【Original Contribution】Design and Economic Evaluation of the Separation Processes using Inorganic Membrane Technology

Abstract

Membrane separation and/or membrane–distillation hybrid process has attracted attention in industry because of their strong impact on energy savings in chemical processes. Compared to conventional distillation columns, these processes have the advantage of reducing operation and capital costs, however a few work has been done to conducted the economics of these processes. This study employed the simulation model by Aspen Plus, custom modeler and economic analyzer to evaluate separation, energy saving and economic performances. The membrane and membrane– distillation separation processes were economically superior to the conventional distillation process for separation of a propylene–propane mixture. In particular, a membrane separation process reduced energy consumption and total annual cost by 67.8 and 68.4% respectively in comparison with the conventional distillation process.