JP2015080763A - Water purification cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water purification cartridge in which while air is released from the space where a plurality of hollow fiber membranes are housed to the outside, a raw water can be suppressed from directly entering the space.SOLUTION: Provided is a water purification cartridge 100 having plural activated charcoal 170 housed in a first space S1 on the upper side via a partition portion 117 and a plurality of hallow fiber membranes 180 housed in a second space S2 on the lower side via the partition portion 117 in which it is characterized in that there is provided a pipe 160 extending in a vertical direction within the first space S1, and via the inside of this pipe 160 there is provided an air passage that is in communication from the inside of the second space S2 to the outside of a top plate on the casing upper portion and that is for releasing the air within the second space S2 to the outside of the casing 110 as well as there is provided an aperture restriction formed in the end of the outer side of the casing 110 in the air passage.

Description

  The present invention relates to a water purification cartridge configured to be detachable from a water purifier main body.

  Conventionally, in a water purification cartridge configured to be detachable from the water purifier main body, there is a water purification cartridge in which a plurality of activated carbons for performing an adsorption process and a plurality of hollow fiber membranes for performing a membrane separation process are housed. Are known.

  Here, in a water purification cartridge provided with a plurality of hollow fiber membranes, there is a problem of a decrease in flow rate due to air bubbles remaining on the hollow fiber membrane surface. As a countermeasure, a technique is known in which hydrophobic yarns are arranged in a bundle of hollow fiber membranes to release air to the outside (see Patent Document 1). However, in the case of this technique, the cost increases as much as the hydrophobic yarn is arranged. In addition, a technique for arranging a tube for releasing air from a space where a plurality of hollow fiber membranes are arranged is also known (see Patent Documents 2 and 3). However, in these prior arts, a space for storing activated carbon is provided around a space in which a plurality of hollow fiber membranes are stored. There is also a problem that raw water tends to enter directly from the tube into the space in which the hollow fiber membrane is stored.

  Therefore, there is still room for improvement even when a configuration in which a tube for escaping air is arranged is employed.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-45531 Japanese Patent No. 4462335 JP 2004-230358 A

  The objective of this invention is providing the water purification cartridge which can suppress that raw | natural water enters directly into the said space, escaping air from the space where the several hollow fiber membrane was accommodated outside.

  The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.

That is, the present invention
A water purification cartridge configured to be detachable from the water purifier body,
It has a case with a partition that partitions the interior up and down while securing a water path,
A plurality of activated carbons are accommodated in the first space on the upper side through the partition part, the raw water is subjected to adsorption treatment with activated carbon, and a plurality of hollow fibers are disposed in the second space on the lower side through the partition part. In a water purification cartridge that performs membrane separation treatment with a hollow fiber membrane on water after the membrane is stored and subjected to adsorption treatment,
A pipe extending in the vertical direction is provided in the first space, and communicates from the inside of the second space to the outside of the top plate at the top of the case through the pipe, and the air in the second space is connected to the case. An air passage for escaping to the outside is formed, and a throttle is formed at an end portion of the air passage on the outer side of the case.

  According to the present invention, the air inside the second space can be released to the outside of the case by the air passage. Thereby, it can suppress that a bubble retains on the hollow fiber membrane surface. In the present invention, a first space in which a plurality of activated carbons are accommodated and a second space in which a plurality of hollow fiber membranes are accommodated are provided in the case above and below via a partition portion to form an air passage. The structure which the pipe | tube to do is provided in the 1st space is employ | adopted. Thereby, it can suppress that a water purification cartridge will enlarge compared with the case where the space in which activated carbon is accommodated around the space in which a hollow fiber membrane is accommodated. Furthermore, in the present invention, a throttle is formed at the outer end of the case in the air passage. Thereby, it can suppress that raw | natural water penetrate | invades in an air path from the exterior of a case. Therefore, it can suppress that raw | natural water enters directly into the 2nd space in which a hollow fiber membrane is accommodated.

  The diaphragm may be formed by a through hole provided in the top plate.

  Thereby, compared with the case where the aperture is formed by reducing the inner diameter of the tube in the vicinity of the end, the aperture can be easily provided in terms of processing.

  The inner diameter of the tube is 1.5 mm or more and 6.0 mm or less, whereas the inner diameter of the through hole is preferably 0.6 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.

  Thereby, it can suppress exactly that raw | natural water penetrate | invades in an air path from the exterior of a case, releasing air.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent raw water from entering directly into the space while escaping air from the space in which the hollow fiber membrane is stored.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state where a water purification cartridge is mounted on a water purifier body according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view of the water purification cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side view of the water purification cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the water purification cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the water purification cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a water purification cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a water purification cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a water purification cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a water purification cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a water purification cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified. .

(Example)
With reference to FIGS. 1-11, the water purification cartridge which concerns on the Example of this invention is demonstrated.
In addition, in a present Example, the case of a pot type water purifier is demonstrated as an example as an example of the water purifier to which a water purifying cartridge is applied. However, the water purification cartridge of the present invention is applicable to various water purifiers. In the following description, “upper (upper / upper)” means upper (upper / upper) in the vertical direction when the water purifier is installed on a horizontal plane. In addition, “lower (lower part / lower part)” means a lower part (lower part / lower part) in the vertical direction when the water purifier is installed on a horizontal plane.

<Water purifier>
With reference to FIG.1 and FIG.2, the water purifier which can apply the water purifying cartridge 100 which concerns on a present Example is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state where a water purification cartridge is mounted on a water purifier body according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, in FIG.1 and FIG.2, about the water purification cartridge 100, it has shown with the front view instead of sectional drawing.

  The water purifier 500 includes a water purification cartridge 100, an O-ring 200 attached to the water purification cartridge 100, and a pot type case 300. In the figure, the O-ring 200 is shown in a partially broken sectional view.

  The case 300 integrally includes a bottomed cylindrical outer housing 310 and a stepped cylindrical inner housing 320. The outer housing 310 is provided with a handle 330 and a spout 340. In the outer housing 310, the inner housing 320 forms an injection region R1 where raw water such as tap water is injected and a storage region R2 where purified water is stored. In the state where the water purification cartridge 100 is attached, the storage region R2 is a sealed space except for the spout 340. The inner housing 320 is provided with a cylindrical portion 321 that supports the water purification cartridge 100 and a step portion 322 that positions the water purification cartridge 100.

  When attaching the water purification cartridge 100 to the case 300, the water purification cartridge 100 may be inserted into the cylindrical portion 321 until it hits the stepped portion 322 in the direction of arrow X in FIG. Further, when removing the water purification cartridge 100 from the case 300, the water purification cartridge 100 may be pulled out right above.

  In the water purifier 500 configured as described above, when the raw water is poured in the direction of arrow P in FIG. 2, the water purified by the water purification cartridge 100 is discharged in the direction of arrow Q. Thereby, the purified water is stored in the storage region R2. In addition, since the annular gap between the water purification cartridge 100 and the inner housing 320 is sealed by the O-ring 200, the raw water is prevented from directly entering the storage region R2.

<Water purification cartridge>
With reference to FIGS. 3-11, the water purification cartridge 100 which concerns on a present Example is demonstrated. FIG. 3 is a front view of the water purification cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side view of the water purification cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the water purification cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the water purification cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the water purification cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a V1-V1 cross-sectional view in FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the water purification cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a V2-V2 cross-sectional view in FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the water purification cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a V3-V3 cross-sectional view in FIG. In addition, in FIGS. 7-9, the state which has not accommodated activated carbon and a hollow fiber membrane is shown. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the water purification cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a V2-V2 cross-sectional view in FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the water purification cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a V3-V3 cross-sectional view in FIG.

  The water purification cartridge 100 includes a cylindrical case 110, an upper cap (top plate) 120 attached to the upper portion of the case 110, and a lower cap (bottom plate) 130 attached to the lower portion of the case 110. Both the upper cap 120 and the lower cap 130 can be easily assembled to the case 110 by fitting. In addition, the case 110 is provided with a partition 117 that partitions the interior vertically. A first space S1 is formed on the upper side through the partition part 117, and a second space S2 is formed on the lower side through the partition part 117. The partition 117 and the case 110 are integrated. Moreover, the partition part 117 is provided so that it may pass along the center of the circular hole which is a boundary part of 1st space S1 and 2nd space S2, and is connected in two places of the inner wall face of the case 110 ( (See FIG. 7).

  Further, the case 110 includes a substantially cylindrical portion 111 serving as a side wall of the first space S1 and a substantially tapered portion 112 serving as a side wall of the second space S2. However, the side wall of the second space S2 may be cylindrical. A pair of annular convex portions 113 and 114 are formed on the outer wall surface side of the substantially cylindrical portion 111. The above-described O-ring 200 is attached to the annular groove 115 formed between the pair of annular protrusions 113 and 114. A plurality of openings 116 for guiding the raw water into the case 110 are provided above the annular convex portion 114 in the substantially cylindrical portion 111. A filter 140 that prevents foreign matters contained in the raw water from entering the case 110 is provided inside the portion where the plurality of openings 116 are provided.

  The upper cap 120 is provided with a plurality of air escape holes (through holes) 121 and 122. Among the plurality of escape holes 121, 122, the central escape hole 121 is provided to allow air in the second space S2 to escape, and the three surrounding relief holes 122 are provided in the first space S1. It is provided to escape the air. These escape holes 121 and 122 have an inner diameter (hole diameter) of 0.6 mm to 1.0 mm. This makes it difficult for water to flow in the hole while ensuring the flow of air. Further, the lower cap 130 is provided with a discharge port 131 for sending water purified by the water purification cartridge 100 into the second space S2.

  A plurality of activated carbons 170 are accommodated in the first space S1. In the present embodiment, a plurality of activated carbons 170 are stored up to near the lower side of the region where the filter 140 is provided. A plurality of hollow fiber membranes 180 are accommodated in the second space S2. The plurality of hollow fiber membranes 180 are arranged such that the plurality of hollow fiber membranes 180 are bundled and bent into a U shape, and both ends thereof are on the lower side of the case 110. Further, both ends of the plurality of hollow fiber membranes 180 are sealed and fixed with a potting agent at the lower end of the case 110 (potting portion 181). However, both ends of the plurality of hollow fiber membranes 180 are provided between the outer wall surfaces of the plurality of hollow fiber membranes 180, the outer wall surface of the hollow fiber membranes 180, and the inner wall surface of the case 110 so that only the hollow interior is opened to the outside. Is sealed with a potting agent. Therefore, the liquid filtered by the hollow fiber membrane 180 passes through the hollow interior and is discharged from the end face side of the potting portion 181. The filling rate of the hollow fiber membrane 180 in the second space S2 is preferably set to 45% or more and 55% or less from the viewpoint of air escape performance.

  In the case 110, a filter 150 is disposed on the upper side of the partition 117 so that the activated carbon 170 housed in the first space S1 does not enter the second space S2. Thereby, although water flows into 2nd space S2, activated carbon 170 does not penetrate | invade 2nd space S2.

Further, in the case 110, a pipe 160 extending in the vertical direction is placed in the first space S1.
Is provided. An air passage that communicates from the inside of the second space S2 to the outside of the top plate (upper cap 120) at the top of the case 110 via the inside of the pipe 160, and releases the air in the second space S2 to the outside of the case 110. Is formed. Hereinafter, this air path will be described in more detail.

<Airway>
In particular, the air path will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The partition portion 117 is provided with a substantially cylindrical support portion 117a that protrudes toward the first space S side at the center thereof. The inner wall surface side of the substantially cylindrical support portion 117a is a hole that communicates from the first space S1 to the second space S2. The upper cap 120 is provided with a substantially cylindrical support portion 123 that protrudes toward the first space S1 at the center thereof. The above-described escape hole 121 is provided at the center of the substantially cylindrical support portion 123. The pipe 160 is fixed in a positioned state by press-fitting both ends thereof into a substantially cylindrical support portion 117 a provided in the partition portion 117 and a substantially cylindrical support portion 123 provided in the upper cap 120. Is done. Thereby, water and air do not go back and forth between the first space S1 and the inside of the pipe 160. The tube 160 is set to have an inner diameter of 1.5 mm or more and 6.0 mm or less so that air can be sufficiently removed. In addition, a hydrophobic material is used as the material of the tube 160, and, for example, a polyolefin material such as PP or PE can be suitably used.

  With the above configuration, an air passage is formed which communicates from the inside of the second space S2 to the outside of the top plate (upper cap 120) above the case 110 and allows the air in the second space S2 to escape to the outside of the case 110. . In addition, a throttle is formed at the outer end of the case 110 in the air passage. That is, the relief hole 121 provided in the upper cap 120 plays a role of a throttle in the air passage. By providing the throttle (the escape hole 121) in this way, it is possible to prevent the raw water from entering the air passage while allowing the air to escape to the outside of the case 110.

  Here, the entrance E on the second space S2 side of the air passage (the portion of the opening on the second space S2 side of the hole on the inner wall surface side of the substantially cylindrical support portion 117a) is the top of the bundle of the plurality of hollow fiber membranes 180 If it is blocked by a part, it will be difficult for air to escape. Further, the water flowing from the first space S1 to the second space S2 may travel along the lower surface of the partition portion 117 and form a film that closes the entrance E by the interfacial tension. Also in this case, it becomes difficult for air to escape. Therefore, in the water purification cartridge 100 according to the present embodiment, the partition portion 117 is provided with a protruding portion 117b that prevents water from flowing to the entrance E and secures a gap between the entrance E and the hollow fiber membrane 180. ing. Hereinafter, the protrusion 117b will be described in detail.

<Projection>
In particular, the protrusion 117b will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. The partition 117 is provided with a protrusion 117b that protrudes into the second space S2 and restricts the movement of the hollow fiber membrane 180 toward the first space S1. This prevents the water flowing from the first space S1 to the second space S2 from flowing to the inlet E on the second space S2 side of the air path. In addition, a gap can be secured between the entrance E and the hollow fiber membrane 180.

And this protrusion part 117b has a pair of parallel part 117b1 extended in parallel on both sides which pinched | interposed the entrance E by the side of the 2nd space S2 of an air path. In addition, the enlarged view which looked at the protrusion part 117b from the lower side is shown in the circled part of FIG. In the present embodiment, both sides of the pair of parallel portions 117b1 are connected by the arc-shaped portion 117b2. However, it may be connected by a linear portion instead of an arc shape. Thus, the protrusion 117b is provided so as to surround the entrance E on the second space S2 side of the air passage. By carrying out like this, it can suppress more reliably that the water which flowed from 1st space S1 to 2nd space S2 will flow to the entrance E by the side of 2nd space S2 of an air path. In an encircled portion of FIG. 10, an enlarged cross-sectional view in the vicinity of the protruding portion 117b is shown. As illustrated, the water flows in the direction of the arrow X so as to travel along the outer wall surface of the protruding portion 117b, so that it can be prevented that the water flows to the entrance E. Further, the pair of parallel portions 117b1 in the protruding portion 117b is configured such that the protruding amount of the portion away from the center is smaller than that in the vicinity of the center (see FIGS. 9 and 11). Thereby, it is suppressed that the whole protrusion part 117b is obstruct | occluded by the top part of the bundle | flux of the several hollow fiber membrane 180. FIG.

  On the other hand, the plurality of hollow fiber membranes 180 accommodated in the second space S2 are bent in a U shape by bundling the plurality of hollow fiber membranes 180, and both ends thereof are on the lower side of the case 110. It is arranged to become. The extending direction of each hollow fiber membrane 180 in the projection view when each hollow fiber membrane 180 is viewed from the lower side to the upper side of the case 110 intersects with the pair of parallel portions 117b1 in the projecting portion 117b. Thus, the hollow fiber membrane 180 is arrange | positioned (refer FIG. 10, 11). Thereby, it can suppress that the top part (part bent in U shape) of the bundle | flux of the hollow fiber membrane 180 enters between a pair of parallel parts 117b1. Thereby, it can suppress more reliably that the entrance E will be obstruct | occluded by the top part of the bundle | flux of the several hollow fiber membrane 180. FIG.

<Purification of water with a water purification cartridge>
The purification of water by the water purification cartridge 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. As described above, when raw water such as tap water is injected into the injection region R1 of the water purifier 500, the raw water enters the case 110 from the plurality of openings 116 provided in the case 110 of the water purification cartridge 100. At this time, the filter 140 prevents foreign matter (a relatively large foreign matter) from entering the case 110. Thereafter, the raw water flows into the first space S1 by gravity. In the first space S1, residual chlorine, trihalomethane, organic impurities, etc. in the raw water are adsorbed by the plurality of activated carbons 170. The water subjected to the adsorption treatment by the activated carbon 170 flows through the filter 150 to the second space S2 due to gravity. In the second space S2, fine particles in the water are separated by membrane separation by the hollow fiber membrane 180. As described above, the raw water is subjected to the adsorption treatment with the activated carbon 170 and the membrane separation treatment with the hollow fiber membrane 180. The purified water passes through the hollow interior of each hollow fiber membrane 180, is discharged from the end face side of the potting portion 181, and is discharged from the discharge port 131 provided in the lower cap 130 to the storage region R2.

<Excellent point of the water purification cartridge according to this embodiment>
According to the water purification cartridge 100 according to the present embodiment, the air inside the second space S2 can escape to the outside of the case 110 by the air passage. Thereby, it can suppress that a bubble retains on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane 180. FIG. Therefore, it can suppress that the flow volume of water falls.

  And in the water purification cartridge 100 which concerns on a present Example, the 1st space S1 in which the some activated carbon 170 is accommodated in the case 110 via the partition part 117 up and down, and the several hollow fiber membrane 180 are accommodated. A configuration is adopted in which two spaces S2 are provided, and a tube 160 forming an air passage is provided in the first space S1. Thereby, it can suppress that a water purification cartridge will enlarge compared with the case where the space in which activated carbon is accommodated around the space in which a hollow fiber membrane is accommodated.

Furthermore, in the water purification cartridge 100 according to the present embodiment, a throttle is formed at the outer end of the case 110 in the air passage. Thereby, it can suppress that raw | natural water penetrate | invades in an air path from the exterior of case 110. FIG. Therefore, it can suppress that raw | natural water enters directly into 2nd space S2 in which a hollow fiber membrane is accommodated.

  Here, in the present embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the throttle provided in the air passage is formed by the escape hole 121 provided in the top plate (upper cap 120). Thereby, compared with the case where the aperture is formed by reducing the inner diameter of the tube 160 in the vicinity of the end portion, the aperture can be easily provided in terms of processing.

  In the present embodiment, the inner diameter of the tube 160 is set to 1.5 mm or more and 6.0 mm or less, whereas the inner diameter of the escape hole 121 is set to 0.6 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. . Thereby, it can suppress exactly that raw | natural water penetrate | invades in an air path from the exterior of case 110, releasing air. By setting in this way, the raw water that directly enters the second space S without passing through the first space S1 can be reduced to 20% or less of the total filtration flow rate. Satisfies JIS S 3201).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Water purification cartridge 110 Case 111 Substantially cylindrical part 112 Substantially tapered part 113,114 Annular convex part 115 Annular groove 116 Opening part 117 Partition part 117a Substantially cylindrical support part 117b Protruding part 117b1 Parallel part 117b2 Arc-shaped part 120 Upper cap 121, 122 escape hole 123 substantially cylindrical support part 130 lower cap 131 discharge port 140,150 filter 160 pipe 170 activated carbon 180 hollow fiber membrane 181 potting part 200 O-ring 300 case 310 outer housing 320 inner housing 321 cylindrical part 322 step part 330 handle 340 pouring Mouth 500 Water purifier E Entrance R1 Injection area R2 Storage area S1 1st space S2 2nd space

Claims (3)

A water purification cartridge configured to be detachable from the water purifier body,
It has a case with a partition that partitions the interior up and down while securing a water path,
A plurality of activated carbons are accommodated in the first space on the upper side through the partition part, the raw water is subjected to adsorption treatment with activated carbon, and a plurality of hollow fibers are disposed in the second space on the lower side through the partition part. In a water purification cartridge that performs membrane separation treatment with a hollow fiber membrane on water after the membrane is stored and subjected to adsorption treatment,
A pipe extending in the vertical direction is provided in the first space, and communicates from the inside of the second space to the outside of the top plate at the top of the case through the pipe, and the air in the second space is connected to the case. An air passage for escaping to the outside is formed, and a throttle is formed at an end of the air passage on the outer side of the case.   The water purification cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the throttle is formed by a through-hole provided in the top plate.   The water purification cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the inner diameter of the tube is 1.5 mm or more and 6.0 mm or less, whereas the inner diameter of the through hole is 0.6 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.

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