JP2018047433A - Manufacturing method of hollow fiber membrane module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method of a hollow fiber membrane module which can suppress clogging of a hollow fiber membrane.SOLUTION: A manufacturing method includes: an injection process of injecting a potting agent 250 in a container 120; a potting process of supplying the potting agent 250 stored in the container 120 to a plurality of intermediate products 200 through a plurality of tubes 130 by centrifugal force by rotating a rotary table 110; and a closing process of making an inside of the container in an airtight state by covering the container 120 after the injection process and until supply of the potting agent 250 is finished.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a hollow fiber membrane module having a potting process.

  A general method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module will be briefly described. First, a plurality of hollow fiber membranes are filled in a cylindrical case. Then, a potting agent having fluidity is supplied into the case. Thereafter, after the potting agent is cured, the end of the case is cut together with the cured potting agent. A hollow fiber membrane module is obtained by the above steps.

  Here, the hollow fiber membrane needs to be opened at the end of the case when the end of the case is cut together with the hardened potting agent. However, some of the hollow fiber membranes may become clogged due to the potting agent entering the hollow interior. When the clogged hollow fiber membrane occupies a certain ratio or more, it is handled as a defective product.

JP-A-5-168867

  The objective of this invention is providing the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module which can suppress that a hollow fiber membrane clogs.

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

That is, the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention,
A turntable on which an intermediate product of a plurality of hollow fiber membrane modules is installed, a container provided in the center of the turntable, capable of storing a potting agent, and rotating the turntable to be stored in the container A hollow having a potting step of supplying a potting agent to each of the plurality of intermediate products using a potting agent supply device including a plurality of pipes that supply the potting agent to each of the plurality of intermediate products. In the method for manufacturing the yarn membrane module,
An injection step of injecting a potting agent into the container;
A potting step of rotating the turntable to supply the potting agent stored in the container to the plurality of intermediate products via the plurality of tubes by centrifugal force; and
And having
It is characterized by having a closing step of closing the inside of the container in an airtight state by closing the container after the injecting step and before the potting agent is completely supplied.

According to the present invention, the inside of the container is hermetically sealed while the potting agent is flowing through each of the plurality of tubes by the closing process. Therefore, after the airtight state is reached, the potting agent flows and the pressure inside the container is reduced from the atmospheric pressure as the amount of the potting agent in the container decreases. Therefore, compared with the case where the inside of a container is atmospheric pressure, the fluid pressure of the potting agent supplied to an intermediate product can be made small. Thereby, it can suppress that a potting agent enters into the hollow inside of a hollow fiber membrane too much. From the above, it is possible to reduce the number of hollow fiber membranes that are clogged.

  The closing step may be performed before rotating the turntable.

  Thereby, since the inside of a container will be in an airtight state before supply of a potting agent progresses, it becomes possible to fully reduce the pressure inside a container. Therefore, the number of hollow fiber membranes that are clogged can be reduced more reliably.

  It is also preferable to perform the injection step after rotating the turntable, and to perform the closing step after the injection step and while the turntable is rotating.

  Thereby, since a potting agent is inject | poured in a container in the state in which the turntable was rotated, the supply amount of the potting agent with respect to a some intermediate product can be equalized more reliably.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the hollow fiber membrane can be prevented from being clogged.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a potting agent supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a manufacturing process diagram of a hollow fiber membrane module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a manufacturing process diagram of a hollow fiber membrane module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a manufacturing process diagram of a hollow fiber membrane module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a manufacturing process diagram of a hollow fiber membrane module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a manufacturing process diagram of a hollow fiber membrane module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a hollow fiber membrane module 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. 1-6, the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module which concerns on the Example of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a potting agent supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2-6 is a manufacturing-process figure of the hollow fiber membrane module which concerns on the Example of this invention. 2 to 4 are schematic cross-sectional views of the potting agent supply device (corresponding to the AA cross-sectional view in FIG. 1). Moreover, in FIG.5 and FIG.6, the intermediate product of the hollow fiber membrane module is shown with typical sectional drawing.

<Potting agent supply device>
In particular, the potting agent supply device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The potting agent supply apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a turntable 110 on which a plurality of hollow fiber membrane module intermediate products 200 are installed, a container 120 provided in the center of the turntable 110 and capable of storing a potting agent 250. And a plurality of tubes (hoses) 130 for supplying a potting agent from the container 120 to the plurality of intermediate products 200, respectively. In the illustrated example, eight intermediate products 200 can be installed on the turntable 110, but the number of intermediate products that can be installed on the turntable is not limited in the present invention.

  The turntable 110 includes a first installation base 111 on which a plurality of intermediate products 200 are installed, and a second installation base 112 on which the container 120 is installed. The container 120 is composed of a bottomed cylindrical member having an open top. In the vicinity of the bottom of the container 120, eight pipe connection parts 121 having through holes penetrating the inside of the container and the outside of the container are provided in the circumferential direction. One end of each of the eight pipes 130 is connected to these eight pipe connection portions 121. In addition, the container 120 is configured to be in a state in which the inside of the container (S) is sealed by being covered with the cover 140 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

  The intermediate product 200 includes a bottomed cylindrical case 210 having a through-hole 210a at the bottom, a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 220 filled in the case 210, and an adapter 230 attached to an end of the case 210 on the opening side. And. The intermediate product 200 is obtained by filling the case 210 with a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 220 folded in a U shape, and then attaching an adapter 230 to the end of the case 210 on the opening side. The adapter 230 is a member used for supplying a potting agent into the case 210. The adapter 230 is provided with a pipe connecting portion 231 in which a through-hole penetrating the inside of the adapter and the outside of the adapter is formed. The other ends of the eight tubes 130 described above are connected to the tube connection portion 231 of the adapter 230, respectively.

<Method for producing hollow fiber membrane module>
In particular, with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 6, a method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module according to the present embodiment will be described in the order of manufacturing steps.

<< Preparation >>
First, a plurality (specifically, eight) of intermediate products 200 are installed on the first installation table 111 of the turntable 110. Thereafter, a plurality (specifically, eight) of tubes 130 are connected. More specifically, as described above, one end of each pipe 130 is connected to the pipe connection part 121 provided in the container 120, and the other end is connected to the pipe connection part 231 of the adapter 230 in the intermediate product 200.

<< Injection process >>
After the preparation is completed, the potting agent 250 in a fluid state is injected into the container 120 from the upper opening (see arrow X in FIG. 1). The potting agent 250 is injected by a predetermined amount. Specific examples of the potting agent 250 include urethane resin (urethane adhesive) and epoxy resin. When the potting agent 250 is injected into the container 120, the potting agent 250 gradually flows through the tube 130.

<< Occlusion process >>
After the injection process, the container 120 is capped with a lid 140. Thereby, it will be in the state by which the container inside (S) was sealed (refer FIG. 3). Immediately after being capped, the pressure inside the container (S) is equal to the atmospheric pressure outside the container (A). However, when the amount of the potting agent 250 in the container 120 is reduced by sending the potting agent 250 from the container 120 to each pipe 130, the pressure inside the container (S) is gradually reduced from the atmospheric pressure. .

<< Potting process (centrifugal potting process) >>
After the closing process, the turntable 110 is rotated in the direction of arrow R in FIG. Thereby, supply of the potting agent 250 stored in the container 120 is promoted. That is, the potting agent 250 stored in the container 120 is supplied to the plurality of intermediate products 200 via the plurality of tubes 130 by centrifugal force. More specifically, the pipe connection 2 of the adapter 230
The potting agent 250 is supplied from 31 into the case 210. Since the centrifugal force is acting on the potting agent 250 supplied to the inside of the case 210, the potting agent 250 is held in the vicinity of the end portion of the case 210. Thereafter, after the potting agent 250 is substantially cured, the rotation of the turntable 110 is stopped, and the intermediate product 200 is removed from the turntable 110.

<< Cutting process >>
After the potting process, the end of the intermediate product 200 is cut by the cutting tool 150 in the direction of arrow B in FIG. More specifically, a part of the cured potting agent 250, a part of each hollow fiber membrane 220, and a part of the case 210 are cut simultaneously. As a result, while the plurality of hollow fiber membranes 220 are fixed to the case 210, the hollow interior of each hollow fiber membrane 220 is in an open state, and a sealing fixing portion is formed. FIG. 6 shows the intermediate product 200 after the cutting process.

  In the hollow fiber membrane module according to the present embodiment, since the sealing fixing portion is provided at one end of the case 210, the above-described manufacturing process is performed only once. In the case of a hollow fiber membrane module of a type in which a plurality of linear hollow fiber membranes are filled in the case and sealing fixing portions are provided at both ends of the case, 1 is respectively provided for both ends of the case. The above-described manufacturing process is performed once (total two times).

  FIG. 7 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the sealing fixing portion, and shows four hollow fiber membranes 220a, 220b, 220c, and 220d. The vicinity of the end of the gap between the hollow fiber membranes 220 is sealed with a hardened potting agent 250. Of the four hollow fiber membranes 220a, 220b, 220c, and 220d, the hollow interiors of the first, second, and fourth hollow fiber membranes 220a, 220b, and 220d from the top are opened. On the other hand, in the figure, the third hollow fiber membrane 220c from the top is in a clogged state because the potting agent 250X has entered the hollow interior. In the hollow fiber membrane module, when the clogged hollow fiber membrane occupies a certain ratio or more, it is handled as a defective product.

<The excellent point of the manufacturing method of the hollow fiber membrane module which concerns on a present Example>
According to the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, the inside of the container (S) is in an airtight state while the potting agent 250 flows through each of the plurality of tubes 130 by the closing process. Therefore, after the potting agent 250 flows after the airtight state is reached and the amount of the potting agent 250 in the container 120 decreases, the pressure inside the container (S) (the upper part of the potting agent 250 in the container inside (S) becomes higher. The pressure in the space is reduced from atmospheric pressure. Therefore, compared with the case where the inside of the container 120 is atmospheric pressure, the fluid pressure of the potting agent 250 supplied to the intermediate product 200 can be reduced. Thereby, it can suppress that the potting agent 250 penetrates into the hollow inside of the hollow fiber membrane 220 too much. From the above, it is possible to reduce the number of hollow fiber membranes 220 that are clogged.

  In the present embodiment, the closing step is performed before the turntable 110 is rotated. Thereby, before the supply of the potting agent 250 proceeds, the inside of the container (S) is in an airtight state, so that the pressure inside the container (S) can be sufficiently reduced. Therefore, the number of hollow fiber membranes 220 that are clogged can be reduced more reliably.

  However, even after the turntable 110 is rotated, if the container 120 is covered before the potting agent 250 is completely supplied, a certain effect can be obtained.

Hereinafter, the result of the comparative test will be described. The contents of the test are as follows. The potting agent is urethane resin. In the potting process, the potting agent supply device 100 described above was used, and the rotation speed of the turntable 110 was set to 230 rpm. As a result, a centrifugal force of 9.08 N acts on the intermediate product 200. Moreover, the potting process was performed for 10 minutes at room temperature. And when the clogged hollow fiber membrane exceeded 10% of the whole, it was decided that it was a defective product.

  In such a test, in the case of the manufacturing process according to the above-described embodiment, no defective product was generated. On the other hand, when there was no closing process (in the case of the conventional example), 30% of defective products occurred.

  Moreover, in the said Example, the test at the time of changing the order of the obstruction | occlusion process was also done. Specifically, the injection step is performed after the turntable 110 is rotated. Then, after the pouring step, the container 120 was covered while the turntable 110 was rotating and before the potting agent 250 was completely supplied. In addition, it was made to cover as soon as possible after an injection | pouring process. Other steps are the same as those in the above embodiment. In this case, although 3% of defective products occurred, it was confirmed that a sufficient effect was obtained as compared with the case where there was no blocking process. When the order is changed in this way, the potting agent 250 is injected into the container 120 with the turntable 110 rotated. Therefore, there is an advantage that the amount of the potting agent 250 supplied to the plurality of intermediate products 200 can be more evenly distributed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Potting agent supply apparatus 110 Turntable 111 1st installation base part 112 2nd installation base part 120 Container 121 Pipe connection part 130 Pipe 140 Lid 150 Cutting tool 200 Intermediate product 210 Case 220, 220a, 220b, 220c, 220d Hollow fiber membrane 230,240 Adapter 231,241 Pipe connection 250 Potting agent

Claims (3)

A turntable on which an intermediate product of a plurality of hollow fiber membrane modules is installed, a container provided in the center of the turntable, capable of storing a potting agent, and rotating the turntable to be stored in the container A hollow having a potting step of supplying a potting agent to each of the plurality of intermediate products using a potting agent supply device including a plurality of pipes that supply the potting agent to each of the plurality of intermediate products. In the method for manufacturing the yarn membrane module,
An injection step of injecting a potting agent into the container;
A potting step of rotating the turntable to supply the potting agent stored in the container to the plurality of intermediate products via the plurality of tubes by centrifugal force; and
And having
A hollow fiber membrane module comprising a clogging step of closing the inside of the container in an airtight state after the injecting step and before the potting agent is completely supplied Manufacturing method.   The method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1, wherein the closing step is performed before rotating the turntable.   The hollow according to claim 1, wherein the injection step is performed after the turntable is rotated, and the closing step is performed after the injection step while the turntable is rotating. A method for manufacturing a yarn membrane module.

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