Porous cylindrical-body module, structure for supporting porous cylindrical bodies, and method for fastening a supporting member

A porous cylindrical-body supporting structure in which a predetermined supporting member for annularly covering an outer peripheral surface of a porous cylindrical body is fastened to a part in a longitudinal direction of the porous cylindrical body having many gas-permeable pores which communicate with an exterior of a circumferential wall with an interior thereof and though which a predetermined gas containing gas molecules of different diameters permeates, comprising:

• (a) a first seal portion made of a first sealing material for fastening the porous cylindrical body and the supporting member together so as to tightly seal a gap therebetween;
• (b) a porous membrane that is provided to annularly cover the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylindrical body to communicate the gas-permeable pore to the exterior;
• and
• (c) a second seal portion made of a second sealing material that is annularly provided at a boundary between the porous membrane and the first seal portion so as to close the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylindrical body and that has a softening point lower than a temperature at which the porous membrane is formed.

A method for fastening a supporting member, annularly covering an outer peripheral surface of a porous cylindrical body, to a part in a longitudinal direction of the porous cylindrical body having many gas-permeable pores which an exterior of a circumferential wall of the porous cylindrical body to an interior thereof, and through which a predetermined gas containing gas molecules of different diameters permeates, comprising:

• (a) a first sealing step to fasten the supporting member to the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylindrical body with a first sealing material and thereby tightly sealing a gap therebetween with a first seal portion made of the first sealing material;
• (b) a membrane forming step to cover the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylindrical body, to which the supporting member is fastened, with a porous membrane communicating the gas-permeable pore with the exterior;
• and
• (c) a second sealing step to seal a boundary between the porous membrane and the first seal portion with a second sealing material having a softening point lower than a temperature at which the porous membrane is formed, thereby closing the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylindrical body with an annular second seal portion made of the second sealing material.

A porous cylindrical-body module, comprising:

• (a) a plurality of porous cylindrical bodies each of which has a porous cylindrical circumferential wall permeable to a predetermined gas containing gas molecules of different diameters, both ends of each of which are opened, and which are bundled together so as to be kept apart from each other with a predetermined distance;
• (b) a dense cylindrical body which has a dense cylindrical circumferential wall impermeable to the predetermined gas, both ends of which are opened, and which is bundled together with the plurality of porous cylindrical bodies so as to be kept apart from the plurality of porous cylindrical bodies with a predetermined distance;
• (c) a connection path to guide gas that is discharged from ends of the plurality of porous cylindrical bodies, all of which are located on the same side in the longitudinal direction of the porous cylindrical body, into the interior of the dense cylindrical body from an end thereof, which is located on the same side as the ends of the plurality of porous cylindrical bodies;
• (d) a sweep-gas supplying portion which is provided at the other end of each of the plurality of porous cylindrical bodies to supply a sweep gas from the other end of each of the plurality of porous cylindrical bodies;
• and
• (e) a lid member made of a dense material impermeable to the predetermined gas, wherein the lid member is airtightly fastened to a supporting body so as to form a gas chamber between a surface of the supporting body and the lid member and having a through-hole that functions as the sweep-gas supplying portion by communicating the gas chamber to an exterior of the gas chamber, and
• wherein the other end of each of the plurality of porous cylindrical bodies is opened to the interior of the gas chamber, and the other end of the dense cylindrical body is caused to pass through the lid member and is opened outside the gas chamber.

A porous cylindrical-body module, comprising:

• (a) a plurality of porous cylindrical bodies each of which has a porous cylindrical circumferential wall permeable to a predetermined gas, both ends of each of which are opened, and which are bundled together so as to be kept apart from each other with a predetermined distance;
• (b) a dense cylindrical body which has a dense cylindrical circumferential wall impermeable to the predetermined gas, both ends of which are opened, and which is bundled together with the plurality of porous cylindrical bodies so as to be kept apart from the plurality of porous cylindrical bodies with a predetermined distance;
• (c) a connection path to guide the gas that is discharged from ends of the plurality of porous cylindrical bodies, all of which are located on the same side in the longitudinal direction of the porous cylindrical body, into the interior of the dense cylindrical body from an end thereof which is located on the same side as the ends of the plurality of porous cylindrical bodies;
• (d) a sweep-gas supplying portion which is provided at the other end of each of the plurality of porous cylindrical bodies to supply a sweep gas from the other end of each of the plurality of porous cylindrical bodies;
• and
• (e) a lid member made of a porous material permeable to the sweep gas, which is fastened to a surface of a supporting body while closing an opening of the other end of each of the plurality of porous cylindrical bodies, and through which the other end of the dense cylindrical body is caused to pass.