JP3290815B2 - Hollow fiber membrane module and sealing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hollow fiber membrane module used for, for example, a household water purifier or an industrial or medical filtration device, and a method for sealing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional hollow fiber membrane module of this type is, for example, as shown in FIG. That is, in this hollow fiber membrane module, a bundle of many hollow fiber membranes 101 is inserted into a case 100 having both ends opened, and both ends of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 102 are connected to both open ends of the case 100. Then, a potting agent 104 as a sealing material is injected and filled into the gap between each hollow fiber membrane 101 and the gap between each hollow fiber membrane 101 and the case 100 via a sealing material injection port 103 provided in the case 100. Sealing (potting)
Then, the end of the potting portion 104A is cut to open both ends of each hollow fiber membrane 101, and the hollow fiber membrane opening end face 1 is opened.
10 are formed.

An example of the operation of the hollow fiber membrane module having the above configuration will be described below.

An undiluted solution (liquid to be filtered) is introduced into the hollow fiber membrane 101 from one hollow fiber membrane open end face 110 and flows toward the other hollow fiber membrane open end face 110 side. At this time, the liquid to be filtered is filtered by flowing from the inside of each hollow fiber membrane 101 to the outside through the membrane wall. The filtered liquid flows out through a sealing material inlet 103 provided in the case 100. On the other hand, the liquid to be filtered which has not been filtered is discharged from the other hollow fiber membrane opening end face 110 as a concentrated liquid. The flow of the liquid is indicated by the arrow in FIG.

According to such a cross-flow type hollow fiber membrane module, the sealing material inlet 103 serves as an outlet for the filtrate, or an inlet or outlet for the liquid to be filtered depending on the function. Conversely, the outflow / inflow port of the fluid is the sealing material injection port 103.

Next, a manufacturing method including a method for sealing the hollow fiber membrane module having the above configuration will be described.

First, a large number of hollow fiber membranes 101 are bundled and housed in a case 100, and a potting cap 105 is fluid-tightly attached to the open end of the case 100 in a state where the hollow fiber membrane bundle 102 is housed. Installing. And Case 1
00, the potting agent 104 is rotated about the central portion in the axial direction of the hollow fiber membrane module as a central axis from the sealing material injection port 103, and the centrifugal force is used to open the end of the case 100, that is, for potting. It flows toward the cap 105 side, and at the open end of the case 100, each hollow fiber membrane 101
The mixture is injected into the gaps between the hollow fiber membranes 101 and the case 100 and potted (see FIG. 5).

After the potting agent 104 is cured, the potting cap 105 is removed, the cured potting agent 104 and the end of each hollow fiber membrane 101 are cut off, and both ends of the hollow fiber membrane 101 are opened at the cut surface to form a hollow. The hollow fiber membrane module is manufactured by forming the fiber membrane opening end face 110.

[0009]

However, in the case of the above-mentioned prior art, before the potting agent 104 is injected into the open end of the case 100, the sealing material injection port 10 is formed.
The potting agent 104 may firstly touch the hollow fiber membrane 101 in the vicinity of No. 3 and be contaminated. in this case, . Where the potting agent 104 adheres, it does not have a filtering function and the effective membrane area is reduced.

[0010] Further, since the portion where the potting agent 104 is attached is brittle, this portion is broken due to water pressure or the like during actual use, resulting in a leak failure.

As a countermeasure, case 10
There is a method in which a ring-shaped body is further inserted inside the zero, or a structure is used as a substitute for the ring-shaped body. For example, there is one as shown in FIG.

At the open end of the case 100, the hollow fiber membrane bundle 10
2, a cylindrical filtrate outlet 107 having a cylindrical body 106 forming a potting portion 104A is liquid-tightly mounted. The axially inner opening end of the tubular body 106 is folded radially inward, and a sealing material injection port 103A is formed in the tubular body 106 at the position of the folded portion 108. With this configuration,
When the potting agent 104 is injected into the cylindrical body 106 from the sealing material injection port 103A, the folded portion 108 protects the hollow fiber membrane 101.

However, as described above, the case 100
The provision of the cylindrical body 106 having the folded-back portion 108 at the opening end of the case or the addition of the ring-shaped body in the case are all related to the shape of the resin case, and the processing cost is heavy. There was a problem that the design could not be changed freely.

As another example of protecting the hollow fiber membrane 101, as shown in FIG.
A plurality of hollow fiber membranes 101 bundled together by a flexible sheet 109 are housed in the inside of the case 101A, and potting is performed in this state. The gaps between the hollow fiber membranes 101 and the flexible sheet 109 and the gaps between the flexible sheet 109 and the case 100A are injected and filled (see Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-85430).

In the case of this potting, case 100A
It is considered that the flexible sheet 109 may be permeable or impermeable to the potting agent 104 because the potting agent 104 is injected from the open end of the flexible sheet 109. However, since the flexible sheet 109 is provided over substantially the entire length of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 103, the potting material 1 is supplied from the sealing material injection port 103 provided in the case 100.
Even in the case where the porous sheet 109 is injected, the permeable flexible sheet 109 cannot prevent contamination of the hollow fiber membrane 101 near the sealing material injection port 103 at all. In this case, the filtrate is blocked by the flexible sheet 109, and the filtration function is impaired.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a hollow fiber membrane module capable of improving quality (reliability), facilitating manufacture, and reducing cost, and a sealing method thereof.

[0017]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a bundle of a large number of hollow fiber membranes is inserted into a case, and each hollow fiber membrane is inserted at an open end of the case. In a hollow fiber membrane module in which a sealing material is injected and filled into a gap between the membranes and a gap between each hollow fiber membrane and the case through a sealing material injection port provided in the case and sealed and fixed, the sealing material Entrance part
And an impervious sheet for a sealing material flowing from the sealing material inlet to the opening end is provided at a position covering the outer periphery of the hollow fiber membrane bundle .

Preferably, the hollow fiber membrane bundle is covered with a protective member, and the impermeable sheet is a part of the protective member.

Further, the sealing material inlet may form an outflow / inflow port of the fluid.

In the method for sealing a hollow fiber membrane module, a case having a sealing material injection port for injecting a sealing material is prepared, and the hollow fiber membrane bundle corresponding to the sealing material injection port is sealed. When the sealing material is accommodated in the case covered with the impermeable sheet for the material and the sealing material flows from the sealing material injection port to the end of the case opening, the penetration of the sealing material by the impervious sheet is performed. And the gaps between the hollow fiber membranes and the gaps between the hollow fiber membranes and the case are filled and sealed at the opening end.

Preferably, the hollow fiber membrane bundle is covered with a protective member, and the impermeable sheet is a part of the protective member.

Furthermore, the sealing material inlet may be a fluid outflow / inlet.

[0023]

According to the hollow fiber membrane module and the sealing method of the above construction, the hollow fiber membrane bundle is located at the sealing material inlet.
Since an impermeable sheet for the sealing material flowing from the sealing material inlet to the opening end is provided at a position covering the outer periphery, the sealing material can be prevented from adhering to the hollow fiber membrane bundle. As a result, the effective membrane area of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is not reduced, and there is no portion where the hollow fiber membrane becomes brittle during actual use, thereby improving the reliability.

In addition, since it is only necessary to provide an impervious sheet without using a ring-shaped body which requires time and cost for processing as in the prior art, it is possible to increase the design flexibility and reduce the cost and cost. Can be achieved.

Furthermore, by using the impermeable sheet as a part of the protective member that covers the hollow fiber membrane bundle, positioning with respect to the sealing material injection port can be easily and reliably performed.

In addition, if the sealing material injection port is a fluid outflow / inflow port, there is no need to separately provide a sealing material injection port, so that manufacture can be facilitated and cost can be further reduced.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 shows a hollow fiber membrane module according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 show a sealing method of the hollow fiber membrane module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

First, the hollow fiber membrane module shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes the entire hollow fiber membrane module, and the schematic configuration is as follows. The bundle of a large number of hollow fiber membranes 2 is protected over its entire circumference by a flexible sheet 3 as a protective member over substantially the entire length. The hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A is inserted into the case 4 while being covered with the flexible sheet 3 in this manner. And Case 4
The potting agent 5 as a sealing material is flowed from the potting agent injection port 6 as a sealing material injection port provided in the case 4 to both open end sides of the case 4. The gaps between the hollow fiber membranes 2, the gaps between the hollow fiber membranes 2 and the flexible sheet 3, and the gaps between the flexible sheet 3 and the case 4 are sealed and fixed (potted) with a potting agent 5. Then, after the potting agent 5 is cured, both ends of each hollow fiber membrane 2 and the flexible sheet 3 in the axial direction are cut together with the cured potting agent 5, and both ends of each hollow fiber membrane 2 are opened. And the hollow fiber membrane open end face 9 is formed.

The case 4 is a cylindrical member having both ends opened.
A potting agent injection port 6 for injecting the potting agent 5 into the opening end side of the case 4 is provided in the vicinity of both the open ends so as to protrude radially outward.

The flexible sheet 3 is formed in a tubular shape so as to wrap around the outer periphery of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A and cover almost the entire length of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A. In addition, this flexible sheet 3
Has permeability to the potting agent 5,
Further, it is made of a net-like body or a non-woven fabric made of a flexible resin so as to protect the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A. In this embodiment, the flexible sheet 3 is a mesh (see FIG. 1C).

When the flexible sheet 3 is inserted into the case 4 together with the hollow fiber membrane 2A, an impermeable film as an impermeable sheet for the potting agent 5 is provided at the position of the potting agent injection port 6. 7 are provided. That is, a part of the flexible sheet 3 is the impermeable film 7. This is because the impervious film 7 normally does not allow the passage of fluid, so if it is used over the entire length of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A, the filtrate will be blocked by the impervious film 7, and This is because the positioning with respect to the potting agent injection port 6 is difficult if only the conductive film 7 is wound around a part, and the effect described later does not effectively work unless the positioning is reliably performed. In addition, since the potting agent 5 has a high viscosity with respect to the filtrate (liquid), the potting agent 5 has a viscosity of 1 μm under ordinary injection filling (potting) conditions.
If the sheet (film) has a pore size of not more than m, it does not penetrate, but if the pore size is at this level, it is actually difficult to cover the entire hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A due to a large liquid permeation resistance. is there.

The operation of the hollow fiber membrane module 1 having the above configuration will be described below.

An undiluted solution (liquid to be filtered) is introduced into the inside of the hollow fiber membrane 2 from one hollow fiber membrane open end face 9 and flows toward the other hollow fiber membrane open end face 9 side. At this time, the liquid to be filtered is filtered by flowing from the inside of each hollow fiber membrane 2 to the outside through the membrane wall. The filtered liquid is discharged from the potting agent inlet 6 through the flexible sheet 3 other than the impermeable film 7. On the other hand, the liquid to be filtered which has not been filtered out flows out of the other hollow fiber membrane opening end face 9 as a concentrated liquid. The flow of the liquid is indicated by a solid arrow in FIG.

Others include the following. The liquid to be filtered flows into the case 4 from one potting agent inlet 6 provided in the case 4. Then, the inflowing liquid to be filtered is introduced from the outside of each hollow fiber membrane 2 to the inside through the membrane wall via the flexible sheet 3 other than the impermeable film 7. At this time, the liquid to be filtered is filtered, and the filtered liquid flows to the hollow fiber membrane opening end face 9 on both sides and flows out. On the other hand, the liquid to be filtered which has not been filtered is discharged through the other potting agent inlet 6. For the flow of the liquid, see the dotted arrow in FIG.

In the case of the cross-flow type hollow fiber membrane module which operates as described above, since the potting agent inlet 6 forms the outlet for the filtrate of the product or the inlet or outlet for the liquid to be filtered, it is bothersome. It is not necessary to provide an outflow / inflow port for the fluid in the case 4 separately. Conversely, the outflow port provided in the case 4 becomes the potting agent injection port 6,
Since there is no need to separately provide a potting agent injection port, the production becomes easy and the cost can be reduced. Of course, a potting agent injection port may be separately provided. In this case, after the potting is completed, the opening of the potting agent injection port must be sealed.

In the hollow fiber membrane module having the above structure, the flexible sheet 3 is wrapped around the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A and is inserted into the case 4 when the flexible sheet 3 is inserted into the case 4. In the portion of the potting agent injection port 6 provided,
Since the impervious film 7 is provided, when the potting agent 5 is injected from the potting agent injection port 6 to pot the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A to the open end of the case 4, the potting agent injection port 6 Part of hollow fiber membrane bundle 2
Since the outer periphery of A is protected by the impervious film 7, the potting agent 5 does not adhere and contamination by the potting agent 5 is prevented. Thereby, without reducing the effective membrane area of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A, there is no portion where the hollow fiber membrane 2 becomes brittle during actual use, and the reliability is improved.

Next, a method for manufacturing the hollow fiber membrane module, including a method for sealing a hollow fiber membrane module according to one embodiment of the present invention, will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 2, the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A
As a protective member, a flexible sheet 3 covering the outer periphery of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A over substantially the entire length is manufactured. The tubular body is formed of a mesh or a non-woven fabric made of a flexible resin. In the present embodiment, the tubular mesh body 3A is used (see FIG. 2A). As described above, the flexible sheet 3 has permeability to the potting agent 5 by using a net-like body or a nonwoven fabric.

Then, the impermeable film 7 is attached to a necessary portion of the tubular mesh body 3A, that is, a portion of the potting agent inlet 6 at the time of insertion into the case 4. As shown in FIG. 2, there are two types of attachment methods, namely, a method in which the impervious film 7 is thermally welded or adhered to a necessary portion, that is, a so-called covering type, and a cylindrical portion (not shown) in the necessary portion of the tubular mesh body 3A. There is a so-called stitching type in which both ends of the reticulated body 3A and the impermeable film 7 are thermally welded or bonded.

In this way, a reticulated flexible sheet 3 is produced in which only necessary portions are made of the impermeable film 7 and other portions are permeable.

Next, a bundle of many hollow fiber membranes 2 is inserted into a tubular flexible sheet 3. Then, the ends are cut as needed to adjust the length of each hollow fiber membrane 2 and flexible sheet 3. At this time, if the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A is fastened to the flexible sheet 3 (in a tightly packed state), there is no fear that the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A and the flexible sheet 3 are displaced. The flexible sheet 3 and the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A can be cut by heat fusing or by an adhesive treatment.
And the impermeable film 7 is positioned with respect to the potting agent inlet 6.
By attaching the impermeable film 7 to the flexible sheet 3 in this manner, the case 4 can be easily positioned with respect to the potting agent inlet 6.

Then, the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A covered with the flexible sheet 3 is inserted into the case 4. In this state, case 4
Of the hollow fiber membrane module 1 is rotated around the center of the hollow fiber membrane module 1 in the axial direction, and the potting agent 5 is rotated by centrifugal force.
Is injected from the potting agent inlet 6 through the impervious film 7 to the open end side of the case 4, and the gap between the hollow fiber membranes 2 and the flexible fiber The potting agent 5 is injected and filled into the gap between the flexible sheets 3 and the gap between the flexible sheet 3 and the case 4 (see FIG. 3). In the present embodiment, the centrifugal force is obtained by rotating the hollow fiber membrane module 1 around the center in the axial direction as the rotation axis. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rotation axis is located at a position axially deviated from the hollow fiber membrane module 1. It may be provided and rotated to obtain centrifugal force. In this case, potting is performed one by one. However, since a plurality of pottings can be provided in the circumferential direction toward the rotation axis, mass production is possible.

As described above, the potting agent 5 is supplied through the impermeable film 7 through the potting agent inlet 6 of the case 4.
When flowing from the case 4 to the opening end side of the case 4, the outer periphery of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A at the portion of the potting agent inlet 6 is prevented from penetrating by the impermeable film 7 and protected. as a result,
Since the potting agent 5 is not attached, contamination by the potting agent 5 is prevented. Thereby, without reducing the effective membrane area of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A, there is no portion where the hollow fiber membrane 2 becomes brittle during actual use, and the reliability is improved.

Further, since the impervious film 7 is inexpensive and has a high degree of freedom in design, it is necessary to protect the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A without using a ring-shaped body which requires time and cost for processing as in the prior art. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture a low-cost and highly reliable hollow fiber membrane module.

In the case of the cross-flow type as described above, the outflow / inflow port of the fluid is the potting agent inlet 6, so that there is no need to separately provide a potting agent inlet. Therefore, the production can be facilitated and the cost can be reduced.

After the potting agent 5 is cured, the potting cap 8 is removed, and the cured potting agent 5 and the ends of the hollow fiber membranes 2 and the flexible sheet 3 are cut together. It is completed by opening both ends of the membrane 2 to form a hollow fiber membrane open end face 9.

In the above embodiment, the flexible sheet 3 has a tubular shape and the hollow fiber membrane bundle 2A is inserted therein. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A number of hollow fiber membranes may be wound and bundled by a flexible sheet provided with the above-described impermeable sheet.

The case of the double-sided potting type in which both open end portions of the case 4 are potted has been described as an example, but a single-sided potting type can be similarly applied. In addition, the present invention can be similarly applied to a total filtration type.

Further, the example in which the impervious sheet is attached to the flexible sheet has been described as an example, but positioning is somewhat difficult. However, in order to prevent contamination by the sealing material, even the impervious sheet alone can be used. good.

[0050]

According to the present invention, as described above, the sealing material
At the position of the inlet and covering the outer periphery of the hollow fiber membrane bundle,
Since the impermeable sheet for the sealing material flowing from the sealing material inlet to the opening end is provided, it is possible to prevent the sealing material from adhering to the hollow fiber membrane bundle. As a result, the effective membrane area of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is not reduced, and there is no portion where the hollow fiber membrane becomes brittle during actual use, thereby improving the reliability.

In addition, it is only necessary to provide an impervious sheet without using a ring-shaped body which requires time and cost for processing as in the prior art, so that it is inexpensive, the degree of design freedom can be increased, and the cost can be reduced. Can be achieved.

Further, by using the impermeable sheet as a part of the protective member covering the hollow fiber membrane bundle, the positioning with respect to the sealing material inlet can be easily and reliably performed.

In addition, if the sealing material injection port is used as a fluid outflow / inflow port, there is no need to separately provide a sealing material injection port, so that manufacture can be facilitated and cost can be further reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a main part of a hollow fiber membrane module according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a schematic sectional view of FIG. FIG. 3C is a plan view of a main part of the flexible sheet.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show a process of attaching an impermeable film to a flexible sheet. FIG. 2A is a perspective view before attachment, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view after attachment. is there.

FIG. 3 is a schematic half sectional view showing a method for sealing a hollow fiber membrane module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 (a) is a perspective view of a main part of a conventional hollow fiber membrane module, and FIG. 4 (b) is a schematic sectional view of FIG. 4 (a).

FIG. 5 is a schematic half sectional view showing a conventional method for sealing a hollow fiber membrane module.

FIG. 6 is a half sectional view of another conventional hollow fiber membrane module.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of another conventional hollow fiber membrane module.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hollow fiber membrane module 2 Hollow fiber membrane 2A Hollow fiber membrane bundle 3 Flexible sheet (protective member) 3A Tubular net 4 Case 5 Potting agent (sealing material) 6 Potting agent injection port (outflow port; sealing material) Inlet) 7 Impermeable film (impermeable sheet) 8 Cap for potting 9 Open fiber end face of hollow fiber membrane

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A bundle of a large number of hollow fiber membranes is inserted into a case, and provided at the opening end of the case in the gap between each hollow fiber membrane and the gap between each hollow fiber membrane and the case. In a hollow fiber membrane module in which a sealing material is injected and filled through a sealing material injection port and sealed and fixed, an outer periphery of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is a portion of the sealing material injection port.
Flow from the sealing material inlet to the opening end at a position covering the opening.
A hollow fiber membrane module provided with an impermeable sheet for a sealing material to be used. 2. The hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1, wherein the hollow fiber membrane bundle is covered by a protection member, and the impermeable sheet is a part of the protection member. 3. The hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 2, wherein the sealing material inlet forms an outflow / inflow port for the fluid. 4. A case having a sealing material injection port for injecting a sealing material is prepared, and a hollow fiber membrane bundle corresponding to the sealing material injection port is covered with an impermeable sheet for the sealing material. Stored in the case, when flowing the sealing material from the sealing material injection port to the case opening end, while preventing the permeation of the sealing material by the impervious sheet, flowing into the opening end A method of sealing a hollow fiber membrane module in which gaps between the hollow fiber membranes and gaps between the hollow fiber membranes and the case are filled and sealed. 5. The sealing of a hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 4, wherein the hollow fiber membrane bundle is covered by a protection member, and the impermeable sheet is a part of the protection member. Method. 6. The method for sealing a hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 4, wherein the sealing material injection port is a fluid outflow / inflow port.