JPH10180054A - Pressure vessel for membrane element and operation of membrane element - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pressure vessel capable of easily and rapidly executing the exchange working of a membrane element. SOLUTION: The pressure vessel is constituted of a rectangular-shaped vessel main body 2 having an oping part 2a formed on one surface and a cap member 3 for closing the opening part 2a. The cap member 3 is fixed to the vessel main body 2 through a sealant 4 using a bolt. A raw fluid inlet 5 and a permeated fluid outlet 6 are formed on the cap member 3. Plural numbers of spiral type membranes 8 are arranged in parallel inside of the pressure vessel 1 and one end of the water collecting pipe 9 is connected to the permeated fluid outlet 6. The spiral type membrane element 8 is exchanged by removing the cap member 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pressure vessel accommodating therein a membrane element for separating components of a fluid and a method of operating the membrane element.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a fluid is concentrated or purified, a membrane separation device using a microfiltration membrane, an ultrafiltration membrane or a reverse osmosis filtration membrane is used. The membrane separation device has a membrane element housed inside a pressure vessel.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional pressure vessel. The pressure vessel 10 of FIG. 2 includes a cylindrical case 12 and a pair of end plates 13 and 14. Pressure vessel 1
0, for example, a spiral membrane element 11
Is stored. The membrane element 11 fixes an opening portion of a bag-shaped separation membrane (hereinafter, referred to as an envelope-shaped membrane) having a permeated fluid flow path inside so as to communicate with the inside of the water collecting pipe 19, and further, around the water collecting pipe 19. Is formed by spirally winding an envelope-shaped film. A raw fluid flow path is wound between the winding layers of the envelope-shaped membrane, thereby securing a raw fluid flow path between the winding layers.

The outer peripheral surface of the membrane element 11 and the cylindrical case 1
A seal member 15 such as an O-ring is mounted between the inner peripheral surface of the second member 2 and the inner peripheral surface of the second member. Thereby, a first liquid chamber 17 and a second liquid chamber 18 are formed inside the pressure vessel 10.
A raw fluid inlet 16 communicating with the first liquid chamber 17 is formed in one end plate 13, a concentrated fluid outlet 21 communicating with the second liquid chamber 18 is formed in the other end plate 14, and a collecting fluid outlet 21. Water pipe 1
9 is formed with a permeated fluid outlet 20 communicating with the open end.

When the raw fluid is separated using the pressure vessel 10 containing the membrane element 5, the raw fluid is introduced into the first liquid chamber 17 from the raw fluid inlet 16 of the pressure vessel 10. The introduced raw fluid passes through the membrane element 11 from the first liquid chamber 17, and the permeated fluid is taken out of the water collection pipe 19 through the permeated fluid outlet 20, and the concentrated raw fluid (concentrated fluid) From the concentrated fluid outlet 21 to the outside.

In a separation process using a membrane separation device using the pressure vessel 10 shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of membrane separation devices are connected by piping according to conditions such as a flow rate of a processing fluid and a water quality of a permeated fluid. There is.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a fluid separation device composed of a plurality of membrane separation devices. In this fluid separation device, three spiral type membrane separation devices 30 using the pressure vessel 10 of FIG. 2 are arranged in parallel, and connected in parallel using pipes 31 to 33. Each spiral type membrane separation device 3
The branch line of the raw fluid pipe 31 is connected to the zero raw fluid inlet 16. The raw fluid is the raw fluid piping 31
And is supplied to the inside of each pressure vessel 10. Further, a permeated fluid pipe 32 is connected to the permeated fluid outlet 20 of each spiral type membrane separation device 30. The permeated fluid pipe 32 is
The permeated fluid is guided to the outside through a branch pipe connected to each of the permeate fluid outlets 20 and a merging pipe joining the branch pipes.
Further, a concentrated fluid pipe 33 is connected to the concentrated fluid outlet 21 of each spiral type membrane separation device 30. The concentrated fluid pipe 33 guides the concentrated fluid to the outside through a branch pipe connected to each of the concentrated fluid outlets 21 and a merging pipe joining the branch pipes.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing another example of the conventional fluid separation device. In the fluid separation device of FIG. 4, two spiral membrane elements are used. In FIG.
The two membrane elements 41 are connected to each other at one end of a water collecting pipe 42 by an internal joint 43 and are housed inside the pressure vessel. The downstream end of the water collecting pipe 42 of the downstream membrane element 41 is a short pipe 45 a formed on the end plate 45.
Through an internal joint 46. Thus, the two membrane elements 41 are connected in series.

A raw fluid inlet 47 is provided at one end plate 44.
The other end plate 45 is formed with a permeated fluid outlet 48 and a concentrated fluid outlet 49.

In use, a raw fluid pipe is connected to a raw fluid inlet 47 of one end plate 44, a permeated fluid pipe is connected to a permeated fluid outlet 48 of the other end plate 45, and a concentrated fluid pipe is connected to a concentrated fluid outlet 49. Connected respectively. The raw fluid supplied from the raw fluid pipe passes through the upstream membrane element 41,
After passing through the membrane element 41 further downstream, it is discharged from the concentrated fluid outlet 49 as a concentrated fluid. The permeated fluid that has passed through the upstream membrane element 41 flows through the water collecting pipe 42 to the permeated fluid outlet 48 side. Further, the permeated fluid that has passed through the downstream membrane element 41 also passes through the water collection pipe 42,
The liquid is led out from the permeated fluid outlet 48 to the outside. in this way,
The raw fluid is separated into a permeated fluid and a concentrated fluid in the process of passing through the two membrane elements 41.

The fluid separation device shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 causes clogging and deterioration of the membrane element when used for a long time, resulting in a decrease in separation ability. For this reason, it is necessary to periodically replace the membrane element.

[0012]

However, FIGS.
In the conventional pressure vessel shown in FIG.
There is a problem that the replacement work of 1 is complicated. That is, in the pressure vessel 10 shown in FIG. 2, the raw fluid pipe 31 is connected to the end plate 13, and the permeated fluid pipe 32 and the concentrated fluid pipe 33 are connected to the end plate 14. Therefore, when replacing the membrane element 11, the raw fluid pipe 31, the permeated fluid pipe 32, and the concentrated fluid pipe 33 are connected to the end plate 1 respectively.
3 and 14, the end plates 13, 14 are removed from the cylindrical case 12, and the membrane element 1 inserted therein is removed.
Replace one. Then, it is necessary to fix the end plates 13 and 14 to the cylindrical case 12 again and restore the pipes 31 to 33 to the original connection state.

Such disassembly and recovery work is complicated, and especially in a large-sized apparatus in which a large number of membrane separation devices 30 are installed, there is a problem that replacement of the membrane element 11 requires enormous time and labor.

Also, in the fluid separation device shown in FIG. 4, when replacing the membrane element 41, it is necessary to remove and restore the pipes and end plates 44 and 45 in the same manner as described above, and the replacement of the membrane element 41 is complicated. Becomes Further, in a structure in which a plurality of membrane elements 5 are connected in series,
The water collecting pipe 42 becomes longer. Therefore, there is also a problem that the pressure loss of the permeated fluid flowing inside is increased, and the efficiency of the separation treatment is reduced.

[0015] An object of the present invention is to provide a pressure vessel capable of easily and quickly performing a replacement operation of a membrane element.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pressure vessel capable of accommodating a plurality of membrane elements and suppressing an increase in pressure loss of a permeated fluid, and a method of operating a membrane element. It is.

[0017]

A pressure vessel for a membrane element according to the present invention has a vessel body capable of accommodating a plurality of membrane elements arranged in parallel therein.

In the pressure vessel for a membrane element according to the present invention, a plurality of membrane elements can be arranged in parallel inside the vessel body. Therefore, even when the number of membrane elements increases, the flow distance of the permeated fluid passing through each membrane element is always kept constant. Thus, it is possible to suppress an increase in pressure resistance when the permeated fluid flowing through each membrane element flows, and to prevent a reduction in processing efficiency in the membrane element.

In particular, it is preferable to form an opening through which the membrane element can be taken in and out of the container main body, and to provide a lid member for closing the opening so as to be detachable from the container main body.

In this case, the membrane element can be replaced by removing the lid member from the container body, and the replacement work can be shortened.

Further, the container body is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape,
An opening is provided on one surface of the container body having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, a raw fluid inlet for supplying a raw fluid is provided on another surface of the container body, and a permeated fluid from a plurality of membrane elements is provided on another surface of the container body. It is preferred to provide a permeate outlet for removal.

Thus, both the pipe for supplying the raw fluid and the pipe for extracting the permeated fluid are connected to the container body.
Therefore, when exchanging the membrane element, the membrane element disposed inside the container main body can be exchanged only by removing the lid member without disassembling the pipes connected to the container main body. Therefore, the replacement work of the membrane element can be performed easily and quickly.

In particular, the working pressure of the pressure vessel is 10 kgf /
cm ² or less. Within this operating pressure range, a sufficient pressure resistance can be ensured for the rectangular parallelepiped pressure vessel.

The method for operating the membrane element according to the present invention comprises:
A plurality of membrane elements are arranged and stored in parallel inside the pressure vessel, a raw fluid is introduced from a raw fluid inlet provided in the pressure vessel, and a permeated fluid that has passed through the plurality of membrane elements is provided in the pressure vessel. From the permeated fluid outlet.

In this case, the raw fluid can be supplied in parallel to a plurality of membrane elements arranged inside the pressure vessel. Thus, even when the number of membrane elements increases, an increase in pressure loss during the flow of the permeated fluid in each membrane element can be suppressed, thereby suppressing a reduction in membrane separation processing efficiency.

[0026]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pressure vessel according to an embodiment of the present invention. The pressure vessel 1 includes a rectangular parallelepiped vessel main body 2. An opening 2 is provided on one surface of the container body 2.
a is formed. An edge 2b that protrudes in a brim shape is formed around the opening 2a. The container body 2
Has a raw fluid inlet 5 formed on one side thereof, and a permeated fluid outlet 6 formed on the other side, for example, a side opposite to the side on which the raw fluid inlet 5 is formed.

A plurality of spiral membrane elements 8 are housed in the container body 2 in parallel. One end of the water collecting pipe 9 of the spiral membrane element 8 is
The other end is sealed with a cap or the like.

The pressure vessel 1 has a lid member 3 for closing the opening 2a of the vessel body 2. The lid member 3 is fixed to the edge 2b of the container body 2 with a sealing member 4 therebetween using bolts. With the lid member 3 fixed, the liquid tightness inside the pressure vessel 1 is maintained. Further, by removing the bolt, the lid member 3 can be removed from the container body 2.

The spiral membrane element 8 is fixed so that the opening of a bag-shaped separation membrane (envelope membrane) having a permeated fluid channel inside communicates with the interior of the water collecting pipe 9. It is formed by spirally winding an envelope-shaped film around the periphery.

The spiral membrane element 8 is mounted inside the container body 2 through the opening 2a of the container body 2 and is taken out.

In the pressure vessel 1 described above, the raw fluid inlet 5
When the raw fluid is introduced into the pressure vessel 1 from above, the raw fluid enters the raw fluid flow path formed in the spiral membrane element 5 from both end faces of the spiral membrane element 8 arranged in parallel. Then, the water passes through the separation membrane, flows into the water collecting pipe 9, and is led out from the permeated fluid outlet 6 through the permeated fluid pipe 7. In the pressure vessel 1, the permeated fluid is separated from the raw fluid by a full filtration method.

In the pressure vessel 1 described above, the lid member 3 is formed so as to be removable from the vessel body 2. When replacing the spiral-type membrane element 8, the bolts for fixing the lid member 3 are removed, and the lid member 3 is removed from the container body 2, so that the spiral-type membrane element 8 can be removed from the inside of the container body 2.
Can be easily taken out. In this case, the container body 2
Fluid piping (not shown) and permeated fluid piping 7 connected to
There is no need to remove. Therefore, as compared with the conventional pressure vessel, the dismantling and restoration work of the piping is omitted, and the replacement work of the spiral membrane element 8 is simplified.

Further, spiral type membrane elements 8 are arranged in parallel inside the pressure vessel 1. The permeated fluid that has passed through the spiral membrane element 8 flows inside the water collecting pipe 9 of each spiral membrane element 8, and is guided to the permeated fluid pipe 7. Therefore, the spiral membrane element 8
The flow distance of the permeated fluid flowing in the water collecting pipe 9 of each spiral-type membrane element 8 is always constant even if the number of the fluids increases. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an increase in pressure loss with an increase in the number of the spiral membrane elements 8, and
Highly efficient separation processing can be performed.

Further, when the operating pressure is relatively low, the rectangular parallelepiped pressure vessel 1 is suitably used for a separation treatment of, for example, 10 kgf / cm ² or less.

The pressure vessel 1 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped shape, but may be formed in a cylindrical shape, for example, and may have another shape such as a structure in which a part of the peripheral surface is sealed by a removable lid member. Those can also be used.

Further, a concentrated fluid outlet may be provided in the pressure vessel 2 to perform a cross-flow filtration type separation process.

Further, as the membrane element accommodated in the pressure vessel 2, not only a spiral membrane element but also other types of membrane elements such as a pleated membrane element and a laminated membrane element may be accommodated. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pressure vessel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional pressure vessel.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a fluid separation device using the conventional pressure vessel shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing another example of a conventional pressure vessel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pressure container 2 Container main body 2a Opening 3 Lid member 4 Seal material 5 Raw fluid inlet 6 Permeated fluid outlet 7 Permeated fluid piping

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A pressure vessel for a membrane element, comprising a vessel body capable of housing a plurality of membrane elements arranged in parallel inside. 2. The container main body is provided with an opening through which the membrane element can be taken in and out, and a lid member for closing the opening is detachably provided on the container main body. Pressure vessel for membrane elements. 3. The container body is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the opening is provided on one surface of the rectangular container body, and a raw fluid inlet for supplying a raw fluid is provided on another surface of the container body. 3. A pressure vessel for a membrane element according to claim 2, wherein a permeate fluid outlet for taking out a permeate fluid from a plurality of membrane elements is provided on another surface of said vessel body. 4. The pressure vessel for a membrane element according to claim 1, wherein a working pressure is 10 kgf / cm ² or less. 5. A plurality of membrane elements are arranged and housed in parallel inside a pressure vessel, a raw fluid is introduced from a raw fluid inlet provided in the pressure vessel, and a plurality of membrane elements permeate through the plurality of membrane elements. A method for operating a membrane element, wherein a fluid is discharged from a permeated fluid outlet provided in the pressure vessel.