JP2015110204A - Fluid bed apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid bed apparatus having a gas dispersion plate with reduced clogging.SOLUTION: The fluid bed apparatus includes a processing chamber which accommodates particulates, and a gas dispersion plate 8 disposed at the bottom of the processing chamber. The gas dispersion plate 8 includes a plurality of wedge wires 12 disposed at a predetermined interval, and a plurality of wedge wires 13 disposed with a gap formed with the wedge wires 12. At least one of the wedge wires 12 and 13 is movable, so that the gap can be adjusted.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluidized bed apparatus for granulating, coating, and drying a granular material in various fields such as pharmaceutical production, food production, and agricultural chemical production.

  Fluidized bed equipment is generally granulated, coated, and dried while forming a fluidized bed by floating and flowing powder particles in the processing chamber with gas (fluidized gas) introduced from the bottom of the processing chamber of the fluidized bed container. Is performed on the granular material. This type of fluidized bed apparatus has a structure in which fluidized gas is introduced into a processing chamber via a gas dispersion plate disposed at the bottom of the processing chamber (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). .

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-146662 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-265683 JP 2002-292266 A

  By the way, in recent years, from the viewpoint of preventing exposure, in a fluidized bed apparatus such as a preparation facility, the number of powders in and out in a closed state is increasing. Fluidized bed equipment has a specification (side discharge) in which the mesh used for the gas dispersion plate has directivity and discharges particles from the side (side discharge). In this specification, it takes a very long time to discharge the particles. It takes. Therefore, in many cases, a specification is adopted in which the granular material is transferred and discharged from the processing chamber to the lower casing by rotating the gas dispersion plate. However, in this case, since the granular material adheres to the lower casing, the granular material may adhere to the back side of the gas dispersion plate and clogging may occur in the case of repeated production.

  On the other hand, in addition to the widely used bon mesh, a wedge wire is widely used for the gas dispersion plate in order to improve cleanability. However, the same phenomenon is observed in the gas dispersion plate using this wedge wire.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to suppress clogging of a gas dispersion plate in a fluidized bed apparatus.

  In order to solve the above problems, a fluidized bed apparatus according to the present invention includes a processing chamber for storing powder particles, and a gas dispersion plate disposed at the bottom of the processing chamber, and the gas dispersion plate is arranged through the gas dispersion plate. In the fluidized bed apparatus that performs at least one of granulation, coating, and drying on the granular material while the granular material is suspended and flowed by the gas introduced into the processing chamber, the gas dispersion plate has a predetermined interval. And a plurality of second members disposed so as to form a gap between the first member and the first member. At least one of them is movable, and the gap can be adjusted.

  If it is this structure, even when a granular material is clogged in the clearance gap between a 1st member and a 2nd member, it is possible to adjust a clearance gap and to discharge this clogged granular material. Therefore, in the fluidized bed apparatus of the present invention, clogging of the gas dispersion plate can be suppressed. Furthermore, this enables continuous production in the lower casing discharge specification.

  If the gap between the first member and the second member is adjusted so that the powder can pass through the gap, the powder is transferred from the processing chamber to the lower casing without rotating the gas dispersion plate. can do. For this reason, a large-scale mechanism for rotating the gas dispersion plate can be eliminated, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  In addition, the opening ratio of the gas dispersion plate can be increased by adjusting the gap, thereby improving the cleanability.

  Moreover, it can change arbitrarily to the aperture ratio of the gas distribution board suitable for the kind of granular material by adjusting a clearance gap. The change in the aperture ratio is possible even during the processing of the granular material.

  In the above configuration, at least one of the first member and the second member may be movable in the vertical direction.

  With this configuration, it is possible to increase the adjustment range of the gap.

  In the above configuration, at least one of the first member and the second member may be rotatable.

  With this configuration, the gap between the first member and the second member can be adjusted by adjusting the rotation angle of the first member or the second member, and the aperture ratio of the gas dispersion plate can be changed. Moreover, directivity can be given to the flowing gas introduced into the processing chamber through the gas dispersion plate. Thereby, since a change can be given to the flow state of a granular material, the processing efficiency of a granular material can be improved, for example, a heavy granulated material can be manufactured. Moreover, the directivity of this flowing gas can be utilized when discharging the granular material to the side.

  Further, in this configuration, if the opening ratio is greatly changed by increasing the rotation angle of the first member or the second member, the granular material can be dropped from the processing chamber to the lower casing through the gap, or the first member Or it becomes easy to wash the granular material jammed in the crevice between the 2nd members.

  In any one of the configurations described above, the fluidized bed apparatus is a Wurster fluidized bed apparatus including a draft tube in the processing chamber, wherein the gas dispersion plate has a central region facing a lower end opening of the draft tube, A peripheral region around the central region, and the aperture ratio or directivity of the central region and the peripheral region may be individually controlled by adjusting the gap.

  If it is this structure, the opening rate and directivity of a center area | region and a peripheral area | region can be made appropriate according to the state change of a granular material during a driving | operation of a Wurster type fluidized bed apparatus.

  In any of the above configurations, the flow rate or pressure of the gas introduced into the processing chamber through the gas dispersion plate may be adjusted by adjusting the gap.

  If it is this structure, a gas dispersion plate can be substituted for the damper for the air supply of a fluidized-bed apparatus.

  Further, in this configuration, the gas introduced into the processing chamber through the gas dispersion plate by adjusting the gap may be a pulsating wave.

  If it is this structure, the flow of the granular material in a processing chamber can be accelerated | stimulated, for example, the yield of a product, processing efficiency, etc. can be improved.

  In any one of the configurations described above, the first member and the second member may be wedge wires.

  According to the present invention, clogging of the gas dispersion plate in the fluidized bed apparatus can be suppressed.

It is a schematic sectional drawing of the whole fluidized-bed apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows notionally the wedge wire of the gas distribution board which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (A) is a state with a small clearance gap, (B) is a state with a large clearance gap. (A) is a top view of the gas dispersion plate which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (B) is a top view which shows the modification of a gas dispersion plate. It is sectional drawing which shows notionally the wedge wire of the gas dispersion plate which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, (A) is the state in which all the wedge wires are the same direction, (B) is the state in which some wedge wires inclined It is. It is a top view of the gas distribution board concerning a 2nd embodiment (state of Drawing 4 (A)). In the example of the wedge wire drive mechanism according to the second embodiment, (A) is the state of FIG. 4 (A) and (B) is the state of FIG. 4 (B). It is the XX sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a top view of the modification of a gas distribution board (state of Drawing 4 (A)). It is sectional drawing which shows notionally the wedge wire of the gas distribution board which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, (A) is a state with all the wedge wires in the same direction, (B)-(D) is a part of wedge wire. Is in a rotated state. It is an example of the drive mechanism of the wedge wire which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of a Wurster type fluidized bed apparatus. It is a schematic plan view of the dispersion plate of a Wurster type fluidized bed apparatus.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a fluidized bed apparatus according to the first embodiment. The fluidized-bed container 1 of the fluidized-bed apparatus of this embodiment is located above the processing chamber 2 for processing the granular material M, for example, granulating or coating the granular material M, and solid-gas separation. A filter chamber 4 in which a filter unit 3 is disposed, an upper chamber 5 located above the filter chamber 4, an upper wall 6 that partitions the filter chamber 4 and the upper chamber 5, and an upper portion of the filter unit 3. And an exhaust chamber 7.

  A disc-shaped gas dispersion plate 8 using wedge wires as first and second members is disposed at the bottom of the processing chamber 2 as will be described later. The gas A (fluidized gas) such as hot air supplied from the air supply duct to the air supply chamber (the lower casing 9 located below the gas dispersion plate 8) passes through the gas dispersion plate 8 and flows into the fluidized bed container 1. To be introduced. A spray nozzle 10 for spraying a spray liquid (film agent liquid, binder liquid, etc.) is installed in the upper part of the processing chamber 2.

  The granular material M accommodated in the processing chamber 2 of the fluidized bed container 1 is floated and flowed by the gas A introduced into the fluidized bed container 1 through the gas dispersion plate 8 to form a fluidized bed. Then, spray liquid (film agent liquid, binder liquid, etc.) is sprayed from the spray nozzle 10 toward the fluidized bed of the granular material M. At the same time as the powder M is wetted by a spray liquid sprayed from the spray nozzle 10, for example, a mist of the film liquid, the solid component contained in the film liquid adheres to the surface of the powder M and is dried and solidified. Thus, a coating layer is formed on the surface of the powder M (coating). Alternatively, the powder M is wet-attached and aggregated by a spray liquid sprayed from the spray nozzle 10, for example, a mist of a binder liquid, and is dried and grown to particles having a predetermined diameter (granulation).

  The gas A in which the powder M is suspended and flowed rises in the processing chamber 2 and enters the filter chamber 4, is solid-gas separated by the filter unit 3, and flows into the exhaust chamber 7. Then, the gas is exhausted to the outside of the fluidized bed container 1 through an exhaust duct 11 connected to the exhaust chamber 7.

  In this embodiment, the processed granular material is transferred to the lower casing 9 via the gas dispersion plate 8, and is discharged from the fluidized bed apparatus from the lower casing 9 via a discharge port (not shown).

  Next, the gas dispersion plate 8 will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the gas dispersion plate 8 forms a gap between each of the wedge wires 12 and the wedge wires 12 as a plurality of first members arranged at a predetermined interval. And a plurality of wedge wires 13 as second members. The wedge wires 12 and 13 of the present embodiment have the same cross-sectional shape and the same cross-sectional area. In addition, the wedge wires 12 and 13 of the present embodiment have the tips of the wedges opposite to each other, the wedge tip of the wedge wire 12 facing downward, and the wedge tip of the wedge wire 13 facing upward.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, the wedge wires 12 and 13 are linear. And the upper side of the edge part of the length direction of the wedge wire 12 is being fixed to the wire connection member 15 formed along the inner periphery of the surrounding wall 14. As shown in FIG. Although not shown, in this embodiment, the lower side of the end portion in the length direction of the wedge wire 13 is also fixed to a wire connecting member formed along the inner periphery of the peripheral wall 14.

  In addition, the shape of the wedge wires 12 and 13 in the length direction is not limited to a linear shape. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, the wedge wires 12 and 13 may be annular. In the illustrated example, the wedge wires 12 and 13 are arranged concentrically. The wedge wire 12 is fixed to a wire connecting member 16 that extends from the central portion of the gas dispersion plate 8 in the outer peripheral direction at the upper side of a predetermined position in the circumferential direction. Moreover, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, in this embodiment, the wedge wire 13 is also being fixed to the wire connection member extended in the inner-periphery direction below the predetermined position of the circumferential direction.

  In the present embodiment, the wedge wire 12 is driven via the wire connecting member 15 by a drive mechanism (not shown) and moves in the vertical direction.

  In the state of FIG. 2A, the wedge wires 12 and 13 are arranged at the same position in the vertical direction. In this state, the clearance (clearance) between the wedge wires 12 and 13 is, for example, 50 to 100 μm. In this state, the gas A is introduced into the processing chamber 2 (upper side in the figure) from the lower casing 9 (lower side in the figure) through the gap between the wedge wires 12 and 13, and the powder M is suspended and flowed. The powder M is subjected to at least one of granulation, coating, and drying.

  Then, after the processing of the granular material M is completed, in the present embodiment, the wedge wire 12 is moved upward by a drive mechanism (not shown) to widen the gap between the wedge wires 12 and 13, and FIG. The state (B) is set. The gap between the wedge wires 12 and 13 in the state of FIG. 2 (B) is a size through which the powder M can pass. Therefore, the granular material M falls to the lower casing 9 (lower side in the figure) from the processing chamber 2 (upper side in the figure) through the gap between the wedge wires 12 and 13 due to its own weight. The body M is transferred from the processing chamber 2 to the lower casing 9. Thereafter, the granular material M is discharged from the fluidized bed apparatus through the lower casing 9 through a discharge port (not shown).

  The fluidized bed apparatus of the present embodiment having such a configuration can enjoy the following effects.

  Even when the granular material M is clogged in the gap between the wedge wires 12 and 13, the clogged granular material M can be discharged by adjusting the gap. Therefore, in the fluidized bed apparatus of the present embodiment, clogging of the gas dispersion plate 8 can be suppressed. Furthermore, this enables continuous production in the fluidized bed apparatus of the present embodiment.

  Further, the granular material M can be transferred from the processing chamber 2 to the lower casing 9 without rotating the gas dispersion plate 8. For this reason, a large-scale mechanism for rotating the gas dispersion plate 8 can be eliminated, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  In addition, the opening ratio of the gas dispersion plate 8 can be increased by adjusting the gap, thereby improving the cleanability.

  Moreover, it can change arbitrarily to the aperture ratio of the gas dispersion | distribution board 8 suitable for the kind of the granular material M by adjusting a clearance gap. The change in the aperture ratio is possible even during the processing of the powder M.

  Next, the gas dispersion plate 8 of 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated.

  The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the wedge wire 12 is rotatable about an axis along the length direction. For example, in the state of FIG. 4A, the directions of the leading ends of the wedge wires 12 and 13 are the same (downward). When the wedge wire 12 is rotated clockwise around a predetermined axis at a predetermined angle from this state, the wedge wire 12 is inclined as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the wedge wires 12 and 13 are arcuate (concentric arcs).

  An example of a mechanism for rotating the wedge wire 12 at a predetermined angle is shown in FIGS. Below the gas dispersion plate 8, a reciprocating shaft 17 is provided that extends in the horizontal direction and goes straight to the wedge wires 12 and 13 in a plan view. One end of the reciprocating shaft 17 is attached to a drive shaft 18 a of an actuator 18 disposed outside the peripheral wall 14. The drive shaft 18 a extends from the actuator 18 through the peripheral wall 14 so as to be slidable and extends into the peripheral wall 14. The reciprocating shaft 17 is reciprocated in the lateral direction by driving the drive shaft 18 a of the actuator 18. The reciprocating shaft 17 is provided with a plurality of guide plates 17a extending in the vertical direction at predetermined intervals. A long hole 17b extending in the vertical direction is formed in the guide plate 17a.

  On the other hand, the wedge wire 12 is rotatably attached to a peristaltic shaft 19 extending in the length direction of the wedge wire 12. Both ends of the peristaltic shaft 19 in the length direction are fixed to a dividing member 20 that divides the inside of the peripheral wall 14 into a plurality of sectors (four in the illustrated example). And the notch 12a is provided in the front-end | tip of the wedge of the longitudinal direction center of the wedge wire 12, and the to-be-guided shaft 12b is being fixed to the both side walls of the notch 12a. The guided shaft 12b is slidably inserted into the elongated hole 17b of the guide plate 17a of the reciprocating shaft 17. The peristaltic shaft 19 is located obliquely above and to the left of the wedge wire 12 in FIG.

  When the reciprocating shaft 17 is reciprocated in the lateral direction by the actuator 18, the guided shaft 12b in the notch 12a of the wedge wire 12 is guided to the elongated hole 17b of the guide plate 17a. 12 swings (rotates) about the swing shaft 19.

  In the gas dispersion plate 8 of the second embodiment, the gas A introduced into the processing chamber 2 through the gas dispersion plate 8 can have directivity. For example, in the state of FIG. 4A, the gas A is ejected upward in the processing chamber 2 as indicated by an arrow, but in the state of FIG. 4B, in the processing chamber 2 as indicated by the arrow. The gas A is ejected obliquely upward. Thereby, since a change can be given to the fluid state of the granular material M, the processing efficiency of the granular material M can be improved, for example, a heavy granulated material can be manufactured. For example, in the present embodiment (illustrated example in FIG. 5), the gas A can have directivity in the processing chamber 2 so as to go upward (collect) in the center of the gas dispersion plate 8. Moreover, it is also possible to give directivity to the gas A so that the granular material M can be discharged from the side.

  The wedge wires 12 and 13 of the gas dispersion plate 8 are not limited to the arc shape, and may be linear as illustrated in FIG. In this case, the peristaltic shaft 19 is fixed to the peripheral wall 14.

  Next, the gas dispersion plate 8 of 3rd Embodiment is demonstrated.

  The third embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that the wedge wire 12 can be rotated more than one rotation instead of less than one rotation like peristalsis (rotation). For example, in the state of FIG. 9A, the directions of the wedge tips of the wedge wires 12 and 13 are the same. When the wedge wire 12 is rotated clockwise at a predetermined angle from this state, the state shown in FIG. 9B is obtained, and when the wedge wire 12 is further rotated clockwise at a predetermined angle, the state shown in FIG. 9C is obtained. When the wedge wire 12 is further rotated clockwise by a predetermined angle, the state shown in FIG. 9D is obtained.

  An example of a mechanism for rotating the wedge wire 12 one or more times is shown in FIG. One end of a pin 21 that is rotatably inserted into the peripheral wall 14 is fixed to each of both end faces in the length direction of the wedge wire 12. The rotation axis of the pin 21 is along the length direction of the wedge wire 12. The other end surface 21a of the pin 21 is provided with an engagement hole 21b that engages with the driver. When rotating the wedge wire 12, the driver is engaged with the engagement hole 21 b of the other end surface 21 a of the pin 21 and rotated. When the wedge wire 12 is fixed at a predetermined rotation angle, the other end surface 21a of the pin 21 is fixed to the peripheral wall 14 by a fixing means such as an expansion seal. In the present embodiment, the other end surface 21a of the pin 21 and the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 14 are substantially on the same plane.

  Of course, the mechanism for rotating the wedge wire 12 is not limited to this. For example, the other end of the pin 21 protrudes from the peripheral wall 14, and the protruding other end is rotated and fixed by an actuator via a chain or the like. It is also possible to make it. In this case, the plurality of wedge wires 12 can be rotated and stopped synchronously.

  In the gas dispersion plate 8 of the third embodiment, the opening ratio can be greatly changed by setting the rotation of the wedge wire 12 to 1 rotation or more, so that the granular material M drops from the processing chamber 2 to the lower casing 9 through the gap. Or cleaning the granular material M packed in the gap between the wedge wires 12 and 13 is facilitated.

  In the above-described embodiment, the wedge wire 12 is movable among the wedge wires 12, 13, but the wedge wire 13 may be movable, or both the wedge wires 12, 13 may be movable.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the 1st and 2nd member used for the gas distribution board 8 was used as the wedge wire, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the cross-sectional shape may be a wire, a bar, or a plate such as a rectangle, a triangle, a circle, an ellipse, or an egg, or a plate.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be used in the following aspects, for example. Usually, in a fluidized bed apparatus, a damper for supplying air is provided upstream of the lower casing 9, and the flow rate or pressure of the gas A introduced into the processing chamber 2 through the gas dispersion plate 8 is adjusted by this supplying damper. It is adjusting. In the present invention, as an alternative to the air supply damper, the processing chamber 2 is connected via the gas dispersion plate 8 by changing the opening ratio of the gas dispersion plate 8 by adjusting the gap between the wedge wire 12 and the wedge wire 13. The flow rate or pressure of the gas A introduced into the inside can be adjusted.

  Further, in the present invention, the opening ratio of the gas dispersion plate 8 is continuously changed by adjusting the gap between the wedge wire 12 and the wedge wire 13, so that the gas is introduced into the processing chamber 2 through the gas dispersion plate 8. It is also possible to periodically change the flow rate or pressure of the gas A to make the gas A a so-called pulsating wave (pulsating flow). Thereby, the flow of the granular material in the processing chamber 2 can be promoted, and for example, product yield, processing efficiency, and the like can be improved.

  In the above embodiment, a general fluidized bed apparatus has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fluidized bed includes a gas dispersion plate for introducing gas to the bottom of the processing chamber. Any device may be used. For example, a composite fluidized bed apparatus such as a Wurster fluidized bed apparatus may be used.

  Next, an application example of the present invention to a Wurster fluidized bed apparatus will be described. The Worster fluidized bed apparatus is greatly different from the fluidized bed apparatus of the above embodiment in that a draft tube 22 (inner cylinder) is installed inside the processing chamber 2 as shown in FIG. The spray nozzle 23 which sprays a spray liquid upwards is installed. Then, the granular material rises inside the draft tube 22 and performs a circulating flow that descends the space between the inner wall of the fluidized bed container 1 and the outside of the draft tube 22.

  As schematically shown in FIG. 12, in the Wurster-type fluidized bed apparatus, the gas dispersion plate 8 includes a central region R1 that faces the lower end opening of the draft tube 22, and a peripheral region R2 around the outer periphery of the central region R1. With. The central region R1 and the peripheral region R2 are composed of a wedge wire 12 and a wedge wire 13 as in the above embodiment.

  Then, by adjusting the gap between the wedge wire 12 and the wedge wire 13, the aperture ratio or directivity of the central region R1 and the peripheral region R2 is individually controlled. Thereby, during the operation of the Wurster fluidized bed apparatus, the aperture ratio and directivity of the central region R1 and the peripheral region R2 can be made appropriate in response to the state change of the granular material.

  Further, by adjusting the gap between the wedge wire 12 and the wedge wire 13 to continuously change the respective aperture ratios of the central region R1 and the peripheral region R2, processing is performed via each of the central region R1 and the peripheral region R2. The gas A introduced into the chamber 2 may be a pulsating wave (pulsating flow). Thereby, the flow of the granular material inside and outside the draft tube 22 can be promoted, and for example, the product yield and processing efficiency can be improved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fluidized bed container 2 Processing chamber 8 Gas dispersion | distribution board 12, 13 Wedge wire 19 Peristaltic shaft 21 Pin A Gas M Matter

Claims (7)

A processing chamber containing the powder and a gas dispersion plate disposed at the bottom of the processing chamber, and floating the powder by the gas introduced into the processing chamber through the gas dispersion plate However, in a fluidized bed apparatus that performs at least one treatment of granulation, coating, and drying on a granular material,
The gas dispersion plate includes a plurality of first members disposed at a predetermined interval, and a plurality of second members disposed so as to form a gap between the first members,
A fluidized bed apparatus, wherein at least one of the first member and the second member is movable and the gap is adjustable.   The fluidized bed apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first member and the second member is movable in a vertical direction.   The fluidized bed apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first member and the second member is rotatable. The fluidized bed apparatus is a Wurster fluidized bed apparatus equipped with a draft tube in the processing chamber,
The gas dispersion plate comprises a central region facing the lower end opening of the draft tube, and a peripheral region around the central region,
The fluidized bed apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an aperture ratio or directivity of the central region and the peripheral region can be individually controlled by adjusting the gap.   The fluidized bed apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the flow rate or pressure of the gas introduced into the processing chamber via the gas dispersion plate is adjusted by adjusting the gap.   The fluidized bed apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the gas introduced into the processing chamber through the gas dispersion plate is changed into a pulsating wave by adjusting the gap.   The fluidized bed apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first member and the second member are wedge wires.

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