نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
We simulated a three-stage membrane process for helium recovery from natural gas in PRO/II using the Peng–Robinson equation of state. Three polymeric membranes: polyimide, polypyrrole, and polysulfone were evaluated under identical feed conditions and design criteria (90% product purity, 95% recovery). The model reproduced literature data and the stagewise increase in purity. Techno-economic analysis shows that the higher permeability of polyimide and polypyrrole lowers the required membrane area and compression power, improving both CAPEX and OPEX. In the optimized design, total investment is USD 8–9 million, the payback period is about 5–5.5 years, and the rate of return is 19%. Accordingly, polyimide is the most economical option, with polypyrrole as a close alternative, while polysulfone remains less competitive. One-way sensitivity analyses indicate limited elasticity to electricity tariff but strong dependence on helium price over the tested range.
کلیدواژهها English