JPS62282617A - Membrane module for separation gas - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a membrane module for separating gas which is miniaturized and good in airtightness by sealing one end of the laminated material of a cell consisting of a gas permselective membrane and a supporting material so that the end parts of respective cells are buried and providing a route reaching the respective cells to the sealed part. CONSTITUTION:The insides of cells 11 are decompressed through a takeout port 13 by using a decompressive means such as a vacuum pump and thereby pressure difference is caused in the surface and the underside of a permeation membrane. Simultaneously a gaseous mixture to be separated is fed among the cells 11 by using a feed means such as a blowing fan 14. The separated gases are taken out through the takeout port 13 from the insides of respective cells 11 to the decompressive means side. The takeout port 13 for the separated gases is provided to the end parts of the cells sealed by a resin part 12 by which the airtightness among respective cells is kept and the intervals of the cells 11 are maintained by perforating the respective cells.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention 3. Detailed Description of the Invention Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a gas separation membrane module that is small in size, simple in structure, and has good airtightness.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, various methods have been developed that utilize polymer membranes to separate oxygen-enriched gases, nitrogen-enriched gases, hydrogen, and other gases from mixed gases. In particular, it is also used medically to treat respiratory diseases. Conventionally, several methods have been attempted for extracting gas separated from a mixed gas using a gas separation membrane module. For example, JP-A-6
As shown in Japanese Patent Application No. 7-160903, a pipe made of metal, resin, etc. is provided as an outlet for the separated gas, or a method using a keel-type artificial kidney as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-44003. There is.

However, in the former case, in order to reduce the pressure loss when the separated gas passes through the outlet, it is necessary to make the diameter of the outlet lever sufficiently large. Therefore, the spacing between adjacent cells and the cell thickness are determined by the pipe diameter, and cannot be made any smaller. Also, regarding the latter,
■A frame is required to supply and exhaust the mixed gas, and this frame must have a certain width to maintain airtightness, so the effective membrane area is reduced compared to cells of the same size.

■Parts such as the frame, support, gutter provided on this support, and screws to hold and fix the module are required.
For each cell, L-the necessary force to cover the airtightness of the frame; It had the following problems. Hereinafter, a conventional gas separation membrane module will be explained with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 4 and 6). In the figure, 1 is a gas separation membrane cell that selectively separates a mixed gas, 2 is an outlet for taking out the gas separated by this cell 1, and 3 is an outlet for taking out the gas separated from each cell 1. The collecting pipe 5 is a blower fan that supplies the mixed gas between the cells 1. The operation of the gas separation membrane module composed of the above-mentioned components will be explained below. First, the pressure inside the cell 1 is reduced through the opening of the collecting pipe 3 using a pressure reducing means such as a vacuum pump, thereby creating a pressure difference between the front and back surfaces of the permeable membrane. At the same time, the mixed gas to be separated is supplied between the cells 1 using a supply means such as a blower fan 6 or the like. The separated gas is taken out from inside each cell 1, collected in a collecting pipe 3 via an outlet 2 and a tube 4, and taken out to the pressure reducing means.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above configuration, the spacing between adjacent cells and the thickness of the cells are determined by the outer diameter of the outlet, and the spacing cannot be made any smaller. If the outlet diameter is made smaller in order to reduce the cell spacing, the speed at which the separated gas passes through the outlet port will be extremely high, causing pressure loss and preventing pressure from being efficiently transmitted inside the cells. It disappears. In addition, there is a problem in that the number of assembled components increases, and the volume occupied by these components makes the unit even larger.

The present invention solves these problems, and aims to provide a gas separation membrane module that is small in size, has a simple structure, and has good airtightness.

Means for Solving the Problem In order to solve this problem, the present invention includes a permeable membrane that selectively separates a mixed gas, and a supporting material that supports the permeable membrane, and the permeable membrane and the supporting material Construct an airtight single cell, stack the cells in the thickness direction, seal one end of the stack so that each cell is partially buried, and create a path in this pulled-up portion to reach each cell. It has a built-in structure.

Function: With this configuration, it is not necessary to provide each cell with an outlet, so the cell can be made thinner, and elements that structurally limit the distance between adjacent cells, such as the diameter of the outlet, can be removed. In addition, by sealing a part of the cell stack and providing a path connecting each cell in the sealed part as an outlet, the airtightness between each cell is completely maintained. A small gas separation membrane module with a simple structure and good airtightness can be obtained.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 3.

First, in FIGS. 1 and 2, 11 is a gas permeable membrane cell that selectively separates a mixed gas, 12 is a resin part that maintains airtightness between each single cell, and maintains the interval between cells 11. 1
A separated gas outlet 13 is provided so as to penetrate through 1 . An epoxy resin was used as the sealing resin, and a modified amine curing agent that cured at room temperature for 12 hours was used as the curing agent.

I will explain the operation and operation of K. First, take out port 13
The inside of the cell 11 is further reduced in pressure using a pressure reduction means such as a vacuum pump, thereby creating a pressure difference between the front and back sides of the permeable membrane. At the same time, the mixed gas to be separated is supplied between the cells 11 using a supply means such as a blower fan 14 or the like. The separated gas is taken out from the inside of each cell 11 through the takeout port 13 to the pressure reducing means side. The present invention provides a gas permeable membrane module that is small and has good airtightness, which has not been previously available, and will now be described in more detail.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing the structure of this embodiment, in which 16 is a gas permeable membrane, 16a is a frame that supports the gas permeable membrane 15, and has a thickness of 1
It is made of parrot aluminum plate. 16b is a support that supports the membrane 15 from inside the cell during depressurization, and has a thickness of 1 base and 10 mm.
Consists of mesh polyethylene molded netting. The gas permeable membrane 15 is airtightly adhered to both sides of the frame 16a and the support body 16b at the periphery to form a gas separation membrane cell. 1st place is between adjacent cells, and is made of closed-cell polyethylene foam with a thickness of 3 mm, and is made of a closed-cell polyethylene foam with a lining between adjacent cells. One side of the cell stack constructed as described above is cast into the resin 12 (shown in Figures 1 and 2), and the outlet 13 (shown in Figures 1 and 2) is inserted so as to penetrate through each cell. ) will be established.

Reference numerals 15a and 16c are parts that will become the outlet, and after the resin 12 is cast, both are processed to form the outlet 13. Further, the opening area of the outlet 13 is determined in consideration of the pressure loss of the passing gas, and can easily be adjusted to the magnitude of the flow rate by changing the opening area.

Note that the frame 16a1 support body 16b, , 1. He-t7-17
There are no restrictions on the material, such as metal, resin, wood, paper, etc., but it is desirable to select an appropriate material in consideration of usage conditions such as stress and environment, productivity, etc. Further, as for the sealing material, although epoxy resin was used in this embodiment, the sealing material is not limited to resin as long as it is a non-air permeable material.

With the above configuration, the pitch of the cells 11 is 4 mm.

The membrane area of this example is 49.9 mm, and the dimensions are 1050 mm.
The size is 400×30o and the volume is 0.13ba.

In a conventional gas separation membrane module with the same membrane area, the cell pitch is 155 mm, which is approximately 0.62 m at 1250 x 1650 x 300 including collecting pipes and connecting tubes.
Therefore, it was possible to achieve a similar size reduction.

In this embodiment, the thickness of the frame 16a is 1 mm, and the thickness of the spacer 17 is 1 mm.
Although the thickness is set to 3 mm, it is possible to reduce the thickness depending on the flow rate of the mixed gas and separated gas.

As described above, according to this embodiment, a part of each cell is connected to one end of the gas permeable membrane cells stacked in the thickness direction.
It becomes possible to omit the outlet, the pitch of the cells 11 becomes very small, and the airtightness between each cell is completely maintained.

In this embodiment, a method of separating by reduced pressure has been described, but it goes without saying that it can also be used for a method of separating by pressurization by placing the entire module in a pressure vessel.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, a gas separation membrane module comprising a permeable membrane that selectively separates a mixed gas and a support material that supports this membrane is constructed of the permeable membrane and the support material. By stacking airtight single cells in the thickness direction, sealing one end of this laminate, and providing a path connecting each cell in this sealed part, it is possible to create an airtight structure that is extremely compact and has a simple structure. A gas separation membrane module with good properties can be provided, and its practical effects are significant.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 3 show one embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view of the same, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a cell stack, FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a conventional gas separation membrane module, and FIG. The figure is a sectional view of the same. 11... Gas separation membrane cell, 12... Resin part, 13... Outlet, 15... Gas permeable membrane, 16a-'... Hole , 16a...
Frame, 16b... Support, 16c... Hole,
17...Spacer. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person
--- ノ 515 Mizūsa 1! 11 evening

Claims (1)

[Claims] A permeable membrane that selectively separates a mixed gas and a supporting material that supports the permeable membrane, the permeable membrane and the supporting material constitute an airtight single cell, and the cells are laminated in the thickness direction and A gas separation membrane module characterized in that one end of the laminate is sealed so that a portion of each cell is filled, and a path is provided in this sealed portion to connect each cell.