JPH0541773Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] This invention is a membrane in a membrane separation module that is incorporated into a membrane separation device to separate a liquid from a specific component in a fluid by ultrafiltration or precision filtration. It concerns cartridges.

[Prior art]

Conventionally, in a membrane cartridge, each tubular separation membrane is assembled by abutting annular spacers fitted at both ends, and the tubular separation membrane group is inserted into a pressure-resistant outer cylinder, and the inner surface of the pressure-resistant outer cylinder and the tubular separation membrane are assembled. A heat-resistant resin material is filled and hardened in the gaps formed between the outer periphery of the membrane group and between each membrane at both ends of each tubular separation membrane, and the membrane is fitted and fixed to a fixing plate having a fitting hole. There is a type of membrane cartridge that has a significantly increased membrane area per unit volume compared to conventional types.

In the above membrane cartridge of the increased membrane area type, the fixing plate 2 made of a resin material and the tubular separation membrane 1' made of a ceramic material have significantly different coefficients of thermal expansion. In addition, a unique phenomenon was observed in which a portion of the poured resin material 2' rises from the interface of the molded fixing plate 2 to the permeate flow path 6 side along each tubular separation membrane 1' due to capillarity. (Figure 7).

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

By the way, when steam sterilization at 120°C or hot water sterilization at 90°C is performed in order to suppress the growth of microorganisms as membrane treatment, the edge portion of the tubular separation membrane 1' and the interface area between the tubular separation membrane 1' and the fixing plate 2. crack in part 3
00,300 occurred, and it became clear that there was a quality problem (Figures 6 and 8).

The crack 300 at the edge part occurs at the outer end of the fixing plate 2 where the thermal expansion and contraction of the fixing plate 2 are most severe because the edge part of the outer end surface of the fixing plate 2 and the tubular separation membrane 1' are on the same plane. Therefore, it is presumed that the edge portion of the tubular separation membrane membrane 1' is forcibly stretched, and the crack 300 in the interface area is caused by the thermal expansion of the swollen resin part 2'' after solidification. It is presumed that this is due to the fact that 1' is partially stretched.

The present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and its purpose is to prevent thermal expansion and thermal contraction of the heat-resistant resin material (fixing plate) that acts on the edges and interfaces of the tubular separation membrane. It is an object of the present invention to provide a membrane cartridge which reduces or eliminates thermal stress with a simple structure and prevents the occurrence of cracks at the edges and interfaces of a tubular separation membrane.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present inventors investigated the relative relationship between the outer end of the fixing plate and the edge of the tubular separation membrane in the three constituent members of the fixing plate, the tubular separation membrane, and the annular spacer, and the other functions of the annular spacer (permeate flow). After careful consideration and focusing on functions other than forming a road, we found that
By optimizing the positional relationship of the edge portion of the tubular separation membrane with respect to the outer end of the fixing plate, the thermal stress acting on the edge portion can be alleviated, and the properties and placement position of the annular spacer can be optimized. Therefore, it was discovered that thermal stress should not be applied to the interface other than the function of forming a permeate flow path, and the present invention was developed.

That is, in the present invention, the edge portion of the tubular separation membrane is located in the middle of the fixing plate to form a thermal shock resistant portion for the edge between the edge portion and the outer end of the fixing plate,
The annular spacer is molded from a material that is releasable to the fixing plate, and the annular spacer is
The gist is that the interfacial thermal shock resistant portion is formed by protruding from within the fixing plate toward the permeated liquid flow path side.

[Effect]

According to the above technical means, the edge thermal shock-responsive part, which is formed by separating the edge part of the tubular separation membrane inward from the outer end area of the fixing plate where thermal expansion and thermal contraction are most active, , an annular spacer for the interface formed by protruding toward the permeate flow path side, which is made of a material that relieves the thermal stress that acts on the edge part in response to heat shrinkage and is moldable from the fixing plate. Mutual contact of the thermal shock-responsive parts prevents capillarity from occurring in the interface area, prevents the resin material (for fixing plate molding) from swelling toward the permeate flow path, and prevents the resin material and tubular shape in the interface area from rising. Avoid direct bonding with separation membranes.

[Effect of idea]

In the present invention, as described above, the edge thermal shock-resistant part secured between the edge part of the tubular separation membrane and the outer end surface of the fixing plate responds to the thermal expansion and contraction occurring in the fixing plate. Thermal shock for the interface is formed by protruding from inside the fixing plate toward the permeate flow path side an annular spacer molded from a material that alleviates thermal stress acting on the edge part and has a releasability from the fixing plate. The corresponding part prevents capillary phenomenon in the interface area, avoids bonding between the tubular separation membrane part in the interface area and the resin material (for fixing plate molding), and creates a structure in which thermal expansion does not act on the tubular separation membrane in the interface area. Therefore, cracks do not occur not only at the edge portion of the tubular separation membrane but also at the interface with the fixing plate during membrane separation, and a reliable and high-quality membrane cartridge can be provided.

Moreover, since it is an improvement in the positional relationship of the tubular separation membrane edge with respect to the fixing plate, the properties of the annular spacer, and its positional relationship, no separate parts are used or the structure is changed, so the manufacturing cost is reduced. It is possible to provide the product at a low price without causing price hikes.

〔Example〕

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

In the figure, A indicates a membrane cartridge, and this membrane cartridge A is a tubular separation membrane group 1 composed of a large number of permeable tubular separation membranes (hereinafter referred to as tubular separation membranes) 1' converged via an annular spacer 7. , and a fixing plate 2 made of a heat-resistant resin material 2' for fixing both ends of the tubular separation membrane group 1.

The tubular separation membrane 1' is made of organic polymer, ceramics,
The partition wall is made of a material such as glass and has a cylindrical shape with continuous fine holes with a diameter of micron or less than a micron unit formed over the entire length of the partition wall, and an annular spacer 7 is provided to ensure a flow path 6 for the permeated liquid. The tubular separation membrane group 1 is constructed by fitting into both ends and stacking in a staggered manner.

The fixing plate 2 is molded from a heat-resistant resin material 2' such as epoxy resin that softens at room temperature.

The annular spacer 7 is made by cutting a shrink tube of approximately 0.4 mm to 4.0 mm thick, made of silicone, Teflon, etc., which has mold releasability and heat resistance against the resin material 2' to a desired length. When using a cut membrane and fixing both ends of the tubular separation membrane group 1 with the fixing plate 2, a half of it (or more specifically, a part is fine) is transferred from the interface of the fixing plate 2 to the permeate flow path 6 side. It is fitted into each tubular separation membrane 1' with the fixing plate 2 so as to protrude, and the protruding portion toward the permeate flow path 6 side forms an interfacial thermal shock coping portion 9.

In this embodiment, the amount of protrusion of the annular spacer 7 from the fixing plate 2 toward the permeate flow path 6 is 5 mm.

When fixing the fixing plate 2 to both sides of the tubular separation membrane group 1, the resin material 2' is filled between the tubular separation membranes 1' and around the outer periphery and softened.

At that time, the edge portion of the tubular separation membrane group 1 is positioned halfway within the thickness of the fixing plate 2, and the fixing plate 2
A linear communication hole 20 from the outer end surface to the intramembrane flow path 100
0 is formed, and the edge thermal shock coping portion 8 is formed around the communication hole 200.

The above-mentioned interface thermal shock response portion 9 forms a bonding relationship with each other when the tubular separation membrane 1' is assembled, and the fixing plate 2 is formed by pouring the resin material 2' (filling and softening).
At this time, capillarity is prevented from occurring in the interface area between the tubular separation membrane 1' and the fixing plate 2, thereby preventing the resin material 2' from swelling toward the permeate flow path 6, thereby preventing the swelling of the resin portion. It has the function of preventing thermal expansion from acting on the tubular separation membrane 1' portion in the interface area, and the edge thermal shock coping section 8 copes with the thermal expansion and contraction that occur most at the outer end of the fixing plate 2. This has the function of alleviating thermal stress acting on the edge portion of the tubular separation membrane 1'.

In this embodiment, the length (thickness) X of the edge thermal shock coping section 8 is approximately 0.5 to 10 times the thickness of the film 1'.

Note that the shape of the linear communication hole 200 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 4, but may be the shape shown in FIG. 5.

Incidentally, when molding the membrane cartridge of this example, each tubular separation membrane 1' of the tubular separation membrane 1 is
A tube 4 made of Teflon, silicone, etc. with a length corresponding to the length of the linear communication hole 200 is inserted into the tube, and the tubular separation membrane group 1 is inserted into a well-known material such as soft resin or stainless steel as shown in FIG. The viscous resin material 2' is filled between each film 1' and the jig 5 from the upper open end, and after hardening, the tube 4 is pulled out. At the same time, it is removed from the jig 5 and becomes the membrane cartridge A.

As shown in FIG. 1, a membrane cartridge A is inserted into a pressure vessel B through a sealing material such as an O-ring 3, and a membrane separation module is incorporated therein.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawing shows an embodiment of the membrane cartridge of the present invention,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the membrane cartridge in use, Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the membrane cartridge, Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the molded state with some parts cut away, and Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the main parts. 5 is a partial enlarged sectional view of the main part of another example, FIG. 6 is a side view of a conventional membrane cartridge showing a broken state, and FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged sectional view of the main part of the conventional example. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8. In the figure, A... Membrane cartridge, B... Pressure resistant container, 1'... Permeable tubular separation membrane, 1... Tubular separation membrane group, 2'... Resin material, 2... Fixing plate, 1
00...Membrane channel, 200...Communication hole, 8...Edge thermal shock response section, 7...Annular spacer, 6
...Permeate flow path, 9...Interfacial thermal shock response section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A permeable tubular separation membrane having a heat-resistant annular spacer provided at both ends is made by bringing the annular spacers into contact with each other and converging a large number of them to form a permeable tubular separation membrane group, and forming a permeable tubular separation membrane group at both ends of the tubular separation membrane group. A fixing plate is formed by pouring a heat-resistant resin material that hardens at room temperature between each membrane and the outer periphery of the membrane, thereby creating a permeate flow path between the tubular separation membranes sandwiched between both fixing plates. In the cartridge, the edge portion of the tubular separation membrane is located in the middle of the fixing plate to form an edge thermal shock response portion between the edge portion and the outer end of the fixing plate, and the annular spacer is fixed. The annular spacer is molded from a material that has mold release properties with respect to the fixing plate, and the annular spacer is made to protrude from inside the fixing plate toward the permeate flow path side, and the protruding portion forms a thermal shock coping part for the interface. membrane cartridge.