JP5926981B2 - Small membrane module - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a small membrane module.

  For example, in the medical field such as blood purification therapy and plasma exchange therapy, the water treatment field such as water purification and water quality adjustment, and the filtration process such as virus removal in the manufacturing process of plasma fractionation products and biopharmaceuticals, etc. A membrane module incorporating a separation membrane is used. This type of membrane module has, for example, a cylindrical membrane housing portion in which a hollow fiber membrane is accommodated, and a nozzle that communicates with the primary side of the hollow fiber membrane is provided at the longitudinal end of the membrane housing portion. Some of the side surfaces of the membrane accommodating portion are provided with nozzles that lead to the secondary side of the hollow fiber membrane.

  At the time of processing, a predetermined nozzle of the membrane module is connected to the processing circuit, and the liquid to be processed flows into the membrane module from a specific nozzle, passes through the hollow fiber membrane, and flows out from other nozzles. ing.

  Moreover, the membrane module before being used for processing may maintain the hollow fiber membrane in a sterile wet state. For this reason, the membrane module is filled with a clean filling liquid at the time of shipment, and the nozzle is closed by a cap or the like (see Patent Document 1).

However, in the membrane module, even if the nozzle is closed by the cap, the filling liquid inside volatilizes and gradually leaks from the gap between the nozzle and the cap. For this reason, the filling liquid in the membrane module gradually decreases with time. Under such circumstances, the expiration date of the membrane module may be determined based on the time for the filling liquid to decrease from the initial amount to an amount that does not impair the filter performance.

JP 2010-259992 A

  By the way, there exists a small-sized thing in the above-mentioned membrane module. For example, a sample for confirming the performance of a membrane module is smaller in size than a commercially available membrane module (ordinary product) that is normally used in order to reduce the amount of expensive test solution used in performance tests, and is a separation membrane. The internal volume of the space that does not include is 100 mL or less.

  Since this small membrane module has a small internal volume and a small absolute amount of filling liquid, if the filling liquid is reduced even with a small amount, the hollow fiber membrane inside is exposed to the outside air or becomes dry and cannot be used. In addition, since the size of the nozzle is small, a simple cap is used. Therefore, the expiration date of the small membrane module is set to be very short compared to a normal membrane module.

  This invention is made | formed in view of this point, and makes it the objective to extend the expiration date of a small membrane module.

The present invention that achieves the above object is a small membrane module, wherein a separation membrane is accommodated in a longitudinal direction, and is connected to a longitudinal end face of the membrane accommodation portion. A first nozzle that communicates with the side of the membrane, a second nozzle that is connected to a side surface of the membrane container and communicates with a secondary side of the separation membrane, and at least one nozzle of the first nozzle and the second nozzle An elastic cap that can be attached to the outer surface of the nozzle, and an outer surface of a nozzle to which the cap is attached is connected to a cylindrical surface connected to a wall surface of the membrane accommodating portion, and is connected to the cylindrical surface and extends radially outward. A first ring surface, an inclined surface that is connected to the first ring surface and gradually decreases in diameter, and a second ring surface that is connected to the inclined surface and extends radially inward, The cap is inserted into the nozzle An inner surface of the cap includes a cap cylinder surface facing the cylinder surface of the nozzle, a cap ring surface facing the first ring surface, and a cap inclined surface facing the inclined surface. A corner portion is formed by the cap cylindrical surface and the cap ring surface, the outer peripheral surface of the inner plug and the cap inclined surface are connected at an acute angle, and the outer peripheral surface of the inner plug and the cap inclined surface are The angle formed is smaller than the angle formed by the inclined surface of the nozzle and the inner side surface of the nozzle, and the inner dimension D1 of the cap and the outer dimension of the nozzle are all in the position in the nozzle axial direction of the portion where the cap is attached. D2 satisfies the relationship of 0.75 ≦ D1 / D2 ≦ 0.95.

  According to the present invention, the inner dimension D1 of the cap and the outer dimension D2 of the nozzle satisfy the relationship of 0.75 ≦ D1 / D2 ≦ 0.95, and the cap follows the shape of the nozzle. The airtightness of the becomes higher. Therefore, the filling liquid in the small membrane module is prevented from volatilizing and leaking to the outside, and the expiration date of the small membrane module can be extended.

  The outer diameter D3 and the inner diameter D1 of the cap corresponding to the cylindrical surface or / and the inclined surface of the nozzle may satisfy a relationship of 1.8 ≦ D3 / D1 ≦ 4.0.

  The inner plug may have a diameter that gradually decreases toward the tip.

  The connecting portion between the outer peripheral surface and the tip surface of the inner plug may be rounded.

  An annular protrusion that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner plug.

  According to the present invention, the expiration date of the membrane module can be extended.

It is sectional drawing which shows the outline of a structure of a membrane module. It is sectional drawing which shows the shape of a 2nd nozzle. It is sectional drawing which shows the shape of a cap. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which attached the cap to the 2nd nozzle. It is sectional drawing which shows the shape of the cap which formed the protrusion part in the outer peripheral surface of the inner stopper. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which attached the cap which formed the protrusion part in the outer peripheral surface of the inner stopper to the 2nd nozzle. It is a graph which shows the experimental result of the residual amount rate of a filling liquid. It is a table | surface which shows an experimental result. It is sectional drawing which shows the conventional cap shape.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a longitudinal section showing an outline of the configuration of the membrane module 1 according to the present embodiment. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

  The membrane module 1 includes, for example, a cylindrical membrane accommodating portion 10 that accommodates the hollow fiber membrane A in the longitudinal direction as shown in FIG. Both ends of the hollow fiber membrane A are fixed to the inner wall of the membrane housing portion 10 with a potting agent B. The film accommodating portion 10 is configured to close the openings on both sides of the cylindrical portion 10a with the lid portion 10b, for example.

  On the wall surfaces of both end portions (lid portion 10b) in the longitudinal direction of the membrane accommodating portion 10, a first nozzle 20 that communicates with the primary side (inside the membrane) of the hollow fiber membrane A is formed. Further, two second nozzles 21 communicating with the secondary side of the hollow fiber membrane A (outside of the membrane) are formed on the side wall surface of the tubular portion 10a of the membrane accommodating portion 10. For example, one second nozzle 21 is provided in the vicinity of both end portions of the film housing portion 10.

  The second nozzle 21 protrudes from the side wall surface of the film housing portion 10 and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having a thickness. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer surface of the second nozzle 21 is connected to the cylindrical surface 30 connected to the side wall surface of the film housing portion 10, and the first surface is connected to the cylindrical surface 30 and extends flatly outward in the radial direction. Ring surface 31, an inclined surface 32 connected to the first ring surface 31 and gradually decreasing in diameter, and a second ring surface 33 connected to the inclined surface 32 and extending radially inward. The inner side surface 34 of the second nozzle 21 forms a liquid flow path, and is formed in, for example, a cylindrical surface shape having a constant diameter, or a taper shape whose diameter increases as it approaches the side wall surface of the membrane container 10. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a detachable cap 40 is attached to the second nozzle 21. The cap 40 is made of rubber, for example, and has elasticity.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cap 40 is formed in a cylindrical shape having an insertion hole on the bottom surface. The inner surface of the cap 40 includes a cap cylindrical surface 50 that faces the cylindrical surface 30 of the second nozzle 21, a cap ring surface 51 that faces the first ring surface 31, and a cap inclined surface 52 that faces the inclined surface 32. And follows the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the second nozzle 21.

  The cap cylindrical surface 50 has a constant diameter and is formed upward from the bottom surface of the cap. The cap ring surface 51 is connected to the upper end of the cap cylindrical surface 50 and is formed flat toward the radially outer side. The cap inclined surface 52 is connected to the outer peripheral end of the cap ring surface 51 and is formed so that the diameter gradually decreases upward. A corner portion 53 having a substantially right angle is formed at a connection portion between the cap cylindrical surface 50 and the cap ring surface 51.

  The cap 40 has a radially inner dimension D1 (shown in FIG. 3) of the cap 40 and a radially outer dimension D2 of the second nozzle 21 at all positions in the nozzle axis direction of the portion to which the cap 40 is attached. 2) is formed so as to satisfy the relationship of 0.75 ≦ D1 / D2 ≦ 0.95. Therefore, the inner dimension D1 of the cap 40 is smaller than the outer dimension D2 of the second nozzle 21.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer diameter dimension D3 and the inner diameter dimension D1 of the cap portions corresponding to the cylindrical surface 30 and the inclined surface 32 of the second nozzle 21, that is, the cap cylindrical surface 50 and the cap inclined surface 52 of the cap 40, Satisfies the relationship of 1.8 ≦ D3 / D1 ≦ 4.0. Therefore, the cap cylindrical surface 50 and the cap inclined surface 52 of the cap 40 have a sufficient thickness.

  The cap 40 has a cylindrical inner plug 60 that is inserted into the second nozzle 21. The inner plug 60 is connected to the tip of the cap inclined surface 52 and is formed with the inner side of the cap inclined surface 52 facing downward. The outer peripheral surface 61 of the inner plug 60 and the cap inclined surface 52 are connected at an acute angle. The angle θ1 formed by the outer peripheral surface 61 of the inner plug 60 and the cap inclined surface 52 is greater than the angle θ2 (shown in FIG. 2) formed by the inclined surface 32 of the second nozzle 21 and the inner surface 34 of the second nozzle 21. It is getting smaller.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the diameter of the inner plug 60 gradually decreases as it approaches the tip. A round 63 is formed at the connection portion between the outer peripheral surface 61 and the front end surface 62 of the inner plug 60.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first nozzle 20 is formed in, for example, a substantially cylindrical shape that protrudes outward from the end face in the longitudinal direction of the film housing portion 10. A detachable cap 80 is attached to the first nozzle 20. The first nozzle 20 and the cap 80 are detachable by, for example, a quick twist type connection mechanism in which the cap 80 is inserted into the first nozzle 20 and rotated and connected. For example, an annular fitting groove 90 is formed in the first nozzle 20, and a spiral guide portion 91 is formed in the fitting groove 90. The cap 80 has a spiral engaging portion 92 that engages with the guide portion 91. By inserting the engaging portion 92 of the cap 80 into the fitting 90 of the first nozzle 20 and rotating the cap 80 within one turn, the guide portion 91 and the engaging portion 92 are engaged, and the cap 80 is in the first state. The nozzle 20 is airtightly connected.

  The above membrane module 1 is, for example, a small membrane module as a trial product. The membrane module 1 has a shape almost similar to that of a normal membrane module, is small in size, and has an inner volume of a space that does not include a separation membrane of 100 mL or less.

  The membrane module 1 is shipped in a state where the membrane container 10 is filled with the filling liquid and the caps 40 and 80 are attached to the second nozzle 21 and the first nozzle 20 as shown in FIG. In use, predetermined caps 80 and 90 are removed from the second nozzle 21 and the first nozzle 20, and the nozzles are connected to the processing circuit.

  According to the present embodiment, the inner dimension D1 of the cap 40 and the outer dimension D2 of the second nozzle 21 satisfy the relationship of 0.75 ≦ D1 / D2 ≦ 0.95, and the cap 40 has the second nozzle 21. Therefore, the airtightness of the cap 40 with respect to the second nozzle 21 is increased. Therefore, the filling liquid in the small membrane module 1 is prevented from volatilizing and leaking to the outside, and the expiration date of the small membrane module 1 can be extended. Note that when D1 / D2 is less than 0.75, force is required for fitting the cap 40, so that the airtightness of the cap 40 is not stable, and when D1 / D2 exceeds 0.95, sufficient airtightness is obtained. I can't.

  The outer surface of the second nozzle 21 to which the cap 40 is attached is a cylindrical surface 30 connected to the side surface of the membrane accommodating portion 10, a first ring surface 31 connected to the cylindrical surface 30 and extending radially outward, It has an inclined surface 32 that is connected to the first ring surface 31 and gradually decreases in diameter, and a second ring surface 33 that is connected to the inclined surface 32 and extends radially inward. The airtightness of the cap 40 is significantly improved with respect to the second nozzle 21 having such a configuration.

  The outer diameter D3 and the inner diameter D1 of the cap portion corresponding to the cylindrical surface 30 and the inclined surface 32 of the second nozzle 21, that is, the cap cylindrical surface 50 and the cap inclined surface 52 of the cap 40 are 1.8 ≦ D3 / The relationship of D1 ≦ 4.0 is satisfied. Thereby, the cap cylindrical surface 50 and the cap inclined surface 52 of the cap 40 have sufficient thickness. Therefore, the cap 40 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the second nozzle 21 at this portion with a strong force, and the airtightness of the cap 40 is further improved. In addition, when D3 / D1 is less than 1.8, the thickness of the cap cylindrical surface 50 and the cap inclined surface 52 of the cap 40 is not sufficient, and the airtightness of the cap 40 is lowered. Moreover, when D3 / D1 exceeds 4.0, the airtightness does not increase according to the thickness, and it is no longer necessary to increase the thickness.

  The inner surface of the cap 40 includes a cap cylindrical surface 50 that faces the cylindrical surface 30 of the second nozzle 21, a cap ring surface 51 that faces the first ring surface 31, and a cap inclined surface 52 that faces the inclined surface 32. A corner 53 is formed by the cap cylindrical surface 50 and the cap ring surface 51. As a result, gas leakage from between the cap 40 and the second nozzle 21 is further suppressed.

  Since the cap 40 has the inner plug 60 inserted into the second nozzle 21, the airtightness of the cap 40 with respect to the second nozzle 21 is further improved.

  Further, since the outer peripheral surface 61 of the inner plug 60 and the cap inclined surface 52 are connected at an acute angle, the pressing force of the cap 40 against the second nozzle 21 inserted therebetween increases as shown in FIG. The airtightness is further improved.

  Further, since the angle θ1 formed by the outer peripheral surface 61 of the inner plug 60 and the cap inclined surface 52 is smaller than the angle θ2 formed by the inclined surface 32 of the second nozzle 21 and the inner side surface 34, the cap 40 is connected to the second nozzle 21. The pressure applied to the inclined surface 32 by the cap inclined surface 52 when fitted into the cap increases, and the airtightness of the cap 40 can be further improved.

  Since the diameter of the inner plug 60 gradually decreases as it approaches the tip, the inner plug 60 can be easily inserted into the second nozzle 21 and the airtightness of the inner plug 60 is improved.

  Since the roundness 73 is formed in the connection part of the outer peripheral surface 61 and the front end surface 62 of the inner plug 60, the ease of insertion of the inner plug 60 and the airtightness of the inner plug 60 can be further improved.

  In the cap 40 in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, an annular ridge 80 protruding outward from the outer peripheral surface may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner plug 60. One protrusion 80 may be formed, or a plurality of protrusions 80 may be formed. The height of the protruding portion 80 is preferably 1% to 15% of the diameter of the inner plug 60 at the position where the protruding portion 80 is located. In such a case, the airtightness of the inner plug 60 can be further improved when the inner plug 60 is inserted into the nozzle 21 as shown in FIG.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various modifications or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the idea described in the claims, and these naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the cap 40 that follows the nozzle shape is applied to the second nozzle 21. However, the cap 40 may be applied to the cap of the first nozzle 20, or the second nozzle 21 and the first nozzle 21. It may be applied to both caps of the nozzle 20. When applied to the cap of the first nozzle 20, the shape of the first nozzle 20 may be formed like the second nozzle 21. Further, the nozzle to which the cap 40 is applied may be only one of the two second nozzles 21 or only one of the first nozzles 20. Furthermore, the shapes of the second and first nozzles are not limited to those in the above embodiments, and may be in other shapes. Moreover, the shape of the cap 40 should just satisfy | fill the relationship of 0.75 <= D1 / D2 <= 0.95, and can be suitably selected according to the shape of a nozzle. Further, the cap 40 may not include the inner plug 60.

  Although the membrane module 1 of the above embodiment was a trial product, the present invention may be applied to other small membrane modules in which the internal volume of the space not including the separation membrane is 100 mL or less.

  FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show the experimental results regarding the airtightness of the cap 40 in the present embodiment. The experiment was performed by filling the membrane module 1 with the filling liquid and measuring the remaining amount of the filling liquid for a long period of time with the second nozzle 21 sealed with the cap 40. As the cap of the first nozzle 20, a quick twist type cap with high airtightness was used. As a comparative example, the same experiment was performed using a conventional cap 100 having an inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface substantially constant as shown in FIG. Each experiment was performed using a plurality of samples. Here, the cap 40 and the cap 100 used the silicone rubber whose hardness is 40 by the test (JIS K 6253) using a durometer, and used the same manufacturing conditions.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the cap 40 has a slower rate of reducing the filling liquid than the conventional cap 100. The number of days required for the remaining amount of the filling liquid to become 2/3 of the initial amount is 404 days for the cap 40 on the average, whereas 313 days for the conventional cap 100 is the average. Moreover, the standard deviation of the filling liquid decreasing rate of the plurality of samples was 0.0020 g for the cap 40 and 0.0687 g for the conventional cap 100. Therefore, the cap 40 can exhibit high airtightness stably.

  The present invention is useful for extending the expiration date of a small membrane module.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Membrane module 10 Membrane accommodating part 20 1st nozzle 21 2nd nozzle 40 Cap A Hollow fiber membrane D1 Inner diameter dimension of D2 D2 Outer diameter dimension of 2nd nozzle

Claims (5)

A small membrane module,
A membrane accommodating portion in which the separation membrane is accommodated in the longitudinal direction;
A first nozzle connected to the longitudinal end face of the membrane container and leading to the primary side of the separation membrane;
A second nozzle connected to a side surface of the membrane housing portion and leading to a secondary side of the separation membrane;
A stretchable cap attachable to at least one of the first nozzle and the second nozzle ;
The outer surface of the nozzle to which the cap is attached includes a cylindrical surface connected to the wall surface of the membrane housing portion, a first ring surface connected to the cylindrical surface and extending radially outward, and the first ring surface An inclined surface that is gradually reduced in diameter, and a second ring surface that is connected to the inclined surface and extends radially inward,
The cap has an inner plug inserted into the nozzle,
The inner side surface of the cap has a cap cylindrical surface facing the cylindrical surface of the nozzle, a cap ring surface facing the first ring surface, and a cap inclined surface facing the inclined surface,
A corner is formed by the cap cylindrical surface and the cap ring surface,
The outer peripheral surface of the inner plug and the cap inclined surface are connected at an acute angle,
The angle formed by the outer peripheral surface of the inner plug and the cap inclined surface is smaller than the angle formed by the inclined surface of the nozzle and the inner surface of the nozzle,
A small size in which the inner dimension D1 of the cap and the outer dimension D2 of the nozzle satisfy the relationship of 0.75 ≦ D1 / D2 ≦ 0.95 at all positions in the nozzle axis direction of the portion where the cap is attached. Membrane module. Wherein the outer diameter D3 and an inner diameter D1 of the cap of the portion corresponding to the cylindrical surface and / or the inclined surface of the nozzle, satisfies the relationship of 1.8 ≦ D3 / D1 ≦ 4.0, in claim 1 The described small membrane module. The small membrane module according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the inner plug gradually decreases in diameter as it approaches the tip. The small membrane module in any one of Claims 1-3 in which roundness is formed in the connection part of the outer peripheral surface of the said inner stopper, and a front end surface. The small membrane module in any one of Claims 1-4 in which the cyclic | annular protrusion part which protrudes outside from the said outer peripheral surface is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the said inner stopper.

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