JP2529726B2 - Hollow fiber type membrane module - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a hollow fiber type membrane module in which the interface between a hollow fiber and an epoxy adhesive sealing layer is reinforced and leakage due to external force is less likely to occur.

[Problems to be Solved by Prior Art and Invention]

Various types of semipermeable membrane modules, which are the heart of reverse osmosis equipment, ultrafiltration equipment, or microfiltration equipment, are used depending on the application, and one of them is a hollow fiber type membrane. The module has a length of 100 to 2000 mm and an outer diameter of 0.02 to 2 mm
It contains several tens to tens of thousands of hollow fiber bundles of about φ, and the adhesive sealing at the ends is mainly sealed with an epoxy adhesive.

Since such a hollow fiber type membrane module is compact, it is widely used in various fields.

In the hollow fiber membrane module, the interface between the adhesive sealing portion and the hollow fiber membrane is a portion where the mechanical strength is slightly weak,
There was no problem for normal use. However, in recent years, due to the expansion of the range of use of hollow fiber type membrane modules, use under more severe conditions has been desired. For example, there are those that can withstand steam sterilization, and those that require the hollow fiber to be shaken by air. In particular, the former is required to be able to freely take in and out steam and water without any special operation. In such a case,
Violent shaking of the hollow fiber membrane occurs when steam is introduced into the hollow fiber membrane module and when the steam is replaced with cold water. At this time, a leak may occur at the interface between the adhesive sealing part and the hollow fiber membrane.

Further, there is a module in which the circumference of the hollow fiber bundle is protected by a net in order to prevent the hollow fiber from swinging, but even such a module easily causes a leak.

[Means for solving the problem]

In view of such a situation, the present inventors have completed the present invention as a result of intensive studies.

That is, the present invention is a hollow fiber type membrane module having a hollow fiber end portion which is adhesively sealed with an epoxy resin, in which the outer peripheral portion of the hollow fiber has an elongation rate that covers the interface between the epoxy resin and the hollow fiber. A hollow fiber membrane module having a protective layer made of 10% or more of a material, a part of which covers the outer periphery of only the hollow fibers with a height of 1 mm or more between adjacent hollow fibers. Is provided.

In the hollow fiber membrane module, the epoxy resin used for sealing the end portion of the hollow fiber is a resin considering heat resistance, chemical resistance, etc. Generally, such a resin is hard and has an elongation of 10 % Or less. On the other hand, hollow fiber membranes have large elongation but not so much strength, and generally have a breaking strength of 50 g to 1
About 000g, elongation at break is about 10-60%.

In this way, when a force is applied to the hollow fiber membrane at the interface where the completely different substances adhere to each other, the stress is concentrated, and the hollow fiber in this portion is broken, leading to leakage. Revealed.

Therefore, we succeeded in avoiding the concentration of stress by providing a protective layer closer to the properties of the hollow fiber membrane in this portion to protect the hollow fiber membrane.

What is important here is that a part of the protective layer covers the outer peripheral portion of only the hollow fiber. This makes it possible to reinforce the hollow fiber, which is relatively weak at this portion, and to avoid the concentration of stress. The height of this part from the space between adjacent hollow fibers must be 1 mm or more. If the height is less than 1 mm, a sufficient effect as a protective layer cannot be expected.

The material of such a protective layer has an elongation of 10% or more. Specifically, for example, a rubber-based epoxy resin, a silicone rubber-based resin, a nitrile rubber-based resin, or the like is used.
Especially for urethane resins, the elongation is generally 10%.
The above is mentioned, and moreover, in recent years, there is a material having a large heat resistance, which is particularly preferable.

The material of the hollow fiber membrane may be any material, for example, polyether sulfone resin, polysulfone resin, polyimide resin, polyacrylonitrile resin,
Examples thereof include polymethacrylic resin, cellulose acetate resin, polyolefin resin, silicone resin, PVDF resin, polyamide resin, and composite films of these.

The hollow fiber type membrane module of the present invention has a wide range of applications and can be applied to any place. In particular, it is suitable for places where the hollow fiber membrane is violently shaken. Examples of such applications include a steam sterilization module and a module for filtering fine particles in nuclear power generation.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Example 1 As shown in FIG. 1, inner diameter 89 mmφ, thickness 5 mm, length 320
mm polysulfone case 1 inside diameter 500μm, outside diameter 800μ
A thread bundle consisting of 4 1000 hollow fibers made of polyethersulfone of m was inserted, and this was set in a centrifugal sealing machine, a heat resistant epoxy adhesive 2 was injected, and centrifugal sealing was performed to cure. Take this out, set the hollow fiber module upright, and put urethane adhesive 3 which is a mixture of Coronate 4403 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) and Nipporan 4235 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) at a weight ratio of 58:42 from the inlet 6 with epoxy. The adhesive was poured into the hollow fiber membrane end sealing portion with the adhesive 2 and, after 5 minutes, most of the adhesive was poured out and after curing, the height of a portion covering only the outer peripheral portion of the hollow fiber from between the adjacent hollow fibers. A protective layer 5 having a thickness (hereinafter referred to as the outer peripheral height) of about 5 mm was formed.

After the other end was processed in the same manner, the case end was cut and the adhesive was sufficiently cured at 100 ° C.

Example 2 Example 1 except that the outer peripheral height of the protective layer is 2 mm.
A hollow fiber type membrane module was manufactured in the same manner as in.

Comparative Example 1 A hollow fiber type membrane module was manufactured in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the urethane adhesive was not poured into the end sealing portion of the hollow fiber membrane.

Example 3 A polysulfone case having an inner diameter of 89 mmφ, a thickness of 5 mm and a length of 320 mm was charged with a yarn bundle of 5000 hollow polyethersulfone fibers having an inner diameter of 500 μm and an outer diameter of 800 μm, which was placed in a centrifugal sealing machine. After setting, a heat-resistant epoxy adhesive was injected and centrifugally sealed to cure. After this, Coronate
The urethane adhesive, which was a mixture of 4403 and Nipolan 4235 in the weight ratio of 58:42, was centrifugally injected into the hollow fiber membrane end sealing part on one side, and after 3 minutes, it was taken out from the centrifugal sealing machine and the urethane adhesive was injected into the side. It was left to stand and cured. By this standing, the urethane adhesive climbed up onto the hollow fiber membrane, and a protective layer having an outer peripheral height of about 1 mm was formed. Similarly, the other end portion of the hollow fiber membrane was also treated.

After that, the case end portion was cut, and the adhesive was sufficiently cured at 100 ° C.

Durability Measurement Example The hollow fiber membrane modules obtained in Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Example 1 were immediately aerated with steam at 120 ° C. for 30 minutes, and then immediately 2
Water at 0 ° C was passed at 240 l / h and kept for 30 minutes. Do this operation 20
Table 1 shows the results of examining the number of air leaks in the hollow fiber after repeating the number of times.

In contrast to the above experiment involving violent hollow fiber shake, the hollow fiber type membrane modules of Examples 1, 2 and 3 having the protective layer did not show any abnormality.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a hollow fiber end portion sealing portion of the hollow fiber type membrane module manufactured in Example 1. 1 …… Polysulfone case 2 …… Epoxy adhesive 3 …… Urethane adhesive 4 …… Polyethersulfone hollow fiber membrane 5 …… Protective layer of outer peripheral part with height of about 5 mm 6 …… Inlet for pouring urethane adhesive

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A hollow fiber type membrane module having a hollow fiber end portion which is adhesively sealed with an epoxy resin, having an elongation rate of 10% so as to cover the interface between the epoxy resin and the hollow fiber on the outer peripheral portion of the hollow fiber. A hollow fiber membrane module comprising a protective layer made of the above material, a part of which has a height of 1 mm or more and covers the outer peripheral portion of only the hollow fibers between adjacent hollow fibers. 2. The hollow fiber type membrane module according to claim 1, wherein the material of the protective layer is a polyurethane resin.