JPH05161832A - Hollow fiber membrane module and separation method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (Correction) [Purpose] To prevent retention or uneven flow of the fluid inside the hollow fiber membrane module and reduce the pressure loss of the fluid inside the hollow fiber bundle. [Structure] A hollow fiber bundle 2 formed by arranging a large number of hollow fiber membranes 1 in a bundle is provided with a disk-shaped potting material at both ends.
So that the tip of the hollow fiber membrane 1 is exposed and opened at the end face of the potting material at one end side of the hollow fiber membrane, and the tip of the hollow fiber membrane 1 is buried and sealed in the potting material at the other end side. In the adhesively fixed hollow fiber membrane module, a plurality of openings penetrating in the board thickness direction are provided in the central region and the peripheral region of the hollow fiber bundle 2 of the potting material on the other end side. In the hollow fiber bundle 2, spaces 41, 42, 43 facing the opening are provided in the longitudinal direction of the hollow fiber bundle 2 in a portion between the potting materials at both ends. Separation is performed by using one of the openings as a fluid inlet and the other as an outlet.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a hollow fiber membrane module and a separation method using the same, and more specifically,
Gas-gas separation, gas-liquid separation, liquid-liquid separation or pervaporation method,
When separating by the vapor permeation method, the separation performance is prevented from deteriorating due to the retention or uneven flow of the fluid inside the hollow fiber membrane module, and the pressure loss due to the supplied fluid is reduced to achieve high separation efficiency. The present invention relates to a hollow fiber membrane module capable of performing the above and a separation method using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the development of separation technology using hollow fiber membranes has progressed, and for example, hollow fiber membranes for gas separation, reverse osmosis, pervaporation, ultrafiltration, etc. have been proposed and put to practical use. Has been done. Each of the hollow fiber membranes in the future is usually a straw-shaped hollow fiber having a diameter of about 0.5 to 2 mm formed of a synthetic resin, and has a separating function on its surface, and should be separated. It separates the substance inside and outside the thread.

When a separation operation is actually performed using a hollow fiber membrane, as shown in FIG. 3, it is usually several hundreds to several hundreds.
00 hollow fiber membranes 1 are bundled into a bundle (hollow fiber bundle) 2,
The hollow fiber membrane module 4 is assembled by adhering and fixing both ends with the potting material 3 (3A, 3B) with the end of the hollow fiber membrane 1 open at least at one end of the hollow fiber bundle 2. Hollow fiber membrane module 4
Is stored in the module container 5 for use.

The hollow fiber bundle shown in FIG. 3 is opened by exposing the end of the hollow fiber membrane from the end face of the potting material 3A only at one end (on the potting material 3A side) of the hollow fiber bundle. Thread film module 4 is O
It is fixed in the module container 5 by a ring 6.

The module container 5 is provided with an inlet 5A for the fluid to be treated, an outlet 5B for the permeated fluid and an outlet 5C for the non-permeated fluid, and the object to be treated introduced into the module container 5 through the inlet 5A. The fluid comes into contact with the surface of the hollow fiber membrane 1 of the hollow fiber membrane module 4 to be separated, and the permeated fluid passes through the inside of the hollow fiber membrane 1 and is extracted from the outlet 5B. On the other hand, the non-permeable fluid is extracted from the extraction port 5C.

In the separation treatment by such a hollow fiber membrane module, as shown in the figure, the hollow fiber membrane module 4 is formed by bundling a large number of hollow fiber membranes 1, so that the fluid to be treated is uniformly dispersed and supplied to the membrane surface. It's not easy to do. For this reason, in the conventional hollow fiber membrane module, as shown in FIG. 3, in the one-end open type in which only one end of the hollow fiber membrane 1 is opened, the hollow fiber membrane 1 having a straw shape is covered on the outside. Since the processing fluid flows, the fluid is likely to stay or drift inside the hollow fiber bundle 2. Then, if the fluid stays around the hollow fiber membrane 1, the separation performance of the hollow fiber membrane module 4 will be deteriorated. That is, although the separation phenomenon initially progresses in the fluid retention portion, the concentration of the non-permeate fluid becomes thicker and the concentration of the permeate fluid becomes thinner with the passage of time, which leads to a disadvantageous condition for the separation operation.
Further, in the portion where the fluid flow velocity on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane is slowed due to the uneven flow of the fluid, the primary boundary film of the membrane surface becomes thick, which impedes the mass transfer of the permeated fluid. In this case, the fluid easily flows in the direction parallel to the hollow fiber membrane of the hollow fiber bundle, and hardly flows in the radial direction of the hollow fiber bundle.

[0007] Therefore, in order to prevent fluid retention or uneven flow, a large number of hollow fiber membranes are bundled in a state where both ends of the hollow fiber membranes of the hollow fiber membrane module are opened, and the fluid is placed inside the straw-shaped hollow fiber membranes. There is provided a double-ended type in which is uniformly dispersed and supplied. However, in the case of the both-end open type, when the fluid flows inside the hollow fiber membranes, the hollow fiber membranes are likely to swell, and the potting material between the hollow fiber membranes becomes thin. It has a drawback that cracks are likely to occur at the end face portion due to swelling stress of the hollow fiber membrane.

Therefore, conventionally, in order to secure a fluid passage between the hollow fiber membranes, a method has been devised in which each hollow fiber membrane is intentionally arranged at a distance or baffles are inserted. (JP-A-55-134068, JP-B-49-4)
6711).

It has also been proposed to provide a cavity for supplying a fluid in parallel with the yarn at the center of the hollow fiber bundle (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI No. 3-8348). This is a method in which the wall of the hollow fiber bundle in the periphery serves as a resistor, and the fluid uniformly flows out from the cavity surface to the periphery to facilitate the renewal of the fluid.

[0010]

However, in the methods of the above-mentioned JP-A-55-134068 and JP-B-49-46711, the number of hollow fiber membranes per module volume must be set in order to open a certain distance between the hollow fiber membranes. That is, the total membrane area is greatly reduced as compared with the case of the closest packing, the separation performance per module volume is reduced, and as a result, the size of the separation device relative to the required separation performance is relatively large. There is.

Further, in the method of Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI No. 3-8348, the wall of the peripheral hollow fiber bundle serves as a resistor, and the pressure loss of the fluid is large. Due to this pressure loss, the pressure of the fluid to be supplied must be increased by the amount of the pressure loss, so in the case of a large-sized hollow fiber bundle, the hollow fiber meat is used for the purpose of increasing the pressure resistance of the hollow fiber itself. There is a drawback that the thickness must be increased, which in turn causes a reduction in the amount of fluid permeation per membrane surface area.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and in a separation method using a single-ended open-type hollow fiber membrane module that tends to cause retention or uneven flow of the fluid, the fluid is uniformly dispersed in the hollow fiber bundle, and An object of the present invention is to provide a hollow fiber membrane module capable of suppressing the pressure loss of the supplied fluid and a separation method using the same.

[0013]

A hollow fiber membrane module according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a hollow fiber bundle obtained by aligning a large number of hollow fiber membranes in a bundle, and adhering and fixing both ends of the hollow fiber bundle with a plate-like potting material. At the one end side of the hollow fiber bundle, the tip of each hollow fiber membrane is exposed and opened at the end face of the potting material, and at the other end side of the hollow fiber bundle, the tip of each hollow fiber membrane is placed in the potting material. In the hollow fiber membrane module which is buried and sealed, the potting material on the other end side is provided with a plurality of openings penetrating in the board thickness direction in the central region of the hollow fiber bundle and its peripheral region. In the hollow fiber bundle portion between these potting materials, a space portion facing the opening is extended in the hollow fiber bundle longitudinal direction.

A separation method according to a second aspect is a method for separating a fluid by using the hollow fiber membrane module according to the first aspect, wherein a hollow of the openings provided in the potting material on the other end side is hollow. One of the openings in the central region and the openings in the peripheral region of the yarn bundle is used as a fluid inlet and the other is used as an outlet to perform separation.

[0015]

The present inventors can reduce the pressure loss of the fluid due to the wall of the hollow fiber bundle around which the fluid passes, and can evenly distribute and supply the fluid. As a result of intensive research to develop a module, in addition to the cavity at the center of the hollow fiber bundle, multiple cavities were arranged at the periphery of the hollow fiber bundle. The fluid is supplied to the surface of the hollow fiber bundle, and the fluid is extracted from the other cavity, or conversely, the fluid is supplied from the inside of the hollow fiber bundle other than the central cavity and the fluid is discharged from the inside of the central cavity and the surface of the hollow fiber bundle. The present invention has been completed based on the finding that it is possible to reduce the pressure loss of the fluid by performing the withdrawal and to perform efficient separation with good fluid dispersibility.

That is, considering a method for improving the separation performance of the hollow fiber membrane module from the viewpoint of the mass transfer phenomenon, it is advisable to thin the primary side boundary membrane of the fluid on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane. Therefore, in order to thin the primary boundary film on the surface of the hollow cylindrical hollow fiber membrane, it is necessary to secure the fluid linear velocity on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane.

First, as a comparison, when a fluid analysis was carried out on a hollow fiber membrane module as shown in FIG. 3 which does not have the above-mentioned space portion, the velocity component flowing in parallel with the hollow fiber bundle was significantly biased. It exists on the outer periphery of the hollow fiber bundle,
It hardly exists inside the hollow fiber bundle. On the other hand, it was found that the velocity component in the radial direction of the hollow fiber bundle was significantly smaller than that of the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention having the space. That is, in a hollow fiber membrane module that does not have a space, there are many hollow fiber membrane regions with less fluid renewal due to uneven flow,
Since the pressure loss of the fluid is large, the fluid linear velocity on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane cannot be secured.

On the other hand, when a fluid analysis was carried out on the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention having the above-mentioned space portion, the wall of the hollow fiber bundle around the wall of the fluid flow was a resistor, so that the inside of the hollow fiber bundle was In the above, the velocity component flowing in parallel with the hollow fiber bundle is small, but the velocity component in the radial direction of the cross section can be uniformly ensured within the hollow fiber bundle with a magnitude of a certain value or more.

That is, by providing a space for introducing or withdrawing a fluid in parallel with the hollow fiber membrane inside the hollow fiber bundle, the inner peripheral wall of the surrounding hollow fiber bundle serves as a resistor.
The fluid uniformly flows out from the space portion to the periphery, or the fluid uniformly flows into the space portion from the periphery, the fluid is easily updated, the contact efficiency between the fluid and the hollow fiber membrane is improved, and the hollow fiber membrane module The separation efficiency of is improved.

Moreover, the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention has a plurality of such space portions, some of which serve as the passage for introducing the fluid to be treated, and the remaining space portion for draining the non-permeable fluid. Since it serves as the outlet passage, the pressure loss of the fluid can be significantly reduced.

[0021]

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line − in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the hollow fiber membrane module 10 of this embodiment, both ends of a hollow fiber bundle 2 formed by aligning a large number of hollow fiber membranes 1 in a bundle are connected to each other. One end side 2
In A, the tip of each hollow fiber membrane 1 is exposed to the end face of the potting material (hereinafter, also referred to as “opening end side potting material”) 3A so as to open, while the other of the hollow fiber bundle 2 On the end 2B side, a plate-shaped potting is performed so that the tip of each hollow fiber membrane 1 is embedded and sealed in a potting material (hereinafter, also referred to as “sealing end side potting material”) 3B. The material 3 (3A, 3B) is bonded and fixed. Then, in the sealing end side potting material 3B, the opening 31 is provided at the central axis position of the hollow fiber bundle 2 and the openings 32, 33, 34, 35 (however,
The openings 34 and 35 are not shown. ) Are evenly arranged so as to pass through in the thickness direction of the board, and the hollow fiber bundle 2 has openings 31 and 32 at the portions between the potting materials 3A and 3B at both ends. , 3
Space portions 41, 42, 43, 44 facing 3, 34, 35,
45 are provided so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the hollow fiber bundle 2.

That is, in the hollow fiber bundle 2, the hollow fiber membrane 1 is provided with space portions 41, 4 at a total of five locations around the shaft core portion and its periphery.
2, 43, 44, 45 are formed into a cylindrical bundle. In the present embodiment, the outermost periphery of the hollow fiber bundle 2 and the inner periphery contacting the spaces 41 to 45 are the same as the hollow fiber membrane 1 as a support for maintaining the shape of the hollow fiber bundle. A blind-shaped support made of a solid thread 7 made of material is provided.

In this embodiment, such a hollow fiber membrane module 10 is housed in the module container 5.

This module container 5 has a permeate fluid outlet 50 at one end thereof, and non-permeate fluid outlet pipes 52, 53, 54, 55 (provided that the outlet pipes 54, 5
5 is not shown. ) And an inlet pipe 51 for the fluid to be treated are provided, and non-permeate fluid outlet pipes 52, 53, 5 are provided.
4, 55, the tips of the space portions 42, 43, 4 respectively.
It is provided so as to reach the inside of 4, 45, and each space 4
2 to 45 and the outside of the hollow fiber membrane module 10 for the purpose of preventing a fluid short circuit, the openings 32, 33, 34 of the sealing end side potting material 3B of the hollow fiber membrane module 10, respectively.
It is tightly fixed to 35 through O-rings 62, 63, 64 and 65 (however, O-rings 64 and 65 are not shown). In addition to using an O-ring, this portion may be sealed by bonding each extraction pipe and the sealing end side potting material 3B.

The to-be-processed fluid introducing pipe 51 is provided so that its tip reaches the space 41 from the opening 31. The introduction pipe 51 for the fluid to be processed has the opening 31
It is also possible to use an O-ring or the like to closely fix the same, and to separately provide an inlet for the fluid to be processed on the side wall of the module container 5.

The potting material 3A on the open end side of the hollow fiber membrane module 10 is closely fixed to the inner wall of the module container 5 via an O-ring 60.

In order to perform fluid separation according to the method of the present invention using such a hollow fiber membrane module, the fluid to be treated is introduced into the space 41 and the hollow portion of the hollow fiber membrane module 10 through the introduction pipe 51 of the module container 5. Outer peripheral surface portion 4 of the yarn bundle 2
0 (gap between the hollow fiber bundle 2 and the module container 5). The fluids to be treated supplied to the space 40 and the outer peripheral surface 41 flow toward the surrounding spaces 42 to 45, and the component that permeates the hollow fiber membrane 1 between them is the hollow fiber membrane 1.
Is discharged from the outlet 50 through the inside of the. On the other hand, the components that do not pass through the hollow fiber membranes 1 reach the spaces 42 to 45 through the hollow fiber membranes 1 and are discharged from the extraction pipes 52 to 55.

In the method of the present invention, in such fluid separation, the fluid linear velocity in the radial direction of the hollow fiber bundle on the outer peripheral surface of the hollow fiber bundle 2 is 0.025 cm / sec or more, preferably 0.1 cm / sec. It is preferable to secure a fluid flow rate of not less than sec. By ensuring such a fluid linear velocity, it is possible to effectively utilize the internal region of the hollow fiber bundle 2 and perform efficient separation.

In the present invention, the fluid linear velocity in the radial direction of the hollow fiber bundle on the outer peripheral surface of the hollow fiber bundle (hereinafter simply referred to as "fluid linear velocity") is (hollow fiber bundle outer diameter-hollow fiber). Membrane outer diameter x number of outermost hollow fibers in hollow fiber bundle) x hollow fiber bundle length = outer peripheral surface open area, and numerical value obtained by dividing the amount of fluid supply to the hollow fiber membrane module by this outer peripheral surface open area Is.

In order to secure the above-mentioned fluid linear velocity, for example, the hollow fiber membrane module shown in FIG. However, the supply amount of the fluid to be separated is often smaller than the supply amount required to secure the fluid linear velocity depending on the separation performance of the hollow fiber membrane and the separation purpose. In such a case, a required amount of supply to the hollow fiber membrane module may be secured by circulating a part of the non-permeable fluid or the permeable fluid. FIG. 4 shows an example of the process of circulating the impermeable fluid. In FIG. 4, 141 is a mixed fluid heater, 142 is a membrane module unit containing a hollow fiber membrane module, 143 is a permeate fluid condenser, 144 is a secondary vacuum pump, and 145 is a mixed fluid circulation pump. The fluid to be treated introduced from the pipe 146 is supplied to the membrane module unit via the heater 141 and the pipe 147, and the permeated fluid is sucked by the pump 144 and extracted from the pipe 148, the condenser 143, the pipe 1
It is discharged to the outside of the system via 49. On the other hand, the non-permeable fluid is extracted from the pipe 150, part of which is circulated through the pipe 151, the pump 145, and the pipe 146 for introducing the fluid to be treated, and the rest is discharged through the pipe 152 to the outside of the system.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the opening 31 of the potting material 3B on the sealing end side of the hollow fiber membrane module 10 is treated as the inlet for the fluid to be treated. The fluid to be treated is introduced from 52 to 55, the permeated fluid that has permeated the hollow fiber membrane 1 is extracted from the ejection port 50 through the inside of the hollow fiber membrane 1, and the non-permeated fluid is potted on the sealed end side through the space 41. You may make it extract from the opening 31 of the material 3B.

In the present invention, the hollow fiber membrane has an outer diameter of 0.
A hollow fiber made of synthetic resin having a diameter of 5 to 2 mm and an inner diameter of about 0.2 to 1.5 mm, which has a separating function on its surface and separates a substance to be treated into an inside and an outside of the hollow fiber membrane. To do.

The synthetic resin forming the hollow fiber membrane is not particularly limited, and may be any material conventionally used as a material for the hollow fiber membrane, such as polyimide-based or polyamide-based resin.
Examples thereof include polysulfone type, polyacrylonitrile type, and polyolefin type. The hollow fiber membrane may be made of any of these resins and has a surface coated with an appropriate coating agent.

As the material for the potting material, a known thermosetting resin such as polyurethane resin, epoxy resin or silicone resin is usually used, but a thermoplastic resin may be used depending on the case.

In the hollow fiber membrane module 10 shown in FIG.
In order to maintain the shape of the hollow fiber bundle 2, a support made of the solid fibers 7 is provided, but this support is not always necessary, and the shape maintenance of the hollow fiber bundle 2 is good. You don't have to. However, in general, internal / external pressure is generated in the space portions 41 to 45 of the hollow fiber bundle 2 due to the outflow / inflow of the fluid, and it becomes difficult to maintain the shape of the hollow fiber bundle 2. It is desirable to dispose the support on at least one of the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion. The support may be a net-like tube, but since it is rare to newly consider the shape, molding method, etc., as shown in the figure, the hollow fiber membrane is made of the same material with substantially the same outer diameter as the solid material. It is desirable to use a blind-shaped support made of the thread 7. Since this solid yarn 7 is made of the same material as the hollow fiber membrane 1, there is an advantage that it can be bonded and fixed to the potting material 3 at the same time as the hollow fiber membrane.

In the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention, a space portion is formed in the region of the shaft core of the hollow fiber bundle and the region of the peripheral portion thereof. The space portion (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “central space portion”) and the peripheral space portion (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “peripheral space portion”) have roles of fluid supply or withdrawal, which are opposite to each other. Is desirable.

Although one central space portion is usually provided in the axial core portion of the hollow fiber bundle, a plurality of central space portions may be provided in the axial core portion region.

On the other hand, it is preferable that two or more, especially three or more peripheral space portions are evenly arranged so as to be point-symmetric with respect to the center of the cross section of the hollow fiber bundle. There is no particular upper limit to the number of peripheral spaces, but in the usual case, a sufficient effect can be obtained with 8 or less. The peripheral space is 1/3 of the radius of the hollow fiber bundle from the axis of the hollow fiber bundle.
It is preferable to provide them at positions separated by about 4/5.

If the diameter of the space formed in the hollow fiber bundle is too large, the number of hollow fiber membranes per volume of the hollow fiber bundle will decrease,
As a result, the total membrane area per hollow fiber membrane module is reduced, so that the membrane separation performance of the hollow fiber membrane module is reduced. Therefore, the diameter of the space is 1 / the outer diameter of the hollow fiber bundle.
It is preferably 5 or less.

On the other hand, even if the diameter of the space is too small, the effect of preventing the retention or drift of the fluid and the effect of reducing the pressure loss of the fluid according to the present invention cannot be obtained. Therefore, the diameter of the space is 1/50 or more, preferably 1/20, of the outer diameter of the hollow fiber bundle.
The above is better.

The diameter of the central space and the diameter of the peripheral space may be the same or different.

The hollow fiber membrane is usually several hundreds.
˜Thousands of thousands are aligned to form a hollow fiber bundle, and the arrangement density of the hollow fiber membranes in the hollow fiber bundle depends on the hollow fiber membrane module 1.
In order to secure the membrane area per fiber, the hollow fiber membrane filling rate calculated by (reference cross-sectional area calculated from the outer diameter of the hollow fiber membrane) × (number of hollow fibers) ÷ (hollow fiber membrane module cross-sectional area) is 0.
It is preferably 5 or more, particularly 0.75 or more.

In order to manufacture the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention, for example, a mold for casting a potting material is preliminarily provided with protrusions having a draft taper corresponding to a space and an opening, and then the mold is cast. After performing and curing, this protrusion may be removed.

The shape, size, etc. of the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention are not particularly limited, and in addition to the linear shape shown in FIG. 1, it may be curved in an S shape or a U shape.

The hollow fiber membrane module and the separation method of the present invention can be applied to any of gas-gas separation, gas-liquid separation, liquid-liquid separation or pervaporation, and vapor permeation.
It is extremely effective in a separation method in which a fluid to be supplied is a liquid, particularly a pervaporation method, and is particularly suitable for separation of water and alcohol by the pervaporation method.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to specific examples and comparative examples.

Example 1 A hollow fiber membrane module shown in FIG. 1 was produced and a separation test was carried out by a pervaporation method using a water selective membrane in the apparatus shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, 21 is a raw material tank, 2 is
2 is a raw material pump, 23 is a preheater, 24 is a flow meter, 25 is a container containing a hollow fiber membrane module, 26 is a condenser, 2
Reference numeral 7 is a condensate tank, 28 is a condensing pump, and the treated fluid 20 in the raw material tank 21 is supplied from the pipe 11 to the raw material pump 2
2, introduced into the hollow fiber membrane module container 25 through the preheater 23 and the flow meter 24, the permeated fluid is extracted from the pipe 12, passes through the condenser 26, the condensate tank 27, the condensation pump 28, and the raw material through the pipe 13. It is returned to the tank 21. Further, the non-permeable fluid of the hollow fiber membrane module is returned to the raw material tank 21 through the pipe 14.

The specifications and conditions of each part are as follows. Hollow fiber membrane; size = outer diameter 1.3 × inner diameter 1.0 mm Material = polyimide resin Membrane performance = permeated water amount 550 g / m ² hr Weight fraction base separation ratio 10,000 or more Hollow fiber bundles; number of hollow fiber membranes = 3000 Outer diameter = 86 mm Space portion diameter = 8 mm Space portion arrangement: 1 in the axial core portion, 4 in the peripheral portion Potting agent; Epoxy resin Flow direction; Process fluid supply to the space portion 41, space portion 42-
Extraction of non-permeable fluid from 45 Separation method; Pervaporation method with water-selective membrane Separation target fluid; Isopropyl alcohol / water as liquid = 8
7/13 wt% Liquid supply temperature; 80 ° C constant Secondary vacuum degree; 12 Torr The relationship between the flow rate of the fluid to be separated and the module efficiency is shown in FIG. The module efficiency is a value defined by the following formula.

Module efficiency = (module permeated water amount /
Membrane performance permeated water amount) × 100 In addition, using fluid analysis (analysis program name: Fluent), the flow velocity distribution of the fluid in the hollow fiber bundle is analyzed to determine the velocity component in the radial direction of the hollow fiber bundle and the hollow fiber bundle. The correlation between parallel velocity components and module efficiency was investigated. FIG. 7 shows the analysis result of the velocity component in the radial direction of the hollow fiber bundle.

Example 2 In Example 1, the flow direction of the fluid into the hollow fiber membrane module is reversed, and the opening 31 of the potting material 3B on the sealing end side is reversed.
A separation test was conducted in the same manner except that the non-permeable fluid was extracted from the column, and the relationship between the flow rate of the separation target fluid and the module efficiency is shown in FIG.

Comparative Example 1 A separation test was conducted using the hollow fiber membrane module shown in FIG. 9, and the relationship between the flow rate of the fluid to be separated and the module efficiency is shown in FIG. In addition, the same fluid analysis was performed, and the analysis result of the velocity component in the radial direction of the hollow fiber bundle is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 9, members having the same functions as those shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals. That is,
The hollow fiber membrane module of FIG.
Only the individual central space portions 41 are provided, and the to-be-processed fluid is supplied through this central space portion 41, and the non-permeate fluid is extracted from the outlet 5C provided on the side wall of the module container 5 to remove the permeate fluid. It is designed to be pulled out from the outlet 5B. In the figure, 6 is an O-ring.

The diameter of the space 41 is 12 mm, and the other constructions of the hollow fiber bundle are the same as in the first embodiment.

The following is clear from FIG. That is,
The module efficiency is 50 to 100% in the first embodiment, the module efficiency is 45 to 95% in the second embodiment, and the module efficiency is 25 in the first comparative example depending on the flow rate of the separation target fluid (supply liquid amount).
According to the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention having a plurality of spaces, the amount of permeated water is 1.3 to 2 times larger than that of the hollow fiber membrane module having a single space. In particular, when the supplied liquid amount is small, the difference in module efficiency is remarkable, and the superiority of the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention is clearly shown.

Further, from the results of the fluid analysis, in the hollow fiber membrane module of Example 1 shown in FIG. 7, the velocity component in the radial direction of the hollow fiber bundle cross section in the hollow fiber bundle 2 has a uniform constant value inside the hollow fiber bundle. It turned out that it can be given in the above size. For example, 0.13 cm / sec at a flow rate of 750 l / h
Is the fluid linear velocity in the radial direction of the hollow fiber bundle on the outer peripheral surface of the hollow fiber bundle, and the module efficiency is 100%. On the other hand, in the hollow fiber membrane module of Comparative Example 1 shown in FIG. 8, a sufficient velocity component in the radial direction of the hollow fiber bundle cross section cannot be secured. For example, 0.05 to 0.15 cm / se at a flow rate of 750 l / h
The area c is 27%, and the module efficiency is 75%. When the fluid flow rate was reduced to 100 liter / h, the module efficiency of the hollow fiber membrane module of Example 1 was reduced to 50% and the module efficiency of the hollow fiber membrane module of Comparative Example 1 was reduced to 25%. Spreads.
The hollow fiber membrane module of Example 2 has the same absolute value of streamline as that of the hollow fiber membrane module of Example 1, but the directions are opposite to each other. Therefore, the analysis result of Example 1 is similar. Also,
In both Embodiments 1 and 2, since the flow velocity can be secured even when the flow rate is small, the module efficiency can be increased.

[0058]

As described above in detail, according to the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention and the separation method using the same, gas-gas separation, gas-liquid separation, liquid-liquid separation or pervaporation method, vapor permeation method When separating the fluid by the method, the separation performance is prevented from being deteriorated due to the retention or uneven flow of the fluid inside the hollow fiber bundle, and the pressure loss of the fluid inside the hollow fiber bundle is reduced to achieve high separation efficiency. It is possible to separate the fluids.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line − in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional hollow fiber membrane module.

FIG. 4 is a system diagram showing an implementation method of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a system diagram showing a configuration of a separation device adopted in Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example 1.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the results obtained in Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example 1.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing velocity components in a radial direction of a hollow fiber bundle by fluid analysis in Example 1.

8 is a schematic diagram showing velocity components in a radial direction of a hollow fiber bundle by fluid analysis in Comparative Example 1. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a hollow fiber membrane module used in Comparative Example 1.

[Explanation of Codes] 1 hollow fiber membrane 2 hollow fiber bundle 3, 3A, 3B potting material 5 module container 7 solid fiber 10 hollow fiber membrane module 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 opening 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 Space

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A hollow fiber bundle formed by aligning a large number of hollow fiber membranes in a bundle, and both ends of which are adhered and fixed by a plate-like potting material. The tip is exposed at the end face of the potting material and opened, and at the other end of the hollow fiber bundle, the tip of each hollow fiber membrane is embedded in the potting material and sealed in a hollow fiber membrane module, The potting material on the other end side is provided with a plurality of openings penetrating in the board thickness direction in the central region of the hollow fiber bundle and in the peripheral region thereof. A hollow fiber membrane module, wherein a space portion facing each opening is provided in each of the portions in the longitudinal direction of the hollow fiber bundle. 2. A method for separating a fluid using the hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1, wherein the opening of the potting material on the other end side is located in the central region of the hollow fiber bundle. A separation method, wherein one of the opening and the opening in the peripheral region is used as a fluid inlet and the other is used as an outlet.