JP2007330846A - Manufacturing method for hollow fiber membrane module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method for a hollow fiber membrane module capable of easily performing removal of a casting cap without generating a problem by flowing and mixing of a mold-releasing agent and hardly generating deterioration of the casting cap. <P>SOLUTION: The manufacturing method for the hollow fiber membrane module for sealing a bundle 1 of a plurality of hollow fiber membranes by a casting resin 7 includes a step for attaching a vessel 3 made of resin to an inner side of the casting cap 4 poured with the casting resin 7, pouring the casting resin 7 to the vessel 3 made of resin to cure the casting resin 7 and cutting the casting resin 7 cured with the vessel 3 made of resin at a predetermined position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a hollow fiber membrane module in which a bundle of a plurality of hollow fiber membranes is sealed with a casting resin, and a type in which both ends of the hollow fiber membrane are opened and sealed, and one end of the hollow fiber membrane This is a technology applicable only to both of the types that are open and sealed.

  Conventionally, membrane separation technology using a hollow fiber membrane or the like has been used for hemodialysis or seawater desalination. In the hollow fiber membrane module using the hollow fiber membrane, both ends of the hollow fiber membrane are opened and held in the case via a sealing resin (adhesive), or one end of the hollow fiber membrane is opened. Some are held in the case via the sealing resin, the other end of the hollow fiber membrane is closed, and held in the case in a free state or via the sealing resin.

  As a manufacturing method of such a hollow fiber membrane module, after storing the hollow fiber membrane bundle in a cylindrical case, a casting cap is attached to both ends of the cylindrical case, and a resin is injected into each casting cap. A manufacturing method is known in which the hollow fiber membranes at the ends of the hollow fiber membrane bundle are bonded and fixed. Further, in such a manufacturing method, the casting cap on the end portion side where the through hole of the hollow fiber membrane is formed is mounted so that the inner surface thereof is spaced from the end surface of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, and the casting cap There is known a method for producing a hollow fiber membrane module in which resin is injected and solidified by centrifugal potting (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Further, in this document, when sealing is performed so that one end of the hollow fiber membrane is opened, first, a sealing resin is injected into the casting cap, and after this is cured, an adhesive resin is further injected and cured. Then, a method is disclosed in which the casting cap is removed and the end portion is cut and removed by a predetermined length.

  On the other hand, since the casting cap serving as a resin reservoir needs to prevent resin leakage, a divided structure is generally not employed. In addition, as a cylindrical case, it is common to use a product case, and after sealing the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle using a casting case, the method of transferring and bonding to the product case is as follows: It was not known until now.

  As described above, when the hollow fiber membrane is cast and fixed with an epoxy resin or the like, it is necessary to separate the casting cap and the casting resin portion after the resin is cured. Since the casting agent mainly uses urethane resin or epoxy resin, the casting cap and the casting resin part are firmly bonded. Therefore, it is very difficult to separate the container and the casting resin part without damaging the casting, and various production methods have been studied.

  One of them is a method of previously applying a release agent such as silicon grease or fluorine-based grease to the inner surface of the casting cap in order to easily separate the casting resin portion after the resin is cured. In addition, there is a method for improving the releasability of the casting cap by using a casting cap made of a material having excellent releasability such as silicon, fluororesin, polypropylene, and polyethylene (for example, see Patent Document 2). .

  However, in the method using a mold release agent, the applied mold release agent moves as the casting resin is injected, and the film bundle on the inner wall of the case just enters the adhesive interface fixed by the casting resin, thereby increasing the adhesive strength. It may be lowered, and care must be taken in application. In addition, the mold release agent and the casting agent may be mixed and discolored to cause a problem in appearance, or the casting agent itself may be hardened.

  In addition, even when a casting cap made of a material having excellent releasability is used, repetitive use of the casting cap may deteriorate the releasability and break the casting resin portion. For this reason, since it is necessary to replace the casting cap every fixed number of times, there is a problem that the cost increases.

JP 2004-49986 A Japanese Utility Model Publication 2-36577

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to produce a hollow fiber membrane module that does not cause problems due to the flow and mixing of the mold release agent, can be easily removed from the casting cap, and is less prone to deterioration of the casting cap. It is to provide a method.

The above object can be achieved by the present invention as described below.
That is, the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention is a casting cap into which the casting resin is injected in the manufacturing method of a hollow fiber membrane module in which a bundle of a plurality of hollow fiber membranes is sealed with a casting resin. A step of attaching a resin container to the inside of the resin container, injecting a casting resin into the resin container to cure the casting resin, and cutting the cured casting resin together with the resin container at a predetermined position It is characterized by including.

  According to the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention, the casting cap is easily removed without using the releasing agent because the resin container is mounted inside the casting cap instead of applying the releasing agent. be able to. Further, since the casting cap and the casting resin are basically not in contact with each other, the casting cap is hardly deteriorated. As a result, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module in which the casting cap can be easily removed without causing problems due to the flow and mixing of the release agent, and the casting cap is not easily deteriorated. Can do.

  In the above, it is preferable that resin which comprises the said resin-made containers, and the said casting resin contain the same kind of resin component. As a result, the resin container and the casting resin are firmly bonded, and the physical properties and appearance are approximated by the same kind of resin component, so that the integrity of the resin container and the casting resin is further increased.

  In addition, the casting cap is attached to the end of the casting case, the casting resin is injected in an amount not exceeding the depth of the resin container and cured, and then transferred to the product case. It is preferable to include a step of bonding the cut resin container to a product case. By injecting the casting resin in an amount that does not exceed the depth of the resin container, adhesion with the casting case is less likely to occur, so that the hollow fiber membrane bundle can be easily transferred to the product case. Moreover, the sealing structure which prevents mixing of the flow path of the supply side of a film | membrane and a permeation | transmission side can be easily formed by adhere | attaching the cut | disconnected resin container to a product case.

  Alternatively, it is preferable to include a step of attaching the casting cap to an end portion of the product case and injecting and curing the casting resin in an amount exceeding the depth of the resin container. In this case, since the product case and the casting resin are bonded to each other, the sealing structure can be formed by bonding the hollow fiber membrane bundle to the product case by curing the casting resin.

  Moreover, when attaching the said casting cap, it is preferable to hold | maintain the annular seal contact | abutted on the outer periphery of the said resin container between the said casting cap and the edge part of the said product case. As a result, even if there is a gap between the product case and the resin container, the casting resin is prevented from entering and mixing between the casting cap and the resin container or between the casting cap and the product case. And good mold release can be performed.

  Moreover, it is preferable to include the process of giving a centrifugal force toward the container bottom part side with respect to the casting resin inject | poured into the said resin-made containers. By this step, the casting resin can be suitably filled in the gaps between the plurality of hollow fiber membranes, and a good sealed state can be obtained.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said casting cap is a structure which can be divided | segmented when removing. With such a divided structure, the casting cap can be easily removed after the casting resin is cured. Furthermore, even in the divided structure, since the resin container is mounted on the inner side, even when a centrifugal force is applied (when high pressure is generated), it is difficult for the casting resin to leak.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 are process diagrams showing an example of a method for producing a hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention.

  The method for producing a hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention comprises sealing a plurality of hollow fiber membrane bundles (membrane bundles) 1 with a casting resin 7 as shown in FIGS. The present invention is applicable to both a type in which both ends of the membrane are opened and sealed, and a type in which only one end of the hollow fiber membrane is opened and sealed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, an example in the case of manufacturing what is sealed with the casting resin 7 while both ends of the hollow fiber membrane are opened is shown.

  Examples of the hollow fiber membrane include a microfiltration membrane, an ultrafiltration membrane, a reverse osmosis membrane, a dialysis membrane, and the like, and those having a pore diameter, an outer diameter, and a length can be used according to the application and production method.

  In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the resin container 3 is mounted in advance inside the casting cap 4 into which the casting resin 7 is injected. Accordingly, the hollow fiber membrane module can be stably manufactured without using a release agent such as silicon grease for releasing the casting resin 7 and the casting cap 4. In this embodiment, the example which attaches the casting cap 4 to the both ends of the cylindrical product case 2 is shown.

  The present invention can be applied to the case where the product case 2 is used as the cylindrical case to which the casting cap 4 is attached and the case where the casting case is used. In the present embodiment, the product case 2 (housing) is used. The case where it is used is shown.

  The casting resin 7 may be any material as long as the hollow fiber membrane can be sealed, but an epoxy resin or a urethane resin is particularly preferable. The product case 2 only needs to have a resin injection port 6, which may also be used as a supply / discharge port for a filtrate stock solution or the like. Examples of the material of the product case 2 include vinyl chloride resin, polycarbonate resin, and polysulfone resin.

  The material of the resin container 3 may be any material as long as it has a certain degree of adhesiveness when the casting resin 7 is cured, but preferably contains the same kind of resin component as the casting resin 7. The resin container 3 can be manufactured using a resin pipe and a resin bottom plate. However, the resin container 3 is molded by injection molding, mold molding, cast molding, etc. using a casting resin 7 or the like. Is advantageous in terms of cost.

  The thickness of the resin container 3 is set in consideration of cutting properties, moldability, etc. Generally, the thickness is preferably 0.5 to 3 mm. The outer diameter of the resin container 3 is preferably approximately the same as the inner diameter of the casting cap 4. The depth of the resin container 3 is preferably a size that covers at least the inner surface of the casting cap 4. This makes it difficult for the casting resin 7 to come into contact with the casting cap 4, so that the casting cap 4 can be easily removed.

  In this invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the casting resin 7 is inject | poured into the resin-made containers 3 in said state, and the casting resin 7 is hardened. At that time, it is preferable that the resin container 3 and the casting resin 7 are integrated or in close contact with each other by curing. In this embodiment, when injecting the casting resin 7, the injection is performed to a height exceeding the depth of the resin container 3. By doing so, the both ends of the hollow fiber membrane are attached to the casting resin 7. The product case 2 can be adhered to and held through.

  The casting resin 7 can be injected by a tube connected to the resin inlet 6. At the time of injection, a casting cap 4 made of aluminum or the like is fixed to the product case 2 by V band 5 or bolt fastening.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to include a step of applying centrifugal force (in the direction of the arrow) toward the bottom of the casting resin 7 injected into the resin container 3 in the above case. Alternatively, you can use your own gravity. Such centrifugal force can be applied by rotating the whole around the rotation axis O using, for example, a centrifugal casting machine. Further, the casting resin 7 may be injected while applying a centrifugal force, and the casting resin 7 is injected by a tube connected to the resin injection port 6.

  The casting resin 7 may be cured by a curing reaction of a reactive curable resin or may be cured by cooling of a molten thermoplastic resin. The conditions for curing can be appropriately set according to the casting resin 7 to be used.

  Note that if the end of the membrane bundle 1 to be set is in an open state, when the centrifugal force is applied, the casting resin 7 may enter the inside, and the end of the final membrane bundle 1 may be blocked. There is. For this reason, it is preferable that the end portion of the membrane bundle 1 is closed (sealed) in advance using a resin or the like.

  In this invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the process of removing the said casting cap 4 after hardening is included. At that time, since the resin container 3 is interposed between the casting resin 7 and the casting cap 4, the casting cap 4 can be easily removed.

  In the present embodiment, at this stage, both end portions of the film bundle 1 are bonded and held to the product case 2 via the casting resin 7. Then, the casting resin 7 may partially penetrate between the product case 2 and the resin container 3, thereby bonding them together. At this stage, both ends of the hollow fiber membrane are not open.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the present invention includes a step of cutting the cast resin 7 after curing at a predetermined position together with the resin container 4. As a result, a hollow fiber membrane module that is sealed by the casting resin 7 and held in the product case 2 while both ends of the hollow fiber membrane are open at the cut surface CS can be manufactured.

  The product case 2 holding the membrane bundle 1 can be used as it is, but in general, product caps having supply / discharge ports for permeate and the like are attached to both sides of the product case 2.

  In membrane separation using such a hollow fiber membrane module, for example, a stock solution is supplied from a supply port (one of the resin injection ports 6) provided in the product case 2, and the permeate separated by the hollow fiber membrane is hollow fiber. It flows in the hollow of the membrane, flows out from the opening at the end and is discharged from the discharge port of the product cap, and the concentrated liquid is discharged from the discharge port provided in the product case 2 (the other of the resin injection ports 6). The Conversely, the stock solution can be supplied into the hollow of the hollow fiber membrane.

[Other Embodiments]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, an example of sealing with a casting resin while opening both ends of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is shown. However, in the manufacturing method of the present invention, one end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is made of epoxy resin or the like. The present invention can also be applied to the case of using a membrane bundle that has been sealed and closed in advance, or the case of using a membrane bundle obtained by bending a plurality of hollow fiber membranes into a U shape (see, for example, FIG. 5).

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the end portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is sealed with the casting resin using the product case is shown. However, in the present invention, the hollow fiber membrane bundle is used with the casting case. It is also applicable to a method in which after sealing the end of this, it is transferred to a product case and bonded.

  In that case, for example, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 7, the casting cap 4 is attached to the end of the casting case 12, and the casting resin 7 is put in an amount not exceeding the depth of the resin container 3. After injecting and hardening, it includes a step of transferring to a product case (not shown) and bonding the cut resin container 3 to the product case.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the resin container 3 is mounted inside the casting cap 4 attached to the end of the casting case 12 so as not to exceed the depth of the resin container 3. The casting resin 7 is injected in an amount to cure the casting resin 7. After the curing, the casting cap 4 is removed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the cured casting resin 7 is cut together with the resin container 3 at a predetermined position, removed from the casting case 12, and transferred to a product case (not shown). Cutting may be performed after transfer to the product case or after bonding to the product case.

  Thereafter, the cut resin container 3 is bonded to the product case. The bonding method may be any method using an adhesive, hot melt fusion, ultrasonic fusion, or the like.

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the casting resin is cut at the end surface of the product case or the casting case is shown. However, in the present invention, the end portion of the hollow fiber membrane is sealed (bonded). ), Any portion of the casting resin may be cut together with the resin container.

  (4) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which only one type of casting resin is injected has been shown, but the present invention can also be applied to a manufacturing method in which two or more types of casting resin are injected. In that case, after injecting the first casting resin, it may be cured if necessary, and then the next casting resin may be injected after addition.

  (5) In this invention, as shown in FIGS. 8-9, it is preferable that the casting cap 4 is a structure which can be divided | segmented when removing. As the split structure, a structure of splitting into two or more so that the inner peripheral surface of the casting cap 4 is split / expanded can be adopted, but the split ratio need not be equal.

  In the example shown in FIG. 8, a dividing boundary line 4a extending in the horizontal direction is provided so that the side surface of the casting cap 4 is divided into two in the vertical direction. Further, in order to integrally hold the divided casting cap 4, a restraining belt 8 is used, and a detachable restraining belt 8 is wound around the belt groove 4 b of the casting cap 4. After the casting resin 7 is hardened, the casting cap 4 can be easily removed by removing the restraining belt 8 and then dividing the casting cap 4 in the direction of the arrow.

  In the example shown in FIG. 9A, the hinge 4 c is provided along the dividing boundary line 4 a of the casting cap 4. Before the casting cap 4 is divided, the flange portion 4d is fixed to the product case 2 with a V band or the like, and the casting cap 4 is integrally held by the presence of the hinge 4c. After the casting resin 7 is cured, the casting cap 4 can be easily removed by dividing the casting cap 4 in the direction of the arrow after removing the V band or the like.

  In the example shown in FIG. 9 (b), a male screw 4e is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the casting cap 4, and the ring 9 having the female screw 9a on the inner peripheral surface is screwed in the direction of the arrow. The mold cap 4 can be held integrally. By removing the ring 9 from the casting cap 4 after the casting resin 7 is cured, the casting cap 4 can be divided and easily removed.

  (6) In the above-described embodiment, if there is a gap between the product case and the resin container, the casting resin may enter the gap, but in the present invention, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to prevent problems caused by this. FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view corresponding to the process shown in FIG. 1 together with an enlarged view.

  That is, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, when the casting cap 4 is attached, the annular seal 11 that abuts (preferably abuts over the entire circumference) of the resin container 3 is provided with the casting cap 4 and the aforementioned cap. It is preferable to hold between the ends of the product case 2. Thus, even when there is a gap between the product case 2 and the resin container 3, the casting resin is between the casting cap 4 and the resin container 3 or between the casting cap 4 and the product case 2. It is possible to prevent the mixture from entering and to perform good mold release.

  The structure for holding the annular seal 11 may be a structure in which the annular seal 11 is sandwiched between flat end faces, but an annular notch is provided in either one or both of the casting cap 4 and the product case 2. Is preferred. As the annular seal 11, an O-ring made of rubber or resin can be used, but a silicone-based or fluororesin-based material is preferable from the viewpoint of releasability.

Process drawing which shows an example of the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module of this invention Process drawing which shows an example of the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module of this invention Process drawing which shows an example of the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module of this invention Process drawing which shows an example of the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module of this invention Process drawing which shows the other example of the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module of this invention Process drawing which shows the other example of the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module of this invention Process drawing which shows the other example of the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module of this invention Process drawing which shows the other example of the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module of this invention The perspective view which shows the other example of the casting cap used for the manufacturing method of this invention. Process drawing which shows the other example of the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module of this invention

Explanation of symbols

1 Bundles of hollow fiber membranes (membrane bundles)
2 Product case 3 Resin container 4 Cast cap 4a Split boundary 5 V band 6 Resin inlet 7 Cast resin 11 Annular seal 12 Cast case

Claims (7)

  In a method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module in which a bundle of a plurality of hollow fiber membranes is sealed with a casting resin, a resin container is attached to the inside of the casting cap into which the casting resin is injected. A method for producing a hollow fiber membrane module, comprising: injecting a casting resin into a container, curing the casting resin, and cutting the cured casting resin together with the resin container at a predetermined position .   The method for producing a hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1, wherein the resin constituting the resin container and the casting resin contain the same kind of resin component.   The casting cap is attached to the end of the casting case, the casting resin is injected in an amount not exceeding the depth of the resin container and cured, then transferred to the product case and cut. The method for producing a hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1, further comprising a step of adhering the resin container to a product case.   The hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a step of attaching the casting cap to an end of a product case and injecting and curing the casting resin in an amount exceeding the depth of the resin container. Manufacturing method.   The manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module of Claim 4 which hold | maintains the annular seal which contact | abuts the outer periphery of the said resin-made container between the said casting cap and the edge part of the said product case when attaching the said casting cap. .   The manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module in any one of Claims 1-5 including the process of providing centrifugal force toward the container bottom part side with respect to the casting resin inject | poured into the said resin-made containers.   The method for producing a hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1, wherein the casting cap has a structure that can be divided when removed.

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