Membranes that can separate water from organics over broad operating conditions is of significant value to the chemical industry. This paper identifies a number of opportunities that value the membrane unit operation of water-organic separations. Data will then be presented on water-organic separations with a specific emphasis on high performance chemically aggressive hydrolytically unstable hydraulic fluids.

Chemical stability of fluids exposed to water is a major problem with high performance hydraulic fluids. Most specifically, esters interact with dispersed and dissolved water to revert back into alcohols and acids. These acids further catalyze the hydrolysis reaction and further degrade the hydraulic fluids. To reduce the presence of water which is the key component in hydrolysis, Compact Membrane Systems, Inc (CMS) has demonstrated a bench-scale pervaporation membrane system for removal of dissolved and/or dispersed water from hydraulic fluids.

In addition to presenting laboratory results on hydraulic fluids, the broader implications associated with water-organic separations will be discussed.

Extended Abstract Status: File Uploaded