ARID Technologies offers four primary products: (1) PERMEATOR, (2) Membrane CRU, (3) ARIDAS 150, and (4) Integrated On-Spot Railcar loading and fuel vapor recovery system. The ARIDAS-150 is a stand-alone monitoring and data acquisition system, while the PERMEATOR, Membrane CRU, and Integrated On-Sport Railcar loading application all make use of the same fundamental membrane separation technology.
ARID uses a selectively permeable membrane which separates a feed stream containing hydrocarbon vapor and air into two streams; a hydocarbon rich stream and a hydrocarbon-lean stream. For the PERMEATOR, the hydrocarbon rich stream is returned directly (in vapor phase) to the headspace of a regular grade fuel tank, and the hydrocarbon-lean stream (comprised of clean air) is exhausted to the atmosphere. The enriched hydrocarbons are used to "blanket" the storage tanks with saturated vapor, which eliminates the root cause of liquid evaporation to vapor phase product. In this manner, further evaporation of product is eliminated, and fuel savings accrue to the owner or operator of the gasoline station. For the Membrane CRU, this unit is placed between the truck rack and an existing carbon adsorption system used at bulk loading terminals. In this case, the hydrocarbon rich stream is routed to the absorber column (normal component on carbon adsorption system) and this stream is liquified and returned to the bulk storage tank. The hydrocarbon-lean stream is directed to the carbon adsorption beds for subsequent processing. In this manner, the Membrane CRU removes the bulk of the hydrocarbons, water vapor, ethanol and other organic compounds before they reach the carbon bed, thereby significantly increasing the processing capacity of the existing carbon vapor recovery unit. The retrofit of the Membrane CRU expands capacity of the carbon bed system, reduces emissions from the carbon bed and prolongs equipment life for many years.