JP4194905B2 - Support structure for porous cylinder and fixing method for support member - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a support structure for a porous cylinder having a porous film provided on the outer peripheral surface and a fixing method for a support member.

For example, there is known a gas separation apparatus including a gas separation cylinder having a large number of pores (that is, continuous vent holes) capable of selectively permeating a specific gas on a peripheral wall. This gas separation cylinder is provided with a porous film made of alumina, for example, on the outer peripheral surface of a porous cylinder made of a ceramic porous material such as alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ). The gas that has permeated from the outside to the inside of the peripheral wall of the gas separation cylinder is taken out from one end face and collected, thereby separating the gas. In such a gas separation apparatus, the gas separation cylinder is fixed in the apparatus, and for example, a plurality of gas separation cylinders are used in the form of a module bundled in a state of being separated from each other in the radial direction. For the purpose of opening one end of them in a common airtight chamber and closing the other end, a support member made of a dense material is airtightly fixed to both ends of the gas separation cylinder, that is, both ends of the porous cylinder. (For example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  By the way, in the gas separation apparatus, a porous membrane having a pore diameter smaller than that of the porous cylinder is used. Therefore, when the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder is exposed, the gas to be separated is Since it passes through the exposed surface of the porous cylinder, the desired separation performance cannot be obtained. Therefore, the other part of the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder where the support member is hermetically fixed must be covered with a porous film.

  In order to obtain such a fixing state of the support member and a formation state of the porous membrane, for example, the hydrogen gas separation apparatus described in Patent Document 1 employs the support structure shown in FIG. In this support structure, the porous cylindrical body 100 is fixed to the support member 102 using a sealing material such as frit glass, and then a porous film 106 is formed on the outer peripheral surface exposed from the seal portion 104. . At this time, in order to avoid the porous membrane 106 from being exposed to the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylindrical body 100 due to the gap between the porous membrane 100 and the seal portion 104, the example shown in the figure is slightly overlapped with the seal portion 104. Then, it forms into a film so that the inner peripheral part of the supporting member 102 may also be covered.

Further, for example, the hydrogen gas separation device described in Patent Document 3 employs the support structure shown in FIG. In this support structure, a porous film 106 is formed on the entire outer peripheral surface excluding both ends of the porous cylinder 100, and then fixed to the support member 102 using a sealing material. At this time, the seal portion 104 is provided so as to slightly overlap the porous film 106 in order to avoid a gap from being formed with the porous film 106.
JP 7-112111 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-163827 JP-A-8-299768

  However, in the support structure described in Patent Document 1, the porous film 106 is broken at the boundary due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the porous film 106 and the seal portion 104 after the film formation. There has been a problem that a sealing failure that exposes the outer peripheral surface of the material cylinder 100 is likely to occur. Since the porous film 106 is thin, for example, about 1 to 100 (μm), it is easily broken. Further, in the support structure described in Patent Document 3, since the seal portion 104 is formed after the film formation, it is necessary to make the firing temperature lower than the temperature at the time of forming the porous film 106. Therefore, there is a problem that the bonding strength cannot be ensured due to the low firing temperature. Patent Documents 2 and 3 describe a mode in which the firing temperature at the time of fixing the support member 102 is higher than the film formation temperature of the porous film 106. 106 is deteriorated and easily broken during manufacture or use. Further, Patent Document 2 describes a structure in which the porous film 106 is provided on the entire outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder 100. In such a structure, the porous cylinder 100 is interposed via the porous film 106. Therefore, sufficient bonding strength cannot be obtained. Such a problem is not limited to gas separation applications. When the porous cylindrical body 100 provided with the porous membrane 106 is supported by the support member 102, it is similarly applied to various applications such as liquid filtration. Can occur.

  The present invention has been made in the background of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a support structure and a support capable of bonding a support member densely and with high strength to a porous cylinder provided with a porous film. It is in providing the fixing method of a member.

  In order to achieve such an object, the gist of the first invention is to cover the outer peripheral surface in a ring shape with a part in the longitudinal direction of a porous cylinder having a large number of communicating air holes communicating from the outside to the inside of the peripheral wall. A support structure to which a predetermined support member is fixed, comprising: (a) a first sealing material comprising a first sealing material in which the porous cylinder and the support member are fixed to each other and the space between them is tightly sealed; 1 sealing portion; (b) a porous membrane that is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder in an annular shape and communicates the communication vent to the outside; (c) the porous membrane and the first seal A second seal made of a second sealing material having a softening point lower than the film forming temperature of the porous film provided in an annular shape so that the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder is hermetically sealed at the boundary with the stopper. A stop portion.

  Further, the gist of the second invention for achieving the above object is that the outer peripheral surface is annularly formed in a part of the longitudinal direction of the porous cylindrical body having a large number of communicating air holes communicating from the outside to the inside of the peripheral wall. A method for adhering a predetermined supporting member to be covered, comprising: (a) a first sealing member comprising the first sealing material by fixing the supporting member to the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylindrical body with a first sealing material; A first sealing step that tightly seals them with a stopper, and (b) a porous membrane that communicates the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder to which the support member is fixed to the outside through the communication vent And (c) sealing the boundary between the porous film and the first sealing portion with a second sealing material having a softening point lower than the film forming temperature of the porous film. A second sealing step of sealing the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylindrical body with an annular second sealing portion made of the second sealing material on the boundary portion The lies in the fact that contain.

  In this way, the support member and the porous cylinder are fixed to each other at the first sealing portion and the space between them is tightly sealed, while the first sealing portion and the porous membrane are The outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder is hermetically sealed by the annular second sealing portion provided at the boundary. Since the fixing strength between the support member and the porous cylinder is ensured by the first sealing portion, the second sealing portion that covers the boundary portion between the porous membrane and the first sealing portion in an annular shape is the support member and the porous member. It is not necessary to contribute to the fixation with the material cylinder. Therefore, since the second sealing portion is formed using the second sealing material that can be fired at a temperature lower than the film forming temperature after the porous film is formed, the airtightness is maintained without deteriorating the porous film. Can be secured. That is, since the first sealing portion and the second sealing portion share the fixing function and sealing function of the support member and the sealing function at the boundary portion, both can be achieved. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a support structure in which the support member can be bonded densely with high strength to the porous cylinder provided with the porous membrane and the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder is sealed.

  In the present application, the “boundary portion between the porous membrane and the first sealing portion” is in contact with the first sealing portion and the porous membrane even if they are separated from each other. Alternatively, it may be formed by being overlapped. In the case of overlapping, the entire overlapping range corresponds to a “boundary part”. Further, “closely” and “closed” refer to having denseness according to the use of the porous cylinder, for example, having airtightness or liquid tightness. Further, “annular” means continuous in the circumferential direction along the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder, and is not limited to an annular shape.

  Here, preferably, the porous membrane and the first sealing portion are located apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction of the porous cylinder. That is, the porous film is formed at a position separated from the first sealing portion by a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction of the porous cylinder. In this case, since the porous film and the first sealing portion are not in contact with each other, the stress caused by the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient of the porous film acts on the porous film, which is eventually broken. Is further suppressed.

  The predetermined distance, that is, the size of the gap is preferably 10 (μm) or more, and preferably 1 (cm) or less. Further, it is more preferably 1 (mm) or more, and preferably 5 (mm) or less. When it is small, the second sealing material is less likely to enter the gap, so that the fixing strength of the second sealing portion is lower than that in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder. On the other hand, when it is large, there is a disadvantage that the area of the porous membrane is reduced by a size corresponding to the size of the gap.

  Preferably, the first sealing portion has an end on the porous membrane side protruding from the support member, and the second sealing portion is formed on the first sealing portion and the support member. It is fixed. In this case, since the second sealing portion is fixed to the first sealing portion and the support member, the porous cylindrical body and the support member are compared with the case where the second sealing portion is fixed to only one of them. And the sealing strength at the boundary portion are improved.

  Preferably, the support member supports a plurality of the porous cylinders. For example, in applications such as gas separation and liquid filtration, a plurality of porous cylindrical bodies are bundled (that is, made into a bundle structure) for the purpose of obtaining high separation efficiency and filtration efficiency with as small a volume as possible. However, the support structure and the fixing method of the support member of the present invention are also suitably applied to such a case.

  Preferably, the support member is fixed to an open end portion of the porous cylinder, and the open end is opened in a closed chamber in which at least a part of the outer wall is configured by the support member. . That is, the support member may not only simply support the porous cylindrical body but also constitute an outer wall of a closed chamber whose open end is opened. For example, when a plurality of porous cylinders are used in a bundle, one end thereof is closed and the other end is opened in a common closed chamber, and enters the inside through the peripheral wall of the porous cylinder. The gas or liquid can be collected through an opening provided in the closed chamber.

Preferably, the porous cylindrical body is made of ceramics or metal, more preferably alumina or mullite (3Al ₂ O ₃ -2SiO ₂ ).

  Preferably, the support member is made of ceramics, metal, resin, more preferably alumina or mullite.

Preferably, both the first sealing material and the second sealing material are made of glass paste, and more preferably, the first sealing material is silica (SiO ₂ ) · Alumina / calcia (CaO) glass, etc., and the second sealing material is silica glass, silica / alumina glass, silica / alumina / boron oxide (B ₂ O ₃ ) glass, etc. The material film is made of silica or alumina.

  Preferably, the first sealing material has a bonding temperature between the porous cylinder and the support member in a range of, for example, 700 to 1200 (° C), for example, about 950 (° C), and the second sealing material. The material has a firing temperature for sealing in the range of, for example, 200 to 700 (° C.), for example, about 620 (° C.), and the porous film has a film forming temperature in the range of, for example, 500 to 900 (° C.), For example, it is about 650 (° C.). Thus, the first sealing material, the porous film, and the second sealing material preferably have lower formation temperatures in this order.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the drawings are appropriately simplified or modified, and the dimensional ratios, shapes, and the like of the respective parts are not necessarily drawn accurately.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an entire porous cylindrical module (hereinafter referred to as a module) 10 to which a support structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. It is a figure which abbreviate | omits a part and shows. In these drawings, the module 10 includes a plurality of, for example, six porous cylinders 12, one dense cylinder 14, and ends fitted to both ends of the porous cylinder 12 and the dense cylinder 14. Caps 16 and 18 are provided. In this embodiment, the porous cylinder 12 corresponds to a porous cylinder.

The porous cylinder 12 has, for example, an outer diameter of about 10 (mm), an inner diameter of about 7 (mm), a length dimension of about 400 (mm), and a circular cross section. One end 20 and the other end 22 are opened. The porous cylinder 12 is made of, for example, porous alumina ceramics or mullite ceramics having a porosity of about 30 to 40 (%) and a thermal expansion coefficient of about 7.7 × 10 ⁻⁶ (/ ° C.). Thus, for example, a large number of fine pores having an average pore diameter of about 60 (nm) are formed to communicate from the surface 26 to the inner surface 28 of the peripheral wall 24, and between the inner and outer surfaces of the peripheral wall 24, for example, It is configured so that a gas such as nitrogen or hydrogen can pass therethrough.

  In addition, a porous film 60 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder 12 over a substantially entire length excluding both ends. The porous film 60 is made of, for example, porous ceramics such as alumina or silica, and is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder 12 with a film thickness of, for example, about 3 (μm) within a range of 1 to 5 (μm). It is firmly fixed. The porous membrane 60 has a porosity of, for example, about 30 to 40 (%), which is substantially the same as that of the porous cylinder 12, but the pore diameter is about 4 (nm) which is much smaller than that. is there.

  The dense cylinder 14 has, for example, an outer diameter of about 10 (mm), an inner diameter of about 7 (mm), and a length dimension of about 500 (mm), and a circular cross section. The one end 30 and the other end 32 are opened. The dense cylinder 14 is made of, for example, a dense alumina ceramic or mullite ceramic having a porosity of about 0 to 5 (%), that is, sufficiently denser than the porous cylinder 12, and its peripheral wall. 34 is configured so that gas cannot pass therethrough.

  Each of the end caps 16 and 18 is made of a dense alumina ceramic or mullite ceramic similar to the dense cylinder 14 and has a substantially disk shape. The end cap 16 is provided with a through hole 36 penetrating in the thickness direction at the center, and for example, six bottomed holes 40 opened on one surface 38 on the end cap 18 side. The through holes 36 are located at the center of the end cap 16, and the bottomed holes 40 are arranged at a constant interval, that is, for example, at an interval of about 60 degrees on the circumference of the periphery.

  The end cap 18 has an annular stepped portion 46 formed on one surface 44 opposite to the end cap 16 and a recess 48 formed on the inner periphery thereof. The recess 48 includes, for example, seven through holes 52 and 53 that penetrate from the one surface 44 side to the other surface 50. Of these seven through holes 52 and 53, one (through hole 53) is located at the center of the end cap 18, and the remaining six (through holes 52) are arranged at regular intervals on the circumference of the circumference. Has been. The diameter of the circumference in which the through hole 52 is arranged is the same size as the diameter of the circumference in which the bottomed hole 40 is arranged.

  Further, a disk-shaped end cover 54 that closes the recess 48 is airtightly fixed to one surface 44 of the end cap 18 with a sealing portion 55 made of a sealing material such as a seal or glass. A gas chamber 58 is formed between them. The end cover 54 is also made of dense alumina / ceramics and the like, like the end cap 18, and does not allow gas to pass therethrough. The sealing material is made of, for example, silica, alumina, calcia glass or the like.

  The porous cylinder 12 and the dense cylinder 14 are pierced through the through holes 36, 52, 53 of the end caps 16, 18 thus configured, and are fitted into the bottomed hole 40, All are airtightly fixed by a sealing portion 56 made of a sealing material such as seal glass. Further, the sealing portion 56 for fixing the porous cylinder 12 is provided to a position slightly protruding from the one surface 38, 50 of the end caps 16, 18. The protruding amount is, for example, in the range of 1 to 10 (mm), for example, about 5 (mm). The sealing portion 56 and the porous membrane 60 are provided slightly apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the porous cylinder 12, and the sealing portion 62 is along the circumferential direction of the porous cylinder 12 between them. It is fixed to the ring that extends.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a joint portion between the end cap 18 and the porous cylinder 12. A gap 64 having a size of, for example, 5 (mm) is formed in an annular shape between the sealing portion 56 and the porous membrane 60, for example, in the range of 10 (μm) to 1 (cm). The sealing portion 62 is provided in a range slightly wider than the gap 64. That is, the sealing part 62 is provided so as to overlap both the porous film 60 and the sealing part 56. Also on the end cap 16 side, the joint portion is configured similarly. Therefore, a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder 12 located in the gap 64 is covered with the sealing portion 62, and the remaining portion of the outer peripheral surface is covered with the porous film 60 or the sealing portion 56. Therefore, the outer periphery of the porous cylinder 12 is substantially closed with the porous film 60. In this embodiment, the end caps 16 and 18 correspond to support members, the sealing portion 56 constitutes a first sealing portion, and the sealing portion 62 constitutes a second sealing portion. The sealing material constituting the sealing portion 56 is made of, for example, silica, alumina, or calcia glass having a softening point of about 850 (° C.) and a thermal expansion coefficient of about 6.1 × 10 ⁻⁶ (/ ° C.). The sealing material constituting the sealing portion 62 is made of, for example, silica glass having a softening point of about 500 (° C.) and a thermal expansion coefficient of about 8.0 × 10 ⁻⁶ (/ ° C.).

  As a result, as is apparent from FIG. 2, the porous cylinder 12 has one end 20 closed by the dense end cap 16 and the other end 22 between the dense end cap 18 and the end cover 54. On the other hand, the dense cylinder 14 is opened with the other end 30 protruding toward the other surface 42 side of the end cap 16, and the one end 32 is opened in the gas chamber 58. It is open inside. Therefore, when the gas passes through the peripheral wall 24 of the porous cylinder 12 and enters the inside thereof, the gas flows into the gas chamber 58 from the opened other end 22 and flows into the dense cylinder 14 from the one end 32. The material flows through the inside toward the other end 30 and flows out from the opened other end 30. In this embodiment, the end cap 16 corresponds to a closed sealing body, and the end cap 18 and the end cover 54 constitute a hollow sealing body. Further, the through hole 53 into which the dense cylinder 14 is fitted corresponds to a gas passage.

  In addition, since the joint portion between the porous cylinder 12 and the end caps 16 and 18 is hermetically sealed by being sealed by the sealing portions 56 and 62 as described above, the porous membrane 60 and the porous The gas that has passed through the peripheral wall 24 of the cylinder 12 and entered the inside thereof flows into the gas chamber 58 from the other end 22 without leaking in the middle.

For example, when nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas is flowed from one end 22 with a pressure of about 0.5 (MPa) in a state where the end cap 16 is fixed and sealed with the sealing portion 62, there is no leakage from the joining portion. It was not recognized and it was confirmed that airtightness was secured.

  In addition, when the module 10 is repeatedly used over a temperature range from room temperature to about 600 (° C.), the fixing strength between the end caps 16 and 18 and the porous cylinder 12 and the airtightness in the vicinity of the joined portion change. It was also confirmed that the original characteristics were maintained.

  The module 10 configured as described above includes the end caps 16 and 18, the end cover 54, the porous cylinder 12, and the dense cylinder having the above-described characteristics using well-known ceramic manufacturing techniques. 14 is manufactured, and these are combined and fixed. The first end caps 16 and 18 and the end cover 54 are formed by, for example, powder press molding and cutting, and the porous cylinder 12 and the dense cylinder 14 are formed by, for example, extrusion molding, cold isostatic pressing and cutting. Etc. As the raw material, materials having different sintering characteristics or materials containing additives depending on the desired pore diameter and the like are appropriately used. In addition, in order to obtain necessary dimensional and shape accuracy, grinding is appropriately performed after sintering.

  And after manufacturing each component, the adhering process with the end caps 16 and 18 etc. are implemented according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, for example. That is, in the first sealing material application step R1, the first sealing material for joining the end caps 16, 18 to the porous cylinder 12 and the dense cylinder 14, that is, for example, silica-alumina-calcia glass is used as a solvent. A glass dispersion liquid dispersed in, for example, is applied to the bonding interface and fitted together. This step may be performed sequentially for each of the end caps 16 and 18, or may be performed simultaneously. Further, the step of providing the sealing material between the end caps 16 and 18 and the cylinders 12 and 14 replaces the first sealing material application step R1 with the glass ring constituting the sealing material as the end cap 16. , 18 and the cylinders 12 and 14 can be used as appropriate. In the subsequent firing step R2, the end caps 16, 18 and the porous cylinder 12 are formed by performing the firing treatment at a firing temperature of the glass, that is, a temperature of, for example, about 950 (° C.) to generate the sealing portion 56. Stick.

  Next, in the porous film material film forming step R3, a dispersion obtained by dispersing a powder material such as alumina in a solvent or the like is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder 12 by an appropriate method such as dipping or roller application. At this time, the application range of the dispersion liquid is set so that the gap 64 is generated between the dispersion liquid and the sealing portion 56. In the subsequent firing step R4, the porous film 60 is generated and fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder 12 by performing a firing process at a firing temperature of alumina or the like, for example, a temperature of about 650 (° C.). In this step, since the firing temperature is sufficiently lower than the firing treatment temperature of the sealing portion 56, the bonding strength does not become insufficient during the treatment.

  Next, in the second sealing material coating step R5, for example, a glass dispersion in which silica glass is dispersed in a solvent or the like is coated on the gap 64, and in the firing step R6, the firing temperature of the glass is, for example, 620. A baking treatment is performed at a temperature of about (° C.). As a result, the sealing portion 62 is generated from the dispersion, and is fixed to the outer peripheral surfaces of the sealing portion 56, the porous membrane 60, and the porous cylinder 12, whereby the outer peripheral surface is hermetically sealed. The At this time, since the firing temperature is lower than the film forming temperature of about 650 (° C.), the previously formed porous film 60 does not deteriorate or break in this step.

  The module 10 is manufactured by fixing the end caps 16 and 18 as described above, and after film-forming processing, fitting the end cover 54 to the end cap 18 and fixing the end cap 54 with the sealing portion 55. Is done.

  Note that when glass is exposed to a temperature between the firing temperature, for example, about 250 (° C.) lower than the firing temperature set slightly higher than the softening point, a softening tendency is observed, for example, the sealing portion 56. Such a decrease in the fixing strength occurs. Therefore, since the firing temperature at the time of joining at the sealing portion 56 is set to about 950 (° C.), for example, the strength is insufficient when the temperature is close to 700 (° C.). Since the temperature is sufficiently lower than the firing temperature in the temperature range of about ° C.), the bonding strength by the sealing portion 56 is not insufficient during use in this temperature range.

  Incidentally, since the firing temperature of the porous film 60 is, for example, about 650 (° C.) as described above, it is necessary to seal at a lower temperature after the film formation in order to prevent the alteration. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the end caps 16 and 18 are fixed after film formation, a sealing material that can be sealed at a lower temperature, for example, a firing temperature of about 620 (° C.) must be used. However, in that case, about 370 (° C.) is the upper limit of the use temperature in order to maintain the fixing strength. That is, according to the present embodiment, since the joining with the end caps 16 and 18 is processed at a high temperature before the formation of the porous film, the module 10 that can be used even at a high temperature is obtained.

  In short, in the present embodiment, the end caps 16 and 18 and the porous cylinder 12 are fixed to each other at the sealing portion 56 and tightly sealed between them, while the sealing portion 56 and the porous cylinder 12 are porous. The outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder 12 is sealed with an annular sealing portion 62 provided at the boundary with the membrane 60. Since the fixing strength between the end caps 16 and 18 and the porous cylinder 12 is ensured by the sealing portion 56, the sealing portion 62 that covers the boundary between the porous film 60 and the sealing portion 56 in an annular shape is the end cap 16. , 18 and the porous cylinder 12 do not have to contribute. Therefore, as described above, since the sealing portion 62 is formed using the sealing material baked at a temperature lower than the film formation temperature after the formation of the porous film 60, the porous film 60 is deteriorated. Airtightness can be secured. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a support structure in which the end caps 16 and 18 can be joined to the porous cylinder 12 provided with the porous membrane 60 densely and with high strength, and the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder 12 is sealed.

  Further, in this embodiment, the porous membrane 60 and the sealing portion 56 are spaced apart from each other by about 10 (μm) to 1 (cm), for example, and a gap 64 is formed between them. Therefore, since the porous film 60 and the sealing portion 56 are not in contact with each other, stress due to a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion or the like acts on the porous film 60, and this can be broken. It is further suppressed.

  In addition, the Example mentioned above showed an example of the airtight junction structure of the porous cylinder 12 and the end caps 16 and 18, and these junction structures can take various forms so that it may demonstrate below. . In the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to portions common to the above-described embodiments, and description thereof is omitted.

  The joining structure shown in FIG. 5 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 3 except that the shape of the sealing portion 66 is different from that of the sealing portion 62. That is, the sealing portion 62 is formed at a position slightly separated from the end cap 18, but the sealing portion 66 of this embodiment is also formed in contact with the one surface 50 of the end cap 18. Therefore, since the sealing part 66 is fixed to the end cap 18 in addition to the sealing part 56, there is an advantage that the fixing strength and the airtightness are improved.

  In the bonding structure shown in FIG. 6, the sealing portion 68 is provided in the same shape as the sealing portion 66, but the gap is formed by forming the porous film 60 to a position in contact with the sealing portion 56. 64 is not present. Even in such a structure, the sealing portion 68 is firmly fixed to the sealing portion 56 and the end cap 18, and the boundary between the porous film 60 and the sealing portion 56 is the sealing portion 68. Since it is sealed, sufficient fixing strength and airtightness can be secured. That is, if the gap 64 exists, higher strength can be obtained, but this is not essential.

  Further, the bonding structure shown in FIG. 7 is formed by slightly overlapping the porous film 60 on the sealing portion 56, and the overlapping portion 70 in a wider range, that is, the left end in the illustrated direction is the sealing portion. The sealing portion 72 is formed so that it is located on the left side of the left end of 56 and the right end is located on the right side of the right end of the porous membrane 60. Even when the porous film 60 overlaps with the sealing portion 56 in this way, by covering the entire overlapping portion with the sealing portion 72, the same fixing strength and airtightness as those of the above-described embodiments are ensured. Can do.

  In the joining structure shown in FIG. 8, the sealing portion 56 is provided so as to be retracted from the end face 50 of the end cap 18, and the sealing portion 74 is provided with the porous membrane 60, the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder 12, and the end cap. 18 is formed so as to be fixed to 18. In this example, a gap 76 is formed between the sealing portions 56 and 74. The gap 76 is sealed by the porous cylinder 12, the sealing portion 74, and the end cap 18, and the sealing portion 74 is at the end. Since the cap 18 and the porous cylinder 12 are firmly fixed to each other, even with such a configuration, it is possible to ensure the same fixing strength and airtightness as in the above-described embodiments.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated in detail with reference to drawings, this invention can be implemented also in another aspect.

  For example, in the embodiment, the porous cylinder 12 is made of alumina or mullite. However, the porous cylinder 12 may be made of other ceramic materials as long as it has air permeability, strength, heat resistance, etc. according to the application. Moreover, it can also be comprised with various other materials, such as a metal and resin according to use environment.

  Further, the constituent material such as the dense cylinder 14 does not need to be the same or the same system as the constituent material such as the porous cylinder 12 and the end caps 16 and 18, and may be made of resin, metal material, or the like. However, when the module 10 is used, for example, in an environment in which a temperature change may occur, it is desirable that the module 10 be made of a material having as small a difference in thermal expansion coefficient as possible. For example, a metal such as Kovar is preferably used.

  Further, in the embodiment, the porous cylinder 12 having both ends opened is used and one end 20 thereof is closed by the end cap 16. However, if a bottomed porous cylinder is used instead, the end cap is used. 16 is useless. Even in such a case, it is necessary to fix a support for mounting and holding in the apparatus at least at one place in the longitudinal direction. Can be applied as well. Instead of the dense end cap 16, an end cap made of a porous material having a sufficiently smaller porosity than the peripheral wall 24 of the porous cylinder 12 can be used.

  In the embodiment, the end cap 16 completely closes the one end 20 of the porous cylinder 12. However, the end cap 16 flows into the plurality of porous cylinders 12 by being configured similarly to the end cap 18. It is also possible to configure the gas so as to be able to circulate on the one end 20 side.

  In the embodiment, the number of the porous cylinders 12 is 6, the number of the dense cylinders 14 is 1, and the outer diameter is 10 (mm) and the inner diameter is 7 (mm). These numbers and sizes are appropriately changed according to the use of the module 10, and the porous cylinder 12 and the dense cylinder 14 do not need to be formed in the same cross-sectional dimension and cross-sectional shape. Moreover, it is not restricted to a cylinder, The cylinder of various cross-sectional shapes, such as a square cylinder shape, can be used similarly.

  Further, in the embodiment, the module 10 is composed of the combination of the porous cylinder 12 and the dense cylinder 14, but the dense cylinder 14 is appropriately provided according to the use and is not necessarily provided. Good.

  In the embodiment, the sealing portion 56 is formed at about 950 (° C.), the porous film 60 is formed at about 650 (° C.), and the sealing portion 62 is formed at about 620 (° C.). Is appropriately changed so that the temperature is lowered in this order according to the material determined according to the application.

  Further, in the examples, the case where the present invention is applied to the module 10 used for gas separation has been described. However, the present invention is provided with a porous film on the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder and an appropriate support. If it is a structure supported by (2), it is similarly applied to the support structure of the porous cylinder used for other various uses, such as liquid filtration.

  Further, in the embodiment, the end caps 16 and 18 that function also to support the porous cylinder 12 are provided at both ends, but the present invention is also applicable to the case where the porous cylinder is supported at the intermediate portion. Applies as well.

  Further, in the embodiment, the end caps 16 and 18 having the circular bottomed hole 40, the through hole 52, and the like are used as the support members. However, if the end caps are airtightly fixed to the porous cylinder body, The support member may be divided in the circumferential direction.

  In addition, although not illustrated one by one, the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole porous cylindrical module provided with the support structure of one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the longitudinal cross-section of the porous cylindrical module of FIG. It is a figure which expands and shows the principal part cross section for demonstrating the joining structure of the end cap of the porous cylindrical module of FIG. It is process drawing for demonstrating the principal part of the manufacturing method of the porous cylindrical module of FIG. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 3 for demonstrating the other example of the joining structure of an end cap. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 3 for demonstrating the further another example of the joining structure of an end cap. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 3 for demonstrating the further another example of the joining structure of an end cap. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 3 for demonstrating the further another example of the joining structure of an end cap. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating an example of the joining structure of the conventional end cap. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating another example of the joining structure of the conventional end cap.

Explanation of symbols

10: Porous cylindrical module, 12: Porous cylinder, 16, 18: End cap, 56: Sealed part, 60: Porous membrane, 62: Sealed part, 64: Gap

Claims (7)

A support structure in which a predetermined support member that annularly covers an outer peripheral surface thereof is fixed to a part of a longitudinal direction of a porous cylindrical body including a plurality of continuous air holes communicating from the outside to the inside of the peripheral wall,
A first sealing portion made of a first sealing material that fixes the porous cylinder and the support member to each other and tightly seals between them;
A porous membrane that is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder in an annular shape and communicates the communication vent to the outside;
The first softening point is lower than the film forming temperature of the porous film provided in an annular shape so that the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder is sealed at the boundary between the porous film and the first sealing part. A support structure for a porous cylindrical body, comprising: a second sealing portion made of two sealing materials. 2. The support structure for a porous cylinder according to claim 1, wherein the porous film and the first sealing portion are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction of the porous cylinder. The first sealing portion has an end on the porous membrane side protruding from the support member,
The support structure for a porous cylindrical body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second sealing portion is fixed to the first sealing portion and the support member. The support structure for a porous cylinder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support member supports a plurality of the porous cylinders. The support member is fixed to an open end portion of the porous cylindrical body and opens the open end into a closed chamber in which at least a part of the outer wall is formed by the support member. 4. A support structure for any one of the porous cylinders. A method of adhering a predetermined support member that annularly covers the outer peripheral surface to a part of the longitudinal direction of a porous cylinder having a large number of communicating air holes communicating from the outside to the inside of the peripheral wall,
A first seal that tightly seals the support member to the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder with a first sealing member made of the first sealing material by fixing the supporting member with the first sealing material. Process,
A film forming step of covering the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder to which the support member is fixed with a porous film that communicates the communication vent to the outside;
The boundary between the porous film and the first sealing portion is sealed with a second sealing material having a softening point lower than the deposition temperature of the porous film, whereby the second seal is formed on the boundary. And a second sealing step of sealing the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder with an annular second sealing portion made of a dressing material. The method for fixing a support member for a porous cylinder according to claim 6, wherein the porous film is formed at a position separated from the first sealing portion by a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction of the porous cylinder.

Images