In this paper, modification of polyimide hollow fiber membrane was carried out by introduction of tetrabutylammonium naphthatenesulfonate (BAN) into the membrane matrix. Permeation performance of modified hollow fibers was investigated helps to compressed air dehydration ability across the membrane. The experimental results showed that water sorption and water vapor permeability obviously increase with increase on BAN content in modified membranes, and air dehydration performance was improved by increasing BAN in membrane and ratio of sweeping gas. Moreover, operational pressure and feed flux also impose on important effect on compressed air dehydration capability. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.