JP2000334271A - Production of hollow fiber membrane module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hollow fiber membrane module capable of preventing the entering of a potting agent into a hollow fiber in a centrifugal potting and forming a module with high production efficiency. SOLUTION: The entering of the potting agent into the hollow fiber and forming the module with high production efficiency by applying a filler having thixotropy to the terminal of the hollow fiber membrane bundle before each end part of the hollow membrane bundle is simultaneously bundled and fixed with the potting agent in a single or plural housing vessels.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, hollow fiber membrane modules have been widely used in various fields such as industrial fields such as water treatment membranes and medical fields such as blood treatment. In particular, demand for water purifiers, artificial kidneys, artificial lungs and the like has been extremely increased. I have.

[0003] In general, in a hollow fiber membrane module, a number of hollow fibers are bundled to form a bundled yarn, the bundled yarn is inserted into a cylindrical case, and a hollow fiber between the hollow fibers in the bundled yarn and a potting agent are used. A manufacturing method is used in which the bundled yarn and the cylindrical case are simultaneously bonded and the potting agent is solidified, and then the bundled yarn is cut in a cross-sectional direction at a position where an open end of the hollow fiber is obtained. As a method of fixing the bundle, potting using centrifugal force obtained by rotating the cylindrical case into which the bundle is inserted in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction is often performed. The potting agent penetrates into the hollow fiber from the open end of the fiber.

Therefore, as a method for preventing the intrusion of the potting agent into the hollow fiber, the following method has been implemented. Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-31962 describes a method of controlling the temperature and the number of rotations at the time of potting to prevent a potting agent from entering the hollow fiber. Also, JP-A-61-111
11. JP-A-62-269709 describes a method of applying a positive pressure to a hollow fiber to prevent a potting agent from entering the hollow fiber. However, in these methods, it is a major premise that the airtightness of the hollow fiber membrane is high. More recently, Patent Publication 2719827
Describes a method of dipping the end of a hollow fiber membrane in a paraffin bath to solidify the paraffin and then potting to prevent a potting agent from entering the hollow fiber.
However, in this case, a step of immersing the end of the hollow fiber membrane in a paraffin bath to solidify the paraffin is necessary, and Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 62-31962, 61-11111, and 62
Since the potting step requires more time than the method of -269709, there is a problem that the production efficiency is reduced.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a hollow fiber membrane module which can be potted even with a low airtight hollow fiber membrane without causing an impervious yarn and has a high production efficiency. And

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of intensive studies, the present inventor has reached the present invention.

That is, in a method of manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module in which the ends of the hollow fiber membrane bundle are focused and fixed in a storage container with a potting agent, a thixotropic filler is applied to the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. And then fixing the hollow fiber membrane module with a potting agent.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention is characterized in that a thixotropic filler is used in order to reliably prevent a potting agent from entering a hollow fiber and to carry out potting with high production efficiency. Before the ends of the hollow fiber membrane bundles are fixed and fixed with a potting agent in one or a plurality of storage containers, by applying a filler having thixotropic properties to the ends of the hollow fiber membrane bundles, The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module, which prevents a potting agent from entering a yarn.

In the present invention, the use of a thixotropic filler is to prevent dripping. Here, having the thixotropic property means a property that a gel is changed into a fluid sol simply by stirring or shaking, and returns to a gel when left alone. As a filler having thixotropic properties, specifically, iron oxide, sol such as aluminum oxide to which an appropriate amount of sodium chloride is added, suspension such as bentonite, grease in which aluminum soap is dispersed in lubricating oil, paste-like Among them, a curable urethane resin or the like is preferably used because it is easily treated after curing.

According to the present invention, for example, by performing the following steps, it is possible to easily prevent a potting agent from entering a hollow fiber at the time of injection and to make a module with high production efficiency. . (1) At the end of the bundled thread of the hollow fiber membrane accommodated in the storage container, a casting cap coated with a thixotropic curable filler in advance is attached. (2) While applying centrifugal force to the bundled yarn of (1), a potting agent is injected to simultaneously bond the hollow yarns in the bundled yarn and between the bundled yarn and the cylindrical case. (3) After the potting agent in (2) is solidified, the casting cap is removed, and the bundled yarn is cut in the cross-sectional direction at a position where the open end of the hollow fiber is obtained. (4) A cap having a fluid outlet is attached to the bundled thread of the hollow fiber membrane and the container which are open at the end of (3) to complete the assembly of the hollow fiber membrane module.

According to the present invention, by applying a thixotropic filler to the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle before potting, it is possible to easily prevent the potting agent from entering into the hollow fiber during injection. Enables modularization with high production efficiency.

[0012]

Example 1 (Example 1) Polysulfone hollow fiber membrane having separation performance (outer diameter 280 mm, film thickness 40 mm, length 248 mm), 10600
The bundle of the books was placed in a cylindrical storage container, and then a casting cap to which a filler having thixotropic properties (urethane resin containing zeolite mixed with Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) was applied was attached.

A centrifugal force (50 G) is applied to the cylindrical container containing the hollow fiber membrane, and a potting agent (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd .: two-component urethane resin) is injected.
Bonding between the hollow fibers in the bundled yarn and between the bundled yarn and the cylindrical case were simultaneously performed.

Thereafter, the potting portion was cut to check the state of opening of the hollow fiber.

The hollow fiber membrane module manufactured according to the present invention does not show any intrusion of the potting agent into the hollow fiber.
It was good.

(Comparative Example 1) A bundle of 10600 polysulfone hollow fiber membranes equivalent to the hollow fiber membrane of Example 1 was placed in a cylindrical storage container, and an empty casting cap was attached.

While applying a centrifugal force (50 G) to the cylindrical container holding the hollow fiber membrane, a potting agent (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd .: two-component urethane resin) is injected.
Bonding between the hollow fibers in the bundled yarn and between the bundled yarn and the cylindrical case were simultaneously performed.

After that, when the potting portion was cut and the opening state of the hollow fiber was examined, about 10% of the 10,600 hollow fiber membranes were invaded by the potting agent into the hollow fiber, and Many large foams were also seen.

[0019]

According to the method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention, it is possible to prevent a potting agent from entering a hollow fiber and to make a module with high production efficiency.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 4C077 AA03 AA05 BB01 BB06 KK30 LL05 4D006 HA02 JA13C JB05 JB06 MA01 MA31 MA33 MC62X PA01 PB02 PB09 PC47 PC48 PC51

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module in which an end of a hollow fiber membrane bundle is focused and fixed in a storage container by a potting agent, wherein a thixotropic filler is applied to an end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. And then fixing with a potting agent.