JP2003200036A - System for manufacturing easily breakable particle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for manufacturing easily breakable particles, in which the easily breakable particles manufactured at a manufacturing step can be handled easily and continuously treated efficiently at the succeeding step. <P>SOLUTION: This system is provided with a particle forming vessel 5, a separator 6 for separating the particles from a hardening liquid, a classifier 7 for classifying the particles having a prescribed size and a cleaner 8 for cleaning the classified particles with a cleaning liquid. A rotary cylinder 17 is provided commonly in the separator 6, the classifier 7 and the cleaner 8. The cylinder 17 is arranged to be rotated around a shaft disposed almost horizontally, has a feed blade 22 extending spirally and an opening 32 arranged on the peripheral wall and is constituted so that the particles can be moved from one end of the cylinder 17 to the other end by rotation. The size of the opening 32 is decided so that the hardening liquid and the particles smaller than the required particles can pass through the opening 32 when the cylinder 17 is used in the separator 6, the required particles can pass through the opening 32 when the cylinder 17 is used in the classifier 7 and the cleaning liquid and the particles smaller than the required particles can pass through the opening 32 when the cylinder 17 is used in the cleaner 8. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to cosmetics, pharmaceuticals,
The present invention relates to an easily disintegrating particle manufacturing system for separating, classifying and washing easily disintegrating particles used in quasi-drugs, foods and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for producing easily disintegrating particles by curing a droplet of a forming component liquid which is cured in a curing liquid by a method such as discharging it into a forming device filled with the curing liquid has been known. Many have been proposed. In such a technique, it is necessary to separate the curable liquid from the particles and wash and remove the curable liquid adhering to the surface of the particles as a step after the step of producing the particles.

Apparatuses for performing these steps are disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 58-31183 and 63-276473. These devices consist of a mesh belt conveyor that is continuously connected to the device for producing particles. These devices are equipped with a mesh belt conveyor. When the particles cured in the forming device in the manufacturing process of particles are supplied onto the belt conveyor together with the curing liquid, the curing liquid falls through the mesh, while the particles remain on the belt conveyor and both are separated. To be done. Further, the cleaning device is provided with a nozzle for injecting a cleaning liquid above the belt conveyor, the sprayed cleaning liquid removes the curing liquid adhering to the surface of the particles, and drops the particles through a mesh to clean the particles. It is a thing.

However, in the above-mentioned device, the cleaning liquid is not only sprayed from above while the particles are stationary, but the cleaning efficiency is poor, and the amount of the particles is large, and the particles are piled up and piled up. If so, its efficiency is further reduced. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the size of the device so that the particles do not overlap each other and are not allowed to stand. Further, there is a problem that not only it takes time to completely wash and remove the curing liquid, but also the amount of washing water used increases. Furthermore, since particles smaller or larger than the desired size are not removed,
As a separate step, it is necessary to separate the particles with a sieve or the like. In this step, when the particles are sorted using a sieve, the finished particles are crushed and the appearance is deteriorated.
Yield will also be adversely affected.

Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-276473, an inclined screen in which a net is inclined is used, and particles and a curing liquid are simultaneously supplied to the surface of the screen to make them flow down. There is disclosed a technique in which the solid component is left on the net to separate the particles and the liquid, and the washing liquid is sprayed on the screen to wash the particles. But this technology
It is effective only when the liquid flow velocity is low, and in order to process a large amount of particles with a high liquid flow velocity, the length of the screen is increased and a large device is required. Therefore, in order to separate and wash the mass-produced particles, there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large and the processing speed becomes slow. Further, since the particles cause clogging of the slanted net, the efficiency of separating the liquid and the particles is poor, and there is a problem that a treatment for eliminating the clogging needs to be performed.

[0006] In addition, in terms of the system as a whole, since separate devices are required for each of the steps of separation, classification, and cleaning as described above, the size and structure of the devices are significantly different, and the system layout is different. And inspection,
Not only is maintenance complicated, but it is difficult to realize a continuous flow because the processing speeds of the respective processing devices are different.

[0007]

Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that the treatment can be carried out continuously and efficiently in the step after the production of particles, and the handling is easy. It is to provide an easily disintegrating particle manufacturing system.

[0008]

MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS, ACTIONS AND EFFECTS In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an easily disintegrating particle production system having the following constitution.

The easily disintegrating particle production system comprises a supplier for supplying a liquid containing easily disintegrating particles, a separator for separating the liquid and the particles supplied together from the supplying device, and It is a system provided with a classifier for classifying particles of a predetermined size from particles supplied from a separator, and a cleaning machine for cleaning the particles supplied from the classifier with a cleaning liquid. The separator, the classifier, and the washing machine have the same basic configuration, and are rotatably arranged around the shaft so that the shaft is substantially horizontal, and the rotary cylinder has a large number of openings in the peripheral wall. A body, the opening comprising:
In the separator, particles smaller than the liquid and the required particles, or a size that allows only the liquid to pass, in the classifier, a size that particles larger than the required particles cannot pass, in the washing machine, a cleaning liquid and The size is set so that only particles smaller than the required particles or the cleaning liquid can pass through.

In the above-mentioned easily disintegrating particle production system, after the particles supplied by the feeder are separated by the separator, they are classified by the classifier and then washed by the washer. The order of the classification process and the cleaning process may be exchanged, and the cleaning process may be performed first.

"Easily disintegrating particles" have a compression breaking strength of 2 to
It means 500 kpa, and hydrogel particles and capsules are preferable. A hydrogel is a gel obtained from a gelling agent using water as a solvent, and is obtained by gelling an aqueous gelling agent solution. Hydrogel particles refer to particles in which an active ingredient is dissolved or dispersed in hydrogel. The hydrogel particles include a crosslinked hydrogel and a non-crosslinked hydrogel, and the "crosslinked hydrogel" means a hydrogel in which gelation is caused by a reaction with a curing liquid.
The "non-crosslinked hydrogel" refers to a hydrogel, such as agar and gelatin, which gels due to the thermoreversibility of the sol-gel, for example, upon cooling. Examples of cross-linking hydrogel gelling agents include alginic acid, carrageenan, gellan gum, pectin, and the like, examples of non-cross-linking hydrogel gelling agents include agar, gelatin, etc. These or two or more types can be mixed and used. As an active ingredient, an oil agent, a moisturizer,
Antiperspirants and mixtures thereof may be mentioned.

The following can be exemplified as an example of the method for producing hydrogel particles. The gelling agent is dispersed in ion-exchanged water, sufficiently dissolved at the melting temperature, and then the active ingredient is mixed at a temperature not lower than the gelling temperature and then dropped into a curing liquid from a nozzle to produce hydrogel particles. To do.

The above-mentioned hardening liquid is not particularly limited as long as it is a liquid which gels an aqueous gelling agent solution by physical or chemical means. When gelling by cooling as a physical means, a substance that is substantially insoluble in the gelling agent aqueous solution and the hydrogel obtained by gelling,
For example, oils and fats, hydrocarbons, higher alcohols, water, methanol, ethanol and mixtures thereof are used. The cooling temperature is also not particularly limited as long as the gelling agent aqueous solution gels.

In the case of chemically gelling an aqueous gelling agent solution, for example, sodium alginate is used as a hardening liquid in a solution containing calcium chloride and calcium phosphate, polyvinyl alcohol is used in a solution containing borax, formalin and hydrochloric acid, and gelatin is used as a hardening liquid. An aqueous solution containing calcium chloride, zirconium nitrate or the like is appropriately selected, and gelation occurs when the gelling agent aqueous solution reacts with these hardening liquids such as crosslinking.

Further, the "capsule" referred to in the present specification refers to one comprising a film and a core component, and the above hydrogel is used as the film.

The core substance to be encapsulated in the capsule includes oily substances such as oils and fats, waxes, hydrocarbons, higher fatty acids, higher alcohols, esters, oils, silicone oils, and surfactants. The component can be illustrated.

The easily disintegrating particles obtained by the above method are supplied to the separator together with the liquid by the supply device. After that, it is separated from the liquid by a separator, the classifier removes particles that do not belong to the desired size range, and the surface is washed by a washer. Each process of such an easily disintegrating particle system may be continuously performed, or after storage such as storage in each process, the next process may be performed. The separator, the classifier, and the washing machine each include a rotating cylinder that is rotatably arranged about the shaft so that the shaft is substantially horizontal, and the rotating cylinder has a common point that it has many openings. To do. Each of the separator, the classifier and the washer has, on the inner peripheral side of the peripheral wall, a feed blade extending in a spiral shape, and the particles filled in the inside from one end with the rotation of the rotary cylinder. It may be configured to move to the other end.

The rotating cylinder is a member having a cylindrical diameter and having a cylindrical opening of a predetermined size in its peripheral wall, and has a wedge wire with a triangular cross section arranged along the axis, a wire mesh or a circular hole. It is preferably formed by winding a metal plate or the like provided in a cylindrical shape from the viewpoint of preventing clogging of particles and collapse of particles, and in particular, a wedge wire having a triangular cross section is located at the outer periphery of the triangular vertex. It is desirable to be formed so that

The rotating cylinder rotates about its axis. The power source that transmits the rotational force to the rotating cylinder is a separator,
It does not have to be provided for each classifier and washing machine,
You may make it transmit the power of one power source using power transmission means, such as a gear. As the rotating cylinder rotates, the particles supplied to the inside are agitated in the rotating cylinder, so that the treatment can be efficiently performed with a small amount of cleaning liquid.

The size of the opening of the rotating cylinder is arbitrarily set according to the required particle size and the content of the treatment. That is, in the separator, a size smaller than the liquid and the required particles, or a size that allows only the liquid to pass, in the classifier, a size that the larger particles than the required particle cannot pass, and in the washing machine, the cleaning liquid and the required The particles are smaller than the particles to be used, or are dimensioned to pass only the cleaning liquid.

Particles smaller than the opening provided in the peripheral wall are discharged to the outside of the rotating cylinder. At that time, the particles clogged in the opening provided in the peripheral wall are attracted by gravity and fall with the rotation of the rotary cylinder, so that clogging can be prevented. Further, since the rotating cylinder moves the particles filled in the inside from one end to the other as the rotating cylinder rotates, the particles are continuously discharged, so that the particles supplied to one end are continuously supplied. Can be treated in a separate manner, separation, classification,
Each cleaning process is continuously performed. It is preferable to provide each of the rotary cylinders with the above-mentioned spirally extending feed vanes because the movement can be performed more efficiently.

According to the system in which the separator, the classifier, and the washing machine have the same basic structure, the throughput per unit time is also approximately the same, so that the size of each device is approximately the same. Therefore, the layout becomes easy when the system is installed in the factory. In addition, the configuration of the entire system is simplified and the cost can be suppressed. In addition, less maintenance and inspection work is required. Also, by using a common basic configuration, the amount of processing per unit time can be made almost uniform, and even if particles etc. supplied from the supply device are continuously supplied to the next process, they will stay. There is no. Therefore, the particles are less likely to be collapsed due to the volume of the particles, and a particle storage tank is not required, which is preferable as a continuous operation system. Also,
When the raw material of the easily disintegrating particles is dropped from the nozzle into the curing liquid as a particle forming device to form the particles, the particles and the curing liquid are directly supplied to the separator. As a result, the former is more preferable because it can also function as a feeder, particles are less likely to collapse, and a particle storage tank or pump is unnecessary.

According to the above construction, in each step of separation, classification and washing, the particles are agitated in the rotating cylinder, so that the required amount of washing liquid can be reduced and clogging can be prevented. Therefore, each processing can be efficiently performed in a short time. Further, each treatment can be performed continuously, and the device can be downsized even when a large amount of particles are treated. In addition, the particles are treated a plurality of times by an apparatus having the same configuration, and particles of different sizes are removed in multiple stages, so that particles of the same size can be easily manufactured.

The system for producing easily disintegrating particles of the present invention can be constructed in various modes as follows.

[0025] Preferably, the separator is provided with an opening having a size equal to or smaller than a minimum diameter size of required particles in the peripheral wall of the rotating cylinder.

In the above structure, particles smaller than the size of the opening provided in the rotating cylinder of the separator pass through the opening and are discharged together with the curing liquid to the outside of the rotating cylinder. If the opening is too small, it is not preferable in terms of efficiency in the separation process.

[0027] Preferably, the classifier is provided with an opening having a size equal to or smaller than a maximum diameter dimension of required particles in a peripheral wall of the rotating cylinder. Furthermore, from the viewpoint that yield and aesthetics of particles having elasticity such as hydrogel particles and deformable particles are improved, the opening is more than 70% of the maximum diameter size of the required particles. preferable.

In the above structure, particles having a size equal to or smaller than the size of the opening provided in the rotating cylinder of the classifier pass through the opening and are discharged to the outside of the rotating cylinder in the same manner as described above. Therefore, for example, if the size of the opening is set to the maximum diameter size of the required particle size, large particles remain inside the rotating cylinder of the classifier, and it is possible to separate the particles of the required size. it can. Therefore, when used in the system together with the separator having the above configuration, one classifier can separate large particles and small particles from particles having a required size.

In the classification step, in order to increase the classification speed,
In order to supply particles to the rotating cylinder in the next step, it is desirable to install a pipe in the axial direction inside the rotating cylinder and install it downwards such as a faucet or nozzle to supply a liquid such as water.
The particles that have passed through the rotating cylinder are supplied with liquid,
The particles can be supplied to the rotating cylinder in the next step without leaving any particles on the way. When the liquid is supplied only to entrain the particles, it is not limited to the inside of the rotating cylinder, and the liquid is supplied to the particles before being supplied to the rotating cylinder or after the particles have passed through the rotating cylinder. May accompany with.

[0030] Preferably, the washing machine is provided with an opening having a size equal to or smaller than a minimum diameter size of required particles in the peripheral wall of the rotating cylinder. Further, it is more preferable that the opening has a size larger than 70% of the minimum particle size of required particles from the viewpoint that the yield of elastic particles such as hydrogel particles and deformable particles is improved.

In the above structure, the cleaning liquid is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include water, an aqueous surfactant solution, and a solvent. These cleaning liquids may be used alone or in combination of two or more. For example, different cleaning liquids may be used for the first half and the second half of the rotary cylinder. Also, two or more rotating cylinders may be used. As the surfactant that can be used in the washing step, an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, an amphoteric surfactant, or the like can be used, and the surfactant concentration is preferably 0.1 to 30%. , Particularly preferably 1.0 to 15% is desirable. The amount of the washing liquid for the particles is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of reducing the amount of the washing liquid used and detergency, it is 1 to 50 times, more preferably 5 to 25 times the amount of the particles supplied to the rotating cylinder. It is desirable that the amount be doubled. Further, the cleaning liquid can be reused (recycled).

The separator is provided with an opening not larger than the opening size of the washing machine on the peripheral wall of the rotary cylinder. More preferably, when the curing liquid is reused, it is desirable that the classifier has a smaller opening than that of the washing machine from the viewpoint that mixing of fine particles can be reduced.

The present invention also provides a classifier having the following constitution.

The classifier classifies particles having a predetermined size from among the particles, and includes a feeder for supplying the easily disintegrating particles and the liquid, and the liquid and the particles supplied from the feeder. An easily disintegrating particle production system is configured with a separator for separating and a washing machine for washing the particles with a washing liquid. Then, the classifier is provided rotatably around the shaft so that the shaft is substantially horizontal, and is provided with a rotating cylindrical body having a large number of openings in the peripheral wall, and the openings allow necessary particles to pass therethrough. The dimensions are configured.

In the above construction, the classifier constitutes the easily disintegrating particle production system together with the forming machine, the separator and the washing machine. The easily disintegrating particles are preferably hydrogel particles and capsules. Further, the easily disintegrating particles are preferably particles having a compressive rupture stress of about 2 to 500 kPa.

The particles supplied from the feeder are introduced into the rotating cylinder of the classifier. The rotating cylinder is provided with a peripheral wall that is formed to have a size that allows necessary particles to pass therethrough and has an opening, and is arranged so that its axis is substantially horizontal.
It rotates about its axis while containing the supplied particles. As the rotating cylinder rotates, particles that can pass through the opening are discharged to the outside of the rotating cylinder, while particles that remain in the rotating cylinder without passing through the opening move the particles from one end to the other. It moves and is discharged to the outside of the rotating cylinder.
That is, particles of a required size and particles larger than that are continuously separated. Further, since the classification is performed while rotating, the classification efficiency is good and the processing efficiency per unit time is improved. It is also possible to classify while adding a washing liquid in order not to disintegrate the particles, and the amount of the washing liquid at that time can be small.

The present invention also provides a washing machine having the following constitution.

The washing machine is for washing the particles with a washing liquid, and includes a feeder for feeding the easily disintegrating particles and the liquid, a separator for separating the liquid and the particles fed from the feeder, It constitutes an easily disintegrating particle production system together with a classifier for classifying particles having a predetermined size from the particles. The washing machine is arranged rotatably around the shaft so that the shaft is substantially horizontal, and includes a rotating cylindrical body having a large number of openings in the peripheral wall, the openings being cleaning liquid and particles smaller than the purpose, or It is configured to pass only the cleaning liquid.

In the above construction, the washing machine is for washing the hardening liquid and the like adhering to the surface of the particles, and constitutes a system for easily disintegrating particles together with a separator, a classifier and the like. The particles fed from the feeder are guided into the rotating cylinder of the washing machine. At this time, the cleaning liquid may be supplied to the rotating cylinder at the same time as the particles. The rotating cylinder has a size that allows only particles having a size smaller than the size of the cleaning liquid and required particles or the size of the cleaning liquid to pass therethrough, for example, a peripheral wall having an opening having a size smaller than the minimum diameter size of the required particles. The shaft is arranged so that the shaft is substantially horizontal, and rotates about the shaft in a state in which the particles supplied from the supply unit are accommodated. Even if the rotating cylinder is rotated by the drive unit, since the necessary particles are larger than the opening, they are not discharged to the outside of the rotating cylinder. Further, by the feed vane configured to move the particles filled in the inside from one end to the other end with the rotation of the rotating cylinder,
The particles are discharged continuously. The washing machine preferably has a washing liquid nozzle for discharging the washing liquid. It is preferable that the cleaning liquid nozzle is provided inside the rotary cylinder and discharges the cleaning liquid toward the peripheral wall while the rotary cylinder is rotating.

Burrs and scratches on the peripheral wall and the inner surface of the rotating cylinder, especially on the edges of the opening, cause the easily disintegrating particles to easily collapse. Therefore, it is necessary to treat the surface so that the contact surface with the easily disintegrating particles becomes smooth. preferable.

Since the cleaning machine removes the hardening liquid and the like adhering to the surface of the particles while the rotating cylinder rotates, the amount of the cleaning liquid can be small. Moreover, since the particles are washed while being stirred, the efficiency of the treatment is improved. Therefore, even when a large amount of particles are washed, the size of the device does not increase.

[0042]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A system for producing easily disintegrating particles according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a system for easily disintegrating particles according to an embodiment of the present invention. The easily disintegrating particle production system 1 produces hydrogel particles containing agar as a forming component by roughly performing the following treatments. That is, first, the oil component filled in the oil component tank 2 and the agar solution of the forming liquid stored in the agar dissolution tank 3 are sent to the emulsification tank 4 through the feed pipes 72 and 73, respectively, and both are Mixed. Since the oily component liquid and the agar solution do not dissolve in each other, they are emulsified in the emulsification tank 4 and uniformly dispersed. The forming component liquid emulsified in the emulsification tank 4 is fed by the feed pipe 6
1 to the forming device 5, where particles are formed. The forming device 5 is composed of a nozzle for ejecting the forming component liquid and a curing bath, and the forming component liquid ejected from the nozzle is cooled by cooling oil in the curing bath, whereby the agar in the component is cured. , Becomes hydrogel particles.

The particles are sent to the separator 6 through the feed pipe 62 together with the cooling oil which is the hardening liquid. The separator separates the particles from the cooling oil. The cooling oil is returned to the oil tank 10 through the feed pipe 66. In the oil tank 10, the cooling oil is refrigerated and is circulated to the forming device 5 again through the feed pipe 67 and used as a hardening liquid.

The particles separated from the cooling oil by the separator 6 are sent to the classifier 7 through the feed pipe 63. The classifier classifies particles having a desired size required as a product and particles larger than the desired size. In the classifier, the cleaning liquid is sent into the classifier through the feed pipe 70 to classify the particles. Larger particles are discarded through the feed pipe 68. On the other hand, particles of a desired size are sent to the washing machine 8 through the feed pipe 64 together with the washing liquid.

In the cleaning machine 8, the cleaning liquid supplied through the feed pipe 71 cleans the particles in order to remove the cooling oil adhering to the surface, and at the same time performs solid-liquid separation of the cleaning liquid and the particles. The washed particles pass through the feed pipe 65 and become a finished product.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic structure of the former 5 used in the system of FIG. The oily component tank 2 is equipped with a heater (not shown) for heating the oil or the like used for the filled cosmetics or foods, and stores the oily component in a heated state and stores the feed pipe 72. It is supplied to the emulsification tank 4 through. Further, the agar dissolution tank 3 heats the agar aqueous solution as a forming component to a temperature at which the agar is dissolved by a heater (not shown), and supplies it to the emulsification tank 4 through the feeding pipe 73. In the emulsification tank 4, the oil component solution and the agar aqueous solution are stirred and emulsified to produce a forming component liquid, which is supplied to the forming device 5 through the feeding pipe 61. The emulsification tank 4 also
A heater (not shown) is provided to prevent the agar from hardening.

The forming device 5 has a structure in which the forming cylinder 13 is provided in the curing tank 12. The forming cylinder 13 penetrates the bottom wall of the curing tank 12 and is connected to a feed pipe 62 to the separator 6. Cooling oil is guided to the vicinity of the bottom of the hardening tank 12 through the feeding pipe 67, and the cooling oil is raised in the hardening tank 12 as indicated by an arrow 51, and the raised cooling oil is fed to the forming cylinder 13 inside. Overflowing and descending, cooling oil is fed to the separator 6 through a feeding pipe.

A nozzle 11 for discharging the forming component liquid supplied from the emulsifying tank 4 is provided above the forming cylinder 13, and the forming component liquid is vibrated by a vibration device (not shown) provided inside the nozzle 11. And eject. Curing tank 12
The forming component liquid discharged into the inside is a cooling oil forming cylinder 13
Upon receiving the impact of the overflow, the recesses are formed in the vibration interval, and the recesses are sequentially cut into drops by being drawn by the descending liquid flow in the forming cylinder 13. While the cooling oil is flowing as a laminar flow in the forming cylinder 13, the droplet-shaped forming component liquid is sequentially shaped into a rounded shape, and is cooled by the cooling oil to harden the agar component to form the hydrogel particles 14. Become. The particles are fed to the separator through the feed pipe 62 together with the cooling oil.

In the easily disintegrating particle production system according to the present embodiment, the separator 6, the classifier 7, and the washing machine 8 have the same structure and each have a rotating drum arranged substantially horizontally. . Although details will be described later, the difference is that the size of the opening provided on the peripheral wall of the rotating drum,
It is the number of nozzles provided for supplying the cleaning liquid.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a partial cross section of a separator, a classifier, and a washing machine used in the system of FIG.
FIG. 4 shows a side view of the separator, the classifier, and the washer of FIG. FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the separator, the classifier, and the washer of FIG. Since the separator 6, the classifier 7, and the washing machine 8 have substantially the same structure as described above, the classifier 7 will be described here as an example.

The classifier 7 has a structure in which the rotating drum 17 is provided in the exterior body 16 in a substantially horizontal direction. The exterior body is a box-shaped member in which a rotating drum can be housed, and a motor housing chamber 29 for housing the motor 20 is provided on the side portion thereof. The rotary drum 17 is a cylindrical member whose one end is open, and an opening is provided in its peripheral wall. The rotating drum 17 is mounted on support wheels 28 provided at four positions in the exterior body main body, as shown in FIG. Further, one of the four support wheels 28 a is connected to the motor 20 via the drive belt 30 and rotates according to the movement of the motor 20. As the support wheels 28 rotate, their power is transmitted to the rotary drum 17, and the rotary drum 17
Rotates.

The number of rotations of the rotary drum at the time of cleaning is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of the cleaning property of the particles and that the particles are not broken, 0.1 r / min to 100 r / min, more preferably 3 r / min to 50 r. / Min is desirable.

A spiral feed blade 22 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating drum 17, and the particles contained therein are moved to the open end by the rotation of the rotating drum.

FIG. 6 shows a detailed structure of the peripheral wall surface of the rotary drum. The rotary drum 17 has a wedge screen formed by arranging wedge wires 31 having a three-section cross section in parallel at a predetermined interval 32 and fixing the wires 31 by a holding member 33 in a cylindrical shape. Is.
At this time, it is preferable that the predetermined interval 32 between the wedge wires 31 is such that the bottom surface is the inner circumference of the rotary drum. When the rotary drum is composed of the wedge screen, the size of the opening of the rotary drum 17 is obtained, and the size of the opening of the rotary drum 17 can be adjusted by adjusting the interval.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the rotary drum 1
When the particles 7 are filled with particles 7, particles 34 smaller than the gap 32 between the wedge wires 31 can pass through the gap, but particles 33 larger than the gap 32 cannot pass through the gap. Therefore, it remains in the rotating drum. Further, since the bottom surface of the wedge wire is arranged so as to face the inner circumference, the width of the predetermined gap 32 becomes wider as it goes outward, and it is possible to prevent particles from clogging the gap. .

The particles are fed into the drum by the feed port 1.
It starts from 8. The feed port 18 penetrates the exterior body 18 and communicates with the rotary drum 17. A cleaning nozzle 23 for supplying the cleaning liquid is provided in the rotary drum 17, and the cleaning liquid is atomized from the ejection portion 23a into the rotary drum 17. A cleaning nozzle 25 is also provided outside the rotary drum, and the cleaning liquid supplied from the supply port 24 is ejected in a mist form from the ejection port 25a.
Which cleaning nozzle is used may be arbitrarily selected. Further, the cleaning nozzle 25 can be suitably used for cleaning the rotary drum at the time of maintenance of the apparatus. The rotating drum 17 rotates about an axis in a state where the particles and the cleaning liquid thus supplied are filled. Then, the cleaning liquid and particles having a diameter smaller than the opening move to the outside of the rotating drum through the opening provided on the peripheral wall of the rotating drum, and are discharged from the discharge port 19 to the outside of the classifier 7.

Particles larger than the opening, which remain inside the rotary drum 17, are pushed out to the open end of the rotary drum by the feed vanes 22 as described above, and are discharged through the particle discharge port 21.

Next, different components and their operations in the separator, the classifier and the washer will be described.

In the separator 6, the openings provided in the peripheral wall of the rotary drum 17, that is, the intervals 32 between the wedge wires are smaller than the minimum size of the desired particle size required for the finished product (in the present embodiment, in the present embodiment). , 75% of the minimum dimension
Dimension). Therefore, in the separator 6, the particles are fed together with the cooling oil from the forming device 5 and stored in the rotating drum through the feed port 19.
When the rotary drum 17 rotates in this state, particles smaller than the desired particle size and the cooling oil are discharged to the outside through the openings. The discharged cooling oil and small particles are refrigerated in the cooling oil tank 10 through the feeding pipe 66 and are fed again to the forming device 5. Small particles in the cooling oil can be removed in advance by filtration or the like. On the other hand, particles larger than the opening are pushed toward the open end of the rotary drum 17, discharged from the particle discharge port, and sent to the classifier 7 through the feed pipe 63.

In the classifier 7, the openings provided in the peripheral wall of the rotating drum 17, that is, the intervals 32 between the wedge wires are set to the maximum size of the desired particle size required for the finished product. That is, the opening size of the rotary drum 17 is
It is equal to the maximum particle size required. In addition, a cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning nozzle 23 in order to improve the efficiency of classification. The particles fed from the separator 6 are stored in the rotating drum 17 through the feed port. Then, as the rotating drum 17 rotates, particles having a desired particle size and the cleaning liquid are discharged from the discharge port 19 to the outside of the classifier through the opening of the rotating drum, and are supplied to the cleaning machine through the supply pipe 64. To be done. Large particles remaining in the rotating drum 17 are pushed to the open end of the rotating drum and discharged to the outside.
Be discarded.

In the washing machine 8, the openings provided in the peripheral wall of the rotary drum 17, that is, the intervals 32 between the wedge wires are set so as to be equal to the minimum size of the desired particle size required for the finished product. That is, the rotating drum 1
The aperture size of 7 is equal to the minimum particle size required. Further, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning nozzle 23.
The particles and the cleaning liquid discharged from the discharge port 19 of the classifier are sent to the feed port 18 of the cleaning machine through the feed pipe 64. With the rotation of the rotary drum 17, the cooling oil adhering to the surface of the particles is efficiently removed. The cleaning liquid is drained from the discharge port 19 through the pipe 69. On the other hand, the particles are pushed toward the open end of the rotating drum 17,
The particles 9 are discharged to the outside and become the finished particles 9.

(Examples) Hydrogel particles were produced using the forming component liquid obtained by preparing an oily component liquid and an agar solution having the compositional ratios shown in Table 1 and stirring and emulsifying them. That is, the oil component having the composition ratio shown in the table was heated and dissolved at 80 ° C. to prepare an oil component solution. Further, an aqueous component having a composition ratio shown in Table 1 was heated and dissolved at 90 ° C, cooled to 80 ° C, an oily component solution was added, and the mixture was stirred with an anchor stirrer,
A forming component liquid was obtained. The total amount of the oily component and the aqueous component before dissolution by heating was set to 30 kg. Furthermore, this mixed solution was used as an emulsifying machine [manufactured by Tokushu Kika Co., Ltd., trade name: TK Homo Mixer MARKII 40
Type] and dispersed at 5,500 r / min for 10 minutes to prepare a dispersion liquid. An oil obtained by cooling this dispersion liquid to 15 ° C from a nozzle having a diameter of 0.8 mm and 40 holes at a flow rate of 40 kg / h while heating this dispersion liquid to 15 ° C [methyl polysiloxane: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.
Made, product name: Silicone KF-96A (20CS)]
Hydrogel particles were obtained. The viscosity of the forming component liquid when discharged from the nozzle is 40.0 mPa · s (measurement temperature 8
It was 0 ° C., B-type viscometer 60 r / min).

[0064]

[Table 1]

Each of the particles produced as described above was continuously treated under the conditions shown in Table 2 using a separator having a rotating drum shown in FIG. 3, a classifier, and a washing machine. Tables 3 and 4 show the experimental contents and the results of each Example and Comparative Example. In addition, in Table 3 and Table 4, the inclined screen,
The sieving shows that the treatment was carried out using an inclined screen or a sieving machine having the same opening dimensions instead of the device having the rotating drum of FIG. 3, respectively. In addition, stirring is performed by pouring washing water into the container instead of the device having the rotating drum of FIG.
This indicates that the washing treatment was performed by stirring.

The breaking strength of the particles is measured by a digital force gauge [manufactured by Nidec Shinpo Co., Ltd., attached to a tester stand [manufactured by Nidec Shinpo Co., Ltd., trade name: FGS-50V-L]. Product name: FGX-0.2R, minimum measuring load 2 mN] was used to determine the breaking strength of particles and the slope of the load curve before breaking. A flat adapter is used for the probe, the descending speed of the probe is 10 mm / min, and the measurement temperature is 25 ° C. The compressive breaking stress of the particles was calculated by the nominal stress (breaking strength divided by the cross-sectional area of the particles before measurement).

[0067]

[Table 2]

[0068]

[Table 3]

[0069]

[Table 4]

Comparing Example 1 with Comparative Example 1,
It can be seen that Example 1 using a washing machine using a rotating drum has good washing properties and does not have crushed particles, so that a more effective washing treatment can be performed. That is, in Comparative Example 1 in which the inclined screen was used for the washing machine, it was found that the oil floated a lot after washing and the cooling oil adhering to the particle surface could not be completely removed. In addition, in these examples, since the classification process is not performed, large particles are included.

In the second embodiment, only the performance of the classifier using the rotary drum is tested. Further, the continuous operability was also good, and as compared with Comparative Example 3 in which the classification treatment was performed by a sieve, both the breaking strength and the crushing of the particles were good, and it was found that the particles were not damaged. did. Also, as compared with Example 1, it can be seen that large particles are removed.

In Example 3 using a rotating drum for separation, classification and washing, all evaluations were good as compared with Comparative Example 2 using an inclined screen for all treatments. Further, in continuous operability, in Comparative Example 2 using the inclined screen, all steps are blocked,
It can be seen that the device having the rotating drum has a higher throughput per unit time than the inclined screen. In particular, comparing with Example 4 in which the inclined screen is used for the washing machine, it is found that the classification effect is good and the washing effect is significantly improved. Similarly, when compared with Example 5 which does not use a classifier, both cleaning effects are good, while Example 5 has many large particles and the classification effect in Example 3 is remarkable. It has been found.

As described above, according to the easily disintegrating particle production system of the present invention, in each step of separation, classification and washing, the treatment efficiency is improved and the treatment amount per unit time is increased. Further, the damage to the particles is small, and the amount of the cleaning liquid used can be suppressed to be small.
In addition, since the separator, the classifier, and the washing machine have the same basic configuration, the system layout is easy and maintenance and inspection work can be reduced. In addition, since the throughputs are approximately the same, it is possible to enable a continuous flow of treatments.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be implemented in various other modes. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the classifier is also used as a pre-process of the washing machine, but the classification may be performed after washing. In particular, when washing with a surfactant in a washing machine, it is possible to remove the surfactant adhering to the surface by performing classification with a classifier as a post-process while supplying distilled water.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an easily disintegrating particle manufacturing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a forming device 5 used in the easily disintegrating particle manufacturing system of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a separator used in the system of FIG.
It is a partial cross-section schematic block diagram of a classifier and a washing machine.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the separator, the classifier, and the washer of FIG.

5 is a plan view of the separator, classifier, and washing machine of FIG. 3. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a detailed structure of a peripheral wall surface of a rotary drum.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where particles pass through an opening of a rotating drum.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Easy disintegrating particle manufacturing system 2 Oily component tank 3 agar dissolution tank 4 emulsification tank 5 Shaper 6 separator 7 classifier 8 washing machine 9 Finished product particles 10 oil tank 11 nozzles 12 curing tank 13 forming cylinder 14 Hydrogel particles 16 exterior body 17 rotating drum 18 Feed mouth 19 outlet 20 motors 21 Particle outlet 22 Sending feather 23,25 cleaning nozzle 24 supply port 28 Support wheels 29 Motor storage room 31 wedge wire 32 openings

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI theme code (reference) B01J 13/14 B01J 13/02 K B03B 5/56 H (72) Inventor Hideaki Kubo 1334 Minato Minato, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture In-house research institute (72) Inventor Chitose Shigeno 1334 Minato Minato Wakayama, Wakayama Kao Stock Company In-house research F-term (reference) 4C076 AA31 AA32 AA53 DD30 DD45 DD46 DD52 DD63 EE09 EE27 EE36 FF06 GG12 4D071 AA03 AB12 CA05 AB25 AB04 AB25 AB25 DA01 4G005 AA01 AB14 AB15 BA11 BB03 BB12 BB24 CA02 DA14W DB06Z DB17Z DB22X EA01 EA03

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A supply device for supplying a liquid containing easily disintegrating particles, a separator for separating the liquid and the particles supplied together from the supply device, and a supply device for the separation device. A classifier for classifying particles of a predetermined size from among particles, and a washing machine for washing the particles supplied from the classifier with a washing liquid, which is an easily disintegrating particle production system, wherein the separator is The classifier and the washing machine each have a common basic configuration, and are arranged rotatably around the shaft so that the shaft is substantially horizontal, and a rotary cylinder having a large number of openings in the peripheral wall, The opening is a size that allows only particles or liquid smaller than the liquid and the required particles in the separator to pass, in the classifier, a size that particles larger than the required particles cannot pass, and in the washing machine, Washing Easily disintegrable particles produced system configured in size to pass only small particles or cleaning liquid than the particle and in need. 2. A supply device for supplying a liquid containing easily disintegrating particles, a separator for separating the liquid and the particles supplied together from the supply device, and a supply device for separating the liquid and the particles. An easily disintegrating particle production system comprising a classifier for classifying particles of a predetermined size from particles supplied from the cleaning machine and a cleaning machine for cleaning the particles with a cleaning liquid, and the separator. The washing machine and the classifier each have a common basic configuration, are arranged rotatably around the shaft so that the shaft is substantially horizontal, and include a rotating cylindrical body having a large number of openings in the peripheral wall, In the separator, a size that allows only liquid or particles smaller than the required particles or liquid to pass, in the cleaning machine, a size that allows particles smaller than the cleaning liquid and required particles or cleaning liquid to pass, the classification In the larger particles particles in need can not pass dimensions easily disintegrating particles manufacturing system is configured to,. 3. The easily disintegrating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the separator is provided with an opening having a size smaller than the minimum diameter size of required particles in the peripheral wall of the rotating cylinder. Particle manufacturing system. 4. The easily disintegrating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the classifier is provided with an opening having a size equal to or smaller than a maximum diameter size of required particles in a peripheral wall of the rotating cylindrical body. Particle manufacturing system. 5. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the washing machine is provided with an opening having a size equal to or smaller than a minimum diameter size of required particles, in a peripheral wall of the rotating cylindrical body. Disintegrating particle manufacturing system. 6. The easily disintegrating particle manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein the separator is provided with an opening having a size equal to or smaller than an opening size of the washing machine on a peripheral wall of the rotating cylindrical body. . 7. The easily disintegrating particles according to claim 1, wherein the classifier and the washing machine further include a nozzle for discharging a washing liquid toward a peripheral wall of the cylinder. Manufacturing system. 8. The forming device, wherein the supply device ejects a forming component liquid in a droplet form from a nozzle and cures the forming component liquid ejected from the nozzle in a curing liquid to form particles. ~ 7. The easily disintegrating particle manufacturing system according to any one of 7 to 7. 9. An easily disintegrating apparatus together with a feeder for supplying easily disintegrating particles and a liquid, a separator for separating the liquid and the particles supplied from the feeder, and a washing machine for washing the particles with a washing liquid. Is a classifier that constitutes a permeable particle production system and classifies particles of a predetermined size from the particles, and is rotatably arranged around the axis so that the axis is substantially horizontal, A classifier for easily disintegrating particles, comprising a rotating cylindrical body having an opening, the opening being configured to pass required particles. 10. A feeder for supplying easily disintegrating particles and a liquid, a separator for separating the liquid and the particles supplied from the feeder, and classifying particles of a predetermined size from the particles. A washing machine that constitutes an easily disintegrating particle production system together with a classifying machine that cleans the easily disintegrating particles with a cleaning liquid, and is arranged rotatably around the shaft so that the shaft is substantially horizontal and has a peripheral wall. 1. A washing machine for easily disintegrating particles, comprising a rotating cylinder having a large number of openings, and the openings are configured to pass through the cleaning liquid and particles smaller than intended, or only the cleaning liquid. 11. The easily disintegrating particle production system according to claim 1, wherein the easily disintegrating particles are hydrogel particles or capsules.