JP2008080254A - Membrane filtration module and membrane filtration operating device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a membrane filtration module for detecting a functional deterioration of a filtration membrane which is capable of measuring the properties of a water filtrate as a water to be tested in situ without changing the properties of a water filtrate and does not need a lot of steps of sensor construction works at the time of exchange of a membrane filtration module and to provide a membrane filtration operating device. <P>SOLUTION: The membrane filtration module is provided with a communication device by incorporating a sensor device into a filtration water discharge port of a case housing of a membrane filtration module. Thus, the properties of the filtration water can be measured. If the membrane filtration module is exchanged using, for example, ad hoc communication, the adjustment of the communication system is not needed anew. Although passage light of the filtration filter is set to a certain level because the capture of an impurity material is little when there is no leak from the filtration membrane, the passage light is reduced because the impurity material that leaks into the filtration water can be captured by the filtration filter and light is shaded by the captured impurity material of the filtration filter. The leak due to the filtration membrane failure can be detected and the failure is detected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a membrane filtration module and a membrane filtration operation device used for water purification treatment, sewage treatment, wastewater treatment, etc., and in particular, a sensor device for detecting functional deterioration (membrane breakage, fouling, etc.) of a filtration membrane element is membrane filtration. The present invention relates to a membrane filtration module and a membrane filtration operation device that can improve detection accuracy and reduce operation costs by being incorporated in a module.

  The method of obtaining filtered water having a low impurity content by filtering the water to be treated with a filtration membrane has the advantage that clear water can be obtained with equipment having a relatively simple configuration. In this facility, a plurality of membrane filtration modules having filtration membrane elements (such as hollow fiber membranes) built in a case housing are installed to obtain a predetermined amount of filtrate water. Since the filtration membrane module utilizes physical sieving by the pores of the filtration membrane, it is characterized in that a stable filtered water quality can be obtained regardless of operating conditions.

  However, due to breakage of the filtration membrane, the treated water may leak to the filtered water side, and impurity substances that should be removed may be mixed into the filtered water. Film breaks include film breaks, partial tears, and corrosion. In addition, there is a leakage at a connection part such as a support mechanism for the filtration membrane. The leaking impurities depend on the properties of the water to be treated, but are fine particles suspended in the raw water, such as solids, bacteria, bacteria and their dead bodies. If these impurity substances are mixed in the filtered water, the quality of the filtered water is deteriorated. Therefore, it is necessary to detect the breakage of the filtration membrane at an early stage, stop the operation, and replace or repair the membrane.

  Moreover, there exists fouling as functional deterioration other than the failure | damage of a filtration membrane. This phenomenon is caused by substances in the water to be treated entering the pores of the filtration membrane or clogging, or cake (filtered residue) is deposited on the surface of the filtration membrane and lowers the permeability of the water to be treated. is there. The occurrence of fouling can be detected by the transmembrane pressure difference (pressure difference before and after the filtration membrane), and it is necessary to appropriately perform regeneration processing such as reverse cleaning and chemical cleaning.

  As a conventional technique for detecting filtration membrane breakage or fouling, for example, as disclosed in (Patent Document 1), a sensor such as a highly sensitive turbidimeter or pressure gauge is installed outside the membrane filtration module. A method is known in which the measured value is transmitted to a monitoring control system via an information communication network and detected by performing a predetermined calculation process. Further, as disclosed in (Patent Document 2), there is a type provided with a pressure detection mechanism for detecting the degree of pressure rise of cleaning air supplied to the primary side of the hollow fiber membrane module.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-87949 JP 2004-188252 A

  The conventional technique described in (Patent Document 1) measures at a location where filtrated water of a plurality of membrane filtration modules merges, so that the number of sensors to be installed is small, but filtration from a damaged filtration membrane is performed. There is a problem that the test water having a property different from that of water is measured, and not only the membrane filtration module in which the damage has occurred is not quickly identified but also the detection sensitivity is lowered. In addition, since the sensor is externally attached separately from the membrane filtration module, the sensor must be removed when replacing the membrane filtration module or the piping. Furthermore, when exchanging sensors or adding sensors, it is necessary to reconnect or re-lay information communication networks for transferring measurement values, and the number of related man-hours becomes enormous.

  In addition, the conventional technique described in (Patent Document 2) requires only a small number of sensors to be installed, but on the other hand, the test water having properties different from the filtered water from the damaged filtration membrane is measured. There is a problem that the identification of the membrane filtration module that has occurred is not performed promptly. In some cases, the sensor must be removed when replacing the membrane filtration module or piping. Furthermore, when exchanging sensors or adding sensors, it is necessary to reconnect or re-lay information communication networks for transferring measurement values, and the number of related man-hours becomes enormous.

  A first object of the present invention is to provide a membrane filtration module and a membrane filtration operation device that can be measured in-situ without changing the properties of filtrate water as test water as much as possible, and have high detection sensitivity.

  The second object of the present invention is to provide a membrane filtration module and a membrane filtration operation device with low operation cost that does not increase the man-hours for laying the sensor when replacing the membrane filtration module or the like.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the membrane filtration module of the present invention is a device in which a sensor device is incorporated and a communication device is installed at the filtrate outlet of the case housing of the membrane filtration module. This makes it possible to perform measurement without changing the properties of the filtered water. For example, by using the ad hoc communication method, it is not necessary to adjust the communication method again even if the membrane filtration module is replaced.

  Further, the membrane filtration operation device is composed of a sensor portion that detects a leak due to the breakage of the filtration membrane and a portion that centrally manages the detection signal by communication. In the sensor part that detects a leak due to the breakage of the filtration membrane, the presence or absence of breakage of the filtration membrane is detected. In the state where there is no leak due to damage to the filtration membrane, there is little trapping of impurity substances and the light passing through the filtration filter is at a certain level, but the impurity substances leaking into the filtered water due to the leak are captured by the filtration filter, and the impurity substances are filtered. When it starts to be trapped by the filter, the light is blocked by the trapped impurities, so that the passing light decreases. By observing this temporal change in the decrease of the passing light, a leak due to the filter membrane breakage is detected, and the breakage is detected.

  By incorporating this sensor into the membrane filtration module, the damaged membrane filtration module can be identified from the detection result. The transmitted light data is transmitted to the computer by the communication device and managed collectively. Further, control information such as a measurement interval / measurement timing and a data transmission request can be transmitted from the computer side to the sensor side. When the function degradation detection target is fouling, it can be dealt with by using a pressure sensor.

  As a result, it is possible to detect a membrane filtration module that has been damaged without delay, and to take measures to ensure water quality, such as stopping the supply of raw water to the damaged module if necessary.

  Since the membrane filtration module of the present invention incorporates a sensor device with a wireless communication function, in-situ measurement can be realized without changing the properties of the test water, and the sensitivity of breakage detection can be improved. In addition, since each module can be measured, a damaged module can be identified, and measures can be quickly taken to avoid deterioration of treated water quality.

  In addition, when replacing membrane filtration modules, etc., it is not necessary to reset the information communication network for transmitting measurement values, so the number of man-hours related to sensor installation can be reduced and low-cost operation can be achieved. It becomes possible.

  This embodiment provides a method for detecting functional deterioration of a membrane filtration module used for water purification treatment, sewage treatment, wastewater treatment, etc. with high sensitivity and low cost. The membrane filtration module incorporates a sensor device with a wireless communication function in which a sensor device that measures functional deterioration of the filtration membrane element and a communication device that can wirelessly communicate measurement values of the sensor device are integrated. The membrane filtration module where the leak occurred is detected from the time change of the measured value detected by each sensor device, and necessary measures such as filtration stop are taken. Further, control information such as a measurement interval / measurement timing and a data transmission request can be transmitted from the monitoring control computer side of the membrane filtration equipment to the sensor device side. The target filtration membrane elements are organic membranes, inorganic membranes (ceramic membranes, metal membranes) and the like. As the sensor device, an optical sensor or a pressure sensor that measures transmitted light is applied.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the membrane filtration module of the present embodiment.

In FIG. 1, the main structure of the filtration apparatus is shown. As shown in FIG. 1, the filtration device is connected to a raw water tank 1 in which raw water is stored, a water supply pump 2 that is connected to the raw water tank 1 and supplies raw water to the membrane filtration module 12, and a branch connected to the water supply pump 2. , 7-2,..., 7-N installed in each of the branched pipes of the pipe 10, and the filtration modules 3-1, 3-2,. 3-N and the piping 11 which merges the outlet piping 5 connected to each of the filtration modules 3-1, 3-2,..., 3-N, and the filtration modules 3-1, 3-2,. The communication module 6 is provided with a communication device 8 that performs data communication with the communication module 6 and a computer 9 connected to the communication device 8.

  The membrane filtration module 12 includes a plurality of filtration modules 3, and a filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4, which is a sensor for detecting breakage and breakage of the filtration membrane inside, is incorporated in the filtration module 3. Yes. The communication module 6 is also a built-in type, and is a communication module that transmits detection data of the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 to the computer 9 via the communication device 8. The communication module 6 transmits measurement parameters and the like from the computer 9 to the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 via the communication device 8. The computer 9 receives plant data indicating the state of the filtration plant.

  When breakage or breakage of the filtration membrane of the filtration module 3 is detected by the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4, the valve is operated by a control signal from the computer 9 or the valve 7 is manually operated depending on the degree of breakage or damage. Water supply is controlled.

2 and 3 are diagrams showing details of the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 and the communication module 6. As shown in FIG. 2, the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 is installed in a water conduit 41 in an outlet pipe 5 that is a pipe through which water filtered by the filtration membrane element of the filtration module 3 flows out. The water channel 41 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the water conduit 41 is provided with a filter 42 for capturing an impurity substance that transmits light. A filtration filter having an appropriate transmission particle diameter and light transmittance is used.

  FIG. 2 shows the case where the filtered water flows from the left to the right. When there is no breakage of the filtration membrane, the filtration is performed normally, and no impurity substance is mixed in the filtered water. However, if the filtration membrane is broken, a part of the raw water is not filtered and leaks directly to the filtered water side, and the amount of the impurity substance 51 in the raw water increases. The impurity substance 51 is captured by the capturing filter 42. Here, the sensor component provided in the channel 41 is referred to as a sensor device for convenience.

  A light emitting element 43 and a light receiving element 44 are disposed so as to face each other with the capturing filter 42 therebetween. The light from the light emitting element 43 passes through the filter 42 for capturing the impurity substance that transmits light, and is detected by the light receiving element 44. In this example, the light emitting element and the light receiving element are opposed to each other, but an optical path may be formed by using a mirror or the like so that the emitted light is transmitted through the filter and received. Further, the trapping filter 42 may be treated such as using a hard filter or sandwiching it with a reinforcing agent that does not greatly interfere with light transmission so as not to be deformed by pressure or the like.

  The filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 is provided with a power supply circuit 45 to supply power to the light emitting element 43 and the light receiving element 44.

Details of the power supply circuit 45 and the communication module 6 are shown in FIG. The power supply circuit 45 includes a power supply 451 such as a battery and a power supply switch 452. The communication module 6 includes a microprocessor 61 and a communication circuit 62. The switch 452 supplies power to the light emitting element 43 and the light receiving element 44 under the control of the microprocessor 61. The microprocessor 61 and the communication circuit 62 are always supplied with power from a power source 451. The microprocessor 61 includes an analog-digital converter (hereinafter referred to as ADC), takes in a detection current signal from the light receiving element 44, and communicates with the external communication device 8 using the communication circuit 62. Control information (data collection interval, power supply control information) of the microprocessor 61 is received from the communication device 8 via the communication circuit 62.

  On the other hand, the light emission amount signal from the light emitting element 44 and the light reception amount signal from the light receiving element 44 are communicated to the communication device 8 by the communication module 6 using, for example, radio waves.

  Here, the measurement content of the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 will be described. When the light emitting element 43 emits light with a constant light amount, the light receiving element 44 detects a light amount attenuated to some extent according to the material of the capturing filter 42 in a normal state where there is no leakage of raw water. When the filtration membrane breaks and the raw water leaks to the filtered water side, a part of the impurity substance in the raw water accumulates on the capturing filter 42 and shields the light from the light emitting element 43. For this reason, the amount of light detected by the light receiving element 44 decreases due to leakage of raw water. From the decrease in the amount of light detected by the light receiving element 44, it is possible to detect the occurrence of leakage and the breakage of the filtration membrane.

  Thus, the filter membrane light is attenuated by the filtration membrane breakage, and the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 can detect the breakage of the filtration membrane.

  Next, a method for monitoring the entire filtration plant based on the detection signal of the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 will be described. This monitoring network considers control of the measurement timing of each filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 as well as data collection of the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 for monitoring the entire plant.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the computer 9. When processing is started, processing parameters are set in step 901. This is to set the computer 9 necessary for monitoring, such as the number of filtration modules to be monitored and the correspondence between the modules, parameters, and data. This setting includes a determination parameter for leak occurrence, which will be described later.

  In step 902, the measurement conditions are set for the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 of each filtration module. That is, the sensing parameters of the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 necessary for monitoring, such as sensing intervals, sensing time, the number of times of data collection for one sensing, and data communication conditions are transmitted to the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 through the communication device 8. .

  In Steps 901 and 902, the parameter setting necessary for monitoring the computer 9 is completed. After Step 903, the process proceeds to a loop process for monitoring. In step 903, a plant signal indicating the operation state of the filtration plant is acquired.

  The plant signal is an operating condition such as pressure and flow rate. In step 904, it is determined whether a signal from the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 is received. There are N filtration membrane breakage detection sensors 4, and if a signal is received from any one of them, the process proceeds to step 905 and subsequent steps. If no signal is received, the system waits until the signal is received and inputs a plant signal in step 903 to constantly update the operating conditions of the plant.

  When a signal is received from the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 in step 904, the received data (measurement time, measurement value) is stored in the storage area of the corresponding sensor number in step 905. The measured value is the amount of light that has passed through the capture filter 42 as described above, and in step 906, the temporal change is calculated from the recorded measurement time and measured value data.

  In step 907, it is determined whether or not the time change rate of the light amount change, which is a measured value, is within a preset range. If it is within the set range, it is determined that the light amount change is small or has changed due to disturbance, and the process returns to step 903.

  If the temporal change in the amount of light exceeds the set value range, there is a possibility of leakage, and it is determined in step 908 whether the time during which the change in the amount of light continues is within the set range. If it is out of the set range, it is determined that a leak has occurred in the filtration module, and in step 909, the occurrence of a leak in the filtration module is displayed with an alarm or the like.

  If the determination in step 908 is that the time during which the light amount change continues is within the set range, it can be determined that there is a possibility that a leak has occurred in the filtration module, but it has not yet been determined.

  Therefore, in step 911, it is determined whether to change the sensor parameter of the module, such as shortening the measurement interval as necessary, and in step 912, the parameter is transmitted according to the determination result. Through a series of these operations, each module is monitored, and when a leak occurs, a damaged filtration module is immediately determined.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, at this time, it is also possible to stop the filtration operation by closing the valve 7 of the filtration module by communication or the like. The program ends when the monitoring time ends or when the operator ends the monitoring. In addition to this program operation, in addition to displaying the data of each sensor and the entire sensor, displaying the trend, and displaying the plant data, etc., the processing flow is omitted because it is a normal computer process. Further, the computer 9 may be connected to a communication network in the filtration plant or the Internet, and the operator may share plant information and filtration membrane breakage information. Here, in particular, an ad hoc communication function, that is, the communication module 6 directly communicates without going through an access point, so that even if the communication module 6 incorporated in the filtration module 3 is moved or exchanged, the communication method is renewed. It is desirable to use a system that can communicate without adjusting the above.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the microprocessor 61 of the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 installed in each filtration module. When the operation is started, parameter settings of the microprocessor itself, for example, a used memory area, a setting information area for operation, and the like are set in step 501, and in step 502, a computer is connected from the communication device 8 via the communication circuit 62. Wait for reception of sensing setting parameters from 9. In step 503, after the parameters are received and set, in step 504, the timer waits for the measurement time to be reached, and measurement is started.

  In step 505, in the measurement of the light transmitted through the filter, first, the power is supplied to the light emitting element and the light receiving element which are shut off in the state where the measurement is not performed. In step 506, the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 is supplied. From this, the detected light quantity of the light receiving element is obtained.

  The measurement data is data obtained by analog-to-digital conversion of the light amount value by the ADC. After collecting the data, the power supply to the light emitting element and the light receiving element is stopped in step 507. Thereafter, in step 508, the measured time and measurement data are transmitted from the communication circuit 62 to the computer 9 via the communication device 8. The process ends after waiting for the end determination in step 509. As described in step 912 of FIG. 4, the parameter of the corresponding sensor may be changed. This is an interrupt operation, and the parameter change of the microprocessor 61 is executed in step 510 shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the dimming of the transmitted light by the impurity substance trapped by the light transmission type filter, the raw water leaked to the filtered water side due to the breakage / damage of the filtration membrane. It can be detected quickly. In addition, the membrane filtration plant can be monitored by collectively managing the data of each sensor. From this, it is possible to detect which membrane filtration module membrane has been damaged through the leakage of impurity substances, which is practical from the viewpoint of ensuring the quality of filtered water and promptly repairing the membrane filtration module. A simple membrane filtration module can be provided.

  When the breakage or damage of the filtration membrane is detected by pressure, the filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 4 is constituted by a pressure sensor instead of the optical sensor described above. In addition to the filtration module 3, a membrane filtration operation control system that performs membrane filtration operation control can be realized by a configuration in which a control device such as the valve 7 is combined with the communication device 8 and the computer 9.

  Since the membrane filtration module of this example incorporates a sensor device with a wireless communication function, in order to achieve in-situ measurement without changing the properties of the test water, it is possible to improve the sensitivity of damage detection. it can. In addition, since each module can be measured, a damaged module can be identified, and measures can be quickly taken to avoid deterioration of treated water quality. In addition, when replacing membrane filtration modules, etc., it is not necessary to reset the information communication network for transmitting measurement values, so the number of man-hours related to sensor installation can be reduced and low-cost operation can be achieved. enable. For this reason, it can be said that it is an industrially effective means from the viewpoint of securing treated water quality and cost reduction.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the membrane filtration module which is one Example of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the sensor for a filtration membrane breakage detection of a present Example. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the power supply circuit and communication module of a present Example. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the computer of a present Example. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the microprocessor of a present Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Raw water tank 2 Water pump 3 Filtration module 4 Filtration membrane breakage detection sensor 5 Piping 6 Communication module 7 Valve 8 Communication apparatus 9 Computer 41 Water conduit 42 Capture filter 43 Light emitting element 44 Light receiving element 45 Power supply circuit 46 Drive machine 47 Driving power supply 51 Impurity Material 52 Water Transfer Pipe 53 Water Distribution Pipe 61 Microprocessor 451 Power Supply 452 Switch

Claims (5)

  A sensor device for detecting breakage and breakage of a filtration membrane element in a channel provided in a plurality of filtration modules constituting the membrane filtration module, and a power supply device installed in the filtration module and supplying power to the sensor device; A membrane filtration module including a communication module for transmitting a signal detected by the sensor device.   2. The membrane filtration module according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device includes a filter for trapping an impurity substance that transmits light, and a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element that are disposed to face each other with the filter for capture interposed therebetween.   The membrane filtration module according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device measures damage of the filtration membrane element with an optical sensor.   The membrane filtration module according to claim 1, wherein the communication module performs ad hoc communication with a communication module provided in an adjacent filtration module. A sensor device for detecting breakage and breakage of a filtration membrane element in a channel provided in a plurality of filtration modules constituting the membrane filtration module, and a power supply device installed in the filtration module and supplying power to the sensor device; A membrane filtration module including a communication module for transmitting a signal detected by the sensor device, a computer, and a communication device connected to the computer and communicating with the communication module are transmitted from the communication module by the computer. A membrane filtration operation control apparatus that receives a signal from the sensor device, monitors breakage or breakage of the filtration module, sets processing parameters of the sensor device of the filtration module, and controls operation of the membrane filtration module.

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