JP5385523B2 - Method for manufacturing separation membrane module - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a separation membrane module, and more particularly to fluids used in water and sewage, electronics industry, food industry, beverage industry, pharmaceutical industry, fermentation industry, optical industry, medical industry, precision industry, etc. The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a separation membrane module suitable for fluid processing such as reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, microfiltration, gas separation, and the like.

  As a separation membrane module used in the above-described applications, a hollow fiber membrane bundle in which dozens to tens of thousands of hollow fiber membranes are bundled is stored in a cylindrical case, and at least one end of the hollow fiber membrane is a fixing resin. There is something fixed to the case.

  As a manufacturing method of such a hollow fiber membrane module, for example, after storing a bundle of hollow fiber membranes in a cylindrical case, a cap-shaped casting is attached to the end of the cylindrical case, and fixed in the casting A manufacturing method is known in which resin is injected to bond and fix the ends of a bundle of hollow fiber membranes (see Patent Document 1).

  However, in such a manufacturing method, the casting is simply fitted into the cylindrical case, and the casting is not firmly pressed and fixed to the cylindrical case. Therefore, when the fixing resin is injected, the cylindrical case becomes unstable due to resin pressure or the like, and the sealing property between the cylindrical case and the casting surface is impaired. As a result, the fixing resin is And other problems such as leakage from the connecting part of the casting.

  On the other hand, a cup-shaped container made of a material having releasability with respect to the fixing resin is attached to the inside of the casting mold, and the fixing resin is injected into the cup-shaped container to be cured. A method for producing a hollow fiber membrane module including a step of removing a mold is disclosed (see Patent Document 2). In this method, the casting mold is fixed to the cylindrical case using a V band, a bolt, or the like.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-55041 JP 2007-144389 A

  However, in the method of Patent Document 2, although the releasability of the casting cap is improved, it cannot be said that the sealing performance of the joining surface of the cylindrical case, casting, etc. is sufficient, and fixing is performed from these joining surfaces. Problems such as resin leaking were not solved.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a separation membrane module that can eliminate the problem of fixing resin leaking from a joint surface.

According to the present invention,
A method for producing a separation membrane module comprising a separation membrane bundle in which a plurality of separation membranes are bundled,
Storing the separation membrane bundle in a cylindrical case;
Placing a cup-shaped casting made of an elastic material at one end of the cylindrical case;
Pressing and fixing the casting to one end of the cylindrical case;
In a state where the casting is pressed and fixed to one end of the cylindrical case, the fixing resin is injected into the resin inflow portion from a resin injection port formed in the casting side wall in the casting, Dispersing the fixing resin through branched resin flow paths provided downstream of the resin inflow portion, and bonding and fixing one end portion of the separation membrane bundle and one end portion of the cylindrical case;
A first threaded portion is provided on the outer periphery of one end of the cylindrical case;
A step is provided in the casting,
The pressing and fixing has a second threaded portion that can be screwed to the first threaded portion on the inner periphery on one end side, and a protruding portion that can be engaged with the stepped portion on the other end side. The pressing fixing member is screwed into the first screw portion of the cylindrical case with the protruding portion engaged with the stepped portion of the casting, and the casting is then turned into the cylindrical case. Done by pressing on the
A method for manufacturing a separation membrane module is provided.

  According to such a configuration, when the fixing resin is injected, since one end of the cylindrical case is pressed and fixed to the casting made of an elastic material, the sealing at the joining surface between the cylindrical case and the casting is ensured. The resin does not leak from the joint surface.

  According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elastic material is polypropylene, polyethylene, or silicone rubber, and the fixing resin is an epoxy resin or a urethane resin.

  According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fixing resin injection means is a centrifugal method.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the manufacturing method of the separation membrane module which can eliminate the malfunction which fixing resin leaks from a joint surface can be provided.

  Hereinafter, a separation membrane module and a manufacturing method thereof according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a method for manufacturing a separation membrane module 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a separation membrane bundle 4 in which a large number (several tens to several tens of thousands) of separation membranes 2 made of hollow fibers folded back in a loop shape is bundled is accommodated in a cylindrical case 6. .

  In the separation membrane module 1 manufactured by the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, the separation membrane bundle 4 is held at one end side of the cylindrical case 6 with the fixing resin R at one end side (lower side) where the hollow fiber membrane is opened. It is accommodated in the cylindrical case 6 so that the other end side, which is fixed and folded back into a loop shape of the separation membrane, is in a free state.

  For other hollow fiber membrane module shapes, both ends are fixed and held in the case with fixing resin R, and one of the hollow fiber membranes has an opening, or both ends are fixed to the case with fixing resin R There is a module that is held and has a shape in which both ends of the hollow fiber membrane have openings.

  As a means for opening the hollow fiber membrane, a method of fixing and holding the hollow fiber membrane whose end is previously opened with the fixing resin R, the end is folded back into a loop shape, or the fixing resin R is opened from the opened end. For example, there is a method in which the end portion is opened by cutting the cured fixing resin R together with the hollow fiber membrane after being fixed and held with the fixing resin in a state of being sealed so as not to flow into the hollow.

  In this embodiment, a hollow fiber is used as the separation membrane 2. However, in the present invention, the shape of the separation membrane 2 is not particularly limited, and various known separation membranes such as a flat membrane and a tubular membrane can be used. Can be applied. As long as the separation membrane 2 can be used as a separation membrane, its pore diameter, porosity, film thickness, outer shape and the like are not particularly limited, and these dimensions and the like are appropriately selected depending on the substance to be separated. .

  The material of the separation membrane (hollow fiber) 2 is not particularly limited, but is a polysulfone resin, polyacrylonitrile, cellulose derivative, polyolefin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, or fluorine such as polyvinylidene fluoride or polytetrafluoroethylene. Resins, polyamides, polyesters, polymethacrylates, polyacrylates and the like can be mentioned. In addition, copolymers of these resins or those having a substituent introduced into a part thereof may be used. Furthermore, you may consist of 2 or more types of resin.

  In the present invention, the separation membrane bundle 4 is formed by bundling a plurality of linear separation membranes 1 having both ends open, or by bundling the linear separation membranes 1 in a U shape at an intermediate position, The separation membrane 1 may be arranged in such a manner that the folded portion extends radially outward from the center of the separation membrane bundle 4 so as to form a cross-section fountain-like loop. .

  In this embodiment, the cylindrical case 6 has a cylindrical shape in which a male screw portion 8 is formed on the outer periphery of one end portion. However, the cylindrical case 6 only needs to be capable of fixing the separation membrane bundle 4 via a fixing resin, and may be, for example, a cylindrical body having another cross-sectional shape (for example, a rectangular shape). Further, as necessary, the cylindrical case 6 may be provided with a protruding portion, a through hole, a screw portion, a water collecting pipe for collecting filtered water, and the like.

  The cylindrical case 6 may be made of any material having mechanical strength and durability. For example, polycarbonate, polysulfone, polyolefin, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), acrylic resin, ABS resin, modified PPE (polyphenylene ether) Can be used, but those having high adhesiveness to the fixing resin are preferable. In addition, when adhesiveness with fixing resin is low, it is preferable to use it after performing a primer treatment.

  At one end of the cylindrical case 6, a casting mold 10 is attached that also functions as a mold when a fixing resin is introduced into the cylindrical case 6 and the fixing resin is molded and cured. The casting mold 10 has a cylindrical shape (cup shape) in which one end of the cylindrical case 6 can be closed and one end is closed. In the present embodiment, the casting mold 10 has an annular opening end face 12 abutting against an annular opening end face 14 on one end side of the cylindrical case 6, and the cylindrical case 6 and the casting 10 have an internal space communicating with each other. It has a size and shape so that this contact portion becomes a joint surface with the cylindrical case 6. Moreover, in order to improve the sealing performance at the joining surface, the opening end surface 12 of the casting 10 and the opening end surface 14 of the cylindrical case 6 are planar.

  The casting mold 10 is made of an elastic material. Specifically, the elastic material constituting the casting 6 is selected in consideration of releasability with respect to the fixing resin. For example, when the fixing resin is an epoxy resin or a urethane resin, polypropylene, Polyethylene, silicone rubber or the like is selected.

  The softer the elastic material of the casting mold 10 is, the softer it is, the easier it is to exhibit a sealing property. For this reason, as for the hardness of the elastic material which comprises the casting mold 10, the hardness A10-90 or less by durometer type A is preferable in the assumed use range, and it is further more preferable that it is the range of A30-70.

  The casting mold 10 includes an annular flange portion 16 extending outward at an axially inward position of the opening end surface 12, and the annular flange portion 16 has an axially inner side surface 16a and extends radially outward. A step is formed.

  Further, the casting mold 10 is formed with a resin injection path 18 for introducing a fixing resin into the cylindrical case 6. The resin injection path 18 includes an opening 20 that is formed on the side wall of the casting 10 and functions as a resin injection port, and communicates the internal space of the casting 10 to the outside.

  The position of the opening 20 of the resin injection path 18 is appropriately selected within a range that does not hinder the injection when the fixing resin is injected into the casting mold 6. In this embodiment, however, the handling of the resin injection pipe is considered. In addition, the side wall of the casting mold 10 is used.

  Further, in order to uniformly disperse the fixing resin injected from the resin inflow path 18 in the cross-sectional direction of the cylindrical case 6, the resin flow branched into a cross shape, a radial shape, a branch shape or the like downstream of the resin inflow portion 18. A path 22 is provided.

  In the present embodiment, when the separation membrane module 1 is manufactured, the casting mold 10 is pressed and fixed to one end of the cylindrical case 6 by the cylindrical pressing and fixing member 24. The press fixing member 24 has a female screw portion 26 that can be screwed into the male screw portion 8 of the cylindrical case 6 on the inner peripheral surface on one end side. Further, on the other end side of the pressing and fixing member 24, an inwardly engageable axially inner side surface 16 a of a stepped portion extending radially outwardly formed by the annular flange portion 16 of the middle 10 is provided. An annular flange 28 is formed extending toward the front.

Since the pressing and fixing member 24 does not come into contact with the fixing resin during manufacture, the material of the pressing and fixing member 24 does not need to be a material having good releasability, and may have mechanical strength and durability. It ’s fine. For example, polycarbonate, polysulfone, polyolefin, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), acrylic resin, ABS resin, modified PPE (polyphenylene ether) and the like are used.
The outer peripheral surface of the pressing and fixing member 24 is preferably subjected to anti-slip processing such as grip processing or knurling processing.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which the pressure fixing member 24 having such a structure is engaged with the female screw portion 26 of the cylindrical case 6 in a state in which the annular flange 28 is engaged with the step portion 16 of the casting mold 10 from the outside in the axial direction. A state is shown in which the male screw portion 8 is screwed and the stepped portion 16a of the casting 10 is pressed toward the opening end of the cylindrical case 6 by the annular flange 28 of the pressing and fixing member 24.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the casting mold 10 has such a dimensional shape that the opening end surface 12 abuts the opening end surface 14 on one end side of the cylindrical case 6 and forms a joint surface with the cylindrical case 6. In addition, since the opening end surface 12 of the casting 10 and the opening end surface 14 of the cylindrical case 6 are flat surfaces, the pressing 10 is screwed into the cylindrical case 6 to make the casting 10 cylindrical. By pressing the opening end of the case 6, a uniform and sufficient joining stress is applied to the joining surface between the cylindrical case 6 and the casting mold 10, and a sealing property can be reliably obtained at this joining surface.

  In this embodiment, the male screw portion 8 on the outer periphery of the cylindrical case 6 is used as a fixing screw portion when the manufactured separation membrane module is used as an assembly.

  In the manufacturing method of the separation membrane module of the present embodiment, the fixing resin R in a state where the casting 10 formed of the elastic material is pressed and fixed to the opening end of the cylindrical case 6 by the pressing and fixing member 24 as described above. Is injected into one end side of the internal space of the cylindrical case 6 from the resin injection port 20 of the casting mold 10, and the bundled separation membranes 2 are bonded to each other, and the separation membrane bundle 4 and the cylindrical case 6 are bonded and fixed.

  Here, pressing and fixing means a state in which the cylindrical case 6 and the casting 10 made of an elastic material are fixed to each other with a sealing property at the joint surface.

  The fixing resin R fixes the separation membrane bundle 4 to the cylindrical case 6 and also functions as a member for partitioning the processing raw water and the filtrate in a liquid-tight manner, so that durability to the liquid to be processed is required. For example, it is appropriately selected from polyurethane resin, epoxy resin, epoxy acrylate resin, unsaturated polyester resin, silicon resin and the like. In particular, an epoxy resin and a urethane resin are preferable from the viewpoint of sealing the separation membrane bundle.

  Further, the viscosity of the fixing resin R before curing is not particularly limited. However, it is preferable that the viscosity of the fixing resin R before curing is basically low from the viewpoint of easy impregnation between a plurality of separation membranes. However, if the viscosity is too low, it penetrates into the separation membrane and causes internal clogging. Is preferably about 200 to 5000 mPa · s, more preferably about 500 to 3000 mPa · s.

  The fixing resin R may contain a fibrous material such as glass fiber or carbon fiber, or fine powders such as carbon black, alumina, or silica to improve the curing shrinkage or strength of the fixing resin R.

Next, the manufacturing method of the separation membrane module of preferable embodiment of this invention is demonstrated concretely.
First, the separation membrane 2 made of a hollow fiber membrane is folded in a U shape and bundled to form a separation membrane bundle 4, and this hollow fiber is accommodated in the cylindrical case 6.

  The separation membrane bundle 4 may be simply a bundle obtained by processing the separation membrane 2 into a fixed membrane length and aligning and bundling. However, a plurality of separation membranes made of hollow fiber membranes are folded back and bundled, and the folded portion is made of warp. It is preferable to bind and use a sheet-like hollow fiber membrane knitted fabric.

  By rolling this sheet-like hollow fiber membrane knitted fabric and inserting it into the cylindrical case, the handleability of the hollow fiber membrane is good, and the hollow fiber membrane can be held at high density and evenly in the cylindrical case. I can do it. In addition, since the hollow fiber membrane is an integral sheet-like knitted fabric by warp, there is no variation in the fiber axis direction of the hollow fiber membrane inside the cylindrical case, and the resin flow is applied to the bottom of the casting 10. Even when the path 22 is provided, the resin can be fixed uniformly.

  Next, the pressing and fixing member 24 is disposed on one end side of the cylindrical case 6 in a state where the annular flange 28 is engaged with the step portion 16 of the casting mold 10 from the outside in the axial direction, and then the female screw portion 26 is disposed. A predetermined amount is screwed into the male screw portion 8 of the cylindrical case 6, and the step portion 16 a of the casting mold 10 is pressed against the opening end of the cylindrical case 6 by the annular flange 28 of the pressing and fixing member 24, so that the casting mold 10 is pressed into the cylindrical case 6. Is pressed and fixed to the open end of the plate with a predetermined force (bonding stress). This bonding stress is set to a strength capable of maintaining the sealing performance between the cylindrical case 6 and the casting mold 10 under the injection condition of the fixing resin 10.

Furthermore, in a state where the casting mold 10 is pressed and fixed to the opening end of the cylindrical case 6, the fixing resin R is injected into the casting mold 10 and further into the one end side portion of the cylindrical case 6 through the resin injection path 18. One end of the bundle 4 and one end of the cylindrical case 6 are bonded and fixed.
The fixing means for injecting the fixing resin R includes a method of injecting the resin using its own weight, a centrifugal injection method in which a centrifugal force is applied to the fixing resin R, and a pressure injection of the fixing resin R using a gear pump or the like. The pressure injection method is selected as appropriate.

  After the fixing resin R is cured, the fixing resin R including the hollow fiber membrane fixed and held is cut at right angles to the fiber axis direction of the hollow fiber membrane as necessary to open the hollow fiber membrane. When there is no need to open the hollow fiber membrane, the fixing resin R may be molded and cured into a desired shape by changing the shape of the resin molding portion of the casting 10, or may be arbitrarily set after the fixing resin R is cured. It may be cut and processed into a shape. At this time, if the hardness of the fixing resin R is high, cutting becomes difficult. Therefore, it is preferable to cut the resin hardness by cutting it before complete curing or by heating the fully cured resin.

  When the casting mold 10 is made of, for example, a metal or a hard plastic material, a high degree of processing accuracy is required in order to obtain a flatness sufficient to obtain a sufficient sealing property. In order to prevent this, a great deal of labor is required to manage the casting 10. In addition, in the casting 10 made of metal or a hard plastic material, it is usually difficult to apply a joining stress that exhibits sufficient sealing performance on the joining surface with the cylindrical case, and leakage of the fixing resin R is always a problem. Met.

  However, in the above embodiment, since the casting mold 10 is made of an elastic material, the casting mold 10 itself functions as a sealing material at the joint surface with the cylindrical case 6, so there is no need to use a separate member such as packing. Further, it is possible to easily prevent resin leakage at the joint surface with the cylindrical case 6 without increasing the number of extra connection surfaces.

  In addition, the casting 10 made of an elastic material is deformed after the fixing resin R is cured and can be released within a range in which the elastic resin can be deformed. Therefore, an undercut structure is adopted for the shape after the resin is cured. There is an advantage that it is possible.

  Without being limited to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims.

  In the above embodiment, the pressing and fixing member 24 is a cylindrical member, but a fastening band, a bolt, or the like may be used as the pressing and fixing member.

Examples of the present invention will be described.
Example 1
A polyethylene porous hollow fiber membrane (manufactured by Mitsubishi Rayon Engineering Co., Ltd.) was folded in a U shape and bound to prepare a hollow fiber membrane bundle.
Next, a cylindrical case made of polycarbonate having a screw part on the outer periphery and a casting made of silicone rubber having a hardness of A40 by durometer type A, and a press made of polycarbonate having a screw part screwed with the screw part An assembly that was pressed and fixed using a fixing member was produced.

  Thereafter, the aforementioned knitted bundle was inserted into the assembly, the resin injection tube and the resin pot were connected to the casting resin injection port, and the connection body was installed in the centrifugal potting apparatus. The resin injection pot was filled with 35 g of urethane resin as a fixing resin, and the urethane resin was injected into the casting mold at a centrifugal load of 30 G, a centrifugal temperature of 45 ° C., and a centrifugal time of 60 minutes, to produce a separation membrane module.

As a result, it was possible to manufacture the separation membrane module without any resin leakage to the joint surface between the cylindrical case and the casting mold. In addition, it was possible to easily perform the desorption work of the cast after curing the urethane resin.
After the fixing urethane resin is cured, the excess urethane resin cured portion including the hollow fiber membrane that is fixed and held is cut at right angles to the fiber axis direction of the hollow fiber membrane, and the hollow fiber membrane is opened. Got a module.

(Comparative Example 1)
A separation membrane module was manufactured under the same conditions as in the above example except that a casting made of silicone rubber having a hardness of A40 by durometer type A was simply fitted into a cylindrical case.
As a result, the fixing resin leaked and adhered to the joint surface between the cylindrical case and the casting mold, and it was necessary to remove the adhered resin.

(Comparative Example 2)
A separation membrane module was manufactured under the same conditions as in the above example except that a casting method having a screw part made of polypropylene having a hardness of D60 by durometer type D was used for fixing to a cylindrical case. .

  As a result, after the resin was injected and cured by centrifugation, the resin leaked and adhered to the joint surface between the cylindrical case and the casting mold, and it was necessary to remove the adhered resin. Further, the fixing resin is adhered and hardened on the inner wall portion of the casting made of screwed polypropylene, and it is extremely difficult to remove the casting.

  As is clear from the examples and comparative examples described above, in the method of manufacturing a separation membrane module using the present invention, it is possible to manufacture the separation membrane module without any problem of leakage of the fixing resin from the joint surface. there were.

  Moreover, as a method of pressing and fixing the casting, by using a configuration in which a pressing fixing member is screwed into the cylindrical case, there is no resin adhesion to the screw portion, and there is no need to apply silicon grease or a fluorine-based release agent on the inner surface. It was possible to remove the casting after the fixing resin was cured very easily.

It is typical sectional drawing explaining the manufacturing method of the separation membrane module 1 of preferable embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1: separation membrane module 2: separation membrane 4: separation membrane bundle 6: cylindrical case 8: male screw portion 10: casting mold 12: opening end face 14 of (casting mold 10): opening end face 16 (of the cylindrical casing 6) : Annular flange part 24: Press fixing member 26: Female screw part 28: Annular flange

Claims (3)

A method for producing a separation membrane module comprising a separation membrane bundle in which a plurality of separation membranes are bundled,
Storing the separation membrane bundle in a cylindrical case;
Placing a cup-shaped casting made of an elastic material at one end of the cylindrical case;
Pressing and fixing the casting to one end of the cylindrical case;
In a state where the casting is pressed and fixed to one end of the cylindrical case, the fixing resin is injected into the resin inflow portion from a resin injection port formed in the casting side wall in the casting, Dispersing the fixing resin through branched resin flow paths provided downstream of the resin inflow portion, and bonding and fixing one end portion of the separation membrane bundle and one end portion of the cylindrical case;
A first threaded portion is provided on the outer periphery of one end of the cylindrical case;
A step is provided in the casting,
The pressing and fixing has a second threaded portion that can be screwed to the first threaded portion on the inner periphery on one end side, and a protruding portion that can be engaged with the stepped portion on the other end side. The pressing fixing member is screwed into the first screw portion of the cylindrical case with the protruding portion engaged with the stepped portion of the casting, and the casting is then turned into the cylindrical case. Done by pressing on the
The manufacturing method of the separation membrane module characterized by the above-mentioned . The elastic material is polypropylene, polyethylene, or silicone rubber;
The fixing resin is an epoxy resin or a urethane resin,
The manufacturing method of the separation membrane module of Claim 1 . The fixing resin injection means is a centrifugal method,
The manufacturing method of the separation membrane module of Claim 1 or 2 .

Images