This paper presents information and data relative to recent advances in the development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory of porous inorganic membranes for high-temperature hydrogen separation. The Inorganic Membrane Technology Laboratory, which was formerly an organizational element of Bechtel Jacobs Company, LLC, was formally transferred to Oak Ridge National Laboratory on August 1, 2002, as a result of agreements reached between Bechtel Jacobs Company, the management and integration contractor at the East Tennessee Technology Park (formerly the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant or Oak Ridge K-25 Site); UT-Battelle, the management and operating contractor of Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Operations Office. Research emphasis during the last year has been directed toward the development of high-permeance (high-flux) and high-separation-factor metal-supported membranes. Performance data for these membranes are presented and are compared with performance data for membranes previously produced under this program and for membranes produced by other researchers. New insights into diffusion mechanisms are included in the discussion. Fifteen products, many of which are the results of research sponsored by the DOE Fossil Energy Advanced Research Materials Program, have been declared unclassified and have been approved for commercial production.

The purpose of this work is to improve the method of fabricating tubular metal supported microporous inorganic membranes. Earlier work focused on the original development of inorganic membranes for the purification of hydrogen. These membranes are now being scaled up for demonstration in a coal gasification plant for the separation of hydrogen from coal-derived synthesis gas for a project funded by the Office of Fossil Energy's Gasification and Coal Fuels programs [1]. This project is part of FutureGen, an initiative to build the world's first integrated sequestration and hydrogen production research power plant. Although previous work in the Advanced Research Materials Program project led to development of a tubular metal supported microporous membrane which was approved by the Department of Energy for testing, the membranes generally have lower than desired selectivities for hydrogen over other gases common in synthesis gas including carbon dioxide. The work on this project over three years will lead to general improvements in fabrication techniques that will result in membranes having higher separation factors and higher fluxes. Scanning electron microscopy and profilometry data will be presented to show qualitatively and quantitatively the surface roughness of the support tubes. We will discuss how the roughness affects membrane quality and methods to improve the quality of the support tube surface.

Inorganic membrane science and technology is a new field of membrane separation technology which until recently was dominated by the earlier field of polymer membranes. Currently the subject is undergoing rapid development and innovation.The present book describes the fundamental principles of both synthesis of inorganic membranes and membrane supports and also the associated phenomena of transport and separation in a semi-quantitative form.Features of this book:- Examples are given which illustrate the state-of-the-art in the synthesis of membranes with controlled properties- Future possibilities and limitations are discussed- The reader is provided with references to more extended treatments in the literature- Potential areas for future innovation are indicated.By combining aspects of both the science and technology of inorganic membranes this book serves as a useful source of information for scientists and engineers working in this field. It also provides some observations of important investigators who have contributed to the development of this subject.

This reference book addresses the evolution of materials for both oxygen and hydrogen transport membranes and offers strategies for their fabrication as well as their subsequent incorporation into catalytic membrane reactors. Other chapters deal with, e.g., engineering design and scale-up issues, strategies for preparation of supported thin-film membranes, or interfacial kinetic and mass transfer issues. A must for materials scientists, chemists, chemical engineers and electrochemists interested in advanced chemical processing.

Here is the first book devoted completely to inorganic membrane separations and applications. It provides detailed information on all aspects of the development and utilization of both commercial and developmental inorganic membranes and membrane-based processes, pointing out their key advantages and limitations as separation tools. Characteristics, technological advances, and future applications of inorganic membranes are discussed in depth. An overview of the origins of these membranes provides a basis for understanding emerging technologies in the field. Coverage of thermal, chemical, surface, and mechanical properties of inorganic membranes includes discussion of pore diameter, thickness, and membrane morphology. You'll gain valuable insights into membrane modification, as well as the design and operation of membrane filtration units. Also included are sections on how to analyze mechanisms that affect flux feature models for prediction of micro- and ultrafiltration flux that help you minimize flux decline. Descriptions of cross-flow membrane filtration and common operating configurations clarify the influence of important operating parameters on system performance. Parameters influencing solute retention properties during ultrafiltration are identified and discussed or treated in detail.