JP2019042693A - Separation membrane module inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an inspection device of a separation membrane module which can tightly fix a connection member and a separation membrane module without generating a clearance between the connection member and the separation membrane module.SOLUTION: An inspection device 1 is a holding structure 1 of a module 20 in which the separation membrane module 20 is held through a connection member 30 such as a coupler. The module 20 is detachably fixed to the connection member 30 by pressing the module 20 to the connection member 30, and has a protrusion 40 which is formed on an opposite surface to the connection member 30 and supports the connection member 30 at one point. Thereby, the coupler 30 can tilt with respect to the module 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a gas leak inspection apparatus for a fluid separation membrane module using a hollow fiber membrane.

Conventionally, as a leak inspection of a fluid such as a gas in a module or a pipe, a test using a module or a pipe and a connecting member such as a dedicated coupler and pressing one to the other to flow the fluid is performed.
For example, as a method of inspecting the leak of piping by using a connecting member, a guide rod for preventing inclination is attached to the connecting member, and the end face of the piping is in contact with the sealing surface perpendicularly by sliding linearly using a screw rod. There has been proposed a method of performing a leak inspection with a mechanism for holding and pressing as described above (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2015-203678, A

  In a structure in which one of the separation membrane module and the connection member is fixed by pressing one of the separation membrane module and the connection member, for example, the end face of the separation membrane module is slightly inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the module. When the end face of the separation membrane module has a slight inclination with respect to the coupler pressing direction due to a slight deviation in the direction before pressing, a gap is generated between the end face of the separation membrane module and the coupler. It may happen. When such a structure is applied to a separation membrane module inspection apparatus, a test fluid such as high-pressure gas leaks from the gap between the end face of the separation membrane module and the coupler, causing problems such as the inability to perform accurate inspection. It occurs.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an inspection apparatus which can eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art described above.

The present invention is an apparatus for flowing a pressurized test fluid to a fluid separation membrane module having a hollow fiber membrane to test the separation membrane module,
The device has a connection member detachably connected to the separation membrane module,
The connection member is connected to the separation membrane module by pressing the end face of the separation membrane module thereto or by pressing the connection member toward the end face of the separation membrane module, and
The test fluid is supplied to the separation membrane module via the connection member connected to the separation membrane module,
The device has a protrusion for supporting the surface of the connection member opposite to the separation membrane module at one point, and when one of the connection member and the separation membrane module is pressed against the other, the connection member is the same. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inspection device which can be tilted according to the end face of the separation membrane module.

  According to the present invention, it is an inspection device of a separation membrane module in which one of the separation membrane module and the connection member is pressed against and fixed to the other, and no gap is generated between the connection member and the separation membrane module. An inspection device is provided that can be closely fixed to a membrane module to prevent fluid leakage at the connection.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the connecting member and the vicinity thereof in the inspection apparatus of FIG. FIGS. 3A to 3C are schematic cross-sectional views showing the transition of the separation membrane module to the connection member in the structure of the embodiment.

The present invention will be described based on its preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings.
In the inspection apparatus 1 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a separation membrane module 20 having a hollow fiber membrane (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a module 20) is fixed by pressing one end thereof to the connection member 30. As will be described later, in the present embodiment, the module 20 has an opening 21 (see FIG. 2) at its end face 20a, and allows the flow of the test fluid into the module 20 through the opening 21. . In the present embodiment, a coupler is used as the connection member 30. The coupler can be connected to and detached from the module 20 with a simple operation of pressing the module 20 on it, sometimes referred to as a quick fluid coupling. Hereinafter, the connection member 30 is also referred to as a coupler 30. The fluid flow pipe 67 is connected to the coupler 30. The fluid flow pipe 67 is used to allow the test fluid to flow into the module 20 via the coupler 30 or to discharge the test fluid discharged from the module 20 via the coupler 30 to the outside of the apparatus. is there.
The inspection apparatus 1 further includes a member 10A for holding the coupler 30, and a holding mechanism 10B for the module 20. The module 20 is pressed by the holding mechanism 10B at one end 20B side, and is pressed at the other end 20A side to the coupler 30 interposed between the holding mechanism 10B and the coupler holding member 10A, thereby fixing between the holding mechanism 10B and the coupler 30 It is In the present embodiment, the direction defined as the moving direction of the module 20 at the time of pressing is taken as the X direction. The module 20 has a columnar shape elongated in one direction. More specifically, the module 20 is cylindrical with a hollow portion inside, and has a cylindrical appearance. The module 20 is usually arranged in the inspection device 1 such that the pressing direction X coincides with the longitudinal direction of the module 20. Of the two end surfaces of the module 20, the end surface 20a located on the coupler 30 side is a flat surface substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the module 20. Further, the opposing surface 30 a of the coupler 30 with the module 20 is a flat surface substantially orthogonal to the pressing direction X.

  In the inspection apparatus 1, there may be a case where the end face 20 a of the module 20 is slightly inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the module 20. Even in such a case, the inspection apparatus 1 can fix the end faces 20a and 30a of the module 20 and the coupler 30 facing each other so as to closely contact each other without a gap.

  Similar to the end surface 20 a of the module 20, the other end surface 20 b is preferably a flat surface substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the module 20 from the viewpoint of ease of holding the module 20. In this case, the end faces 20a and 20b are substantially parallel to each other, but may not be completely parallel for the reason described above.

  The coupler holding member 10A of the inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is fixed at a predetermined position on the horizontal surface 90 in the pressing direction X of the module 20. The coupler holding member 10A fixes the coupler 30 on the opposite side of the module 20 in the X direction.

  As described above, the inspection apparatus 1 further includes the holding mechanism 10B of the module 20 in addition to the coupler holding member 10A. The holding mechanism 10B is located on the opposite side to the end 20A of the module 20 facing the coupler 30. The holding mechanism 10 B has a pressing mechanism 80 that presses the module 20 toward the coupler 30 in the X direction.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, the pressing mechanism 80 is provided with a pressing member 81 slidably provided on a pair of rails 82 disposed on the side opposite to the coupler 30 in the X direction with respect to the module 20 and extending parallel to the X direction. The piston 83 is disposed parallel to the X direction in the X direction opposite to the module 20 in the pressing member 81, and the piston 83 is capable of pressing the pressing member 81 toward the coupler 30 in the X direction. An air cylinder main body 84 to be moved and an air supply pipe 85 for supplying air to the air cylinder 84 are provided.

  For example, in a case where the module 20 is pressed against the coupler 30 in a state of being separated from the coupler 30, the piston 83 is driven by supplying compressed air to the air cylinder main body 84 through the air supply pipe 85 first. The pressing member 81 fixed to the piston 83 slides in the X direction along the rail 82 toward the coupler 30 by the pressing force of the piston 83, whereby the module 20 is pressed against the coupler 30.

  As described above, the end surface 20 b of the module 20 opposite to the coupler 30 is a flat surface orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the module 20. Further, a plate surface 81a of the pressing member 81 opposed to the module 20 is a flat surface orthogonal to the X direction.

  The pressing member 81 may have a gripping mechanism for gripping the end portion 20B of the module 20 and fixing the position of the module 20 in the planar direction orthogonal to the X direction. This facilitates positioning of the module 20 in the planar direction. Further, a support member (not shown) such as a V block may be provided under the module 20, and the positioning and the support of the module 20 may be performed by sliding the module 20 in the X direction on the support member. .

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the coupler 130 is fixed to the plate surface 81 a of the pressing member 81 facing the module 20. The coupler 130 can be connected to and detached from the module 20 by pressing the end 20 B of the module 20 against the coupler 130 or pressing the coupler 130 against the end 20 B of the module 20. A fluid flow pipe 69 is connected to the coupler 130. The fluid flow pipe 69 is used to allow the test fluid to flow into the module 20 through the coupler 130 or to discharge the test fluid discharged from the module 20 through the coupler 130 to the outside of the apparatus. is there. As described above, when the pressing member 81 includes the coupler 130, positioning of the module 20 is facilitated, and even when the module 20 has an opening on the end 20B side, fluid communication with the internal space of the module 20 is performed through the opening. Gas can be easily circulated between the passage 69 and the passage 69. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the coupler 130 has a thick plate shape whose end face is substantially rectangular like the coupler 30.

  The couplers 30, 130 may have a shape that matches the shape of the end portions 20A, 20B of the module, and may have a socket type, a plug type, or the like. Further, the couplers 30, 130 are composed of a pair of female parts and male parts, one of the female parts and male parts is attached to the module end 20A, 20B, and the other member is connected and detached. You may do it.

  Next, based on FIG. 2, the inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 2, the coupler holding member 10 </ b> A has a protrusion 40 for supporting the coupler 30 at one point on the surface 10 a facing the coupler 30. A state in which the end surface 20a and the surface 30a of the coupler are face-to-face matched with the inclination of the end surface 20a of the module 20 pressed against the coupler 30 with respect to the plane orthogonal to the X direction. , And can be tilted with respect to the coupler holding member 10A.

  More specifically, the coupler 30 has an end face 30a facing the module 20, and an end face 30b facing the opposite side to the end face 30a and facing the coupler holding member 10A. The end surface 30a and the opposite end surface 30b are formed in flat surfaces parallel to each other. As shown in FIG. 1, the coupler 30 is formed in a thick plate shape in which the shape in a plan view seen along the X direction, that is, the shape of the end surface 30a of the coupler 30 is substantially rectangular. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the entire end face 20 a of the module 20 is formed to be able to abut on the end face 30 a of the coupler 30. However, the end surface 30 a of the coupler 30 may be smaller than the end surface 20 a of the module 20 as long as the end surface 30 a has a size that can be sealed by an O-ring 35 described later.

  The coupler holding member 10A has an end face 10a opposite to the end face 30b, and a protrusion 40 protrudes at a position intersecting the extension line W of the central axis of the module 20 on the end face 10a. The end face 10a is a flat surface orthogonal to the X direction. Here, the extension line W of the central axis may be that of the module 20 at any position in the process until the module 20 pressed by the holding mechanism 10B is pressed by the coupler 30. The surface of the tip of the protrusion 40 on the coupler 30 side is formed in a curved surface that is convex toward the coupler 30 in the X direction, and more preferably formed in a hemispherical shape. The projection 40 supports the coupler 30 at one point which is a contact point between the curved surface and the end surface 30 b of the coupler 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the entire part of the protrusion 40 that protrudes from the end face 10 a may be formed into a curved surface that is convex toward the coupler 30, or the tip of the part of the protrusion 40 that protrudes from the end face 10 a A part may be formed on a curved surface. The protrusion 40 may be integrally formed with the coupler holding member 10A, or may be separately formed and fixed to the coupler holding member 10A by a known fixing method.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coupler holding member 10A is a plate having a substantially L shape in a side view, and of the plate-like portions, the horizontal plate portion 10d is against the lower surface 90 to which the rail 82 is fixed. , And the upright plate portion 10c stands vertically from the horizontal plate portion 10d. The end face 10a of the coupler holding member 10A is a plate surface of the upright plate portion 10c. A projection 40 is fitted and fixed to a through hole 12 bored in the X direction in the upright plate portion 10c. Further, the end face 10a of the coupler holding member 10A is larger than the end face 30b of the coupler 30, and the entire end face 30b of the coupler 30 is formed to face the end face 10a of the holding member 10A.

  The coupler 30 and the coupler holding member 10A support the coupler 30 by the projection 40 of the coupler holding member 10A, and are fixed to each other by a plurality of fixing members 11 circumferentially arranged with respect to the projection 40. The circumferential direction referred to here means a circumferential direction centering on the central axis direction of the module 20. The fixing member 11 is, for example, a screw member, and in the example shown in FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of through holes 14 (pierced holes) are formed in the peripheral portion of the portion supported by the protrusion 40 in the coupler 30, and these through holes 14 in the coupler holding member 10A are opposed to each other. Holes 37 (screw holes) are formed at the positions where the coupler 30 and the coupler holding member 10A are fixed by screwing bolts 13 into these. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the bolt 13 is fixed by the nut 15.

In the coupler holding member 10 </ b> A, a buffer member 17 made of an elastic material is disposed between the through hole 14 and the bolt 13. More specifically, the through hole 14 has a portion 14A whose hole diameter is larger than the diameter of the bolt 13, and thereby a gap between the through hole 14 and the bolt 13 is formed. 17 are arranged. Preferably, a gap between the through hole 14 and the bolt 13 is formed in a part of the end surface 10a of the coupler holding member 10A, and the buffer member 17 is disposed in the gap. The position of the end of the buffer member 17 on the coupler 30 side may protrude to the coupler 30 side more than the end face 10a as shown in FIG. 1 or, as shown in FIG. It may be a position, or it may be a position retracted to the end face 10 b side than the end face 10 a. Since the position of the end of the buffer member 17 on the coupler 30 side protrudes to the coupler 30 side more than the end face 10a of the coupler holding member, the gap between the surface 30b and the surface 10a can be supported by the buffer member 17. It is preferable in terms of facilitating assembly / adjustment of the coupler holding member 10A and the coupler 30, and in terms of facilitating maintenance of a gap between the coupler 30 and the coupler holding member 10A.
Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the buffer member 16 surrounding the circumferential surface of the bolt 13 is disposed also between the nut 15 and the end surface 10b on the opposite side of the coupler 30 of the coupler holding member 10A. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the through hole 12 may have a gap with the bolt 13 also on the end face 10b side, and the buffer member 16 may be partially fitted in the gap.

By configuring as described above, when the coupler 30 is pressed by the module 20, the variation of the position of the bolt 13 makes the coupler 30 easy to tilt with respect to the end face 10a of the holding member 10A.
The buffer members 16 and 17 are made of, for example, silicone rubber, urethane or the like, and have an annular shape surrounding the circumferential surface of the bolt 13 such as a washer. From the viewpoint of fixation of the coupler 30 and ease of tilting, in the thickness L1 (see FIG. 2) of the holding member 10, the ratio of the portion L2 (see FIG. 2) in which the buffer members 16 and 17 are arranged is 10% or more 90% or less is preferable and 50% or more is more preferable.

  For example, the stability of the coupler 30 and the airtightness between the coupler 30 and the module 20 can be ensured as the angle Q at which the coupler 30 is tilted with respect to the plate surface 10 a of the coupler holding member 10A when the coupler 30 is pressed from the module 20 Or less, preferably ± 7 degrees or less, and more preferably ± 3 degrees or less.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, the extension line W of the central axis of the module 20 pressed against the coupler 30 passes through the support point P of the projection 40 on the end surface 30 b of the coupler 30. In this case, it is preferable from the viewpoint that tilting of the coupler 30 by pressing on the module 20 is likely to occur smoothly.

  In plan view orthogonal to the central axis Y of the projection 40, the plurality of fixing positions by the through hole 14 and the bolt 13 are preferably located on the circumference of a circle centered on the projection 40, and on the circumference of the same circle It is further preferred to be located. The fixing position of the through hole 14 and the bolt 13 in the coupler holding member 10A is preferably three or more, and more preferably four or more.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the coupler 30 has a first opening 31 in the opposite surface 30 a to the module 20. The module 20 also has an opening 21 for introducing a gas for inspection into the surface 20 a facing the coupler 30. The first opening 31 of the coupler 30 is provided at a position facing the opening 21 in the facing surface 30 a. As shown in FIG. 2, the coupler 30 has a hollow portion 32 connected to the first opening 31, and the hollow portion 32 further opens at the second opening 33 in the coupler 30.

  As described above, according to the inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the module 20 is pressed against the coupler 30, the end surface 20a of the module 20 and the end surface 30a of the coupler 30 are the same. It adheres closely without gaps via an O-ring 35 described later.

  Therefore, in the inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the coupler 30 is airtightly communicated through the opening 21 of the module 20 and the first opening 31 of the coupler 30 simply by pressing the coupler 30 against the module 20. It can be done.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the module 20 is pressed against the coupler 30, the center of the opening 31 of the coupler 30 and the center of the opening 21 of the module 20 are on the extension line W of the central axis of the module 20. It is preferred to be located.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the coupler 30 has an annular groove 34 on the surface facing the module 20 and surrounding the first opening 31 of the coupler 30, and the O-ring 35 is disposed in the annular groove 34. There is. In the inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment having such a configuration, there is an advantage that the O-ring 35 can be crushed uniformly when the module 20 is pressed against the coupler 30. In the coupler 30, it is preferable that a shock absorbing member 36 made of an elastic member be disposed at the contact position of the end surface 30a with the outer edge of the end surface 20a of the module 20. In this way, it is possible to prevent the end surface 20a of the module 20 on the coupler 30 side from being damaged. The buffer member 36 is formed of an elastic material such as rubber, silicone rubber or urethane rubber.

  In the inspection apparatus 1 described above, air is supplied to the air cylinder 84 to operate the air cylinder 84, and the piston 83 presses the pressing member 81 toward the coupler 30 side. As a result, the module 20 in the position shown in FIG. 3A is pressed against the coupler 30 as shown in FIG. 3B. When the module 20 is pressed against the coupler 30, since these members can be tilted by the projection 40, as shown in FIG. 3C, the end face 30a and the end face 20a closely contact each other without a gap and fix them. Automatic alignment is realized. Thereby, the opening 21 of the module 20 and the opening 31 of the coupler 30 communicate with each other, and the hollow portion 22 of the module 20 and the hollow portion 32 of the coupler 30 communicate airtight as shown in FIG. become. Thus, the gas can be introduced without leak into the separation membrane module which is the module 20 through the hollow portion 32 and the first opening 31. In the state where the end face 30a and the end face 20a are in close contact without a gap, the end face 30b of the coupler does not have to have a gap with the end face 10a of the coupler holding member, but as shown in FIG. From the point of permitting free tilting, in this state, it is preferable that the end face 30b of the coupler has a gap with the end face 10a of the coupler holding member.

  As described above, in the structure of the inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment, the module 20 can be held only by sandwiching the coupler 30 in the module 20, and by bringing the module 20 into alignment with the surface of the coupler, uniform contact by the O ring is possible. The supply of high pressure gas can be easily performed without leakage, and the module 20 can be easily attached and removed, which is convenient. Examples of the test fluid include test gases such as air. In the case of gas, the pressure is preferably 0.2 MPaG to 2.5 MPaG, and particularly preferably 0.5 MPaG to 2.0 MPaG. The type of inspection gas may include air, but is not limited thereto. As an inspection performed by the inspection apparatus 1 of the present invention, an inspection fluid may be introduced into the separation membrane module 20, and the presence or absence of leakage inside the separation membrane module 20 may be confirmed from a pressure change or the like. Moreover, the inspection apparatus 1 of this invention can be used for the performance test of a module other than a leak test. Although the content of the performance test differs depending on the required performance of the module, for example, in the nitrogen enrichment module, the nitrogen concentration and the oxygen concentration to be enriched are inspected. Moreover, in the module used as a dryer, the moisture concentration of dry air may be test | inspected. The inspection apparatus 1 may be used for the purpose of flowing the inspection fluid into the opening 21 of the module 20 or may be used for the purpose of causing the inspection fluid to flow out of the opening 21 of the separation membrane module 20.

  Although the present invention has been described above based on its preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. For example, the inspection apparatus of the present invention is not limited to one configured to press (or hold) the module against the connection member, and may be configured to press (or hold) the connection member against the module. It may be.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to an apparatus having an attachment mechanism to the gas supply pipe of the separation membrane module, such as an inspection apparatus of the separation membrane module, or the module may be pressed (or pressed against) the connection member or held It can be used without particular limitation to the one configured to press and hold the member against the module.

  In addition, as a module used by this invention, it is a separation membrane which has a hollow fiber membrane, and if the effect of the airtightness of the end surface of a module and a connection member is acquired by the inspection apparatus of this invention, any internal structure May be included. With regard to the arrangement of the hollow fiber membranes inside the module, the hollow fiber membranes are bundled and arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the hollow fiber membranes is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the module, and fixed at both ends, or hollow fiber membranes Are arranged in the form of a woven fabric.

1 Inspection device
10A coupler holding member 10B holding mechanism 20 separation membrane module 21 opening 22 hollow portion 30 coupler 31 first opening 33 second opening 40 protrusion

Claims (3)

An apparatus for flowing a pressurized test fluid into a fluid separation membrane module having a hollow fiber membrane to test the separation membrane module,
The device has a connection member detachably connected to the separation membrane module,
The connection member is connected to the separation membrane module by pressing the end face of the separation membrane module thereto or by pressing the connection member toward the end face of the separation membrane module, and
The test fluid is supplied to the separation membrane module via the connection member connected to the separation membrane module,
The device has a protrusion for supporting the surface of the connection member opposite to the separation membrane module at one point, and when one of the connection member and the separation membrane module is pressed against the other, the connection member is the same. The inspection apparatus which is made tiltable according to the said end surface of the separation membrane module.   The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection member and the separation membrane module can be automatically face-matched by pressing the separation membrane module against the connection member. A holding member for holding the connection member is provided on the side of the connection member opposite to the module,
The holding member has the protrusion, supports the connection member by the protrusion, has a plurality of through holes formed in the circumferential direction with respect to the protrusion, and is a screw member inserted through the through hole. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection member is fixed to the holding member, and a buffer member made of an elastic material is disposed between the through hole and the screw member.