JP7175094B2 - Water purification element and water purification device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an element used in a water purifier and a purifier using the same.

As a technology for purifying wastewater from aquaculture facilities for cultivating organisms such as fish and shellfish, other industrial wastewater, domestic wastewater, water and sewage, and river water, for example, the technology described in Patent Document 1 below has been proposed. .

FIG. 10 shows a water purifier generally similar to the sewage purifier described in Patent Document 1 below. It comprises a plate 5a on which a number of water purification elements 3 are housed. A sprinkler pipe 6a of a sprinkler device 6 and a sprinkler nozzle 6b are provided on the upper part of the housing 5. Water W supplied from the outside through a water supply pipe 6c is supplied to the sprinkler pipe 6a through the sprinkler nozzle 6b into the casing. Water is sprinkled on the water purification element 3 in the body 5. - 特許庁The sprinkled water W is discharged to the outside from a drain pipe 7a of a treated water discharge device 7 provided below the partition plate 5a of the housing 5 .

An air supply pipe 8a of an air supply device 8 is installed below the partition plate 5a of the housing 5, and air A is supplied into the housing 5 from here. By activating the aerobic microorganisms adhering to the water purifying element 3, contaminants and the like in the water W are purified. The air A supplied into the housing 5 is discharged from an exhaust pipe 9 a of an exhaust device 9 connected to the upper portion of the housing 5 .

Thus, the water W sprayed onto the housing 5 from the water spray nozzle 6b is purified by the action of microorganisms attached to the water purification element 3, and is discharged from the drain pipe 7a.

11 and 12 show an example of the form of the water purifying element 3 housed in the housing 5 (see FIG. 10). The water purifying element 3 is configured by accommodating a cylindrical porous body 1 in a frame 2 having a cylindrical frame structure. As a raw material for the porous body 1, a porous body having open cells having voids to which microorganisms adhere and having water retentivity is used. Specifically, a sponge-like material made of non-woven fabric, polyurethane, or the like, ceramic, or the like can be used. The frame 2 has a shape in which a plurality of annular bodies 2a are connected by a plurality of connecting members 2b extending in the axial direction, and a supporting member 2c extending in a cross shape along the radial direction is attached to one end side. . By inserting the porous body 1 from the other end side of the frame body 2, the water purification element 3 is constructed. As a material of the frame 2, plastic resin is used, for example.

JP-A-2003-71478

By the way, in the case of the water purifying element 3 as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, since the cylindrical porous body 1 is inserted into the cylindrical frame 2, there is a problem that the porous body 1 tends to come off the frame 2. was there. In order to prevent it from coming off, the porous body 1 is made of a flexible material that is partially or wholly larger than the inner dimension of the frame 2, and the porous body 1 is deformed with respect to the frame 2. It is conceivable to hold the porous body 1 against the frame 2 by the elastic force of the porous body 1 trying to restore the original shape. However, since the porous body 1 is compressed in this way, the gaps in the porous body 1 are clogged, and the area in the porous body 1 to which microorganisms can adhere is reduced. There was a concern that the distribution of A and water W would also be hindered, and the purification efficiency of water W in the water purifier 4 would drop.

Further, if some kind of engagement structure is formed between the porous body 1 and the frame 2, it is possible to suppress the compression of the porous body 1 and prevent it from slipping out of the frame 2. If the frame body 2 is provided with a too complicated shape, the manufacturing cost of the water purification element 3 will rise significantly.

In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides a water purifying element and a water purifying device that can prevent the porous body from coming off from the water purifying element with a simple structure and reduce the compression of the porous body as much as possible to maintain water purification efficiency. is intended to provide

The present invention relates to a polygonal columnar porous body made of a flexible porous sponge-like material and a plurality of ring portions connected by columns extending along the axial direction to form a cylindrical frame as a whole. The inner diameter of the ring portion located at the end portion is set shorter than the maximum diameter of the porous body, and the porous body is attached to the frame body so that the column portion faces the side surface of the porous body. The water purifying element is characterized in that the porous body is prevented from slipping out of the frame by being accommodated.

In the water purification element of the present invention, it is preferable that at least part of the ring portion located at the end of the frame is located radially inward with respect to the outer circumference of the end face of the porous body.

In the water purification element of the present invention, it is preferable that at least a portion of the outer peripheral portion of the ring portion protrude radially outward with respect to the outer periphery of the porous body.

In the water purification element of the present invention, it is preferable that the side surface of the porous body is provided with cuts along the axial direction.

In the water purification element of the present invention, it is preferable to provide holes penetrating through the porous body.

In the water purification element of the present invention, the porous body preferably has a regular hexagonal prism shape.

Further, the present invention relates to a water purifying device comprising the water purifying element described above.

According to the water purification element and the water purification device of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the removal of the porous body in the water purification element with a simple structure, and to reduce the compression of the porous body as much as possible to maintain the water purification efficiency. can be effective.

1 is a front view showing the form of a water purifying element according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the form of a water purifying element according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the form of a water purifying element according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view showing the form of the water purifying element according to the embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to the view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the form of the water purifying element according to the implementation of the present invention, corresponding to the VV arrow view of FIG. 2; FIG. 2 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the form of the water purifying element according to the embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to the view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the form of the water purification element according to the implementation of the present invention, corresponding to the VII-VII arrow view of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a front cross-sectional view showing the form of a water purification element according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a front cross-sectional view showing the form of a water purification element according to still another embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a water purifying device using a water purifying element; FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the form of a conventional water purifying element; FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the form of a water purification element according to a conventional example;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 7 show an example of the form of a water purification element according to practice of the present invention. A water purifying element 10 of this embodiment is composed of a porous body 11 having gaps to which microorganisms adhere and a frame body 12 accommodating the porous body 11 .

The porous body 11 is a porous body having an open-cell structure, and is made of a material having water retentivity and flexibility. As the material of the porous body 11, specifically, a porous body obtained by foaming a resin such as a urethane resin, an ester polymer, or an ether polymer is used.

The porous body 11 is formed in a polygonal prism shape as shown in FIG. 3, and has a regular hexagonal cross-sectional shape in the case of this embodiment. The porous body 11 is provided with a hole 11b passing through the polygonal prism-shaped porous body 11 along the central axis from one end face 11a to the other end face 11a. In addition, a notch 11d is provided along the axial direction in the central portion of the side surface 11c of the porous body 11 in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction (hereinafter referred to as the circumferential direction).

The frame 12 has a generally cylindrical cage shape, and as shown in FIG. and a pillar portion 12b that connects the 12a. In this embodiment, one frame 12 has a total of three ring portions 12a on both end surfaces of the frame 12 and an intermediate portion in the axial direction. 6 are placed in the Then, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the porous body 11 is accommodated in a cylindrical space formed within the frame 12 by the ring portion 12a and the column portion 12b so that the central axes thereof coincide with each other. It's like

The porous body 11, which is a polygonal columnar sponge or the like, is formed by, for example, forming a base body having a uniform thickness in a plane view shape of the porous body 11 (that is, in this embodiment, a circle is arranged at the center of a regular hexagon). It can be formed by punching up and down with blades arranged in a shape). Further, the frame 12 can be formed by injection molding, for example, a plastic resin or the like into a predetermined mold. However, the materials and manufacturing methods of the porous body 11 and the frame 12 are not limited to these, and for example, the frame 12 may be formed by bending or combining elongated materials.

The dimensions of each part of the porous body 11 and the frame body 12 will be described in detail.

The length of the columnar portion 12b is set equal to or slightly longer than the axial dimension of the porous body 11 . Therefore, the ring portions 12a (hereinafter referred to as “ring portions 12a at the ends”) positioned at the ends of the frame 12 and forming both end surfaces of the cylindrical frame 12 have a gap between the facing surfaces. 1, 4 and 5, the porous body 11 is accommodated between the ring portions 12a at both ends. ing.

The pillars 12b arranged evenly along the circumferential direction of the frame 12 have a distance between the facing surfaces (hereinafter referred to as the inner diameter of the pillars 12b of the frame 12) that forms a hexagonal prism. (the distance between the facing side surfaces 11c, that is, the distance between the parallel sides of the end surface 11a).

The outer diameter of the ring portion 12a at the end is set to be approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the maximum diameter of the porous body 11 (that is, the distance between the facing vertices on the end surface 11a). Also, the inner diameter of the ring portion 12 a at the end is set to be shorter than the maximum diameter of the porous body 11 . In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the ring portion 12a at the end matches the inner diameter of the column portion 12b. In addition, the outer diameter of the ring portion 12a at the end matches the distance between the radially outer surfaces of the opposing column portions 12b (hereinafter referred to as the outer diameter of the column portions 12b of the frame 12).

Of the frame 12, the ring portion 12a located in the axially intermediate portion (hereinafter referred to as the “intermediate ring portion 12a”) has an inner diameter set larger than the minimum diameter of the porous body 11. This is because It is larger than the inner diameter of the column portion 12b. Also, the outer diameter matches the outer diameter of the ring portion 12a at the end and the outer diameter of the column portion 12b.

The dimensions of each part will be further described while presenting specific numerical examples.

The optimum dimensions of the water purification element 10 are determined by manufacturing costs and water holding capacity. The water purification element 10 can be used, for example, in a water purification device 4 as shown in FIG. The frame 12 is a structure for maintaining the shape of the porous body 11 in each water purification element 10 . The frame 12 is provided to prevent the flexible porous body 11 from collapsing due to interference between the water purifying elements 10 when a large number of water purifying elements 10 are housed in the housing 5 and used.

Here, assuming that the dimensions of the porous body 11 are reduced while maintaining the same shape, the mass of the porous body 11 decreases in proportion to the cube of the dimension, but the porous body surrounded by the frame 12 The surface area of 11 decreases in proportion to the square of the dimension of porous body 11 . Moreover, in order to maintain the strength required for the water purifying element 10, the ring portion 12a and the column portion 12b forming the frame 12 must have a certain thickness. Therefore, the smaller the dimension of the water purifying element 10, the larger the proportion of the mass of the frame 12 in the water purifying element 10.

As described above, the porous body 11 is manufactured by cutting a porous material, and the frame body 12 is manufactured by injection molding. Since the manufacturing cost of the frame 12 is higher than that of the porous body 11, the larger the dimensions of the individual water purifying elements 10, the smaller the cost of manufacturing the water purifying elements 10 to fill a certain volume. Moreover, since the porous body 11 of the water purification element 10 is responsible for purifying the water W, the ratio of the porous body 11 to the water purification element 10 should be as large as possible from the viewpoint of purification performance.

On the other hand, the water retention capacity of the porous body 11 varies depending on the type of constituent material and the pore diameter. For example, when a foamed urethane resin having an average pore diameter of about 0.3 to 0.5 mm is used as the porous body 11, the water that can be retained in one porous body 11 is up to about 50 mm in height. Since it cannot hold water higher than that, the micro-organisms needed to purify the water cannot grow. Therefore, even if the dimension in the height direction of the porous body 11 is set to 50 mm or more, the volume above it is wasted. From this point of view, the dimension of the porous body 11 should be set so that the dimension in the height direction when installed in the water purifier 4 (see FIG. 10) is up to about 50 mm.

Since the water purifying elements 10 are randomly put into the housing 5 of the water purifier 4 without aligning the orientation and arrangement, the dimension of the porous body 11 is 50 mm or less in both the axial direction and the radial direction, and the lower limit is 30 mm. More than that. This is a size suitable for keeping the water retention capacity of the porous body 11 and keeping down the manufacturing cost of the water purifying element 10 . In the case of this embodiment, the axial dimension of the porous body 11 is assumed to be 44 mm, and the maximum radial dimension is assumed to be 46 mm. At this time, the minimum diameter is about 39.8 mm.

Moreover, the porous body 11 is provided with a hole 11b along the central axis. The holes 11b are configured to smoothen the flow of water W and air A (see FIG. 10) into the interior of the porous body 11. As shown in FIG. In the water purifier 4 shown in FIG. 10, water W is purified by the action of aerobic microorganisms propagated in the porous body 11 of the water purification element 10. The oxygen concentration of the water W supplied to the porous body 11 is , the water W is consumed by microorganisms from the surface to the inside of the porous body 11, and is reduced. Therefore, in the porous body 11, if the distance from the surface is longer than a certain amount, the purification efficiency of the water W is lowered. Therefore, by providing the hole 11b in the central portion of the porous body 11, the water W can be guided into the interior of the porous body 11 through the hole 11b, and the volume of the porous body 11 is fully utilized.

If the diameter of the hole 11b is too large, the volume of the porous body 11 is reduced. Can not. It is preferable that the diameter of the hole 11b is small enough to allow the water W to flow. is. In the case of this embodiment, it is assumed to be about 10 mm, for example.

The notch 11d is configured to suppress deformation of the porous body 11 and rotation with respect to the frame 12, as will be described later. It is sufficient if the structural strength of the porous body 11 is not excessively lowered. For example, the depth of the notch 11d may be set to approximately 0.1 mm or more and 15 mm or less.

The dimensions of each part of the frame 12 are set according to the dimensions of the porous body 11 thus determined.

In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the end ring portion 12a is set to 42 mm, which is slightly smaller than the maximum diameter of the porous body 11 of 46 mm. With such a setting, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 6, and 7, part of the porous body 11 protrudes radially outward from the ring portion 12a at the end, and the protruding amount is maximum. is about 2 mm. This is for keeping the contact between the porous bodies 11 small between the plurality of water purifying elements 10, as will be described later. As the outer diameter of the ring portion 12a at the end is larger than the diameter of the porous body 11, contact between many porous bodies 11 accommodated in the housing 5 in the water purifier 4 (see FIG. 10) can be reduced. However, from the viewpoint of effective use of the volume of the housing 5 and from the viewpoint of reducing the ratio of the frame 12 in the water purification element 10, the ring portion 12a should not be made too large. A suitable size for the outer diameter of the end ring portion 12 a is about 102% or less and about 90% or more of the maximum diameter of the porous body 11 .

The outer diameter of the intermediate ring portion 12a is also determined in the same manner as the end ring portion 12a. The intermediate ring portion 12a is provided to ensure the strength of the axial intermediate portion of the water purifying element 10. In this portion, too, the ring portion 12a should not be made too large while keeping the contact between the porous bodies 11 small. To prevent this, the outer diameter of the ring portion 12a is preferably about 102% or less and about 90% or more of the maximum diameter of the porous body 11. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the intermediate ring portion 12a is set to 42 mm, which is the same as that of the end ring portion 12a.

By making the inner diameter of the ring portion 12a at the end smaller than the maximum diameter of the porous body 11, it is possible to prevent the porous body 11 from coming off from the frame 12 (in the case of this embodiment, the ring Since the outer diameter of the portion 12a is smaller than the maximum diameter of the porous body 11, the inner diameter is naturally smaller than that). If the contact area of the end ring portion 12a with respect to the end surface 11a of the porous body 11 is 3% or more, a sufficient retaining effect can be expected. On the other hand, if the contact area is too large, it will be difficult to accommodate the porous body 11 in the frame 12, and the mass ratio of the frame 12 to the water purification element 10 will also increase. The upper limit of the contact area with the ring portion 12a should be about 15% of the area of the end surface 11a. That is, the inner diameter of the end ring portion 12a is preferably set so that the contact area of the end ring portion 12a with respect to the end surface 11a of the porous body 11 is about 3% or more and 15% or less, and most About 5% is preferable.

Unlike the ring portions 12a at the end portions, it is not necessary to consider how to prevent the porous body 11 from slipping out of the intermediate ring portions 12a. Rather, in order to prevent unnecessary deformation of the porous body 11 by the ring part 12a, the inner diameter of the intermediate ring part 12a should be larger than the maximum diameter of the porous body 11 to some extent. That is, for the ring portion 12a in the intermediate portion, it is preferable that the outer diameter is determined in consideration of the protruding amount of the porous body 11 as described above, and the inner diameter is large enough to maintain the strength necessary for the ring portion 12a. . In this embodiment, the radial dimension of the intermediate ring portion 12a is 2 mm. That is, the outer diameter of the middle ring portion 12a is 42 mm, while the inner diameter is 38 mm.

In this embodiment, the axial length of the column portion 12b is set to 44 mm, which is the same as the axial dimension of the porous body 11 so that the porous body 11 can fit just inside the ring portions 12a at both ends.

Since the column 12b is a member that connects the end and intermediate ring portions 12a, it should be provided at a position where the ring portions 12a can be connected to each other. By facing the side surface 11c of the porous body 11, 12b also serves to prevent the porous body 11 from rotating. From this point of view, the columnar portions 12b are arranged so that the inner diameter of the columnar portions 12b of the frame 12, that is, the inner diameter of the frame 12 as a whole arranged in the circumferential direction, is smaller than the maximum diameter of the porous body 11. should. In the case of this embodiment, since the outer diameter and inner diameter of the ring portions 12a at the ends and the intermediate portion are set smaller than the maximum diameter of the porous body 11, the inner diameter of the column portion 12b connecting them in the axial direction is naturally , is smaller than the maximum diameter of the porous body 11 (see FIGS. 2, 6 and 7).

Furthermore, in the case of the present embodiment, a notch 11d is provided on the side surface 11c of the porous body 11 as a structure for preventing rotation, and as will be described later, a portion (inner peripheral portion 12c and inner peripheral portion 12c) located radially inside the column portion 12b. ) is buried in the notch 11d, thereby preventing the porous body 11 from rotating about the central axis with respect to the frame 12 (see FIGS. 5 to 7). In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the column portion 12b is the same as the inner diameter of the end ring portion 12a, which is smaller than the inner diameter of the intermediate ring portion 12a. , as shown in FIG. 6, protrudes radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate ring portion 12a.

Regarding the outer diameter of the column portion 12b, the required strength of the column portion 12b can be maintained, and the diameter of the frame body 12 is too large to hinder the storability in the housing 5 (see FIG. 10). It should be set as appropriate within a range that does not exist. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the column portion 12b is set to 42 mm, which is the same as the outer diameter of each ring portion 12a.

The water purifying element 10 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 to 7 is constructed by fitting the porous body 11 into the frame 12 whose dimensions are set in this way. Since the porous body 11 is made of a material having flexibility, the porous body 11 is installed in the frame body 12 by pressing the porous body 11 into the frame body 12 in the axial direction while compressing it and then releasing it. be able to. At this time, the axes of the polygonal prismatic porous body 11 and the cylindrical frame body 12 as a whole are aligned with each other, and both end surfaces 11a of the porous body 11 are aligned with the axes of the ring portions 12a at both ends of the frame body 12. Make it face the inner side of the direction. In addition, each pillar 12b of the frame 12 faces each side 11c of the porous body 11, and the pillar 12b is positioned in the middle of the side 11c in the circumferential direction (FIGS. 2, 6 and 7). reference).

With this configuration, corner portions 11e, which are portions where the side surfaces 11c of the porous body 11 are in contact with each other, are positioned between the column portions 12b and protrude radially outward from the outer peripheral portion 12d of the ring portion 12a. The protrusion amount is 2 mm at maximum as described above. As for the portions other than the corner portions 11e of the side surfaces 11c of the porous body 11, the outer peripheral portions 12d of the ring portions 12a at both ends and the intermediate portion protrude outward from the porous body 11 in the radial direction.

In addition, the inner peripheral portions 12e of the ring portions 12a at both ends protrude radially inward with respect to the end surfaces 11a of the porous body 11, and the axially inner surfaces of the ring portions 12a contact the end surfaces 11a by about 5%. (See Figures 2, 4 and 5).

In addition, the inner peripheral portion 12c of the column portion 12b of the frame 12 is buried in the notch 11d provided in the side surface 11c of the porous body 11 (see FIGS. 5 to 7). In this manner, the porous body 11 is held within the frame body 12 .

The water purification element 10 is used, for example, in a water purification device 4 shown in FIG. A mesh partition plate 5a is provided in the housing 5 along the horizontal direction, and a large number of water purifying elements 10 shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 to 7 are accommodated on the partition plate 5a. Water W is sprayed from a water spray nozzle 6b provided on the top of the water purifying element 10 in the housing 5 . The sprinkled water W permeates the porous body 11 of the water purifying element 10 and moves downward through the surface and gaps of the porous body 11 . During this time, water W is purified by microorganisms adhering to porous body 11 . At this time, since the holes 11b are open along the central axis of the porous body 11, the water W and the air A permeate into the porous body 11 not only from the surfaces of the hexagonal prism but also from the inner surfaces of the holes 11b. As a result, contaminants, oxygen, etc. are efficiently supplied to the microorganisms existing inside the porous body 11, and the water W is efficiently purified.

Purified water W is discharged outside from a drain pipe 7a of a treated water discharge device 7 provided below the partition plate 5a of the housing 5 . Air A is supplied to the housing 5 from an air supply pipe 8a provided below the partition plate 5a to promote the activity of aerobic microorganisms adhering to the water purification element 10. As shown in FIG. Thus, the water W sprayed onto the housing 5 from the water nozzle 6b is purified by the action of microorganisms adhering to the water purifying element 10 while moving downward inside the housing 5, and is discharged from the drain pipe 7a.

In such a water purifying device 4, the water purifying elements 10 are thrown into the housing 5 at random without aligning their orientations and arrangements. Depending on the orientation and position of the water purifying element 10, the weight of the porous body 11 that has absorbed the water W may exert a force to pull the porous body 11 out of the frame 12 in the axial direction.

Here, as described above, the inner diameters of at least a portion (in the present embodiment, the entirety) of the ring portions 12a on both ends located axially outside the both end surfaces 11a of the porous body 11 are equal to the maximum diameter of the porous body 11. The inner peripheral portion 12e is set to be smaller, and the inner peripheral portion 12e is positioned radially inward with respect to the outer periphery of the end surface 11a of the porous body 11. As shown in FIG. As a result, engagement occurs between the porous body 11 and the frame 12 , and movement of the porous body 11 to escape from the frame 12 is suppressed. In particular, in this embodiment, the inner peripheral portions 12e of the ring portions 12a at both ends protrude radially inward with respect to the end surface 11a of the porous body 11, and the axially inner surface of the ring portion 12a has a predetermined contact area with the end surface 11a. is maintained, it is possible to more reliably prevent the porous body 11 from coming off. In this embodiment, only a part of the end ring portion 12a is positioned radially inward with respect to the outer circumference of the end face 11a of the porous body 11. The entire portion 12a may be positioned radially inward with respect to the outer circumference of the end face 11a of the porous body 11.

In addition, due to vibrations or the like applied to the housing 5 , force may be generated in the porous body 11 to rotate the porous body 11 about the central axis with respect to the frame body 12 . The porous body 11 is held by the frame 12 in such a manner that the corners 11e protrude from between the columns 12b as described above. It will be crushed by coming to the position of 12b. If the corner portion 11e is crushed, the gap at that portion is crushed, which hinders the adherence of microorganisms and the circulation of water W and air A (see FIG. 10), and the purification efficiency of water W is lowered. In addition, the possibility that the porous body 11 slips out of the frame 12 in the axial direction increases.

However, in the water purifying element 10 of this embodiment, the rotation of the porous body 11 relative to the frame 12 is suppressed by the pillars 12b. The inner diameter of the column portion 12b is smaller than the maximum diameter of the porous body 11, that is, the diameter of the corner portion 11e. This is because there is resistance to In addition, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the inner peripheral portion 12c of the column portion 12b is embedded in the notch 11d of the porous body 11, so the rotation of the porous body 11 can be suppressed more reliably. In addition, the notch 11d also has the effect of minimizing deformation of the porous body 11 by the column portion 12b.

Thus, in the water purifying element 10 of this embodiment, the frame 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape, while the porous body 11 is formed in a polygonal prism shape. There is a difference in the size relationship of the diameter of each part between the parts. This difference is used to prevent the porous body 11 from slipping out of the frame 12 and also to prevent the porous body 11 from rotating.

On the other hand, a disadvantage of the porous body 11 having a polygonal prism shape is that a part of the porous body 11 protrudes outside the frame 12 depending on how it is held with respect to the frame 12. It protrudes radially outward from the body 12 . The protrusion of the porous bodies 11 causes contact between the porous bodies 11 between the water purifying elements 10 as described above. If the porous bodies 11 come into contact with each other, the porous bodies 11 are compressed or deformed, resulting in clogging of the gaps and loss of water retention in the porous bodies 11 . That is, as described above, the height at which water W (see FIG. 10) can be held in the porous body 11 is determined according to the type of material used for the porous body 11, and is, for example, about 50 mm. In this embodiment, the dimensions of the porous bodies 11 are determined in consideration of the height at which water can be retained. If the height exceeds the above, the water W to be retained flows downward from the porous body 11 positioned at the top, and the water retaining volume is reduced. Therefore, contact between the porous bodies 11 within the housing 5 (see FIG. 10) should be kept to a minimum. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the outer peripheral portion 12d of the ring portion 12a at both end portions and the intermediate portion constituting the frame 12 is set to an appropriate range with respect to the diameter of the porous body 11, and a part of the outer peripheral portion 12d is The contact between the porous bodies 11 is reduced by protruding radially outward with respect to the outer periphery of the porous body 11 (in this embodiment, the outer peripheral portion 12d of the ring portion 12a is the porous body 11). part of the outer circumference (the side surface 11c of the portion other than the corner 11e), but depending on the setting of the diameter of the ring portion 12a, the entire outer circumference 12d may extend to the outer circumference of the porous body 11. may protrude radially outward).

Of course, forming the porous body 11 into a polygonal columnar shape also has the effect of reducing the manufacturing cost. The porous body 11, which is a columnar sponge or the like, can be easily formed by vertically punching a base body such as a sponge as described above. If the shape is appropriate, a plurality of porous bodies 11 can be cut out from one element body without gaps, so that the yield is good and the porous bodies 11 can be manufactured at low cost. However, the cross-sectional shape of the porous body 11 is a regular hexagon because it is advantageous to keep the contact between the porous bodies 11 small if the maximum diameter of the porous body 11 is as short as possible with respect to the cross-sectional area of the porous body 11. is most preferred.

4 and 6, the porous body 11 is compressed and deformed at the portion corresponding to the intermediate ring portion 12a. In order to reduce the deformation here, for example, as shown in another embodiment in FIG. However, the slits 11f oriented in such a direction cannot be formed simultaneously by punching the base body of the porous body 11 vertically as described above, and the manufacturing cost is slightly increased.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9 as still another embodiment, the porous body 11 may be divided at the intermediate ring portion 12a. However, in this case, since the operation of housing the porous body 11 in each frame 12 is somewhat complicated, there is also a concern that the manufacturing cost will increase.

As described above, in the water purifying element 10 of the present embodiment, the polygonal columnar porous body 11 formed of a flexible porous material and the columns extending along the axial direction of the plurality of ring portions 12a The porous body 11 is accommodated in the frame body 12 so that the pillars 12b are opposed to the side faces 11c of the porous body 11 and are connected by the portions 12b. In this way, compression and deformation of the porous body 11 by the frame body 12 can be prevented as much as possible while preventing the porous body 11 from falling out of the frame body 12 .

In the water purifying element 10 of this embodiment, at least part of the ring portion 12a located at the end of the frame 12 is located radially inward with respect to the outer periphery of the end surface 11a of the porous body 11. By doing so, it is possible to more reliably prevent the porous body 11 from coming off the frame 12 .

In the water purifying element 10 of this embodiment, at least part of the outer peripheral portion of the ring portion 12a protrudes radially outward with respect to the outer periphery of the porous body 11. In this way, a plurality of water purifying elements The contact between the porous bodies 11 between 10 can be suppressed, and the compression and deformation of the porous bodies 11 and the deterioration of the water holding capacity can be suppressed.

In the water purifying element 10 of this embodiment, the side surface 11c of the porous body 11 is provided with a notch 11d along the axial direction. Rotation of the porous body 11 with respect to the frame 12 can be suppressed.

In the water purifying element 10 of this embodiment, the holes 11b passing through the porous body 11 are provided. Contaminants, oxygen, and the like can be efficiently supplied to the microorganisms present inside 11 .

In the water purifying element 10 of this embodiment, the porous body 11 forms a regular hexagonal prism, and by doing so, the porous body 11 can be manufactured at low cost while keeping the contact between the porous bodies 11 as small as possible. be able to.

Further, in this embodiment, the water purifying device 4 is provided with the water purifying element 10 described above, so that the water W can be efficiently purified by the water purifying element 10 described above.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the removal of the porous body from the water purification element can be prevented with a simple structure, and the compression of the porous body can be reduced as much as possible to maintain the efficiency of water purification.

The water purifying element and the water purifying apparatus of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and of course various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

4 water purification device 10 water purification element 11 porous body 11a end surface 11b hole 11c side surface 11d notch 12 frame 12a ring portion 12b column portion

Claims (7)

a polygonal columnar porous body made of a porous sponge-like material having flexibility;
a frame body having a cylindrical shape as a whole, wherein the plurality of ring portions are connected by pillars extending along the axial direction;
The inner diameter of the ring portion located at the end is set shorter than the maximum diameter of the porous body,
The porous body is accommodated in the frame so that the pillars face the side surfaces of the porous body, thereby preventing the porous body from coming off the frame.
A water purification element characterized by: 2. The water purifying element according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the ring portion positioned at the end of the frame is positioned radially inward with respect to the outer periphery of the end surface of the porous body. . 3. The water purification element according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the outer peripheral portion of the ring portion protrudes radially outward with respect to the outer periphery of the porous body. The water purifying element according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the side surface of the porous body is provided with a notch along the axial direction. The water purification element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that holes are provided through the porous body. The water purification element according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the porous body forms a regular hexagonal prism. A water purification device comprising the water purification element according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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