Epoxy Resin Potting Material for Hollow Fiber Membrane Modules
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hollow fiber membrane modules face issues with chemical resistance, leading to potential leaks and contamination of treatment liquids due to insufficient potting materials, especially when used in diverse applications like inkjet printer inks, where existing technologies fail to maintain integrity and composition stability.
Innovation Solution
A potting material composed of an epoxy resin composition with specific components such as triglycidyl paraaminophenol, polysulfide-modified epoxy resin, and epoxy-modified aromatic polyamine curing agent, which exhibits minimal mass and hardness change when immersed in chemical liquids, ensuring excellent chemical resistance and preventing leaks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional potting materials are used to fix hollow fiber membranes in module cases, then the membranes are securely fixed and the module structure is stable, but the potting part exhibits poor chemical resistance leading to swelling, dissolution, peeling, and leaks when exposed to treatment liquids
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the potting material by specifying an epoxy resin composition with particular components (triglycidyl paraaminophenol, polysulfide-modified epoxy resin, epoxy-modified aromatic polyamine curing agent) and their weight ratios, achieving minimal mass change (-2% to +2%) when immersed in diethylene glycol methyl ethyl ether, thus resolving the chemical resistance issue
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite epoxy resin formulation combining multiple specific resin components and curing agents in defined proportions, creating a multi-component composite material that achieves superior chemical resistance and structural stability when exposed to treatment liquids compared to conventional single-component potting materials
2Reliability
If the potting part is dissolved into treatment liquid, then the treatment liquid can penetrate through, but the composition and properties of the treatment liquid are affected and contamination occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical resistance parameters of the potting material through specific epoxy resin composition and curing agent selection, ensuring the potting part maintains structural integrity and does not dissolve into treatment liquid, thereby preventing contamination of the treatment liquid composition
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing potting materials are used for diverse applications like inkjet printer deaeration, then the module can be adapted to different uses, but the chemical resistance is insufficient for broad types of inks and treatment liquids
Solution Approach 1:
The patent develops a universal epoxy resin-based potting material formulation that maintains excellent chemical resistance across diverse applications including inkjet printer deaeration with various ink types, solid/liquid separation, and concentration processes, making the module adaptable to multiple uses while ensuring reliable chemical resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the chemical composition parameters of the potting material with specific epoxy resin components and curing agents in defined weight ratios, achieving minimal mass change when immersed in diethylene glycol methyl ethyl ether, thus ensuring sufficient chemical resistance for broad application ranges including diverse ink types and treatment liquids
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The proposed potting material effectively maintains chemical resistance and prevents leaks in hollow fiber membrane modules, even when exposed to challenging chemicals, ensuring reliable performance and maintaining treatment liquid composition and properties.
Implementation Method 1
an epoxy resin composition, in which mass change ratio of a cured product of the epoxy resin composition after being immersed in diethylene glycol methyl ethyl ether
Implementation Method 2
an epoxy resin composition comprising a triglycidyl paraaminophenol component (a), a polysulfide-modified epoxy resin component (b), and an epoxy-modified aromatic polyamine curing agent component (d)
Implementation Method 3
mass change ratio of a cured product of the epoxy resin composition after being immersed in diethylene glycol methyl ethyl ether (hereinbelow, also described as a "first chemical liquid") at 40°C for one week is ±10% or less
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
A potting material for membrane modules which is formed of an epoxy resin composition, in which the mass change ratio of a cured product of the epoxy resin composition after being immersed in diethylene glycol methyl ethyl ether at 40°C for one week is ±10% or less, and the mass change ratio thereof after being immersed in tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate at 40°C for one week is ±5% or less, and a hollow fiber membrane module which uses the potting material for membrane modules.