JP2010104877A - Potting material casting cap and method of manufacturing hollow fiber membrane module by using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a simple and inexpensive casting cap used for fixing ends of a module by a centrifugal potting method by a sealant in the manufacturing process of a hollow fiber membrane module, reducing occurrence of foreign matter, yarn breakage and defect of yarn disorder, and increasing the performance of the hollow fiber membrane module, and to provide a method of manufacturing the hollow fiber membrane module using the casting cap. <P>SOLUTION: The potting material casting cap 2 holds a hollow fiber membrane bundle 11 at a given place, and has a protrusion 22 on the rear face 20 of a top plate in relation to an axial direction of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, coming into contact with the ends of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. The potting is performed in a state that the distance between the hollow fiber membranes at ends of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is fixed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a potting material casting cap used when manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module for treating a fluid.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the hollow fiber membrane module is a hollow fiber membrane bundle formed by bundling a large number of about 10000 hollow fiber membranes 11 in a cylindrical case 10 having a treatment liquid port 12 on the side surface. Is inserted, and the hollow portions at the ends of both ends are sealed, fixed by a sealing material (potting material) 40 and cut at the cutting position 50, thereby maintaining the opening at the end of each hollow fiber membrane itself. It has been made.

  Such a hollow fiber membrane module is manufactured by a manufacturing method as described below.

  First, a large number of hollow fiber membranes 11 are bundled and inserted into a cylindrical case 10. And after cutting the both ends of the hollow fiber membrane bundle to align the length, and sealing each hollow fiber membrane by an adhesive or heat melting, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. The casting cap 2 is attached to both ends of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. Thereafter, a potting material is injected under a centrifugal force from the treatment liquid port 12 of the case 10 to which the casting cap is attached, and the potting material is filled between the hollow fiber membranes which are densely bundled and bundled. Then, after the potting material is cured, both ends of the hollow fiber membrane module are cut at the cutting positions 50 as shown in FIG. Open the end of the thread membrane.

  In the step of injecting the potting material and sealing the end portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, a casting cap as shown in FIG. 3 has been conventionally used. The function of the conventional casting cap was to fix the hollow fiber membrane bundle inserted into the case to the case, cut it, and shape the hollow fiber membrane into a shape that is easy to open. However, when a casting cap as shown in FIG. 3 is used, the longest part of the end of the thread may come into contact with the back surface of the top plate of the casting cap, and if this longest part is weak in strength, , It may fall off and scatter foreign matter. In addition, before the potting material is cured, if the film bundle end is melt-sealed, there is a risk that a large amount of wrinkles will adhere to the end surface of the yarn bundle, and that the wrinkles will fall from the part where the cap contacts and mix into the product. Has been.

  Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a technique is disclosed in which a groove is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the casting cap to align the hollow fiber membranes. Furthermore, as an example in which another function is given to the casting cap, it is a case of using a thermoplastic resin without using a thermosetting resin that is usually used as a potting material, but inside the hollow fiber membrane bundle. It is described that a protrusion is inserted from the back of the top plate portion of the casting cap to give a function of controlling the temperature of the potting material (Patent Document 2). However, this method is effective only when the potting material requires special temperature control, such as a thermoplastic resin, and has meaning in the case of using a potting material of a normal thermosetting resin. Rather, in order to be inserted into the hollow fiber membrane bundle, it is necessary to maintain a sufficient space for the protrusions to be inserted into the hollow fiber membrane bundle. It is difficult to manufacture a membrane module, which may lead to an increase in defective products. Further, the hollow fiber membranes themselves are individually pushed into the hollow fiber membrane bundle by such protrusions, causing buckling and thread breakage, which may lead to an increase in defective products.

  Further, regarding the substance movement performance (diffusion action, substance removal performance by ultrafiltration action) of the hollow fiber membrane module manufactured by the above conventional method, the hollow fiber of the liquid to be treated flowing in and out of the liquid port 60 to be treated. Dispensability to the membrane and the flow uniformity of the processing liquid flowing in and out from the processing liquid port 12 are important. Since the liquid to be treated is usually provided with a liquid port to be treated at the center of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, the liquid to be treated tends to flow to the central portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. Since the port is installed, it is easy to flow through the outer part of the hollow fiber membrane bundle.

As a means to alleviate such uneven flow of each liquid and improve the performance of the hollow fiber membrane module, water-soluble fibers are mixed in the hollow fiber membrane bundle and placed in the center portion and inserted into the case Thus, there is a method of lowering the filling rate of the end opening surface of the hollow fiber membrane and the central portion of the hollow fiber membrane inside the case from the outer peripheral portion (Patent Document 3). However, the use of water-soluble fibers leads to an increase in cost, and the method of forming a hollow fiber membrane bundle by mixing water-soluble fibers only in the central part complicates the process and leads to an increase in defects. In addition, there is a method in which a core material is disposed in the header 6 as a means for reducing the uneven flow of the liquid to be treated and the processing liquid and improving the performance of the hollow fiber membrane module, and no hollow fiber membrane is disposed in the center portion of the case. Yes (Patent Document 4). However, if the core material is installed, the material cost increases, and the manufacturing process becomes complicated, which may cause problems such as an increase in defects.
JP-A-11-90186 Japanese Patent No. 1267883 JP-A-4-58959 JP 2004-105483 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the object is to inject a sealing material at the end of the module by centrifugal potting in the manufacturing process of the hollow fiber membrane module. At the same time, by improving the distribution performance of the liquid to be treated and the treatment liquid, the performance of the hollow fiber membrane module is improved, and the potting material casting cap capable of reducing the incidence of defective products, and the It is providing the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module using this.

  The present invention for solving the above-described problems is characterized by one of the following configurations.

  (1) Potting material casting cap used when a plurality of hollow fiber membrane bundles that are packed and packed in a cylindrical container having at least one open end are fixed to the cylindrical container end by a potting material And at least a protrusion that protrudes with respect to the axial direction of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, which can contact the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle and hold the position of the end at an arbitrary position on the back surface of the top plate portion. A potting material casting cap characterized by having one.

  Such a casting cap can hold the position of the end portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, that is, the projection provided on the back surface of the top plate portion of the casting cap and the end of the hollow fiber membrane are in contact with each other, while the projection portion In the portion other than the corresponding portion (contact portion) at the end of the hollow fiber membrane, a space is maintained between the bottom of the casting cap and the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. Without touching the entire bundle end portion or unnecessary portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle end portion, without disturbing the hollow fiber membrane, and without destroying the clogged portion of the clogged hollow fiber membrane tip, Does not generate foreign matter due to contact with unnecessary parts.

  Furthermore, since the protrusion is a protrusion protruding in the axial direction of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, the protrusion is brought into contact with the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle so that the corresponding portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is centered. This part can be curved. That is, with respect to the distribution of the hollow fiber membrane bundle inserted in the case, it is a portion about 5-10 mm in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical container from the end portion corresponding to the protruding portion, and in the production of a normal hollow fiber membrane module Can bend the hollow fiber membrane bundle positioned as the cut surface, and can make the distribution of the yarn bundle in this portion sparse. As a result, it is possible to intentionally form a portion where the liquid to be treated is difficult to flow, and at the same time, it is possible to intentionally form a portion where the treatment liquid easily flows. Thereby, it is possible to control the flow distribution of the liquid to be processed and the processing liquid, and it is possible to provide an inexpensive and higher performance hollow fiber membrane module.

  (2) The potting material casting cap according to (1), wherein the projection is provided at a central portion of the casting cap on the back surface of the top plate portion.

  Since the casting cap according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention has a protrusion at the center of the back surface of the top plate portion, the inner portion in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical container from the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, that is, usually The hollow fiber membrane bundle at the center in the portion recognized as the cut surface position can be made sparse. Thereby, the flow of the liquid to be processed that easily flows into the central portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle can be suppressed, and further, the flow of the processing liquid that hardly flows into the central portion can be promoted. Therefore, the performance of the hollow fiber membrane module can be improved at low cost.

  (3) The potting material casting cap according to (1), wherein the protrusion is provided in a radial direction from an outer peripheral portion to a central portion on a back surface of the top plate portion of the casting cap.

  In the casting cap according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the protruding portion is provided on the radial direction from the outer periphery to the central portion of the back surface of the top plate portion of the casting cap. Since the hollow fiber membrane bundle can be curved, the treatment liquid can easily flow into the central portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. Thereby, it is possible to provide an inexpensive and higher performance hollow fiber membrane module.

(4) A plurality of hollow fiber membranes are converged, filled into a cylindrical container having at least one open end, and the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is fixed to the end of the cylindrical container with a potting material, and then the hollow In the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module which cut | disconnects the edge part of a thread membrane bundle, It is described in any one of (1)-(3) from the addition of the said potting material to the cutting | disconnection of the said hollow fiber membrane bundle end part. the potting material casting cap, characterized in that only the projection on the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is Ru mounted so as to contact with the end portion, the production method of the hollow fiber membrane module.

    The manufacturing method according to the present invention is as described above, and after adding the potting material using the casting cap described in any of (1) to (3) above, the end portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is formed. By attaching so that only the protrusions are in contact with the bundle end until cutting, the hollow on the center side in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical container from the end of the hollow fiber membrane until the potting material is completely fixed The distance between the yarn membranes is prevented from changing unnecessarily, and at the same time, the disturbance at the end of the hollow fiber membrane is minimized.

  (5) The hollow according to (4), wherein the potting material casting cap is attached and the potting material is added while the distance between the hollow fiber membranes at the end portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is fixed. A method for manufacturing a yarn membrane module.

    Further, when the casting cap of the present invention is used, the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is fixed so that the distance between the hollow fiber membranes does not change, and as described in (1) above. By adopting a mode in which the protruding portion is brought into contact with the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, even when the portion around the corresponding portion in the hollow fiber membrane bundle is curved, the protrusion at the bottom of the casting cap is hollow fiber. Even if the end of the membrane bundle is contacted, the projection does not enter the hollow fiber membrane bundle, and is gently deformed from the periphery of the projection. Thereby, a hollow fiber membrane does not curve locally (one hollow fiber membrane unit). For this reason, the yarn breakage and the yarn breakage do not occur.

  When the casting cap of the present invention is used, the bottom of the casting cap and the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle at positions other than the protrusion provided on the back surface of the top plate and the hollow fiber membrane end corresponding thereto Since the space is maintained between the hollow fiber membrane bundle end, the hollow fiber membrane bundle end part or the unnecessary part of the hollow fiber membrane bundle end part is touched to disturb the hollow fiber membrane or clogged hollow The crushing part at the tip of the thread membrane is not destroyed, and the chances of generating foreign matter by contact with unnecessary parts can be greatly reduced, so that defects that occur during manufacturing can be reduced and the increase in manufacturing costs can be prevented. It is something that can be done.

  Hereinafter, the casting cap of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of a casting cap according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the casting cap 2 of the present invention basically includes a bottom portion 20, a side wall portion, and a connection portion, and is a hollow fiber fixed with a potting material on the back of the top plate portion and inside the side wall portion. The end of the membrane bundle is stored. In addition, by providing a protrusion that contacts the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle on the back surface of the top plate part, the top of the casting cap can be used except for the protrusion at the tip of the hollow fiber membrane bundle and the corresponding hollow fiber membrane end. Since a space is maintained between the back surface of the plate portion and the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, the hollow fiber is brought into contact with the entire hollow fiber membrane bundle end portion or an unnecessary portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle end portion. The membrane is not disturbed, the clogged portion of the clogged hollow fiber membrane tip is not destroyed, and no foreign matter is generated by contact with an unnecessary portion. Here, in order to completely avoid the contact between the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle and the back of the top plate, the depth of the casting cap is increased and the height of the protruding portion is increased to correspond to this. In this case, however, it is necessary to increase the amount of the potting material, which is disadvantageous in providing an inexpensive product. Therefore, the height of the protrusion is preferably 0 mm to 2 mm, more preferably 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm, assuming that the height of the position of the back surface of the top plate portion is 0. The shape of the protrusion is preferably a frustum shape so that the tip of the protrusion does not enter between the hollow fiber membranes, and the corner portion does not disturb the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. The shape is more preferable. In addition, the installation position of the protrusion may be any position as long as it is the back surface of the top plate portion, but if it is provided at the center portion of the back surface of the top plate portion, the hollow fiber membrane bundle at the center portion at the cut surface position is sparse. This is most preferable because the flow of the liquid to be treated that easily flows into the central portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle can be suppressed and the flow of the processing liquid that hardly flows into the central portion can be further promoted. Or the aspect (FIG. 4, FIG. 5) provided in a radial direction toward the center part from an outer periphery is preferable since the curve of a hollow fiber membrane can form the flow path of a process liquid. Further, the height of the protrusion in this case may vary depending on the location or may be constant.

  The end portion 31 of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is preferably in a fixed state so that the distance between the hollow fiber membranes does not change. About the hollow fiber membrane edge part, although it may be crushed or opened, since it is not necessary to add the process to crush further in the next process, it is more preferable that it is crushed. The hollow fiber membrane itself may be melted and solidified and fixed, or a chemical material or the like may be added to the end and fixed. Alternatively, the hollow fiber membrane bundle may be fixed by taping and restraining. This prevents the portion in contact with the protrusions from concentrating and receiving stress to prevent the hollow fiber membrane from being broken and distorted, and further, avoiding sudden changes in the distribution of the hollow fiber membrane bundle on the cut surface. The distribution on the cut surface can be changed. Thereby, a higher performance hollow fiber membrane module can be provided.

  The above casting cap 2 can also be comprised with plastics, such as polyethylene, a polypropylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyester, for example. Especially, it is preferable to comprise with polyethylene.

  Since the casting cap of the present invention is provided with the projections as described above on the conventional casting cap shape, it can be manufactured at a low cost by almost the same molding method as that of the conventional casting cap, and is inexpensive from the conventional product. Manufacturing with small modifications is also possible.

  The casting cap of the present invention is used when producing hollow fiber membrane modules used for blood dialysis by centrifugal potting, as well as artificial lungs, purification of sewage, production of drinking water, humidifiers for fuel cells, etc. Can be used when manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module over a wide range of applications by centrifugal potting, and its application range is not limited to these.

It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the casting cap of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows one Embodiment of the manufacturing method of the conventional hollow fiber membrane module. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the conventional casting cap. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the casting cap of this invention. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the casting cap of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows one Embodiment of the finished product of a hollow fiber membrane module.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hollow fiber membrane module 10 Case 11 Hollow fiber membrane bundle 12, 12 'Treatment liquid port 2, 2' Casting cap 20, 21 Back surface of top plate part of casting cap 22, 23 Protrusion 24, 25 Protrusion_A
26 Protrusion_B
30 Sparse portion of hollow fiber membrane bundle 31 End portion of hollow fiber membrane bundle 40 Potting material 50 Cut position of open end face 6 Header 60 Liquid port to be treated

Claims (5)

  A potting material casting cap used when the end of a bundle of hollow fiber membranes bundled and filled in a cylindrical container having at least one open end is fixed to the end of the cylindrical container by a potting material. And at least one protrusion protruding in the axial direction of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, which can be in contact with the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle and hold the position of the end at an arbitrary position on the back surface of the top plate portion Potting material casting cap characterized by that.   The potting material casting cap according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided at a central portion of the casting cap on the back surface of the top plate portion.   2. The potting material casting cap according to claim 1, wherein the projection is provided in a radial direction from an outer peripheral portion to a central portion on a back surface of the top plate portion of the casting cap. A plurality of hollow fiber membranes are converged, filled into a cylindrical container having at least one open end, and the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is fixed to the end of the cylindrical container with a potting material, and then the hollow fiber membrane bundle In the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module which cut | disconnects the edge part of the potting material casting in any one of Claims 1-3 from the addition of the said potting material to the cutting | disconnection of the said hollow fiber membrane bundle end part the cap, characterized in that only the projection on the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is Ru mounted so as to contact with the end portion, the production method of the hollow fiber membrane module. 5. The hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 4, wherein the potting material casting cap is attached and the potting material is added while the distance between the hollow fiber membranes at the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is fixed. Manufacturing method.

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