JP2005334682A - Bubble removal device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a bubble removal device capable of selectively removing only air bubble from a particle having a fine diameter of approximately several μm and the air bubble existing in a liquid from the liquid. <P>SOLUTION: In the bubble removal device, the liquid is stored in a tank having a predetermined volume, the bubble in the liquid stored in the tank is raised in the liquid by buoyancy of the bubble and the bubble is released from the liquid to the outside. A plurality of structures comprising plate-like bodies each having at least a surface formed by a hydrophobic material are arranged at positions for storing the liquid in the tank while spaced from each other by a predetermined distance so as to extend in a depth direction of the tank. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a bubble removing device, and more particularly to a bubble removing device for removing bubbles in a liquid.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it has been known that in a measuring instrument that measures the state of a liquid such as a particle counter in liquid or a turbidimeter, if bubbles are present in the liquid, the measurement accuracy is significantly reduced.

  For this reason, in such a measuring instrument, only the liquid that has been degassed in advance is used as a measurement target, or a bubble removing device is placed in front of the measuring instrument, and the liquid from which bubbles have been removed by the bubble removing device is used. Introduced and measured.

FIG. 1 shows a conceptual configuration explanatory diagram of a measurement system in which a bubble removing device is arranged in front of a submerged particle counter as a measuring instrument.

  That is, in this measurement system, a bubble removing device 102 for sending the gas from which bubbles have been removed to the submerged particle counter 100 is disposed in front of the optical submerged particle counter 100.

  The bubble removing device 102 includes a tank 104 having a predetermined volume for storing liquid, and an air vent valve 106 disposed on the upper part of the tank 104.

  Here, an introduction pipe line 104 a for introducing a liquid into the tank 104 is formed on the upper side surface of the tank 104. In addition, a delivery conduit 104 b for delivering the liquid stored in the vessel 104 to the submerged particle counter 100 is formed at the bottom of the vessel 104.

  Although illustration is omitted, valves for controlling the flow rate of the liquid and blocking the flow of the liquid are provided in the introduction pipe line 104a and the delivery pipe line 104b.

  On the other hand, the in-liquid particle counter 100 includes a glass tube 100a for introducing the liquid delivered from the delivery conduit 104b of the tank 104, a light projecting unit 100b for irradiating light toward the glass tube 100a, and a light projecting unit 100b. A light receiving unit 100c that receives reflected light from the glass tube 100a of the light irradiated toward the glass tube 100a.

In the above configuration, the liquid to be measured by the in-liquid particle counter 100 is introduced into the tank 104 through the introduction conduit 104 a, and the introduced liquid is stored in the tank 104.

  Bubbles in the liquid stored in the tank 104 rise in the liquid due to the buoyancy of the bubbles, are discharged from the liquid into the space A in the tank 104, and finally, are stored in the tank 104 via the air vent valve 106. Released to the outside.

  The liquid in the tank 104 from which bubbles have been removed as described above is introduced into the glass tube 100a of the submerged particle counter 100 from the delivery conduit 104b.

  In the liquid particle counter 100, scattering of light of the liquid introduced into the glass tube 100a is measured using the light projecting unit 100b and the light receiving unit 100c, and particles (fine particles) in the liquid are measured.

However, in the conventional bubble removing device using the above-described bubble buoyancy, bubbles having a relatively large diameter can be removed from the liquid to the outside by buoyancy, but a bubble having a small diameter, for example, several μm Since bubbles having a diameter are insufficient in buoyancy and cannot be easily removed from the liquid, there is a problem that the measurement accuracy of the measuring instrument is reduced.

  That is, FIG. 2 shows an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the main part of the glass tube 100a of the submerged particle counter 100 shown in FIG. 1, but if there are bubbles in the liquid, the light scattering by the bubbles will also occur. It was measured by 100c, and bubbles were counted as particles.

  In addition, as a method for removing bubbles having a small diameter in the liquid, for example, bubbles having a diameter of several μm, there is a method in which the liquid is passed through a filter having a finer diameter than the bubbles having the small diameter. Since the particles that are originally intended to be measured are also removed, a new problem that the meaning of the measurement is lost is brought about.

  For this reason, there has been a strong demand for a method for selectively removing bubbles having a small diameter from the liquid, for example, bubbles having a diameter of several μm.

Note that the prior art that the applicant of the present application knows at the time of filing a patent application is not an invention related to a known literature invention, so there is no prior art document information to be described.

  The present invention has been made in view of the various problems and demands of the conventional technology as described above, and the object of the present invention is to form a fine bubble in a liquid, for example, a diameter of several μm. It is an object of the present invention to provide a bubble removing device that can remove bubbles from the liquid.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the property that bubbles having a small diameter in a liquid have a property of being easily trapped on a hydrophobic surface, and bubbles are gathered together by contact to form bubbles having a large diameter. It was made in view of the principle of growth, and a bubble having a small diameter in a liquid, for example, a bubble having a diameter of several μm, was grown in a tank storing the liquid so that buoyancy was obtained. It is separated from the liquid and discharged to the outside.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform measurement and analysis of particles and liquid quality with respect to a high-temperature liquid or a liquid with a lot of bubble contamination that cannot be measured by using the conventional bubble removing device.

That is, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention stores liquid in a tank having a predetermined volume, and causes bubbles in the liquid stored in the tank to pass through the liquid by buoyancy of the bubbles. In the bubble removing device that raises and discharges the bubbles from the liquid to the outside, at least one structure having at least a surface formed of a hydrophobic material is disposed at a location where the liquid is stored in the tank. It is.

  Further, the invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention, in which a plurality of the structures are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other.

  The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is the invention according to claim 1 or 2 of the present invention, wherein the structure has a plate-like body or a mesh space of a predetermined size. It is a net-like body provided.

  Moreover, invention of Claim 4 among this invention is arrange | positioned so that the said structure may be extended along the depth direction of the said tank in invention of Claim 3 among this invention. .

  Further, the invention according to claim 5 of the present invention is the invention according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3 or 4 of the present invention, wherein the tank is at least a portion in contact with the liquid. Is formed of a hydrophobic material.

  The present invention has an excellent effect that only bubbles can be selectively removed from the liquid from a mixed state of bubbles and particles having a small diameter in the liquid.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a bubble removing device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the following description, the same or equivalent components as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in FIGS. Detailed description of the operation is omitted.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional configuration explanatory view showing an example of an embodiment of a bubble removing device according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an end view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. .

  The bubble removing device 10 shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 4 extends along the depth direction of the tank 104 to the location where the liquid is stored in the tank 104, and is provided at the upper and lower parts of the tank 104 in the depth direction. It differs from the conventional bubble removing apparatus 102 in that a plurality of structures 12 made of a plate-like body are arranged in parallel so as to form a space.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of structures 12 are formed by alternately standing between the opposing side surfaces of a box-shaped tank 104 whose one surface is formed of a substantially hexagonal hollow hexahedron. ing.

  The structures 12 are made of a hydrophobic material such as Teflon (registered trademark), and are spaced apart from each other by a distance L.

As described above, bubbles having a small diameter in a liquid have a property of being easily trapped on a hydrophobic surface, and there is a principle that bubbles are gathered together by contact to grow into bubbles having a large diameter.

  Therefore, microscopic bubbles in the liquid, for example, bubbles having a diameter of several μm, are efficiently trapped on the surface of the structure 12 formed of the hydrophobic material, and one trapped bubble is brought into contact with each other by contact. It grows into bubbles with a large diameter and gets buoyancy that rises in the liquid.

  The bubbles that have thus obtained buoyancy that rises in the liquid are separated from the structure 12 by the buoyancy of the bubbles, rise in the liquid, are discharged from the liquid to the space A in the tank 104, and finally the air vent valve. It is discharged to the outside of the tank 104 through 106.

Here, the distance L is the diameter of the particles so that particles to be measured in a measuring device such as the submerged particle counter 100 located downstream of the bubble removing device 10 can pass between the structures 12 with a predetermined tolerance. Can rise in the liquid so that bubbles with buoyancy that can rise in the liquid can be separated from the structure 12 and pass between the structures 12 with a predetermined tolerance. It is set larger by a predetermined size than the diameter of a bubble having a good buoyancy.

  Specifically, the distance L can be set to 2 to 5 mm, for example.

Therefore, according to the bubble removing device 10 according to the present invention, only fine bubbles having a small diameter in the liquid that could not be removed by the conventional bubble removing device 104, for example, bubbles having a diameter of several μm are selectively selected from the liquid. Can be removed.

Further, in the above-described bubble removing device 10 according to the present invention, it is only necessary to arrange the structure 12 in the vessel 104 using the vessel 104 used in the conventional bubble removing device 102, so that a significant increase in cost can be achieved. It is possible to easily improve the performance of the bubble removing function without bringing about the effect.

The above-described embodiment can be modified as shown in the following (1) to (8).

  (1) In the above-described embodiment, Teflon (registered trademark) is exemplified as the hydrophobic material. However, the hydrophobic material is not limited to this, and hydrophobic materials such as fluororesins are used. If it is a material, the same effect will be acquired.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the entire structure 12 is made of a hydrophobic material has been shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only the surface in contact with the liquid is hydrophobic. Only the surface of the structure 12 may be formed of a hydrophobic material by coating the material. That is, if the surface of the structure 12 is formed of a hydrophobic material, bubbles having a small diameter can be trapped on the surface of the structure 12, so that at least the surface of the structure 12 is hydrophobic. What is necessary is just to be coat | covered with the material.

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, the case where a plurality of the structures 12 are arranged in the tank 104 has been shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the structure 12 may be singular. Further, when a plurality of structures 12 are arranged in the tank 104, the number of arrangements is arbitrary, and an appropriate number of arrangements may be selected according to the space for storing the liquid in the tank 104.

  (4) In the above-described embodiment, the shape of the structure 12 is a plate-like body. However, the shape is not limited to this, and the shape of the structure 12 is selected arbitrarily. Can do. When a mesh body having a mesh space of a predetermined size is used as the shape of the structure 12, the surface area of the structure 12 in contact with the liquid can be increased, so that the efficiency of capturing bubbles with a minute diameter is increased. Can be improved. When a mesh body is selected as the shape of the structure 12, the size of the mesh space is such that the bubbles can pass with a predetermined margin in order to prevent clogging of the bubbles present in the liquid. It is preferable to use a size.

  (5) In the above-described embodiment, the structure 12 is arranged so as to extend along the depth direction of the tank 104. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is not limited to the vertical direction. An appropriate arrangement configuration may be adopted according to the space in which the liquid is stored in the tank 104, such as an inclination at an arbitrary angle or an arrangement extending in the horizontal direction.

  (6) In the above-described embodiment, the tank 104 used in the conventional bubble removing device 102 is used. However, the tank 104 is not limited to this, and the tank itself for storing the liquid is used. It may be formed of a hydrophobic material, or at least a portion in contact with the liquid may be formed of the hydrophobic material by coating the hydrophobic material only on the portion in contact with the liquid. In this way, if the portion of the tank that stores the liquid that is in contact with the liquid is formed of a hydrophobic material, bubbles having a small diameter can be captured in the tank, and the bubbles having a small diameter can be captured. The efficiency of capturing can be improved.

  (7) Although the detailed description has been omitted in the above-described embodiment, the bubble removing device according to the present invention is used in the front stage of a measuring instrument such as a submerged particle counter, and a cleaning device that uses liquid. It can be used for various apparatuses such as a wet processing apparatus.

  (8) You may make it combine suitably the embodiment shown above and the modification shown in said (1) thru | or (7).

  The present invention can be used when supplying a liquid to be measured to a measuring device that measures the state of the liquid, such as an in-liquid particle counter or a turbidimeter.

It is a conceptual structure explanatory drawing of the measurement system which has arrange | positioned the bubble removal apparatus in the front | former stage of the particle counter in liquid as a measuring instrument. It is a principal part expanded sectional conceptual diagram of the glass tube of the particle counter in liquid shown in FIG. It is a partial cross section block explanatory diagram showing an example of an embodiment of a bubble removal device by the present invention. FIG. 4 is an end view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 102 Bubble removal apparatus 12 Structure 100 In-liquid particle counter 100a Glass tube 100b Light projection part 100c Light-receiving part 104 Tank 104a Introductory line 104b Outlet line 106 Valve for air release

Claims (5)

Liquid is stored in a tank having a predetermined volume, bubbles in the liquid stored in the tank are raised in the liquid by the buoyancy of the bubbles, and the bubbles are discharged from the liquid to the outside. In the bubble removal device,
At least one or more structures whose surfaces are formed of a hydrophobic material are disposed at locations where liquid is stored in the tank. The bubble removing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
A plurality of the structures are arranged apart from each other by a predetermined distance. In the bubble removal apparatus of any one of Claim 1 or 2,
The structure is a plate-like body or a net-like body having a mesh space of a predetermined size. In the bubble removal apparatus of Claim 3,
The bubble removing apparatus, wherein the structure is disposed so as to extend along a depth direction of the tank. In the bubble removal apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, or 4,
The bubble removing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion where the liquid comes into contact with the tank is formed of a hydrophobic material.

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