Air Dehydration by Permeation Through Dimethylpolysiloxane/polysulfone Membrane

The present work focuses on design, fabrication and evaluation of an air-dehydration membrane system that is capable of producing dry air with a Dew Point of -50°C at a rate of 310 cm³/s using compressed wet-air (90 psig, 23°C) as feed to a membrane system of dimethylpolysiloxane thin-film supported by microporous polysulfone substrate (PDMS/PS). The dehydrator element comprises of a flat sheet PDMS/PS membrane fixed to a cylindrical tubular support, the latter is fitted inside an appropriated chamber. The air-dehydration process is achieved by means of selective permeation of H2O(g) over N2 and O2 gases, the major components of the wet- air, through PDMS/PS membrane.