Gas and liquid contact apparatus – Contact devices – Porous sheet
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-31
2003-12-09
Bushey, C. Scott (Department: 1724)
Gas and liquid contact apparatus
Contact devices
Porous sheet
C261S104000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06659433
ABSTRACT:
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-264703 filed on Aug. 31, 2000 in Japan. The contents of the aforementioned application are hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a humidifier to isolate moisture in a gas with hollow fiber membranes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As humidifier which exchanges moisture with this species of hollow fiber membrane, this applicant is proposing a humidifier (Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-202977).
FIGS. 8 and 9
are indicating this humidifier
50
, a plurality of hollow fiber membrane modules
52
are supported in a pair of head block
51
. Each hollow fiber membrane module
52
is comprised of the structure that the bunch of water permeable hollow fiber membrane
54
(herein after called as hollow fiber membrane) is axially inserted into a cylindrical housing
53
in which the both ends are opened, and both ends of the bunch of hollow fiber membrane
54
are stuck through a resin in the inner face of both ends of a cylindrical housing
53
, and what is more, a plurality of peripheral aperture
55
which becomes inlet and outlet port for gas is peripherally established at interval on the both end of peripheral portion of housing
53
of each hollow membrane module
52
.
A pair of head block
51
are supported by inserting said hollow fiber membrane module
52
into between each supporting hole
56
opening in the inner face of head block
51
. Therefore, when a pair of head block
51
is connected together, a plurality of peripheral apertures
55
established in both ends of each peripheral housing
53
are consecutively pierced into the expanded cylindrical first chamber
58
in the center portion of supporting hole
56
of each head block
51
, apertures in both end of each hollow fiber membrane
54
are consecutively pierced into second chamber
59
which is sectioned inside of each head block
51
.
Each first chamber
58
and second chamber
59
is consecutively pierced into the first passage
60
and the second passage
61
respectively through the first common passage
62
and the second common passage
63
sectioned in each head block
51
respectively. This causes moisture in humid gas to move to peripheral surface of each hollow membrane
54
due to capillary phenomenon (capillary condensation phenomenon) when high humidity gas is supplied into the second passage
61
while low humidity gas (including a dry gas) is supplied into the first passage
60
, consequently, this moisture humidifies low humid gas circulating through the first passage
60
.
In this way, said humidifier
50
sections the first passage
60
, the second passage
61
, the first common passage
62
, the second common passage
63
, the first chamber
58
, the second chamber
59
and a supporting hole
56
in a pair of head block
51
, and then the first passage
60
and the second passage
61
are communicated with the housing
53
of each hollow fiber membrane module
52
and each hollow fiber membrane
54
through the first chamber
58
and the second chamber
59
respectively, however, end mill machining or drill machining is indispensable to form said first passage
60
and the second passage
61
, etc in one head block
51
, what is more, boring machining by boring lathe is indispensable to form the first chamber
58
and the second chamber
59
. Therefore, these cause complication and increasing man-hour, consequently it is not provided inexpensively.
Furthermore, said humidifier
50
is adopting the structure to communicate the first passage
60
with housing
53
of hollow fiber membrane module
52
through the first chamber
58
and a plurality of peripheral aperture
55
, but even though a route section is invariable, a pressure loss is occurred in response to the distance from the joint portion of the first passage
60
and the first common passage
62
to each first chamber
58
and the circumferential distance from the first chamber
58
to each peripheral aperture
55
, which causes a flow rate disproportion, consequently, moisture exchanging rate is variable in every each hollow fiber module
52
.
For the reason of this, pressure loss must be decreased by enlarging route section of the first passage
60
,the second passage
61
, the first common passage
62
, the second common passage
63
, the first chamber
58
and the second chamber
59
, but end mill machining or drill machining and boring machining to form holes for an object of rotation can not help for enlarging a diameter of establishing hole, consequently, these can not contribute to downsizing and lightening a head block
51
.
What is more, In said humidifier
50
, connecting the second passage
61
to the second common passage
63
communicating with between each second chamber
59
for communication allows the gas for moisture exchanging to circulate in each hollow fiber membrane
54
of each hollow fiber membrane module
52
, however, when assuming a pressure loss at the passage based on the joint point of the second passage
60
, the flow rate of each hollow fiber membrane
54
is different respectively.
For the reason of this, a diameter of establishing hole to form the second passage
61
, the second passage
63
and the second chamber
59
can not help for expanding to enlarge the head block
51
to cope with a pressure loss by end mill machining or drill machining and boring machining.
Besides, this applicant is proposing another humidifier in (Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-202977). This humidifier is supporting a plurality of hollow fiber membrane modules on a pair of bulkheads positioned at intervals each other to comprise a head block which sections said first passage and the second passage with the bulkhead at the left, right, up and down. However, this is not sufficient to solve said object.
The primary object of the present invention is to make simple structure, easy manufacturing and assembling. Furthermore, the second object of the present invention is to practically improve the moisture-exchanging rate of a humidifier.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is proposed to attain the primary object, and is to provide a humidifier comprised of a cylindrical housing in which a plurality of hollow fiber membranes inserted therein and a plurality of peripheral apertures disposed thereon are established and both ends of the housing are opened, a first plate having a dent portion on a part of the surface, and a second plate having a dent portion on a part of the surface, in addition, a plurality of plates including said first and second plates being overlapped whereby the dent portion of said first plate forms a first passage and the dent portion of said second plate forms a second passage, and said first passage being connected to said peripheral apertures and said second passage being connected to both ends of said open ends of the housing whereby moisture-exchange between a first fluid passing through said first passage to be introduced into the outside of said hollow fiber membranes and a second fluid passing through said second passage to be introduced into the inside of said hollow fiber membranes. That is to say, when said first passage and second passage are sectioned by denting a contact surface of a plurality of plate polymerized each other, these two passage can be formed under the condition to have made open the first passage and the second passage out.
This allows the first passage and the second passage to be formed and assembled easily with machining, casting and press working. Of course forming said first passage and second passage with casting or press working is less expensive.
Furthermore, the present invention may provide a humidifier comprised of at least one hollow fiber membrane module formed by inserting into a cylindrical housing, both ends of which are opened, a bunch of water-permeable hollow fiber membrane along the axis of said housing, fixing both ends of said bunch at the outer circumference sides onto both e
Katagiri Toshikatsu
Kusano Yoshio
Shimanuki Hiroshi
Suziki Motohiro
Bushey C. Scott
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Lahive & Cockfield LLP
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