Hollow fiber membrane module

Abstract

The present invention provides a hollow fiber membrane module capable of suppressing obstacles to the inflow of fluid into the housing. The present invention is characterized in that a plurality of protrusions (122) are provided at intervals on the housing (100). The protrusions have an arcuate portion extending along the periphery of the inlet (121a) and protrude toward the outlet (131) side, restricting the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle (200) from invading toward the inlet (121a) side. And in a state where the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle (200) is in contact with the plurality of arcuate portions, the total flow path area of the portion between the plurality of arcuate portions through which the fluid passes is equal to or larger than the flow path area of the inlet (121a).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hollow fiber membrane module. Background Art

[0002] A hollow fiber membrane module used in a water purifier or the like includes a housing and a hollow fiber membrane bundle housed in the housing. In such a hollow fiber membrane module, the following technique is known: in a state where a plurality of hollow fiber membranes are bundled and bent into a U shape, the bent portion faces an inlet provided on one end side of the housing and is housed in the housing. In this case, the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle may block the inlet. Therefore, the applicant of the present application has proposed a technique for suppressing the blockage of the inlet by the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] According to this technique, by providing a plurality of annular protrusions arranged around the inlet and radial protrusions extending radially outward from the annular protrusions, it is possible to suppress the blockage of the inlet by the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. However, in this technique, due to differences in the size and shape of each part, it is also possible to hinder the inflow of the fluid flowing in from the inlet at the portion between the plurality of radial protrusions.

[0004] Prior Art Documents

[0005] Patent Documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-198712. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] The present invention provides a hollow fiber membrane module capable of suppressing the hindrance of the inflow of fluid into the housing.

[0009] Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The present invention employs the following means to solve the above problems.

[0011] That is, the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention is characterized by including:

[0012] A housing having an inlet on one end side and an outlet on the other end side;

[0013] A hollow fiber membrane bundle housed in the housing in a state where both ends thereof are bent so as to face the outlet; and

[0014] A sealing and fixing portion that opens the hollow interior of each hollow fiber membrane and fixes both end portions of the hollow fiber membrane bundle to the housing on the outlet side of the housing,

[0015] A plurality of protrusions are provided on the housing at intervals. The protrusions have an arc-shaped portion extending along the periphery of the inlet, and protrude toward the outlet side, restricting the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle from intruding toward the inlet side. And,

[0016] In a state where the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is in contact with the plurality of arc-shaped portions, the total flow path area of the portion through which the fluid passes between the plurality of arc-shaped portions is equal to or greater than the flow path area of the inlet.

[0017] According to the present invention, by providing a plurality of protrusions, it is possible to suppress the inlet from being blocked by the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. In addition, the fluid flowing in from the inlet is not obstructed when passing between the plurality of arc-shaped portions.

[0018] And, it is characterized in that the housing has a cylindrical portion, and the plurality of protrusions are arranged at equal intervals.

[0019] In a state where the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is circular arc-shaped and the outermost portion is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and is in contact with the plurality of arc-shaped portions, when observing the portion through which the fluid passes between adjacent arc-shaped portions in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the cylindrical portion from the central axis of the cylindrical portion, a flow path is formed in such a way that a part of the portion bent into a circular arc in the hollow fiber membrane bundle enters the rectangular portion is removed. And,

[0020] If the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion is set as A, the length and width of the rectangular portion are set as h and B respectively, the central angle of the shortest arc of the portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle from the contact position of one of the adjacent arc-shaped portions to the contact position of the other is set as θ, the number of the protrusions is set as N, and the flow path area of the inlet is set as S, then:

[0021] S≦N(hB-(θA 2 / 8-(AB / 4)cos(θ / 2))).

[0022] By setting in this way, in a state where the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is in contact with the plurality of arc-shaped portions, the total flow path area of the portion through which the fluid passes between the plurality of arc-shaped portions can be made equal to or greater than the flow path area of the inlet.

[0023] Advantages of the Invention

[0024] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hollow fiber membrane module capable of suppressing the inflow of fluid into the housing from being obstructed. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a hollow fiber membrane module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 It is a rear view of the inflow port forming member related to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram showing the dimensional relationship of each part of the hollow fiber membrane module related to the embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0028] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the modes for implementing the present invention will be illustratively and detailedly described based on the embodiments. However, regarding the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of the components described in this embodiment, unless specifically specified, it is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only thereto.

[0029] (Embodiment)

[0030] Refer to Figures 1 to 3 The hollow fiber membrane module related to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the hollow fiber membrane module related to the embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that in Figure 1 a cross-section obtained by cutting the hollow fiber membrane module with a plane including the central axis of the hollow fiber membrane module is schematically shown. Figure 2 It is a rear view of the inflow port forming member related to the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, Figure 1 the cross-sectional view of the inflow port forming member in Figure 2 corresponds to the PP cross-sectional view in Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram showing the dimensional relationship of each part of the hollow fiber membrane module related to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] The hollow fiber membrane module 10 related to this embodiment is used, for example, in a water purifier for removing foreign substances (impurities) in liquids such as tap water. More specifically, the hollow fiber membrane module 10 is configured to be freely detachable from the water purifier main body. Thus, it is configured that when the membrane separation function of the hollow fiber membrane module 10 deteriorates and its life is exhausted, it can be simply replaced with a new hollow fiber membrane module 10. However, the hollow fiber membrane module 10 related to this embodiment is not limited to such a use and can also be applied to other uses.

[0032] (Hollow Fiber Membrane Module)

[0033] In particular, with reference to Figure 1 the structure of the hollow fiber membrane module related to this embodiment will be described. The hollow fiber membrane module 10 related to this embodiment includes a housing 100, a hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 housed in the housing 100, and a sealing and fixing portion 300 that fixes both end portions of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 to the housing 100.

[0034] The housing 100 includes a cylindrical housing body 110 that is a cylindrical portion, an inlet forming member 120 fixed to one end of the housing body 110, and an outlet forming member 130 fixed to the other end of the housing body 110. An inlet 121a is provided at the center of the inlet forming member 120, and an outlet 131 is provided at the center of the outlet forming member 130.

[0035] The hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 composed of a plurality of hollow fiber membranes is housed in the housing 100 in a state of being bent such that both ends face the outlet 131. More specifically, the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 in which a plurality of hollow fiber membranes are bundled is housed in the housing 100 in a state where it is bent in a curved shape (substantially U-shaped) near its center.

[0036] The sealing and fixing portion 300 is configured to open the hollow interior of each hollow fiber membrane constituting the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 and fix both end portions of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 to the housing 100 on the outlet 131 side of the housing 100. More specifically, in a state where the hollow interior of each hollow fiber membrane is open and the opening of the housing body 110 is sealed and fixed by the sealing and fixing portion 300, the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 is fixed to the housing body 110. The sealing and fixing portion 300 is composed of a sealing material (potting material) such as cured epoxy resin.

[0037] The hollow fiber membrane module 10 configured as described above is disposed, for example, inside a water purifier main body (not shown). At this time, the outlet forming member 130 side of the housing 100 is disposed downward in the vertical direction. Moreover, foreign substances contained in the liquid (such as tap water) flowing in from the inlet 121a provided in the inlet forming member 120 of the housing 100 are removed by the membrane separation treatment of the hollow fiber membrane. The liquid after the membrane separation treatment of the hollow fiber membrane flows out from the outlet 131 provided in the outlet forming member 130.

[0038] (Inlet forming member)

[0039] The inlet forming member 120, which is a component of the housing 100, will be described in more detail. An inlet 121a having a circular opening shape is provided at the center of the inlet forming member 120. Moreover, a cylindrical protrusion 121 protruding toward the outlet forming member 130 is provided along the periphery of the inlet 121a. In other words, the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical protrusion 121 corresponds to the inlet 121a.

[0040] In addition, on the inlet forming member 120, a plurality of protrusions 122 protruding toward the outlet 131 side are provided at intervals around the cylindrical protrusion 121. These protrusions 122 have arcuate portions 122a extending along the periphery of the inlet 121a. In the protrusions 122 according to the present embodiment, the arcuate portions 122a, a pair of radial portions 122b radially extending outward from both ends of the arcuate portions 122a, and an arcuate connecting portion 122c connecting the radially outer ends of the pair of radial portions 122b are provided. In the present embodiment, since the opening shape of the inlet 121a is circular, the arcuate portion 122a is in a circular arc shape. In addition, the protruding amounts of the pair of radial portions 122b and the connecting portion 122c are set so as not to contact the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 as much as possible. For example, the protruding amounts of the pair of radial portions 122b and the connecting portion 122c can be set to be the same as that of the arcuate portion 122a. Thereby, a sufficient space is formed between the pair of radial portions 122b and the connecting portion 122c and the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200, so that the flow of the fluid flowing into the housing 100 from the gaps between the adjacent protrusions 122 can be not hindered.

[0041] These multiple protrusions 122 function to restrict the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 from intruding toward the inlet 121a side. The number of the protrusions 122 is not particularly limited, but in order to fully exert this function, it is preferably set to 3 or more, and more preferably set to 4 or more.

[0042] Moreover, in the present embodiment, in a state where the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 is in contact with the multiple arcuate portions 122a, the total flow path area of the portion through which the fluid passes between the multiple arcuate portions 122a is set to be equal to or greater than the flow path area of the inlet 121a. Hereinafter, a specific description will be given with reference to Figure 3 to explain this setting. Figure 3 Schematically shows the vicinity of the portion through which the fluid passes between the multiple arcuate portions 122a in a state where the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 is housed in the housing 100 and the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 is in contact with the multiple arcuate portions 122a. Regarding Figure 3 a pair of the protrusions 122, it is equivalent to the case of observing the adjacent protrusions 122 in the direction of arrow V in Figure 2 .

[0043] If the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 is filled into the housing 100 in a bent and curved state, it generally becomes a state where the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 is in an arc shape and is in contact with the multiple arcuate portions 122a with the outermost portion in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the housing main body 110. At this time, the outer shape of the arcuate portion becomes substantially semi-circular. Figure 3Schematically shows the situation where, in this state, fluid passes through the portion between adjacent arc-shaped portions 122a when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the housing main body 110 from the central axis. From this figure, it can be seen that the fluid passes through the portion between adjacent arc-shaped portions 122a to form a flow path in such a way that a part of the portion bent into an arc shape in the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 enters the rectangular portion. Additionally, in Figure 3 it schematically shows the outer shape of the protrusion 122 and the arc-shaped portion 200X in the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 that contacts the arc-shaped portion 122a.

[0044] As shown in the figure, let the inner diameter of the housing main body 110, which is a cylindrical portion, be A. Additionally, let the length and width of the rectangle be h and B respectively. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the protruding amount of the arc-shaped portion 122a from the top end of the cylindrical protrusion 121 corresponds to h. Additionally, the interval (linear distance) between adjacent arc-shaped portions 122a corresponds to B. Moreover, let the central angle of the arc of the shortest portion from the contact position P of one of the adjacent arc-shaped portions 122a to the contact position Q of the other in the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200 (arc-shaped portion 200X) be θ. Additionally, the protrusions 122 are provided at equal intervals, and let the number of these protrusions 122 be N. And let the flow path area of the inlet 121a be S. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the opening shape of the inlet 121a is circular. If its inner diameter is set as C, then S = (1 / 4)πC 2 .

[0045] The area through which the fluid passes through the portion between adjacent arc-shaped portions 122a is the area obtained by subtracting the area of the overlapping portion of the sector portion (surrounded by the thick line) and the rectangular portion from the area of the rectangle (the portion surrounded by the thick dashed line) in Figure 3 .

[0046] The area of the rectangular portion is hB. Additionally, the area of the sector portion is π(A / 2) 2 (θ / 2π) = θA 2 / 8, and the area of the triangular portion in the sector portion that does not overlap with the rectangular portion is (B / 2)((A / 2)cos(θ / 2)) = (AB / 4)cos(θ / 2). Therefore, the area of the overlapping portion of the sector portion and the rectangular portion is the area obtained by subtracting the area of the triangular portion from the area of the sector portion, and thus becomes (θA 2 / 8 - (AB / 4)cos(θ / 2)).

[0047] As described above, the area through which the fluid passes through the portion between adjacent arc-shaped portions 122a is (hB - (θA 2 / 8 - (AB / 4)cos(θ / 2)). Thus, the total flow path area of the portion through which the fluid passes between the plurality of arcuate portions 122a is N(hB - (θA 2 / 8 - (AB / 4)cos(θ / 2))).

[0048] Therefore, if S(=(1 / 4)πC 2 ) ≤ N(hB - (θA 2 / 8 - (AB / 4)cos(θ / 2))), the total flow path area of the portion through which the fluid passes between the plurality of arcuate portions 122a can be made greater than or equal to the flow path area of the inlet 121a.

[0049] (Advantages of the hollow fiber membrane module according to this embodiment)

[0050] According to the hollow fiber membrane module 10 according to this embodiment, by providing a plurality of protrusions 122, it is possible to prevent the inlet 121a from being blocked by the bent portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 200. In addition, the fluid flowing in from the inlet 121a is not hindered when passing between the plurality of arcuate portions 122a.

[0051] It should be noted that experiments were conducted on the hollow fiber membrane module 10 having the following dimensions when the fluid was flowing. That is, the inner diameter C of the inlet 121a = 6 mm. In this case, the flow path area S of the inlet 121a = 28.3 mm 2 . And, the inner diameter A of the housing main body 110 (substantially equal to the outer diameter of the filled hollow fiber membrane bundle 200) = 28 mm, h = 2.2 mm, B = 3.7 mm, θ = 15°, N = 4. Thus, according to the above mathematical formula, the total flow path area of the portion through which the fluid passes between the plurality of arcuate portions 122a is 30.00 mm 2 . According to the hollow fiber membrane module 10 configured as described above, the flow of the fluid flowing in from the inlet 121a is not hindered near the inlet 121a, and no decrease in the flow rate (increase in pressure loss) was confirmed.

[0052] Symbol Explanation

[0053] 10 Hollow fiber membrane module

[0054] 100 Housing

[0055] 110 Housing main body

[0056] 120 Inlet forming member

[0057] 121 Cylindrical protrusion

[0058] 121a Inlet

[0059] 122 projection

[0060] 122a arcuate portion

[0061] 122b radial portion

[0062] 122c connecting portion

[0063] 130 outlet forming member

[0064] 131 outlet

[0065] 200 hollow fiber membrane bundle

[0066] 300 sealing and fixing portion

Claims

1. A hollow fiber membrane module, characterized in that, Comprising: A housing having an inlet on one end side and an outlet on the other end side; A hollow fiber membrane bundle housed in the housing in a state bent with both ends facing the outlet; And A sealing and fixing part that opens the hollow interior of each hollow fiber membrane and fixes both end parts of the hollow fiber membrane bundle to the housing on the outlet side of the housing, A plurality of protrusions are provided on the housing at intervals. The protrusions have an arc-shaped part extending along the periphery of the inlet and protrude toward the outlet side, restricting the bent part of the hollow fiber membrane bundle from invading the inlet side. And, In a state where the bent part of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is in contact with the plurality of arc-shaped parts, the total flow path area of the part between the plurality of arc-shaped parts through which the fluid passes is not less than the flow path area of the inlet.

2. The hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1, wherein The housing has a cylindrical part, and the plurality of protrusions are arranged at equal intervals, In a state where the bent part of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is circular arc-shaped and in contact with the plurality of arc-shaped parts in a state where the outermost part is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical part, when observing the part between adjacent arc-shaped parts through which the fluid passes in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the cylindrical part from the central axis of the cylindrical part, a flow path is formed in such a way as to remove a part of the circular arc-shaped bent part in the hollow fiber membrane bundle that enters the rectangular part. And, If the inner diameter of the cylindrical part is set as A, the length and width of the rectangular part are set as h and B respectively, the central angle of the shortest arc of the part of the hollow fiber membrane bundle from the contact position of one of the adjacent arc-shaped parts to the contact position of the other is set as θ, the number of the protrusions is set as N, and the flow path area of the inlet is set as S, then it satisfies: S≦N(hB-(θA 2 / 8-(AB / 4)cos(θ / 2)))。

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