The PB4030 is a relatively newer and smaller sized membrane separator for biogas upgrading. This product separates carbon dioxide from the more valuable methane stream in a source of biogas. The resulting upgraded methane can then be used in CNG applications like vehicle refueling.

 
All of our biogas upgrading membrane separators are PED certified for safe pressurization of the external aluminum shell. This is a big convenience which eliminates the need to build bulky pressure vessels around the membrane banks.

An interview with a PRISM Membranes employee.

Which PRISM Membrane products are PED certified?

All six of the PB biogas upgrading membrane separators are certified to the European PED (Pressure Equipment Directive) requirements.

How do the Prism PB membrane separators differ from competing biogas membrane products?

Some of our competitors offer biogas upgrading separators which are not PED certified. One company, who had previously used our competitor’s membrane product, was required to build their own pressure vessels around the units for secondary containment. This was an expensive inconvenience for the company, which was even more evident when the system included 80 membrane separators. Choosing the PED certified Prism PB membrane separators will eliminate the need to build expensive secondary containment pressure vessels.

How does Air Products obtain the certifications?

In the beginning developments of our PB biogas membrane separators, our engineering team researched the PED requirements for pressure vessels/flammable gases and designed the membrane to meet the directive. The lightweight aluminum shell was selected over stainless steel because it provides the pressure safety element while also allowing the membrane unit to be installed into compact locations without lift-assist equipment. The PED certification requires a series of internal tests and documentations as well as design and sub supplier audits.  

Membrane separation is one of many ways to separate methane from Co2 in biogas upgrading applications. It’s our favorite option, (obviously) and here’s why.
• Compact size & weight
• Scalable
• Low capital investment
• Long membrane life
• No water source needed
• Low to no maintenance

See the biogas upgrading technology comparison below for more details.

What’s your first priority in biogas upgrading?
High methane recovery?
Low power utilization?
Low price?

We published performance data for our three biogas membrane separators for each of these scenarios. See which membrane solution works best for your systems!

It’s Photo Friday, so take a good glimpse of our biogas upgrading membrane separators. Next week’s post will include performance tables for these methane purifying products.

When food scraps, cow manure, and bio waste decompose in an anaerobic digester, a surprisingly valuable, stinky decomp gas is emitted. The gas mixture contains both methane and carbon dioxide which are more valuable as separate streams than mixed together, so our membrane separators do the hard work in dividing the molecular streams. Some biogas upgrading customers make money by piping the separated methane into the local natural gas gridline, while others may use the methane to fuel cars and trucks that run on compressed natural gas. For methane and carbon dioxide flow rates and various biogas upgrading configuration ideas, see this data sheet.

Membrane Separator for Biogas Upgrading

Biogas Schematic

Company Optimizes Product Design for Biogas Upgrading Applications

January 19, 2016 Lehigh Valley, Pa.

Air Products’ (NYSE: APD) PRISM Membranes division in Saint Louis, Missouri, has received PED (Pressure Equipment Directive) certification for two new sizes of membrane separators for biogas upgrading applications. This certification, from DNV GL Business Assurance Italia S.r.l., confirms that Air Products’ biogas separation products meet the European standards for design, manufacture, and safe operation of pressurized equipment.

The company now offers six different PRISM® Membrane Separators for biogas applications. The two new membrane separators are designed for lower biogas processing capacity than Air Products’ current product offerings. This makes the new products ideally suited for small-scale and micro anaerobic digester applications, which constitute the largest number of digesters globally. PRISM Membrane Separators contain polymeric hollow fibers and utilize selective permeation to separate raw biogas into two streams: enriched biomethane and enriched carbon dioxide.

“The two new membrane separators will be offered with both our high flux and high selectivity fiber types,” said Charles Page, Air Products’ PRISM Membranes business manager. “This combination of membrane separator sizes and fiber types provides engineers unparalleled flexibility to optimize system performance in accordance with customer specifications.”

“Air Products is a leading manufacturer of gas separation membrane separators,” said Greg Malcolm, business manager of Engineered Membrane Systems at Air Products. “These new products demonstrate our commitment to meeting the needs of the global biogas market.”

Air Products’ PRISM Membrane Separators are manufactured exclusively at its facility in Saint Louis, Missouri (USA) and sold through an exclusive network of preferred engineering and integration companies worldwide. For more information about these products or becoming a preferred customer, call (314) 995-3300 or email membranes@airproducts.com.

About Air Products
Air Products (NYSE:APD) is a world-leading Industrial Gases company celebrating 75 years of operation. The company’s core Industrial Gases business provides atmospheric and process gases and related equipment to manufacturing markets, including refining and petrochemical, metals, electronics, and food and beverage. Air Products is also the world’s leading supplier of liquefied natural gas process technology and equipment. The company’s Materials Technologies business, which Air Products intends to spin-off by September 2016, serves the semiconductor, polyurethanes, cleaning and coatings, and adhesives industries.

The company had fiscal 2015 sales of $9.9 billion and was ranked number 284 on the Fortune 500 annual list of public companies. Approximately 20,000 employees in 50 countries strive to make Air Products the world’s safest and best performing Industrial Gases company, providing sustainable offerings and excellent service to all customers. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.

NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release regarding important risk factors. Actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors not anticipated by management, including risk factors described in the Company’s Form 10K for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2015.

Membrane Separator for Biogas Upgrading

Membrane Separator for Biogas Upgrading

Membrane Separator for Biogas Upgrading

“This certification confirms that our biogas separation product meets the European standards for design, manufacture and safe operation of pressurized equipment,” said Biogas business manager, Greg Malcolm. “Air Products is a leading manufacturer of gas separation membranes, and this certification builds on our commitment to the European biogas market.” Read the press release here.