Multi-membrane parallel type filter membrane rack of deep-sea microbial sampling device

Abstract

This invention discloses a multi-membrane parallel filter frame for a deep-sea microbial sampling device, comprising: a handwheel, an air vent valve, an upper membrane plate, a flow distribution bracket, a membrane support plate, an upper flow divider plate, a lower flow divider plate, a lower membrane plate, a base, a first O-ring, studs, an inlet check valve, and an outlet check valve. The upper and lower membrane plates have cylindrical stepped grooves inside for sequentially placing the flow distribution bracket and membrane support plate, which are then connected to the upper and lower flow divider plates. Both the upper and lower flow divider plates have honeycomb-shaped seawater channels. The upper flow divider plate has a water inlet on its side, which is fixed to the lower flow divider plate. The plates are sealed together by the first O-ring. The main structure is securely connected by four studs around the perimeter in conjunction with the handwheel. After the connection is completed, the main structure and the base are locked together by rotation. This invention uses an assembly method to increase the flow area of ​​the parallel filter membranes, thereby significantly improving the filtration speed under constant filtration pressure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of marine microbial collection, and specifically relates to a multi-membrane parallel filter membrane frame for a deep-sea microbial sampling device. Background Technology

[0002] The abundance, diversity, and activity of marine microorganisms in the ocean are crucial for understanding geochemical cycles and the Earth's fundamental cycles. In recent years, research on the community composition and gene function of deep-sea microorganisms has increased. Traditional methods for obtaining marine microorganisms involve collecting seawater using a CTD (Conductivity to Difference) water sampler followed by deck filtration. This method yields small amounts of microorganisms per sample, resulting in low sampling efficiency and quality. Recent improvements typically utilize deep-sea pumps and membrane filters for in-situ enrichment and filtration of microorganisms, thereby increasing the microbial content in the samples.

[0003] However, in the field of marine microbial collection, the enrichment filtration of microorganisms currently mainly uses ordinary stainless steel disc single-layer flat plate filters, which have a relatively slow filtration speed. Although some researchers have used capsule filters in recent years, significantly improving the filtration speed through folded filter element structures, the problem of difficult disassembly and assembly still exists. Some scientists have also used a multi-layer filter membrane structure with different pore sizes in series for graded filtration of microorganisms, but the problem of slow filtration speed remains unresolved. Overall, current filter membrane structures are insufficient to meet the rapid filtration requirements of deep-sea microbial in-situ sampling devices for short periods and high throughput. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned issues, this invention proposes a multi-membrane parallel filter frame for a deep-sea microbial sampling device. The parallel filter frame increases the flow area by connecting the parallel filter membranes, significantly improving the filtration speed under constant filtration pressure, thereby achieving the effect of rapid filtration with high throughput in a short time.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A multi-membrane parallel filter frame for a deep-sea microbial sampling device includes the following components: a handwheel, an air vent valve, an upper membrane plate, a distribution support, a membrane support plate, an upper diversion plate, a lower diversion plate, a lower membrane plate, a base, a first O-ring, studs, an inlet check valve, and an outlet check valve. The upper membrane plate, distribution support, upper diversion plate, lower diversion plate, lower membrane plate, and base are made of POM material to prevent seawater corrosion and reduce sampling contamination. No outer shell is used; except for the air vent valve, the overall structure is roughly symmetrically distributed around the upper and lower diversion plates. The upper and lower membrane plates have cylindrical stepped grooves inside, allowing the distribution support and membrane support plate to be placed sequentially and then connected to the upper and lower diversion plates. Both the upper and lower diversion plates have honeycomb-shaped seawater channels. The upper diversion plate has a water inlet on its side, which is fastened to the lower diversion plate with eight countersunk screws. The upper and lower membrane plates are sealed to the upper and lower flow divider plates by a first O-ring. The upper and lower membrane plates of the multi-membrane parallel filter frame are fastened to the upper and lower flow divider plates by four studs around the perimeter and a handwheel. After the fastening connection is completed, it is locked to the base by rotation.

[0007] Furthermore, the multi-membrane parallel filter frame uses 142mm diameter circular filter membranes, multiple of which are arranged in parallel and installed between the diversion plate and the upper and lower membrane plates (with distribution brackets and membrane support plates already placed) and fixed with a first O-ring. The distribution bracket is a flat cylindrical shape with concentric ring-shaped protrusions at equal intervals on one side and a star-shaped guide groove on the other side, with circular seawater drainage holes within the guide groove. The membrane support plate is made of foamed metal, which is porous and has a certain degree of resistance. Pressure resistance; during installation, the filter membrane is tightly attached to the plane formed by the corresponding membrane support plate and the upper and lower membrane plates. The membrane support plate provides uniform support for the filter membrane, ensuring that the filter membrane is not easily broken under filtration pressure. The circular distribution bracket is tightly attached to the bottom of the membrane support plate. The concentric circular protrusions provide uniform support for the membrane support plate, avoiding damage caused by excessive bending moment. Through the pressure distribution of the filter membrane, membrane support plate, and distribution bracket, the filter membrane can withstand a greater pressure difference during filtration, thereby improving the filtration speed.

[0008] Furthermore, the lower membrane plate has a seawater outlet at its center. After the upper and lower membrane plates are securely installed with the diversion plate, the seawater flows out from the center of the lower membrane plate through the design of the internal seawater flow channel. The inlet check valve is installed at the water inlet on the side of the upper diversion plate, and the outlet check valve is installed at the water outlet at the center of the lower membrane plate. When the equipment is deployed, as the deployment depth increases, the external pressure of the multi-membrane parallel filter frame gradually increases. When the pressure difference between the inside and outside is greater than the opening pressure of the inlet check valve, a small amount of seawater enters its interior through the inlet check valve. Similarly, when the equipment is retrieved, a small amount of seawater flows out from the outlet check valve. This achieves deep-sea pressure compensation and prevents seawater exchange during the deployment and retrieval of the equipment, thus playing a sealing and maintaining role.

[0009] Furthermore, the multi-membrane parallel filter frame is a fully sealed structure. An exhaust valve is installed at the center of the upper membrane plate. The exhaust valve consists of a second O-ring, a valve core, and a valve seat. Under normal conditions, it is sealed by the second O-ring. When preparing for placement after assembly, the internal air needs to be discharged. The valve core is unscrewed so that the second O-ring is higher than the sealing groove. At the same time, pure water is introduced into the filter through the inlet check valve to release the air and relieve pressure.

[0010] Furthermore, by setting seawater flow channels on the side and using an assembly method to stack filter components (diverter plate, filter membrane, membrane support plate, and flow distribution bracket), the number of filter membranes connected in parallel can be increased, thereby further improving the filtration speed.

[0011] The beneficial effects of this invention are: a multi-membrane parallel filter frame for a deep-sea microbial sampling device uses an assembly method to increase the flow area of ​​the parallel filter membranes, thereby significantly improving the filtration speed under constant filtration pressure, increasing the filtration speed from several hundred milliliters per minute to 5-10 liters per minute for ordinary stainless steel disc single-layer flat plate filters, thus achieving the effect of rapid filtration with high flow rate in a short time. Attached Figure Description

[0012] To provide a clearer picture of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0013] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the assembly structure provided for an example of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of the internal seawater flow channel provided as an example of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the exhaust valve structure used in an example of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a multi-membrane parallel connection is provided for an example of the present invention.

[0017] In the diagram: 1. Handwheel; 2. Exhaust valve; 3. Upper diaphragm plate; 4. Flow distribution bracket; 5. Membrane support plate; 6. Upper flow divider plate; 7. Lower flow divider plate; 8. Lower diaphragm plate; 9. Base; 10. First O-ring; 11. Stud; 12. Inlet check valve; 13. Outlet check valve; 2.1. Valve core; 2.2. Second O-ring; 2.3. Valve seat; Detailed Implementation

[0018] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] See Figure 1 A multi-membrane parallel filter frame for high-throughput in-situ sampling of deep-sea microorganisms is disclosed. The overall structure includes: a handwheel 1, an air vent 2, an upper membrane plate 3, a distribution support 4, a membrane support plate 5, an upper diverter plate 6, a lower diverter plate 7, a lower membrane plate 8, a base 9, a first O-ring 10, a stud 11, an inlet check valve 12, and an outlet check valve 13. The upper membrane plate 3, distribution support 4, upper diverter plate 6, lower diverter plate 7, lower membrane plate 8, and base 9 are made of POM material to prevent seawater corrosion and reduce sampling contamination. Except for the air vent 2, the overall structure is roughly symmetrically distributed around the upper diverter plate 6 and lower diverter plate 7. Both the upper diverter plate 6 and lower diverter plate 7 have honeycomb-shaped seawater channels. The upper diverter plate 6 has a water inlet on its side, which is fastened to the lower diverter plate with eight countersunk screws, and the two are sealed by a first O-ring. Figure 2 The upper membrane plate 3 and the lower membrane plate 8 each have two levels of stepped cylindrical grooves inside, which can be sequentially embedded into the distribution bracket 4 and the membrane support plate 5. During installation, the cross-shaped surface of the distribution bracket 4 fits against the bottom end of the groove, and the concentric annular protrusion surface is on the same plane as the first-level groove. The membrane support plate 5 is placed on it. After placement, the membrane support plate 5 is on the same plane as the second-level groove of the upper membrane plate 3 and the lower membrane plate 8. Then, it is connected to the upper distribution plate 6 and the lower distribution plate 7 respectively. After the connection is completed, the studs 11 around the main structure of the multi-membrane parallel filter frame (upper distribution plate 6, lower distribution plate 7, upper membrane plate 3 and lower membrane plate 8) are used in conjunction with the handwheel 1 for through-fastening connection. After the fastening connection is completed, the main structure and the base 9 are locked together by rotation.

[0020] The multi-membrane parallel filter frame uses 142mm diameter circular filter membranes. This technical solution uses two membranes in parallel, installed between the upper and lower diversion plates 6 and 7 and their corresponding upper and lower membrane plates 3 and 8 (where the distribution bracket 4 and membrane support plate 5 are already placed), and secured with a first O-ring. The distribution bracket 4 is cylindrical, with concentric ring-shaped protrusions at equal intervals on one side and a star-shaped guide groove on the other side. The guide groove contains circular through-holes for seawater drainage. During assembly, the filter membrane is tightly adhered to the plane formed by the second-stage groove of the corresponding membrane support plate 5 and the upper membrane plate 3 or lower membrane plate 8. In this technical solution, the membrane support plate 5 is made of foamed titanium plate (100mm in diameter, 3mm in thickness, 100 mesh / inch, 100um pore size). The foamed titanium material is loose and porous (high porosity), with low filtration resistance and high permeation efficiency, and does not affect the filtration of microorganisms. At the same time, it has a uniform structure, narrow pore size distribution, and good compressive strength, providing uniform support for the filter membrane and ensuring that the filter membrane is not easily broken under filtration pressure. The concentric annular protrusions of the flow distribution bracket 4 below the membrane support plate 5 provide uniform support for the membrane support plate 5, avoiding damage caused by excessive bending moment. Through the pressure dispersion of the filter membrane, membrane support plate 5, and flow distribution bracket 4, the filter membrane can withstand a greater pressure difference during filtration, thereby improving the filtration speed.

[0021] See Figure 2 The upper diversion plate 6 has an inlet on its side, which is connected to the inlet check valve 12. After seawater flows in, it is diverted by the upper diversion plate 6 and the lower diversion plate 7. One path flows through the filter membrane, the membrane support plate 5, the distribution bracket 4, and out through the seawater outlet at the center of the lower membrane plate 8 via the outlet check valve 13. The other path flows through the filter membrane, the membrane support plate 5, the distribution bracket 4, into the seawater channel on the side of the upper membrane plate 3, the upper diversion plate 6, the lower diversion plate 7, and the lower membrane plate 8, and out through the distribution bracket 4 via the seawater outlet at the center of the lower membrane plate 8 via the outlet check valve 13, thus realizing the parallel use of the two filter membranes.

[0022] The seawater flow channels between the various components are sealed using small O-rings (not shown), achieving complete sealing except for the inlet and outlet. During initial deployment, the pressure inside and outside the membrane frame is balanced, and the pressure difference is less than the opening pressure of the check valves. Therefore, the inlet check valve 12 and outlet check valve 13 remain closed. This design utilizes the low-pressure-difference bidirectional sealing and high-pressure-difference unidirectional sealing characteristics of the check valves. During deployment, both the inlet check valve 12 and outlet check valve 13 remain closed. As the deployment depth increases, the seawater pressure gradually increases. When the internal pressure of the membrane frame is less than the external seawater pressure, the outlet check valve 13 remains sealed. Once the internal and external pressure difference exceeds the opening pressure of the inlet check valve 12, a small amount of seawater seeps into the membrane frame through the inlet check valve 12, ensuring pressure balance. Similarly, when the equipment is recovered from the deep sea, the internal pressure of the membrane frame is greater than the external seawater pressure. As the depth decreases, the external pressure of the multi-membrane parallel filter membrane frame gradually decreases. When the internal and external pressure difference exceeds the opening pressure of the outlet one-way valve 13, a trace amount of seawater seeps out from inside the filter membrane frame through the outlet one-way valve 13. This achieves deep-sea pressure compensation while preventing seawater exchange during equipment deployment and recovery, thus preventing the deep-sea samples inside the membrane frame from being contaminated by shallow seawater and providing a sealing and preservation function.

[0023] Combination Figure 3 The upper membrane plate 3 has an exhaust valve 2 installed at its center, which consists of a valve core 2.1, a second O-ring 2.2, and a valve seat 2.3. Under normal conditions, the valve core and valve seat are tightened and sealed by the second O-ring 2.2. Together with other sealing measures, it forms the fully sealed structure of the multi-membrane parallel filter membrane frame. When it is ready to be placed after assembly, the air inside needs to be discharged. At this time, the valve core 2.1 can be unscrewed so that the second O-ring 2.2 is higher than the sealing groove of the valve seat 15. At the same time, pure water can be filled into the inlet one-way valve 12 to discharge the air and relieve pressure. The gas is discharged from the exhaust hole.

[0024] Combination Figure 4 By setting six seawater channels on the sides of each component in a circular array, with channels one, three, and five being inlet channels and channels two, four, and six being outlet channels, and by using a modular assembly method to stack filter components (flow distribution bracket 4, membrane support plate 5, upper flow divider plate 6, and lower flow divider plate 7), four filter membranes can be connected in parallel, increasing the filtration area and further improving the filtration speed. More filter membranes can be connected in parallel by easily assembling more filter components.

Claims

1. A multi-membrane parallel filter membrane frame for a deep-sea microbial sampling device, characterized in that... include: Handwheel, exhaust valve, upper diaphragm plate, flow distribution bracket, membrane support plate, upper flow divider plate, lower flow divider plate, lower diaphragm plate, base, first O-ring, stud, inlet check valve and outlet check valve; The upper membrane plate, distribution bracket, upper diverter plate, lower diverter plate, lower membrane plate, and base are made of POM material; The upper and lower membrane plates have cylindrical stepped grooves inside, which are used to place the distribution bracket and membrane support plate in sequence, and then connect to the upper and lower flow divider plates. Both the upper and lower diversion plates have honeycomb-shaped seawater channels; The upper diversion plate has a water inlet on its side, which is fastened to the lower diversion plate; The upper diaphragm plate, lower diaphragm plate, upper diverter plate, and lower diverter plate are sealed together by a first O-ring; The upper membrane plate, lower membrane plate, upper diverter plate, and lower diverter plate are fastened together by four studs and a handwheel. After the fastening connection is completed, they are locked to the base by rotation. After the upper membrane plate, lower membrane plate, upper diversion plate and lower diversion plate are fastened and installed, seawater flows out from the center of the lower membrane plate through the internal seawater flow channel; The inlet check valve is installed at the water inlet on the side of the upper diverter plate, and the outlet check valve is installed at the water outlet in the center of the lower membrane plate. An exhaust valve is installed at the center of the upper membrane plate. The exhaust valve consists of a second O-ring, a valve core, and a valve seat, and is sealed by the second O-ring. The multi-membrane parallel filter membrane frame uses circular sheet-shaped filter membranes, with multiple sheets distributed in parallel. They are respectively installed between the flow distribution plate and the upper and lower membrane plates, which have been placed with the flow distribution bracket and membrane support plate, and are fixed with a first O-ring. The distribution support is in the shape of a flat cylinder, with concentric ring-shaped protrusions at equal intervals on one side and a cross-shaped guide groove on the other side, with circular seawater diversion holes inside the guide groove. The membrane support plate is made of foam metal, which is loose and porous while having compressive strength. When installing the filter membrane, the filter membrane is closely attached to the plane formed by the membrane support plate, the upper membrane plate, and the lower membrane plate, and the membrane support plate provides uniform support for the filter membrane. The membrane support plate is closely attached to the annular distribution bracket below, and the concentric annular protrusions provide uniform support for the membrane support plate.

2. The multi-membrane parallel filter membrane frame of the deep-sea microbial sampling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-membrane parallel filter frame has a fully sealed structure; When preparing to deploy the valve after assembly, unscrew the valve core so that the second O-ring is higher than the sealing groove, and at the same time, fill the inlet one-way valve with pure water to release the air and relieve pressure.

3. The multi-membrane parallel filter frame of the deep-sea microbial sampling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Seawater flow channels are set on the sides of the upper and lower flow dividers, filter membranes, membrane support plates, and flow distribution brackets. Filter components are stacked using an assembly method to increase the number of filter membranes connected in parallel.

4. The multi-membrane parallel filter membrane frame of the deep-sea microbial sampling device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The filtration assembly includes a flow divider, a filter membrane, a membrane support plate, and a flow distribution bracket.

5. The multi-membrane parallel filter membrane frame of the deep-sea microbial sampling device according to claim 3, characterized in that: Seawater flow channels between components are sealed with small O-rings.

6. The multi-membrane parallel filter frame of the deep-sea microbial sampling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: During equipment deployment, as the deployment depth increases, the external pressure of the multi-membrane parallel filter membrane frame gradually increases. When the pressure difference between the inside and outside exceeds the opening pressure of the inlet check valve, a small amount of seawater flows in through the inlet check valve. Similarly, when the equipment is recycled, a small amount of seawater flows out from the outlet check valve.

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