CN114950139A - Concentration device - Google Patents

Abstract

The concentration device of the present invention comprises a membrane module having a first channel and a second channel separated by a semipermeable membrane, the membrane module comprises a U-shaped pipe having the semipermeable membrane disposed therein, a first channel inlet connection part and a first channel outlet connection part, and a second channel inlet connection part and a second channel outlet connection part, the concentration device has an introduction mechanism for introducing a target liquid from the first channel inlet connection part into the first channel at a predetermined pressure, separating the subject liquid into a concentrated liquid and a permeated liquid by the semipermeable membrane, allowing the permeated liquid to permeate into the second channel, and allowing the concentrated liquid to flow out from the first channel outlet connection part, the introduction mechanism introduces the target liquid from the second channel inlet connection portion into the second channel at a pressure lower than the predetermined pressure, and causes the diluted liquid, which is diluted by merging with the permeated liquid, to flow out from the second channel outlet connection portion.

Description

Concentration device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a concentration apparatus for concentrating a target liquid to be processed.

Background

There is a technique of concentrating a target liquid by allowing a permeated liquid (mainly water) to permeate the target liquid through a semipermeable membrane (for example, patent document 1).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document 1: international publication WO2018/136077

In recent years, there has been a demand for an apparatus capable of efficiently concentrating a target liquid even in a narrow space.

Disclosure of Invention

The present inventors have conducted extensive studies to solve the above problems, and as a result, the present invention has been completed. The present invention has the following structure.

[ 1 ] A concentration device comprising a membrane module having a first channel and a second channel separated by a semipermeable membrane, wherein the membrane module has a U-shaped tube in which the semipermeable membrane is disposed, a first channel inlet connection portion and a first channel outlet connection portion as an inlet and an outlet of the first channel, and a second channel inlet connection portion and a second channel outlet connection portion as an inlet and an outlet of the second channel, the concentration device comprising a liquid introduction mechanism that introduces a target liquid into the first channel from the first channel inlet connection portion at a predetermined pressure, separates the target liquid into a concentrated liquid and a permeated liquid through the semipermeable membrane, allows the permeated liquid to permeate through a second channel, and allows the concentrated liquid to flow out from the first channel outlet connection portion, and that introduces the target liquid into the concentration device from the second channel inlet connection portion at a pressure lower than the predetermined pressure And a second channel for allowing the diluted liquid, which has been merged with the permeated liquid and diluted, to flow out from the second channel outlet connection portion.

The concentration device according to [ 2 ] above, wherein the semipermeable membrane is a hollow fiber membrane which is filled in the U-shaped tube in a U-shape, and hollow fiber membrane support portions are provided at both ends of the U-shaped tube, and the hollow fiber membrane is liquid-tightly fixed to the U-shaped tube in a state in which the hollow fiber ends are open, by the hollow fiber membrane support portions, and wherein the concentration device is configured such that the first channel inlet connection portion and the first channel outlet connection portion communicate with an off-membrane path of the hollow fiber membrane which is the first channel, and the second channel inlet connection portion and the second channel outlet connection portion communicate with an in-membrane path of the hollow fiber membrane which is the second channel.

[ 3 ] the concentration device according to [ 2 ], wherein a contact surface between the U-shaped tube and the hollow fiber membrane support part is roughened.

The concentration apparatus according to any one of [ 1 ] to [ 3 ], wherein the concentration apparatus comprises a plurality of the membrane modules, the first channel outlet connection of the nth membrane module is connected to the first channel inlet connection of the (n + 1) th membrane module, and the second channel outlet connection of the (n + 1) th membrane module is connected to the second channel inlet connection of the nth membrane module.

Effects of the invention

The concentration device of the present invention is provided with a membrane module having a U-shaped tube by the above configuration, and therefore can be installed in a narrow space and can efficiently concentrate a target liquid.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the external appearance of a membrane module of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view showing an example of a cross section of a membrane module of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing another example of the membrane module of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of an example of the hollow fiber membrane support part in the membrane module of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of the concentration apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the concentration device of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a concentration apparatus in which a plurality of membrane modules of the present invention are connected.

Description of reference numerals:

100: a hollow fiber membrane module;

110. 100a, 110b, 110c, 110 d: a U-shaped pipe;

111: a peripheral side portion connecting portion (a first flow path inlet connecting portion, a first flow path outlet connecting portion);

112: end connection portions (second flow path inlet connection portion, second flow path outlet connection portion);

113: a rough machining part;

120: a hollow fiber membrane;

130: a hollow fiber membrane support;

200. 300, 400: a concentration device;

210. 220, 310: a pump (introducing mechanism);

230. 240, 320, 330: a valve (introduction mechanism);

250. 340, and (3): starting the water injection tank;

260. 350: a valve;

270. 360: an accumulator;

280. 370: a voltage regulator.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments described below, the same or common portions are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof will not be repeated. In the following description, when there are a plurality of embodiments, it is originally intended to appropriately combine the configurations of the embodiments unless otherwise specified.

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the external appearance of a hollow fiber membrane module 100 as a membrane module according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the interior of the hollow fiber membrane module 100. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the hollow fiber membrane module 100 includes a U-shaped tube 110 and a hollow fiber membrane 120 as a semipermeable membrane.

The U-shaped tube 110 is a U-shaped tube, and a hollow fiber membrane 120 is disposed inside the U-shaped tube. The U-shaped pipe 110 has a structure in which the pipe is bent in a U-shape, and the bending radius, pipe diameter, length, material, and the like can be appropriately designed according to the installation space, durability, and the composition and throughput of the target liquid. As the hollow fiber membrane 120, a semipermeable membrane having a hollow fiber shape, such as a reverse osmosis membrane, a forward osmosis membrane, or a nanofiltration membrane, can be used. The pressure resistance, membrane pore diameter, membrane thickness, and membrane material of the hollow fiber membrane 120 may be appropriately selected depending on the target liquid. The hollow fiber membrane module 100 is partitioned into an outer membrane path (first flow path) and an inner membrane path (second flow path) by the hollow fiber membranes 120.

The hollow fiber membrane module 100 has a hollow fiber membrane support 130. The hollow fiber membrane support portions 130 are disposed at both ends of the U-shaped tube 110. Both ends of the hollow fiber membranes 120 are fixed to the inside of the U-shaped tube 110 in a liquid-tight manner in a state where the end portions of the hollow fibers are open by the hollow fiber membrane support portion 130. The hollow fiber membrane support 130 is not limited, but may be formed using a resin or the like, and the material thereof may be selected according to the target liquid or the pressure resistance.

The peripheral side portion connecting portion (first flow path inlet connecting portion and first flow path outlet connecting portion) 111 is a member provided in the U-shaped tube 110, and is an open port for introducing a target liquid from the outside of the hollow fiber membrane module 100, bringing the target liquid into contact with the outer membrane path of the hollow fiber membranes 120, and allowing the target liquid to flow out to the outside of the hollow fiber membrane module 100. The hollow fiber membrane module 100 has at least two peripheral side connecting portions 111 corresponding to an inlet and an outlet of the target liquid, and is configured to communicate the peripheral side connecting portions 111 with the outer membrane path of the hollow fiber membranes 120. The end portion connection portions (second channel inlet connection portion and second channel outlet connection portion) 112 are members provided in the U-shaped tubes 110, and are open ports for introducing a target liquid from the outside of the hollow fiber membrane module 100, bringing the target liquid into contact with the intra-membrane paths (second channels) of the hollow fiber membranes 120, and allowing the target liquid to flow out to the outside of the hollow fiber membrane module 100. The hollow fiber membrane module 100 has at least two end connection portions 112 corresponding to an inlet and an outlet of the target liquid, and is configured to communicate the end connection portions 112 with the intra-membrane path of the hollow fiber membranes 120. The connection type of the peripheral side portion connection portion 111 and the end portion connection portion 112 may be a pipe joint type, a screw-in type, or the like, but may be selected as appropriate. The material of the peripheral side connecting portion 111 and the end connecting portion 112 may be selected as appropriate.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing three types of modifications of the hollow fiber membrane module 100 according to the present embodiment. These are structures in which the opening of the peripheral side portion connecting portion 111 is oriented differently from the structure of fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a modification of the structure of the hollow fiber membrane module 100, but other structures are possible, and the opening orientation of the circumferential side connecting portion 111 can be selected as appropriate depending on the installation space. The hollow fiber membrane module shown in fig. 1 to 3 has a structure in which one inlet and one outlet are provided as the peripheral side connecting portion 111, but may be provided in plurality.

Fig. 4 is an example of the interior of the hollow fiber membrane module 120 of the present embodiment, and is an enlarged view of the hollow fiber membrane support part 130. The U-shaped tube 110 preferably has a rough-finished portion 113 whose contact surface with the hollow fiber membrane support portion 130 is rough-finished on the inner side. This is because rough machining causes the hollow fiber membrane support portion 130 to be caught by the U-shaped pipe 110, which further improves the adhesion between the two and improves the liquid tightness, and prevents the hollow fiber membrane support portion 130 from coming off during high-pressure operation. The rough machining can be performed by file machining, thread machining, or the like, as long as the contact area is increased or a groove is formed.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the concentration device 200 of the present embodiment including the hollow fiber membrane module 100. The concentration device 200 includes pumps 210 and 220. The concentration device 200 uses a pump 210 to cause a target liquid to flow into an outer membrane path in the hollow fiber membrane module 100 from one inlet side (in fig. 5, the lower side connecting portion 111) of the peripheral side connecting portion 111 at a predetermined pressure, and to cause the target liquid to flow out from the other outlet side (in fig. 5, the upper peripheral side connecting portion 111) of the peripheral side connecting portion 111. Further, the target liquid is caused to flow into the membrane path in the hollow fiber membrane module 100 from one inlet side (the upper end connection portion 112 in fig. 5) of the end connection portions 112 at a pressure lower than the predetermined pressure by using the pump 220, and is caused to flow out from the other outlet side (the lower end connection portion 112 in fig. 5) of the end connection portions 112. The concentration device 200 may further include valves 230 and 240. In the concentration device 200, the pressures at which the target liquid is introduced into the membrane outer path and the membrane inner path are adjusted by controlling the driving of the pumps 210 and 220 and controlling the opening degrees of the valves 230 and 240. That is, in the concentration apparatus 200, the pumps 210 and 220 and/or the valves 230 and 240 function as liquid introduction means for introducing a target liquid into the hollow fiber membrane module 100. The predetermined pressure can be set appropriately.

As described above, the target liquid is introduced into the outer membrane path from the inlet-side peripheral side connecting portion 111 at a predetermined pressure, and the target liquid is introduced into the inner membrane path from the inlet-side end connecting portion 112 at a pressure lower than the predetermined pressure, and the introduced liquid operates as follows. The liquid to be introduced into the path outside the membrane is separated by the hollow fiber membrane 120 into a permeate that permeates the membrane and a concentrate that does not permeate the membrane, and the concentrate flows out from the peripheral side connecting portion 111 on the outlet side. On the other hand, the separated permeate and the target liquid introduced from the inlet-side end connection portion 112 into the intra-membrane path in the hollow-fiber membrane module 100 are merged and flow out as a diluent from the outlet-side end connection portion 112. Therefore, the concentrated liquid flowing out from the outlet-side peripheral side connection portion 111 is concentrated in comparison with the target liquid introduced from the inlet-side peripheral side connection portion 111, and the diluted liquid flowing out from the outlet-side end connection portion 112 is diluted in comparison with the target liquid introduced from the inlet-side end connection portion 112. The concentration of the target liquid introduced from the inlet-side peripheral side connecting portion 111 may be different from that of the target liquid introduced from the inlet-side end connecting portion 112.

The water injection starting tank 250 may be attached to the suction side of the pump 210 of the concentration device 200. The priming tank 250 is a device that removes air inside the pump 210 to suppress a decrease in the ejection rate due to an air lock. As shown in fig. 5, the priming tank 250 is disposed at a position higher than the pump 210, and the liquid from the priming tank 250 is sucked into the pump 210 before the target liquid is introduced into the hollow fiber membrane module 100, so that air in the pump 210 can be removed. The flow paths of the priming tank 250 and the target liquid are switched by a valve 260. The accumulator 270 may be provided on the discharge side of the pump 210. The accumulator 270 is a device that assists the supply of the target liquid to the hollow fiber membrane module 100 while suppressing fluctuations in the flow rate and pressure by suppressing the pump 210. Although not shown, the pump 220 may be provided with the priming tank 250 and/or the accumulator 270, if necessary.

As shown in fig. 5, a pressure regulator 280 may be attached to the valve 230. The pressure regulator 280 is a piping equipment that is adjusted to a constant pressure, and by adding this pressure regulator 280, there is an advantage that the adjustment of the predetermined pressure is easier, and the pressure fluctuation is suppressed and stabilized, compared with the case where only the opening degree of the valve 230 is adjusted. As the pressure regulator 280, a relief valve (back pressure valve) for adjusting pressure by adjusting the strength of a spring contained therein or the pressing of the spring, an orifice for applying back pressure according to a predetermined opening diameter, or the like can be used. Although not shown, a pressure regulator 280 may be attached to the front stage of the valve 240. Further, although not shown, the target liquid may be circulated by introducing the concentrated liquid flowing out from the outlet-side peripheral side connecting portion 111 into the pump 210 and introducing the diluted liquid flowing out from the outlet-side end connecting portion 112 into the pump 220.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of another concentration apparatus 300 using the hollow fiber membrane module 100. The concentrator 300 includes a pump 310 and valves 320 and 330. The concentration device 300 causes the target liquid to flow into the membrane outer path in the hollow fiber membrane module 100 from one inlet side (the lower peripheral side connecting portion 111 in fig. 6) of the peripheral side connecting portion 111 at a predetermined pressure by using the pump 310, and causes the target liquid to flow out from the other outlet side (the upper peripheral side connecting portion 111 in fig. 6) of the peripheral side connecting portion 111. Further, a part of the concentrated liquid flowing out from the peripheral side connection 111 on the outlet side is caused to flow into the membrane path in the hollow fiber membrane module 100 from the inlet side (in fig. 6, the upper end connection 112) which is one of the end connections 112 at a pressure lower than the predetermined pressure by using the valves 320 and 330, and a part of the concentrated liquid is caused to flow out from the outlet side (in fig. 6, the lower end connection 112) which is the other of the end connections 112. In the concentration apparatus 300, the pump 310 and the valves 230 and 240 function as a liquid introduction mechanism for introducing a target liquid into the hollow fiber membrane module 100. The predetermined pressure can be set appropriately.

In the concentration device 300, a concentrated solution obtained by concentrating a target liquid flows out from the peripheral side connection 111 on the outlet side, and a diluted solution obtained by diluting the target liquid flows out from the end connection 112 on the outlet side. The valves 320 and 330 are used to adjust the ratio of the recovery amount of the concentrated liquid to the inflow amount of the concentrated liquid introduced into the inlet-side end connection portion 112.

The concentrator 300 may be provided with a priming tank 340, an accumulator 360, and a pressure regulator 370 as necessary. The concentrated liquid flowing out from the outlet-side peripheral portion connecting portion 111 may be introduced into the pump 310 to circulate the target liquid.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a concentration device 400 in which five (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e) hollow fiber membrane modules 100 according to the present embodiment are connected, and only a part of the connected hollow fiber membrane modules is shown. The outlet-side circumferential-side connection portion 111a of the first hollow-fiber membrane module 100a is connected to the inlet-side circumferential-side connection portion 111b of the second hollow-fiber membrane module 100 b. Further, an outlet-side end connection portion 112b of the second hollow fiber membrane module 100b is connected to an inlet-side end connection portion 112a of the first hollow fiber membrane module 100 a.

In the concentration apparatus 400 shown in fig. 7, a configuration in which five hollow fiber membrane modules 100 are connected is illustrated, but the number of connected hollow fiber membrane modules 100 is not limited. In fig. 7, the hollow fiber membrane modules 100 are arranged so as to be connected in the vertical direction, but the hollow fiber membrane modules 100 may be arranged so as to be connected in the horizontal direction, or a combination thereof may be used. In addition, hollow fiber membrane modules having different opening directions of the peripheral side connecting portion 111 may be used in combination. In this way, the number and arrangement of the hollow fiber membrane modules 100 to be connected and the direction of the opening of the circumferential side connecting part 111 of the hollow fiber membrane module to be used can be freely combined. Therefore, the space for installing the concentration device 400 can be adapted. In fig. 7, the configuration of the concentration device 200 is applied to other configurations such as a pump and a valve of the concentration device 400, but the configuration of the concentration device 300 may be applied.

In the concentration apparatuses 200, 300, and 400, piping equipment such as a switching valve and a joint, and measuring instruments such as a flow meter, a pressure gauge, and a thermometer may be appropriately installed. The operating conditions such as pressure, flow rate, and temperature may be set according to the concentration and the treatment amount of the target liquid.

By using the hollow fiber membrane module and the concentration device of the present invention described above, the concentration of the target liquid can be performed more efficiently than the reverse osmosis membrane method (RO method). Further, the U-shaped pipe 110 has a shape in which the longitudinal dimension of the module is about half of that of a straight pipe of a straight line type, and therefore, there is an advantage of saving space as a concentration device. When the circumferential side connection portion 111 and the end connection portion 112 are open as shown in fig. 1 and 2, maintenance such as removal of the connection pipes of the circumferential side connection portion 111 and the end connection portion 112 is facilitated in the concentrator in which the hollow fiber membrane modules 100 are connected as shown in fig. 7.

The presently disclosed embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

Claims (4)

1. A concentration device comprising a membrane module having a first channel and a second channel separated by a semipermeable membrane,

the membrane module has a U-shaped pipe in which the semipermeable membrane is disposed, a first channel inlet connection portion and a first channel outlet connection portion which are an inlet and an outlet of the first channel, and a second channel inlet connection portion and a second channel outlet connection portion which are an inlet and an outlet of the second channel,

the concentration device includes a liquid introduction mechanism that introduces a target liquid into the first channel from the first channel inlet connection portion at a predetermined pressure, separates the target liquid into a concentrated liquid and a permeated liquid through the semipermeable membrane, allows the permeated liquid to permeate into a second channel, and allows the concentrated liquid to flow out from the first channel outlet connection portion, and that introduces the target liquid into the second channel from the second channel inlet connection portion at a pressure lower than the predetermined pressure, and allows a diluted liquid diluted by merging with the permeated liquid to flow out from the second channel outlet connection portion.

2. The concentrator of claim 1,

the semipermeable membrane is a hollow fiber membrane which is filled in the U-shaped pipe in a U shape,

a hollow fiber membrane support part is provided at both ends of the U-shaped pipe, and the hollow fiber membranes are liquid-tightly fixed to the U-shaped pipe in a state where the hollow fiber ends are open by the hollow fiber membrane support part,

the concentration device is configured such that the first channel inlet connection portion and the first channel outlet connection portion communicate with an extra-membrane path of the hollow fiber membranes as the first channel, and the second channel inlet connection portion and the second channel outlet connection portion communicate with an intra-membrane path of the hollow fiber membranes as the second channel.

3. The concentrator of claim 2,

the contact surface of the U-shaped pipe and the hollow fiber membrane supporting part is roughly processed.

4. The concentrating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the concentration apparatus is provided with a plurality of the membrane modules,

the first flow path outlet connection part of the nth membrane module is connected with the first flow path inlet connection part of the (n + 1) th membrane module,

the second channel outlet connection of the (n + 1) th membrane module is connected to the second channel inlet connection of the nth membrane module.

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