JPH1015363A - Pressure vessel for membrane element and membrane separation device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a pressure vessel and a membrane separation device capable of easily and quickly performing a replacement operation of a membrane element. SOLUTION: An end plate 3 is fixed to one open end surface of a hollow cylindrical case 2 with bolts 3a, and the end plate 4 is fixed to the other open end surface with bolts 4a. A stock solution port 5 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical case 2 on the end plate 3 side, and a concentrated liquid port 9 and a permeate liquid port 11 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical case 2 on the end plate 4 side. The permeated liquid port 11 is connected to the water collecting pipe 7 of the membrane element 31 through the permeated liquid outlet 10 formed inside the end plate 4.
Connected to. When using the pressure vessel 1, the cylindrical case 2
An undiluted solution pipe is connected to the undiluted solution port 5 formed in the above, and a concentrated solution piping is connected to the concentrated solution port 9.
Is connected to a permeate pipe. The replacement of the membrane element 31 housed in the pressure vessel 1 is performed by removing the end plates 3 and 4 without dismantling the piping.

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 membrane separation device provided with the same.

[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. 6 is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional pressure vessel. The pressure vessel 30 shown in FIG. 6 includes a cylindrical case 32 and a pair of end plates 33 and 34. Pressure vessel 3
0, for example, a spiral type membrane element 31
Is stored.

[0004] The membrane element 31 fixes an opening of a bag-shaped separation membrane (hereinafter referred to as an envelope-shaped membrane) having a permeated liquid flow path therein so as to communicate with the inside of a water collecting pipe 39, and furthermore, a water collecting pipe. The envelope 39 is formed by spirally winding an envelope-shaped film around the periphery of the envelope 39. A stock solution flow path material is wound between the winding layers of the envelope-shaped membrane, whereby a stock solution flow path is secured between the winding layers.

The outer peripheral surface of the membrane element 31 and the cylindrical case 3
A seal member 35 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, inside the pressure vessel 30,
A first liquid chamber 37 and a second liquid chamber 38 are formed.

[0006] One end plate 33 is formed with a raw liquid port (raw liquid inlet) 36 communicating with a first liquid chamber 37, and the other end plate 34 is connected with a second liquid chamber 38. And a permeate port (permeate fluid outlet) 40 communicating with the open end of the water collecting pipe 39.

A pressure vessel 30 containing a membrane element 31
When the undiluted solution is separated by using the undiluted solution, the undiluted solution is introduced into the first liquid chamber 37 from the undiluted solution port 36 of the pressure vessel 30. The undiluted solution passes from the first liquid chamber 37 through the membrane element 31, and the permeate is taken out of the water collection pipe 39 through the permeate port 40, and the concentrated undiluted solution is taken out of the concentrate port 41. It is.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing another example of a conventional pressure vessel. The pressure vessel 60 according to this example is shown in FIG.
Are different in the formation positions of the stock solution port (stock fluid inlet) 42 and the concentrated solution port (concentrated fluid outlet) 43 as compared with the configuration of the pressure vessel 30 shown in FIG. That is, the undiluted liquid port 42 is formed in the cylindrical case 32 and
The first liquid chamber 37 communicates with the first liquid chamber 37. The concentrate port 43 is connected to the cylindrical case 32 so as to communicate with the second liquid chamber 38.
Is formed.

The pressure vessel 30 having the above structure,
When performing a separation process by a membrane separation device using 60,
In some cases, a plurality of membrane separation devices are connected by piping depending on conditions such as the flow rate of the processing liquid and the quality of the permeated liquid.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a fluid separation device composed of a plurality of membrane separation devices. In this fluid separation device, three spiral membrane separation devices 50 using the pressure vessel 30 shown in FIG. 6 are arranged in parallel, and connected in parallel using pipes 51 to 53.

A branch line of a stock solution pipe 51 is connected to the stock solution port 36 of each spiral type membrane separation device 50. The stock solution is supplied into each of the pressure vessels 30 through the stock solution pipe 51. In addition, a permeate pipe 52 is connected to the permeate port 40 of each spiral type membrane separation device 50. The permeate pipe 52 guides the permeate to the outside through a branch pipe connected to each permeate port 40 and a merging pipe that joins the branch pipes. Further, a concentrate pipe 53 is connected to the concentrate port 41 of each spiral type membrane separation device 50.
Is connected. The concentrated liquid pipe 53 guides the concentrated liquid to the outside through a branch pipe connected to each of the concentrated liquid ports 43 and a merging pipe that joins the branched pipes.

When such a fluid separation device is used for a long period of time, the membrane element 31 (see FIG. 6) is clogged or deteriorated, and the separation capacity is reduced. For this reason, the membrane element 31 needs to be replaced periodically.

[0013]

However, in the conventional pressure vessels 30, 60, at least the permeate port 40 is provided.
Is formed on one of the end plates 33 and 34. Therefore, the permeated liquid pipe 52 is connected to one of the end plates 33 and 34.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, a stock solution pipe 51 is connected to the end plate 33, and a permeate solution pipe 52 and a concentrated solution pipe 53 are connected to the end plate 34. For this purpose, the membrane element 31
When replacing the pipes, once the pipes 51 to 53 are
3 and 34, the end plates 33 and 34 are removed from the cylindrical case 32, and the membrane element 31 inserted therein is removed.
Exchange. Then, the end plates 33 and 34 are again attached to the cylindrical case 3.
2 and the pipes 51 to 53 need to be restored to the original connection state.

As described above, in the conventional pressure vessel, it is necessary to disassemble the pipes 51 to 53 in order to replace the membrane element 31 housed therein, which makes the replacement operation complicated. In particular, in the case of a large plant in which several hundred membrane elements 31 are used, there is a problem that replacement of the membrane element 31 requires an enormous amount of time and labor.

An object of the present invention is to provide a pressure vessel and a membrane separation device which enable easy and quick replacement of a membrane element.

[0017]

The pressure vessel for a membrane element according to the first invention comprises a tubular body and a pair of end face closing members for closing both ends of the tubular body. In a pressure vessel that contains
The raw fluid inlet, the permeated fluid outlet, and the concentrated fluid outlet are provided on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical body.

In the membrane separation device according to the present invention, since all of the raw fluid inlet, the concentrated fluid outlet and the permeated fluid outlet are formed on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical body, the piping for supplying the undiluted solution, the concentrated liquid and the permeated fluid All of the pipes for discharging the fluid are connected to the cylindrical body, and these pipes are not connected to the end face closing member. Therefore, when replacing the membrane element,
By removing the end face closing member to which the pipe is not connected from the cylindrical body, the membrane element housed in the pressure vessel can be replaced. For this reason, dismantling of piping,
The membrane element can be replaced without performing a work such as restoration, and the replacement work can be performed quickly and easily.

The membrane element includes a separation membrane that separates the flow path of the raw fluid and the flow path of the permeated fluid, and a perforated hollow tube through which the permeated fluid is guided, and the raw fluid inlet communicates with one end of the flow path of the raw fluid. Alternatively, the concentrated fluid outlet may communicate with the other end of the raw fluid passage, and the permeated fluid outlet may communicate with the inside of the perforated hollow tube via a connection passage provided in at least one end face closing member.

In this case, the permeated fluid guided to the perforated hollow pipe in the pressure vessel is discharged from the permeated liquid outlet provided on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical body through the connection path provided on the end face closing member. . In particular, the connection path may be formed by an internal flow path formed inside the end face closing member. Alternatively, the connection path may consist of a pipe line connected between the open end of the perforated hollow tube and the permeate fluid outlet.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a membrane separation device comprising: a pressure vessel comprising a cylindrical body and a pair of end-face closing members for closing both ends of the cylindrical body; In a membrane separation device in which a membrane element provided with a separation membrane for partitioning a flow path is stored, a raw fluid inlet communicating with one end of a flow path of the raw fluid, a concentrated fluid outlet communicating with the other end of the flow path of the raw fluid, and A permeate fluid outlet communicating with a permeate fluid flow path is provided on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical body.

In the membrane separation device according to the present invention, since all of the raw fluid inlet, the concentrated fluid outlet, and the permeated fluid outlet are formed on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical body, the pipe for supplying the undiluted solution, the concentrated liquid and the permeated fluid All of the pipes for discharging the fluid are connected to the cylindrical body, and these pipes are not connected to the end face closing member. Therefore, when replacing the membrane element,
By removing the end face closing member to which the pipe is not connected from the cylindrical body, the membrane element housed in the pressure vessel can be replaced. For this reason, dismantling of piping,
The membrane element can be replaced without performing a work such as restoration, and the replacement work can be performed quickly and easily.

[0023]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a pressure vessel according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The pressure vessel 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a cylindrical case (tubular body) 2 having both ends opened, and end plates (end face closing members) 3 and 4 for closing both ends of the cylindrical case 2. The end plate 3 is joined to one end face of the cylindrical case 2 in a liquid-tight manner by a plurality of bolts 3a and a sealing member 3b such as an O-ring, and the end plate 4 is provided with a plurality of bolts 4a and a sealing member 4b such as an O-ring. Thereby, it is liquid-tightly joined to the other end surface of the cylindrical case 2.

Inside the pressure vessel 1, for example, a spiral type membrane element 31 is housed. The spiral-type membrane element 31 forms an envelope-like membrane by stacking two separation membranes and bonding three sides thereof, and attaching the opening of the envelope-like membrane to the water collecting pipe 7 to form an envelope-like membrane. The permeate flow path formed inside and the inside of the water collecting pipe 7 are communicated with each other, and the envelope film is spirally wound around the outer peripheral surface of the water collecting pipe 7 together with the raw liquid flow path material. The raw material flow path material forms a raw liquid flow path between the winding layers of the envelope-shaped membrane.

One end of the water collecting pipe 7 of the membrane element 31 is
It is liquid-tightly fitted into the center of the end plate 4 via a ring 7a. A seal member 12 is mounted between the outer peripheral surface of the membrane element 31 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical case 2, whereby the first liquid chamber 6 and the second liquid chamber 8 are provided inside the pressure vessel 1.
Are formed. A raw liquid port (raw liquid inlet) 5 communicating with the first liquid chamber is formed on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical case 2 on the side of the end plate 3. Also, the end plate 4 of the cylindrical case 2
A concentrated liquid port (concentrated fluid outlet) 9 communicating with the second liquid chamber 8 is formed on the peripheral surface on the side. Further, a permeated liquid port (permeated fluid outlet) is provided on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical case 2 on the end plate 4 side.
11 are formed. The end plate 4 is formed with a permeated liquid outlet path (internal flow path) 10 for communicating between the water collecting pipe 7 and a permeated liquid port 11 formed in the cylindrical case 2.

In the membrane separation device in which the spiral type membrane element 31 is housed inside the pressure vessel 1 having the above configuration, the stock solution is supplied from the stock solution port 5 into the first liquid chamber 6. The supplied stock solution passes through a stock solution flow path formed inside the membrane element 31. At this time, the solvent in the undiluted solution permeates the separation membrane, and the permeate flows into the water collecting pipe 7 through the permeate flow path formed inside the envelope-like membrane,
Further, the water is extracted from the end of the water collecting pipe 7 to the outside from the permeated liquid port 11 through the permeated liquid outlet 10. On the other hand, the stock solution in which the solvent is separated by the membrane element 31 and the solute is concentrated is taken out from the second liquid chamber 8 through the concentrate port 9 as a concentrate.

In the pressure vessel 1 according to the first embodiment, all of the stock solution port 5, the concentrate solution port 9, and the permeate solution port 11 are formed in the cylindrical case 2. For this reason,
All pipes connected to the pressure vessel 1 will be connected to the cylindrical case 2. Therefore, the end plates 3 and 4 can be easily separated from the cylindrical case 2 by removing the bolts 3a and 4a, respectively, in a state where the pipe for supplying the undiluted solution and the pipe for discharging the permeate and the concentrate are connected. it can. Then, the membrane element 31 inserted into the cylindrical case 2 can be easily replaced.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a pressure vessel according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Pressure vessel 20 according to second embodiment
Differs from the configuration of the pressure vessel 1 according to the first embodiment in the configuration of the permeated liquid discharge path. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the end plate 4 has a connection port 13 communicating with the end of the water collecting pipe 7 and a permeated liquid port 11 formed in the cylindrical case 2.
A connection port 15 is formed to communicate with the connection port 13, and the connection ports 13 and 15 are connected by a permeated liquid conduit 14.
Therefore, the permeated liquid permeated through the separation membrane of the membrane element 31 and guided to the water collecting pipe 7 flows from the connection port 13 to the permeated liquid conduit 1
4, the liquid is further guided to the permeated liquid port 11 from the connection port 15 and taken out.

In the pressure vessel 20 according to the second embodiment, the stock solution port 5, the concentrate solution port 9, and the permeate solution port 11 are all formed in the cylindrical case 2. Therefore, neither the pipe for supplying the stock solution nor the pipe for discharging the concentrate or the permeate is connected to the end plates 3 and 4. Therefore, when replacing the membrane element 31, the work of replacing the membrane element 31 can be easily performed by removing the bolts 3 a and 4 a and separating the end plates 3 and 4 from the cylindrical case 2.

FIGS. 3 to 5 show the structure of a fluid separator using a plurality of pressure vessels containing spiral-type membrane elements. FIG. 3 is a front view of the fluid separator, and FIG. 4 is a fluid separator. 5 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. In this fluid separation device, a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) pressure vessels 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are connected in parallel.

In FIGS. 3 to 5, the undiluted solution pipe 22 has a distal end branched and connected to the undiluted solution port 5 of the pressure vessel 1. The permeate pipe 21 joins the branch pipes connected to the permeate ports 11 of the pressure vessels 1 to guide the permeate to the outside. Further, the concentrate pipe 23
Are connected to the branch pipes connected to the concentrate port 9 of each pressure vessel 1 to guide the concentrate to the outside.

In this fluid separator, all of the stock solution pipe 22, the permeate solution pipe 21, and the concentrate solution pipe 23 are connected to the cylindrical case 2 of the pressure vessel 1. Therefore, when replacing the membrane element 31, these pipes 21 to 23
By detaching the end plates 3 and 4 from the cylindrical case 2 without dismantling the membrane element 31, the membrane element 31 inserted into the cylindrical case 2 can be easily replaced.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned fluid separation device can be constructed using a pressure vessel 20 shown in FIG. 2 instead of the pressure vessel 1 shown in FIG.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a pressure vessel according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a pressure vessel according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a fluid separation device using the pressure vessel according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the fluid separation device shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional pressure vessel.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing another example of a conventional pressure vessel.

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

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1,20 Pressure vessel 2 Cylindrical case 3,4 End plate 5 Raw liquid port 6 First liquid chamber 7 Water collecting pipe 8 Second liquid chamber 9 Concentrated liquid port 10 Permeated liquid outlet path 11 Permeated liquid port 12 Seal member 13, 15 Connection Port 14 Permeate Pipe 21 Permeate Pipe 22 Stock Solution Pipe 23 Concentrate Solution Pipe

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A pressure vessel comprising a cylindrical body and a pair of end-face closing members for closing both end openings of the cylindrical body and accommodating a membrane element therein, comprising: a raw fluid inlet, a permeated fluid outlet, and a concentrated fluid outlet. Is provided on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical body. 2. The membrane element includes a separation membrane separating a flow path of the raw fluid and a flow path of the permeated fluid, and a perforated hollow tube through which the permeated fluid is guided. The concentrated fluid outlet communicates with one end of the flow passage, the concentrated fluid outlet communicates with the other end of the raw fluid flow passage, and the permeated fluid outlet is connected to the perforated fluid outlet through a connection passage provided in at least one end face closing member. 2. The pressure vessel for a membrane element according to claim 1, wherein the pressure vessel communicates with the inside of the empty tube. 3. The connection path according to claim 2, wherein the connection path comprises an internal flow path formed inside the end surface closing member.
The pressure vessel for a membrane element as described in the above. 4. The pressure vessel for a membrane element according to claim 2, wherein said connection path comprises a pipe connected between an open end of said perforated hollow tube and said permeate fluid outlet. 5. A pressure vessel comprising a cylindrical body and a pair of end face closing members for closing both end openings of the cylindrical body, comprising a separation membrane for separating a flow path of a raw fluid and a flow path of a permeated fluid. A raw fluid inlet communicating with one end of the flow path of the raw fluid, a concentrated fluid outlet communicating with the other end of the flow path of the raw fluid, and a flow path of the permeated fluid. A permeated fluid outlet communicating with the cylindrical body is provided on a peripheral surface of the cylindrical body.