JP3735451B2 - Hollow fiber membrane module - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hollow fiber membrane module in which a liquid flow inside a module is improved by specifying a direction of a through hole provided in a ring-shaped contact member provided at a liquid inlet / outlet.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The hollow fiber membrane module usually has a nozzle that allows liquid to enter and exit from the side of the module case. From this nozzle, the membrane filtrate is taken out, or a membrane cleaning solution or a processing solution is introduced into the module.
[0003]
However, when the liquid flow directly hits the hollow fiber membrane bundle immediately below the nozzle, the hollow fiber membrane may be damaged due to the force of the flow. In order to prevent this, means for protecting the hollow fiber membrane directly under the nozzle has been taken. For example, as disclosed in JP-A-60-286735, JP-A-61-148817, JP-A-56-166042, JP-A-62-2204804 and JP-A-7-171354, A method of protecting a hollow fiber by providing a ring-shaped contact member directly under the nozzle has been used. Some of these ring-shaped members have through holes that allow liquid to enter and exit.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since all of these measures are aimed at preventing damage to the hollow fiber membranes, the state of the liquid flow inside the protected hollow fiber membrane bundle has not been sufficiently studied.
[0005]
For example, when a membrane cleaning solution is used, the flow of the liquid inside the protected hollow fiber membrane bundle is poor and the structure tends to stay. I cannot do it enough. Also, when rinsing the cleaning liquid, it takes time for rinsing, and it is necessary to use a large amount of the rinsing liquid, which causes many disadvantages.
[0006]
Moreover, such a protective measure for the hollow fiber membrane is a cause of increasing the case cost and manufacturing cost of the module.
[0007]
Therefore, development of a hollow fiber membrane module that solves these problems, has a good protection property of the hollow fiber membrane, and can protect the membrane at low cost in consideration of the liquid flow inside the hollow fiber membrane bundle of the protected portion is eagerly desired. ing.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In view of such a situation, as a result of investigating the hollow fiber membrane protection structure directly under the nozzle of the hollow fiber membrane module, it is possible to make a hole in and out of the liquid facing the specific direction in the protective body, In order to maintain this positional relationship, the present inventors have found that the above problem can be solved by inserting a protrusion or a recess in a part of the protective body and securely fixing the case to the case, and completed the present invention.
[0009]
That is, the present invention has at least one liquid inlet / outlet at the side of the module case in which the hollow fiber membrane bundle is arranged, and a ring-shaped contact having a plurality of through holes between the liquid inlet / outlet and the hollow fiber membrane bundle. In the hollow fiber membrane module provided with the members, the through-holes existing in the ring-shaped contact member have directionality in the through-passage and are divided into groups of 2 to 4 directions, and 3 of the through-holes belonging to each group It is an object of the present invention to provide a hollow fiber membrane module characterized in that at least one is present on the same latitude line perpendicular to the length direction. In these groups, those in the same direction are referred to as groups, and may not exist together. For example, a group in the same direction may exist in two places.
[0010]
A hollow fiber characterized in that at least one end of the ring-shaped contact member is joined to the module case, and the joint has at least one protrusion or a recess that fits into the module case. A membrane module is provided.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention is characterized by the directionality of the through-hole of the through hole opened in the contact member that protects the hollow fiber membrane bundle of the nozzle portion. The contact member is ring-shaped, and the liquid entered from the nozzle of the module case is arranged so as to surround the hollow fiber membrane bundle so that it does not directly hit the hollow fiber membrane bundle. Any number of through holes can be opened in the ring-shaped contact member. For example, the number is about 4 to 500, and preferably about 8 to 100.
[0012]
The direction of all these through-holes must be divided into groups of 2 to 4 directions on the latitude line perpendicular to the length direction of the ring, and the same on the same latitude line perpendicular to the length direction. There are three or more through-holes facing in the direction.
[0013]
In the ring-shaped contact member according to the present invention, the liquid that has entered the periphery of the ring passes through the through-hole of the ring and comes into contact with the hollow fiber membrane bundle at two or more angles, so that it uniformly enters the hollow fiber membrane bundle. Will do. Therefore, even when the number of through holes is small or when the area of the part where the through holes are not opened is large, the liquid easily flows around the hollow fiber membrane inside the part where the through holes are not opened.
[0014]
The size of the through hole in the present invention may be any size. For example, when the shape of the through hole is a circle, the diameter may be 1 to 50 mm. Preferably, the diameter is 2 to 20 mm. Further, the shape of the through hole may be any shape. For example, a circle, a triangle, a quadrangle, etc. can be mentioned. Preferably, a circular shape is preferable because processing is simple.
[0015]
Further, the ring-shaped contact member is not limited to the right cylinder and may be substantially cylindrical. For example, there may be a step, or there may be a protrusion or a depression. The wall thickness of the ring portion may be any, but it is sufficient that the thickness is sufficient to form a passage for giving directionality to the through hole. In consideration of strength and practicality, 0.5 to 10 mm Preferably, it is 1-5 mm.
[0016]
In the present invention, at least one of the end portions of the ring-shaped contact member is joined to the module case, but the joint portion has at least one protrusion or depression that fits into the module case. Is preferred.
[0017]
In the present invention, since the direction of the through hole opened in the ring-shaped contact member is important, it is set with respect to the module nozzle by providing a protrusion or a recess to facilitate alignment and preventing the ring from rotating. It can be easily fixed so that the direction of the hole is always constant.
[0018]
Any material may be used for the ring-shaped contact member and the module case in the present invention. Examples include fiber reinforced plastics, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, methyl methacrylate resin, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride resin, polycarbonate, AS resin, ABS resin, polyamide, fluorine group-containing resin, and stainless steel. .
[0019]
In addition, the hollow fiber membrane used in the present invention may be any material. Examples thereof include polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyimide, polyaramid, acrylonitrile resin, polycarbonate, polyamide, methyl methacrylate resin, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose acetate resin, and fluorine group-containing resin. Moreover, resin containing these and resin of similar structure are included.
[0020]
Although the hollow fiber membrane module of this invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, this invention is not limited to these.
[0021]
FIG. 1 shows an example of a hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention, in which a hollow fiber membrane bundle (2) is inserted into a module case (1), and an end is sealed with an adhesive (5). The module case (1) has a nozzle (4) that allows liquid to enter and exit at a substantially right angle, and a ring-shaped contact member (3) that protects the hollow fiber membrane bundle immediately below the nozzle is located at one end of the module case. It is installed so as to be joined to (1), and the other end is embedded in the adhesive (5) portion.
[0022]
2 and 3 show an example of the ring-shaped contact member in the present invention, and FIG. 2A shows the appearance of the ring-shaped contact member. A through hole (6) that allows liquid to enter and exit is open. FIG. 2B shows a cross section in the latitude direction perpendicular to the length direction of the ring-shaped contact member, and the through holes are open in the same direction in the drawing. Further, the through holes are opened in the same direction on the left and right. Therefore, the through holes are divided into groups in two directions on the same cross section, and a total of 10 through holes (6) are opened on the same cross section in each group. As a result, the through hole near the portion where the through hole is not open faces the direction of the hollow fiber membrane near the portion where the through hole is not open, so the liquid passing through the through hole is not open. It becomes easy to go around the hollow fiber membrane near the part, and the liquid flow in the hollow fiber membrane bundle inside the ring-shaped contact member is greatly improved. FIG. 3 shows an example having protrusions on the outer periphery of the ring-shaped contact member. The protrusion (7) can be easily aligned with the nozzle (4) by forming a recess that fits into the inner surface of the module case (1).
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the ring-shaped contact member for protecting the hollow fiber membrane directly under the nozzle of the hollow fiber membrane module is provided with a liquid entrance / exit hole in a specific direction, and the module is formed in a part of the ring-shaped contact member. By providing a protrusion or a recess that can be fixed so that the direction of the hole set with respect to the nozzle is always constant, the flow in the hollow fiber membrane bundle inside the contact member is improved. In addition, this reduces the number of holes opened in the ring-shaped contact member, which makes it possible to reduce the module cost.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an example of a hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B show an example of a ring-shaped contact member according to the present invention, FIG. 2A is an external perspective view, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the direction of a through hole in the ring-shaped contact member of FIG. It is.
FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing an example of a ring-shaped contact member having a protrusion in the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Module case 2 Hollow fiber membrane bundle 3 Ring-shaped contact member 4 Nozzle 5 Adhesive 6 Through-hole 7 Protrusion

Claims (2)

A hollow having at least one liquid inlet / outlet at the side of the module case in which the hollow fiber membrane bundle is arranged, and a ring-shaped contact member having a number of through holes between the liquid inlet / outlet and the hollow fiber membrane bundle In the yarn membrane module, the ring-shaped contact member has a portion in which a through hole is not opened, the through-hole existing in the ring-shaped contact member has directionality in the through path, and the through-hole has directionality. The hollow fiber membrane module is divided into groups of 2 to 4 directions, and three or more of the through holes belonging to each group exist on the same latitude line perpendicular to the length direction. The at least one end of the ring-shaped contact member is joined to the module case, and the joint has at least one protrusion or depression that fits into the module case. Hollow fiber membrane module.

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