IWV-1: Development of microporous and dense inorganic membranes for the separation of the technically relevant gases, O2/N2, CO2/H2 and CO2/N2, in fossil power plant processes. ( IWV1 webpages)

The Institute for Materials and Processes in Energy Systems (IWV-1) is responsible for the development of inorganic membranes. These membranes will enable the separation of the technically relevant gases, O2/N2, CO2/H2 and CO2/N2, in the various power plant concepts in order to achieve the purest possible exhaust gas stream of the greenhouse gas CO2. Compared with chemical separation processes, membrane processes have the advantage that much lower efficiency losses must be accepted in the separation process and they possess a considerable potential for application in power plants. On the other hand, they require large reaction surfaces which must be correspondingly cost-effective. Within the different inorganic membrane types, a distinction is made between dense ion-conducting or mixed-conducting membranes and microporous crystalline or amorphous membranes. All membrane types have considerable development needs with regard to permeability, selectivity and stability. IWV-1 is concerned with the development and production of new materials and membrane coatings using different process technologies. A thin mixed-conducting perovskite coating on a ceramic support substrate is shown as an example of a candidate for the separation of O2 and N2. A class 1000 clean room was set up at the institute at 2005 for the production of microporous coatings. Since the membranes display particles and coating thicknesses in the nanometre range, it is essential to work under dust-free conditions. Otherwise dust particles, which are often as big as a millimetre or a micrometre, would create large holes in the coatings and destroy the membrane during the wet-chemical or physical deposition of the film. The thin coatings are therefore produced under clean-room conditions, for example by the sol-gel route, using different methods such as spin coating, dip coating or vacuum slip casting.

Contact:Dr. W. A. Meulenberg
 w.a.meulenberg@fz-juelich.de
Telephone: 02461 61-6323
last change 31.10.2005 | | Print