Hollow fiber membrane element, hollow fiber membrane module, and method of forward osmosis water treatment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11944939-B2
Application number	US-201917283752-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2019
Priority date	Oct 19, 2018
Publication date	Apr 2, 2024
Grant date	Apr 2, 2024

Abstract

A hollow fiber membrane element, comprising: a core tube comprising a side face having a plurality of pores; and a hollow fiber membrane group consisting of a plurality of hollow fiber membranes disposed around the core tube, the hollow fiber membrane element being a both open-ended type hollow fiber membrane element in which both ends of the core tube and the plurality of hollow fiber membranes are open. The hollow fiber membrane group includes a first hollow fiber membrane layer composed of a plurality of first hollow fiber membranes disposed so as to surround the core tube and a second hollow fiber membrane layer composed of a plurality of second hollow fiber membranes disposed so as to surround the first hollow fiber membrane layer, and a permeability coefficient of the plurality of first hollow fiber membranes is smaller than a permeability coefficient of the plurality of second hollow fiber membranes.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hollow fiber membrane element, comprising:
a core tube comprising a side face having a plurality of pores;
a hollow fiber membrane group consisting of a plurality of hollow fiber membranes disposed around the core tube; and
resin walls securing the core tube and the hollow fiber membrane group at both ends,
the hollow fiber membrane element being a both open-ended type hollow fiber membrane element in which both ends of the core tube and the plurality of hollow fiber membranes are open,
the hollow fiber membrane group including a first hollow fiber membrane layer composed of a plurality of first hollow fiber membranes disposed so as to surround the core tube and a second hollow fiber membrane layer composed of a plurality of second hollow fiber membranes disposed so as to surround the first hollow fiber membrane layer,
a permeability coefficient of the plurality of first hollow fiber membranes being smaller than a permeability coefficient of the plurality of second hollow fiber membranes.

2. The hollow fiber membrane element according to claim 1 , wherein a rate of decrease of the permeability coefficient of the plurality of first hollow fiber membranes from the permeability coefficient of the plurality of second hollow fiber membranes is more than 0% and not more than 60%.

3. The hollow fiber membrane element according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow fiber membrane element has a shape of cylinder, and the ratio of a thickness of the first hollow fiber membrane layer to a total thickness of the first hollow fiber membrane layer and the second hollow fiber membrane layer is more than 0% and not more than 30%.

4. The hollow fiber membrane element according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of hollow fiber membranes are spirally wound around the core tube in a crisscross fashion.

5. A hollow fiber membrane module comprising:
the hollow fiber membrane element according to claim 1 ; and
a vessel accommodating at least one hollow fiber membrane element according to claim 1 .

6. A method of forward osmosis water treatment using the hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 5 , the method comprising:
a forward osmosis step involving flowing a treatment-target water containing water and a component other than water inside the plurality of hollow fiber membranes and flowing a draw solution containing a draw solute through the core tube to outside of the plurality of hollow fiber membranes, so as to allow water contained in the treatment-target water to move across the plurality of hollow fiber membranes toward the draw solution.

7. The method of forward osmosis water treatment according to claim 6 , wherein a concentration of the draw solution is 7 mass % or more.

Assignees

• Toyo Boseki
• Toyobo Mc Corp

Inventors

• Nakao Takahito
• Sakurai Hidehiko

Classifications

• B01D63/033

  Specific distribution of fibres within one potting or tube-sheet · CPC title

• B01D61/0022

  Apparatus therefor · CPC title

• B01D63/04 Primary

  comprising multiple hollow fibre assemblies · CPC title

• B01D63/065

  on the outer surface thereof · CPC title

• C02F1/445 Primary

  by forward osmosis · CPC title