JP7632141B2 - Module - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a module.

One type of module that selectively removes target substances from a treated fluid is a combination of a cylindrical case, a cylindrical header attached to the end of the case, and a partition material placed between the case and the header. The partition material often functions as a filter, and for example, when the module is used with the case filled with carriers such as beads or bundles of yarn, the partition material serves to prevent the carriers from leaking out of the module.

The partition material is required to have a certain degree of robustness in terms of its shape. If the partition material is damaged or deformed, the flow of the fluid being treated passing through the module may be disturbed, which may cause a decrease in the performance of the module. Furthermore, for example, if the module is used for blood purification of a patient, there is a risk of serious and grave medical accidents due to residual blood or blood clotting in the module, or the carrier being mixed into the blood.

As a technique for preventing bending and twisting during molding of the mesh filter, which corresponds to the partition material, it has been disclosed that radial inner ribs are provided on the retaining ring that is integrated with the mesh filter (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-054905

However, there was currently no known technology to prevent damage or deformation of the partition material caused by high pressure and other loads when passing the treated fluid through the completed module. This led to the problem that in order to meet the required robustness, the partition material had to be molded from extremely limited materials.

The present invention aims to provide a module that can prevent damage or deformation of the partition material placed inside with an extremely simple structure.

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a module comprising a cylindrical case, a cylindrical header having a communication port at the center, and a disk-shaped partition material, the header having a tapered section inside which the diameter expands outward from the communication port, the partition material having a diameter equal to or greater than the outer diameter of the tapered section and being disposed between the case and the communication port, and further comprising support members in contact with the tapered section and the partition material, respectively.

According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the robustness of the partition material constituting the module with an extremely simple structure, and to prevent damage and deformation. As a result, it is possible to provide a fluid processing module that not only allows for a significant increase in the degree of freedom in selecting the shape and material of the partition material, but also has significantly improved reliability, safety, etc.

1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view illustrating one embodiment of a module of the present invention. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a support member integral header that may be included in the module shown in FIG. 1 . 3 is a schematic view of the inner surface of the support member integrally molded header shown in FIG. 2 . 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a support member integrally molded partition material that may be provided in the module shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the outer surface of the support member integrally molded partition material shown in FIG. 4 .

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

The module of the present invention requires a cylindrical case, a cylindrical header with a communication port in the center, and a disk-shaped partition material.

Figure 1 shows one embodiment of the module of the present invention. The module 100 comprises a cylindrical case 101, cylindrical headers 102 and 103 arranged at both ends of the case, and a disk-shaped partition plate 106. The headers 102 and 103 also have communication ports 104 and 105, respectively, in their centers. The fluid to be treated can be supplied to the inside of the case 101 from these communication ports 104 or 105. The fluid to be treated inside the case 101 can be discharged from the other communication port.

The cylindrical header of the module of the present invention must have a tapered section inside, with the diameter expanding outward from the communication port as the center.

As shown in FIG. 1, the headers 102 and 103 also have tapered sections inside, with the diameter expanding outward from the communication ports 104 and 105. In FIG. 1, the centers of the communication ports 104 and 105 are positioned to coincide with the central axis a of the case 101 in the longitudinal direction.

Materials for the case, header, and partition material of the module of the present invention include, for example, resin or metal, but when the module is used for blood purification, resin that is easily disposable is preferable, and highly safe polypropylene, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) are more preferable.

The disk-shaped partition material provided in the module of the present invention must have a diameter equal to or greater than the outer diameter of the tapered portion provided inside the header, and must be positioned between the case and the communication port of the header.

The module 100 shown in FIG. 1 also includes two partitions 106, each of which has a diameter equal to or greater than the outer diameter of the tapered portion provided inside the headers 102 and 103. Each of the partitions 106 is disposed between the case 101 and the communication port 104 or 105. In the module 100 shown in FIG. 1, the carrier 109 is filled inside the module 100, sandwiched between the two partitions 106. In this case, the partitions 106 serve to prevent the carrier 109 from leaking out of the module 100.

The carrier filled inside the module may be, for example, an adsorption carrier having an adsorption ability or a filtration carrier having a filtration ability. As such a carrier, a fiber bundle or beads that can increase the contact area with the treated fluid are preferable, and a fiber bundle that can increase the surface area per unit volume is more preferable. Here, the multiple threads that make up the fiber bundle may be hollow or solid, but when the module is used for blood purification, solid threads are more preferable because there is no concern of a difference in the flow rate of the treated fluid between the inside and outside. Here, hollow threads refer to cylindrical fibers with a hollow interior, and solid threads refer to fibers that do not have a hollow interior like hollow threads. By aligning the longitudinal direction of the threads with the longitudinal direction of the case, the flow resistance when the treated fluid passes through the inside of the module can be further reduced.

Examples of materials for the carrier include resins, which are easy to mold and low cost, but when the module is used for blood purification, polysulfone, polymethyl methacrylate, polyacrylonitrile, or cellulose, which are capable of adsorbing proteins, are preferred.

In FIG. 1, the case 101 and the partition material 106 are arranged so that the radial direction of the partition material 106 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the case 101. This arrangement makes it possible to make the flow of the treated fluid within the module more uniform.

The type of partition material is not particularly limited as long as it allows the treated fluid to pass through, and examples include a porous body or mesh. However, when the module is used for blood purification, mesh is preferred to prevent adhesion of blood components, and mesh with a uniform opening diameter, i.e., mesh openings, are more preferred.

The module of the present invention must further include a support member that contacts both the tapered portion provided inside the header and the partition material.

The module 100 shown in FIG. 1 also includes multiple support members 107, each of which contacts a tapered portion provided inside the header 102 or 103. Each of the support members 107 also contacts one of the partition materials 106.

The support members of the module of the present invention are preferably integrally molded with the header and/or partition material to facilitate assembly of the module and to increase the robustness of the entire module.

Figure 2 shows an example of a support member integrally molded header in which the support member and the header are integrally molded, and Figure 4 shows an example of a support member integrally molded partition material in which the support member and the partition material are integrally molded.

In addition, in a partition material with integral support members as shown in Figure 4, it is preferable to adjust the shape of the support members so that the contact area between one support member and the tapered portion is as large as possible in order to maximize the effect of the presence of the support members. For example, in the partition material with integral support members shown in Figure 4, each support member is adjusted to a shape with a slope that matches the tapered portion so that each support member can contact the tapered portion over as large an area as possible.

The partition material provided in the module of the present invention preferably has a beam structure to increase its strength. In addition, in a support member integrally molded partition material in which the support member and the partition material are integrally molded, it is preferable that the support member be formed on the beam structure to further increase the strength.

Furthermore, when the inside of the module of the present invention is filled with a carrier, it is preferable that the partition material of the module of the present invention has an extension portion in order to regulate the flow of the treated fluid near the contact portion between the partition material and the carrier inside the module.

Here, the term "extension" refers to a portion extending from the partition material of the module of the present invention toward the inside of the module. By having the partition material have an extension portion and inserting the extension portion into the carrier, the packing rate of the carrier around the insertion portion changes compared to other portions, and it is possible to optimize the flow resistance and flow direction when the treated fluid flows into the carrier, or the velocity distribution of the treated fluid within the module. Note that the extension portion is preferably molded integrally with the partition material to facilitate the assembly work of the module and to increase the robustness of the entire module.

Materials for the support member, beam structure, and extension portion can be resin or metal, similar to the case, etc., and when the module is used for blood purification, the same resin as the case, etc. is preferable. However, when the support member is insert molded onto the beam structure, from the standpoint of moldability, it is preferable that the resin used to mold the support member has a higher glass transition point.

The partition material 106 provided in the module 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the partition material integrally molded with the support member shown in FIG. 4 each have a beam structure 108 and an extension portion 110.

In order to increase the robustness of the partition material, it is preferable that the support members of the module of the present invention are arranged in multiple locations at different diameters of the tapered portion provided inside the header. It is also more preferable that the support members of the module of the present invention are arranged in multiple locations in the same radial direction of the tapered portion provided inside the header.

In both the module 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the header 200 with integral support members shown in FIG. 2, the support members 107 are arranged at locations where the diameter of the tapered portion provided inside the header is different, i.e., on the inside and outside in the radial direction of the tapered portion. Similarly, in the partition material 300 with integral support members shown in FIG. 4, when it is brought into contact with the header, the support members 107 are arranged on the inside and outside in the radial direction of the tapered portion.

As shown in FIG. 3, the header 200 is provided with multiple support members 107 arranged in the same radial direction of the tapered portion inside the header. As shown in FIG. 5, the partition material 300 is also provided with support members 107 arranged in the same radial direction of the tapered portion when it is brought into contact with the header.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, when multiple support members are arranged in different diameters of the tapered section provided inside the header and arranged in the same radial direction, it is preferable to adjust the overall arrangement so that the flow of the treated fluid inside the header is smooth. Specifically, for example, as shown in Figure 3, a group of support members arranged at equal distances from the communication port (for example, a group of support members arranged on the outermost side of the tapered section in Figure 3) preferably forms a ring. It is more preferable that the groups of support members forming this ring are arranged at equal intervals from each other.

In order to more effectively suppress deformation of the partition material, it is preferable to multiplex the above-mentioned rings formed by the multiple support members, and it is more preferable that the multiple rings are arranged at equal intervals from each other in the radial direction. In that case, it is preferable that the number of support members constituting each ring is the same or a number having the same divisor (e.g., 4, 8, 12, etc.) so that the flow of the treated fluid inside the header is smooth.

When the partition material integrally molded with the support member has a beam structure as shown in FIG. 5, it is preferable that the beam structure is also molded in a circular ring shape to match the arrangement of the multiple support members, and to extend radially from the communication port as a center, as shown in FIG. 5. Also, when the partition material integrally molded with the support member has multiple extensions, it is preferable that the extensions are also molded to be arranged in a circular ring shape similar to the arrangement of the multiple support members.

[Example 1]
Polycarbonate was injection molded to obtain a cylindrical header with 12 support members arranged therein. The header had a maximum inner diameter of 66.1 mm, a communication port diameter of 3.5 mm, a communication port length of 15.1 mm, and a tapered portion outer diameter of 61.2 mm.

All twelve support members molded integrally with the header were elliptical in shape, with a width of 1.0 mm and a length of 3.0 mm in the radial direction of the tapered portion, similar to the support member shown in Figure 3. In addition, all twelve support members molded integrally with the header were equally spaced from one another so that their longitudinal centers coincided with the point where the diameter of the tapered portion was 45.0 mm.

A disk-shaped polyethylene terephthalate mesh with an outer diameter of 66.0 mm was used as the partition material. The mesh had an opening rate of 46%, an opening diameter of 96 μm, and a thickness of 70 μm.

A partition material was fitted inside the header molded integrally with the support members, and all 12 support members molded integrally with the header were brought into contact with the partition material, after which the two were joined by ultrasonic welding.

A disk with a diameter of 20.0 mm was placed in close contact with the partition member joined to the integrally molded header of the support member so that their centers were aligned, and a load of 20 N was applied to the partition material, and the degree of deformation of the partition material was observed. Specifically, the degree of deflection of the partition material and the presence or absence of contact between the partition material and the header were evaluated. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[Example 2]
A header integrally molded with support members similar to that of Example 1 was obtained, except that the number of support members was increased to 16. The 12 support members molded integrally with the header were arranged in the same manner as in Example 1. The remaining four support members were arranged at equal intervals from each other so that their longitudinal centers all coincided with the portion where the tapered portion had a diameter of 13.0 mm. The support members arranged at the portions where the tapered portion had different diameters, i.e., the portion where the tapered portion had a diameter of 45.0 mm and the portion where the tapered portion had a diameter of 13.0 mm, were aligned in the same radial direction as shown in FIG.

A partition material similar to that in Example 1 was fitted inside the header molded integrally with the support members, and the two were joined by ultrasonic welding so that all 16 support members molded integrally with the header were in contact with the partition material, and then an evaluation similar to that in Example 1 was performed. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[Comparative Example 1]
A header similar to that of Example 1 was obtained, except that no support member was molded.

A partition material similar to that in Example 1 was fitted inside the header, and the two were joined by ultrasonic welding, and then evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

From the evaluation results in Table 1, it is clear that the inclusion of a support member, which is a feature of the present invention, reduces the possibility of deformation or damage to the partition material due to loads such as high pressure, and significantly increases the robustness of the partition material.

The module of the present invention can be used for applications such as water treatment, liquid purification, and blood purification.

100 Module 101 Case 102 Header 103 Header 104 Communication port 105 Communication port 106 Partition material 107 Support member 108 Beam structure 109 Carrier 110 Extension portion 200 Support member integrally molded header 300 Support member integrally molded partition material

Claims (7)

A cylindrical case,
A cylindrical header having a communication port at its center;
A disk-shaped partition material;
The header has an inner portion provided with a tapered portion having a diameter expanding outward from the communication port as a center,
the partition member has a diameter equal to or larger than an outer diameter of the tapered portion, and is disposed between the case and the communication port,
The blood purification module further comprises support members in contact with the tapered portion and the partition material, respectively. 2. The blood purification module according to claim 1, wherein the inside of the module is filled with a carrier. 3. The blood purification module according to claim 1, wherein the support member is integrally formed with the header and/or the partition material. 4. The blood purification module according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said support members are arranged at locations of said tapered portion with different diameters. 5. The blood purification module according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said support members are arranged in the same radial direction of said tapered portion. 6. The blood purification module according to claim 1, wherein the partition material has a beam structure. 7. The blood purification module according to claim 1, wherein the partition material has an extension.

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