Spiral membrane element and process for producing the same

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a spiral membrane element that can form a uniform fiber reinforcement layer on an outer circumferential surface by a simple process without a great change in the materials, as well as a process for producing the same. The spiral membrane element of the present invention is a spiral membrane element which is provided with a cylindrical roll R in which a separation membrane, a feed-side flow passageway member, and a permeate-side flow passageway member 3 are spirally wound in a laminate state around a perforated center tube 5 and in which a sealing part for preventing mixing of feed-side fluid and permeate-side fluid is disposed, wherein at least one sheet of the permeate-side flow passageway member 3 has a fiber cloth 23 a extended or connected to the outer circumferential side, and the fiber cloth 23 a is wound around an outer circumference of said cylindrical roll R, impregnated with a resin and hardened to thereby form a fiber reinforcement layer.

1 - 6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . A method of making a spiral membrane element comprising:
 winding a first portion of a continuous sheet around a perforated tube, wherein the first portion comprises at least part of a permeate-side flow passageway member having a separation membrane, a feed-side flow passageway member, and a sealing part coupled to the permeate-side flow passageway member, and wherein the sealing part is configured to prevent mixing of feed-side fluid and permeate-side fluid in the spiral membrane element after winding;   winding a second portion of the continuous sheet around the first portion of the continuous sheet, wherein a resin is applied on a side of the second portion of the continuous sheet that faces the perforated tube after winding; and   hardening the resin to form a fiber reinforcement layer around the first portion of the continuous sheet.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the second portion comprises a segment of the permeate-side passageway member extending from the separation membrane, the feed-side flow passageway member, and the sealing part. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the second portion comprises a fabric sheet connected to the first portion of the continuous sheet. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the second portion comprises a peeling sheet on a side opposite where the resin is applied. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising removing the peeling sheet after hardening the resin. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the sealing part comprises an adhesive having a thixotropy property. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein a viscosity of the resin applied to the second portion is lower than a viscosity of the adhesive. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 7 , the method further comprising:
 winding a third portion of the continuous sheet around the second portion of the continuous sheet;   fixing part of the third portion of the continuous sheet to an underlying layer to maintain the continuous sheet under tension while hardening the resin; and   removing the third portion of the continuous sheet after hardening the resin.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein an end of the continuous sheet is connected to the perforated tube. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 7 , the method further comprising disposing a resin sheet between the first portion of the continuous sheet and the second portion of the continuous sheet. 
     
     
         17 . A spiral membrane element prepared according to the method of  claim 7 . 
     
     
         18 . A spiral membrane element comprising:
 a first portion of a continuous sheet wound around a perforated tube, wherein a separation membrane, a feed-side flow passageway member, and a sealing part are coupled to the first portion of the continuous sheet, and wherein the sealing part is configured to prevent mixing of feed-side fluid and permeate-side fluid in the spiral membrane element; and   a second portion of the continuous sheet wound around a side of the first portion of the continuous sheet opposite the perforated tube, wherein the second portion of the continuous sheet is impregnated with a resin to form a fiber reinforcement layer.   
     
     
         19 . The spiral membrane element of  claim 18 , wherein the first portion of the continuous sheet comprises at least part of a permeate-side flow passageway member. 
     
     
         20 . The spiral membrane element of  claim 19 , wherein the second portion of the continuous sheet comprises a segment of the permeate-side flow passageway member. 
     
     
         21 . The spiral membrane element of  claim 18 , wherein the second portion of the continuous sheet comprises a fabric sheet connected to the permeate-side flow passageway member. 
     
     
         22 . The spiral membrane element of  claim 18 , further comprising a resin sheet between the first portion of the continuous sheet and the second portion of the continuous sheet. 
     
     
         23 . The spiral membrane element of  claim 18 , wherein an end of the continuous sheet is connected to the perforated tube. 
     
     
         24 . A method of making a spiral membrane element comprising:
 winding a first portion of a continuous sheet around a perforated tube, wherein the first portion comprises at least part of a permeate-side flow passageway member having a separation membrane, a feed-side flow passageway member, and a sealing part coupled to the permeate-side flow passageway member, and wherein the sealing part is configured to prevent mixing of feed-side fluid and permeate-side fluid in the spiral membrane element after winding;   winding a second portion of the continuous sheet around the first portion of the continuous sheet, wherein a resin is applied to the second portion of the continuous sheet;   winding a third portion of the continuous sheet around the second portion of the continuous sheet;   fixing part of the third portion of the continuous sheet to an underlying layer to maintain the continuous sheet under tension;   hardening the resin to form a fiber reinforcement layer around the first portion of the continuous sheet; and   removing the third portion of the continuous sheet after hardening the resin.