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KR-102962630-B1 - hollow fiber module

KR102962630B1KR 102962630 B1KR102962630 B1KR 102962630B1KR-102962630-B1

Abstract

A hollow fiber module comprising a plurality of hollow fiber cartridges is disclosed. Each hollow fiber cartridge comprises a semipermeable hollow fiber bundle, said bundle extending longitudinally along the length of the bundle and surrounded by an outer shell potted with resin at both ends, defining an inner volume for processing a first solution and an outer volume for processing a second solution, said outer shell is provided with a port for receiving the second solution to be processed in the outer volume and another port for discharging the processed second solution. The hollow fiber module comprises a first end cap including an inlet for the first solution and a distributor for distributing the first solution to a first end of each hollow fiber cartridge, and a second end cap including a collector for collecting the processed first solution from a second end of each hollow fiber cartridge and an outlet for the processed first solution. The module also includes a first connector comprising an inlet for a second solution and a distributor for dispensing the second solution to the ports of each hollow fiber cartridge, and a second connector comprising a collector for collecting the processed second solution from the other ports of each hollow fiber cartridge and an outlet for the processed second solution. The module meets market demand for hollow fiber modules with a large membrane area.

Inventors

  • 묄러 미카엘 홀
  • 트샤스쿠스 크지슈토프
  • 안데르센 마즈 프리스
  • 응우옌 수안 퉁
  • 알비스 사이먼
  • 순 주오페이

Assignees

  • 아쿠아포린 에이에스

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20191211
Priority Date
20181212

Claims (17)

  1. As a hollow fiber module, a. A plurality of hollow fiber cartridges, each comprising a semipermeable hollow fiber bundle, wherein the bundle extends longitudinally along the length of the bundle and is surrounded by an outer shell potted with resin at both ends, wherein an inner volume for processing a first solution and an outer volume for processing a second solution are defined such that a first solution or a processed first solution and a second solution or a processed second solution do not fluidly communicate without passing through the semipermeable hollow fiber, and wherein the outer shell is provided with a first port for receiving the second solution to be processed in the outer volume and a second port for discharging only the processed second solution; b. A first end cap comprising a first solution inlet and an end cap distributor for dispensing the first solution to a first end of each hollow fiber cartridge; c. A second end cap comprising an end cap collector for collecting a first solution processed from a second end of each hollow fiber cartridge and an outlet for the first solution processed; d. A first connector comprising a connector distributor for distributing the second solution to an inlet for the second solution and a first port of each hollow fiber cartridge; and e. A second connector comprising a connector collector for collecting a second solution processed from a second port of each hollow fiber cartridge and an outlet for the second solution processed Includes, On the side of the first or second end cap facing the cartridge, a cup-shaped receiving portion is provided to receive the corresponding end of the hollow fiber cartridge, and At least one of the end cap distributor of the first end cap and the end cap collector of the second end cap includes an opening between two adjacent cup-shaped receiving portions provided at the bottom of the related cup-shaped receiving portion to allow liquid exchange between the cup-shaped receiving portions, and A hollow fiber module in which the first and second end caps are connected to a cover tube around their circumference, and the cover tube encloses a plurality of cartridges in the longitudinal direction.
  2. As a hollow fiber module, a. A plurality of hollow fiber cartridges, each comprising a semipermeable hollow fiber bundle, wherein the bundle extends longitudinally along the length of the bundle and is surrounded by an outer shell potted with resin at both ends, wherein an inner volume for processing a first solution and an outer volume for processing a second solution are defined such that a first solution or a processed first solution and a second solution or a processed second solution do not fluidly communicate without passing through the semipermeable hollow fiber, and wherein the outer shell is provided with a first port for receiving the second solution to be processed in the outer volume and a second port for discharging only the processed second solution; b. A first end cap comprising a first solution inlet and an end cap distributor for dispensing the first solution to a first end of each hollow fiber cartridge; c. A second end cap comprising an end cap collector for collecting a first solution processed from a second end of each hollow fiber cartridge and an outlet for the first solution processed; d. A first connector comprising a connector distributor for distributing the second solution to an inlet for the second solution and a first port of each hollow fiber cartridge; and e. A second connector comprising a connector collector for collecting a second solution processed from a second port of each hollow fiber cartridge and an outlet for the second solution processed Includes, The first and second end caps are connected to a cover tube around their circumference, and the cover tube surrounds a plurality of cartridges in the longitudinal direction, and The first or second end cap is integral with the first or second connector, and A connector distributor or connector collector comprises a first tube plate having a hole for receiving a plurality of hollow fiber cartridges, a second tube plate receiving the ends of a plurality of hollow fiber cartridges, and a second solution chamber defined by an end cap, wherein the first and second tube plates are positioned on both sides of the ports of the plurality of hollow fiber cartridges axially with respect to the longitudinal range of the cartridge so that the second solution chamber is liquid-tight.
  3. In Article 2, A hollow fiber module comprising an end cap distributor or end cap collector, wherein the end cap distributor or end cap collector includes a first solution chamber defined by the interior of a second tube plate and an end cap, and the first solution chamber is configured to be in fluid communication with the end of a hollow fiber cartridge and the inlet or outlet of the first solution.
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Description

hollow fiber module The present disclosure relates to a hollow fiber module comprising a plurality of hollow fiber cartridges, such as three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine cartridges. Integrating a plurality of hollow fiber cartridges into a single module satisfies the industry's demand for modules with a large membrane area. The trend in module design is to secure progressively increasing membrane area. In the case of hollow fiber modules, simply increasing the number of fibers in the module bundle can be one way to secure a larger membrane area. However, this method of increasing the membrane area of a single module beyond a certain threshold complicates the production process of the membrane module. When producing hollow fiber modules, a polymer resin is used to cast ("pot") hollow fiber bundles at each end of the module. It is important that the polymer resin used is cast uniformly around the fiber ends and that bubbles are prevented. A preferred method for achieving this effect is to rotate the polymer resin using a centrifuge, as disclosed in, for example, US 4,190,411 A. Centrifugal casting of the potting material is effective as the module size and/or fiber size decreases, but if the module size exceeds a certain threshold, the centrifugal potting method is not feasible, and static potting is preferred for production. However, it has been proven difficult to use the static method when the fiber, particularly the bundle of dialysis fibers, is large and the fiber diameter is small. The present invention proposes a hollow fiber module with an increased membrane area. In the following detailed parts of the disclosure, aspects, embodiments, and implementations will be described in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the module. Figure 2 is a top view of the end cap. Figure 3 shows a module in a cut state to examine the inner side in detail. Figure 4 shows a detailed example of the embodiment of Figure 3. Figure 5 illustrates an enlarged cut section of the module. Figure 6 shows a part of the connector. Figure 7 shows a partial cut connector. FIG. 8 illustrates the cap of the module viewed from the inside. Figure 9 shows an exploded view of a module in which only 2 of the 6 cartridges are present. FIG. 10 shows an embodiment in which cartridges are positioned extending from each other. FIG. 11 shows a second embodiment using an adapter between a cup-shaped receiving portion and a hollow fiber cartridge. FIG. 12 discloses an embodiment in which the end cap is integrated with the connector. FIG. 13 shows a third embodiment in detail with the end cap removed. In the embodiments described below, structures and features identical or similar to the corresponding structures and features previously described or illustrated in this specification are indicated by the same reference numerals previously used for brevity. FIGS. 1 through 9 illustrate the same embodiment of the present invention. A hollow fiber module (1) comprises six hollow fiber cartridges (2). Each cartridge comprises a bundle of semipermeable hollow fibers, that is, hollow fibers that are permeable to some types of materials but not to others. An outer sheath (3) is provided around the bundle of semipermeable fibers. The outer sheath (3) extends longitudinally along the length of the bundle of hollow fibers. At the ends (9, 12) of the bundle, the fibers are potted using a polymer resin. Since the polymer resin fixes the individual fibers to a resin matrix and connects to the inside of the ends of the outer sheath (3), the resin is essentially level with the edge of the outer sheath. The semipermeable fiber bundles are potted in the polymer resin so that the hollow interior of the fibers can be used for centripetal or centrifugal flow of liquid. When fibers are potted into the outer shell, the lumen-side volume is defined by the internal space (lumen) of the fibers, and the outer shell-side volume is defined by the external space of the fibers, which is defined by the inner side of the outer shell and the inner side of the polymer resin matrix. The outer shell (3) is provided with a port (5') for receiving a solution and another port (5") for discharging the treated solution. The ports (5', 5") are spaced apart from each other along the length of the cartridge so that the material can be exchanged through a semipermeable membrane when the solution is transported from the inlet port (5') to the outlet port (5"). In the illustrated embodiment, the port is a tap extending radially from the axis of the cartridge. However, other embodiments are conceivable, including an embodiment in which the port (5') is merely an opening for receiving a solution from a source and the port (5") is an opening for delivering the treated solution to a recipient. Six hollow fiber cartridges are positioned within the module. A first end cap (6) is provided at one end of the module.