JP2016150308A - Concentration apparatus and concentration method for oral or external application - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve an efficiency increase or a suppression of running cost in concentrating an oral or external application liquid with many solids (or high viscosity) such as a beverage or liquid food.SOLUTION: A forward permeable membrane 5 is used as concentration means. A part of moisture content contained in a raw material liquid is transferred into a water-absorbing liquid passage chamber 7 via the forward permeable membrane 5 from a raw material liquid passage chamber 6. The water-absorbing liquid circulates through the raw material liquid concentration part 1 and the water-absorbing liquid concentration part 2 to recover concentration by the water-absorbing liquid concentration part 2 of evaporation condensation type. Condensation water in an amount equal to an exhaust out of the raw material liquid concentration part 1 is exhausted outside the system from a condensed water exhaust pipe 29. Heat can be exchanged with a diluted treatment liquid flowing through a water-absorbing exhaust pipe 16 from concentrated water-absorbing liquid and condensation water via first and second preheaters 3, 4. This process can promotes evaporation in an evaporation can 19 to contribute to suppress running cost and prevent a quality change of the raw material liquid by increasing the temperature of the concentrated water-absorbing liquid.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for concentrating an oral or external liquid and a washing method thereof. Here, the oral liquid means the whole thing that a person or an animal eats. Typical examples include beverages such as concentrated juices and soft drinks, noodle soup, various soups, seasonings, and soups. Liquid (juice-like) foods, liquid health supplements, oral medicines and the like can be mentioned.

  The liquid for external use is a generic term for liquids to be applied to the human or animal body. Typically, it is a liquid cosmetic such as a lotion, lotion, or liquid hand cream, and a liquid that is applied or sprayed to the skin or mouth. Examples include pharmaceuticals. Liquid means that it contains water and has fluidity, and includes gel-like and sherbet-like ones. Furthermore, whether it is an oral liquid or a liquid for external use, it is not limited to those finally used by consumers or patients, but includes those that are used as raw materials.

  In the field of beverages and foods, for example, concentrated products are widely used in fruit juice juice, soup, noodle soup, soup stock, etc., in order to save space and cost required for distribution and storage. These concentrated beverages and foods are concentrated after the raw materials are manufactured, and as a concentration method, an evaporation method is generally adopted in which the water is removed by boiling, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. Has been. However, in the evaporation method, there is a concern that the quality may change due to heat or the solid components may collapse.

  On the other hand, as means for extracting water from a solution, there is a membrane that allows water to permeate at a molecular level, and reverse osmosis membranes have been widely used for seawater desalination. Therefore, it is estimated that the concentration of beverages and foods can be achieved by using a reverse osmosis membrane without causing a change in tissue or a decrease in flavor.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-115899

  Reverse osmosis membranes have been put to practical use for seawater desalination, but because they need to be pressurized, clogging is likely to occur when used in beverages and foods that contain a large amount of solids, which is considered inappropriate for practical use. The In addition, since beverages and liquid foods are higher in concentration than seawater, it is necessary to increase the pressure for concentration, and there is a problem that the reverse osmosis membrane is easily broken. It can be said that reverse osmosis membranes have problems in practical use for concentration of beverages and liquid foods.

  On the other hand, there is a forward osmosis membrane that diffuses water from a low-concentration solution to a high-concentration solution as a membrane that permeates water using the difference in osmotic pressure, and this forward osmosis membrane does not require pressurization. Even a raw material liquid with a large amount of solids such as beverages and foods is expected to be able to achieve a concentration action (moisture diffusion) over a long period of time.

  However, in the concentration method using the forward osmosis membrane, the water absorption liquid is diluted by the permeation / diffusion of moisture, and thus there is a restriction that the water absorption liquid must be maintained at a high concentration on one side of the forward osmosis membrane. There are also demands for improving efficiency and reducing costs.

  The present invention has been made in view of the present situation, and intends to provide an improved apparatus and method for concentrating oral and external liquids such as beverages and foods using a forward osmosis membrane. .

  The present invention includes a concentrating device and a concentrating method, and the concentrating device specifies a typical example by forward osmosis membranes 1 to 7. Among these, the forward osmosis membrane 1 invention is “provided with a raw material liquid concentrating portion in which a raw material liquid passage chamber and a water absorption liquid passage chamber are separated by a forward osmosis membrane, and a human is orally or externally used in the raw material liquid passage chamber. While the raw material liquid to be concentrated used in the above is supplied, a water absorption liquid having a higher osmotic pressure than the raw material liquid circulates in the water absorption liquid passage chamber, and the osmotic pressure of the water absorption liquid is used as the raw material. By setting it to a value higher than the osmotic pressure of the liquid, a part of the moisture of the raw material liquid is diffused to the water absorption liquid passage chamber through the forward osmosis membrane ”. It is out.

Furthermore, the concentrating device according to claim 1 further includes a water-absorbing liquid concentrating unit that recovers the concentration of the diluted water-absorbing liquid diluted by the water that has passed through the forward osmosis membrane, and the concentrated water-absorbing liquid is supplied from the water-absorbing liquid concentrating unit. The diluted water absorption liquid sent to the water absorption liquid passage chamber is returned from the water absorption liquid passage chamber to the water absorption liquid concentration section. The raw material liquid concentrating part can be paraphrased as a concentrating process housing or a concentrating process tank. As an example of development of the concentrating device according to claim 1, in the invention according to claim 2, the water absorbing liquid concentrating part is a water absorbing liquid. Is compressed by a heat pump under reduced pressure to evaporate and condense the moisture, and then the condensed water is discharged.

  The invention of claim 3 embodies claim 1 or 2 and is characterized in that the water-absorbing liquid has substantially the same components as the raw material liquid. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the preheater according to the second or third aspect, wherein the diluted water absorption liquid is heated by at least one of the heat of the concentrated water absorption liquid and the heat of the condensed water.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, a raw material liquid circulation path for returning the raw material liquid discharged from the raw material liquid passage chamber back to the raw material liquid passage chamber is provided. The invention of claim 6 is provided with a plurality of raw material liquid concentrating parts connected in series in any one of claims 1 to 5.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is the method according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the solid matter is collected in one or both of the pipe line through which the diluted water absorption liquid flows and the path through which the concentrated water absorption liquid flows. A filter is provided.

  The invention of claim 8 relates to a concentration method. That is, the present invention relates to a method of concentrating an oral or external liquid using a concentrating device equipped with a forward osmosis membrane. As a precondition, the concentrating device has a forward osmosis between a raw material liquid passage chamber and a water absorption liquid passage chamber. It has a raw material liquid concentration part separated by a membrane.

  In this method, first, the oral or external liquid before concentration is continuously or intermittently supplied to the raw material liquid passage chamber, while the oral or external liquid before concentration is supplied to the water absorption liquid passage chamber. In addition, by circulating the water-absorbing liquid having a high osmotic pressure, a part of the water of the oral or external liquid supplied to the raw material liquid passage chamber is diffused to the water-absorbing liquid passage chamber through the forward osmosis membrane.

  Further, the water absorption liquid diluted with the water of the oral or external liquid is sent to the water absorption liquid concentration section, and the water absorption liquid whose concentration is recovered in the water absorption liquid concentration section is refluxed to the water absorption liquid passage chamber, thereby passing the water absorption liquid. The concentration of the water-absorbing liquid in the chamber is maintained at a higher concentration than the oral or external liquid in the raw material liquid passage chamber.

  In each invention of the present application, even if the water absorption liquid is diluted with water diffused from the raw material liquid (oral or external liquid to be concentrated), the water absorption liquid is sent to the water absorption liquid concentration section and the water concentration is recovered, and then passes through the water absorption liquid. Flows into the chamber (circulates). For this reason, a raw material liquid can be continuously concentrated by supplying a water absorption liquid continuously. Thereby, high working efficiency can be ensured.

  There are many means for concentrating the water-absorbing liquid (concentration method). However, if a method of compressing with a heat pump under reduced pressure as in claim 2 is adopted, the energy used can be remarkably suppressed and the running cost can be reduced.

  The water-absorbing liquid only needs to have a higher osmotic pressure than the raw material liquid. Therefore, it is possible to use a safe solution such as saturated saline. However, it cannot be said that the molecules contained in the water absorption liquid will not leak into the raw material liquid passage chamber due to a slight defect in the forward osmosis membrane, and if sodium chloride is mixed into the raw material liquid, It cannot be said that there is no possibility of adversely affecting the flavor.

  On the other hand, when the invention of claim 3 is adopted, the water absorption liquid is substantially the same component as the raw material liquid, so even if the components contained in the water absorption liquid are mixed into the raw material liquid, the taste and flavor are adversely affected. Can be prevented.

  Now, when a method of condensing and discharging steam by heating is adopted as the means for concentrating the water absorption liquid, the concentrated water absorption liquid and the condensed water to be discarded are at a certain high temperature. For this reason, heat exchange of the high-temperature concentrated water-absorbing liquid with the raw material liquid may cause cooling of the raw material liquid, or high-temperature condensed water may be discarded as it is, resulting in waste of energy.

  In this regard, when the configuration of claim 3 is adopted, the heat transfer from the concentrated water absorption liquid to the raw material liquid can be suppressed by exchanging the heat of the concentrated water absorption liquid with the diluted water absorption liquid, or the concentrated water absorption liquid or Heat exchange from the condensed water (waste water) to the diluted water-absorbing liquid can suppress heat energy required for evaporation / condensation of the diluted water-absorbing liquid. Thereby, running cost can be suppressed. In other words, the heat energy for maintaining the concentration (or restoring the concentration) of the water-absorbing liquid can be recovered to reduce the running cost.

  In addition, when the evaporation type concentrator as in claim 2 is used, the temperature of the water absorption liquid in the evaporator is generally about 70 ° C., so that the concentrated water absorption liquid remains in the water absorption liquid passage chamber as it is. When supplied, the temperature of the oral or external liquid in the raw material liquid passage chamber is raised and there is a concern about the quality change. However, when the configuration of claim 4 is adopted, the temperature of the concentrated water absorption liquid is, for example, slightly higher than room temperature. Since the temperature can be lowered to the extent, it can also contribute to prevention of quality change due to the temperature rise of the oral or external liquid.

  In addition, as an effective utilization means of the heat | fever of concentrated water absorption liquid and condensed water (waste water), although it is also possible to transmit heat to one heat exchanger by both, the temperature of concentrated water absorption liquid is the temperature of condensed water. In many cases, if the heat is transferred to one heat exchanger, there is a possibility that the temperature of the concentrated water absorption liquid entering the water absorption liquid passage chamber cannot be reduced efficiently. In this regard, if a separate preheater is provided as in the embodiment, the temperature of the concentrated water absorption liquid entering the water absorption liquid passage chamber is transferred by transferring heat from the concentrated water absorption liquid having a high temperature to the diluted water absorption liquid having a low temperature. While being able to reduce efficiently, the temperature rise of a diluted water absorption liquid can also be performed efficiently.

  When two preheaters are provided, the arrangement of the two preheaters can be selected from either a parallel arrangement or a series arrangement. Which one to select may be determined in consideration of the difference between the temperature and flow rate of the concentrated water absorption liquid and the temperature and flow rate of the condensed water, the installation space, and the like.

  As in claim 5, when the raw material liquid discharged from the raw material liquid passage chamber is circulated again to the raw material liquid passage chamber, the opportunity for the raw material liquid to come into contact with the forward osmosis membrane is increased, and the raw material liquid is concentrated in one concentrating portion. There is an advantage that it can be concentrated to a desired concentration. When a plurality of concentrating devices are arranged in series as in the sixth aspect, the raw material liquid can be efficiently concentrated to a high concentration.

  In order to suppress clogging of the forward osmosis membrane, solid material should be avoided as much as possible in the water absorption liquid passage chamber. In this regard, if the structure of claim 7 is adopted, solid matter can be collected in the filter through the water absorption liquid circulation path, so that the water absorption liquid is maintained in a smooth state to suppress clogging of the forward osmosis membrane. it can.

1A and 1B show a first embodiment, in which FIG. 4A is a block diagram (schematic diagram), and FIG. 4B and FIG. It is a block diagram of 2nd Embodiment which is a multistage concentration type. It is a block diagram of 3rd Embodiment which is another example of the flow of a water absorption liquid.

(1). Outline of First Embodiment and Raw Material Liquid Concentration Unit Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. First, the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The concentration device includes a raw material liquid concentration unit 1 that absorbs and concentrates water from a raw material liquid (oral or external liquid to be concentrated), a water absorption liquid concentration unit 2 that maintains a water absorption liquid used for concentration at a predetermined concentration, and First and second preheaters 3 and 4 for raising the temperature of the water absorption liquid (hereinafter referred to as “diluted water absorption liquid”) returning from the raw material liquid concentration section 1 to the water absorption liquid concentration section 2 are provided.

  The water absorption liquid concentrating part 1 has a closed tank (or housing, casing) structure, and the inside is divided into a raw material liquid passage chamber 6 and a water absorption liquid passage chamber 7 by a forward osmosis membrane 5. Briefly, in the raw material liquid concentrating unit 1, due to the difference in osmotic pressure between the raw material liquid and the water absorption liquid, a part of the water in the raw material liquid permeates (diffuses) through the forward osmosis membrane 5 into the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7. Then, the concentration of the diluted water-absorbing liquid is recovered by the water-absorbing liquid concentrating unit 2 and is returned to the water-absorbing liquid passage chamber 7 as a water absorbing liquid having a predetermined concentration. Moreover, the diluted water absorption liquid which goes to the water absorption liquid concentration part 2 from the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7 is heated by the two preheaters 3 and 4.

  In this embodiment, the water-absorbing liquid concentrating unit 1 is of a vertically placed system, and the raw material liquid flows into the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 from the lower end and is discharged from the upper end. Accordingly, the raw material liquid supply pipe 8 is connected to the lower end portion of the raw material liquid passage chamber 6, and the raw material liquid discharge pipe 9 is connected to the upper end portion of the raw material liquid passage chamber 6.

  A raw material liquid feed pump 10 is interposed in an appropriate part of the raw material liquid supply pipe 8, and a part of the raw material liquid supply pipe 8 upstream of the raw material feed pump 10 and the raw material liquid discharge pipe 9 are connected to the raw material liquid circulation path 11. Connected by. A first valve 12 is provided in the raw material liquid supply pipe 8 on the upstream side of the connecting portion of the raw material liquid circulation path 11, and a second valve in the raw material liquid discharge pipe 9 is provided on the downstream side of the connecting portion of the raw material liquid circulation path 11. A valve 13 is provided, and a third valve 14 is provided in the raw material liquid circulation path 11. By adjusting the flow rate of these valves 12 to 14, a state in which the raw material liquid does not circulate at all in the raw material liquid passage chamber 6, a state in which a part of the raw material liquid circulates in the raw material liquid passage chamber 6, and the whole of the raw material liquid A state of circulating in the passage chamber 6 can be selected.

  The water absorption liquid flows into the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7 from the upper end portion and is discharged from the lower end portion. That is, the end of the water absorption liquid inflow pipe 15 is connected to the upper end of the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7, and the start of the water absorption liquid discharge pipe 16 is connected to the lower end of the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7. Therefore, the flow direction of the raw material liquid and the flow direction of the water absorption liquid are reversed.

  In addition, the raw material liquid concentration part 1 can also be arrange | positioned in the horizontal position in which a raw material liquid and a dilution process liquid flow in a substantially horizontal direction. The example is displayed by (B) and (C) of FIG. In (B), the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 is up and the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7 is down. In (C), the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 is down and the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7 is up. In any case, the flow directions of the raw material liquid and the water absorption liquid are opposite to each other.

  The cross-sectional shapes of the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 and the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7 are not particularly limited. However, when the forward osmosis membrane 5 is a simple flat sheet, the contact efficiency with the forward osmosis membrane 5 is increased. Both are presumed to be flat. The raw material liquid concentrating unit 1 can be inclined with respect to the horizontal plane and the vertical plane.

(2). Water-absorbing liquid concentrating part of the first embodiment The water-absorbing liquid concentrating part 2 includes an evaporation can 19 and a condenser 20 as major elements, and the starting end of the water-absorbing liquid inflow pipe 15 is located at the bottom of the evaporation pipe 19. The end of the water absorption liquid discharge pipe 16 is connected to the side of the evaporator 19.

  The condenser 20 includes a group of thin tubes having a horizontal posture or the like, and one end and the other end of the group of thin tubes open to the headers 21 and 22, respectively. A vapor inlet 23 is formed in the lower portion of one header 21, and a vacuum suction port 24 communicating with the inside of the evaporator 19 is formed in the upper portion of the other header 22.

  A vacuum pump 26 is connected to the vacuum suction port 24 via a vacuum line 25, the upper end of the evaporator 19 and the vapor inlet 23 are connected by a condensation line 27, and a heat pump 28 is connected to the condensation line 27. Is interposed. A condensed water discharge pipe 29 is connected to the lower end of the other header 22, and a drainage pump 30 is interposed in the condensed water discharge pipe 29. The vacuum pump 26 is an example of a vacuum source. As the vacuum source, for example, an ejector can be used.

  A circulation pump 31 is interposed in the middle of the water absorption liquid inflow pipe 15, and a filter 32 is provided upstream of the circulation pump 31. Further, the spray pipe 33 is branched from the upstream side of the first preheater 3 on the downstream side of the circulating pump 31 in the water absorption liquid inlet pipe 15, and the end of the spray pipe 33 is located at the upper end of the evaporator 19. This is connected to a sprayer (not shown). A drain pipe 34 is connected to the middle part of the water absorption liquid inlet pipe 15 downstream of the circulation pump 31 and upstream of the connecting part of the spray pipe 33, and the drain pipe 34 is provided with a fourth valve 35. The water absorption liquid inflow pipe 15 is provided with a fifth valve 36.

  The first preheater 3 and the second preheater 4 are heat exchangers, and for example, a method in which a large number of thin tubes or bent long thin tubes are incorporated in the case can be adopted (in the case of having a large number of thin tubes, the thin tubes Is connected to two headers). In this case, heat can be supplied to the case to transfer heat to the liquid in the narrow tube, or conversely, heat can be transferred to the liquid in the case by flowing the heat to the thin tube. Of course, a plate heat exchanger can also be used.

  Then, the heat dissipating part of the first preheater 3 is connected (inserted) to the midway part of the water absorption liquid supply pipe 15, and the heat dissipating part of the second preheater 4 is connected to the midway part of the condensed water discharge 29 (inserted). doing. The water absorption liquid discharge pipe 16 branches in the middle and then merges again. The first branch portion 16a is connected to the heat receiving portion of the first preheater 3, and the second branch portion 16b is connected to the second preheater 3. The heat receiving part is connected. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first and second preheaters 3 and 4 are connected in parallel to the water absorption liquid discharge pipe 16.

(3) Summary of First Embodiment A raw material liquid such as a beverage or liquid food is supplied from the raw material liquid supply pipe 8 through the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 by driving the raw material liquid feed pump 10. On the other hand, for example, a water absorption liquid having the same component as the raw material liquid and having a concentration (osmotic pressure) higher than that of the raw material liquid is supplied to the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7 of the raw material liquid concentration unit 1. Part of the water contained in the raw material liquid passes through the forward osmosis membrane 5 and moves (diffuses) to the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7. Thereby, concentration of the raw material liquid is performed.

  The concentration ratio of the raw material liquid varies depending on the degree of difference in osmotic pressure between the two liquids, the degree of contact between the two liquids on the forward osmosis membrane 5, and the like. Naturally, the greater the difference in osmotic pressure, the higher the concentration rate. Further, the concentration rate is increased by increasing the contact amount of the raw material liquid with respect to the forward osmosis membrane 5. Therefore, the concentration rate increases as the flow rate of the raw material liquid decreases. The ratio between the amount of the raw material liquid flowing per unit time and the amount of the water absorption liquid can be individually set (adjusted / changed) according to the difference in osmotic pressure, the difference in the target concentration rate, and the like. Thus, controlling the flow rates of the raw material liquid and / or the water absorption liquid according to various conditions can be established as an invention independent of the concentration method and the presence or absence of preheating.

  Even if the osmotic pressures of the raw material liquid and the water absorption liquid are greatly different, only a part of the raw material liquid flowing through the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 may contact the forward osmosis membrane 5. This can be dealt with by slowing down the flow rate of the raw material liquid. However, if the flow rate is lowered, the concentrated raw material liquid stays near the forward osmosis membrane 5 and the concentration does not proceed easily. There is also a possibility.

  In this regard, when the first to third valves 12 to 14 are operated to circulate a part or all of the raw material liquid, the raw material liquid is stirred by the flow and the forward osmosis membrane is maintained while maintaining the concentration as uniform as possible. 5 is repeatedly contacted, it can be said that concentration (moisture diffusion) can be performed efficiently. Further, it can be said that the solid matter can be prevented or remarkably suppressed from adhering to the forward osmosis membrane 5.

  Since the forward osmosis membrane 5 allows moisture to permeate due to the difference in osmotic pressure, it is basically unnecessary to pressurize the raw material liquid, but the raw material is obtained by concentrating the water absorption liquid under reduced pressure. When a pressure difference is generated between the liquid passage chamber 6 and the water absorption liquid passage chamber 8, the resulting state may be the same as when the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 is pressurized, but such a state is naturally allowed. The present invention does not exclude positively pressurizing the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 within a range in which the strength of the forward osmosis membrane 5 can be maintained.

  Since water is transferred from the raw material liquid to the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7, the water absorption liquid that has passed through the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7 is a diluted treatment liquid having a reduced concentration (osmotic pressure). This diluted processing liquid is sent from the water absorption liquid discharge pipe 16 to the evaporator 19 and mixed with the concentrated water absorption liquid accumulated in the evaporator 19. The concentrated water-absorbing liquid accumulated in the evaporation pipe 19 is excessively concentrated, and is set so that a water-absorbing liquid having a target concentration can be obtained by mixing this with the dilution treatment liquid.

  For example, by setting the amount of the overconcentrated water absorption liquid stored in the evaporator 19 to be considerably larger than the amount of the diluted processing liquid supplied from the water absorption liquid discharge pipe 16, a stable concentration can be obtained. A water-absorbing liquid can be obtained.

  A part of the water absorption liquid taken out from the evaporator 19 to the water absorption liquid inflow pipe 15 is guided to the upper side of the condenser 20 by the spray pipe 33 and sprayed on the narrow pipe of the condenser 20 in a shower shape. At this time, since the inside of the evaporator 19 is heated and depressurized, the water contained in the water absorption liquid is efficiently evaporated at a temperature lower than 100 ° C.

  Then, the vapor is guided to the heat pump 28 from the upper part of the evaporator 19 and compressed and heated (heated up several degrees), and flows into the thin tube group of the condenser 20 from the vapor inlet 23. The steam flowing into the narrow tube group evaporates water droplets adhering to the surface of the thin tube group to generate steam introduced into the heat pump 28, and condenses into water droplets by the release of heat, resulting in a condensed water discharge pipe 29. Is discharged from the system.

  The diluted processing liquid discharged from the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7 is returned to the evaporator 19. However, in order to promote evaporation inside the evaporator 19 and increase the concentration efficiency (suppress running cost), the evaporator 19 It is preferable that the temperature flowing into is as high as possible.

  In this case, since the temperature of the raw material liquid is generally about room temperature and lower than the temperature of the water absorption liquid, heat transfer to the raw material liquid through the forward osmosis membrane 5 is performed in the process of the water absorption liquid passing through the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7. The temperature of the diluted treatment liquid is lower than that of the concentrated water absorption liquid. Further, when the water absorption liquid supply pipe 15 and the water absorption liquid discharge pipe 16 are exposed to the atmosphere, heat is also radiated through these pipe lines.

  Therefore, when the water absorption liquid circulates between the water absorption liquid passage chamber 7 and the evaporator 19, there is a heat dissipation phenomenon from the water absorption liquid, and a loss occurs in the heat energy used in the apparatus. 1 The preheater 3 can exchange heat from the concentrated water absorption liquid to the diluted processing liquid and heat (heat up) the diluted processing liquid refluxed to the evaporator 19, thereby suppressing energy loss.

  Furthermore, since condensed water is a droplet of steam that is maintained at a considerably high temperature, the diluted treatment liquid that is returned to the evaporator 19 can be added by transferring the heat of the condensed water to the water absorption liquid. Can warm. By these two heating actions, heat loss can be suppressed as a whole apparatus, and running cost can be suppressed. The water absorption liquid supply pipe 15, the water absorption liquid discharge pipe 16, and the condensed water discharge pipe 29 are preferably provided with a heat insulating structure in order to suppress heat radiation.

  Moreover, since the concentrated water-absorbing liquid can be lowered to a temperature slightly higher than room temperature by heat exchange, for example, even if the raw material liquid is easily affected by heat, the raw material liquid absorbs water in the concentration unit 1. It is possible to prevent or remarkably prevent the quality from being changed by being heated by the liquid. Moreover, it becomes possible to contribute to speeding up the packaging process by eliminating the cooling process of the concentrated raw material liquid.

  In the embodiment, the two preheaters 3 and 4 are provided. However, by providing a plurality of heat dissipating units in one preheater, it is also possible to heat the dilution processing liquid with one preheater. In this case, of course, it is not necessary to branch the water absorption liquid discharge pipe 16. Alternatively, the first preheater 3 and the second preheater 4 may be arranged in series so that the diluted processing liquid flows into the two preheaters 3 and 4 in order. In this case, it is preferable to arrange two preheaters 3 and 4 on the upstream side with a low heat radiation temperature.

  When the filter 32 is provided in the water absorption liquid supply pipe 15 as in the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the solid matter from adhering to the forward osmosis membrane 5 and contribute to maintaining the concentration efficiency. Further, it can contribute to maintaining the cleanliness of the pipelines such as the evaporator 19 and the pipes (suppressing the scale). The filter 32 can be provided in the water absorption liquid discharge pipe 16 instead of or in addition to the water absorption liquid supply pipe 15.

  Since the raw material liquid concentrating unit 1 reduces the moisture while flowing through the raw material liquid passage chamber 6, it can be said that the concentration in the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 is higher on the outlet side than on the inlet side. On the other hand, since the water absorption liquid is thinned by receiving moisture from the raw material liquid, the concentration is high on the inlet side and low on the outlet side. For this reason, if the flow directions of the raw material liquid and the water absorption liquid are the same, the moisture permeability (diffusion) decreases in the flow direction.

  In this regard, as in this embodiment, when the flow direction of the raw material liquid and the flow direction of the water absorption liquid are reversed, the concentration difference between the raw material liquid and the water absorption liquid can be made uniform in each part of the forward osmosis membrane 5. For this reason, it can be said that the entire forward osmosis membrane 5 can be fully utilized to improve the concentration efficiency, and the durability of the forward osmosis membrane 5 can also be improved.

(4). Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment shown in FIG. 2 will be described. In the second embodiment, the same elements as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1, and the description thereof is omitted unless particularly necessary (the third embodiment is also the same). ).

  In this 2nd Embodiment, the 1st-3rd raw material liquid concentration part 1a, 1b, 1c is arrange | positioned in series, the exit of the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 and the 2nd raw material liquid in the 1st raw material liquid concentration part 1a The inlet of the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 in the concentration unit 1b is connected by the first intermediate supply pipe 44, and the outlet of the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 in the second raw material liquid concentration unit 1b and the raw material liquid in the third raw material liquid concentration unit 1c. The inlet of the passage chamber 6 is connected by a second intermediate supply pipe. Accordingly, the raw material liquid sequentially flows into the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 of the first to third raw material liquid concentrating portions 1a, 1b, and 1c.

  Since each raw material liquid concentrating part 1a, 1b, 1c is concentrated, the concentration of the water absorbing liquid by the water absorbing liquid concentrating part 2 is set to a high concentration corresponding to the third raw material liquid concentrating part 1c. Also in this embodiment, the first and second preheaters 3 and 4 are used. Only one water-absorbing liquid concentrating unit 2 is installed.

  Then, the water absorption liquid supply path 15, the first water absorption liquid branch supply path 46 for supplying the concentrated water absorption liquid to the water absorption liquid passage chamber 6 of the first raw material liquid concentration section 1 a, and the water absorption of the second raw material liquid concentration section 1 b. A second water absorption liquid branch supply passage 47 for supplying the concentrated water absorption liquid to the liquid passage chamber 6, and a third water absorption liquid branch for supplying the concentrated water absorption liquid to the water absorption liquid passage chamber 6 of the third raw material liquid concentration unit 1c. It branches off to the supply path 47. On the other hand, the water absorption liquid discharge pipe 15 also includes a first water absorption liquid discharge pipe 49 connected to the first raw material liquid concentration part 1a, a second water absorption liquid discharge pipe 50 connected to the second raw material liquid concentration part 1b, and a third raw material. It branches to the 3rd water absorption liquid discharge pipe 50 connected to the liquid concentrating part 1c, these are gathered together and reach the preheaters 3 and 4.

  The first stirring chamber 52 provided in the middle part of the first branch supply path 46 and the second water absorption liquid discharge pipe 50 are connected by the first auxiliary pipe 53, and the first stirring chamber 52 provided in the middle part of the second branch supply path 47. The second stirring chamber 54 and the third water absorption liquid discharge pipe 51 are connected by a second auxiliary pipe 55. Both auxiliary pipes 53 and 55 are provided with flow control valves 56 and 57.

  In this embodiment, the first water absorption liquid branch supply path 46 is supplied with the diluted processing liquid from the second water absorption liquid discharge pipe 50 to reduce the concentration of the water absorption liquid, and the second water absorption liquid branch supply path 47 has the third water absorption. The diluted treatment liquid is supplied from the liquid discharge pipe 51 to reduce the concentration of the water absorption liquid, but the concentration of the dilution treatment liquid in the third water absorption liquid discharge pipe 51 is higher than the concentration of the dilution treatment liquid in the second water absorption liquid discharge pipe 50. Therefore, the concentration (osmotic pressure) of the water-absorbing liquid flowing in the water-absorbing-liquid passage chamber 7 of each of the raw material liquid concentrating parts 1a to 1c is determined as follows: first raw material liquid concentrating part 1a The relationship is 1c. For this reason, a raw material liquid can be concentrated in steps.

  In the present embodiment, the raw material liquid concentrating units 1a to 1c are horizontally placed so that the raw material liquid concentrating unit 1 flows in a substantially horizontal direction. As a modified example (or similar example) of the present embodiment, the auxiliary pipes 53 and 55 are not used, and at least the first water absorption liquid branch supply path 46 and the second water absorption liquid branch supply path 46 are flow rate control valves. And by controlling these valves, the amount of the water-absorbing liquid flowing through each of the water-absorbing liquid branch supply paths 46, 47, 48 is set to the first water-absorbing liquid branch supply path 46 <the second water-absorbing liquid branch supply path 47 <. It is possible to set the relationship to the third water absorption liquid branch supply path 48.

  In this case, even if the concentration of the water absorption liquid flowing through each raw material liquid concentrating unit 1 is constant, the concentration of the raw material liquid can be increased stepwise due to the difference in the ratio of the flow rate to the raw material liquid.

  When the raw material liquid concentrating unit 1 is arranged in a plurality of stages, the number of stages is not limited to three, but may be two or four or more. Moreover, when the raw material liquid concentration part 1 is arrange | positioned in multiple stages, it is also possible to install two or more water absorption liquid concentration parts 2. FIG. In the case where a plurality of water-absorbing liquid concentrating units 2 are arranged, the same number of water-absorbing liquid concentrating units 2 as the number of stages of the raw material liquid concentrating units 1 are arranged, and the water absorbing liquid having a concentration corresponding to each raw material liquid concentrating unit 1 It may be manufactured by the concentration unit 2, or one water absorption liquid concentration unit 2 may correspond to a plurality of raw material liquid concentration units 1. The preheater and the number can be set arbitrarily.

(5) Third Embodiment A third embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is a modification of the first embodiment. In the third embodiment, the entire amount of the water absorption liquid taken out from the evaporation pipe 19 is supplied to the raw material liquid concentrating unit 1, and the diluted processing liquid that has passed through the preheaters 3 and 4 is dispersed in the condenser 3. In this embodiment as well, the water-absorbing liquid is concentrated as in the first embodiment.

(6). Others The present invention can be embodied in various ways other than the above embodiment. For example, the forward osmosis membrane may be of various structures such as a flat membrane or a hollow fiber. In addition, it is not always necessary to use an evaporation / condensation method as a method for concentrating the water absorption liquid. For example, a reverse osmosis membrane can also be used. For example, when a saturated saline solution is used as the water-absorbing solution, the water-absorbing solution is hardly clogged, so that concentration using a reverse osmosis membrane is sufficient for practical use.

  The forward osmosis membrane can also hold its posture by a support such as a wire mesh. It is also possible to form the raw material liquid passage chamber, the forward osmosis membrane, and the water absorption liquid passage chamber in a spiral shape when viewed from the liquid flow direction. In this case, the raw material liquid and the water absorption liquid are per unit volume. Since both sides that contact the forward osmosis membrane can be magnified, there is an advantage that the space can be used effectively.

  The present invention can be embodied in the concentration of beverages and liquid foods. Therefore, it can be used industrially.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1a-1c Raw material liquid concentration part 2 Water absorption liquid concentration part 3 1st preheater 4 2nd preheater 5 Forward osmosis membrane 6 Raw material liquid passage chamber 7 Water absorption liquid passage chamber 8 Raw material liquid supply pipe 9 Raw material liquid discharge pipe 11 Raw material Liquid circulation path 15 Water absorption liquid inflow pipe 16 Water absorption liquid discharge pipe 19 Evaporator 20 Condenser 26 Vacuum pump 27 Condensation pipe 28 Heat pump 29 Condensate water discharge pipe 31 Circulation pump 32 Filter 33 Spreading pipe

The present invention relates to an oral or external liquid concentrating device and a concentrating method thereof. Here, the oral liquid means the whole thing that a person or an animal eats. Typical examples include beverages such as concentrated juices and soft drinks, noodle soup, various soups, seasonings, and soups. Liquid (juice-like) foods, liquid health supplements, oral medicines and the like can be mentioned.

Furthermore, the concentrating device according to claim 1 further includes a water-absorbing liquid concentrating unit that recovers the concentration of the diluted water-absorbing liquid diluted by the water that has passed through the forward osmosis membrane, and the concentrated water-absorbing liquid is supplied from the water-absorbing liquid concentrating unit. The diluted water absorption liquid sent to the water absorption liquid passage chamber is returned from the water absorption liquid passage chamber to the water absorption liquid concentration section. In addition, the raw material liquid concentrating part can be paraphrased like a concentration processing housing or a concentration processing tank .
In the invention of claim 2 as an example of development of the concentrator of claim 1, the water-absorbing liquid concentrating unit is a system in which the water-absorbing liquid is compressed by a heat pump under reduced pressure to evaporate and condense the water, and then discharge the condensed water. It has become.

In this regard, when the configuration of claim 4 is adopted, the amount of heat transferred from the concentrated water absorption liquid to the raw material liquid can be suppressed by exchanging the heat of the concentrated water absorption liquid with the diluted water absorption liquid, or the concentrated water absorption liquid or Heat exchange from the condensed water (waste water) to the diluted water-absorbing liquid can suppress heat energy required for evaporation / condensation of the diluted water-absorbing liquid. Thereby, running cost can be suppressed. In other words, the heat energy for maintaining the concentration (or restoring the concentration) of the water-absorbing liquid can be recovered to reduce the running cost.

Starting material liquid to reduce the water while flowing the raw material liquid passage chamber 6, the raw material liquid passage chamber 6, when the concentration is higher at the outlet side of the inlet side it can be said. On the other hand, since the water absorption liquid is thinned by receiving moisture from the raw material liquid, the concentration is high on the inlet side and low on the outlet side. For this reason, if the flow directions of the raw material liquid and the water absorption liquid are the same, the moisture permeability (diffusion) decreases in the flow direction.

In this 2nd Embodiment, the 1st-3rd raw material liquid concentration part 1a, 1b, 1c is arrange | positioned in series, the exit of the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 and the 2nd raw material liquid in the 1st raw material liquid concentration part 1a The inlet of the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 in the concentration unit 1b is connected by the first intermediate supply pipe 44, and the outlet of the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 in the second raw material liquid concentration unit 1b and the raw material liquid in the third raw material liquid concentration unit 1c. The inlet of the passage chamber 6 is connected by a second intermediate supply pipe 45 . Accordingly, the raw material liquid sequentially flows into the raw material liquid passage chamber 6 of the first to third raw material liquid concentrating portions 1a, 1b, and 1c.

The first stirring chamber 52 provided in the middle part of the first branch supply path 46 and the second water absorption liquid discharge pipe 50 are connected by the first auxiliary pipe 53, and the first stirring chamber 52 provided in the middle part of the second branch supply path 47. The second stirring chamber 54 and the third water absorption liquid discharge pipe 51 are connected by a second auxiliary pipe 55. Both auxiliary pipes 53 and 55 are provided with flow control valves 56 and 57.

When the raw material liquid concentrating unit 1 is arranged in a plurality of stages, the number of stages is not limited to three, but may be two or four or more. Moreover, when the raw material liquid concentration part 1 is arrange | positioned in multiple stages, it is also possible to install two or more water absorption liquid concentration parts 2. FIG. In the case where a plurality of water-absorbing liquid concentrating units 2 are arranged, the same number of water-absorbing liquid concentrating units 2 as the number of stages of the raw material liquid concentrating units 1 are arranged, and the water absorbing liquid having a concentration corresponding to each raw material liquid concentrating unit 1 It may be manufactured by the concentration unit 2, or one water absorption liquid concentration unit 2 may correspond to a plurality of raw material liquid concentration units 1. The number of preheaters can also be set arbitrarily.

The forward osmosis membrane can also hold its posture by a support such as a wire mesh. It is also possible to form the raw material liquid passage chamber, the forward osmosis membrane, and the water absorption liquid passage chamber in a spiral shape when viewed from the liquid flow direction. In this case, the raw material liquid and the water absorption liquid are per unit volume. Since the amount of contact with the forward osmosis membrane can be increased , there is an advantage that the space can be effectively used.

Claims (8)

The raw material liquid passage chamber and the water absorption liquid passage chamber are provided with a raw material liquid concentration section separated by a forward osmosis membrane,
The raw material liquid passage chamber is supplied with a raw material liquid as a concentration target that is used orally or externally by a person, while a water absorption liquid having a higher osmotic pressure than the raw material liquid circulates in the water absorption liquid passage chamber. By setting the osmotic pressure of the water absorption liquid to a value higher than the osmotic pressure of the raw material liquid, a part of the moisture of the raw material liquid diffuses into the water absorption liquid passage chamber through the forward osmosis membrane. Is supposed to
And a water-absorbing liquid concentrating section for recovering the concentration of the diluted water-absorbing liquid diluted by the water that has passed through the forward osmosis membrane, and the concentrated water-absorbing liquid is sent from the water-absorbing liquid concentrating section to the water-absorbing liquid passage chamber. The diluted water absorption liquid is returned from the water absorption liquid passage chamber to the water absorption liquid concentration unit.
Oral or external liquid concentrator. The water-absorbing liquid concentrating unit is a method of discharging condensed water after compressing the water-absorbing liquid with a heat pump under reduced pressure to evaporate and condense the water.
The device for concentrating an oral or external liquid according to claim 1. As the water-absorbing liquid, substantially the same component as the raw material liquid is used,
The device for concentrating an oral or external liquid according to claim 1 or 2. A preheater is provided for heating the diluted water absorption liquid by at least one of the heat of the concentrated water absorption liquid and the heat of the condensed water;
The device for concentrating an oral or external liquid according to claim 2 or 3. → Limited circulation of stock solution.
A raw material liquid circulation path for returning the raw material liquid discharged from the raw material liquid passage chamber to the raw material liquid passage chamber again,
The device for concentrating an oral or external liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Comprising a plurality of raw material liquid concentrating parts connected in series;
The device for concentrating an oral or external liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A filter that collects solid matter is provided in either one or both of the pipe line through which the diluted water-absorbing liquid flows and the path through which the concentrated water-absorbing liquid flows.
The device for concentrating an oral or external liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A method of concentrating an oral or external liquid using a concentrating device equipped with a forward osmosis membrane,
The concentrator has a raw material liquid concentrating part in which a raw material liquid passage chamber and a water absorption liquid passage chamber are separated by a forward osmosis membrane,
While continuously or intermittently supplying the oral or external liquid before concentration to the raw material liquid passage chamber, a water absorption liquid having a higher osmotic pressure than the oral or external liquid before concentration is supplied to the water absorption liquid passage chamber. By circulating, a part of the moisture of the oral or external liquid supplied to the raw material liquid passage chamber diffuses into the water absorption liquid passage chamber through the forward osmosis membrane,
In the water absorption liquid passage chamber, the water absorption liquid diluted with water of the oral or external liquid is sent to the water absorption liquid concentration section, and the water absorption liquid whose concentration is recovered in the water absorption liquid concentration section is refluxed to the water absorption liquid passage chamber. The concentration of the water-absorbing liquid is maintained at a higher concentration than the oral or external liquid in the raw material liquid passage chamber.
Method for concentrating liquid for oral or external use.

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