A MEMBRANE EXTRACTION PROCESS FOR SHIPBOARD RECOVERY OF JP-5 ICING INHIBITOR ADDITIVE

WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A MEMBRANE-BASED EXTRATION PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF ICING INHIBITOR ADDITIVE FROM WATER SEPARATED FROM JP-5 AVIATION TURBINE FUEL; THE TECHNOLOGY WILL ENABLE REBLENDING OF THE ADDITIVIE. THE NOVEL ELEMENT IN THE PROCESS CONSISTS OF A HOLLOWFIBER CROSSFLOW MEMBRANE CONTACTOR TO WHICH AN AQUEOUS FEED SOLUTION OF ANTI-ICING AGENT AND A SUITABLE WATER-IMMISCIBLE EXTRACTION FLUID ARE SUPPLIED. THE POROUS MEMBRANES CONTAINED THEREIN PROVIDE HIGH-SURFACE-AREA CONTACT BETWEEN THE TWO IMMISCIBLE PHASES ON EITHER SIDE OF THEM AND FACILITATE EFFICIENT TRANSPORT OF THE ANTI-ICING ADDITIVE FROM THE AQUEOUS PHASE TO THE EXTRACTION FLUID; HOWEVER, DISPERSION OF THE PHASES AND THE PROBLEMS ATTENDANT THERETO ARE AVOIDE. IN A SUBSEQUENT STEP, THE EXTRACTANT IS REGENERATED AND THE ADDITIVE IS RECOVERED IN PURE FORM. THE PRINCIPAL BENEFIT OF MEMBRANE-MEDIATED EXTRACTION IN THIS APPLICATION IS THE COMPACT SIZE OF THE LIQUID/LIQUID CONTACTOR, ALTHOUGH OTHER FEATURES SUCH AS SIMPLICITY, RELIABILITY, FLEXIBILITY, AND THE ABILITY TO OPERATE ONBOARD SHIP ARE ALSO ATTRACTIVE. IN PHASE I, WE WILL IDENTIFY, CHARACTERIZE, AND SELECT SUITABLE MEMBRANES, MEMBRANE MODULES, AND EXTRACTION FLUIDS FOR USE IN THE PROCESS, AND A BENCH-SCALE PROTOTYPE SYSTEM WILL BE BUILT AND OPERATED TO DEMONSTRATE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY.