JP2011098736A - Liquid container, liquid feeding apparatus using the same, and liquid feeding method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid container which stores a liquid by a space-saving mode while the filled liquid is held at a high quality, and lessens the amount of remaining liquid extremely when the liquid is delivered, and is transported, and to provide a liquid delivering apparatus in which a setting operation and an exchanging operation of this liquid container are simple, which has a simple constitution and is inexpensive, can surely lessen the remaining amount of the liquid in the liquid container, and can deliver safely the liquid, and a liquid feeding method. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid container 1 includes: a container body 2 with a round bottom which is manufactured by blow molding a thermoplastic resin with a bending modulus of at least 700 MPa; and a supporting base 3. The container body 2 has an inner surface formed of a highly pure thermoplastic resin, and on the supporting base 3, a penetrating part 9 is formed. In the liquid delivering apparatus 20, the end 23a of a liquid delivering pipe 23 is inserted into the surrounding of the maximum bottom of the round bottom 6 in the liquid container 1, and the upper part and the bottom part of the container body 2 is pinched between a projecting part 32 and a pressing member 34, and a gas under a pressure of 200 kPa is fed to deliver the liquid 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid container for containing a liquid, a liquid delivery apparatus for delivering a liquid from the liquid container, and a liquid delivery method.

  Liquids such as industrial high-purity chemicals such as photoresists and solvents used in the semiconductor and liquid crystal fields, medical high-purity chemicals, and food material liquids are stored, transported, and used without contamination. It is necessary to be done. For this reason, liquid containers that are used for storing and transporting these liquids, or are used by being set in a liquid feeding device as they are, are desired to have extremely little component elution. Such a liquid container and a liquid delivery method are described in Patent Document 1, for example.

  The liquid container described in Patent Document 1 is a multilayer structure in which an inner layer is formed of a high-purity resin. A discharge port projects from the upper side of the container, and a bottom is formed flat so that the container can stand on its own. It is a thing. Fill this container with high-purity chemical liquid, cover the container with a pressure-resistant protective container that can withstand the gas pressure, or protect it against pressure as shown in the same document, and send the liquid at the gas pressure .

  However, the liquid container described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is difficult to discharge the liquid remaining on the bottom of the flat container when the liquid is delivered, and the amount of remaining liquid is large. In addition, when storing a plurality of liquid containers or preparing them near a liquid delivery device, there is a problem that a large space is required because the liquid containers cannot be placed unless they are arranged. Furthermore, when setting the liquid container in the liquid delivery device, it is necessary to cover it with a pressure-resistant protective container, which increases the number of parts of the liquid delivery device, making it a large and expensive device, and setting and replacing the liquid container There is a problem that the work is complicated. Further, when a high gas pressure is used to send out the liquid, bubbles are likely to be generated in the liquid, so that there is a problem that a filter for removing the bubbles from the liquid is required for the liquid feeding device.

JP-A-11-290420

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can store the liquid in a space-saving manner while maintaining the high quality of the filled liquid, and extremely reduces the amount of the remaining liquid during liquid feeding. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transportable liquid container. In addition, the liquid container setting and replacement operations are simple, simple and inexpensive, the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid container can be reliably reduced, and the liquid delivery device and liquid delivery can be safely delivered. It aims to provide a method.

The liquid container according to claim 1, which has been made to achieve the above object, is formed by blow-molding a thermoplastic resin having a bending elastic modulus of at least 700 MPa, and has a substantially cylindrical body. And a container body that is formed to have a round bottom and a concentric discharge port on the top, and that can store liquid and that can be attached and detached to the discharge port, and the container body is self-supporting. In order to make it a liquid container comprising a resin support base fitted to the round bottom side of the body portion,
The container body is formed of a high-purity thermoplastic resin in which at least an inner surface thereof does not leach impurity fine particles into the liquid above a predetermined reference value,
The support base is formed with a penetrating portion capable of accommodating the discharge port with the stopper of the container body to be stacked when the liquid containers are stacked in a plurality, and the container body to be stacked The bottom part which can be engaged with the top part of this is formed.

  A liquid container according to a second aspect is the liquid container according to the first aspect, wherein the resin forming the container main body and / or the support base is a resin capable of material recycling.

  A liquid feeding device according to a third aspect is a liquid feeding device in which the liquid container according to the first or second aspect is set and the liquid in the liquid container is fed, and the liquid container is placed on the liquid feeding device. The base is provided with a protrusion that fits into the through-hole of the support base and contacts the round bottom of the container body, and is connected to a pressure source up to a pressure of 200 kPa at the maximum to supply gas into the container body. Instead of the plug body, which has a gas supply port for carrying out and a liquid feed pipe whose end is located close to the bottom of the round bottom in the container body and whose tip is led out to the outside of the container body A liquid feed adapter that can be attached to and detached from the discharge port and can seal the container body, and a movably provided column that is erected from the pedestal, and is placed on the upper part of the liquid feed adapter fitted in the discharge port. It is provided with a pressing member that can fix its movement at the contact position. To.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the liquid delivery device according to the third aspect, wherein the pressurization source having a pressure of 10 to 50 kPa is connected to the gas supply port.

  A liquid feeding device according to a fifth aspect is the one according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein the gas supply port is formed so that a pressure connector connected to the pressure source is connectable, and the pressing member Has a stopper that contacts the pressure connector and stops the movement of the pressing member when the pressure connector is connected to the gas supply port in contact with the upper part of the liquid feeding adapter. It is characterized by that.

  The liquid feeding device according to a sixth aspect is the one according to the fifth aspect, wherein the pressing member and the liquid feeding adapter are fitted to each other to define the position of the gas supply port with respect to the pressing member. It has a positioning mechanism.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the liquid feeding method, the liquid container according to the first or second aspect is filled with a liquid, the end of the liquid feeding pipe is inserted to the vicinity of the bottom of the round bottom, and the tip is led out to the outside. The liquid container is characterized by sandwiching the upper and lower sides of the container body, supplying a gas having a pressure of 200 kPa at the highest in the liquid container, and delivering the liquid from the liquid container.

  The liquid feeding method according to an eighth aspect is the one according to the seventh aspect, wherein the pressure of the gas is 10 to 50 kPa.

  According to the liquid container of the present invention, the container body is formed of a high-purity thermoplastic resin in which impurity fine particles do not leach into the liquid from the inner surface beyond the reference value, and the bending elastic modulus is at least 700 MPa. As a result, the liquid can be maintained in high quality and excellent in mechanical strength, so that container breakage and deformation during transportation and storage can be prevented. In particular, during liquid feeding, large deformation of the container can be prevented even if the pressure is increased to 200 kPa. Moreover, since it is excellent in mechanical strength, even if a plurality of containers filled with liquid are stacked, the stacked liquid containers are not damaged. Furthermore, when a plurality of liquid containers are stacked, the outlets with plugs of the liquid containers that have been stacked enter the penetrating portion of the support base, and the bottom of the support base engages with the top of the lower stack, so that it is stable. Since they can be stacked, they can be stored in a space-saving manner. Moreover, since the container body has a round bottom, the remaining amount of liquid during liquid feeding can be reduced.

  According to the liquid container of the present invention, since it is made of a material recyclable resin, it can be recycled as a raw material and can be used in a circulating manner.

  According to the liquid feeding device and the liquid feeding method of the present invention, vertical deformation is prevented by sandwiching the upper and lower sides of the container body. Accordingly, since the distance between the end of the liquid feeding tube and the round bottom does not increase, the liquid collected at the round bottom during liquid feeding can be reliably fed without waste and with a small remaining amount. As an example, the remaining amount of liquid can be 0.5% or less, preferably 0.1% or less of the container capacity. Therefore, since the usable amount of the liquid accommodated in the liquid container is increased, the yield can be improved, and the frequency of replacing the liquid container is also reduced, so that productivity is excellent. In addition, since a liquid container with excellent mechanical strength is used, it is not necessary to cover the liquid container with a pressure-resistant protective container, so the liquid container can be easily set and replaced, and the device configuration is simple and inexpensive. Therefore, the maintenance is also simplified, and the apparatus can be made economical. Further, by pressurizing with a gas having a pressure of 200 kPa at the maximum, the liquid container is safe without being damaged, and since the pressure is low, the amount of bubbles generated in the liquid can be reduced.

  According to the liquid feeding apparatus and the liquid feeding method of the present invention, the amount of bubbles generated in the liquid can be further reduced by setting the pressure of the gas supplied into the liquid container to 10 to 50 kPa.

  According to the liquid feeding device of the present invention, the pressing member has a stopper that hits the pressure connector and stops the movement of the pressing member, so that the pressure connector remains connected, that is, the pressure in the liquid container. This prevents the holding member that holds the liquid feeding adapter from being inadvertently removed with the liquid remaining, preventing the liquid feeding adapter from popping out due to pressure and removing the liquid container safely from the device. Can do.

  According to the liquid feeding device of the present invention, since the holding member and the liquid feeding adapter have a positioning mechanism that defines the position of the gas supply port with respect to the holding member, the gas supply port faces a certain direction. The pressurizing connector can be simply connected to the gas supply port, and the liquid container can be set quickly and easily. Furthermore, since the positional relationship between the pressurizing connector connected to the gas supply port and the stopper is defined as a fixed positional relationship, the stopper can reliably lock the movement of the pressing member.

It is a partially broken front view which shows the storage state of the liquid container to which this invention is applied. It is a partially broken side view which shows the use condition of the liquid container and liquid feeding apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the use condition of the liquid container and liquid feeding apparatus (front cross section) to which this invention is applied. It is a partially expanded perspective view which shows the use condition of the liquid feeding apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a partially expanded perspective view which shows the use condition of another liquid delivery apparatus to which this invention is applied.

  Hereinafter, although the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated in detail, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these forms.

  A preferred embodiment of the liquid container of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the figure, as an example, two liquid containers 1 of the present invention are stacked and placed on the storage table 18. The liquid container 1 has no component elution and does not contaminate the filled liquid 17, and is used for storing and transporting the liquid 17 or being set as it is in a liquid feeding device.

  The liquid container 1 can be suitably used, for example, in the fields of manufacturing semiconductors and liquid crystal devices, pharmaceuticals, and foods that require clean liquid quality. Examples of the liquid 17 include liquids used in the manufacture of semiconductors and liquid crystal devices such as photoresist liquids, acids, alkalis, and solvents, liquids for pharmaceuticals such as disinfectants, infusions, and dialysates, or fragrances and concentrated liquids. And liquids used in the food field such as food additives. Below, as an example, the liquid 17 is demonstrated as what is a photoresist liquid used for manufacture of a semiconductor or a liquid crystal device.

  The liquid container 1 is comprised by the container main body 2 and the support stand 3, as shown in the figure.

  The container body 2 has a round bottom 6 on the lower side (lower side in the figure) of the substantially cylindrical body part 5 and an upper part 7 on the upper side (upper side in the figure) on which the discharge port 8 is formed. It has a shape that can be closed with.

  The discharge port 8 has a cylindrical shape with a diameter smaller than that of the body portion 5, is concentric with the body portion 5, and is formed to project from the center of the top portion 7 to the outside of the container. A male screw is formed on the outer periphery of the discharge port 8, and a plug body 16 formed with a female screw is detachable.

  The top part 7 may be formed in a substantially flat shape from the lower end of the discharge port 8 to the body part 5, but as shown in FIG. The inclined shape is preferable because the pressure resistance of the container is increased. In addition, when the top portion 7 is formed in such a downward slope, it is easy to discharge the remaining liquid or washing water that remains slightly after use of the liquid container 1 with the container body 2 upside down. It is also preferable from the viewpoint. Further, the top portion 7 has a slightly smaller diameter than the penetration portion 9 so as to fit in the penetration portion 9 described later so that the support stand 3 does not shift to the left and right when the support stand 3 is stacked thereon. It is preferable to form a raised portion 7a having a raised upper portion.

  On the round bottom 6 side of the body portion 5, a circular groove 11 for fitting the support base 3 is formed.

  The container body 2 is formed to have a size capable of accommodating a desired volume of liquid 17 such as 1 to 200 L (liter). The container body 2 has a diameter of, for example, a diameter of 90 mm when the capacity is 1 L, and a diameter of 600 mm when the capacity is 200 L, for example, but the diameter and capacity are arbitrary.

  The container body 2 is formed by blow-molding a thermoplastic resin having a flexural modulus of at least 700 MPa, and at least an inner surface thereof is formed of a high-purity thermoplastic resin. For example, when the container body 2 is formed of a wall having a multilayer structure, the inner surface layer is formed of a high-purity thermoplastic resin, and any other layer is formed of a thermoplastic resin having a flexural modulus of at least 700 MPa. What is necessary is just to be formed, or the wall part of the multilayered structure formed with the thermoplastic resin should just be formed with the bending elastic modulus at least 700 Mpa as a whole. Moreover, when the container main body 2 is formed of a single-layer wall portion, it may be formed of a high-purity thermoplastic resin having an elastic modulus of at least 700 MPa. In either case, it can be molded by a known blow molding machine. The method for measuring the flexural modulus is based on JIS K7171.

  Even when the gas is supplied to the container body 2 at a high pressure of 200 kPa and the liquid 17 is fed by this pressurization, the bending elastic modulus of the container resin is required as a strength necessary to prevent the container from being damaged or greatly deformed. It must be at least 700 MPa. If the bending elastic modulus is less than 700 MPa, the container is greatly deformed when pressurized, and the container body 2 is covered and protected with a pressure-resistant protective container such as a stainless pressure-resistant container like a conventional liquid container. I need it.

  If the plate thickness of the container body 2 is thicker, the container strength can be increased. However, if it is too thick, a large amount of raw materials are required and the weight of the container increases. Therefore, if the bending elastic modulus is at least 700 MPa, molding is easy. A thinner plate thickness is preferable within the range. As an example, a thickness of about 1.5 to 4 mm is preferable because molding is easy.

  Here, the high-purity thermoplastic resin is a resin in which impurity fine particles do not leach into the liquid 17 beyond a predetermined reference value. Specifically, while the liquid 17 is stored in the container body 2 for a long period of time, an index indicating the degree to which the impure fine particles are leached and the quality is deteriorated is a degree of cleanness. The degree of cleanness is obtained by calculating how many fine particles having a particle diameter of 0.2 μm or more exist in 1 mL of the stored contents after storing ultrapure water or photoresist solution in a test container for a certain period of time. Specifically, it is defined by the following formula.

  In equation (1), a is the capacity of the cuvette, and b is the amount of the content liquid sampled from the cuvette. First, a sampling solution for measuring the initial cleanliness is collected as follows. Half of the volume, a / 2 (mL) of ultrapure water or photoresist solution is placed in a test container having a volume of a (mL), shaken for 15 seconds, allowed to stand for 24 hours, and then collected. The sampling solution for measuring the cleanness after storage is collected after attaching the stopper to the container after the initial cleanness measurement and leaving it for a certain period of time, and rotating the container three times so as not to generate bubbles. c is a value obtained by counting fine particles having a particle diameter of 0.2 μm or more contained in the total amount of the sampling solution with a particle counter. Based on the numerical value, the degree of cleanness after storage at the initial stage and for a certain period is calculated by Formula (1). The lower the cleanness value, the better the quality of the photoresist solution. When the cleanness is less than 100 / mL, the chemical solution can be stably stored without deteriorating the quality and yield of the semiconductor and the liquid crystal display (LCD).

  Therefore, as the high-purity thermoplastic resin, a resin that satisfies a desired cleanliness when the cleanliness is measured using the container body 2 as an inspection container is used. When the photoresist solution is stored, a resin having a cleanness of less than 100 / mL (an example of a predetermined reference value) is used. In other words, the high-purity thermoplastic resin is a resin in which impurity fine particles do not leach into the liquid beyond a predetermined reference value. Note that the number of fine particles having a particle diameter of 0.3 μm or more may be calculated according to the standard to be applied. Moreover, it is good also as resin from which a cleanliness becomes less than 200 piece / mL according to the specification to apply. The plug body 16 is also formed of a high-purity thermoplastic resin.

  In addition to the degree of cleanliness, the degree of leaching of impurity fine particles can be defined by the degree of deterioration of the transparency of the liquid 17 (another example of a predetermined reference value).

  The resin forming the container body 2 is preferably a material recyclable resin, for example, polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyamide, polyvinyl alcohol, poly (ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol), polyester, polyphenylene oxide. Etc. These resins may be used alone to form a single layer wall, or a plurality of these resins may be used to form a multilayered wall.

As a specific example, the container body 2 is composed of a polymer (a) and a polymer (b), both of which are polyethylene or ethylene / α-olefin copolymer, and has a weight average molecular weight of 200,000 or more and a density of 0. .940 to 0.970 g / cm ³ , and the polymer (a) having a melt index based on JIS K6760 of 0.09 g / 10 min or less accounts for 30 to 95% by weight in the total weight and is substantially outside. A polymer having a weight average molecular weight of 30,000 to less than 200,000, a density of 0.930 to 0.970 g / cm ³ , and a melt index based on the same JIS standard of 0.1 to 1.0 g / 10 min. (B) is good also as a structure which occupies 5-70 weight% and covers the inner surface substantially. In this case, there is very little leaching of particulate impurities into the stored chemicals, excellent chemical resistance, sufficient mechanical strength, and sufficiently meets the latest strict international standards for dangerous chemical transport containers. The container body 2 can be made.

As another specific example, the container body 2 is made of a resin of polyethylene or ethylene / α-olefin copolymer having a density of 0.940 to 0.970 g / cm ³ at least on the inner surface, and quantified by liquid chromatography. The content of the neutralizing agent, antioxidant and light stabilizer in the resin is 0.01% by weight or less based on the total weight of the resin, and is measured by gel permeation chromatography. The resin may have a weight average molecular weight of 12 to 26 × 10 ⁴ and a polymer having a molecular weight of 1 × 10 ³ or less in the resin may have a structure of less than 2.5% by weight based on the total weight of the resin. Here, the α-olefin may be at least one selected from propylene, butene-1, 4-methyl-pentene-1, hexene-1, and octene-1. In this case, it is possible to make the container body 2 excellent in mechanical strength, easy to handle, and having very little leaching of impure fine particles in the stored and stored solvent. Also for methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, acetone, ethyl acetate, toluene, dimethylformamide, ethylene glycol acetate, methoxypropyl acetate, butyl cellosolve, etc., and for sterilization, disinfection, pharmaceutical raw materials, etc. Even if a high-purity solvent to be used, for example, methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, or the like is accommodated in the container body 2, the quality standard defined by the Japanese Pharmacopoeia can be sufficiently satisfied.

As yet another specific example, the container body 2 has a weight average molecular weight of 12 to 26 × 10 ⁴ measured by gel permeation chromatography and a molecular weight of 1 × 10 ³ or less is less than 5% by weight. A resin having a density of 0.940 to 0.970 g / cm ³ and a neutralizing agent having a content determined by liquid chromatography of 0.01% by weight or less, an oxidation amount, and a resin of polyethylene or ethylene / α-olefin copolymer 0.01% by weight of an inhibitor and a light stabilizer, and at least one light-shielding pigment selected from titanium oxide, carbon black, Bengala inorganic pigments, phthalocyanine-based, quinacridone-based, and azo-based organic pigments and 5 wt%, and less than the number average molecular weight of 2 × 10 ³ or more olefin polymer dispersant 5 wt%, by containing a resin composition It may be those forms. In this case, the container body 2 is excellent in mechanical strength, can be easily handled, has very little leaching of impure fine particles into the stored chemicals, and can prevent the contents from being altered by light. Can do. For this reason, it can be widely used for chemicals for semiconductors and the above-mentioned pharmaceutical solvents.

As another specific example, the container main body 2 is composed of ethylene, propylene, butene-1, 4-methyl-pentene-1, hexene-1, or an olefin polymer of octene-1, and ethylene and the others. An inner layer composed of a high-purity resin containing at least one selected from olefin copolymers and having a content of each of a neutralizing agent, an antioxidant and a light-resistant stabilizer at most 0.01% by weight; A container in which an intermediate layer of a solvent barrier resin containing poly (ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) and an outer layer made of a resin composition containing a light-shielding substance are blow-molded, and the container measured by a spectrophotometer The minimum absorbance at a wavelength of 400 nm or less of all layers is 2.0 or more, and the extinction coefficient at a wavelength of 400 nm obtained by dividing the absorbance of all layers of the container by the thickness of the entire layer is 1.5 mm ^−1. As described above, a structure having an absorption coefficient of 1.5 mm ⁻¹ or less at a wavelength of 600 nm may be used. Here, in the resin composition of the outer layer, less than 5% by weight of a pigment dispersant comprising at least one olefin polymer selected from polyethylene and polypropylene having a number average molecular weight of 2 × 10 ³ or more, an inorganic pigment, and At least one light-shielding pigment selected from organic pigments may be contained in an amount of 0.01 to 5% by weight, and the outer layer resin composition contains less than 2.5% by weight of an ultraviolet absorber. It may be. In this case, there is no leaching of fine particles or metal ions during storage and transportation, the quality of the high-purity chemical liquid can be maintained, and the container body 2 can be made light and difficult to break.

  It should be noted that a thermoplastic resin layer having a flexural modulus of 700 Mpa or more may be provided on the outer layer of the container described in these specific examples to form the container body 2, or the entire wall portion of the layer structure together with the provided outer layer. It is good also considering a bending elastic modulus as 700 Mpa or more.

  As shown in the figure, the support base 3 has a protrusion 12 that fits into the circumferential groove 11 of the container body 2 and has an outer cylindrical portion 13 that is substantially the same diameter as the body portion 5 and the lower side of the round bottom 6. The inner cylindrical portion 14 to be supported is formed in a double cylindrical shape in which each lower portion is connected at the bottom portion 15. Since the support base 3 is fitted to the container body 2, the round bottom 6 does not hit the flat storage base 18, so that the liquid container 1 can be stably supported.

  Further, as shown in the figure, the support base 3 is engaged when at least a part of the bottom portion 15 comes into contact with the top portion 7 of the container body 2 that is stacked when the liquid containers 1 are stacked. To do. Furthermore, the support base 3 is a space in which the through-hole 9 formed at the center portion by the inner cylindrical portion 14 can accommodate the discharge port 8 with the stopper 16 of the container body 2 in the lower stack. For this reason, a plurality of liquid containers 1 can be stacked stably. The through portion 9 is also used for positioning when the liquid container 1 is set in a liquid feeding device 20 described later.

  In addition, the shape of the bottom part 15 is a shape matched to the inclination of the top part 7 or a part of the bottom part 15 is raised to form the top part 7 so that the bottom part 15 can be stably placed on the top part 7. It is good also as a shape which has the leg which contact | abuts.

  The support 3 is preferably formed of the above-described material recyclable thermoplastic resin.

  In addition, when the diameter of the curved surface of the round bottom 6 of the container body 2 is made small, the liquid 17 is likely to gather at the bottom, but it is necessary to form the support base 3 at a high height. . As an example, it is preferable to form the curved surface of the round bottom 6 with a radius of about 1 to 30 times the radius of the body portion 5. Alternatively, it is preferable to form the round bottom 6 so that the bottom of the round bottom 6 and the lower end of the body portion have a drop of about 3 to 300 mm, preferably about 5 to 100 mm.

  Further, the top 7 of the container body 2 may be provided with a handle for holding at the time of transportation. In this case, the handle is provided so as to be accommodated in the penetrating portion 9 of the support 3 when the liquid containers 1 are stacked. The handle is preferably a retractable type.

  By filling the liquid container 1 with a predetermined amount of the liquid 17 and screwing the stopper 16 into the discharge port 8 and sealing it, the liquid 17 can be stored and transported.

  Next, the liquid delivery apparatus and the liquid delivery method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The liquid feeding device 20 is configured to feed the liquid 17 in which the liquid container 1 is set, and includes a pedestal 31, a liquid feeding adapter 21, and a pressing member 34 as shown in FIG.

  The pedestal 31 is for the liquid container 1 to be placed. The base 31 fits exactly on the through-hole 9 of the liquid container 1 on the metal plate, and at least the outermost wall of the round bottom 6 of the container body 2. A cylindrical protrusion 32 that abuts on the surface. The upper surface part (upper part of the figure) of the protrusion part 32 is formed in a flat shape as shown in the figure, or a concave shape with a curved surface that the round bottom 6 just fits. The shape recessed by a curved surface is preferable because the container body 2 can be supported by the surface. The height of the protrusion 32 from the pedestal upper portion may be a height at which the bottom 15 of the liquid container 1 floats from the pedestal 31 as shown in FIG. In addition, the diameter of the protrusion 32 is preferably a diameter that just fits into the through-hole 9 from the viewpoint of positioning of the liquid container 1, but may be at least smaller than the through-hole 9.

  The pressing member 34 shown in FIG. 2 is movably supported by a support shaft 33 erected from a pedestal 31 by a rotating shaft 35 with a fixing mechanism. The pressing member 34 is in a position where it comes into contact with the upper part of the liquid feeding adapter 21 fitted in the discharge port 8, and the movement of the fixing mechanism of the rotating shaft 35 can be fixed. The rotation shaft 35 is provided with a fixing release button (not shown), and when this button is operated, the pressing member 34 becomes movable again. As the fixing mechanism of the pressing member 34, various known mechanisms can be used.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the pressing member 34 has a stopper 36 in which a through hole 36 a for passing a pressure connector 30 described later is formed. As an example, the stopper 36 is formed by bending a metal bar or connecting by welding or the like, and has a through-hole portion 36a formed in a U-shape, from each end thereof. It is formed in a shape having a support bar extending to the side surface of the pressing member 34. The stopper 36 is securely fixed to the side wall of the pressing member 36. The stopper 36 does not interfere with the liquid feeding adapter 21 when the pressing member 34 rotates, and is provided at a position where the opening portion 36a hits the pressure connector 30 and stops the rotation of the pressing member 34. . In addition, as long as the opening part 36a is a shape which can let the pressurization connector 30 pass, the ring shape formed by bending the rod material annularly may be sufficient, and even if it is a flat plate shape which has a hole part. Good. In particular, when it is formed in the U-shaped shape shown in the drawing, it is preferable because the pressure connector 30 can be easily attached and detached because the upper side is open.

  The pressing member 34 has a positioning pin 37.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid feeding adapter 21 is formed with a female screw so that the discharge port 8 of the liquid container 1 can be sealed. The liquid feeding adapter 21 has a gas supply port 25, a liquid feeding pipe 23, a pressure gauge 26, a safety valve 27, and a manual valve 28.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the liquid feeding adapter 21 supports a cylindrical fitting portion 21 a fitted to the discharge port 8 and a pipe line connected to the liquid feeding pipe 23, the gas supply port 25, a pressure gauge, and the like. The cylindrical pipe line support part 21b has airtightness, and the pipe line support part 21b is coupled to the fitting part 21a so as to be rotatable in the axial direction thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the pipe line support portion 21 b of the liquid feeding adapter 21 has a flat upper surface, and a positioning groove 24 into which the positioning pin 37 of the pressing member 34 fits in a part of the upper surface. Is formed. As an example, the positioning groove 24 has a groove width in which a groove end is opened in the columnar side wall of the pipe line support portion 21b, and the positioning pin 37 fits in a direction from the cylindrical side wall toward the column central axis. It is formed up to a position before reaching 23.

  The positioning groove 24 and the positioning pin 37 are an example of the positioning mechanism of the present invention. When the positioning pin 37 is fitted into the positioning groove 24 at a position where the pressing member 34 contacts the upper part of the liquid feeding adapter 21, The direction of the pipe line support portion 21b with respect to the pressing member 34 is uniquely determined to define the position of the gas supply port 25 with respect to the pressing member 34. Specifically, when the positioning groove 24 and the positioning pin 37 are fitted, the pressurizing connector 30 and the gas supply port 25 can be connected in a state where the pressurizing connector 30 is passed through the opening 36 a of the stopper 36. Thus, the positions of the pressing member 34 and the gas supply port 25 are defined. Instead of the positioning groove 24, a hole that can be fitted to the positioning pin 37 may be formed in the pipe line support portion 21b.

  The gas supply port 25 is configured to be able to connect a pressure connector 30 connected to the pressure source 29 via a pressure hose, and serves as a gas supply port into the container body 2. The pressurizing connector 30 is provided with a safety lock mechanism, and has an open valve that opens the gas to the outside when the gas pressure is left and the gas supply port 25 is accidentally disconnected from the gas supply port 25.

  The pressurizing source 29 is an air from which inert gas (for example, nitrogen gas) or fine particles have been removed from a gas cylinder as shown in FIG. 3 or a gas supply device including a gas generator (not shown), a decompression regulator, a gas tank, and the like. At a pressure of at most 200 kPa, preferably at a pressure of 10 to 200 kPa, more preferably at a pressure of 10 to 50 kPa.

  The liquid feed pipe 23 is positioned so that the end 23a is positioned close to the lowest position (bottom part) of the round bottom 6 in the container body 2 and the tip 23b is led out of the container body 2. It is fixed to the liquid feeding adapter 21. Specifically, the liquid feeding pipe 23 is fixed at a position substantially coinciding with the central axis of the pipe line support portion 21b. The distal end 23a of the liquid feeding tube 23 is preferably fixed to the liquid feeding adapter 21 so that the distance from the bottom of the round bottom 6 is as close as possible. As an example, the distal end 23a is fixed to a distance of 1 to 3 mm. . A connection connector 39 for pipe connection is attached to the tip 23b of the liquid feeding pipe 23.

  The pressure gauge 26 is a measuring instrument for monitoring the internal pressure of the container body 2. The safety valve 27 releases the gas to the outside when the pressure in the container body 2 becomes higher than a specified value. The manual valve 28 is normally closed and is manually operated as necessary to release gas to the outside.

  Next, the usage method and operation | movement of the liquid feeding apparatus 20 and the liquid feeding method of the liquid 17 are demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid container 1 filled with the liquid 17 is placed so that the penetrating portion 9 fits into the protruding portion 32 of the pedestal 31. Thereby, the liquid container 1 is easily positioned on the base 31. Next, if the stopper 16 is attached to the liquid container 1, it is removed and the liquid feeding adapter 21 is attached to the discharge port 8.

  Thereby, the end 23a of the liquid feeding pipe 23 of the liquid feeding adapter 21 is inserted to the vicinity of the lowest part of the round bottom 6, and the tip 23b of the liquid feeding pipe 23 is led out of the container.

  Next, the pressing member 34 is pressed against the upper part of the liquid feeding adapter 21 and fixed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the conduit support portion 21 b is rotated so that the positioning pin 37 of the pressing member 34 is fitted into the positioning groove 24 of the liquid feeding adapter 21. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper and lower sides of the container body 2 are sandwiched between the protruding portion 32 of the base 31 and the pressing member 34 in a state where the direction of the pressing member 34 and the liquid feeding adapter 21 is simply and uniquely aligned. It is. Further, the stopper 36 moves with the rotation of the pressing member 34 so as to be close to the gas supply port 25, and the stopper 36 is positioned so that the passage portion 36 a of the stopper 36 passes through the axis of the gas supply port 25.

  Next, the pressure connector 30 of the pressure source 29 in which the supply of gas is stopped is attached to the gas supply port 25. At this time, since the gas supply port 25 is positioned, the pressurizing connector 30 is inevitably connected to the gas supply port 25 through the passage portion 36 a of the stopper 36.

  As an example, a photoresist spraying device 50 is connected to the connection connector 39 of the liquid feeding pipe 23 via a pressure hose. The photoresist spraying device 50 has a buffer tank 51, a pump 52, a filter 53, a three-way valve 54, and a discharge nozzle 55, and discharges a photoresist solution onto a semiconductor wafer (not shown).

  Subsequently, when the regulator of the pressurization source 29 is opened and the gas is supplied, the gas flows into the container body 2 and pressure is applied to the liquid surface of the liquid 17, and the liquid 17 is sent out from the liquid supply pipe 23 to be in the photo. The solution is fed to the resist spraying device 50. At this time, the container body 2 is subjected to a force in the direction of expansion due to gas pressure, but since the container body 2 is formed of a resin having a bending elastic modulus of at least 700 MPa, it is safe because it is not damaged. .

  Further, since the gas pressure is 200 kPa even when the pressure is high, almost no bubbles are generated in the liquid 17 to be fed. Since the generation of bubbles is smaller as the gas pressure is lower, for example, the pressure is preferably 10 to 50 kPa.

  The container body 2 and the liquid feeding adapter 21 are prevented from being deformed in the vertical direction because their positions in the vertical direction are defined by the protrusion 32 and the pressing member 34. For this reason, the distance between the end 23a of the liquid feeding tube 23 and the round bottom 6 does not increase, and the close state is maintained. Therefore, even if the remaining amount of the liquid 17 is reduced, the liquid 17 gathering at the center of the round bottom 6 can be almost fed.

  Finally, as shown in the right-side round frame in FIG. 3, the liquid 17 that accumulates further below the position of the end 23 a is almost fed by the surface tension and gas pressure of the liquid 17. The remaining amount of the liquid 17 becomes very small. For this reason, the remaining amount of the liquid 17 is 0.5% or less of the storage capacity of the liquid container 1.

  The used liquid container 1 is released by releasing the fixation of the holding member 34 that fixes the liquid feeding adapter 21 and rotating it upward. At the same time, the liquid feeding adapter 21 pops out and the worker is exposed to danger. However, since the pressure connector 30 is mounted through the opening 36a of the stopper 36, even if the pressing member 34 is to be rotated upward, the stopper 36 hits the lower portion of the pressure connector 30 and the rotation is related. Stopped. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the liquid feeding adapter 21 from jumping out with the residual pressure, so that an extremely safe device can be obtained. Unless the safety lock mechanism attached to the pressure connector 30 is removed, the used liquid container 1 cannot be taken out by flipping the pressing member 34 upward.

  The used liquid container 1 is material recycled (recycled) as a plastic raw material. The support 3 may be cleaned and reused as it is. Further, depending on the type of liquid 17 to be filled, the container body 2 may be washed and reused.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when using the liquid feeding adapter 21 mounted with the gas supply port 25 facing upward (upward in the figure), the pressing member 34 is in contact with the upper part of the liquid feeding adapter 21. In this state, the stopper 36 is fixed to the side surface of the pressing member 34 so that the U-shaped passage portion 36 a is oriented to pass the axis of the gas supply port 25. In this case, the passage portion 36a is formed in such a size that allows the connection portion 30a of the pressure adapter 30 shown in FIG.

  In the liquid feeding device 20, the stopper 36 rotates with the rotation of the pressing member 34 as indicated by a two-dot chain line arrow in FIG. In a state where the holding member 34 is fixed in contact with the liquid feeding adapter 21, the passage portion 36 a is positioned slightly above the gas supply port 25 through the axis near the gas supply port 25. The connecting portion 30b of the pressure connector 30 is connected to the gas supply port 25 through the passage portion 36a. Thereby, the main-body part 30a of the pressurization connector 30 is located above the opening part 36a. In this state, even if the pressing member 34 is released from being fixed and is to be rotated upward, the passage portion 36 a hits the main body portion 30 b of the pressure adapter 30 and is locked. Therefore, since it is possible to prevent the pressing member 34 from being lifted upward while the pressure connector 30 is attached, the liquid feeding adapter 21 does not jump out due to the residual pressure and is safe.

  Although an example in which a male screw is formed in the discharge port 8 of the liquid container 1 and a female screw is formed in the stopper 16 and the liquid feeding adapter 21 and coupled with the screw has been described, gas is not leaked from the discharge port 8. If it can seal, it will not be limited to this, For example, you may make it couple | bond by fitting.

The liquid container 1 and the liquid feeding device 20 to which the present invention is applied were made as a trial. The container body 2 is a high-density polyethylene resin (density 0.955 g / cm ³ , melt index 0.15 g / 10 min) with a flexural modulus of 920 MPa. The support 3 is a linear low-density polyethylene resin (density 0.938 g / cm). ³ and a melt index of 3.8 g / 10 min), a 20 L container was formed. The average plate thickness of the container body 2 was 3 mm, and the plate pressure of the support 3 was 3 mm. The container body 2 was formed with a curved surface having a radius of 150 mm, a length of 300 mm, and a round bottom 6 having a radius of 2,253 mm. The liquid feeding tube 23 having an outer diameter of 6 mm was fixed to the liquid feeding adapter 21 so that the distance between the round bottom 6 and the terminal end 23a was 5 mm. When the liquid container 1 was filled with 20 L of water, set in the liquid delivery device 20, and delivered at a gas pressure of 20 kPa, the remaining amount of water remaining in the liquid container 1 was 10 mL.

  The liquid container 1 was filled with 20 L of water, and three pieces were stacked. None of the liquid containers 1 were damaged or deformed, and could be stably stacked.

Another liquid container 1 and a liquid feeding device 20 to which the present invention is applied were made as a prototype. The container body 2 is made of a high-density polyethylene resin (density 0.958 g / cm ³ , melt index 0.35 g / 10 min) having a flexural modulus of 1370 MPa as an inner layer material, and a density of 1.19 g / cm ³ as an intermediate layer material. An ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin having a melt index of 1.6 g / 10 min and an ethylene copolymerization ratio of 32 mol%, and a raw material for the outer layer of 1100 MPa high density polyethylene resin (density 0.957 g / cm ³ , melt index 0.04 g / 10 Min) and the support 3 were formed of a linear low-density polyethylene resin (density 0.938 g / cm ³ , melt index 3.8 g / 10 min) to form a 4 L container. The average plate thickness of the container body 2 was 3 mm, and the plate pressure of the support 3 was 3 mm. The flexural modulus of the multilayer container at this time was 1150 MPa. The container body 2 was formed by a curved surface having a radius of 85 mm of the body portion 5, a total height of 310 mm (length of the body portion 5 230 mm), and a round bottom 6 having a radius of 731 mm. The liquid feeding tube 23 having an outer diameter of 6 mm was fixed to the liquid feeding adapter 21 so that the distance between the round bottom 6 and the terminal end 23a was 3 mm. When the liquid container 1 was filled with 4 L of water, set in the liquid delivery device 20 and delivered at a gas pressure of 20 kPa, the remaining amount of water remaining in the liquid container 1 was 8 mL.

  The liquid container and the liquid feeding device of the present invention can be used in a field where a high-quality liquid is used regardless of the industrial manufacturing field, the pharmaceutical field, the food field, or the like, and the liquid feeding method of the present invention is used. can do.

  1 is a liquid container, 2 is a container body, 3 is a support base, 5 is a trunk, 6 is a round bottom, 7 is a top, 7a is a raised portion, 8 is a discharge port, 9 is a penetration portion, 11 is a circular groove, 12 is a protrusion, 13 is an outer cylindrical portion, 14 is an inner cylindrical portion, 15 is a bottom portion, 16 is a plug, 17 is a liquid, 18 is a storage table, 20 is a liquid supply device, 21 is a liquid supply adapter, and 21a is fitted. , 21b is a conduit support part, 23 is a liquid feed pipe, 23a is a terminal, 23b is a tip, 24 is a positioning groove, 25 is a gas supply port, 26 is a pressure gauge, 27 is a safety valve, 28 is a manual valve, 29 Is a pressure source, 30 is a pressure connector, 30a is a connection part, 30b is a main body part, 31 is a base, 32 is a projection, 33 is a support, 34 is a pressing member, 35 is a rotating shaft, 36 is a stopper, and 36a is Opening part, 37 is a positioning pin, 39 is a connector, 50 is a photoresist spraying device, 51 is a buffer Tank, 52 pump, 53 a filter, 54 is the three-way valve, 55 denotes a discharge nozzle.

Claims (8)

A thermoplastic resin having a flexural modulus of at least 700 MPa is blow-molded and formed with a substantially cylindrical body having a round bottom, and a top having a discharge port concentric with the body. A liquid container comprising: a container main body capable of containing a plug and having a stopper attached to and detached from the discharge port; and a resin support base fitted to the round bottom side of the trunk portion to make the container main body self-supporting. And
The container body is formed of a high-purity thermoplastic resin in which at least an inner surface thereof does not leach impurity fine particles into the liquid above a predetermined reference value,
The support base is formed with a penetrating portion capable of accommodating the discharge port with the stopper of the container body to be stacked when the liquid containers are stacked in a plurality, and the container body to be stacked A liquid container having a bottom portion engageable with a top portion of the liquid container.   The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the resin forming the container main body and / or the support base is a resin capable of material recycling. A liquid feeding device in which the liquid container according to claim 1 or 2 is set and feeds the liquid in the liquid container,
A pedestal on which the liquid container is placed and having a protrusion that fits into the penetration of the support and contacts the round bottom of the container body;
A gas supply port connected to a pressure source up to a pressure of 200 kPa at the maximum to supply gas into the container body, and an end located close to the bottom of the round bottom in the container body; A liquid feed adapter having a liquid feed pipe leading to the outside of the main body, detachably attached to the discharge port instead of the stopper, and capable of sealing the container main body;
And a holding member that is movably provided on a column that is erected from the pedestal and that can fix its movement at a position in contact with the upper portion of the liquid feeding adapter fitted in the discharge port. Liquid device.   The liquid feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the pressurization source having a pressure of 10 to 50 kPa is connected to the gas supply port.   The gas supply port is formed so that a pressure connector connected to the pressure source can be connected, and the pressure member is supplied to the gas supply port in a state of being in contact with the upper part of the liquid feeding adapter. 5. The liquid feeding device according to claim 3, further comprising a stopper that contacts the pressure connector and stops the movement of the pressing member when connected to the mouth. 6.   6. The liquid feeding device according to claim 5, wherein each of the pressing member and the liquid feeding adapter includes a positioning mechanism that is fitted and defines a position of the gas supply port with respect to the pressing member. .   The liquid container according to claim 1 or 2 is filled with liquid, the end of the liquid feeding pipe is inserted to the vicinity of the bottom of the round bottom, the tip is led out to the outside, and the upper and lower sides of the container body of the liquid container are sandwiched A liquid feeding method characterized by supplying a gas having a pressure of 200 kPa even if it is high in the liquid container, and delivering the liquid from the liquid container.   The liquid feeding method according to claim 7, wherein the pressure of the gas is 10 to 50 kPa.

Images