Gas separation membrane module assembly

1. A gas-separation assembly, comprising:

(a) a housing comprising a shell and at least one removable head, and enclosing an interior region;

(b) a plurality of tubes, each having a first end and a second end, positioned in parallel within the housing and enclosing a plurality of gas separation membranes, each membrane having a feed side and a permeate side;

(c) a tube sheet mounted in the housing and dividing the interior region into two spaces: (i) a feed gas space and (ii) a residue gas space, each in gas-transferring relationship with the feed side, the tube sheet further having a plurality of openings that hold the tubes in spaced-apart relationship;

(d) a feed port in the housing through which gas may be introduced into the feed gas space;

(e) a residue port in the housing through which gas may be withdrawn from the residue gas space;

(f) a permeate port in the housing;

(g) a permeate collection system within the housing, comprising:

(i) for each tube, a permeate outlet pipe positioned at one end and adapted to capture permeate gas from the gas separation membranes within the tube;

(ii) a permeate manifold positioned within the interior region, into which each permeate outlet pipe is connected, and which is itself connected to the permeate port.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the membranes are flat-sheet membranes packaged into spiral-wound modules.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the membranes are hollow fibers potted into hollow-fiber modules.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the membranes are hollow fibers and each tube and the membranes enclosed therein form a single membrane module.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein each tube contains multiple membrane modules arranged in series.

6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tube sheet is positioned near the feed port.

7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tube sheet is positioned near the residue port.

8. The assembly of claim 1 , having only one tube sheet.

9. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first ends are oriented toward the removable head.

10. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises two removable heads.

11. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the permeate outlet pipe comprises a flexible tube.

12. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the permeate port has a flange protruding into the feed space to which the permeate manifold is connected.

13. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of tubes is 7 tubes.

14. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of tubes is 19 tubes.

15. A gas-separation assembly, comprising:

(a) a housing comprising a shell and a removable head, and enclosing an interior region;

(b) a plurality of tubes each having a first end and a second end, positioned in parallel within the housing such that the first ends are oriented towards the removable head;

(c) a plurality of a first and subsequent spiral-wound modules connected in series within each tube, each module having a permeate collection pipe protruding axially from the module;

the first module being closest to the first end with its permeate collection pipe having a collection end protruding towards the removable head;

(d) a tube sheet mounted in the housing and dividing the interior region into two spaces: (i) a feed gas space and (ii) a residue gas space, the tube sheet further having an opening for each tube through which the tube can pass, the openings supporting the tubes in spaced-apart relationship;

(e) a feed port in the housing through which gas may be introduced into the feed gas space;

(f) a residue port in the housing through which gas may be withdrawn from the residue gas space;

(g) a permeate port in the housing;

(h) a permeate outlet pipe for each collection end and connected to each collection end;

(i) a permeate manifold positioned within the interior region, into which each permeate outlet pipe is connected, and which is itself connected to the permeate port.

16. The assembly of claim 15 , wherein the tube sheet is positioned near the feed port.

17. The assembly of claim 15 , having only one tube sheet.

18. The assembly of claim 15 , wherein the housing comprises two removable heads.

19. The assembly of claim 15 , wherein the permeate outlet pipe comprises a flexible tube.

20. The assembly of claim 15 , wherein the permeate port has a flange protruding into the feed space to which the permeate manifold is connected.

21. The assembly of claim 15 , wherein the housing is made of steel.

22. The assembly of claim 15 , wherein each tube contains at least two and no more than six modules.

23. A gas-separation assembly, comprising:

(a) a housing comprising a shell and a removable head, and enclosing an interior region;

(b) a plurality of hollow-fiber modules, each module having a residue end, a permeate end, a cylindrical casing between the ends in which is at least one aperture through which gas may pass, a shell side and a bore side, the modules being positioned in parallel within the housing with the permeate ends oriented towards the removable head;

(c) a tube sheet mounted in the housing and dividing the interior region into two spaces: (i) a feed gas space and (ii) a residue gas space, each in gas-transferring relationship with the shell side, the tube sheet further having a plurality of openings that hold the modules in spaced-apart relationship;

(d) a feed port in the housing through which gas may be introduced into the feed gas space;

(e) a residue port in the housing through which gas may be withdrawn from the residue gas space;

(f) a permeate port in the housing;

(g) a residue collection pipe protruding from the residue end of each module at least far enough to provide gas-transferring relationship between the module and the residue gas space;

(h) a permeate outlet pipe connected to each permeate end;

(i) a permeate manifold positioned within the interior region, into which each permeate outlet pipe is connected, and which is itself connected to the permeate port.

24. The assembly of claim 23 , wherein the tube sheet is positioned near the residue port.

25. The assembly of claim 23 , wherein the tube sheet is positioned near the residue port and the openings each have a diameter larger than the residue collection pipe and smaller than the tubes.

26. The assembly of claim 23 , having only one tube sheet.

27. The assembly of claim 23 , wherein the housing further comprises a second removable head.

28. The assembly of claim 23 , wherein the permeate outlet pipe comprises a flexible tube.

29. The assembly of claim 23 , wherein the permeate port has a flange protruding into the feed space to which the permeate manifold is connected.

30. The assembly of claim 23 , wherein the housing is made of steel.

31. A gas-separation process using the assembly of claim 1 , and comprising:

(a) introducing a feed gas mixture into the feed port and allowing the feed gas mixture to flow across the gas separation membranes on the feed side;

(b) providing a driving force to induce gas permeation from the feed side to the permeate side;

(c) withdrawing from the permeate port a permeate gas mixture;

(d) withdrawing from the residue port a residue gas mixture.

32. The process of claim 31 , wherein the feed gas mixture comprises natural gas.

33. The process of claim 31 , wherein the feed gas mixture comprises hydrogen.

34. A gas-separation process using the assembly of claim 15 , and comprising:

(a) introducing a feed gas mixture into the feed port and allowing the feed gas mixture to flow across the gas separation membranes on the feed side;

(b) providing a driving force to induce gas permeation from the feed side to the permeate side;

(c) withdrawing from the permeate port a permeate gas mixture;

(d) withdrawing from the residue port a residue gas mixture.

35. The process of claim 34 , wherein the feed gas mixture comprises natural gas.

36. The process of claim 34 , wherein the feed gas mixture comprises hydrogen.

37. A gas-separation process using the assembly of claim 23 , and comprising:

(a) introducing a feed gas mixture into the feed port and allowing the feed gas mixture to flow across the gas separation membranes on the feed side;

(b) providing a driving force to induce gas permeation from the feed side to the permeate side;

(c) withdrawing from the permeate port a permeate gas mixture;

(d) withdrawing from the residue port a residue gas mixture.

38. The process of claim 37 , wherein the feed gas mixture comprises natural gas.

39. The process of claim 37 , wherein the feed gas mixture comprises hydrogen.