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Filtration/Inopor

Funding Project Helios

Pure helium is currently required in many technical and analytical applications and is, so to speak, “consumed” as soon as it no longer meets the required purity standards. The “Helios” project is conducting research into the purification and separation of helium using specially optimized membranes.

Technical ceramics for innovative membrane technology – helium recovery with highly selective ceramic membranes

The overall objective of the project is to research inorganic membranes with maximum selectivity and flow, as well as the process technology for the selective and extremely effective separation of helium from various gas mixtures. Currently, helium is obtained exclusively from natural gas. In extracted natural gas, the helium content is approx. 0.1–0.3 vol.%. Only a few sources have higher concentrations. There are no other currently usable sources of helium. This makes it necessary to:

  • to make new helium sources usable through improved extraction technologies and

  • Recovering helium from current applications and ideally recycling it.

With the technology currently in use, natural gas must be liquefied before separation in order to extract the helium, which requires a great amount of energy. Membranes could separate and enrich helium from natural gas and other gases with considerably less energy. There are a few polymer membranes that can be used for this purpose. However, their selectivity and flow are limited, and their mechanical stability under high pressure (compaction) and chemical stability against hydrocarbons or sulfur compounds are low. The project therefore aims to synthesize and investigate inorganic membranes (zeolites and carbon) that are both chemically and thermally more stable and have significantly better selectivity.

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