JP2010023003A - Fine bubble defoaming apparatus and bubble bath apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fine bubble defoaming apparatus with a further compact configuration and capable of efficiently defoaming fine bubbles and a bubble bath apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The fine bubble defoaming apparatus comprises a circulation pump 47 for suctioning bubbles W in a bathtub 10 through a suction port 71, pressurizing the bubbles, and discharging the pressurized bubbles W through a discharge port 47a and a nozzle 73 having an introduction inlet connected to the discharge port 47a and a jetting port for introducing the bubbles W discharged through the discharge port 47a into through the introduction inlet and jetting the bubbles through the jetting port. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fine bubble defoaming apparatus and a foam bath apparatus.

  Conventionally, various types of defoaming apparatuses for fine bubbles have been proposed. For example, the defoaming device described in Patent Document 1 ejects a fluid pressurized against foam from its ejection port while rotating a nozzle arm disposed on the upper surface of the foamed liquid, and thereby with its impact force. Defoaming.

Moreover, the defoaming apparatus described in Patent Document 2 is designed to defoam by ejecting defoaming water onto the foam from a defoaming nozzle that can be moved up and down arranged on the upper surface of the foamed liquid.
Furthermore, the defoaming device described in Patent Document 3 rotates a disk having a plurality of blades and the like disposed in the upper part of the reaction tank, thereby centrifugally generating foam (bubbles) generated by a chemical reaction. It defoams mechanically.
JP 2001-145803 A JP-A-8-24511 JP 9-131502 A

By the way, in Patent Document 1, when defoaming is performed by injecting water as a fluid, it is difficult to cope with bubbles that are constantly generated because the defoaming ability is low.
In patent document 2, it is premised on the installation of the reaction tank for advancing defoaming by injection of defoaming water, and the apparatus will be forced to enlarge. Further, in order to increase the defoaming efficiency, it is necessary to increase the defoaming water accordingly, so that the running cost increases.

  In Patent Document 3, when an antifoaming agent is introduced into the reaction tank to increase the defoaming efficiency, it is estimated that it is difficult to uniformly mix the antifoaming agent and foam in the reaction tank. In this case, the antifoaming agent cannot be used efficiently. In addition, when a large amount of foam exceeding the defoaming ability is generated, the reaction tank overflows. Furthermore, a reaction tank and a rotating body (disk) arranged on the upper part thereof are required, and the apparatus is inevitably increased in size.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a fine bubble defoaming apparatus and a foam bathing apparatus that can defoam fine bubbles more efficiently with a more compact configuration.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to pressurizing means for sucking and pressurizing the fine bubbles in the bubble storage tank from the suction port and discharging the pressurized fine bubbles from the discharge port. And an introduction port connected to the discharge port and an injection port, and a nozzle for introducing the fine bubbles discharged from the discharge port from the introduction port and ejecting the fine bubbles from the injection port To do.

  According to this configuration, the fine bubbles in the bubble storage tank are pressurized by the pressurizing means and discharged to the inlet of the nozzle. In this case, the fine bubbles pressurized by the pressurizing means can be defoamed by being crushed and ruptured by the pressurization. As described above, since the fine bubbles can be defoamed using the action of pressurizing the fine bubbles, for example, an antifoaming agent or water for defoaming can be omitted or reduced. In addition, the apparatus can be further downsized because of the simple configuration of only the pressurizing means and the nozzle.

The gist of the invention according to claim 2 is that, in the fine bubble defoaming device according to claim 1, the injection port has an opening area smaller than an opening area of the introduction port.
According to this configuration, the fine bubbles introduced from the introduction port are ejected from the ejection port having an opening area smaller than the opening area of the introduction port. In this case, pressure fluctuations occur in the fine bubbles ejected from the ejection port due to a rapid change in speed accompanying a change in the opening area. Therefore, the fine bubbles can be eliminated by breaking and combining bubbles with the energy of this pressure fluctuation. In this way, the fine bubbles can be eliminated with a simple configuration that only uses the dynamic action of the fluid (fine bubbles).

The gist of the invention described in claim 3 is that, in the fine bubble defoaming device according to claim 1 or 2, a plurality of the injection ports are arranged radially.
According to the same configuration, the fine bubbles are ejected radially from the plurality of ejection ports arranged radially, so that, for example, the micro bubbles ejected from the adjacent ejection ports by an electric suction force or the like Merging of the fine bubbles associated with the merging can be suppressed.

  Invention of Claim 4 is a liquid storage tank for storing the liquid which the said fine bubble injected from the said injection port forms in the fine bubble defoaming apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3. And the ejection port ejects the fine bubbles in a direction different from the surface of the liquid.

According to this configuration, since the fine bubbles are not ejected from the ejection port toward the surface of the liquid, regeneration of the fine bubbles due to direct collision with the surface can be suppressed.
Invention of Claim 5 is a liquid storage tank for storing the liquid which the said fine bubble injected from the said injection port forms in the fine bubble defoaming apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3. And the jet port jets the fine bubbles so as to hit an inner wall surface of the liquid storage tank disposed above the surface of the liquid.

  According to this configuration, since the fine bubbles ejected from the ejection port are applied to the inner wall surface of the liquid storage tank before reaching the surface of the liquid, the bubbles are quickly removed without regenerating the fine bubbles. can do.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention provides the fine bubble defoaming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein an inlet for introducing an antifoaming agent is provided between the inlet and the nozzle. This is the summary.

  According to this configuration, before the fine bubbles reach the nozzle, the defoaming of the fine bubbles can be promoted by the antifoaming agent introduced from the inlet, and the fine bubbles are more reliably eliminated. be able to.

  The invention according to claim 7 is a foam equipped with the fine bubble defoaming device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which defoams the foam as the fine bubbles in the bathtub as the foam storage tank. The gist is that it is a bathing device.

  According to the same structure, generation | occurrence | production of clogging of piping (drainage pipe etc.) of the downstream of the said nozzle can be suppressed by removing the bubble in the said bathtub more reliably.

  In the present invention, it is possible to provide a fine bubble defoaming apparatus and a foam bathing apparatus that can defoam fine bubbles more efficiently with a more compact configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 4 is a water circuit diagram showing a foam bathing apparatus to which the fine bubble defoaming apparatus according to this embodiment is applied. As shown in the figure, a bathtub 10 as a foam storage tank provided in the foam bathing apparatus accumulates bubbles W as bubbles in the inside thereof, and also supplies a bubble inflow portion for supplying bubbles W into the bathtub 10. 11 is installed, and a foam outflow part 12 for draining the foam W in the bathtub 10 is further installed. The bubble inflow part 11 opens to the upper end of the bathtub 10, and the bubble outflow part 12 opens to the bottom of the bathtub 10. The bathtub 10 is provided with a plurality of nozzles 13 distributed in the upper half thereof.

  The foam bathing apparatus includes a first flow rate adjustment valve 22 connected to the water supply C via a water supply pipe 21a, and a second flow rate adjustment valve 23 connected to the water heater H via a hot water supply pipe 21b. Furthermore, a mixing (mixing plug) 24 connected to the first and second flow rate adjusting valves 22 and 23 via a water supply pipe 21c and a hot water supply pipe 21d, respectively. The mixing 24 mixes water and hot water whose flow rates are adjusted by the first and second flow rate adjustment valves 22 and 23 to generate hot water having a required water temperature (for example, 42 ° C.). The water supply pipe 21a and the hot water supply pipe 21b are provided with on-off valves 25 and 26, respectively, that are opened when in use (when bathing).

  The mixing 24 is connected to the third flow rate adjustment valve 27 via the pipe 21e, and the third flow rate adjustment valve 27 is connected to the stirring device 31 via the pipe 21f. The stirring device 31 is connected to a foaming agent tank 33 via an electric pump 32, and foaming agents (cleaning agents, etc.) stored in the foaming agent tank 33 are supplied by driving the electric pump 32. At the same time, the third flow rate adjusting valve 27 is stirred with the hot water whose flow rate has been adjusted to generate so-called soapy water.

  The stirrer 31 is connected to the suction port 34a of the MBF (fine foam group) generator 34 via a pipe 21g. The MBF generator 34 has an inlet 34b connected to a fourth flow rate adjustment valve 36 via an air pipe 35a, and the fourth flow rate adjustment valve 36 is connected to a compressor 37 via an air pipe 35b. ing. The MBF generator 34 mixes the soapy water via the stirring device 31 whose flow rate is adjusted by the third flow rate adjustment valve 27 and the compressed air whose flow rate is adjusted by the fourth flow rate adjustment valve 36, etc. For example, a foam W having a diameter of 150 μm and a water content of 20 to 30% is generated, and the foam W is discharged from the discharge port 34c. This bubble W is a warm bubble warmed by the warm water generated in the mixing 24. The pipe 21g and the air pipe 35a are provided with an on-off valve 38 and an air valve 39, respectively, which are opened when in use (when bathing). The MBF generator 34 also includes a suction port 34d for sucking the circulating foam W.

  The discharge port 34c of the MBF generation device 34 is connected to the foam path switching valve 42 via the foam pipe 41a, and the foam path switching valve 42 is connected to the foam inflow part 11 via the foam pipe 41b. Alternatively, it is connected to the drain D via the bubble pipe 41c. Therefore, when the bubble path is switched so that the bubble pipes 41a and 41b communicate with each other by the bubble path switching valve 42, the bubbles W discharged from the MBF generation device 34 (discharge port 34c) pass through the bubble pipes 41a and 41b. Then, it is supplied from the bubble inflow part 11 into the bathtub 10. On the other hand, when the foam path is switched so that the foam pipes 41a and 41c communicate with each other by the foam path switching valve 42, the foam W discharged from the MBF generation device 34 (discharge port 34c) passes through the foam pipes 41a and 41c. And drained from the drain D.

  On the other hand, the foam outflow portion 12 is connected to a duct 45 installed in the bathtub 10, and the duct 45 is connected to an inlet of a circulation pump 47 as a pressurizing means via a foam pipe 46a. . The duct 45 has an opening area on the upstream side (foam outflow portion 12 side) set to be larger than an opening area on the downstream side (foam pipe 46a side) in order to facilitate introduction of the foam W in the bathtub 10. ing.

  The circulation pump 47 is composed of a positive displacement pump such as a vane pump, for example, and its discharge port is connected to a foam path switching valve 48 via a foam pipe 46b. The bubble path switching valve 48 is connected to the suction port 34d of the MBF generator 34 via a bubble pipe 46c, and is connected to the drain D via the bubble pipe 46d. Accordingly, when the foam path is switched so that the foam pipes 46b and 46c communicate with each other by the foam path switching valve 48, the foam W in the bathtub 10 sucked by the circulation pump 47 is sucked through the foam pipes 46b and 46c. It is supplied to the mouth 34d. And the MBF production | generation apparatus 34 produces | generates (regenerate | regenerates) the bubble W which consists of the fine foam group by suck | inhaling the bubble W in the bathtub 10 circulated by the circulation pump 47 from the suction inlet 34d. On the other hand, when the foam path is switched so that the foam pipes 46b and 46d communicate with each other through the foam path switching valve 48, the foam W in the bathtub 10 sucked by the circulation pump 47 is drained through the foam pipes 46b and 46d. D is drained.

  In addition, when circulating the foam W in the bathtub 10 with the circulation pump 47, the MBF production | generation apparatus 34 does not add the soap water etc. from the stirring apparatus 31 fundamentally. However, when the temperature of the circulating bubble W is low, the opening of the third flow rate adjusting valve 27 is changed to warm the bubble W, and the warm water generated by the mixing 24 is added.

  Further, the water supply pipe 21 a is connected to the pipe 51 a between the water supply C and the on-off valve 25, and the hot water supply pipe 21 b is connected to the pipe 51 a between the water heater H and the on-off valve 26. The pipe 51 a is connected to each of the plurality of nozzles 13. The pipe 51a is provided with an on-off valve 52 that is opened when in use (when bathing). These nozzles 13 are supplied with hot water mixed with water from the water supply C and hot water from the water heater H when the on-off valve 52 is in an open state. ) Is added. This is to make it easier to circulate the bubbles W that are in a scaly state due to moisture loss. That is, the bubbles W tend to be difficult to transfer when the water content is less than 15%. The nozzle 13 adds mist water so that the water content of the foam W in the foam outflow part 12 is 15% or more.

  The water supply pipe 21a is provided with a temperature sensor 61 for detecting the water temperature Tc of the water supply C, and the hot water supply pipe 21b is provided with a temperature sensor 62 for detecting the hot water temperature Th of the water heater H. Further, a temperature sensor 63 for detecting the hot water temperature Tw generated by the mixing 24 is provided in the pipe 21e. The bubble pipe 41a is provided with a temperature sensor 64 for detecting a bubble temperature Tf, which is the temperature of the bubble W discharged from the MBF generation device 34 (discharge port 34c) in the vicinity of the bubble path switching valve 42. The bubble pipe 46c is provided with a temperature sensor 65 for detecting the temperature To of the bubble W sucked into the MBF generator 34 (suction port 34d) in the vicinity of the bubble path switching valve 48. These temperature sensors 61 to 65 are electrically connected to the control device 66. Based on the detection results of these temperature sensors 61-65, the controller 66 controls the first to fourth flow rate adjusting valves 22, 23, 27, 36, the MBF generator 34, the bubble path switching valves 42, 48, and the circulation pump 47. Etc. are driven and controlled.

Next, the defoaming aspect of the bubble W in this embodiment is demonstrated.
FIG. 1 is a water circuit diagram schematically showing the foam bathing apparatus when the foam path is switched by the foam path switching valve 48 so that the foam pipes 46b and 46d communicate with each other in order to drain the foam W in the bathtub 10. is there. As shown in the figure, the circulation pump 47 sucks the foam W sucked from the suction port 71 having the negative pressure through the suction pipe 72 and has a predetermined pressure (for example, 0.05 [ MPa]). And the circulation pump 47 discharges the pressurized bubble W from the discharge outlet 47a. The discharge port 47a of the circulation pump 47 is connected to the nozzle 73 via the foam pipes 46b and 46d.

  2, the nozzle 73 has a cylindrical introduction port 73a connected to the bubble pipe 46d, and the introduction port 73a is stepped. It has a cylindrical side wall 73c having a diameter expanded through 73b, and further has a bottom wall 73d that closes the lower open end of the side wall 73c. The side wall 73c is formed with a plurality of injection holes 74 arranged radially with respect to the center line. Each injection port 74 has an opening area smaller than the opening area of the introduction port 73a, and has a so-called orifice shape having an inner diameter of about 1 [mm], for example. Therefore, pressure fluctuations occur in the bubbles W ejected from the ejection port 74 due to a rapid change in speed accompanying a change in the opening area at the ejection port 74. The bubbles W are defoamed and broken by the pressure fluctuation energy. Further, the foam W injected from the injection port 74 is promoted to be defoamed by friction with the inner wall surface of the injection port 74 accompanying a change in speed, rapid expansion of contained air accompanying opening to the atmospheric pressure, or the like. Presumed. That is, it is estimated that the defoaming of the foam W was promoted by being crushed by pressure fluctuation, sheared by speed change, or by adding a pressure barrier by a flow velocity exceeding the speed of sound. As described above, the bubbles W are efficiently defoamed with the injection from the injection port 74. The bubble W defoamed in this way is discharged as a droplet.

  FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressure [MPa] of the foam W pressurized by the circulation pump 47 and the defoaming efficiency [%]. The defoaming efficiency is expressed as a percentage of the volume ratio of the remaining amount of bubbles to the total flow rate (passage amount) of the bubbles W, and is practically required to be 85 [%] or more. As is clear from the figure, the defoaming efficiency increases as the pressure applied by the circulation pump 47 increases, and an antifoaming efficiency of 85 [%] is obtained at a pressure of 0.05 [MPa]. That is confirmed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the nozzle 73 is included in a bottomed cylindrical liquid storage tank 76 installed in the drain D. The liquid storage tank 76 is for storing the liquid WL formed by the bubbles W that are ejected from the nozzle 73 and formed into droplets. The nozzle 73 is disposed at the upper center of the liquid storage tank 76 away from the surface S of the liquid WL, and each of the ejection ports 74 disposed radially is in a direction different from the surface S of the liquid WL. The bubbles W are jetted so as to hit the inner wall surface 76a of the liquid storage tank 76 disposed above the position.

As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In this embodiment, the foam W in the bathtub 10 is pressurized by the circulation pump 47 and discharged to the inlet 73 a of the nozzle 73. Then, the bubbles W introduced from the introduction port 73a are ejected from the ejection port 74. In this case, the bubble W pressurized in the circulation pump 47 can be defoamed by being crushed and ruptured by the pressurization. Thus, since the foam W can be defoamed using the action of the pressure applied to the foam W, for example, it is possible to omit or reduce the defoaming agent or water for defoaming, thereby reducing the running cost. be able to. Moreover, since it is a simple structure only of the circulation pump 47 and the nozzle 73, an apparatus can be reduced more in size. In particular, the circulation pump 47 can be arranged without being restricted by the arrangement of the bathtub 10 and the nozzle 73 by appropriately arranging the foam pipe.

  (2) In this embodiment, the foam W introduced from the introduction port 73a is injected from the injection port 74 having an opening area smaller than the opening area of the introduction port 73a. In this case, pressure fluctuations occur in the bubbles W ejected from the ejection port 74 due to a rapid change in speed accompanying a change in the opening area. Therefore, the foam W can be defoamed by breaking and combining the bubbles with the energy of this pressure fluctuation. In this way, it is possible to defoam fine bubbles with a simple configuration that only uses the mechanical action of the fluid (bubble W).

  (3) In this embodiment, the bubbles W are ejected radially from the plurality of ejection ports 74 arranged radially, that is, away from the bubbles W ejected from the adjacent ejection ports 74. For example, it is possible to suppress the bubbles W injected from the adjacent injection ports 74 from being merged by an electrical suction force or the like, and it is possible to suppress the regeneration of the bubbles W accompanying the merge.

(4) In the present embodiment, since the bubbles W are not ejected from the ejection port 74 toward the surface S of the liquid WL, regeneration of the bubbles W due to a direct collision with the surface S can be suppressed.
(5) In the present embodiment, the bubbles W ejected from the ejection port 74 are applied to the inner wall surface 76a of the liquid storage tank 76 before reaching the surface S of the liquid WL, so that the bubbles W are not regenerated. It can quickly defoam.

  (6) In the present embodiment, the bubbles W in the bathtub 10 sucked from the suction port 71 are more reliably removed, thereby suppressing the occurrence of clogging in downstream piping (drainage pipes) such as the nozzle 73. be able to.

  (7) In this embodiment, since the circulation pump 47 related to the circulation of the foam W is also used as the pressurizing means for the foam W, an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed, and thus the cost can be reduced. .

  (8) In this embodiment, by making the opening area of the injection port 74 sufficiently smaller than the opening area of the introduction port 73a, it is possible to cause a significant pressure fluctuation in the injection port 74, and accordingly, the circulation pump The discharge capacity of 47 can be reduced, and the circulation pump 47 can be downsized.

  (9) In this embodiment, by adopting a positive displacement pump as the circulation pump 47, for example, it is possible to generate a higher suction force of the bubbles W than a screw pump, which is effective for transferring and pressurizing the bubbles W. is there.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
As shown in FIG. 5, a charging port 81 for charging a defoaming agent may be provided between the suction port 71 and the nozzle 73. That is, the inlet 81 is provided in the suction pipe 72 on the upstream side of the circulation pump 47, and the defoamer tank 83 is connected to the inlet 81 via the flow rate adjustment valve 82. In this case, before the foam W reaches the nozzle 73, the defoaming of the foam W can be promoted by the antifoaming agent introduced from the inlet 81, and the foam W can be more reliably defoamed. . And the bubble W defoamed in the above-mentioned form with the injection from the injection port 74 is discharged as a droplet. In addition, when an antifoamer is thrown in on the conditions similar to the said embodiment, it has been confirmed that defoaming efficiency can be improved to about 100 [%] with a small amount.

  In particular, by disposing the inlet 81 on the upstream side of the circulation pump 47, the defoamer introduced by the primary agitation in the circulation pump 47 and the secondary agitation in the nozzle 73 can be made to act more efficiently. The antifoaming ability can be improved with the antifoaming agent. For this reason, when the circulation pump 47 sucks the foam W from the suction port 71 that has become the negative pressure, the amount of the antifoaming agent to be introduced through the flow rate adjustment valve 82 can be suppressed to the minimum necessary.

The introduced antifoaming agent is also effective for suppressing the regeneration of the foam W in, for example, piping (drainage pipe or the like) downstream of the drain D.
In the above-described embodiment, the nozzle 73 may be provided with the injection port on the bottom wall 73d.

-In the said embodiment, you may pressurize the foam W with the pressurization means (pump etc.) independent of the circulation pump 47. FIG.
In the embodiment, a screw pump or a centrifugal pump may be adopted as the circulation pump 47. In this case, for example, durability can be improved as compared with a positive displacement pump.

  -The present invention may be used to defoam fine bubbles generated for uses other than foam bathing, for example, washing such as hand washing.

The water circuit diagram which shows typically one Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing along the AA line of FIG. The graph which shows the relationship between a pressure and defoaming efficiency. The water circuit figure which shows the same embodiment. The water circuit diagram which shows typically the deformation | transformation form of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  S ... surface, W ... bubble, WL ... liquid, 10 ... bath (foaming tank), 47 ... circulation pump (pressurizing means), 47a ... discharge port, 71 ... suction port, 73 ... nozzle, 73a ... inlet port, 74 ... injection port, 76 ... liquid storage tank, 76a ... inner wall surface, 81 ... charging port.

Claims (7)

Pressurizing means for sucking and pressurizing fine bubbles in the storage tank from the suction port, and discharging the pressurized fine bubbles from the discharge port;
A fine comprising an introduction port and an injection port connected to the discharge port, and a nozzle for introducing the fine bubbles discharged from the discharge port from the introduction port and ejecting the fine bubbles from the injection port Bubble defoaming device. In the fine bubble defoaming device according to claim 1,
The fine bubble defoaming apparatus, wherein the injection port has an opening area smaller than an opening area of the introduction port. In the fine bubble defoaming device according to claim 1 or 2,
A fine bubble defoaming device, wherein a plurality of the ejection ports are arranged radially. In the fine bubble defoaming device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A liquid storage tank for storing the liquid formed by the fine bubbles ejected from the ejection port;
The fine bubble defoaming device, wherein the injection port ejects the fine bubbles in a direction different from a surface of the liquid. In the fine bubble defoaming device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A liquid storage tank for storing the liquid formed by the fine bubbles ejected from the ejection port;
The fine bubble defoaming apparatus, wherein the injection port ejects the fine bubbles so as to hit an inner wall surface of the liquid storage tank disposed above the surface of the liquid. In the fine bubble defoaming device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A foam bathing apparatus comprising an inlet for introducing an antifoaming agent between the suction port and the nozzle.   A foam bath apparatus comprising the fine bubble defoaming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the foam as the fine bubbles in the bathtub as the foam storage tank is defoamed.

Images