Fraunhofer Institute for
Applied Polymer Research IAP
Fraunhofer Institute for
Applied Polymer Research IAP
© Fraunhofer IAP
© Fraunhofer IAP

Development from material to module

© Fraunhofer IAP | Membrane casting machine

Polyacrylnitrilmembran

Development from material to module

© Fraunhofer IAP | Polyacrylonitrile membrane

Labormembrantestanlage

Development from material to module

© Fraunhofer IAP | Membrane test unit

Membranes and Separators | Analysis

Our services at a glance

 

Porosimetry

 

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Gas filtration

 

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Liquid filtration

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Unser Netzwerk


mathematische Simulation | Prüfung und Untersuchung in der Raum- und Lüftungstechnik

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Pervaporation

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Structure elucidation

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Porosimetry

Analyte

  • flat membranes
  • hollow fibers

Application examples

  • identification of pore sizes and
    their distribution
  • characterization of high permeability membranes

Equipment

  • Porolux 500
  • Porolux 1000
  • Poroliq 1000AQ
    • measurement range from ambient
      pressure up to 35 bar
    • pore size identification
      from 100 µm to 2 nm

Target variables

identification of

  • pore sizes of membranes
  • distribution of pore sizes
  • gas permeability of porous membranes and filters (non-wovens)

Gas filtration

Analyte

  • flat membranes
  • hollow fibers

Application examples

We determine

  • the permeabilities and the
    diffusion coefficients of different gases
  • the aging behavior
  • the influence of temperature and solvents on gas diffusion

Equipment

EESR gas permeation unit

  • fully automated
  • single-gas measurement
  • temperature range from 20 to 100 °C
  • solvent stability of the unit is ensured
  • dry gases
  • gases: He, H2, CO2, N2, O2, CH4
  • further gases can be attached to
    the system on demand

Target variables

identification of

  • time lag
  • diffusion coefficient
  • solubility coefficient
  • permeability

Liquid filtration

Analyte

  • flat membranes
  • hollow fibers
  • spiral-wound modules
     

Methods

  • dead-end
  • cross-flow
     

Methods of Measurement

  • micro-, ultra-, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis

Application Examples

  • analysis of the permeation properties of membranes
  • identifying membrane stabilities
    • solvent stability
    • acid and alkali stability
    • temperature stability
    • pressure stability up to 80 bar
  • experiments with different membrane
    materials and/or flow aids
  • optimization of process parameters
    for industrial applications
  • long-term experiments
  • experiments on concentration
  • analysis of the fouling behavior and the cleaning of membranes
  • preparative filtrations

Zielgrößen

  • Permeationsdaten
  • Volumenströme
  • Druckverläufe
  • pH-Werte
  • Leitfähigkeiten

Equipment

LSta 80

  • temperature range up to 80 °C
  • pressure range up to 80 bar
  • solvent stable, incl. volatile solvents
  • stirred feed tank
  • feed & bleed operation
    (refill and discharge pumps)
  • pH stabilization
  • use of membrane stacks possible
  • adjustment control for constant
    volumetric flow rate of concentrate
  • adjustment control for constant pressure
  • measurement of pressure, temperature, volumetric flow rate, pH value,
    conductivity in feed, permeate and
    retentate
  • characterization of highly permeable membranes

Target Variables

  • permeation data
  • volumetric flow rate
  • pressure gradient
  • pH values
  • conductivity

Pervaporation

Analyte

  • flat membranes
  • hollow fibers
  • tubular membranes

Method

  •  cross-flow

Application examples

  • purification of liquid mixtures with dense membranes
  • dehydration of organic solvents
    • alcohols
    • organic acids
    • ketones
    • ethers
    • esters
  • increasing the turnover of chemical
    reactions
  • recovery of aromates in the food industry
  • separation of organic mixtures,
    e.g. separation of methanol/ethanol from hydrocarbons

Equipment

  • thermostat (cryo trap down to -30 °C)
  • solvent stable vacuum pump
  • different modules

Target variables

  • permeation behavior of membranes
  • selectivity of different membrane
    materials
  • determination of the stability of
    membranes in liquid mixtures

Structure elucidation

Analyte

  • flat membranes
  • hollow fibers
  • tubular membranes

Application examples

  • identification of membrane morphology
    • in vacuum
    • in humid atmosphere
  • damage and failure analysis

Anwendungen

  • Bestimmung der Membranmorphologie
  • Einstellung der Membranstruktur
  • Schadensanalyse

Equipment

  • SEM and cryofracture
  • ESEM
  • gold coater
    (gold layer thickness from 1 to 100 nm)

ESEM

Zeiss EVO 15

  • resolution up to 2 nm
  • max. sample diameter 250 mm, sample height 145 mm
  • motorized stage with XYZ travel,
    125 x 125 x 50 mm
  • high definition four-quadrant backscatter detector
  • C2DX detector for environmental mode
  • 3DSM topography identification
    (min. 1 µm)
  • EDX analysis
  • extended pressure mode (up to 3000 Pa)
  • rel. humidity 100 %
  • refrigerated table

Target variables

analysis of membrane morphology

  • layer thickness
  • topography
  • composition of layers