JP2004008158A - Falling type steam sterilization method and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new method for the sterilization of a granular material to be treated in improved sterilization efficiency. <P>SOLUTION: The material A to be sterilized is fallen in diffused state in a closed treating chamber 20 maintained to nearly atmospheric pressure and sterilized by contacting with high-pressure steam J introduced into the treating chamber. The sterilizing steam J is supplied to the treating chamber 20 in a manner to be introduced into the inside of lumps of the granules of the treating material stored in stacked state and the used steam J is released from the treating chamber 20 to the outer atmosphere. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a drop-type steam sterilization method and apparatus suitable for sterilizing food materials such as free-flowing powder and granular materials, for example, raw pepper particles, buckwheat flour, tea leaves, peppers, spices, dried vegetables and flour.
[0002]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When sterilizing or sterilizing powdery or granular materials (hereinafter, referred to as “objects to be treated”) such as original pepper grains and buckwheat flour, for example, a so-called horizontal rotating body type sterilizer in which a drum for receiving the objects to be treated is laid down. Devices are known. However, such a horizontal rotation drum type has problems that a relatively long processing time is required and that maintenance is troublesome. For this reason, a so-called vertical drum type, in which a drum for receiving an object to be processed is installed substantially vertically, and the object to be processed is dried by being brought into contact with high-pressure steam while falling within the drum, is used. It has been devised.
[0003]
Under such circumstances, the present applicant has also attempted to develop this vertical trunk type sterilizing apparatus, and has filed a patent application for Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-112749 "Dropping type steam sterilizing apparatus and falling type steam sterilizing method". Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-112749 discloses that a processing unit can be sealed at a high level by adopting a so-called double shutter structure and each component can be separated. The required versatility, versatility, and sanitary properties can be improved. However, such a sterilizing apparatus still has room for improvement in the following points.
[0004]
That is, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-112749, when sterilizing an object to be processed, a processing chamber in which communication with the outside is shut off is filled with high-pressure sterilizing steam in advance, and then the object is dropped into the processing chamber. Then, sterilization was performed. In addition, before the object to be dropped, the object to be processed is laminated to some extent in a lump in a preliminary chamber or the like in the preceding stage of the processing chamber, and is temporarily stored in a state of being compressed by its own weight. For this reason, the object to be treated is not immediately disintegrated in a granular manner even when falling down in the processing chamber, and therefore, the steam for sterilization tends to locally act on a part of the lump, and the object to be treated tends to act locally. In some cases, the treated product could not be sterilized uniformly.
[0005]
[Technical issues that we attempted to develop]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and it has been made possible to introduce steam into a processing chamber while an object to be processed is falling in a processing chamber in a substantially atmospheric pressure field, This is an attempt to develop a new sterilization method that enables more efficient sterilization of materials.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
That is, in the dropping type steam sterilization method according to the first aspect, a powdery or granular object to be processed is dropped in a closed processing chamber set at substantially the atmospheric pressure field, and high-pressure steam is processed during the dropping. The method is characterized in that the object is introduced into a chamber and sterilized by contact with steam.
According to the present invention, the object is sterilized by contacting with high-pressure steam while falling in the processing chamber set to a substantially atmospheric pressure state, so that effective sterilization can be performed. In addition, the falling of the object to be processed, the supply timing of steam, and the like can be variously selected according to the specific gravity of the object to be processed, and suitable processing conditions can be selected.
[0007]
In addition, in the dropping type steam sterilization method according to claim 2, in addition to the requirements described in claim 1, when the object to be treated is dropped in the processing chamber, the object is diffused so as to be almost uniformly contacted with the introduced steam. It is characterized by being dropped.
According to the present invention, since the objects to be processed are dropped in the processing chamber in a discrete state, the steam comes into contact entirely with the powdery and granular surface of the objects to be processed, and uniform sterilization can be performed.
[0008]
Furthermore, in the dropping type steam sterilization method according to the third aspect, in addition to the requirements according to the first or second aspect, when the sterilizing steam is introduced into the processing chamber, the workpiece is temporarily stored in a stacked state. It is characterized by being led into a group.
According to the present invention, since the high-pressure steam is discharged inside the processing object group in a substantially deposited state, the processing object easily rises in the processing chamber, and is easily scattered, thereby promoting the diffusion and drop of the processing object. I can make it.
[0009]
Further, the falling steam sterilization method according to claim 4 is characterized in that, in addition to the requirements described in claim 1, 2 or 3, the steam introduced into the processing chamber is discharged to the outside after the sterilization treatment. It is a feature.
According to the present invention, since the steam in the processing chamber is released to the outside after the sterilization treatment, the generation of moisture due to the residual steam can be suppressed, and the adherence of the object to the device or the like can be prevented. Further, when the next sterilization is performed, the inside of the processing chamber is almost reset to the atmospheric pressure field, so that a rapid change in heat and pressure that can be given to the apparatus can be suppressed.
[0010]
The falling steam sterilizer according to claim 5 includes a processing chamber that can be appropriately set to a closed state, and a hopper that temporarily stores the processing object in the processing chamber and sequentially drops the processing object. In a processing chamber in a closed state, while dropping the granular material to be processed, while contacting with high pressure steam, to sterilize the processing object, the processing chamber, for sterilization, An introduction pipe for introducing steam is provided, and the introduction pipe is provided so that the discharge port faces the inside of the hopper.
According to the present invention, in order to make the discharge port of the steam face the inside of the hopper, a specific configuration in which high-pressure steam is introduced into the processing chamber while dropping the object to be processed under an atmosphere of a substantially atmospheric pressure field is realized. Shall be.
[0011]
Further, in the dropping type steam sterilizer according to claim 6, in addition to the requirements described in claim 5, one valve unit is provided before and after the processing chamber, and by operating the valve unit, the processing chamber is operated. Can be set to a closed state as needed.
According to the present invention, since one valve unit that can close the processing chamber is provided before and after the processing chamber, that is, on the input side and the discharge side of the object to be processed, the processing chamber shut-off structure and, consequently, the apparatus are simplified. Can be By the way, conventionally, from the viewpoint of high airtightness-high sterilization, that is, to perform sterilization at a high level, it is necessary to ensure airtightness at a high level. The processing chamber was almost completely sealed.
[0012]
Further, in the dropping type steam sterilizer according to claim 7, in addition to the requirement according to claim 5 or 6, the discharge port of the introduction pipe is provided with a steam in a group of objects to be processed stored in a stacked state in a hopper. Is provided so as to exhale.
According to the present invention, since the high-pressure steam for sterilization is led out inside the group of objects to be processed stored substantially in a deposited state, the diffusion of the objects to be processed can be further promoted.
[0013]
Further, in the dropping type steam sterilizer according to claim 8, in addition to the requirements according to claim 5, 6, or 7, an exhaust pipe that discharges steam remaining in the processing chamber to the outside after the sterilization processing is provided in the processing chamber. Are connected.
According to the present invention, sterilization can be performed in a state where the processing chamber is almost balanced with the atmospheric pressure, and rapid thermal changes and pressure changes that can affect the apparatus can be suppressed as much as possible.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The present invention sterilizes the object A by contacting it with high-pressure steam while dropping the object A in a diffusion state. Prior to the description of the embodiment, the object A to be sterilized will be described. . As the material to be treated A, a free-flowing powdery material is suitable, and specific examples thereof include original pepper grains, buckwheat grains, tea leaves, capsicum, spices, dried vegetables, flour and the like. As the sterilizing steam J to be brought into contact with the article A to be treated, high-pressure superheated steam is used as an example. Alternatively, high-pressure saturated steam may be used.
[0015]
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiments. In the description, the falling-type steam sterilizer 1 of the apparatus of the present invention will be described first, and then, while the operation mode of the apparatus will be described, the falling-type steam sterilizer of the method of the present invention will also be described.
As an example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the falling-type steam sterilizer 1 includes a machine frame 2 serving as a frame member, a processing unit 3 that substantially sterilizes the processing target A, and the processing unit 3 appropriately. It comprises a shutter section 4 for forming a closed space, an input section 5 for supplying the processing object A to the processing section 3, and a discharge section 6 for taking out the processing object A after the sterilization processing. Hereinafter, each component will be described.
[0016]
First, the machine casing 2 will be described. This supports the processing section 3, the shutter section 4, the input section 5, the discharge section 6, and the like. For example, the main section 11 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped frame shape supports the shutter section 4. The sub-frame 12 is attached.
The processing unit 3, the loading unit 5, and the discharge unit 6, which are supported by the machine frame 2, are vertically movably locked to the vertical frame of the main frame 11 by the lifting bracket 13, and are vertically moved by the lifting shifter 14. It is configured to be able to. In addition, as the lifting / lowering shifter 14, an appropriate shift device such as an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, and a motor cylinder can be used.
[0017]
On the other hand, the shutter section 4 is hung by the hanger bracket 15 with respect to the sub-frame 12 so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction (a shifter that performs horizontal sliding is not shown).
The member indicated by reference numeral B in the drawing is a fixture for integrally connecting and fixing the respective parts, and the dropping-type steam sterilizer 1 is supported by such a structure so as to be segmentable. is there.
[0018]
Next, the processing unit 3 will be described. The processing section 3 includes a cylindrical processing barrel 21 forming a processing chamber 20 for performing steam sterilization, and an inner hopper 22 provided therein. In the present embodiment, the processing unit 3 is configured by vertically connecting two processing barrels 21 in which the inner hopper 22 is inserted, for example, but the number can be appropriately changed.
The processing barrel 21 has, as an example, flanges 23 at upper and lower ends, and a cutout groove 23a for receiving the fixing bracket B is formed therein.
[0019]
The inner hopper 22 temporarily stores the workpiece A in the processing chamber 20 and sequentially drops the workpiece A. This is provided with a hopper main body 24 having an upper opening opening 24a and a lower opening 24b, and a damper 25 for appropriately opening and closing the outlet 24b.
[0020]
The hopper main body 24 is formed so as to have a funnel-shaped appearance as an example, and a lower end is rotatably configured such that a damper 25 is attached in an inclined state and the discharge port 24b can be opened and closed appropriately. When the damper 25 is operated, the damper 25 is rotated by a damper shifter 27 via a link mechanism 26. Incidentally, as the damper shifter 27, an appropriate shift device such as an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, and a motor cylinder can be used.
When it is desired to distinguish the hopper main body 24, the damper 25, and the like in the upper and lower two processing barrels 21, the upper one is referred to as 24A, 25A, and the lower one is referred to as 24B, 25B, and the like. "At the end.
[0021]
Of the two hopper bodies 24, steam J and hot air are introduced only into the upper hopper body 24A. Further, the discharge port of the introduction pipe 28 is set to 28a, and this position is provided downward, more specifically, between the input port 24a and the discharge port 24b so as to face the inside of the hopper body 24A. . In the present embodiment, the discharge port 28a is provided at a position where the object A is buried in the object A when the object A is stored on the damper 25. In this connection, by adopting such a configuration, the steam A is guided almost simultaneously with the fall of the work A or immediately after the fall, so that the work A in a substantially deposited state is sowed in the hopper body 24A, or The object A can be diffused in a disperse state as if blown up, and the object A can be dropped in this diffused state.
[0022]
The processing barrel 21 is connected to an exhaust pipe 29 capable of releasing steam J remaining in the barrel to the atmosphere after sterilization. As an example, the exhaust pipe 29 is formed such that after being led out from the upper and lower processing barrels 21 (processing chamber 20), they are merged and then discharged into the atmosphere. The exhaust pipe 29 communicates the inside of the processing barrel 21 with the atmosphere by, for example, opening and closing a valve, so as to spontaneously discharge the processing barrel 21, but actively exhausts steam J and air remaining in the processing barrel 21. It is also possible to suck.
[0023]
The exhaust pipe 29 is connected above each damper 25, and this position is designed so that the processing target A temporarily stored in the hopper main body 24 does not flow out together with the exhaust.
Further, the hopper body 24 is formed of a metal plate, but may be formed of a gas-permeable material such as a wire mesh or a punched metal depending on the type of the workpiece A.
[0024]
Next, the shutter unit 4 for appropriately closing the processing unit 3 will be described. The shutter unit 4 shuts off communication with the outside during the sterilization process in order to make the processing chamber 20 a closed space, and is constituted by valve units 31 provided on the input side and the discharge side of the processing unit 3, respectively. You. For example, a butterfly valve type is applied to the valve unit 31. Specifically, a disc-shaped valve element (valve element) is rotatable in a valve cage (valve cage) 32. It is supported by.
[0025]
In the present embodiment, as described above, since the butterfly valve type is adopted, the valve element is hereinafter referred to as a butterfly valve 33. The rotation axis at this time is the valve stem 34. When the butterfly valve 33 is rotated to appropriately open and close the falling path, it is rotated by a valve shifter 36 connected by a support bracket 35, and it is preferable according to the specific gravity of the workpiece A and the like. It can be set to an appropriate opening amount.
[0026]
Further, here, the one provided before the processing unit 3 (between the charging unit 5 and the processing unit 3) is referred to as a charging-side valve unit 31A, and the latter unit of the processing unit 3 (between the processing unit 3 and the discharging unit 6). ) Are distinguished as discharge side valve units 31B. Further, the butterfly valve 33 is also distinguished as 33A provided before the processing section 3 and as 33B after it.
[0027]
Next, the charging section 5 will be described. The input section 5 feeds the workpiece A into the processing section 3 and has substantially the same configuration as the processing section 3. That is, the charging section 5 includes a cylindrical charging barrel 41 and an inner hopper 42 installed therein. The input barrel 41 has, for example, flanges 43 at upper and lower ends, and a cutout groove 43a for receiving the fixing bracket B is formed therein. On the other hand, the inner hopper 42 includes a hopper body 44 having an upper opening opening 44a and a lower opening 44b, and a damper 45 provided at the outlet 44b. The damper 45 is opened and closed by a damper shifter via a link mechanism (not shown).
Reference numeral 7 in the figure is a charging transfer unit connected to the charging unit 5, and more specifically, for example, an inclined conveyor or the like is applied, and has a function of feeding the workpiece A into the charging unit 5 by a predetermined amount. .
[0028]
Next, the discharge unit 6 will be described. The discharge unit 6 is a part that receives the workpiece A sterilized by the processing unit 3 and sends it out to the outside, and is configured by a cylindrical discharge barrel 51 having a flange 53 on an upper part.
Reference numeral 8 in the figure connected to the discharge unit 6 denotes a discharge transfer unit, which is, for example, a vibration conveyor or a screw conveyor.
[0029]
The falling-type steam sterilizer 1 of the present invention has the basic structure as described above. Hereinafter, the falling-type steam sterilizing method of the present invention will be substantially described while describing the operation mode of the device.
(1) Initial state
First, an initial state before the object A is substantially sterilized will be described. This state is a stage before the workpiece A is supplied to the dropping-type steam sterilizer 1, and the inside of the processing chamber 20 is set to be substantially the same as the atmospheric pressure. That is, the processing chamber 20 is set in an exhaust state communicating with the outside, and is in a state in which almost no steam exists. In addition, the damper 45 of the charging unit 5, the dampers 25A and 25B of the processing unit 3, the blowing valve 33A on the charging side, and the butterfly valve 33B on the discharging side are all closed.
[0030]
(2) Supply of the processing object to the input section
First, an appropriate amount of the workpiece A is supplied from the charging / transferring unit 7 to the charging unit 5 and stored in the inner hopper 42 as shown in FIG. Note that reference numerals (A) to (S) shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 are reference numbers (serial numbers) indicating the operation states (stages) of the apparatus in order.
[0031]
(3) Supply from input section to processing section
(I) Opening the inlet-side butterfly valve
The processing object A stored in the inner hopper 42 is then sent to the processing unit 3, which first opens the butterfly valve 33A of the input side valve unit 31A as shown in FIG. Let it.
[0032]
(Ii) Opening of the input section damper
Then, with the butterfly valve 33A opened, the damper 45 of the charging section 5 is opened as shown in FIG. 5C, and the workpiece A is dropped from the inner hopper 42.
[0033]
(Iii) Closing the input section damper
When all the objects A have been dropped into the hopper body 24A of the processing section 3 in this way, as shown in FIG. 5D, the damper 45 of the input section 5 is closed next. It is desirable that the amount of the workpiece A stored in the hopper body 24A is sufficient to cover and fill the discharge port 28a.
[0034]
(Iv) Closing the inlet-side butterfly valve
Then, when the damper 45 of the charging section 5 is closed, as shown in FIG. 6A, the closing-side butterfly valve 33A is closed, and the supply (transfer) of the workpiece A to the processing section 3 is completed.
[0035]
(4) Sterilization of the object
Thereafter, the processing object A is substantially sterilized. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 6B, the upper damper 25A is opened and the processing object A is moved to the lower hopper body 24B. (Drop). In addition, while the processing target A is stacked to some extent in a lump state while being stored in the hopper main body 24A and is also subjected to compression by its own weight, when the processing target A falls from the hopper main body 24A, the discharge port 24b Due to being formed in an inclined state, the damper 25A being gradually opened, and the like, the object to be processed A falls in a dispersed state in which it is dispersed. At about the same time as the opening of the damper 25A, or immediately after the start of the drop of the workpiece A, the steam J is introduced into the processing chamber 20 from the introduction pipe 28, and is brought into almost uniform contact with the workpiece A falling in a diffused state. The object A is sterilized.
[0036]
When the processing object A once stored in the hopper main body 24A is stored in a state where the processing port A is buried in the discharge port 28a, the processing object A in this stacked state (the cluster-shaped ) Can be made to fall apart (blow up) in the hopper body 24A, and the effect of further promoting the diffusion and drop of the processing object A can be expected.
[0037]
As described above, in the present invention, sterilization is performed by bringing the steam A into contact with the workpiece A falling in a diffused state, but the opening amount and opening speed of the damper 25A, or the introduction timing and supply amount of the steam J. For example, various settings can be adopted. That is, various settings are possible as long as the object A can be dropped in a diffusion state and brought into almost uniform contact with the steam J. For this reason, depending on the properties of the workpiece A and the size of the discharge port 24b, the workpiece A can be dropped and sterilized, for example, with the damper 25A open or without the damper 25A. It is.
[0038]
(5) Close upper damper and release steam to atmosphere
When the processing object A is substantially sterilized, the damper 25A is closed as shown in FIG. 6C, and the supply of the steam J to the processing chamber 20 is also stopped. At this time, the processing object A is entirely stored in the lower hopper body 24B as shown in FIG. Almost simultaneously with the stop of the supply of the steam J, the steam J remaining (existing) in the processing chamber 20 is released (discharged) from the exhaust pipe 29 into the atmosphere. When the steam J is released, generally, the steam J remaining in the processing chamber 20 is still in a high pressure state. Therefore, the exhaust pipe 29 is simply brought into communication with the outside by operating a valve, and the exhaust gas is discharged. You can do it. Needless to say, not only the pressure in the processing chamber 20 is balanced with the outside by such a simple valve operation, but also a method of actively sucking the steam J from the processing chamber 20 is possible.
[0039]
By the way, in the conventional sterilization technology, it was a general technical idea to sterilize the processing object A under reduced pressure or vacuum while eliminating the air in the processing chamber 20 as much as possible. Experiments have shown that the presence of air does not have any particular adverse effect on sterilization, but rather that high levels of sterilization can be achieved even in the presence of air. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to suck the air in the processing chamber 20 after the sterilization processing and maintain the airtightness in the processing chamber 20 to a high degree, but these are not essential components.
[0040]
(6) Discharge of processed material
(I) Opening the discharge side butterfly valve
After the pressure in the processing chamber 20 becomes substantially equal to the atmospheric pressure due to the exhaust, the butterfly valve 33B on the discharge section 6 side is opened as shown in FIG.
[0041]
(Ii) Opening the lower damper of the processing section
Thereafter, while the butterfly valve 33B is opened, the lower damper 25B of the processing unit 3 is opened as shown in FIG. 7A, and the workpiece A is sent to the discharge transfer unit 8.
[0042]
(Iii) Closing of the lower damper and discharge-side butterfly valve of the processing section
When the workpiece A is dropped onto the discharge / transfer section 8, the lower damper 25B is closed, and then the butterfly valve 33B on the discharge section 6 is closed, as shown in FIGS.
[0043]
(Iv) Hot air supply / steam discharge
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7D, both the upper and lower dampers 25A and 25B of the processing unit 3 are opened, hot air (air) is supplied from the introduction pipe 28 to the processing chamber 20, and remains in the processing chamber 20. The steam J is exhausted almost completely.
Thereafter, the supply of hot air is stopped, and the upper and lower dampers 25A and 25B of the processing unit 3 are both closed to set the initial state and sterilization is repeated again.
[0044]
FIG. 8 shows an example of a control method of each part of the present apparatus, that is, an operation of a damper or a butterfly valve, or a supply timing of steam or hot air. In this figure, the horizontal axis indicates the passage of time. The symbols (A) to (S) in the drawing are the symbols (serial numbers) shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 and indicate the operation status (stage) of the apparatus. In the figure, the item “exhaust” is “ON” and indicates an exhaust state (communication state). That is, here, the "exhaust" is always "ON" except for the substantial sterilization (FIG. 6B), so that the processing chamber 20 is always set in a state of communication with the outside during non-sterilization.
[0045]
When performing maintenance on the apparatus, the shutter section 4 is slid substantially horizontally so as to be separated from the apparatus, and the processing section 3, the input section 5, the discharge section 6 and the like are moved up and down as appropriate. The detailed description of this is omitted, and the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-112749 "Drop type steam sterilizer and drop type steam sterilization method" is cited.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently sterilize the processing target A in the form of a granular material with the steam J. In particular, the object to be processed A is dropped in a dispersed state in the processing chamber 20, and the steam J is brought into contact with the object during this time, so that the steam J acts almost uniformly on the surface of the granular material of the object to be processed A, It can be sterilized uniformly. In addition, by introducing the steam J into the processing target A stored in the accumulation state, the diffusion and drop of the processing target A can be further promoted. Furthermore, the hermetically sealed state of the processing chamber 20 can be sufficiently secured for practical use by one butterfly valve 33A, 33B provided at the front and back, so that the structure of the apparatus can be made relatively simple, and the processing object A Can be smoothly dropped (transferred).
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view (a) showing a falling-type steam sterilizer of the apparatus of the present invention, and a side view (b) showing a state of sterilization of an object to be processed.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a processing section of the falling-type steam sterilizer.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing a falling-type steam sterilizer.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the same.
FIG. 5 is a side view showing the operation mode of the falling-type steam sterilizer in a stepwise manner.
FIG. 6 is a side view showing the operation mode of the falling steam sterilizer in a stepwise manner.
FIG. 7 is a side view showing the operation mode of the falling-type steam sterilizer in a stepwise manner.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a control method of the falling-type steam sterilizer.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 falling steam sterilizer
2 aircraft frame
3 processing unit
4 Shutter section
5 Input section
6 discharge section
7 Input transfer unit
8 Discharge transfer section
11 Mainframe
12 subframes
13 Lifting bracket
14 Lifting shifter
15 Hanger bracket
20 processing room
21 Processing barrel
22 Inner hopper
23 Flange
23a Notch groove
24 Hopper body
24A hopper body (upper)
24B hopper body (lower side)
24a inlet
24b outlet
25 Damper
25A damper (upper)
25B damper (lower side)
26 Link mechanism
27 Shifter for damper
28 Introductory tube
28a Discharge port
29 Exhaust pipe
31 Valve unit
31A valve unit (input side)
31B Valve unit (discharge side)
32 valve cage
33 Butterfly valve
33A Butterfly valve (front stage)
33B butterfly valve (second stage)
34 Valve stem
35 Support bracket
36 Valve shifter
41 Input barrel
42 Inner hopper
43 Flange
43a Notch groove
44 Hopper body
44a Input port
44b outlet
45 Damper
51 discharge barrel
53 flange
A Workpiece
B Fixture
J steam

Claims (8)

In a closed processing chamber set at a substantially atmospheric pressure field, a powdery and granular material to be processed is dropped, and during this drop, high-pressure steam is introduced into the processing chamber, and the workpiece is contacted with the steam. A drop-type steam sterilization method, wherein sterilization is performed. 2. The drop-type steam sterilization method according to claim 1, wherein when the object is dropped in the processing chamber, the object is dropped in a diffusion state so as to almost uniformly contact the introduced steam. 3. The drop-type steam sterilization method according to claim 1, wherein when introducing the sterilizing steam into the processing chamber, the sterilizing steam is led out into a group of objects to be processed once stored in a stacked state. 4. The drop-type steam sterilization method according to claim 1, wherein the steam introduced into the processing chamber is released to the outside after the sterilization process. A processing chamber that can be set to a closed state as appropriate,
And a hopper for temporarily storing the object to be processed in the processing chamber and sequentially dropping the object to be processed,
In a processing chamber in a substantially closed state, a powdery or granular material to be processed is dropped, and is brought into contact with high-pressure steam to sterilize the material to be processed. A drop-type steam sterilizer, characterized in that an inlet pipe for guiding the steam is provided, and the inlet pipe is provided so that a discharge port faces the inside of the hopper. 6. The falling steam according to claim 5, wherein one valve unit is provided before and after the processing chamber, and the processing chamber can be appropriately set to a closed state by operating the valve unit. Sterilizer. The falling-type steam sterilizer according to claim 5, wherein the discharge port of the introduction pipe is provided so as to discharge steam into a group of objects to be processed stored in a hopper. The falling steam sterilizer according to claim 5, 6, or 7, wherein an exhaust pipe that discharges steam remaining in the processing chamber to the outside after the sterilization processing is connected to the processing chamber.

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