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A hollow fiber membrane gas separation module includes an elongated pressure vessel defining an interior cavity and having at least one end with a permeate exit flow region, a core of short hollow fiber membranes extending in the interior cavity, having lengths falling within a range of from 3 to 60

A hollow fiber membrane gas separation module includes an elongated pressure vessel defining an interior cavity and having at least one end with a permeate exit flow region, a core of short hollow fiber membranes extending in the interior cavity, having lengths falling within a range of from 3 to 60 centimeters and being of the type for separation of gases, and external feed and retentate gas manifolds defining flow chambers and being attached to and overlying spaced side portions of the pressure vessel. The external feed and retentate manifolds permit tailoring of the transverse gas flow through the hollow fiber membranes of the core so as to improve gas separation performance of the hollow fibers.

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A gas separation method, comprising the steps of: (a) providing an elongated pressure vessel having a pair of opposite ends and defining at least one permeate flow outlet therethrough at one of said opposite ends and an interior cavity formed between said opposite ends; (b) providing a core of hollo

A gas separation method, comprising the steps of: (a) providing an elongated pressure vessel having a pair of opposite ends and defining at least one permeate flow outlet therethrough at one of said opposite ends and an interior cavity formed between said opposite ends; (b) providing a core of hollow fiber membranes disposed in said interior cavity of said pressure vessel and including at least one end support member mounted across said one of said opposite ends of said pressure vessel and a multiplicity of hollow fiber membranes extending through said interior cavity of said pressure vessel, said hollow fiber membranes having short lengths falling within a range of from 3 to 60 centimeters and being of a type for separating gases, each of said hollow fiber membranes having at least one open end, a hollow interior bore communicating with said open end, and an exterior surface defining a membrane gas separation area within said interior cavity of said pressure vessel, said each hollow fiber membrane at said open end thereof being attached to said end support member such that said hollow interior bore of said each hollow fiber membrane is positioned in communication with said permeate flow outlet at said one end of said pressure vessel; (c) providing at least one feed manifold connected to and extending along a first side of said pressure vessel and defining a feed flow chamber therewith; (d) introducing a flow of feed gas in a first stream thereof into said feed flow chamber from externally of said feed manifold; (e) diverting the first stream into a plurality of second streams and introducing the second streams into said interior cavity of said pressure vessel from said feed flow chamber such that said second streams distribute the flow of feed gas throughout a greater volume of said interior cavity of said pressure vessel so as to produce a greater degree of mixing and contact of the flow of feed gas with said membrane gas separation areas defined by the exterior surfaces of said hollow fiber membrane than otherwise would be produced by said first stream introduced directly into said interior cavity; (f) producing a flow of a permeate portion of the feed gas in said interior bores of said hollow fiber membranes and discharging said flow of said permeate portion of the feed gas from said one end of said pressure vessel through said permeate flow outlet thereof; and (g) producing a flow of a retentate portion of the feed gas in said interior cavity of said pressure vessel about and outside of said hollow fiber membranes and discharging said flow of said retentate portion of the feed gas from a second side portion of said pressure vessel separate from said first side portion thereof. A hollow fiber membrane gas separation module, comprising: (a) an elongated pressure vessel having a pair of opposite ends and an interior cavity formed between said opposite ends, at least one of said opposite ends defining an open region of said pressure vessel; (b) a core of hollow fiber membranes disposed in said interior cavity of said pressure vessel, said core including at least one end support member mounted across said one end of said pressure vessel defining said open region thereof and a multiplicity of hollow fiber membranes extending through said interior cavity of said pressure vessel, said hollow fiber membranes having short lengths falling within a range of from 3 to 60 centimeters and being of a type for separating gases, each of said hollow fiber membranes having at least one open end, a hollow interior bore communicating with said open end and an exterior surface defining a membrane gas separation area within said interior cavity of said pressure vessel, said each hollow fiber membrane at said open end thereof being attached to said end support member such that said hollow interior bore of said each hollow fiber membrane is positioned in communication with said open region at said one end of said pressure vessel; and (c) means for guiding flow of feed gas under a predetermined pressure from externally of said pressure vessel into said interior cavity thereof and from said interior cavity thereof to externally of said pressure vessel such that the feed gas enters said interior cavity through a first side portion of said pressure vessel, flows across said interior cavity in transverse relation to said hollow fiber membranes therein and contacts said exterior surfaces of said hollow fiber membranes defining said membrane gas separation areas so as to produce a flow of a permeate portion of the feed gas exiting said pressure vessel through said open region at said one end thereof after traveling through said interior bores of said hollow fiber membranes and a flow of a retentate portion of the feed gas exiting said interior cavity through a second side portion of said pressure vessel separate from said first side portion thereof after traveling across said interior cavity outside of said hollow fiber membranes; (d) said flow guiding means including at least one feed manifold connected to and extending along said first side portion of said pressure vessel and defining a feed flow chamber therewith, said feed manifold including an outer wall portion having at least one outer perforation defined therein for introducing the flow of feed gas in a first stream thereof into said feed flow chamber from externally of said pressure vessel, said feed manifold also including an inner wall portion having a plurality of inner perforations defined therein for diverting said first stream into a plurality of second streams and introducing said second streams into said interior cavity of said pressure vessel from said feed flow chamber of said feed manifold such that said second streams distribute the flow of feed gas throughout a greater volume of said interior cavity of said pressure vessel so as to produce a greater degree of mixing and contact of the flow of feed gas with said membrane gas separation areas defined by said exterior surfaces of said hollow fiber membranes than otherwise would be produced by said first stream introduced directly into said interior cavity.