JP2011050893A - Atomizing apparatus, solution ejecting device and solution ejecting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an atomizing apparatus capable of stably materializing high atomizing ability with low-cost equipment expense, and to provide a solution ejecting device and a solution ejecting method which can be applied for the atomizing apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The atomizing apparatus includes: a solution compressing part for compressing a solution 5 by supplying compressing air into a compression container 4 which stores the solution 5 in a compression state; a second regulator PS2 for adjusting a second pressure P2 of the compressing air in accordance with a first pressure P1 of driving air of a jet nozzle 9 through which the solution 5 is ejected; a solution supply pipe 7 for supplying the compressed solution 5 to the jet nozzle 9; and a mass flow controller MFC for adjusting a mass flow rate of the compressing air supplied into the compression container 4, whereby the mass flow controller MFC is controlled based on a value of the second pressure P2 to control an ejection amount of the solution 5 in accordance with the first pressure P1. Thereby, the ejection amount of the solution 5 can be controlled without requiring the complicated and expensive equipment. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pulverizing apparatus for crushing particles in a solid state or a gel state to produce fine particles such as nano-sized particles, a solution discharging apparatus for discharging a solution to be processed in the pulverizing apparatus, and a solution discharging method It is.

  In recent years, as the importance of nanotechnology has been recognized in many technical fields, it has been required to establish a atomization technique for atomizing particles into nano-sized particles. For example, in the electronic component industry, a 0402 size multilayer ceramic capacitor, that is, a 0.4 mm × 0.2 mm size formed with 500 or more ceramic layers is manufactured by miniaturization of components. For this reason, there is a need for a technique for uniformly atomizing ceramics such as barium titanate used as a dielectric layer into a nano size.

  In recent years, as such atomization technology, instead of the conventional atomization technology such as wet grinding method and dry grinding method, the solution containing the particles to be treated is accelerated by a gas jet to flow state Development of a jet mill processing technique for making particles finer by causing the accelerated droplets to collide with a solid surface. In this jet mill process, it is necessary to inject a solution containing particles with a specified discharge amount that matches the injection conditions. As a technique for discharging such a liquid, conventionally, an air pressure type dispenser has been widely used (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2008-68245 A JP 2008-36619 A

  However, the above prior art has the following drawbacks. That is, in the above-described jet mill processing, since the solution to be treated containing particles is discharged into a pressurized gas for injection, in order to accurately supply a specified discharge amount The solution discharge conditions must be set appropriately in accordance with the atmospheric pressure at which the solution is discharged. However, the dispensers that have been used in the past, including the above-mentioned patent document examples, are mostly used for discharging liquid into atmospheric pressure, and it is necessary to consider the atmospheric pressure in the discharge space in order to accurately control the discharge amount. There is no. For this reason, it has been difficult to apply a conventional air pressure-feed type dispenser or a solution discharge apparatus of a similar type to applications where the pressure of the discharge atmosphere varies depending on the processing conditions as described above.

  In order to avoid such difficulties, it is conceivable to use a plunger-type dispenser. However, in this case, there is a drawback that the discharge amount pulsates and foreign matter is generated from the sliding portion. In order to avoid the drawbacks, a complicated and expensive equipment configuration such as a pulsation smoothing circuit equipped with an accumulator was required. In addition, since the fine metal powder (for example, nickel) is ductile, it may stick to the gap of the plunger sliding portion and be fixed. As described above, in the atomization apparatus used in the conventional jet mill processing, it is difficult to realize high atomization ability at low cost due to the configuration of the solution discharge apparatus. Such a problem is common not only in the solution discharge apparatus used in the atomization apparatus but also in a field where it is required to supply a specified amount of liquid to the discharge atmosphere in which the atmospheric pressure varies.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a atomization apparatus capable of stably realizing high atomization capability at low cost and a solution discharge apparatus and a solution discharge method applicable to the atomization apparatus. .

  The atomization apparatus of the present invention is a atomization apparatus for atomizing the particles by accelerating a solution containing particles by a gas flow to form a microdroplet in a flowing state, and colliding the microdroplet, A solution supplying means for supplying a solution containing the particles into the gas stream; a droplet accelerating means for accelerating the micro droplets to a predetermined speed set according to the type of the solid particles; A nozzle body including a collision portion that collides, and the droplet accelerating means includes a guide portion that guides a gas flow in a flow direction on a downstream side of a throat portion having a circular cross section provided by narrowing an internal flow path hole A gas supply source that supplies a first compressed gas to the internal flow path hole, a first pressure adjusting unit that adjusts a first pressure of the first compressed gas, and a nozzle main body. The supplied solution is discharged in the same direction as the flow direction. A solution discharge pipe, wherein the solution supply means stores the solution in a pressurized state in an airtight manner, and supplies the second compressed gas to the pressure container to supply the pressurized gas. A solution pressurizing unit that pressurizes the solution in the container, a solution supply pipe that supplies the pressurized solution from the pressurization container to the solution discharge pipe, and a second pressure of the second compressed gas. A second pressure adjusting unit that adjusts according to the first pressure, and a mass flow rate of the second compressed gas that is provided in the second gas supply pipe and is supplied into the pressurized container is adjusted. A mass flow rate adjusting unit that controls the mass flow rate adjusting unit based on the value of the second pressure, thereby controlling the discharge amount of the solution discharged from the solution discharge pipe. And a discharge controller that controls the pressure according to the pressure.

  The solution discharge device of the present invention discharges a solution to be processed through a solution discharge pipe at a pressure and a discharge amount corresponding to the processing condition in a processing atmosphere in which an internal pressure state changes according to the processing condition. And a pressurized container in which a first compressed gas is supplied from a gas supply source at a first pressure and the solution is stored in a pressurized state in a pressurized state. , Supplying a second compressed gas into the pressurized container to pressurize the solution in the pressurized container, and changing the second pressure of the second compressed gas to the first pressure. A second pressure adjusting unit for adjusting the pressure, a solution supply pipe for supplying the pressurized solution to the solution discharge pipe, and a mass flow rate of the second compressed gas supplied into the pressurized container. A mass flow rate adjusting unit to adjust, and further based on the value of the second pressure By controlling the amount flow rate adjusting unit, and a discharge control unit for controlling in accordance with the discharge amount of the solution discharged from the solution discharge pipe on the first pressure.

  The solution discharge method of the present invention discharges a solution to be processed through a solution discharge pipe at a pressure and a discharge amount according to the processing conditions in a processing atmosphere in which the internal pressure state changes according to the processing conditions. In the processing atmosphere, a first compressed gas is supplied from a gas supply source at a first pressure in the processing atmosphere, and the inside of the pressurized container stores the solution in a pressurized state in a pressurized state. Adjusting a second pressure of the second compressed gas supplied to the first pressure according to the first pressure; and supplying a second compressed gas of the second pressure into the pressurized container. A solution pressurizing step for pressurizing the solution in the pressurizing container; a solution supplying step for supplying the pressurized solution to the solution discharge tube; and the supplied solution via the solution discharge tube A solution discharge step for discharging into the processing atmosphere, The mass flow rate adjusting unit that adjusts the mass flow rate of the second compressed gas supplied into the pressurized container is controlled based on the value of the second pressure, thereby discharging the solution discharge pipe from the solution discharge pipe. The discharge amount of the solution is controlled according to the first pressure.

  According to the present invention, the solution pressurizing unit that pressurizes the solution in the pressurization container by supplying the second compressed gas into the pressurization container that stores the solution in an airtight state in a pressurized state. A second pressure adjusting unit that adjusts the second pressure of the compressed gas in accordance with the first pressure of the atmosphere in which the solution is discharged; a solution supply pipe that supplies the pressurized solution to the solution discharge pipe; A mass flow rate adjusting unit that adjusts the mass flow rate of the second compressed gas supplied into the pressure vessel, and controls the mass flow rate adjusting unit based on the second pressure value to be discharged from the solution discharge pipe. By controlling the discharge amount of the solution according to the first pressure, it is possible to control the discharge amount of the solution without the need for complicated and high-cost equipment, and high atomization capability at a low equipment cost. Can be realized.

Structure explanatory drawing of the atomization apparatus of one embodiment of this invention Sectional drawing of the jet nozzle used for the atomization apparatus of one embodiment of this invention Piping system diagram in atomization device of one embodiment of the present invention The flowchart of the solution discharge operation | movement in the atomization apparatus of one embodiment of this invention Functional explanatory drawing of the pressurization container of the solution in the atomization device of one embodiment of the present invention

  First, with reference to FIG. 1, the structure of the atomization apparatus 1 is demonstrated. The atomizer 1 accelerates a solution containing particles in a solid state or a gel state by a gas flow by a jet nozzle to form a microdroplet in a fluid state, and atomizes the particle by colliding the accelerated microdroplet. It has the function to do.

  In FIG. 1, the atomization apparatus 1 includes a solution supply unit 2 and an atomization processing unit 3. The solution supplied from the solution supply unit 2 collides with the atomization processing unit 3 as fine droplets to atomize. The solution supply unit 2 includes a pressurized container 4 that contains a solution 5 containing particles to be atomized, and the pressurized container 4 has an upper portion of a cylindrical main body 4a that is airtightly closed by a lid 4b. It has a configuration. A pressurized air supply pipe 6 (first gas supply pipe) and a solution supply pipe 7 are inserted into the pressurized container 4 through the lid 4b from above. Pressurization air for pressurizing the inside of the pressurization container 4 is supplied to the pressurization air supply pipe 6 (arrow a), and thereby the solution 5 stored in the pressurization container 4 is pressurized.

  The solution supply pipe 7 is arranged with the liquid intake opening 7 a opened at the lower end portion positioned at a height close to the bottom surface of the pressurized container 4. The pressed solution 5 is pushed into the solution supply pipe 7 through the liquid intake opening 7 a and transferred, and supplied to the atomization processing unit 3. The liquid used for the solution may be any liquid that can form microdroplets containing particles and has physical properties that do not denature the particles. For example, various liquids such as the simplest water and a mixture of an organic solvent and water can be selected.

  The atomization processing unit 3 includes a processing chamber 10 and an exhaust unit 14. The processing chamber 10 is a vertical, substantially cylindrical processing container that is divided into an upper part 10a, a central part 10b, and a lower part 10c. The upper part 10a, the central part 10b, the central part 10b, and the lower part 10c each have an annular shape. It is detachably connected via a joint. A jet nozzle 9 is mounted on the top of the upper part 10a in a vertical posture from above, and a collision part 11 is disposed below the jet opening 9b of the jet nozzle 9.

  The jet nozzle 9 is supplied with a driving air supply pipe 8 (second gas supply pipe) for supplying driving air (arrow b) for generating a gas flow, and a solution 5 containing particles to be processed in the gas flow. A solution supply pipe 7 to be supplied to is provided. By supplying the solution 5 from the solution supply pipe 7 while supplying the driving air to the jet nozzle 9, the micro droplet accelerated by the jet nozzle 9 collides with the upper surface of the collision part 11 (arrow c). The collision part 11 is covered with a hard abdomen 11a (see FIG. 2C) made of a hard and wear-resistant material such as SiC, and micro droplets accelerated at high speed are the upper surface of the hard abdomen 11a. The solid particles in the fine droplets are atomized into fine particles having a smaller particle size. A liquid recovery container 12 is detachably connected to the bottom of the lower portion 10c through an annular joint. In the liquid recovery container 12, the processed solution 5 b crushed or crushed by the processing chamber 10 is introduced and stored, and the processed solution 5 b stored inside by removing the liquid recovery container 12. Is recovered.

  An exhaust unit 14 is disposed on the side of the processing chamber 10, and an intake pipe 14 a projecting laterally from the exhaust unit 14 is connected to the outer surface of the central portion 10 b. By operating the exhaust unit 14, the inside of the processing chamber 10 is sucked through the intake pipe 14a (arrow d). Among the exhaust gas including the sucked mist, the gas component is discharged from the exhaust duct 14b, and the micro droplet 5a that is a liquid component is stored in the lower portion of the exhaust unit 14. The lower part of the exhaust unit 14 is connected to the liquid recovery container 12 through a liquid recovery pipe 14c. By opening the liquid recovery valve 15 provided in the liquid recovery pipe 14c, the minute liquid in the exhaust unit 14 is opened. The droplet 5a is recovered in the liquid recovery container 12.

  Next, the structure of the jet nozzle 9 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2A, the jet nozzle 9 is mainly composed of a substantially cylindrical nozzle main body 9a, and an internal flow path hole 16 is formed in the nozzle main body 9a so as to penetrate in the longitudinal direction. The upstream side of the internal flow path hole 16 is an introduction portion 16a to which the driving air supply pipe 8 is connected and the driving air (arrow b) that is a compressed gas is introduced.

  On the downstream side of the introduction portion 16a, a convergent portion 16b in which the flow passage diameter of the internal flow passage hole 16 is narrowed along the flow direction, a throat portion 16c in which the flow passage diameter is narrowed to the smallest, and a divergent in which the flow passage diameter increases. The part 16d and the acceleration cooling part 16e whose flow path diameter gradually increases are sequentially provided in the flow direction of the compressed air. The divergent portion 16d and the acceleration cooling portion 16e serve as a guide portion that guides a gas flow in the flow direction on the downstream side of the throat portion 16c having a circular cross section provided by narrowing the internal flow path hole 16, and the acceleration cooling portion The opening at which 16e reaches the end of the nozzle main body 9a is an ejection opening 9b that ejects a jet containing fine droplets. The jet nozzle 9 configured as described above forms a Laval nozzle having a convergent portion 16b, a throat portion 16c, and a divergent portion 16d. The nozzle main body 9a is formed of a resin such as PTFE resin or metal, and is manufactured by integrally molding one that is integrally formed or appropriately divided. The diameter of the throat portion 16c is appropriately set from a range of 3 to 10 mm, for example, and the distance from the throat portion 16c to the injection opening 9b is set to a distance sufficient to accelerate the compressed air in a range of 100 to 300 mm, for example. The

  In other words, the pressure of the compressed air is adjusted so as to be as high as the sound speed at the throat portion 16c, and then supplied to the convergent portion 16b at a subsonic speed (for example, about 50 m / sec) and accelerated by the convergent portion 16b. The sound velocity (about 330 m / sec) is obtained at the throat portion 16c, and further accelerated by the divergent portion 16d, for example, to a supersonic velocity of about 400 to 500 m / sec. A solution discharge pipe 17 for discharging the solution 5 containing solid particles in the same direction as the flow of compressed air is provided on the upstream side of the throat portion 16c. Here, the solution 5 is supplied through a solution supply pipe 7 in a predetermined amount set in advance. The supplied solution 5 is discharged from the discharge port at the tip of the solution discharge pipe 17 to form a minute droplet 5a, and flows with the compressed air to the downstream side at a high speed.

  The discharge port of the solution discharge pipe 17 is located in the vicinity of the throat portion 16c and away from the inner wall surface of the internal flow path hole 16, for example, five times the inner diameter of the throat portion 16c in the upstream direction and the downstream direction from the center of the throat portion 16c. It is arrange | positioned in the discharge port arrangement | positioning range which is less than the range of length of this. Thus, by arranging the discharge port of the solution discharge pipe 17 in the vicinity of the throat portion 16c away from the inner wall surface of the nozzle main body 9a, the fine liquid droplets 5a obtained by atomizing the discharged solution become the nozzle main body 9a. This makes it less susceptible to the influence of the boundary layer region formed on the inner wall surface of the liquid crystal, thereby suppressing the speed drop of the micro droplet 5a and sufficiently accelerating it.

  The acceleration process of the jet flow in the jet nozzle 9 will be described with reference to FIG. The flow of compressed air supplied to the introduction part 16a as drive air at a first pressure P1 (for example, 0.5 Mp) is first accelerated by the convergent part 16b (arrow f), and passes through the throat part 16c at a flow rate of about the speed of sound. pass. Then, by moving from the throat portion 16c into the divergent portion 16d, the pressure is reduced and further accelerated (arrow g). The fine liquid droplets 5a discharged from the discharge port of the solution discharge pipe 17 and atomized by the flow of compressed air flow at a high speed toward the downstream side while being accelerated in the accelerating cooling section 16e that gradually increases in diameter (arrow h). Injected from the injection port 9b of the jet nozzle 9. As shown in FIG. 2C, the ejected micro droplet 5a is incident on the hard stomach portion 11a of the collision portion 11 (arrow i) and collides, whereby particles contained in the micro droplet 5a are collided. Atomized.

  The jet nozzle 9 is not limited to a Laval nozzle, and various two-fluid nozzles such as a nozzle having a configuration in which a guide portion for guiding a gas flow in the flow direction on the downstream side of the throat portion 16c has a straight pipe shape can be used. The type of the jet nozzle 9 is selected according to the velocity of the gas flow required to atomize the target particles. For example, when the target particles are difficult to atomize and require a strong impact force, the above-mentioned Laval nozzle capable of generating a gas flow exceeding the speed of sound is selected. On the other hand, when a soft substance or gel-like substance particles are to be atomized, a simple two-fluid nozzle having a simple flow path shape is selected. That is, in the present embodiment, the jet nozzle 9 and the gas supply means described below constitute a droplet accelerating unit that accelerates and ejects the micro droplet 5a at a predetermined speed set according to the type of particle. .

  Next, discharge control of the solution 5 supplied by the piping system and the atomization processing unit 3 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, the driving air supply pipe 8 is connected to a gas supply source 20 via an open / close valve 21 and an electropneumatic control first regulator R1. The gas supply source 20 supplies driving air (first compressed gas) to the internal flow path hole 16 of the jet nozzle 9. By operating the on-off valve 21, the supply of driving air to the jet nozzle 9 is turned on and off, and by adjusting the set pressure of the first regulator R1, the pressure of the driving air supplied to the jet nozzle 9 (first 1 pressure P1) can be adjusted. Accordingly, the first regulator R1 serves as a first pressure adjusting unit that adjusts the first pressure P1 of the first compressed gas. The first pressure is detected by a first pressure switch PS1 connected to the driving air supply pipe 8. A solution supply pipe 7 for supplying a solution to the jet nozzle 9 is connected to the jet nozzle 9 via an opening / closing valve 22, and the supply of the solution 5 from the pressurized container 4 is performed by operating the opening / closing valve 22. On / off.

  A pressurization air supply pipe 6 for pressurizing the inside of the pressurization container 4 is branched into a first pressurization air pipe 6 a and a second pressurization air pipe 6 b, both of which are connected to a gas supply source 23. The pressure container 4 has a function of supplying pressurizing air (second compressed gas) for pressurizing the solution 5. The first pressurizing air pipe 6a is connected to the gas supply source 23 through the throttle portion 25, the opening / closing valve 24, and the second regulator R2 for electro-pneumatic control. Prior to the start of air injection by the jet nozzle 9, the first pressurization air pipe 6 a is a precharge circuit that charges the pressurization container 4 in advance and raises the internal pressure to a predetermined pressure. By operating the valve 24, the supply of precharge air into the pressurized container 4 is turned on and off. The gas supply source 23 and the pressurization air supply pipe 6 serve as a solution pressurizing unit that pressurizes the solution 5 in the pressurization container 4. Then, the solution 5 pressurized by the solution pressurizing unit is supplied to the solution discharge pipe 17 through the solution supply pipe 7.

  At this time, by adjusting the set pressure of the second regulator R2, the pressure of the pressurizing air supplied to the pressurizing vessel 4 (second pressure P2) can be adjusted to a desired pressure, and the throttle unit 25 By adjusting the degree of squeezing, the charge rate of air into the pressurized container 4 can be adjusted. Therefore, the second regulator R2 is a second pressure adjusting unit that adjusts the second pressure P2 of the second compressed gas. In the present embodiment, the second pressure P2 of the second regulator R2 is set according to the first pressure P1 set in the first regulator R1.

  That is, in order to appropriately supply the solution 5 in a gas flow generated by the jet nozzle 9 in a predetermined specified amount, a discharge pressure (second pressure) when the solution 5 is discharged from the solution discharge pipe 17 is used. It is necessary to set P2) to an appropriate pressure corresponding to the pressure inside the jet nozzle 9. For this reason, in the precharge performed prior to the start of air injection by the jet nozzle 9, the set pressure of the second regulator R2 is adjusted in accordance with the preset set pressure of the first regulator R1. The set second pressure P2 is detected by a second pressure switch PS2 connected to the first pressurizing air pipe 6a.

  The second pressurizing air pipe 6b is connected to the gas supply source 23 via the opening / closing valve 26, the mass flow controller MFC, and the third regulator R3. The second pressurization air pipe 6b continuously charges the pressurization container 4 with the pressurization air following the precharge by the first pressurization air pipe 6a in the process of continuously executing the air injection by the jet nozzle 9. It has a function as a main charge circuit. That is, by operating the on-off valve 26, the supply of the pressurizing air supplied from the gas supply source 23 to the pressurization container 4 is turned on and off. By adjusting the mass flow controller MFC, the mass flow rate of the pressurizing air passing through the second pressurizing air pipe 6b can be adjusted, and further, the gas supply source 23 can be adjusted by adjusting the set pressure of the third regulator R3. The pressure of the pressurizing air supplied to the second pressurizing air pipe 6b can be adjusted. The third regulator R3 is fixedly set to a predetermined specified pressure.

  As described above, in order to properly supply the solution 5, it is necessary to stably maintain the discharge amount of the solution 5 discharged from the solution discharge pipe 17. In the present embodiment, since the pressure inside the jet nozzle 9 from which the solution 5 is discharged varies depending on the setting state of the first pressure P1 by the first regulator R1, in order to keep the discharge amount of the solution 5 constant. The flow rate of the pressurized air supplied into the pressurized container 4 through the pressurized air supply pipe 6 after the start of air injection is appropriately set based on the set pressure of the second regulator R2 adjusted at the precharge stage. Must be set. That is, the higher the set pressure of the second regulator R2, the larger the mass flow rate of the pressurized air that is supplied. The adjustment of the flow rate of the pressurizing air is performed by adjusting the flow rate of the mass flow controller MFC provided in the second pressurizing air pipe 6b based on the set pressure of the second regulator R2. Therefore, the mass flow controller MFC is a mass flow rate adjusting unit that adjusts the mass flow rate of the second compressed gas supplied into the pressurized container 4.

  Further, a silencer 29 is connected to the pressurizing air supply pipe 6 via a throttle portion 27 and an opening / closing valve 28. The on-off valve 28 is normally closed. When the inside of the pressurization container 4 is pressurized, the air in the pressurization container 4 is opened via the pressurization air supply pipe 6 by opening the on-off valve 28. Then, the sound is discharged from the silencer 29 to the atmosphere, and the charged state of the pressurized container 4 is released. At this time, the exhaust speed can be adjusted by adjusting the throttle degree of the throttle unit 27.

  In the above configuration, the gas supply source 23 and the solution supply unit 2 constitute solution supply means for supplying the solution 5 containing particles into the gas flow generated by the jet nozzle 9. The solution supply means includes a pressurized container 4 that stores the solution 5 in a pressurized state in an airtight manner, and a solution supply pipe 7 that supplies the pressurized solution 5 from the pressurized container 4 to the solution discharge pipe 17. The second pressure P2 of the second compressed gas is adjusted according to the first pressure P1, the second regulator R2 (second pressure adjusting unit), and the second compression supplied into the pressurized container 4 The mass flow controller MFC (mass flow rate adjusting unit) that adjusts the mass flow rate of gas is included.

  Next, the configuration of the control system will be described. In FIG. 3, the control unit 30 includes an operation input unit 31 having an input device such as a touch panel, and a storage unit 32 for storing various data. The controller 30 controls the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing valve 21, the opening / closing valve 22, the opening / closing valve 24 and the opening / closing valve 26 and the pressure setting of the first regulator R 1 and the second regulator R 2. The result of this pressure setting is detected by the first pressure switch PS1 and the second pressure switch PS2, and the detection result is transmitted to the control unit 30.

  The storage unit 32 stores set pressure correspondence data 32a and set flow rate correspondence data 32b. The set pressure correspondence data 32a is data indicating an appropriate correspondence relationship between the pressure of the injection air (first pressure P1) supplied to the jet nozzle 9 and the pressure of the charge air (second pressure P2). . The set flow rate correspondence data 32b is data indicating an appropriate correspondence relationship between the charge air pressure (second pressure P2) supplied to the pressurized container 4 and the set mass flow rate Qm of the mass flow controller MFC.

  At the start of operation of the atomization apparatus 1, first, an instruction is input for the pressure of the driving air (first pressure P <b> 1) supplied to the jet nozzle 9 via the operation input unit 31. The control unit 30 refers to the set pressure correspondence data 32a and the set flow rate correspondence data 32b stored in the storage unit 32, thereby controlling the first regulator R1, the second regulator R2, and the mass flow controller MFC, and instructing them. Adjust to an appropriate setting value according to the input. That is, the set pressure of the first regulator R1 is adjusted to the first pressure P1 based on the instruction input, and further the set pressure of the second regulator R2 is adjusted according to the first pressure P1. The mass flow controller MFC is controlled by the control unit 30 based on the second pressure P2 set in the second regulator R2, and the discharge amount of the solution 5 discharged from the solution discharge pipe 17 is instructed. It is controlled according to the first pressure of R1.

  The control unit 30 controls the mass flow controller MFC based on the value of the second pressure P2, thereby controlling the discharge amount of the solution 5 discharged from the solution discharge pipe 17 according to the first pressure P1. Has become a department. In the example shown in the present embodiment, the first regulator R1 and the second regulator R2 are controlled by the discharge control unit, and the control of the mass flow controller MFC is performed by setting and inputting the first pressure P1 to the discharge control unit. Control of the discharge amount of the solution 5 discharged from the solution discharge pipe 17 is automatically performed by the discharge control unit.

  The first regulator R1 and the second regulator R2 may be manually set regulators instead of the bulb control type. In this case, instead of inputting the first pressure P1 via the operation input unit 31, the first regulator R1 is directly manually operated and set, and then the first pressure P1 is set according to the data table indicating the data content of the set pressure corresponding data 32a. 2 The second pressure is set by manually operating the regulator R2.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the flow of the solution discharge operation in the atomization apparatus 1 will be described. First, an instruction is inputted for the pressure of the driving air (first pressure P1) supplied to the jet nozzle 9 via the operation input unit 31 (ST1). Next, based on the instruction input, the set values of the first regulator R1, the second regulator R2, and the mass flow controller MFC are adjusted (ST2). That is, the control unit 30 adjusts the set pressure of the first regulator R1 to the first pressure P1 that is instructed and the set pressure of the second regulator R2 to the second pressure P2 according to the first pressure P1. Further, the set flow rate of the mass flow controller MFC is adjusted based on the second pressure P2. At this time, the set pressure correspondence data 32a and the set flow rate correspondence data 32b stored in the storage unit 32 are referred to. Next, the pressurized container 4 is precharged using the second pressure P2 as a charge pressure (ST3). Thereby, pressurization air corresponding to the charge pressure set via the first pressurization air pipe 6a is supplied into the pressurization container 4.

  Thereafter, if it is confirmed by the second pressure switch PS2 that the pressure in the pressurized container 4 has reached the specified charge pressure (second pressure P2), the drive air injection and the air charge circuit Switch. That is, first, the opening / closing valve 24 is closed to close the first pressurizing air pipe 6a as a precharge circuit (ST4), and then the opening / closing valve 21 is opened to start supplying driving air to the jet nozzle 9 (ST5). ). Thereby, air injection by the jet nozzle 9 is started. Then, the opening / closing valve 26 is opened to operate the second pressurizing air pipe 6b as a main charge circuit (ST6), and air having a mass flow rate corresponding to the charge pressure is supplied to the pressurizing vessel 4 via the mass flow controller MFC. (ST7). As a result, the solution 5 in the pressurized container 4 is continuously pressurized and is in a state in which continuous pressure supply to the atomization processing unit 3 is possible.

  Next, the opening / closing valve 22 is opened, and the solution 5 is supplied to the jet nozzle 9 via the solution supply pipe 7 (ST8). The supplied solution 5 is discharged from the solution discharge pipe 17 and supplied into the gas flow in the jet nozzle 9 (ST9). Then, the discharged solution 5 is accelerated by the gas flow and is atomized to become microdroplets 5a, and collides with the collision portion 11 to further atomize the particles in the microdroplets 5a.

  In order to atomize the solution 5 supplied from the solution supply unit 2 in the atomization apparatus 1 with good work quality in the atomization processing unit 3, the particles to be atomized are uniformly in the solution 5. It is important that it is distributed. For this reason, in the atomization apparatus 1, it is desirable to provide a stirring flow means so that the solution 5 stored in the pressurized container 4 is always stirred. As an example of the stirring flow means, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, it is conceivable to equip the lower surface of the pressurized container 4 with one or both of the turning drive mechanism 33 and the swing drive mechanism 34.

  The turning drive mechanism 33 turns the surrounding pressurized container 4 around the vertical rotating shaft 4c (arrow j) in a state where the fixing portion 4d through which the pressurizing air supply pipe 6 and the solution supply pipe 7 are inserted is fixed. By driving the swivel drive mechanism 33, the solution 5 in the pressurized container 4 stirs and flows by swirl reciprocating motion. The rocking drive mechanism 34 has a function of rocking the solution 5 around a horizontal rocking shaft 34a (arrow k), and the solution in the pressurized container 4 is driven by driving the rocking drive mechanism 34. 5 is similarly stirred and flowed by rocking. By providing such a stirring flow means, the particle distribution in the solution 5 can always be kept uniform.

  FIG. 5B shows an example of the liquid amount detecting means for detecting the amount of the solution 5 stored in the pressurized container 4. Since the solution 5 is in a suspended state containing particle components, it is difficult to apply a method for detecting the amount of liquid by an optical detection method such as an optical sensor used for a normal liquid. Therefore, the bottom surface of the pressurized container 4 is supported by the load cell 35 for weighing, and the weight of the entire pressurized container 4 is detected by the weight detection unit 36 that receives the signal of the load cell 35, and from this detection result, the pressurized container 4 is detected. A method of detecting the amount of the solution 5 stored in 4 can be used. By providing such a liquid amount detection means, the solution supply from the solution supply unit 2 to the atomization processing unit 3 can be executed smoothly.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the solution supply unit 2 is applied to the atomization apparatus 1 has been described. However, the application of the solution discharge apparatus and the solution discharge method having the above-described configuration is atomization processing using the jet nozzle 9. It is not limited to only. In other words, the processing atmosphere is used for the purpose of discharging the solution to be processed through the solution discharge pipe at a pressure and a discharge amount according to the processing conditions in a processing atmosphere in which the internal pressure state changes according to the processing conditions. The present invention can be similarly applied to any application example in which the first compressed gas is supplied from the gas supply source at the first pressure.

  Dispensers are generally used for applications that dispense liquids in a fixed quantity, but most of the dispensers that have been used in the past are used to eject liquids under atmospheric pressure. There is no need to consider the atmospheric pressure. For this reason, the conventional air pressure-feed type dispenser or a similar type solution discharge apparatus is applied to the use for discharging the solution into the processing atmosphere in which the internal pressure state changes according to the processing conditions as described above. It was difficult.

  On the other hand, as described above, in the solution discharge method using the solution supply unit configured to supply the second compressed gas to the solution supply unit 2, pressurization for storing the solution 5 in a pressurized state in an airtight state. The second pressure P2 of the second compressed gas supplied into the container 4 is adjusted according to the first pressure P1 (pressure adjustment step). Next, the second compressed gas having the second pressure P2 is supplied into the pressurized container 4 to pressurize the solution in the pressurized container 4 (solution pressurizing step). The pressurized solution 5 is supplied to the solution discharge pipe 17 (solution supply step). Next, the supplied solution 5 is discharged into the processing atmosphere via the solution discharge pipe 17 (solution discharge step).

  Then, the solution discharged from the solution discharge pipe 17 is controlled by controlling the mass flow controller MFC that adjusts the mass flow rate of the second compressed gas supplied into the pressurized container 4 based on the value of the second pressure P2. The discharge amount of 5 is controlled according to the first pressure P1. Thereby, also in the use which discharges the solution 5 in the process atmosphere which changes the 1st pressure P1 according to process conditions and changes an internal pressure state, the solution 5 can be discharged with an appropriate discharge amount. .

  The atomization apparatus and the atomization method of the present invention have an advantage that solid particles can be atomized at low equipment costs, and are used in the field of producing fine particles such as nano-sized particles by crushing solid particles. Useful.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Atomization apparatus 2 Solution supply part 3 Atomization process part 4 Pressurization container 5 Solution 5a Minute droplet 6 Air supply pipe for pressurization 7 Solution supply pipe 8 Drive air supply pipe 9 Jet nozzle 9a Nozzle main part 10 Processing chamber 11 Collision part 12 Liquid recovery container 16 Internal flow path hole 16c Throat part 17 Solution discharge pipe 20, 23 Gas supply source R1 First regulator R2 Second regulator MFC Mass flow controller

Claims (5)

A atomizing device that atomizes the particles by accelerating a solution containing the particles by a gas flow to form a microdroplet in a fluid state, and colliding the microdroplet,
A solution supplying means for supplying a solution containing the particles into the gas stream; a droplet accelerating means for accelerating the micro droplets to a predetermined speed set according to the type of the solid particles; A collision part that collides,
The droplet accelerating means includes a nozzle main body formed with a guide portion for guiding a gas flow in a flow direction on the downstream side of a throat portion having a circular cross section provided by narrowing the internal flow passage hole, and the internal flow passage hole. A gas supply source that supplies the first compressed gas to the first pressure adjusting unit, a first pressure adjusting unit that adjusts a first pressure of the first compressed gas, and the supplied solution provided in the nozzle body. A solution discharge pipe that discharges in the same direction as the flow direction;
The solution supply means includes a pressurized container that stores the solution in an airtight state in a pressurized state, and a solution that pressurizes the solution in the pressurized container by supplying a second compressed gas into the pressurized container. A pressurizing unit, a solution supply pipe for supplying the pressurized solution from the pressurized container to the solution discharge pipe, and a second pressure of the second compressed gas is adjusted according to the first pressure And a mass flow rate adjusting unit that adjusts the mass flow rate of the second compressed gas that is provided in the second gas supply pipe and is supplied into the pressurized container. And
A discharge control unit that controls the mass flow rate adjusting unit based on the value of the second pressure to control the discharge amount of the solution discharged from the solution discharge pipe according to the first pressure; A device for atomization characterized by comprising:   The first pressure adjusting unit and the second pressure adjusting unit are controlled by the discharge control unit, and the first pressure is input to the discharge control unit to control the mass flow rate adjusting unit and the solution discharge. 2. The atomization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge amount of the solution discharged from the tube is automatically controlled by the discharge control unit. A solution discharge device that discharges a solution to be processed through a solution discharge pipe at a pressure and a discharge amount according to the processing conditions in a processing atmosphere in which an internal pressure state changes according to the processing conditions,
In the processing atmosphere, a first compressed gas is supplied from a gas supply source at a first pressure,
A pressurized container for storing the solution in an airtight state in a pressurized state; a solution pressurizing unit for supplying a second compressed gas into the pressurized container to pressurize the solution in the pressurized container; A second pressure adjusting unit that adjusts a second pressure of the second compressed gas according to the first pressure; a solution supply pipe that supplies the pressurized solution to the solution discharge pipe; A mass flow rate adjusting unit for adjusting the mass flow rate of the second compressed gas supplied into the pressure vessel,
And a discharge controller that controls the discharge amount of the solution discharged from the solution discharge pipe according to the first pressure by controlling the mass flow rate adjusting unit based on the value of the second pressure. A solution discharging apparatus comprising: A solution discharge method for discharging a solution to be processed through a solution discharge pipe at a pressure and a discharge amount according to the processing conditions in a processing atmosphere in which an internal pressure state changes according to the processing conditions,
In the processing atmosphere, a first compressed gas is supplied from a gas supply source at a first pressure,
A pressure adjusting step for adjusting a second pressure of the second compressed gas supplied into a pressurized container that stores the solution in an airtight state in a pressurized state according to the first pressure;
A solution pressurizing step of supplying a second compressed gas of the second pressure into the pressurization container to pressurize the solution in the pressurization container;
A solution supply step of supplying the pressurized solution to the solution discharge pipe;
A solution discharge step of discharging the supplied solution into the processing atmosphere via the solution discharge pipe;
The mass flow rate adjusting unit that adjusts the mass flow rate of the second compressed gas supplied into the pressurized container is controlled based on the value of the second pressure, thereby discharging the solution from the solution discharge pipe. A solution discharge method, wherein a solution discharge amount is controlled in accordance with the first pressure.   The first pressure and the second pressure are controlled by a discharge control unit, and the first pressure is input to the discharge control unit, thereby discharging from the control of the mass flow rate adjusting unit and the solution discharge pipe. The solution discharge method according to claim 3, wherein the discharge amount of the solution is automatically controlled by the discharge control unit.

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