JP2001315971A - Method for feeding powder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method capable of easily feeding powder into a reactor or the like without scattering. SOLUTION: The upper lid 14a of a cylindrical vessel 15 provided with removable upper lid 14a and lower lid 14b and containing a flexible cylindrical bag 11 filled with the powder 100 and bundled at both ends 13a and 13b is removed, and a conical lid 16 having a closing valve 17 mounted on the smaller diameter side is mounted instead. The bundled end 13a of the bag is pulled out through the closing valve 17, and the valve is closed, whereby the end of the bag is fixed. The vessel is set upside down to approach or closely fit the minor diameter end of the conical lid to the insert port of the reactor or tank 40 for feeding the powder, the bundle of the end laid on the lower side of the bag is released, and the valve 17 is opened to feed the powder within the bag into the reactor or tank.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improved method for charging powder used in the fields of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, foods and the like manufactured by a batch method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the production of fine chemicals, medicines, foods, and the like, dry powders and powders containing moisture are charged into a reaction vessel or the like. In this case, a flexible container bag, a plastic film bag, a dedicated container, a fiber drum inner container, and the like are often used. Such a charging method has the following problems. (1) When a flexible container bag or a plastic film bag is used, the handling becomes heavy labor. In the case of a flexible container bag, it is necessary to unwind the string under a fully-filled bag, which is dangerous and causes falling powder to scatter around. In addition, when charging from an opening such as a manhole provided in the reaction vessel, a funnel may be required. A funnel must be attached before charging, and a funnel must be washed after charging. In addition, there is a reverse jet (spout) of the powder from the reaction vessel side at the time of charging, so that the scattered powder adheres to the outer surface of the flexible container bag, and every time the flexible container bag is moved, the adhered powder is removed. As a result, the powder scatters and remains over a wide range of the route for transporting the flexible container bag.

[0003] In plastic film bags, the same spouting as described above is performed, and when the bag is thrown away in order to dispose of it, the powder remaining inside spouts out and the surrounding area is polluted. Become. In addition, in order to take out the amount remaining in the bag, it is necessary to lift the bag and shake it up, down, left, and right. At this time, the powder is ejected. For this reason, the surroundings are soiled. Further, since the work is often carried out by lifting the plastic film bag itself, the burden on the operator is large.

[0004] As described above, when a flexible container bag or a plastic bag is used, there are problems in terms of handling difficulty and environmental hygiene in a factory. (2) In some cases, powder contained in a flexible container bag or a plastic film bag is transferred to a dedicated container for charging and then charged. In this case, the transfer operation is usually performed in another isolated room in order to prevent contamination by powder. After the transfer, the container is transported to the site and charged. Usually, the bottom of the container is a cone or a pyramid, and a cutoff valve for powder is provided at the end thereof. Such a container is set and charged in the charging port. In this case, a bridging phenomenon of the powder easily occurs at the bottom of the container, and it is necessary to take a preventive measure. Furthermore, the closing valve is closed and the container is lifted after the end of charging.However, since the passages and valves through which the powder has passed are lifted as they are, the powder adhering to those parts is removed. There is a possibility of flying. For example, if a butterfly valve for powder is provided as a cutoff valve, one surface of the valve body will be exposed to the atmosphere even when closed.
The powder adhering there may fall off.

[0005] Another problem when using a dedicated container is cleaning of the container. In the case where various powders are charged, there is a method of preparing a container for each powder, but this increases the cost. In order to avoid this, if a common container is used, it is necessary to clean the container each time it is used. In the case of powder, it is necessary to completely dry the inner surface of the container after washing and rinsing, which increases the working time and the required utility. Also, cleaning management is difficult. (3) A method of inserting a thin plastic film bag as an inner bag into a fiber drum or a steel container (hereinafter referred to as a container), for example, instead of using a dedicated container, and putting the powder in the plastic film bag. (This method is sometimes used for sending powder from a powder manufacturer to a manufacturing site, and sometimes used for transport in a factory.) In this case, it is usual to use the sealed side of the plastic film bag at the bottom in the container and use the open end located at the top in the container by appropriate means (such as a string or low band). It is common to keep them united.

At the time of loading, the binding on the open end side is released. Thereafter, the charging operation is performed, but the container cannot be tilted. This is because the plastic film inner bag inside the container slips off. Therefore, in the case of a container using an inner bag, for example, the powder is sucked up, or a charging lid is separately provided on the open end side. When sucking up, a special device for that is required. In addition, when the lid for charging is provided on the open end side, the end of the inner bag is woven outside the container. Even in this case, the inner bag may come out of the container together with the discharge of the powder. Therefore, it cannot be overturned. Although the charging lid can be provided without weaving the end of the inner bag outside the container, the inner bag slides out of the container. Furthermore, there is a problem of cleaning the lid.

As described above, the problems of the conventional charging method are as follows.
This is caused by charging the powder from the bag in an open state.

[0008] In recent production, cross-contamination and mixing of foreign substances are severely restricted, and the conventional charging method causes not only a problem in product quality but also a problem in health of workers. In particular, in the pharmaceutical industry dealing with medicinal ingredients, it is a serious problem for workers to inhale such scattered powder. Therefore, there is a demand for a method of putting these powders into a desired reaction vessel, tank, or the like in a completely sealed manner.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a method capable of easily charging a powder into a desired reactor or tank without scattering the powder.

[0010]

The above objects of the present invention can be achieved by the following methods.

(1) The upper lid of a cylindrical container having a removable upper lid and a lower lid, which accommodates a flexible cylindrical bag filled with powder and bound at both ends, is removed. Attach a cone-shaped lid with a cut-off valve attached to the side, pull the tied end of the bag out of the bag through the cut-off valve and secure the end of the bag by closing the valve. Turn the container upside down and bring the small-diameter end of the cone-shaped lid into close proximity or close contact with the inlet of the reactor or tank into which the powder is to be charged, and bind the end of the lower end of the bag. Opening the valve and opening the valve to charge the powder in the bag into the reaction vessel or the tank.

(2) After the container is turned upside down,
The above-mentioned (1) in which the upper side lid is removed, a cone-shaped lid is attached instead, and the upper side end of the bag is bound and bound by fixing means provided on the small diameter side thereof. The method described in.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the present invention, the term "powder" is used not only in a dry state but also in a wet state, for example, a wet cake from a centrifuge. In addition, it is used to include powder containing small-diameter particles.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the apparatus immediately before the powder is charged. In FIG. 1, a cylindrical container 1
Metal fittings for attaching the cone-shaped lids are provided at both ends of 5 so that the cone-shaped lids 20 and 16 can be easily attached and detached. When these lids are removed, the container is completely open.

The cone-shaped lids 20, 16 are cones having an appropriate apex angle according to the properties of the powder to be charged. At the large-diameter end of the cone, metal fittings are attached to both ends of the container 15 to create a sealed state.

Inside the container 15, a tubular flexible bag 11 whose both ends are open is accommodated. This bag is preferably doubled for the purposes described below. The material is appropriately selected from paper, cloth, plastic and the like according to the properties of the powder to be charged.

An inlet 41 is provided at the upper part of the reactor 40. While set on the upper part of the reactor 40,
Immediately below the cone-shaped lid 16 at the lower part of the container 15, a tube 18 for eliminating the bridging phenomenon of the powder inside the cone is provided.
Is provided. This cylinder is made of a soft material having high elasticity, such as cloth, for example, and a worker can rub the periphery of the cylinder by hand to eliminate the bridging phenomenon of the powder around the lower part of the cone.

A shutoff valve 17 for shutting down the powder is provided further below the cylinder 18. This valve may be manually operated, and preferably has a structure in which the opening thereof can be adjusted by the handle 19 so that the amount of powder passing and the falling speed can be adjusted. In this case, a choke valve having a mechanism for opening and closing like a lens shutter is preferable in preventing blockage by powder. The inner opening of the valve 17 is sized so that the end of the bound inner bag (detailed in the method of use) can pass through.

The end 13 a of the tied bag pulled out to the outside through the opening of the valve 17 is inserted into the charging port 41 of the reaction vessel 40. A flange which is supported by a spring for ensuring a sealing property with the shut-off valve and is crimped to the valve is provided at an upper portion of the inlet as required.

In order to set the container in such a charging position, a handling device 30 for inverting the container is required. The handling device 30 can be turned upside down by grasping the body of the container. This kind of equipment
Since it is frequently used in drum can reversing devices and the like, it can be appropriately selected from them.

The upper part of the container 15 shown in FIG. 1 is a fixture for gripping the bag 11. In FIG. 1, a cone-shaped lid 20 is attached to the upper end of the container, and a fixture 21 for fixing the inner bag is provided at the top of the cone. This fixture may be a shut-off valve as used in the lower section, or may be any other suitable fixed grip. When a cutoff valve is used as the fixture 21, the end portion 13b, which binds the upper portion of the bag 11, is passed through the opening inside the valve, and then the valve 21 is tightened, and the handle of the valve is locked and fixed to fix the bag. The end 13b can be fixed. Further, in the case of other suitable fixed gripping tool, it can be fixed by tying the upper end of the bag or the like.

The end 13 of the bag is fixed by such a fixture 21.
By holding b, the bag 11 does not fall into the kettle when the powder is discharged.

In FIG. 1, in order to fix the upper end 13b of the bag 11, a cone-shaped lid is attached to the upper part of the container. Any structure that can secure the end 13b can be used. For example, a method in which an opening is provided in the center of a flat lid, the end 13b is pulled out from the opening, and the fixing is performed using an appropriate fixing tool may be employed.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a procedure for filling powder into a bag in a container and charging the powder filled into the bag into a reaction vessel or the like.

First, a method of filling a bag with powder will be described with reference to (1) to (4) of FIG. (1) Connect one end of a cylindrical bag 11 having both ends opened to a string 1
2b unite. When the powder is a wet cake of a centrifugal separator, the material of the bag 11 is assumed to be resistant to the solvent slightly remaining therein. Further, it is preferable that the thickness is small enough to squeeze out the cake and liquid inside by simply binding with a string. The preferred thickness is between 0.05 mm and 0.1 mm. When the thickness of the bag is small, the binding can be performed sufficiently, but the strength may not be sufficient. In such a case, the bags may be doubled, the ends of the inner thin bags may be sufficiently bound, and the ends of the outer bags may be further bound from above. By doing so, sufficient binding of the ends of the bag can be obtained, and the strength of the bag can be made sufficient. (2) Next, a flat lid 14b is attached to one side of the container 15 whose both ends are open. Attach the mounting part with a band. This container needs to have sufficient strength for the purpose of transportation and charging. Generally, it is a steel container or a cardboard fiber drum. Both ends are open. The end of the container is adapted to be fitted with a lid. Fiber drums are often used to reduce the work of transporting and lifting.

The bag 11 is placed in the container 15 with the binding side 13b facing down. The other end of the bag is spread outside the upper edge of the container. (3) The powder 100 is filled in the bag 11. (4) After the predetermined amount is filled, the other end 13 of the bag 11
a is bound by a string and woven into the container, and the lid 14a
Is closed.

The container filled with the powder as described above
It is transported from the manufacturer or distributor to the factory or from another process to the process where the powder is to be introduced.

Secondly, a method of charging the powder into a reaction vessel or the like will be described with reference to (5) to (8) of FIG. (5) Container 15 conveyed to a reaction vessel into which powder is charged
Takes a lid 14a and is replaced by a cone-shaped lid plate 16 having the following configuration. The cone-shaped lid 16 has the same size on the large diameter side as the lid 14a of the container, and has the same structure as the lid 14a so that it can be attached to the end of the container. The cone-shaped lid 16 is usually made of stainless steel, but may be made of resin if weight reduction is required.

On the small diameter side of the cone-shaped lid, a choke valve having an opening and closing mechanism like a lens shutter or a shutoff valve 17 which is a kind of choke valve and is called a spin valve is mounted. . The valve 17 has a handle 19, which can open and close the opening. 2. Description of the Related Art A spin valve, which is a type of choke valve, is provided with a cloth cylinder whose surface is processed with resin. This is configured to be narrowed down by the outer cylinder. The choke valve is provided with a cloth cylinder inside. This is structured to be narrowed down by a string provided around. These valves are preferably provided with a locking mechanism on the handle so that the handle does not move freely when closed.

Further, below these valves 17,
A tube 18 made of a soft cloth or the like may be attached to break a bridge made of powder, which will be described later, to make the powder fall easily.

When attaching the cone-shaped lid 16, the valve 17 is opened, and the end 13 a of the tied bag in the container is passed through the opening of the valve 17. Is set. After setting the lid, tighten it with a band in the same way as a normal lid. Then, valve 17
Is closed. (6) Thereafter, the container is attached to the inverter 30 and inverted. By this operation, the bag 11 containing the powder comes into close contact with the lower cone-shaped lid 16 by its weight.

By this reversal, the portion which was the bottom becomes the top. (7) The lid 14b which was the bottom (the other end side of the container) so far.
Is removed and a device for holding the end 13b of the bag is attached. In this holding device, a fixing tool 21 is attached to the small-diameter side of a cone-shaped lid 20 similar to the above. This fixture 21 may be the above-mentioned choke valve or spin valve. After the end 13b bound by the cord of the bag is passed through the opening of the fixture 21, the cone-shaped lid 20 is set in the container 15 and tightened with a band. Thereafter, the fixture (valve) 21 is closed. By this operation, the bag in the inverted container can be kept in a suspended state. This is convenient for discharging the powder in the bag. In addition, in order to obtain the same effect, another appropriate fixing tool may be used. (8) After setting the cone-shaped lid, the container 15 is
The container is then moved to the upper part of the inlet 41 attached to the container 0, and then the position of the container is lowered to open the inlet 41 and the valve 17
And close or close. If airtightness is strictly required, a sealing component (O-ring) may be provided at the close contact portion. It may be fastened by a suitable fastening means, for example, a swing bolt or a clamp. If it is a swing bolt,
Work is easy. (9) Next, the cord of the binding portion is removed. Various procedures can be considered as the procedure. There is a method of removing the string after being directly above the insertion port, and then inserting the binding portion 13a into the insertion port, or removing the string after inserting the binding portion into the insertion port 41. In addition, there are various methods of closing the bag end after the binding is released. For example, when a double outer bag 50 and inner bag 11 are used as the inner bag, FIG.
There is a method such as That is, after the inner bag 11 is bent, it is fixed at the edge of the insertion port 41 with the fixing tool 51, and the end of the outer bag 50 is put over the outside of the fixed portion of the inner bag 11, and then tied with the cord 52. Is the way. Thus, scattering of the powder can be prevented.

The inlet 41 may be provided with a net so that a string or the like does not fall into the kettle.

Thereafter, the valve 17 is opened to discharge the powder in the bag. (10) When the powder is discharged, the powder may cause a bridging phenomenon and may not be discharged. In such a case, the above-mentioned cloth tube 18 can be rubbed with a hand or the like to break the bridge and promote discharge. (11) The inner bag is withdrawn as the bag is discharged, but since the end 13b of the bag is pressed by the fixture 21, the bag 11 does not fall into the reactor 40. (12) At the final stage of discharge when the powder in the bag is running low, there is no fear that the bag will fall into the reactor due to the momentum of discharge, so the fixture 21 is released and the bag comes out of the container. By grasping the end 13b of the bag by hand and swinging the bag up and down, the powder remaining inside the bag can be completely discharged. Thereafter, the fixture 21 may be closed again and gripped.

After confirming that all the wet cake in the bag has been charged, the valve 17 is closed once. (13) The approach or closeness of the connection portion at the lower part of the container 15 is released (for example, by loosening a bolt), and the container 15 is slightly raised. The end 13a of the bag inserted into the reaction vessel side inlet 41 is bound again with a string. This prevents the powder from falling from inside the bag. As one of the subsequent processes, the valve 17 is opened and the valve is opened.
The end 13a of the tied bag is inserted into the cone-shaped lid. After this, the choke valve is closed. Thereafter, the container is lifted to a further upper position and separated from the charging position.

At this time, since the bag used so far is in a state of being confined in the container, there is no fear that the remaining powder or the like will be scattered around when the inverter is operated. (14) The container 15 separated from the charging position is lowered to the position of the work floor. Remove the cone-shaped lid 20,
The end 13b of the bag is placed in a container and the lid 14b is closed. This is reversed, the other cone-shaped lid 16 is similarly removed, and the bag 11 is placed in a container and the lid 14a is closed. Since the inner bag remaining inside is deflated and bound on both sides with a string, even if the inner bag is taken out and transported for disposal, the internal residue will not be scattered .

Thus, the operation of charging the powder in a sealed state becomes possible.

When the container 15 is turned upside down and not completely fastened when the container 15 is brought into close contact with the reaction vessel side, or when a seal portion is not provided, the powder is ejected from a slight gap. There can be. In preparation for this case, it is preferable to provide a suction duct around the close contact portion. Since it is a local duct, the capacity of the ventilation equipment can be small.

Another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. A foot 111 may be provided on the large-diameter end side of the cone-shaped lid 110, and a wheel 112 or the like may be attached to the tip of the foot. Further, a pedestal for installation may be provided at the tip of the leg without wheels. In that case, the attachment of the cone-shaped lid 110 with feet is performed on the powder filling side. First, one side of the cylindrical bag 11 is tied with a string and spread on a cone-shaped lid with feet. At this time, the end 13a of the tied bag is connected to the valve 11 on the bottom of the lid plate.
7, the binding portion is protruded from the choke valve. After that, the valve is closed, and a protective action is taken by the lock mechanism so that the valve is not opened. The large diameter side of the cone-shaped lid is facing up, and the feet are attached, so this operation can be easily performed.

Next, the container 15 is mounted on the cone-shaped lid 110. The container 1 is attached to the large diameter end of the cone-shaped lid 110.
Cover with 5 and band at the mounting part.

The untied end of the bag is spread outside the upper edge of the container. Thereafter, the powder 100 is filled in the bag. After filling a predetermined amount, the upper end of the bag is tied with a string, and the end 13b of the tied bag is woven into the container and the lid 14 is closed. Attach the cover with a band. Thereafter, the powder is conveyed to a reaction vessel into which the powder is to be charged. In the subsequent procedure, the same procedure as in the case of using a cone-shaped lid having no feet is performed, and the powder is charged.

[0043]

According to the present invention, firstly, the powder can be charged into a reaction vessel or the like in a sealed state, so that there is substantially no scattering of the powder. Secondly, since the inner bag is used, the cone-shaped lid, valve and the like for charging the powder do not come into contact with the powder, so that there is no need to wash after charging. Third, after the powder is charged, the empty bag does not fall into the reactor or the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an apparatus immediately before powder is charged.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a procedure for filling powder into a bag in a container and charging the powder filled into the bag into a reaction vessel or the like.

FIG. 3 is an example of a method of closing the end of the inner bag after unbinding the end in the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of filling a bag in a container according to the present invention.

[Explanation of Signs] 11 bag 12b, 52 string 13a, 13b end of bag 14a, 14b lid 15 container 16, 20, 110 cone-shaped lid 17, 117 valve 18 cylinder 19 handle 21 fixing tool 30 inverter 30 reaction kettle 41 inlet 50 outer bag 51 inner bag fixing device 100 powder 111 feet 112 wheels

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3E018 AA04 AB01 BA08 BB01 EA01 EA03 3F075 AA08 BB01 CA05 CA06 CA09 CD08 DA23 DA26 4G068 AA01 AB21 AB22 AC16 AD01 AF01 AF21

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical container having a removable upper lid and a lower lid, containing a flexible cylindrical bag filled with powder and bound at both ends, and removing the upper lid. A cone-shaped lid with a cut-off valve attached thereto, pulling the bound end of the bag through the shut-off valve to the outside thereof, closing the valve to fix the end of the bag, and then closing the container. The small-diameter end of the cone-shaped lid is turned upside down so that it is close to or in close contact with the inlet of the reaction vessel or tank into which the powder is to be charged, and the lower end of the bag is untied. Opening the valve to charge the powder inside the bag into the reaction vessel or the tank. 2. After the container is turned upside down, the lid on the upper side is removed, a cone-shaped lid is attached instead, and the upper side of the bag is fixed by fixing means provided on the small diameter side. The method for charging powder according to claim 1, wherein the other end is gripped while being bound.