Device for filling ion exchange resin into non-regenerative ion exchange device, and method for transporting and filling ion exchange resin using the same

Abstract

To provide a filling device capable of efficiently filling a non-regenerative ion exchange device with an ion exchange resin when the ion exchange resin is added for a maintenance of the ion exchange device that constitutes an ultrapure water production device.SOLUTION: A filling device 1 for an ion exchange resin includes: an ion exchange device 2; a pressure-resistant container 3 containing an ion exchange resin; a supply tube 4 as a transfer member connecting the ion exchange device 2 and the pressure-resistant container 3; and a pressing pump 6 supplying ultrapure water W as a resin transfer medium provided in an extrusion pipe 5 connected to the pressure-resistant container 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for filling a non-regenerative ion exchange device with an ion exchange resin, and a method for transporting and filling the ion exchange resin using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Ultrapure water, which is mainly used in the electronics field, is produced by treating raw water in an ultrapure water production system consisting of a pretreatment device, a primary pure water production device, and a secondary pure water production device (subsystem). For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a subsystem 21 is composed of a subtank 22 for storing primary pure water W1, a liquid delivery pump 23 for feeding the primary pure water W1 from the subtank 22, a heat exchanger 24 for recovering heat from the primary pure water W1, an ultraviolet oxidation device 25 for decomposing organic matter in the primary pure water W1, a membrane degassing device 26, a non-regenerative ion exchange device 27, and an ultrafiltration (UF) membrane 28. The secondary pure water (ultrapure water) W2 produced in the subsystem 21 is supplied to a use point 30 through a supply path 29, and the unused ultrapure water W2 is returned to the subtank 22 through a return path 31. The non-regenerative ion exchange device 27 used in the subsystem 21 has a limited life span and requires periodic replacement and maintenance.

[0003] In this non-regenerative ion exchange device 27, the ion exchange resin can be replaced by removing the used ion exchange resin and filling it with new or regenerated ion exchange resin. One method for filling the ion exchange resin is to add it using a rotary pump. However, this method has the problem that the resin may be crushed or contaminated, and the water quality deteriorates when water is passed through it after the resin is added, so it is not suitable for the non-regenerative ion exchange device 25 in the subsystem of the ultrapure water production system. For this reason, customers who require particularly high-purity water quality have manually added the ion exchange resin directly from the top when filling the ion exchange device 25. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the method of manually feeding ion exchange resin directly into the non-regenerative ion exchange device 27 has problems in that the exchange work is very time-consuming and requires an excessively large M / H.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a filling device capable of efficiently filling a non-regenerative ion exchange device with ion exchange resin when adding ion exchange resin for maintenance of the ion exchange device constituting an ultrapure water production system. Another aim of the present invention is to provide a method for transporting and filling ion exchange resin using this ion exchange resin filling device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned object, firstly, the present invention provides an apparatus for filling an ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange device that constitutes an ultrapure water production system, the apparatus comprising a pressure-resistant container containing ion exchange resin, a tubular transfer member that connects the non-regenerative ion exchange device and the pressure-resistant container, and a supply mechanism that supplies a resin transfer medium to the pressure-resistant container (Invention 1).

[0007] According to this invention (Invention 1), a pressure-resistant container containing ion exchange resin and a non-regenerative ion exchange device are connected by a tubular transfer member, and by supplying a resin transfer medium to this pressure-resistant container, the contained ion exchange resin can be pressure-transferred from the pressure-resistant container and filled into the non-regenerative ion exchange device via the transfer member.

[0008] In the above invention (Invention 1), it is preferable that the pressure-resistant vessel has a pressure resistance of 0.02 MPa (gauge pressure) or more (Invention 2).

[0009] According to this invention (Invention 2), the pressure-resistant container can exhibit sufficient resistance to transport the ion exchange resin at sufficient pressure using the resin transport medium.

[0010] In the above inventions (Inventions 1 and 2), it is preferable that the ultrapure water production system composed of the non-regenerative ion exchange device is capable of producing ultrapure water in which the number of particles of 50 nm or more is 10 particles / mL or less, or the metal concentration in the ultrapure water is 10 ng / L or less (Invention 3).

[0011] According to this invention (Invention 3), the water quality at the start-up of the ion exchange device after the exchange of the ion exchange resin is improved, so that ultrapure water of the above water quality can be produced in a short time.

[0012] Secondly, the present invention provides a method for transporting and filling an ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange device constituting an ultrapure water production system, which comprises connecting a pressure-resistant container containing the ion exchange resin to the non-regenerative ion exchange device with a tubular transfer member, and supplying a resin transfer medium to the pressure-resistant container, thereby pressure-transporting the contained ion exchange resin from the pressure-resistant container and filling it into the non-regenerative ion exchange device via the transfer member (Invention 4).

[0013] According to this invention (Invention 4), a pressure-resistant container containing ion exchange resin and a non-regenerative ion exchange device are connected by a tubular transfer member, and a resin transfer medium is supplied to this pressure-resistant container to pressure-transfer the contained ion exchange resin from the pressure-resistant container and through the transfer member. This equalizes the stress applied to the ion exchange resin, and therefore the ion exchange resin can be transported and filled into the non-regenerative ion exchange device without damaging the individual ion exchange resins.

[0014] In the above invention (Invention 4), the pressure at which the ion exchange resin is pumped by the resin transfer medium is preferably 0.05 MPa or more (Invention 5).

[0015] According to this invention (Invention 5), the ion exchange resin contained in the pressure-resistant container can be smoothly and quickly transferred and filled into the ion exchange device.

[0016] In the above inventions (Inventions 4 and 5), it is preferable that the ultrapure water production system composed of the non-regenerative ion exchange device is capable of producing ultrapure water in which the number of particles of 50 nm or more is 10 particles / mL or less, or the metal concentration in the ultrapure water is 10 ng / L or less (Invention 6).

[0017] According to this invention (Invention 6), it becomes possible to produce ultrapure water of the above water quality in a short time, since the water quality at the start-up of the ion exchange device after the exchange of the ion exchange resin is improved by Inventions 4 and 5. In particular, by using pure water or ultrapure water as the resin transfer medium, contamination of the ion exchange resin can be avoided, and the ultrapure water production system can be started up in a short time. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the device for filling ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange device of the present invention, a pressure-resistant container containing ion exchange resin and a non-regenerative ion exchange device are connected with a tubular transfer member, and the ion exchange resin contained therein is pressure-fed via the transfer member by supplying a resin transfer medium to the pressure-resistant container, so that the non-regenerative ion exchange device can be filled without damaging the individual ion exchange resins. This improves the water quality at the start-up of the ion exchange device after the exchange of ion exchange resin, making it possible to produce ultrapure water of high purity in a short time. In addition, compared to the case where ion exchange resin is manually added to the ion exchange device, the work time can be reduced and the human labor can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus for loading ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional device for filling an ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange device. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a subsystem of an ultrapure water production apparatus to which the device for filling an ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange device of the present invention can be applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the device for filling an ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] [Ion exchange resin filling device] FIG. 1 shows an apparatus for filling ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the apparatus for filling ion exchange resin 1 comprises an ion exchange apparatus 2, a pressure-resistant container 3 containing ion exchange resin, a supply tube 4 serving as a transfer member connecting the ion exchange apparatus 2 and the pressure-resistant container 3, and a pressure pump 6 serving as a supply mechanism for supplying ultrapure water W serving as a resin transfer medium provided in an extrusion tube 5 connected to the pressure-resistant container 3.

[0022] <Ion exchange device> In this embodiment, the ion exchange device 2 is a non-regenerative ion exchange device constituting a subsystem (secondary pure water device) of the ultrapure water production system. This non-regenerative ion exchange device is generally filled with a mixture of anion exchange resin and cation exchange resin, and after a predetermined time or a predetermined amount of water to be treated has been passed through, the used ion exchange resin in the non-regenerative ion exchange device 2 can be replaced with new or regenerated ion exchange resin for reuse. At this time, it is necessary to remove the used ion exchange resin filled in the ion exchange device 2 and fill it with new or regenerated ion exchange resin. Note that an ultrapure water production system to which the ion exchange device 2 of this embodiment can be suitably applied is preferably capable of producing ultrapure water with 10 particles / mL or less or a metal concentration in the ultrapure water of 10 ng / L or less.

[0023] <Pressure-resistant vessel> In this embodiment, the pressure-resistant vessel 3 is not particularly limited, and may be made of reinforced plastic such as FRP, stainless steel, etc. This pressure-resistant vessel 3 preferably has a pressure resistance of 0.02 MPa (gauge pressure) or more so that the ion exchange resin contained therein can be pushed out by the resin transfer medium with sufficient pressure.

[0024] <Resin transfer medium> In this embodiment, ultrapure water W is used as the resin transfer medium. Here, the ultrapure water W is preferably one having, for example, a resistivity of 18.1 MΩ·cm or more, fine particles: 1000 particles / L or less with a particle size of 50 nm or more, live bacteria: 1 particle / L or less, TOC (Total Organic Carbon): 1 μg / L or less, total silicon: 0.1 μg / L or less, metals: 1 ng / L or less, ions: 10 ng / L or less, hydrogen peroxide: 30 μg / L or less, and a water temperature of 25±2°C. Note that the resin transfer medium is not limited to ultrapure water W, and inert gas such as N2 or pure water can be used. In addition, general-purpose water such as industrial water or tap water or air may be used in some cases.

[0025] [Method of transferring and filling ion exchange resin] Next, a method for transferring and filling an ion exchange resin using the ion exchange resin filling device 1 of this embodiment having the above-mentioned configuration will be described.

[0026] First, the used ion exchange resin filled in the ion exchange device 2 is removed. Meanwhile, new or regenerated ion exchange resin is filled in the pressure vessel 3 in the amount to be filled in the ion exchange device 2, with a predetermined ratio of anion exchange resin and cation exchange resin. At this time, in this embodiment, it is preferable to fill the pressure vessel 3 with ultrapure water W together with the ion exchange resin. By filling the pressure vessel 3 with ultrapure water W, deterioration and contamination of the ion exchange resin contained therein can be prevented.

[0027] The ion exchange device 2 and the pressure vessel 3 are connected by a supply tube 4, and then ultrapure water W as a resin transfer medium is supplied to the pressure vessel 3 by a pressure pump 6, so that pressure is applied to the pressure vessel 3 and the ion exchange resin contained therein is pushed out, thereby transferring and filling the ion exchange resin into the ion exchange device 2 via the supply tube 4. Here, the pressure for pumping the ion exchange resin by supplying the resin transfer medium such as ultrapure water W is preferably 0.05 MPa or more. By setting such a pressure, the ion exchange resin can be smoothly and quickly transferred and filled into the ion exchange device 2. Note that if the pressure for pumping the ion exchange resin by supplying the resin transfer medium such as ultrapure water W is too high, the ion exchange resin may be damaged, so the pressure for pumping may be appropriately adjusted.

[0028] The present invention has been described above based on the above embodiment with reference to the attached drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and various modifications are possible. For example, the resin transfer medium is not limited to ultrapure water W, and various fluids can be applied regardless of gas or liquid as long as they can transfer ion exchange resin by supplying them to the pressure-resistant container 3. Also, a plurality of pressure-resistant containers 3 may be prepared and filled with anion exchange resin and cation exchange resin separately, and transferred and filled separately. Furthermore, the supply tube 4 may be a flexible tubular member or a rigid tubular member.

[0029] Working Example The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the following specific examples.

[0030] [Comparative Example 1] As shown in Fig. 2, an ion exchange resin filling device 10 was prepared, which had an ion exchange device 2, a pressure-resistant container 3 containing an ion exchange resin, and a supply tube 4 connecting the ion exchange device 2 and the pressure-resistant container 3, and a rotary pump 11 was provided on the supply tube 4. The amount of ion exchange resin to be transferred and filled into the ion exchange device 2 was 100 L, that is, 100 L of new ion exchange resin contained in the pressure-resistant container 3. Using this ion exchange resin filling device 10, 100 L of ion exchange resin in the pressure-resistant container 3 was transferred and filled into the ion exchange device 2 using the rotary pump 11, and it took 15 minutes.

[0031] Next, this ion exchange device filled with ion exchange resin was used as ion exchange device 27 in subsystem 21 as shown in Fig. 3, and ultrapure water was produced in an ultrapure water production system equipped with this device. In the initial stage of production, the ultrapure water W had a particle count of 50 nm or more of about 100 particles / mL and a metal concentration of about 15 ng / L. This ultrapure water production system has the capacity to produce ultrapure water with a particle count of 50 nm or more of 10 particles / mL or less and a metal concentration of 10 ng / L or less during steady operation. The reason for this deterioration in the particle count and metal concentration is presumably due to damage that occurred when the ion exchange resin passed through rotary pump 11 during transport.

[0032] [Comparative Example 2] In Comparative Example 1, the ion exchange apparatus 2 and the pressure-resistant vessel 3 were enlarged, and the amount of ion exchange resin transferred and filled into the ion exchange apparatus 2 was 1000 L, i.e., the amount of new ion exchange resin contained in the pressure-resistant vessel 3 was 1000 L. The procedure was the same as in Comparative Example 1, except that the ion exchange resin was transferred and filled using the rotary pump 11, and it took 60 minutes.

[0033] Next, the ion exchange device filled with this ion exchange resin was used as ion exchange device 27 in subsystem 21 as shown in Figure 3, and ultrapure water was produced in an ultrapure water production system equipped with this device.In the initial production stage, the ultrapure water W had a particle count of 50 nm or more of approximately 100 particles / mL, and a metal concentration of approximately 15 ng / L.

[0034] [Comparative Example 3] In Comparative Example 1, when an operator charged 100 L of new ion exchange resin into the inlet of the ion exchange device 2 without using the rotary pump 11, the charging time was 45 minutes. Next, the ion exchange device charged with this ion exchange resin was used as the ion exchange device 27 in the subsystem 21 shown in Fig. 3, and ultrapure water was produced in an ultrapure water production system equipped with this ion exchange device. In the initial production stage, the ultrapure water W had a sufficient degree of cleanliness, with the number of particles of 50 nm or more being 10 particles / mL or less and a metal concentration being 10 ng / L or less.

[0035] [Comparative Example 4] In Comparative Example 2, when an operator charged 1000 L of new ion exchange resin into the inlet of the ion exchange device 2 without using the rotary pump 11, the charging time was 180 minutes. Next, the ion exchange device charged with this ion exchange resin was used as the ion exchange device 27 in the subsystem 21 shown in Fig. 3, and ultrapure water was produced in an ultrapure water production system equipped with this ion exchange device. In the initial production stage, the ultrapure water W had a sufficient degree of cleanliness, with the number of particles of 50 nm or more being 10 particles / mL or less and a metal concentration being 10 ng / L or less.

[0036] [Example 1] As shown in Fig. 1, an ion exchange resin filling device 1 was prepared by having an ion exchange device 2, a pressure-resistant container 3 containing ion exchange resin, and a supply tube 4 connecting the ion exchange device 2 and the pressure-resistant container 3, and connecting a pressure pump 6 that supplies ultrapure water W to the pressure-resistant container 3 via an extrusion tube 5. The amount of ion exchange resin transferred and filled into the ion exchange device 2 was 100 L, that is, the amount of new ion exchange resin contained in the pressure-resistant container 3 was 100 L.

[0037] Using this ion exchange resin filling device 1, ultrapure water W was supplied to the pressure-resistant container 3 at a pressure of 0.1 MPa, and the ion exchange resin was pushed out of the pressure-resistant container 3 to be transferred and filled into the ion exchange device 2, which took 15 minutes.

[0038] Next, the ion exchange device filled with this ion exchange resin was used as ion exchange device 27 in subsystem 21 as shown in Figure 3, and ultrapure water was produced in an ultrapure water production system equipped with this device.In the initial production stage, the ultrapure water W had a number of particles of 50 nm or more of 10 particles / mL or less, and a metal concentration of 10 ng / L or less, indicating that the water was sufficiently clean.

[0039] [Example 2] In Example 1, the ion exchange apparatus 2 and the pressure-resistant vessel 3 were enlarged, and the amount of ion exchange resin transferred and filled into the ion exchange apparatus 2 was 1000 L, i.e., the amount of new ion exchange resin contained in the pressure-resistant vessel 3 was 1000 L. In the same manner, a pressure of 0.1 MPa was applied to the pressure-resistant vessel 3 to supply ultrapure water W, and the ion exchange resin was pushed out of the pressure-resistant vessel 3 to transfer and fill the ion exchange apparatus 2, which took 60 minutes.

[0040] Next, the ion exchange device filled with this ion exchange resin was used as ion exchange device 27 in subsystem 21 as shown in Figure 3, and ultrapure water was produced in an ultrapure water production system equipped with this device.In the initial production stage, the ultrapure water W had a number of particles of 50 nm or more of 10 particles / mL or less, and a metal concentration of 10 ng / L or less, indicating that the water was sufficiently clean. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1. Ion exchange resin filling device 2. Ion exchange device 3. Pressure vessels 4 Supply tube (transport member) 5 Extrusion tube 6 Pressure pump (supply mechanism) W Ultrapure water (resin transport medium)

Claims

1. An apparatus for filling an ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange device constituting an ultrapure water production system, comprising: A pressure-resistant vessel containing an ion exchange resin and ultrapure water; a tubular transfer member connecting the non-regenerative ion exchange device and a pressure vessel; A supply mechanism for supplying a resin transfer medium to the pressure-resistant container; An apparatus for filling an ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange apparatus, comprising:

2. 2. The device for filling an ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure vessel has a pressure resistance of 0.02 MPa (gauge pressure) or more.

3. The device for filling an ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the ultrapure water production system constituted by the non-regenerative ion exchange device is capable of producing ultrapure water in which the number of particles of 50 nm or more is 10 particles / mL or less, or the metal concentration in the ultrapure water is 10 ng / L or less.

4. A method for transferring and filling an ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange device constituting an ultrapure water production system, comprising the steps of: A pressure-resistant vessel containing an ion exchange resin and ultrapure water is connected to a non-regenerative ion exchange device by a tubular transfer member; A method for transferring and filling an ion exchange resin, comprising: supplying a resin transfer medium to the pressure vessel; pumping the ion exchange resin contained therein from the pressure vessel; and filling the ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange device via a transfer member.

5. 5. The method for transferring and filling an ion exchange resin according to claim 4, wherein the pressure at which the ion exchange resin is pumped by the resin transfer medium is 0.05 MPa or more.

6. The method for transferring and filling ion exchange resin into a non-regenerative ion exchange device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the ultrapure water production system constituted by the non-regenerative ion exchange device is capable of producing ultrapure water in which the number of particles of 50 nm or more is 10 particles / mL or less, or the metal concentration in the ultrapure water is 10 ng / L or less.

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