JPH07517U - Hollow fiber membrane module - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To prevent damage to the hollow fiber membrane, improve durability, and facilitate manufacturing. [Structure] A protective member 3 is provided, which protects the root portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 4A with respect to the sealing and fixing portion 6 by dividing the root portion into a predetermined number.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a hollow fiber membrane module used in, for example, a domestic water purifier or an industrial or medical filtration device.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventionally, it has excellent processing capability in microfiltration and ultrafiltration modules used for the purpose of removing liquids and gases, mainly fine particles and bacteria in liquids, and recovering useful components. Hollow fiber membrane type modules are often used.

The hollow fiber membrane module is usually sealed and fixed with a sealing material (potting agent) such as polyurethane or epoxy at the end of the module, where the raw stock solution and the permeate are separated. . As an example, Fig. 3 shows the structure of an internal pressure cross-flow type hollow fiber membrane module and the flow of liquid.

This hollow fiber membrane module 100 accommodates a bundle of a large number of straight hollow fiber membranes 102 in a cylindrical case 101 with both ends open, and both ends of each hollow fiber membrane 102 are cased. At both open end portions of 101, a sealing material 103 is filled between the hollow fiber membranes 102 and between the hollow fiber membranes 102 and the case 101 to seal and fix, and the end portions are cut to cut the hollow fiber membranes. Hollow fiber membrane opening end faces 104 and 104 ′ that open the end of 102 are formed.

In addition, permeate ports 105 and 105 ′ for outflowing the permeate are provided near the sealing and fixing portion of the case 101, and the permeate that communicates with the permeate ports 105 and 105 ′ is provided. A cover 108 having permeate outlets 106 and 106 ′ for taking out to the outside and stock solution inlets and outlets 107 and 107 ′ for allowing the stock solution to flow in and out provided so as to face the hollow fiber membrane opening end surfaces 104 and 104 ′. , 108 'are airtightly attached to both ends of the case 101 via O-rings 109.

In the liquid flow of the hollow fiber membrane module 100 configured as above, the stock solution flows from the stock solution outflow port 107 of the one cover 108 to the hollow fiber membrane opening end face 104 side and passes through each hollow fiber membrane 102. The permeated liquid permeated through the permeated liquid is passed through the permeated liquid ports 105, 105 ′ of the case 101 and taken out through the permeated liquid outlets 106, 106 ′, and the undiluted liquid is the other hollow fiber membrane opening. It flows out to the outside through the end surface 104 'and the stock solution outflow port 107'.

FIG. 4 shows another conventional hollow fiber membrane module 200 in which a case 201 has a large diameter and a long size.

[0008]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, in terms of durability of the above-mentioned conventional hollow fiber membrane modules 100, 200, the hollow fiber membrane modules 100, 200 are subject to shocks during passage of liquid, distortion caused by question of each member during chemical use or high temperature use. Damage can occur. Particularly, at the root portion where the hollow fiber membrane 102 is buried in the sealing and fixing portion, stress due to shaking, bending, twisting, etc. of the hollow fiber membrane 102 tends to concentrate, and the suction portion of the sealing material 103, that is, the hollow fiber membrane 102. Since there is a portion to which the sealing material 103 is adhered on the surface of the hollow fiber, the hollow fiber membrane 102 is not cracked or cut due to loss of flexibility and brittleness in this portion. This will occur, resulting in a leak failure.

Therefore, as a countermeasure, selection of a sealing and fixing condition that eliminates wicking of the encapsulating material 103, selection of the encapsulating material 103 that does not make the wicking portion brittle, and the like are taken as measures. Also, it is restricted by the required functions (chemical resistance, heat resistance, low elution property).

Further, in the hollow fiber membrane module 200 in which the case 201 has a large diameter and long type, when the hollow fiber membrane 102 shakes, the shaking width becomes large, and the above-mentioned problem easily occurs.

The present invention was made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. The purpose of the present invention is to prevent damage to the hollow fiber membrane, improve durability, and facilitate manufacturing. It is to provide a hollow fiber membrane module to be obtained.

[0012]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a bundle of a large number of hollow fiber membranes is inserted into a case, and the ends of each hollow fiber membrane are kept open at the open end of the case. In a hollow fiber membrane module in which a gap is filled between the hollow fiber membranes and a gap between each hollow fiber membrane and the case is sealed and fixed, a root of the hollow fiber membrane bundle with respect to the sealing fixing portion is provided. It is characterized in that a protection member is provided to protect the section by dividing it into a predetermined number.

[0013]

[Action]

 In the hollow fiber membrane module having the above-mentioned configuration, since a protective member is provided for protecting the root portion of the bundle of a large number of hollow fiber membranes and the sealing and fixing portion by a predetermined number, the hollow fiber membranes of each hollow fiber membrane are protected. The fragile root part is protected and will not be damaged by external force. Further, since the hollow fiber membrane bundle is divided into a predetermined number, the fluctuation of each hollow fiber membrane is not reduced and the hollow fiber membrane is not broken. These improve the durability and reliability of the hollow fiber membrane module.

Further, since the hollow fiber membrane bundle can be manufactured by dividing it into a predetermined number, the module scale can be freely selected.

[0015]

【Example】

 The present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiment. 1 shows a hollow fiber membrane module according to an embodiment of the present invention, reference numeral 1 denotes a hollow fiber membrane module, and this hollow fiber membrane module 1 has a cylindrical case 2 having openings at both ends. , A protective case 3 as a plurality of protective members each having a smaller cross-sectional area than the case 2 inserted into the case 2 to partition a bundle of a large number of hollow fiber membranes 4 into a predetermined number, and a predetermined number of the protective case 3 And a bundle of straight hollow fiber membranes 4 that are housed in each of the hollow fiber membranes 4, and both ends of the hollow fiber membranes 4 are kept open at both ends, while the gaps between the hollow fiber membranes 4 and the hollows The gap between the membrane 4 and the protective case 3 and the gap between the protective case 3 and the case 2 are filled with a potting agent 5 as a sealing material and sealed and fixed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the protective case 3 has a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 4 at predetermined intervals in the sealing and fixing portions 6, 6 ′, 6 A, 6 A ′ at both ends of the case 2. In this embodiment, four protective cases 3 each having a smaller cross-sectional area than the case 2 are arranged so as to be evenly arranged vertically and horizontally. Of course, the position and number of the protective cases 4 to be arranged are determined by the specifications and the like.

Further, the length of each protective case 3 is equal to or more than the suction area of the potting agent 5 when the potting agent 5 is hardened from the opening end of the case 2, and the hollow fiber membrane bundle 4A is sealed and fixed. It is designed to protect the root part of the part 6.

In the hollow fiber membrane module having the above-mentioned configuration, a bundle of a predetermined number of hollow fiber membranes 4 is inserted in the plurality of protective cases 3, and the length of the protective case 3 is set to the potte. Since the area is above the wicking area of the filling agent 5, the potting agent 5 adheres to the surface of the hollow fiber membrane 4 in the vicinity of the root portion where the load is applied and the root portion which is substantially brittle. The part that holds the module will be held so that it will not be shaken, bent, or twisted when using the module (such as when liquid is passed), and it will not be damaged by external force. Further, since the root portion where the hollow fiber membrane 4 is buried in the sealing and fixing portions 6 and 6'is protected, the hollow fiber membrane 4 does not break at the root portion. In this way, the protective case 3 is longer than the root portion with the sealing and fixing portion 6 which is a portion to which the hollow fiber membrane 4 is particularly loaded, so that the hollow fiber membrane bundle 4A can be reliably protected. This improves the durability and reliability of the hollow fiber membrane module.

Next, an example of a method of manufacturing the hollow fiber membrane module 1 will be described below.

First, both ends of a bundle of a predetermined number of straight hollow fiber membranes 4 are housed in the protective case 3, and the potting agent 5 is applied to each hollow fiber at the open end of both protective cases 3. The small-diameter module 1A is manufactured by filling the gaps between the membranes 4 and the gaps between the hollow fiber membranes 4 and the protective case 3 and sealingly fixing the protective case 3 unit.

Next, four small-diameter modules 1A are bundled and inserted into the case 2 in this embodiment, and the gap between the protective cases 3 is further sealed with a potting agent 5 ′ at the open end of the case 2. Fix it. Then, the ends of the hollow fiber membranes 4 and the hardened potting agents 5 and 5'are cut together, and the ends of the hollow fiber membranes 4 are opened to complete the hollow fiber membrane module 1.

As described above, since multistage sealing and fixing, that is, so-called potting is performed, the small-diameter module 1A that has already been potted without paying particular attention to potting conditions when manufacturing small to large hollow fiber membrane modules. The scale of the hollow fiber membrane module can be selected depending on the number of combinations, and manufacturing can be facilitated.

It should be noted that it is naturally possible to bundle the required number of the hollow fiber membrane bundles 4A into the protective case 3 and insert them into the case 2, and then pot them all at once.

A specific example of the hollow fiber membrane module according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown below.

[Specific Example] Four commercially available PVC pipes having an outer diameter of φ89 mm and an inner diameter of φ77 mm (total length of 100 mm) are used as the case 2, and four small-diameter pipes (total length of 75 mm) having an outer diameter of φ32 mm and an inner diameter of φ28 mm are used as the protective case 4. A prototype of the hollow fiber membrane module 1 arranged and potted with a bundle of a predetermined number of hollow fiber membranes 4 accommodated in this small diameter pipe was manufactured.

The hollow fiber membrane 4 used was an inner dense layer type ultrafiltration membrane of outer diameter φ1.3 mm × inner diameter φ0.7 mm, and potting agents 5 and 5 ′ were epoxy adhesives.

Using this hollow fiber membrane module 1, a filtration test solution of a 1 wt% sodium carbonate aqueous solution (PH11-12) containing polyethylene glycol # 6000 and 0.2 wt% was circulated at an average filtration pressure of 1 kgf / cm2. When the flow rate (linear velocity) was 1 m / s, no permeation of polyethylene glycol, which is the filtration test liquid, into the permeate side of the hollow fiber membrane 2 was observed during the test, and the hollow fiber membrane module It was confirmed that the damage of 1 did not occur.

A comparative example will be shown below.

[Comparative Example] A hollow fiber membrane module was produced under substantially the same conditions as in the above specific example without using a small diameter pipe as the protective case 3, and a filtration test similar to that in the specific example was performed. Initially, there was no leak, but permeation of polyethylene glycol, which is a filtration test solution, was remarkably observed during the continuation of the test, and it was confirmed that the hollow fiber membrane module was damaged. In addition, by disassembling the hollow fiber membrane module, it was confirmed that the damaged portion was near the root of the hollow fiber membrane 4 with the potting portion, and the portion where the potting agent 5 was thinly adhered was cracked. .

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In the above embodiment, the length of the protective case 3 is set to be equal to or larger than the suction area of the potting agent 5 when the potting agent 5 is cured from the opening end of the case 2, but in this embodiment, the length of the protective case 31 is set to The hollow fiber membrane module is substantially the same as the case 21 having the permeated liquid outlet 7 for taking out the permeated liquid from the hollow fiber membrane 4 to the outside of the sealing and fixing portions 6, 6A and 6 ', 6A'. It is Joule 11. In this way, since the hollow fiber membrane bundle 4A is held over the entire length, the swing width of the hollow fiber membrane 4 is reduced and the hollow fiber membrane is not broken. Since the other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted, but the hollow fiber membrane module 11 according to the other embodiment will be described below. A specific example of the manufacturing method will be described. The hollow fiber membrane module 11 is a large module.

[Specific Example] First, as the small-diameter module 11 A, the protective case 31 is a transparent PVC pipe having an outer diameter of φ32 mm × an inner diameter of φ25 mm × a total length of 1000 mm (four in this embodiment), and a hollow fiber membrane is placed in the transparent PVC pipe. No. 4, 130 ultrafiltration hollow fiber membranes made of polysulfone were stored, both ends were temporarily sealed, and then centrifugal potting was performed. Next, the obtained small-diameter module 11A was inserted as a case 21 into a transparent vinyl chloride tube having an outer diameter of φ89 mm × an inner diameter of φ79 mm × a total length of 1000 mm and subjected to centrifugal potting. Then, the hollow fiber membranes 4 at both ends were cured and potted. The agent 5 was cut and the end of each hollow fiber membrane 4 was opened to obtain a large module.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the protective case 3, 31 as a protective member for protecting the hollow fiber membrane bundle 4 A by dividing the root portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 4 A with the sealing and fixing portion 6 into a predetermined number is used as the case 2. Although the length from the opening end of 21 to at least the sealing material suction area when the potting agent 5 is cured as the sealing material is not limited to these, the shape and length are not limited to these. The essential point is that the hollow fiber membrane is protected at its root without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Further, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the description has been made by taking the case of the hollow fiber membrane module of the both-end opening type as an example, but the same can be applied to the one side opening type.

[0034]

[Effect of device]

 The present invention has the above-described configuration and operation, and provides a protective member for partitioning and protecting a predetermined number of root portions of a bundle of a large number of hollow fiber membranes and a sealing and fixing portion of each hollow fiber membrane. As a result, the hollow root portion of each hollow fiber membrane is protected and is not damaged by external force. Further, since the hollow fiber membrane bundle is divided into a predetermined number, the hollow fiber membrane does not shake and the hollow fiber membrane is not broken. These improve the durability and reliability of the hollow fiber membrane module.

Further, since the hollow fiber membrane bundle can be manufactured by dividing it into a predetermined number, the module scale can be freely selected.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 (a) is a front view of a hollow fiber membrane module according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 (b) is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1 (a).

FIG. 2 (a) is a front view of a hollow fiber membrane module according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 (b) is the same figure (a).
3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional hollow fiber membrane module.

FIG. 4 (a) is a front view of another conventional hollow fiber membrane module, and FIG. 4 (b) is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 4 (a).

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,11 Hollow fiber membrane module 1A, 11A Small diameter module 2,21 Case membrane 3,31 Protective case (protective member) 4 Hollow fiber membrane 4A Hollow fiber membrane bundle 5,5 'Potting agent (sealing material) 6,6' , 6A, 6A 'Sealing and fixing part 7 Permeate outlet

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A bundle of a large number of hollow fiber membranes is inserted into a case, and the ends of the hollow fiber membranes are kept open at the open end of the case, while maintaining a gap between the hollow fiber membranes and hollows. In a hollow fiber membrane module in which a sealing material is filled and sealed and fixed in a gap between a fiber membrane and a case, a root part of the hollow fiber membrane bundle with the sealing and fixing part is partitioned and protected every predetermined number. A hollow fiber membrane module comprising a protective member.