Hydrogen permeation using nanostructured silica membranes

Abstract

This study examines hydrogen (H 2 ) transport and separation factors for various gases on mesoporous membrane for unmodified and dip-coated silica membrane. Single gas permeation of H 2 , N 2 , CH 4 , Ar and CO 2 were determined at permeation temperature of 298-373 K and feed gauge pressure of 0.1 to 0.9 barg. H 2 permaetion rose from 3.3 to about 6.4 l/min at 0.9 bar. H 2 selectivity over N 2 , CH 4 , Ar and CO 2 for the dip-coated silica membrane at 298 K and 0.9 bar was 2.93, 2.18, 3.51 and 3.61 respectively. Observation of the permeation of these membranes revealed that the transport of gases is governed by a combination of activated transport and knudsen flow.