JP2007160253A - Ultrafiltration apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrafiltration apparatus which can continue a continuous circulation filtration and carry out a quantitative filter purification continuously and automatically without mixing-in of a foreign material while supplying a dilution liquid of the same amount as the amount discharged as a filtrate and agitating with it. <P>SOLUTION: It has been understood ideal that the dilution liquid of suitable amount is supplied while repeatedly filtering a liquid to be filtered under a hermetic environment, although an ultrafiltration and a dialysis operation have been conventionally uncertain. In order to realize this ideal, the whole system is set as a closed circuit, a feeding-out circulation of the liquid to be filtered to a filtration membrane part is carried out with a pump, then its agitation and supplying of the dilution liquid are carried out with a gas pressure and an operation of an automatic valve, further the amount of the liquid to be filtered is always measured with an electronic balance and supplying of the dilution liquid is automatically controlled by its signal. Therefore, as the complete automatic continuous ultrafiltration is achieved, these works required long times can be continuously carried out without manpower, and further the apparatus is integrated to be compact and a few in trouble. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an ultrafiltration device and a dialysis device.

  Conventionally, an ultrafiltration device is a method in which a liquid to be filtered is sent to another container in one direction via contact with a filtration membrane by a mechanical pump or the like, but in this method, filtration is performed only once. Filtration purification is insufficient, and it is necessary to repeat this operation over and over while exchanging the feeding side and receiving side of the container.

  Since the work is too complicated, the filtrate can be circulated by a pump and filtered repeatedly. However, the solution and low molecular weight components are discharged to the outside as filtrate, and the filtrate is reduced. However, since the viscosity increases and the circulation of the liquid is hindered, it is necessary to replenish with a diluent such as water and stir, but these operations are in an open state and must be performed manually each time.

Although filtration and refining is a work that should be repeated for a long time, manual work is required.Therefore, work is virtually impossible at night and on holidays, leaving many days before completion of filtration and purification. In short, it is not uncommon to have to throw away precious synthetic liquid due to the occurrence of mold, spoilage, etc. due to bacterial contamination during the opening operation.

The problem to be solved is that, in the series of work related to polymer chemical synthesis, the filtration and purification work to remove impurities is an important process for obtaining the desired compound. Filtration must be done manually by exchanging the container, replenishing the diluent, and stirring manually, and it is difficult to perform quantitative processing systematically up to the target accuracy. Contrary to the purpose of the work to be removed, airborne foreign substances, especially mold spores, bacteria, etc. are unavoidable, and it takes a long time to complete and has a significant effect on the subsequent processing. It will be a great disaster for success or failure.

  As described above, ultrafiltration has many problems, and there are many cases in which purification is performed by dialysis. However, it is difficult to say that dialysis has more problems and has achieved its purpose.

  In dialysis, the liquid to be filtered is sealed in a semipermeable membrane bag and immersed in a low osmotic pressure liquid corresponding to the diluent, and the low molecular weight component of the liquid to be filtered passes through the semipermeable membrane and is immersed in the diluted diluent. Although it is permeable, the diluent also permeates through the semipermeable membrane in the form of diluting the liquid to be filtered. However, since dialysis that takes place continuously for a long time cannot be monitored at night, on holidays, etc., it is not uncommon for an accident that the semipermeable membrane bag breaks due to the pressure of the penetration of the diluent, but how much low molecular weight component is permeable. There was no measurement method, and it was unclear and uncertain, and it was difficult to say quantitative processing.

  As described above, since there are many accidents in dialysis and it is difficult to say that it is a quantitative treatment, if there is equipment or equipment, ultrafiltration should be performed. Although there were many problems and it was not perfect, it was an obstacle to popularization. However, if work can be performed continuously and sealed, continuous work at night and on holidays is possible and filtration and purification can be performed in a very short time. In addition, the synergistic effect of shortening the time and sealing work drastically reduces the possibility of mold and spoilage, so we knew that this was the ideal form of filtration purification.

  The present invention relates to an ultrafiltration device that enables processing with a higher degree of purification, but in order to eliminate the need to replace the container, the liquid to be filtered is brought into contact with the filtration membrane, and the original container A pump is provided so as to return to, and piping is performed so as to form a circulation circuit.

  In this circulation, a part of the liquid to be filtered passes through the filtration membrane and is discharged as a filtrate. The discharged amount is sensed by measuring the weight of the liquid container to be filtered with an electronic balance, and this signal automatically The same amount of dilution liquid is replenished and supplied by gas pressure from a separate pressurized tank to prevent the increase in the viscosity of the liquid to be filtered, and the continuous automatic limit in the closed circuit is ensured while ensuring the total amount. External filtration was performed.

  Furthermore, a part of the gas for pressurizing the dilution tank is guided to the filtrate container and discharged from the bottom as bubbles, so that the filtrate in the container can be stirred at the same time without using any special mechanical instrument. I did it.

Since the present invention is configured as described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.
1) The weight of the filtrate to be filtered with the container is measured with an electronic balance, so that the discharge amount of the filtrate is always electrically measured and the dilution liquid is automatically replenished by the signal. It eliminates the need for frequent operations such as replenishment of the filtrate, realizes continuous automation of ultrafiltration, and shortens the time required for unmanned operation and completion.
2) Compressed gas is used to supply the diluent, and the filtrate to be filtered can be agitated. This eliminates the need for mechanical parts such as the diluent supply pump and agitator, and the structure is simple and troubles. It was a device with little.
3) The circulation circuit of the liquid to be filtered and the automatic supply of dilution liquid are configured as a sealed circuit, so that foreign substances can be completely prevented from being mixed during the handling process.
4) If the operation was performed with the supply of the diluting liquid stopped, the apparatus could also concentrate the liquid to be filtered.
5) As mentioned above, all ultrafiltration is automated through circulation from a single container, making it an integrated device that not only saves space, saves labor and simplifies operations, but also contributes to the improvement of the purification system. It has become.

  The present invention relates to ultrafiltration and dialysis. For example, in the field of polymer synthesis, in addition to the target substance, substances having different molecular weights are also synthesized as synthesized by-products.

In the biotechnology field, an active ingredient is often extracted from an animal or plant derivative using a solvent. In this case, in addition to the target active ingredient, many contained substances having a difference in molecular weight are eluted and extracted.

Similarly, in the pharmaceutical and drug discovery fields, substances that are not intended are mixed in the process of synthesis, production, and extraction. In any case, substances having different molecular weights that are not intended must be removed.

There are many methods for removing and purifying these unintended substances. In ultrafiltration and dialysis, the size of the molecular weight passing through the membrane can be freely selected by selecting the filtration membrane, and heating or heating can be performed. It should be used greatly because it can be purified by target molecular weight accurately without using adsorbents, etc., but it has been actively used because of the complexity and uncertainties until now. It wasn't been done. However, according to the present invention, it is possible to work in an automatic continuous closed system, and it is believed that the present invention will be widely used in the future, and processing related to purification of polymer compounds will be advanced.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present plan will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a liquid to be filtered and its container, which is set on an electronic balance 2 and constantly measures its weight and emits its electrical signal.

  The liquid to be filtered is connected to the circulation pump 3 from the bottom of the container 1 via the pipe 1a, is connected to the filtration membrane part 4 via the outlet side pipe 1b, flows in contact with the filtration membrane 5, and is connected to the pipe. From 1c, the circuit returns to the container 1 and circulates repeatedly.

  At this time, since the liquid to be filtered flows in contact with the filtration membrane 5, a substance having a small molecular weight and a part of the solution are discharged as a filtrate from the pipe 6 to the container 7.

Next, reference numeral 8 denotes a compressed gas supply device to be used as a driving force for the replenishment supply and stirring of the diluent, and is connected to the filter 9 by a pipe 8a to remove impurities in the gas. Divided and connected to 11a, 11b, clean compressed gas is supplied,
The gas led to 11a becomes a bubble from the bottom of the liquid container 1 to be filtered and stirs the liquid to be filtered inside the container, but is exhausted from the exhaust filter 12, so that the inside of the container 1 is not pressurized. Absent. However, the gas led to 11b pressurizes the inside of the diluent tank 13 and is used to pump the diluent.

  When the container 1 that is being weighed by the electronic balance 2 discharges the filtrate and the amount of the diluted liquid is reduced by a certain amount, the automatic valve 14 is opened by a signal from the electronic balance, and passes through the manual valve 15 that is normally open. Since the reduced amount discharged as the filtrate is supplied to the container 1 via the pipe 13b, the ultrafiltration can be continuously performed while ensuring a constant amount of the liquid to be filtered.

  In addition, the diluent tank 13 is equipped with a liquid level switch 16 and outputs as an alarm that the tank has been emptied. Close the automatic valve for gas and stop the whole operation.

  At the end of the ultrafiltration operation, the manual valve 15 is operated with the valve closed, so that the diluent is not supplied, only the filtrate is discharged, and the final concentration of the liquid to be filtered can be performed.

  In this device, product devices such as gauges, throttle valves, pressure reducing valves and the like are provided at appropriate portions, and the circulation amount and filtration rate can be arbitrarily confirmed and adjusted.

1 is an overall view of an ultrafiltration apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Filtrate and container 2 Electronic scale 3 Circulation pump 4 Filtration membrane part 5 Filtration membrane 6 Filtrate discharge piping 7 Filtrate receptacle 8 Compressed gas supply device 9 Gas filter 10 Gas automatic valve 11 Gas piping 12 Exhaust filter 13 Dilution Liquid tank 14 Diluent supply automatic valve 15 Diluent manual valve 16 Liquid level switch

Claims (2)

  The liquid to be filtered and refined (hereinafter referred to as the liquid to be filtered) is pumped from the container into contact with the filtration membrane using a pump, and is piped to form a circulation circuit that returns to the original container. Measure the amount of decrease in the amount of filtrate that has passed through the filter membrane and discharged as filtrate, and operate the automatic valve with the signal of this electronic scale. An ultrafiltration device that continuously performs circulation ultrafiltration while preventing the increase in viscosity of the liquid to be filtered by replenishing the same amount of dilution liquid and ensuring the total amount. In the ultrafiltration device according to claim 1, the diluting liquid is put in a sealed container, this replenishment is performed by the pressure of the gas, the same gas is guided to the bottom of the liquid container to be filtered by a pipe or the like, and is released in the liquid by bubbles. An ultrafiltration device in which liquid is replenished without using a mechanical pump and stirred without using a mechanical stirrer by adopting a structure that stirs liquid.

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