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A diffusion equation for gas permeation through microporous media in the Knudsenregime was obtained theoretically, considering the potential energy between a gas molecule and the solid surface of pores. The equation as a function of temperature contains four parameters, all of which have physical meanings. The most significant of these parameters is the effective potential energy £*, by which the gas diffusion equation as a function of temperature is characterized. Permeabilities of He, H2, CO, N2, O2, Ar, and CO2 through a microporous Vycor glass membranewere measured in the temperature range from 300Kto 950K. The validity of the diffusion equation obtained was verified experimentally and was shownto express well the previous data.For helium in particular, diffusion is almost gas-phase flow, with no adsorbed flow except at very low temperature. However, the diffusion is affected by the interaction energy between the gas molecules and the solid surface in the pores.

Mass transfer coefficients on the surface of porous glass membrane were obtained from separation tests of H2-C0 mixtures. These data agree with the correlation presented by Ghosh and Upadhyay for mass transfer on an impermeable wall. In addition, effects of the selectivity of membrane and bulk composition on the concentration polarization phenomenon are discussed and the limiting permeability which is affected by the polarization is represented as a function of mass transfer coefficient.