co–Director for the Centre of Material and Process Synthesis (COMPS) at the University of the Witwatersrand. She has authored or coauthored over seventy scientific papers. She received the Presidents′ Award from the Foundation for Research and Development as well as the Distinguished Researcher Award from the University of the Witwatersrand.

SHEHZAAD KAUCHALI obtained his PhD at the School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand. He is currently a full–time senior academic and the Director of the Gasification Technology and Research Group.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

Notation.

Chapter 1: Introduction.

Chapter 2: Permeation Modeling.

2.1 Diffusion Membranes.

2.2 Membrane Classification.

Chapter 3: Introduction to Graphical Techniques in Membrane Processes.

3.1 A thought experiment.

3.2 Binary Separations.

3.3 Multi–Component Systems.

Chapter 4: Properties of Membrane Residue Curve Maps.

4.1 Stationary Points.

4.2 Membrane Vector Field.

4.3 Uni–distribution Lines.

4.4 The effect of α–values on the topology of M–RCM’s.

4.5 Properties of an Existing Selective M–RCM.

4.6 Concluding Remarks.

Chapter 5: Application of Membrane Residue Curve Maps to Batch and Continuous Processes.

5.1 Introduction.

5.2 Review of previous chapters.

5.3 Batch Membrane Operation.

5.4 Permeation Time.

5.5 Continuous Membrane Operation.

5.6 Conclusion.

Chapter 6: Column Profiles for Membrane Column Sections.

6.1 Introduction to Membrane Column Development.

6.2 Generalised Column Sections.

6.3 Theory.

6.4 Column Section Profiles: Operating Condition 1.

6.5 Column Section Profiles: Operating Condition 2.

6.6 Column Section Profiles: Operating Condition 3 & 4.

6.7 Applications and Conclusion.

Chapter 7: Novel Graphical Design Methods for Complex Membrane Configurations.

7.1 Introduction.

7.2 Column Sections.

7.3 Complex Membrane Configuration Designs: General.

7.4 Complex Membrane Configuration Designs: Operating Condition 1.

7.5 Complex Membrane Configuration Designs: Operating Condition 2.

7.6 Complex Membrane Configurations: Comparison with Distillation Systems.

7.7 Hybrid Distillation–Membrane Design.

7.8 Conclusion.

Chapter 8: Synthesis and Design of Hybrid Distillation–Membrane Processes.

8.1 Introduction.

8.2 Methanol/Butene/MTBE System.

8.3 Synthesis of a Hybrid Configuration.

8.4 Design of a hybrid configuration.

8.5 Conclusion.

Chapter 9: Concluding Remarks.

9.1 Conclusions.

9.2 Recommendations and future work.

9.3 Design considerations.

9.4 Challenges for membrane process engineering.

References.

Appendix A: MemWorX User Manual.

A.1 System requirements.

A.2 Installation.

A.3 Layout of MemWorX.

A.4 Appearance of Plots.

A.5 Step by step guide to plot using MemWorX.

A.6 Tutorial Solutions.

Appendix B: Flux Model for PERVAP 1137 Membrane.

Appendix C: Proof of Equation for Determining Permeation Time in a Batch Process.

Appendix D: Proof of Equation for Determining Permeation Area in a Continuous Process.

Appendix E: Proof of the Difference Point Equation.

E.1 Proof (using analogous method to distillation).

E.2 Proof (using mass transfer).

Index.