JP3285427B2 - Emulsion manufacturing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for producing an emulsion, and more particularly to an apparatus and a method for producing an emulsion containing dispersed particles having a uniform particle size.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are various apparatuses for producing an emulsion by stirring and mixing liquids that do not mix with each other. Among them, the vibro mixer (VIBRO MIX)
ER (trade name, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-15247, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-29335) is widely used because a desired emulsion can be obtained quickly. The vibromixer includes a stirring body including a drive shaft and a spiral blade attached to the drive shaft. Then, at the time of stirring and mixing, the stirring body vibrates, and turbulence generated by the vibration promotes mixing of the fluid, thereby producing an emulsion.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned vibromixer has an advantage that an emulsion can be obtained easily and quickly, but has a problem that the particle size of the obtained emulsion varies.

Further, in order to solve such a problem, a mixing device using a porous pipe (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-265137) has been invented. Had the problem of falling.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an emulsion manufacturing apparatus and method capable of easily and quickly manufacturing an emulsion containing dispersed particles having a uniform particle size. Is to do.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in a mixing apparatus according to the present invention, a coarse emulsion having a nonuniform flow diameter is formed by a stirring and mixing apparatus, and the coarse emulsion is mixed with a porous material. The particles are discriminated by passing the particles through the filter to obtain an emulsion containing the discriminated particles, whereby an emulsion containing particles having uniform size is easily and quickly obtained.

That is, the emulsion manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 of the present application includes a porous pipe through which a fluid flows, and a stirrer disposed inside the porous pipe, and the vibration of the stirrer causes the porous pipe And a moving means for moving the fluid through the porous wall of the porous pipe.After the coarse emulsion is produced by the stirring means, the coarse emulsion is The method is characterized in that an emulsion containing dispersed particles having a discriminated particle size is produced by moving the particles through the porous wall and discriminating the dispersed particles of the coarse emulsion with the porous wall.

[0008] In the emulsion manufacturing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the emulsion manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect, the surface of the porous pipe is surface-treated to be hydrophilic or lipophilic. I do.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the emulsion manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect, the apparatus further comprises a partition plate for forming a plurality of mutually connected rooms inside the porous pipe. It is characterized by having.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the emulsion producing apparatus according to the first, second or third aspect, the apparatus further comprises a vibrating means for finely vibrating the dispersed particles in the coarse emulsion formed by the stirring means. It is characterized by having.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method for producing an emulsion, fluids which do not mix with each other are stirred and mixed by a stirring means including a vibrating stirrer to form a coarse emulsion, and the obtained coarse emulsion is used as a porous material. To produce an emulsion containing dispersed particles having a predetermined particle size by filtration.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the emulsion producing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the coarse emulsion is finely vibrated.
It is characterized in that the apparent size of the dispersed particles in the coarse emulsion is adjusted, and the coarse emulsion is divided according to the particle size.

[0013]

In the emulsion manufacturing apparatus of the present invention having the above-described structure, a plurality of fluids passed through the porous pipe are mixed with each other by the stirring means, whereby a coarse emulsion is formed in the porous pipe. Then, the coarse emulsion is moved from the inside to the outside of the porous pipe by the moving means. At this time, the dispersed particles are distinguished by the pores of the porous pipe.
That is, particles larger than the pores of the porous pipe cannot pass therethrough, and therefore only particles smaller than the pores of the porous pipe pass. Therefore, by collecting the coarse emulsion that has passed through the porous wall of the porous pipe, an emulsion containing dispersed particles having a uniform particle size can be easily and quickly manufactured.

Here, when the surface of the porous pipe is subjected to a hydrophilic surface treatment, the lipophilic dispersoid contained in the emulsion does not adhere to the porous pipe, and therefore, particles smaller than the pores of the porous pipe. Can pass through the pores without interference from other dispersoids. For this reason,
Appropriate lipophilic dispersed particles can be discriminated while eliminating the disturbing effect of dispersoids that do not form dispersed particles or dispersed particles larger than the pores. Similarly, when the surface of the porous pipe is subjected to lipophilic surface treatment, hydrophilic dispersed particles can be discriminated while eliminating the disturbing effect of the hydrophilic dispersoid. When the porous pipe is made hydrophilic or lipophilic, contact of the dispersoid, that is, the dispersed particles, with the porous wall is prevented, so that the coarse emulsion can be prevented from being broken by the movement of the coarse emulsion.

[0015] Further, since the above-mentioned emulsion producing apparatus includes a partition plate, a plurality of mutually maintained rooms are formed inside the porous pipe. This partition plate increases the flow speed of the fluid in the porous pipe, and thus improves the mixing efficiency. Further, since the emulsion manufacturing apparatus can be assembled in units of this room, assembly, repair, and cleaning of the apparatus can be easily performed.

Further, when the dispersed particles in the coarse emulsion are minutely vibrated by the vibrating means, fluctuation occurs due to the vibration, and when the magnitude obtained by adding the amplitude to the particle diameter is smaller than the pore diameter of the porous pipe. Only it is possible to pass through the porous wall. Therefore, by changing the vibration intensity and the like, it is possible to adjust the size of the particles to be discriminated.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of an emulsion production apparatus and method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Configuration of First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the configuration of an emulsion manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, a porous pipe 10 of the present embodiment composed of a cylindrical porous member mixes two or more types of fluids inside the porous pipe 10 and has a flow passage 12 through which the fluid flows. Is provided, the lower opening of which is a first inlet 14 for fluid,
The upper right opening is the second inlet 16. Then, the fluid is press-fitted from the first inlet 14 or the second inlet 16 by a pump (not shown) and passed through the flow passage 12. For example, when mixing water and oil, in the case of countercurrent type, water and oil are respectively injected from the first and second inlets, and in the case of cocurrent type, the first or second flow is injected. Water and oil are injected simultaneously from the inlet.

In the first embodiment, the porous pipe 10 has a plurality of cylindrical pipe units 18 and a partition plate 20 interposed at a joint connecting the pipe units 18 to each other. And partition 2
0 is alternately stacked to form a multi-stage.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a process of assembling the porous pipe according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, packings 22 are provided on the upper and lower circumferential end faces of the cylindrical pipe unit 18 to ensure connection with the partition plate 20 and to prevent fluid leakage (airtightness, watertightness). ing.
Here, Teflon packing is used.

At the joint connecting the pipe units 18, a disk-shaped partition plate 20 (in FIG. 1, in which the inner diameter of the peripheral edge is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the pipe unit 18 and which can be fitted) is fitted. (Shown in sand). here,
The partition plate 20 is formed of plastic.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the partition plate 20. As shown in the figure, in the center of the partition plate 20, a round hole 2 through which a shaft portion for mounting a stirrer element of a stirrer described later is passed.
4 are formed, and a slit-shaped flow hole 26 through which a fluid flows further is formed. This circulation hole 26
Also serves as an inlet through which a spiral stirrer passes. Returning to FIG. 1 again, the pipe unit 18
Porous pipe 1 composed of multi-stages and partition plate 20
In the case of No. 0, the upper and lower ends are integrally caulked and fixed by a fixture 32 comprising a shaft 28 and a nut 30. Although only one fixing device 26 is shown in FIG. 1, it is similarly fixed at three places around the porous pipe 10.

On the other hand, a stirring body 34 is inserted and arranged inside the porous pipe 10.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the stirring body. As shown in the figure, the agitator 34 here comprises a shaft portion 36 and a plurality of agitator elements 40 formed with spiral blades (agitating blades) 38 attached around the shaft portion 36. An opening 38a is formed in the spiral blade 38 so as to be shifted vertically. This is to prevent the generation of a short-circuit flow in the axial direction and increase the stirring effect.

The stirrer element 40 is formed, for example, after forming an opening 38a at a predetermined position of a donut-shaped disk provided with an opening corresponding to the short cylinder 42 fitted to the outside of the shaft portion 36 at the center.
A part of the disk is cut in the radial direction, and the cut end is shifted in a direction perpendicular to the disk surface to form a spiral blade 38, and the short cylinder 4
2 and can be formed by welding or the like. As a material of the stirrer element 40, a plastic, ceramic, or the like can be used instead.

The assembling of the stirrer is performed as follows.
As shown in the figure, the lower end of the shaft portion 36 is provided with a collar portion 44.
Are fixed with screws 46. Then, the spacer packing 48 and the stirrer element 40 are sequentially laminated thereon while being inserted through the shaft portion 36. Further, a packing is sandwiched between the stirrer elements 40. The stirrer element 40 and the like stacked in this manner may be provided with a screw portion at the upper end of the shaft portion 36, screwed with an owl nut, and caulked with the collar portion 44. The stirrer 34 thus formed
Is a stirring body 34 in which stirring blades 38 are formed at desired intervals.
Can be formed.

The shaft 36 described above is used for the porous pipe 10.
And is connected to a vibration source (not shown).
The vibration source can be easily constituted by a motor and a predetermined cam mechanism. Then, when the vibration source is driven, the driving force is transmitted to the shaft portion 36 as a vertical movement, whereby the stirring body 34 vibrates. A diaphragm 52 is provided at the connection between the vibration source and the shaft 36, and the porous pipe 1
This prevents the fluid flowing inside the zero from entering the vibration source.

Operation When mixing fluids in such a mixing device, a mixture of two or more fluids to be mixed flows in from the first inlet 14 and / or the second inlet 16. I do. Then, in this state, the stirring body 34 is
The stirrer 3 in which the fluid vibrates because it is vibrated up and down by
The stirring and mixing are carried out by contact with 4. At this time, the partition plate 20 is fixed to the porous pipe 10, while the stirring body 34 is connected to the vibration source. Due to the relative movement with the vibration stirrer 34, the mixture is efficiently stirred and mixed, and a coarse emulsion is formed.

Then, in this embodiment, after the coarse emulsion is formed, press-fitting is continuously performed from the first inlet 14 and / or the second inlet 16. Then
The fluid in the porous pipe 10 leaks out of the porous pipe 10. The coarse emulsion that has moved through the porous wall of the porous pipe 10 in this way is subjected to discrimination of dispersed particles. This is because the movement of the dispersed particles larger than the pores of the porous wall is prevented by the porous wall. Therefore, dispersed particles smaller than the pores of the porous wall are discriminated on the same principle as that filtered by the porous wall.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the effect of such discrimination. As shown in FIG. 5, the vibration stirrer 34
When a coarse emulsion is formed by stirring, the size distribution of the dispersed particles contained in the coarse emulsion has a normal distribution with a maximum of μ. However, only particles smaller than the pores can pass through the porous wall. For this reason, the emulsion obtained by collecting the fluid that has leached out of the porous pipe 10 is:
It contains only dispersed particles smaller than a predetermined size (shaded portions in FIG. 5). Then, since the vibration stirrer 34 continues to vibrate even after the dispersed particles are discriminated, a normal distribution is generated again, so that an emulsion containing dispersed particles of a predetermined size can be continuously manufactured. When such filtration is performed, there is a possibility that pores are blocked by the dispersoid or destruction of the dispersed particles due to contact with the porous material, etc. What is necessary is just to perform the surface treatment of the porous pipe 10 so that it may become sparse. That is, when the dispersoid is oily, a hydrophilic surface treatment is performed, and when the dispersoid is aqueous, a lipophilic surface treatment is performed.

Here, in the mixing reactor of the first embodiment, the porous pipe 10 is formed in a multi-stage structure in which a plurality of pipe units 18 and partition plates 20 are alternately stacked, so that assembly and disassembly are easy. It can be carried out. Therefore, the porous pipe 10 of the first embodiment has an advantage that the maintenance work can be easily performed, and that the porous pipe 10 can be easily changed to a desired structure only by changing the length of the pipe unit or the partition plate used. ing.

In the flow passage 12 of the porous pipe 10, a plurality of partition plates 20 having flow holes 26 are arranged in multiple stages. Therefore, the flow speed of the fluid can be controlled to a desired speed by the size of the flow hole 26. This mixing process is performed by the stirrer 34 connected to the vibration source.
However, since the mixing is performed by the relative movement with the partition plate 20, there is also an advantage that the mixing can be performed effectively.

Structure of the Second Embodiment The emulsion manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention comprises a stainless steel casing 60 surrounding the porous pipe 10.
The casing 60 includes a porous pipe 10
It has a pressure inlet 62 for injecting a fluid into the inside thereof, and a suction port 64 for depressurizing the space between the casing 60 and the porous pipe 10 and sucking the fluid therefrom. Also, the casing 60
An ultrasonic generator 66 that irradiates ultrasonic waves to the fluid in the casing 60 and microvibrates the fine particles contained therein is attached to the outer wall of the casing 60.

In the porous pipe 10, a shaft portion 36 and a spiral stirring blade 38 are provided as in the first embodiment.
A stirrer 34 that stirs the inside of the porous pipe 10 by being vibrated as a whole in the vertical direction is provided. The diaphragm 52 separates the inside and the outside of the emulsion manufacturing apparatus. In the embodiment, an aqueous solution is supplied from the first supply unit 68 and an oily solution is supplied from the second supply unit 69 through the pressure inlet 62 in the porous pipe 10.
Each is discharged at a desired ratio and flows into the porous pipe 10.

Operation In the emulsion manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment, the stirrer 34 is driven up and down,
Water and oil are vibrated by the plurality of stirring blades 38 provided here, and a coarse emulsion is formed. The coarse emulsion formed here permeates the porous pipe 10 and moves to the outside thereof by the pressurization from the supply device 68 and the suction from the suction port 64. The emulsion that has penetrated the porous pipe 10 is taken out from the suction port 64.
At this time, the coarse emulsion formed by the stirring device 38 passes through the wall of the porous pipe 10,
Only those smaller than the diameter of the pores of the porous pipe 10 are selected. In order to move the liquid inside the porous pipe 10 to the outside, the porous pipe 10
It is also possible to perform only one of pressurization inside and pressure reduction outside the porous pipe 10. In any case, in the emulsion manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment, FIG.
In the same manner as in the first embodiment, an emulsion in which the dispersed particles have been discriminated is manufactured by the principle described in (1).

Here, in the emulsion manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment, the dispersoid is oil and the dispersion medium is water, and the surface of the porous pipe 10 is subjected to surface treatment so as to be hydrophilic. When the hydrophilic treatment is performed, no oil adheres to the surface of the porous pipe 10. For this reason, it is possible to prevent blockage of the pores by oil that is still insufficiently mixed or oil larger than the pores of the porous pipe 10, and breakage of oil droplets due to contact with the porous pipe 10. When water is used as the dispersoid and oil is used as the dispersion medium, the surface treatment is performed so that the surface of the porous pipe 10 becomes lipophilic.

In the second embodiment, an ultrasonic generator 66 is provided. When ultrasonic waves are emitted from the ultrasonic generator 66, fine particles contained in the coarse emulsion vibrate minutely.
In this case, since the blurring due to the minute vibration occurs, the apparent size of the fine particles increases. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, only particles smaller than the theoretical size that can pass through the porous pipe can pass through the porous pipe 10 (shaded portions in FIG. 7). The apparent size of the fine particles contained in the coarse emulsion can be controlled by adjusting the intensity of the ultrasonic waves and the like, so that the size of the fine particles to be discriminated can be adjusted. In this case, by adjusting the intensity of the ultrasonic wave and the like, and selecting the obtained emulsion, dispersed particles in a predetermined region in the coarse emulsion can be taken out. For example, as shown in FIG.
After stopping the operation, the ultrasonic wave is first intensified to take out only a portion having a small particle size (a portion in FIG. 8). Then, after removing a portion having a small particle size (region of α), a portion having a medium particle size (region of β) is taken out. And in the same way,
A portion having a large particle diameter (region of γ) can be taken out. In this way, the coarse emulsion can be divided according to the size of the particles.

As described above, in each of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, since a coarse emulsion was formed and then discrimination was performed, the emulsion was produced from the beginning using a porous pipe without forming a coarse emulsion. An emulsion containing dispersed particles of a predetermined size can be produced more quickly and easily than in the case. At this time, by appropriately treating the surface of the porous pipe, it is possible to eliminate a factor inhibiting this effect. Further, by attaching an ultrasonic generator and adjusting the intensity, it is possible to adjust the size of the fine particles to be discriminated.

[0039]

As described above, in the emulsion manufacturing apparatus and method according to the present invention, an emulsion having a uniform particle size can be efficiently manufactured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a casing of a mixed reaction device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a process of assembling the porous pipe according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a partition plate according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the stirrer according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the principle and effect of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an emulsion manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the principle and effect when an ultrasonic generator is used.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing an application example when an ultrasonic generator is used.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Porous pipe 12 Flow path 18 Pipe unit 20 Partition plate 26 Flow hole 34 Stirrer 36 Shaft part 38 Stirrer blade 52 Diaphragm 60 Casing 62 Pressure inlet 64 Suction port 66 Ultrasonic wave generator 68, 69 Feeding device

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-2-207829 (JP, A) JP-A-2-214537 (JP, A) JP-A-4-118044 (JP, A) JP-A-4-265137 (JP) JP-A-4-235729 (JP, A) JP-A-62-125836 (JP, A) JP-A-2-293535 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Application No. Sho 61-41222 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Application 58-108258 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B01F 3/08 B01F 11/00

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A porous pipe through which a fluid is circulated, a stirring means including a stirrer disposed in the porous pipe, and stirring the fluid in the porous pipe by vibration of the stirrer; Moving means for moving a fluid through the porous wall of the above, after producing a coarse emulsion with the stirring means, moving the coarse emulsion through the porous wall of the porous pipe, and dispersing the coarse emulsion An emulsion production apparatus characterized in that an emulsion containing dispersed particles having a discriminated particle size is produced by discriminating particles with a porous wall. 2. The emulsion manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the porous pipe is subjected to a hydrophilic or lipophilic surface treatment. 3. The emulsion manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a partition plate that forms a plurality of mutually interconnected rooms inside the porous pipe. . 4. The emulsion production apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises vibration means for microvibrating dispersed particles in the coarse emulsion formed by the stirring means. apparatus. 5. A coarse emulsion is formed by stirring and mixing fluids that do not mix with each other by a stirring means including a vibrating stirrer, and the obtained coarse emulsion is filtered with a porous material to obtain a predetermined particle size. A method for producing an emulsion, comprising producing an emulsion containing dispersed particles of the above. 6. The emulsion production apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the coarse emulsion is finely vibrated to adjust the apparent size of the dispersed particles in the coarse emulsion,
A method for producing an emulsion, wherein the coarse emulsion is divided according to the particle size.