JP2741394B2 - Hollow fiber bundle storage device in cylindrical body - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an apparatus for inserting a hollow fiber bundle into a cylindrical body for a membrane module suitable for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane filtration module.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, when a hollow fiber bundle is inserted in a loop into a cylindrical body, the hollow fiber bundle is wound around the skein by hand, and the middle portion is cut with scissors to process the hollow fiber bundle into a loop. Has been adopted to insert the inside of a cylindrical body.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, manual processing of the hollow fiber bundle into the loop and insertion into the cylindrical body becomes very difficult as the cartridge becomes smaller, and the productivity is low.

[Means for solving the problem]

The apparatus according to the present invention is intended to improve the productivity by automatically performing the loop-shaped processing of the hollow fiber bundle and the insertion into the cartridge, which are difficult to perform manually.

In order to solve this problem, in the present invention, a fixed length feed mechanism,
The suction mechanism, nip mechanism, cutting mechanism, and insertion mechanism are linked to solve the problem.

That is, the gist of the present invention is to provide a hollow fiber feed device 1, a bundle portion 2 for bundling and guiding a large number of hollow fibers sent from the feed device 1, and a vertical portion below the bundle portion 2 below the bundle portion 2. The movable straw guide 3, the suction device 4, and a fixed cylindrical shape which is below the straw guide 3 and whose upper end can be hermetically connected to the lower end of the straw guide 3 at the time of the lowest movement and which is connected to the suction device 4. Body 5, a nip 6 for holding a hollow fiber bundle arranged near the upper end inside the fixed cylindrical body 5, a horizontal plane below the lower end of the straw guide 3 at the time of the uppermost movement, and The moving cutter 7 arranged on the side, the vertical position is intermediate between the position of the moving cutter 7 and the nip 6 for gripping the hollow fiber bundle, and the membrane module horizontally arranged on the side of the hollow fiber bundle traveling path. Tubular body gripper 8 at rest Further, a hollow fiber bundle of a predetermined length cut by a movable cutter is pushed from the side of the hollow fiber bundle traveling path on the side opposite to the hollow cylindrical fiber body gripping portion 8, and the hollow cylindrical fiber grip for the membrane module is pressed. The upper end of the insertion rod 9 for insertion into the part and the fixed cylindrical body 5 is lower than the horizontal plane where the movable cutter 7 starts, and the straw guide 3 at the time of the lowest movement is hollowed. The hollow fiber bundle storage device is a hollow body that can be stored in a tubular module for a membrane module comprising a pair of boot guides 10, 10 'divided vertically in a horizontal plane in which the insertion rod 9 is moved.

 Hereinafter, the device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing one embodiment of a hollow fiber bundle storage device in a cylindrical body for a membrane module according to the present invention.

First, the straw guide 3 moves to the lowermost position, and the lower end thereof is hermetically connected to the upper end of the fixed tubular body 5, and then the suction device 4 operates. In this state, the hollow fiber bundle is supplied from the feed device 1. The hollow fiber bundle enters the straw guide while being sucked from above the straw guide 3 through the collecting portion 2, and the feed device 1 stops when the lower end (that is, the tip end) of the hollow fiber bundle reaches the nip 6. .

Subsequently, the nip 6 operates to grip the lower end of the hollow fiber bundle,
The suction device 4 stops. Next, after the straw guide 3 moves to the uppermost position, the moving cutter 7 cuts the hollow fiber bundle across the hollow fiber bundle traveling path.

Subsequently, the insertion rod 9 is moved to insert the hollow fiber bundle into the tubular holding portion 8 for the membrane module while pressing substantially the center of the cut hollow fiber bundle.

 One step is completed by such an operation.

A feed roller or the like can be used as the feed device 1 for the hollow fiber bundle, and the hollow fiber bundle supplied from the creel is sent to the collecting portion 2 by a fixed length by a feed roller operated by a servomotor or the like. Preferably, the surface of the feed roller is made of rubber or the like to prevent damage and slippage of the hollow fiber.

Usually, a tubular body is used as the convergence unit 2, and the hollow fiber bundle sent from the feed device 1 is supplied downward through the convergence unit 2. The entrance side of the convergence section 2 is preferably funnel-shaped in order to smoothly introduce the hollow fiber bundle, and the tubular body forming the convergence section is preferably a transparent body so that the inside can be seen from the outside.

The straw guide 3 is a guide for smoothly guiding the tip of the hollow fiber bundle to the position of the nip 6 without damaging the hollow fiber bundle, and is moved up and down by an air cylinder or the like with an auto switch.

The suction device 4 is used to guide the hollow fiber bundle downward without sagging, and a rotary vacuum pump or the like can be used.

The fixed tubular body 5 has a space inside the upper part for accommodating the nip 6 for grasping the hollow fiber bundle, and may have any structure as long as it can be sucked by the suction device 4. However, when the nip is released, the hollow fiber bundle falls by any chance. However, it is preferable that the diameter of the passage led to the suction device is small. Further, at a position below the nip 6, a mesh or the like for holding the hollow fiber bundle from below when releasing the nip may be arranged as necessary.

The nip 6 is for gripping the distal end of the hollow fiber bundle from its outer periphery, and is preferably made of a material that does not damage the hollow fiber, and may be, for example, a rubber-like material.
By gripping the hollow fiber bundle with this nip, the disturbance of the hollow fiber bundle when the straw guide is raised can be prevented. Further, the hollow fiber bundle can be easily cut by the movable cutter.

The movable cutter 7 has a structure capable of moving in a direction crossing the running portion of the hollow fiber bundle, and has a function of cutting the stationary hollow fiber bundle.

The membrane module tubular body gripping portion 8 is for storing and arranging the membrane module tubular body in that portion, and can have a structure that can be automatically or manually moved. Further, the upper surface side may be divided in the longitudinal direction so as to be openable and closable, so that the cylindrical body for the membrane module can be stored and removed.

The insertion rod 9 pushes the substantially central portion of the cut hollow fiber bundle of a predetermined length from the side to insert the hollow fiber bundle into the membrane module tubular body accommodated inside the membrane module tubular holding portion 8. Things. In order to facilitate the insertion, it is preferable that the tip portion which comes into contact with the hollow fiber bundle has a U-shaped or V-shaped groove.

The boot guides 10 and 10 'are mainly used to lightly hold the hollow fiber bundle cut by the movable cutter from the side to prevent the hollow fiber bundle from falling, and to facilitate the insertion of the hollow fiber bundle into the membrane module cylindrical body. It is provided to perform the following.
Accordingly, the inner diameter may be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the straw guide 3. In order to prevent damage, the surface (15 and 15 'in FIG. 1) with which the hollow fiber bundle comes into contact when the hollow fiber bundle is inserted into the cylindrical body for the membrane module should have a somewhat rounded structure. Is preferred.

The size of the membrane module cylindrical body used in the present invention is not particularly limited, but is usually a relatively small one having an outer diameter of about 80 mm or less and a total length of about 200 mm or less. Etc. can be appropriately changed according to the purpose.

Further, the hollow fiber bundle storage device of the present invention can be applied to known hollow fiber membranes including polyethylene, polysulfone, and cellulose.

In the hollow fiber bundle storage device of the present invention, in order to reliably insert the hollow fiber bundle into the membrane module tubular body, the membrane module tubular body gripper is connected to the insertion suction device 11. Can also. FIG. 3 shows an example of such a structure, in which a cylindrical body holding portion for a membrane module is divided into two, 8 and 8 ', and one of them is connected to an insertion vacuum device 11. In this case, the right grip 8 'is fixed and the left grip 8' can be moved in the left-right direction so that the membrane module tubular body can be attached and detached from the right of the grip 8 '. Can be.

The loop-shaped hollow fiber bundle accommodated in the tubular body for membrane module by the apparatus of the present invention is filtered by fixing the open end of the hollow fiber bundle with a known potting agent such as urethane or epoxy resin. Film module.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, the device of the present invention will be described with reference to examples.

Example 1 A hollow fiber bundle storage device having the structure shown in FIG. 1 was manufactured with the structure of the cylindrical body gripping portion for a membrane module shown in FIG.

A hollow polyethylene membrane having an outer diameter of 0.38 mm is used as the hollow fiber membrane, and the inner diameter is 8.5 m as the cylindrical body 12 for the membrane module.
A polycarbonate cylinder having a diameter of mφ and a length of 51 mm was used.

Reel 6 around which 16 hollow fiber membranes are wound in a bundle
The book was set on a creel, supplied, and sent to a feed roller via a snare guide. The feed roller is operated by a servo motor-the feed length of the batch of hollow fiber bundles is 120 mm.
And The entrance of the convergence unit 2 was funnel-shaped so that the hollow fiber bundle could easily enter the inside of the tube, and the subsequent circular tube was an acrylic pipe so that the inside of the tube could be seen from the outside. The outer diameter of the straw guide was 10 mmφ, and the inner diameter of the boot guide was 10.2 mmφ. The interval between the upper and lower boot guides 10, 10 'was 8 mm. Also, a V-shaped cut is provided at the tip of the insertion rod 9.

The straw guide 3, the moving cutter 7, the insertion rod 9, and the cylinder body gripping portion 8 for the membrane module are moved using an air cylinder manufactured by SMC Corporation with an automatic switch. Air suction was performed by a rotary vacuum pump.

In this way, the mechanism was such that each step was operated continuously, and only the attaching and detaching operations of the cylindrical body for the membrane module were performed manually.

In addition, the following safety mechanisms were provided to ensure work safety.
That is, after a series of steps are completed, the mechanism is such that the next step does not start unless a hollow cylindrical member for a membrane module in which the hollow fiber is not inserted is newly set in the holding portion 8.
When there is no hollow fiber bundle inside, the moving cutter does not operate. A photoelectric switch manufactured by Tateishi Electric Co., Ltd. was used to detect these tubular bodies and the hollow fiber bundle.

Also, a mechanism is provided in which the movable cutter 7 and the insertion rod 9 do not operate when the straw guide 3 is lowered.

When the storage of the hollow fiber bundle was performed in this way, it was possible to store 5 to 6 fibers per minute without damaging the hollow fiber bundle, and the result of the leak test after potting was good. .

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the device of the present invention, the work of storing the hollow fiber bundle in the tubular body can be performed almost automatically, and the productivity can be greatly improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a hollow fiber bundle storage device in a tubular body for a membrane module according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an arrangement relationship between the fixing tubular member 5 and the moving cutter 7 and the like, and shows a state where the straw guide 3 is moved to the lowermost position and the hollow fiber bundle 13 is gripped by the nip 6. I have. FIG. 3 shows a part of another embodiment, in which a cylindrical body gripping portion (8 and 8 ') for a membrane module is divided into two and an insertion suction device 11 is connected to one of them. The state is shown. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Hollow fiber feed device 2 ... Converging part 3 ... Straw guide 4 ... Suction device 5 ... Fixed cylindrical body 6 ... Hollow fiber gripping nip 7 ... Movable cutter 8 ... Membrane module tube Shaped body holding part 9 Insert rod 10 Boot guide 11 Suction device for insertion 12 Cylindrical body for membrane module 13 Hollow fiber bundle 14 Straw guide driving parts 15 and 15 'Hollow Contact surface of yarn bundle

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A feeding device (1) for hollow fibers, a converging portion (2) for converging and guiding a plurality of hollow fibers sent from the feeding device (1) downward, and a portion below the converging portion (2). The straw guide (3), which can be moved up and down, the suction device (4), and the lower end of the straw guide (3) can be hermetically connected to the lower end of the straw guide (3) at the time of lowermost movement. And a fixed tubular body (5) connected to the suction device (4), a nip (6) for holding a hollow fiber bundle disposed near the upper end inside the fixed tubular body (5), and when moving to the uppermost position The movable cutter (7) disposed in a horizontal plane below the lower end of the straw guide (3) and beside the hollow fiber bundle traveling portion, and the vertical position is the position of the movable cutter (7) and the hollow fiber. Water is located between the bundle gripping nip (6) and the side of the hollow fiber bundle running path. The gripping portion (8) for the membrane module arranged in the direction, and at the time of rest, on the opposite side of the hollow fiber bundle running path with respect to the running path of the hollow fiber bundle, and the moving cutter. An insertion rod (9) for pushing the cut hollow fiber bundle of a predetermined length from the side thereof and inserting it into the tubular holding portion for the membrane module, and a fixed tubular body (5).
And an upper end thereof is a hollow body which is below a horizontal plane on which the movable cutter (7) moves and which can accommodate the straw guide (3) at the time of the lowest movement in the hollow part. (9) A hollow fiber bundle storage device in a tubular body for a membrane module comprising a pair of boot guides (10) and (10 ') divided in the vertical direction on the moving horizontal plane.