Hollow fiber membrane module

• US 8,197,688 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2006
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hainan Litree Purifying Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hainan Litree Purifying Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sakashita, Daichi, Kaiya, Yoshihide, Oba, Masazumi, Futami, Kenichi, Hayakawa, Junichi, Chen, Lianggang, Chen, Qing
• Primary Examiner(s): FORTUNA, ANA M
• Application Number:
  US12/085,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20090218274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,024 Days
• Field of Search: 2103218-3219, 210/500.24, 210/500.23, 210/456
• US Class Current: 210/321.8
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2313/04 Specific sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2313/041 Gaskets or O-rings
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2313/08 Flow guidance means within the module or the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2313/10 Specific supply elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 63/02 Hollow fibre modules
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 63/022 Encapsulating hollow fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 63/0223 by fixing the hollow fibres prior to encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/444 by ultrafiltration or microfiltration

Abstract

There is provided a hollow fiber membrane module (1) comprising: a membrane bundle (20) of a plurality of hollow fiber membranes (10); a cylindrical body (30) housing the membrane bundle (20); a fixing portion (40, 50) in which at least one end of the membrane bundle (20) is fixed to the cylindrical body (30); and a raw water outflow nozzle (34) for allowing raw water to flow out from the vicinity of the fixing portion (40). Raw water supplied into the cylindrical body (30) is allowed to permeate from the outside into the inside of each hollow fiber membrane (10). A soft potting portion (42) has, in its surface to be in contact with raw water, at least one groove (43).

Claims

1. A hollow fiber membrane module comprising:

a membrane bundle of a plurality of hollow fiber membranes;

a cylindrical body housing the membrane bundle;

a raw water outflow-side fixing portion in which a raw water outflow-side end of the membrane bundle is fixed to the cylindrical body;

a raw water outflow nozzle for allowing raw water to flow out from a vicinity of the raw water outflow-side fixing portion;

a raw water inflow-side fixing portion in which a raw water inflow-side end of the membrane bundle is fixed to the cylindrical body; and

a raw water inflow nozzle for allowing raw water to flow in from a vicinity of the raw water inflow-side fixing portion, the raw water supplied into the cylindrical body being allowed to permeate from an outside into an inside of each hollow fiber membrane,

wherein the raw water outflow-side fixing portion has at least one groove in a portion of the raw water outflow-side fixing portion which is to be in contact with the raw water, wherein at least part of the at least one groove of the raw water outflow-side fixing portion communicates with the raw water outflow nozzle, the at least one groove having a depth of 5 to 20 mm, a bottom of the at least one groove having an area which is 5 to 25% of a cross-sectional area of the raw water outflow-side fixing portion, and

wherein the raw water inflow-side fixing portion includes, in a portion of the raw water inflow-side fixing portion which is to be in contact with the raw water, a plurality of through-slits and a plurality of fixed membrane bundle portions extending approximately parallel to the through-slits, wherein an aperture ratio of the through-slits is 5 to 25% of a cross-sectional area of the raw water inflow-side fixing portion, the through-slits having a width of 1 to 8 mm.

2. The hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1, wherein at least part of said at least one groove of the raw water outflow-side fixing portion is inclined toward the raw water outflow nozzle.

3. The hollow fiber membrane module according claim 1, wherein the cylindrical body has porous structures, each having a large number of pores, formed in vicinities of the raw water outflow nozzle and of the raw water inflow nozzle, with no pore being formed in an area of the cylindrical body which faces the raw water inflow nozzle.

4. The hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 3, wherein the raw water outflow-side fixing portion and the raw water inflow-side fixing portion fix the ends of the membrane bundle with a resin to the porous structures of the cylindrical body.

5. The hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1, further comprising:

covers connected to both ends of the cylindrical body, and

sealing members, provided outside or inside the cylindrical body, for sealing between the cylindrical body and the covers.

6. The hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 5, wherein the cylindrical body has sealing member housing portions for housing the sealing members.

7. The hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1, wherein the depth of the at least one groove is 10 to 15 mm, and the area of the bottom of the at least one groove is 15 to 20% of the cross-sectional area of the raw water outflow-side fixing portion.

8. The hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1, wherein the aperture ratio of the through-slits is 15 to 25% of the cross-sectional area of the raw water inflow-side fixing portion, and the width of the through-slits is 3-5 mm.

9. The hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1, wherein the aperture ratio of the through-slits is 5 to 15% of the cross-sectional area of the raw water inflow-side fixing portion, and the width of the through-slits is 1.5 to 2.5 mm.