Dehydration of UDMH-Water Mixtures Using 3A Zeolite Adsorbents in Pressure Swing Adsorption Process

A major challenge in the production of UDMH is the high energy cost associated with the separation of UDMH from the large excess of water. The Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) process is attractive for the final separation since it requires little energy input and is capable of producing a very pure product. At this research, a pilot-scale PSA process was designed and manufactured. The possibility separation of UDMH-water mixtures by adsorption on 3A nanopore zeolites has been investigated. The column was operated under the following operating variables: feed concentration (85-90-95%), adsorption temperature (85-125◦C) and adsorption pressures (0, 0.5 and 1.5 bar). The water concentration, temperature and pressure of process parameters have been varied in order to establish their influence on the PSA performance. The effect of these variables on the enrichment percentage of the product was studied.