ALTERNATING POTENTIAL GAS SEPARATION PROCESS WITH CAPACITIVE MEMBRANES, AND RELEVANT PLANT

The present invention relates to a process, and relevant plant (1), for separating at least one key component (KC) from a multicomponent gas stream (GS) that is caused to flow on a composite membrane (20) comprising dense domains (21) permeable to the key component (KC) and porous domains (22) intended to adsorb preferentially the key component (KC). A permeate stream (PS), separated from the multicomponent gas stream (GS) and containing the key component (KC), is extracted through a discharge line (5) depending on the measured value of the pressure (P) downstream the membrane (20), Upon reaching a predetermined maximum value (pmax) of such pressure (P), the permeate stream (PS) is extracted until reaching a predetermined minimum value (pmin) of such pressure (P) downstream the membrane (20), and upon reaching such predetermined minimum value (pmin), the extraction of the permeate stream (PS) is stopped. Thus by repeating such operations extracting and stopping the extraction downstream the membrane (20), alternated cycles are generated and a pseudo-steady state condition is accomplished, where the plant (1) receives the feed stream (GS) in the continuous mode and releases the permeate stream (PS) in an intermittent manner, while a retentate stream (RS), containing the components of the feed stream (GS) that have not been collected in the permeate stream (PS) is discharged with continuity. By handling the predetermined maximum value (pmax) and minimum value (pmin) of the pressure (P) downstream the membrane (20), that is of the extraction cycle of the permeate stream (PS), it is possible to considerably vary the efficacious permeance value and the separation factor of the process without modifying the membrane (20), the module (10) where it is contained or the feeding conditions.