Patent ID: 7387730

Claim:
A hollow fiber membrane module comprising: first and second housings each having an opening in open communication with a corresponding inner path within each respective housing, with each said opening being adapted to receive an end section of hollow fiber membranes bundled as a sheet; a plurality of hollow fiber membranes bundled as sheets, each sheet of bundled hollow fiber membranes having two end sections, with one end section being received in said opening of said first housing and the other end section being received in said opening in said second housing, both of said ends being fixed to a respective housing in a region about the respective opening by a fixing resin, and with the ends of the hollow fiber membranes in each sheet of bundled hollow fiber membranes being open and in communication with the inner path, wherein a maximum width (A) of the housings in an orthogonal direction with respect to a longitudinal direction of the hollow fiber membrane is no longer than 25 mm, a maximum deflection in the housings is not more than 1% of the distance between the two housings, each of the housings is provided with reinforcing rib sections over the longitudinal direction of the housing for strengthening the respective inner path that is in communication with the open ends of the hollow fiber membranes in order to prevent the housings from bending due to bubbles flowing in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the hollow fiber membranes, each housing is provided with at least one resin pouring section into which the fixing resin is poured, and a cross section of the housing is in an approximate H-letter, wherein the method for measuring the deflection is performed in such a way that: both ends of the housing which are to be measured are supported such that a hollow fiber membrane is disposed downwardly; another housing is supported such that the mass of the other housing is not applied to the housing which is to be measured; a 0.05 kg weight is suspended in every 5 cm interval between an end of the housing which is to be measured to the other end of the housing which is to be measured; a straightedge is applied on an upper surface of the housing which it to be measured; a distance is measured between the upper surface of the housing which is to be measured and the straightedge; and said maximum deflection is a maximum value of said distance.