JP2017012974A - Centrifugal machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a continuous centrifugal separator configured to allow a user to grasp sediments during operation by calculating amounts of the sediments deposited in a rotor.SOLUTION: The continuous centrifugal separator comprises: a driving portion 130 that rotates a rotor 121 which separates a sample; a supply line 172 that continuously supplies samples into the rotor through a through-hole communicated with a rotary shaft of the rotor; a discharge line 182 through which are continuously discharged the samples from the rotor; and a liquid feeding pump 173 that supplies the samples to the supply line. The supply line and the discharge line are provided respectively with mass flow meters 175 and 185. By subtracting integration values by the mass flow meter at the discharge line side from integration values by the mass flow meter at the supply line side, estimated volumes and estimated mass of sediments deposited in the rotor are calculated. The calculated volumes and mass are displayed on a display panel at real time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a centrifuge (continuous centrifuge) for continuously flowing a sample and centrifuging particles in a liquid sample in a rotor, and in particular, a large amount of sediment is deposited exceeding the allowable capacity of the rotor. It is intended to prevent.

  A centrifuge separates particles that do not settle or are difficult to settle in a normal gravitational field by centrifugal force, and examples of separation objects include viruses and fungal bodies. Viruses and fungal cells are indispensable raw materials for manufacturing pharmaceuticals and vaccines, and continuous centrifuges are widely used as equipment for separating and purifying raw materials in these manufacturing processes. The continuous centrifuge includes a rotor that rotates at high speed, two rotating shafts having through holes connected to the top and bottom of the rotor, and a sample supply unit for supplying a sample to the rotor. The sample supply unit has a liquid feed pump for supplying the sample, and continuously supplies the sample from the rotor inlet to the inside of the rotor during rotation of the rotor under the control of the controller, and is discharged from the rotor outlet. The

JP 2013-22473 A

  During operation of the continuous centrifuge, the rotor is completely filled with liquid (sample). However, if a large amount of sediment accumulates in the rotor beyond the allowable amount, There is a possibility that particles having a high density to be deposited inside the cylinder and to be taken out after the centrifugal separation operation flow out together with the supernatant without being deposited in the rotor, and the separation performance may be deteriorated. In addition, when a large amount of precipitate is accumulated inside the rotor, the total mass of the rotor becomes excessive, which may cause abnormal vibration. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the flow of the sample flowing inside the rotor is hindered and the sample supply pressure rises abnormally.

The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and its purpose is to calculate the amount of sediment deposited in the rotor and display it on the display unit, so that the user can easily grasp the amount of sediment during operation. An object of the present invention is to provide such a centrifuge.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a centrifuge in which the injection of the sample into the rotor is stopped when the amount of the precipitate reaches an allowable upper limit value that can be deposited on the rotor.

  The characteristics of representative ones of the inventions disclosed in the present application will be described as follows.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a cylindrical rotor for separating a sample, a drive unit that rotates the rotor, two rotating shafts that are connected vertically in the axial direction of the rotor and have a through hole therein, In a centrifuge having a supply line for continuously supplying a sample to a rotor from a through-hole communicating with a rotating shaft, a discharge line for continuously discharging the sample from the rotor, and a sample supply means for sending the sample to the supply line By installing a mass flow meter such as a Coriolis type mass flow meter in the route of the discharge line and the route of the supply line, and subtracting the value of the mass flow meter on the supply line side from the value of the mass flow meter on the discharge line side The amount of sediment deposited in the rotor was calculated. The calculated precipitation amount is an estimated volume or / and an estimated mass of the precipitate deposited on the rotor, and these are displayed in real time on the display unit during the centrifugal separation operation. The estimated capacity and the estimated mass to be displayed can be absolute or can be expressed as a percentage with respect to the allowable precipitation upper limit.

  According to another feature of the present invention, when the estimated capacity (calculated capacity) of sediment deposited on the rotor or the estimated mass (calculated mass) reaches a set upper limit value during centrifugation operation, By stopping the supply means, the injection of the sample into the rotor is stopped, and the process proceeds to the centrifugal operation stop process. In this transition, an alarm indicating that the sample supply to the rotor has been stopped is displayed on the display unit to notify the user.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, in the centrifuge, the measurement is performed to measure either the amount of the sample supplied from the supply line to the rotor by the sample supply means or the amount of the sample discharged from the rotor to the discharge line. The integrated value of the sample was obtained by providing a container, and when the operation was completed and the rotor was stopped, the calculated amount (capacity or mass) of the sample was displayed as a processing amount on the display unit. As a result, the user can immediately know how much or volume of sample has been supplied to or discharged from the rotor, and thus a centrifuge that is very easy to use can be realized.

According to the present invention, in the centrifuge, the sediment deposited in the rotor can be managed so as to be within an appropriate range, so that continuous centrifugation can be performed with high accuracy. In addition, since the control device monitors the amount of sediment in the rotor in real time, the flow rate supplied to the rotor can be kept within a predetermined range. Further, since the sample supply is stopped when the allowable precipitation upper limit value of the rotor is exceeded, it is possible to prevent an excessive load from being applied to the rotor and the rotational drive system due to an operation error or the like. Further, when it is detected that the precipitation amount has reached the predetermined value, an alarm is displayed on the display unit, so that the user can quickly take an appropriate action.
The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings.

It is a perspective view showing the whole continuous centrifuge 1 concerning the example of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the detailed structure of the centrifugation part 100 of FIG. 1, and the piping diagram of a sample line. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rotor 120 of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance shape of the core 125 of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the AA part of FIG. 3, Comprising: (1)-(4) is a figure which shows the deposition progress state of a deposit. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the operation process of the continuous centrifuge. It is a flowchart which shows the calculation procedure of the precipitation amount in the rotor by a present Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the calculation method of the precipitation amount of a present Example. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the operation panel 205 of FIG. 1 (No. 1). FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the operation panel 205 in FIG. 1 (No. 2). FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the operation panel 205 in FIG. 1 (No. 3).

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the following figures, it demonstrates using the continuous centrifuge 1 as an example of a centrifuge, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same part and repeated description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an entire continuous centrifuge (centrifuge) 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the continuous centrifuge 1 is a so-called “continuous ultracentrifuge” used in a vaccine manufacturing process or the like, and is composed of two main parts, a centrifuge unit 100 and a control device unit 200. The The centrifuge unit 100 and the control device unit 200 are connected by a wiring / piping group 50.

  The centrifuge 100 is arranged in a cylindrical chamber 101 serving as a centrifuge chamber, a base 110 that supports the chamber 101, a rotor 120 that can be freely put in and out of the chamber 101 and rotated at high speed, and an upper portion of the chamber 101. The drive unit 130 that rotationally drives the rotor 120 in a suspended state, the lower rotation support unit 140 that is attached to the lower side of the chamber 101, and the lift 160 that moves the drive unit 130 in the vertical and front-rear directions. And the arm 161, and a sample line for continuously supplying and discharging a sample or sterilizing liquid to and from the rotor 120. The rotor 120 includes a cylindrical rotor body 121, and an upper rotor cover 123 and a lower rotor cover 122 that are attached to the top and bottom of the rotor body 121 by screwing. A lower shaft 141 is connected to the lower rotor cover 122, and thereby a rotating container that rotates at a high speed is configured.

  Since the rotor 120 is rotationally driven at a high speed, the inside of the chamber 101 is kept in a reduced pressure state during centrifugation for the purpose of suppressing heat loss from the atmosphere during operation and heat generation due to frictional heat. In order to make the inside of the chamber 101 depressurized, a discharge port (not shown) for discharging the air in the chamber 101 is formed in the body of the chamber 101, and a vacuum pump (not shown) is connected. The chamber 101 is fixed to the base 110 with a plurality of bolts 111, and the base 110 is fixed to the floor surface with a plurality of bolts 112.

  The control unit 200 includes a cooling device (not shown) for cooling the entire centrifuge chamber inside the chamber 101, a vacuum pump (not shown) for bringing the centrifuge chamber inside the chamber 101 into a decompressed state, and a rotor 120. A lift drive device (not shown) that drives the lift 160 and the arm 161 that moves the rotor 120 to a predetermined location, and a control device (not shown) that drives and controls the rotor 120 are housed. The control device is composed of an electronic circuit including a microcomputer and a storage device (not shown). The control device controls the rotation of the rotor 120 and monitors the precipitate in the rotor 120, and controls the entire apparatus included in the continuous centrifuge. To do. On the upper part of the control device unit 200, an operation panel 205 is disposed, which also functions as an input unit for a user to input information and a display unit for displaying a driving status and the like to the user. As the operation panel 205, for example, a touch sensor type liquid crystal display device can be used, and an audio output unit such as a speaker (not shown) is also provided.

  FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a detailed structure of the centrifugal separator 100 of FIG. The chamber 101 houses therein a rotor 120 suspended from a drive unit 130, and an evaporator (not shown) is installed so as to cover the periphery of the rotor 120. The evaporator is composed of a copper pipe that circulates refrigerant gas, thereby cooling the interior of the chamber 101 at a set temperature.

  The drive unit 130 includes a motor (not shown). When performing centrifugation, a sample is injected into the rotor 120 from the side of the lower shaft 141, and the sample introduced into the rotor 120 is moved to a high centrifugal force field by the core 125, which will be described later. The supernatant (waste liquid) is discharged from the sample passage hole of the upper shaft 131.

  The motor has a hollow rotating shaft (upper shaft 131) extending in the vertical direction, the lower end side of the upper shaft 131 is fixed to the upper rotor cover 123 by a nut 132, and the rotor 120 is suspended from the driving unit 130. Rotate. A lower shaft 141 that is a rotating shaft portion is attached to the lower rotor cover 122 by a nut 142. Through holes (sample passage holes) that are upper and lower passages pass through the shaft centers of the upper shaft 131 and the lower shaft 141, respectively, and these sample passage holes are formed in the upper rotor cover 123 and the lower rotor. The cover 122 communicates with the sample passage hole formed in each of the covers 122. When the upper shaft 131 rotates at a high speed by driving a motor included in the driving unit 130, the rotor 120 attached to the upper shaft 131 rotates at a high speed together with the lower shaft 141. The lower shaft 141 that rotates accompanying the rotor 120 is supported by the lower rotation support portion 140. The lower rotation support unit 140 is fixed at a position where it contacts the chamber 101 of the base 110.

  The sample is supplied from the sample tank 171, and the flow flows through the lower connection pipe 172, the liquid feed pump 173, the mass flow meter 175, the lower shaft 141, the rotor 120, the upper shaft 131, the mass flow meter 185, and the upper connection pipe 182. And flows to the supernatant collection tank 181. In this embodiment, the sample line is configured so that the sample is injected from the lower side of the rotor 120 and the supernatant is discharged from the upper side. Therefore, the lower connection pipe 172 serves as a sample supply line, and the upper connection pipe 182 It becomes the discharge line of the supernatant. The lower connection pipe 172 connects the sample tank 171 and the lower rotation support unit 140, and a liquid feed pump 173 and a supply-side mass flow meter 175 are provided in the path. The upper connection pipe 182 connects between the upper shaft 131 of the drive unit 130 and the supernatant collection tank 181.

  The liquid feed pump 173 is a sample supply unit that is electrically controlled to be sent or stopped by the control device, and is, for example, a motor-driven fluid pump. As the mass flow meter 175, for example, an inline Coriolis mass flow meter can be used. The Coriolis type mass flowmeter is a mass flowmeter that directly and continuously measures the “mass” that is not affected by changes in the temperature, density, etc. of the fluid. Mass flow rate can be detected with high sensitivity. The mass flow meter 175 measures the mass flow rate of the sample flowing through the lower connection pipe 172 and outputs a signal corresponding to the value to the control device. On the other hand, the upper connection pipe 182 connects the drive unit 130 and the supernatant recovery tank 181, and a mass flow meter 185 is provided in the path. The mass flow meter 185 measures the mass flow rate of the sample flowing through the upper connection pipe 182 and outputs a signal corresponding to the value to the control device. The mass flow meter 185 and the mass flow meter 175 are the same. Measuring instruments can be used and their outputs are sent to the controller.

  The sample tank 171 is a container that holds a sample before being centrifuged by the rotor 120. The sample that has flowed into the rotor 120 through the mass flow meter 175 from the lower connection pipe 172 is centrifuged by the high-speed rotation of the rotor 120, and the supernatant of the separated sample passes through the drive unit 130 and is connected to the upper connection. It flows into the pipe 182, passes through the mass flow meter 185, and is collected in the supernatant collection tank 181. The piping method of the lower connection pipe 172 and the upper connection pipe 182 constituting the sample line, the arrangement and connection of the sample tank and the supernatant tank used, etc. are arbitrary, and a switching valve for switching the flow path is used. The plurality of flow paths may be arbitrarily switched, and other supply lines and discharge lines may be formed. However, it is important to provide a mass flow meter 175 in the portion of the supply line, preferably close to the lower rotation support 140, and to provide a mass flow meter 185 in the portion of the discharge line, preferably close to the drive unit 130.

  When the sample is placed in the sample tank 171 and the liquid feed pump 173 is operated to supply the sample from the lower connection pipe 172 through the lower shaft 141 to the rotor 120, the rotor 120 is gradually filled with the sample. . When the inside of the rotor 120 is filled with the sample, the overflowed liquid passes through the upper shaft 131 and the drive unit 130, is sent to the upper connection pipe 182, and is discharged to the supernatant collection tank 181. The injection of these samples into the rotor 120 is adjusted by controlling the liquid feed pump 173 by a control device (not shown). When the control device confirms that the liquid flow is detected by both the supply-side mass flow meter 175 and the discharge-side mass flow meter 185, the control device determines that the sample is filled in the rotor 120 and rotates the rotor 120. Let it begin.

  FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rotor 120. A core 125 is disposed inside the cylindrical rotor body 121. The core 125 is for introducing a sample injected into the rotor body 121 into a high centrifugal force field, and the core 125 is configured to be able to be inserted into and removed from the rotor body 121 in the axial direction. The lower opening of the rotor body 121 is covered with the lower rotor cover 122, and the upper opening is covered with the upper rotor cover 123.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the external shape of the core 125. The core 125 divides the internal space of the rotor 120 into six equal spaces by six wing portions 125B provided in the cylindrical trunk portion 125A and extending in the radial direction. In the sample injected into the rotor 120 from the sample through-hole of the lower shaft 141, high-density particles are gradually deposited on the inner wall portion of the rotor 120 due to centrifugal force to become a precipitate. The precipitation state of this deposit is demonstrated using FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3, and (1) to (4) are diagrams showing the progress of deposit deposition. The interior of the rotor 120 is divided into six sections 126 by the wings 125B of the core 125. The section 126 is continuously formed with the same cross-sectional shape from the lower side to the upper side of the rotor body 121. When centrifuging, the compartment 126 is filled with the sample to be separated. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed here that the sample is transparent, and only the precipitate 127 is shown in the figure. FIG. 5 (1) shows a state in which the rotor 120 is filled with the sample (liquid) but there is no precipitate yet (precipitation 0%). This is also the state when the rotation of the rotor 120 is started. In (2), the centrifugal separation operation proceeds, and high-density particles are guided radially outward by the wings 125B of the core 125 due to centrifugal force, and the high-density particles gradually accumulate on the inner wall portion of the rotor 120 as the outer peripheral portion. As a result, a precipitate 127 is obtained. In the state (2), the amount (volume) of the precipitate 127 is 20% of the volume of the compartment 126.

  As the continuous centrifugation operation proceeds, further precipitated substances accumulate in the compartment 126, and (3) shows a state in which the precipitate 127 has accumulated to 60% of the volume of the compartment 126. (4) is a state where the precipitate 127 is accumulated up to 90% of the volume of the compartment 126 in the same manner. If the precipitate accumulates too much as in (4), the space where the liquid sample before separation is located becomes only a small part (inner part), and the liquid that is not subjected to centrifugal force flows in the direction of the upper shaft 131. There is a risk of going out without being separated. Therefore, in this embodiment, continuous centrifugation operation is performed within the range of (1) to (3) with the state (3), that is, the state of 60% precipitation by volume ratio, being set as the maximum amount that can be precipitated (accumulation allowable amount). The precipitate 127 was not accumulated more than the state shown in (3). Note that the upper limit of 60% is determined by the volume ratio of the compartment 126, but the storage allowable amount is not limited to the volume ratio, but also includes the upper limit based on the mass ratio of the precipitate 127. Can be set. This is effective when the specific gravity of the precipitate 127 is high, and if the amount of the relatively heavy precipitate 127 increases too much, the total mass of the rotating rotor 120 increases, so the upper limit value of the allowable accumulation mass Should be used in combination. The capacity and mass of the upper limit of accumulation allowance may be set in advance by the manufacturer according to the type of rotor and the characteristics of the sample to be flown, or may be set by the user each time.

Next, an example of the operation process of the continuous centrifuge 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, for each process number, the process name, the rotor rotation speed, the value of the mass flow meter 175 on the supply side, the value of the mass flow meter 185 on the discharge side, and the amount of sediment inside the rotor are shown. Step No. Reference numeral 301 denotes a step during sample injection. The liquid feed pump 173 continuously injects 2.0 kg of sample into the rotor 120 per minute. Since the rotor 120 has not been started yet, the rotational speed of the rotor 120 is 0 rpm. Further, since the inside of the rotor 120 is not filled with the sample, the mass flow meter 175 outputs a value of 2 kg / min as the mass, but the value of the mass flow meter 185 remains zero. Since the rotor 120 is not rotating, there is no sediment.
Step No. Reference numeral 302 denotes a point at which the sample injection is completed. When the sample injection is completed, the sample flows also to the upper shaft 131, so that the mass flow meter 185 starts to indicate the discharge amount. Here, since the rotor 120 has not yet rotated, the mass shown by the mass flow meters 175 and 185 is 2 kg / min, which is the same.

Next, since the inside of the rotor 120 was filled with the sample (liquid), the process No. At 303, the drive unit 130 is activated to accelerate the rotor 120 from 0 to 40,000 revolutions. During this time, the liquid feed pump 173 continues to inject a 2.0 kg sample into the rotor 120 per minute, but as the rotor 120 increases in rotation, a substance having a high specific gravity is directed radially outward by centrifugal force. And begins to settle on the inner wall of the rotor 120. As a result, since only the supernatant having a low specific gravity is discharged from the upper shaft 131, the value (mass flow rate) indicated by the mass flow meter 185 on the discharge side gradually increases from 2.000 gm / min to 1.980 kg / min. Start to decrease.
And process no. In 304, since the rotor 120 rotates at a constant speed of 40,000, the liquid discharged from the upper shaft 131 of the rotor 120 is a precipitate that has settled inside the rotor 120 from the amount (mass) entered from the injection side. The amount minus the amount of. When the predetermined operation time is over, the process No. At 305, the rotation of the rotor 120 is decelerated, and the rotor 120 stops. As the rotor 120 decelerates, the rate of precipitation on the rotor 120 with respect to the sample to be injected decreases, so the mass indicated by the mass flow meter 185 increases from 1.980 kg / min to 2.000 kg / min.
And process no. At 306, the rotor 120 is stopped and the liquid feed pump 173 is stopped. Note that it is not always necessary to stop the rotor 120 and the liquid feed pump 173 at the same time. After the liquid feed pump 173 is stopped first and the rotor 120 is rotated for a predetermined time, the rotation of the drive unit 130 is stopped. The “rotor 120 stop process” may be executed to stop the process. Here, the process No. The rotor 120 stops at 306, but the amount precipitated inside the rotor 120 is the process No. It can be calculated by subtracting the integrated value of the mass flow meter 185 from the integrated value of the mass flow meter 175 from 303 to 306.

  Next, the calculation procedure of the precipitation amount in the rotor 120 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The procedure shown in FIG. 7 can be realized by software by a microcomputer included in the control device executing a computer program. First, the user puts a sample in the sample tank 171 and sets the supernatant collection tank 181. The operation is started when the user presses a start button (not shown), and the control device starts the operation of the liquid feeding pump 173 in order to send the sample to the rotor 120 (step 401). Here, the liquid feeding pump 173 performs liquid feeding at a constant flow rate until the centrifugal separation operation ends. Next, in step 402, measurement is performed by the upper mass flow meter 185 and the lower mass flow meter 175 to obtain a supply-side mass flow rate a. Immediately after feeding the sample, the lower mass flow meter 175 starts measurement, but the mass of the upper mass flow meter 185 remains zero until the rotor 120 is filled with the sample. As the liquid feeding proceeds, the sample (supernatant) reaches the upper mass flow meter 185 side, so that the mass flow rate b of the mass flow meter 185 is obtained. When the sample is filled in the rotor 120 in this way, the motor of the drive unit 130 is started and the rotor 120 is accelerated to a set rotor rotational speed (for example, 40,000 rpm) to rotate at a constant speed. Settling with.

  Next, the control device integrates the measured value of the lower mass flow meter 175 (mass flow rate a) and the value of the upper mass flow meter 185 (mass flow rate b) to calculate integrated values A and B. (Step 403) By subtracting the integrated value B on the discharge side from the integrated value A on the injection side, the amount of sediment staying inside the rotor 120 is calculated (Step 404). Here, a method for calculating the amount of precipitation will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method for calculating the amount of precipitation according to the present embodiment. Here, the sample is an aqueous solution containing particles having a density of 1.5 g / cm ³ , and the process table No. 1 in FIG. According to 403, the liquid is fed into the rotor 120 by the liquid feed pump 173 at a mass flow rate of 2000 g per minute. In this case, the value of the lower mass flow meter 175 on the supply side is 2000 g / min. On the other hand, the mass flow meter 185 on the discharge side varies depending on the ratio and weight of the precipitate obtained from the sample, but here it is assumed that it is 1980 g / min. In this case,
(Mass flow rate a of lower mass flow meter 175) − (mass flow rate b of upper mass flow meter 185)
= It can be calculated from the equation of the mass of the sediment deposited in the rotor 120, and here, the mass of the sediment deposited in 1 minute is 20 g. In this way, the accumulation increase amount of 20 g / min per unit time is counted and integrated, and the volume of the sediment occupies from the relationship between the density of the sediment 1.5 g / cm ³ and the volume of the rotor 120. It is possible to calculate the volume ratio (%) of the sediment accumulation (L) indicating whether or not the sediment occupies the volume of the rotor 120.

  The table in FIG. 8 is a table showing the transition results of the sample processing amount (kg), the precipitation mass (g), the precipitation accumulation (L), and the rotor volume ratio (%) with the passage of operating time. With the passage of time, the precipitate accumulated inside the rotor. For example, when it was operated for 360 minutes (6 hours), the mass of the precipitate 127 was 7200 g and the deposit of the precipitate 127 was 4.8 L so as to be surrounded by the thick frame 806. I understand that. Moreover, since the volume of the rotor 120 is 8L, it can be understood that the precipitate 127 occupies the volume of the rotor 120 of 60.0%. Usually, since precipitation cannot be deposited up to 100% in the rotor 120, the amount of precipitation is generally limited to a predetermined upper limit value. This upper limit value (accumulation allowance) is determined by a volume limit (upper limit of the rotor volume ratio) and a mass limit (upper limit of precipitation mass). In terms of volume, it may be stopped at about 60% so as to be surrounded by a thick frame in FIG. On the other hand, even when the volume ratio does not reach the upper limit, if the mass of the precipitate reaches a specified mass, for example, 10000 g, the centrifugation may be stopped at that time. In the case of the sample of FIG. 8, the volume limit is reached before reaching the mass limit, but depending on the density of the precipitate 127, the reverse case, that is, the mass limit may be reached before the volume limit is reached. is there.

  In this example, the upper limit of the rotor volume ratio was 60% and the upper limit of the precipitation mass was 10000 g, but these upper limits depend on the type of continuous centrifuge used, the size and strength of the rotor 120, and other constraints. May be set as appropriate. In addition, if these upper limit values are registered in advance in the storage device of the control device as one of the parameters, the user can easily enter the present embodiment simply by inputting the density of the precipitate obtained from the sample used at the time of use. realizable. Furthermore, the upper limit value of the rotor volume ratio and the upper limit value of the precipitation mass, which are the upper limits of the sediment, may be manually set by the user as one of the initial values.

  Returning again to the flowchart of FIG. In step 405, the control device displays the sample processing amount (kg), the estimated precipitation volume (%), and the estimated precipitation mass (g) on the operation panel 205 from the calculated values, thereby causing the precipitation of the rotor 120. Inform the user of the condition. This display example will be described with reference to FIG. The operation panel 205 (see FIG. 1) is configured by, for example, a touch sensor type liquid crystal display screen. On the upper side of the display screen 500, a rotation speed display unit 501 (unit: rpm) of the rotor 120 and an elapsed time display unit 502 ( A unit: hour, minute), a chamber temperature display unit 503 (unit: ° C.), and a chamber vacuum degree display unit 504 (unit: Pa) are provided.

  Each display unit of the rotation speed display unit 501, the elapsed time display unit 502, and the chamber temperature display unit 503 is provided with a region for displaying the current state on the left side and a region for displaying the set state on the right side. At the center of the display screen 500, a trend display unit 505 is provided for displaying changes in the rotational speed and temperature of the rotor 120 in correspondence with the passage of time. FIG. 9 shows an example in which a graph with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing rotor rotation speed (SPEED [rpm]) and rotor temperature (TEMP [Deg. C]) is displayed. 506 and the rotor temperature 507 are displayed so as to increase according to the progress.

  In the area on the right side of the trend display section 505, a precipitation status display column 510 is provided. Here, a sample processing amount 511, an estimated precipitation capacity 512, and an estimated precipitation mass 513 are displayed. The sample processing amount 511 corresponds to the sample processing amount 802 in FIG. 8 and is displayed by the mass of how much sample is injected into the rotor 120 from the state where the rotor 120 is filled (absolutely). display). The estimated sedimentation capacity 512 corresponds to the rotor volume ratio 805 in FIG. 8, and it can be understood from FIG. 8 that the rotor volume ratio 805 when the sample throughput 802 is 240 kg is 20.0%. The estimated precipitation mass 513 is the value of the precipitation mass 803 in FIG. 8, and it can be understood from FIG. 8 that the precipitation mass 803 when the sample throughput 802 is 240 kg is 2400 g. Here, “Estimated” is added at the beginning of the display of the estimated precipitation capacity 512 and the estimated precipitation mass 513, but this is a theoretical value only by calculation, and is a value obtained by directly measuring the precipitate inside the rotor 120. Because there is no. If the user understands the nature of this value, “estimate” may not be added, or other display methods such as “calculated precipitation capacity” and “calculated precipitation mass” may be used.

  The display contents of the trend display unit 505 and the manner of the table are arbitrary, and various modifications are possible. For example, for a user who understands that the sedimentable capacity of the rotor 120 is 60% of the rotor volume ratio 805, the display method of FIG. 9 is convenient, but for users who do not know 60% is the upper limit. Referring to the display example of FIG. 9, there is a possibility that the sedimentation capacity may be misunderstood that 80% is possible. In such a case, the range of 0 to 60% of the rotor volume ratio of the rotor 120 is replaced with 100% display, and what percentage of precipitation is possible for the user up to the allowable upper limit of precipitation, The ratio may be displayed in%. In this case, since the estimated precipitation capacity is 20% of the upper limit of 60%, that is, 33.3%, the display of FIG. 9 may be displayed as 33%. Similarly, the precipitation mass 803 may not be displayed as a mass, but may be displayed as a percentage with respect to the upper limit value of 10000 g, that is, “estimated precipitation mass 24%”. By displaying the percentage in this way, the user can easily identify that there is a surplus of 76% up to the upper limit mass.

  In the area below the trend display section 505 in FIG. 9, a message display section 520 for displaying a message to be transmitted to the user, and an alarm display for displaying a warning to the operator when some abnormality occurs. A part 521 is provided. On the right side of the alarm display portion 521, a vacuum button 530 for driving or stopping a vacuum pump (not shown) for depressurizing the inside of the chamber 101, a start button 540 for instructing start of a centrifugal separation operation, and centrifugation A stop button 550 is provided for stopping the rotating rotor 120 during operation. Here, the buttons 530 to 550 are displayed in an icon form in a touch panel type liquid crystal display device.

  Returning again to the flowchart of FIG. The control device determines whether or not the precipitation amount calculated in step 404 has reached a limit value (step 406). According to the example shown in FIG. 8, the limit value here is 60% in terms of the rotor volume ratio, and the precipitation mass limit value is 10,000 g. If the amount of precipitation has not reached the limit value in step 406, the process proceeds to step 407, where it is determined whether the supply of all the samples to be injected has been completed. Then, the process proceeds to step 409 (step 407). When the precipitation amount reaches the limit value in step 406, an alarm sound is generated and a message indicating that the precipitation amount limit value has been reached is displayed on the display screen 500 (step 408). FIG. 10 shows a screen example at this time.

  In FIG. 10, a pop-up window 560 is displayed near the center of the screen. “The liquid delivery pump was stopped because the precipitation mass reached the limit value (60% of the rotor capacity). Pressing the STOP button stopped the operation. And an OK icon 561 for prompting confirmation by the user. When the user presses the OK icon, the pop-up window 560 disappears, and the user ends the centrifugal separation operation by pressing the STOP button. If the user does not press the OK icon, the pop-up window is kept displayed. However, when a predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step 409 and the subsequent processing is executed.

  In step 409, the arithmetic unit stops the injection of the sample into the rotor 120 by stopping the operation of the liquid feeding pump 173, and along the process shown in FIG. Processes 305 and 306 are executed. Next, the arithmetic unit determines whether or not the rotation of the rotor 120 has stopped, and if not, waits until it stops (step 410). When the rotation of the rotor is stopped in step 410, a message indicating that the operation is completed is displayed on the display screen 500 as shown in FIG. At this time, the amount of the processed sample (sample processing amount), the estimated precipitation capacity, and the estimated precipitation mass are also displayed together, and the process is terminated (step 411). FIG. 11 is a screen display example of a message indicating that the operation has ended. Here, a pop-up window 570 is displayed near the center of the screen, and a message “Operation has been completed. Sample throughput is 720 kg. Estimated sediment capacity is 60%. Estimated sediment mass is 7200 g.” Is displayed. An OK icon 571 for prompting confirmation by the user is displayed. When the user presses the OK icon, the pop-up window 570 disappears and the original screen display is restored.

  The display screens shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 described above are examples, and various operation screens can be displayed on the operation panel 205. For example, how many deposits are accumulated by lighting the segments according to the progress of precipitation using segments in which the estimated precipitation capacity 512 and the estimated precipitation mass 513 are divided into a plurality of stages (for example, six stages). May be displayed visually and in an easily understandable manner. 9 to 11 show a monochrome screen. However, if gray scale display or color display is actually performed, an easy-to-use operation panel 205 with excellent visibility can be realized. Furthermore, an acoustic device such as a speaker or a buzzer is provided in the control unit 200 so that a touch sound is generated in accordance with the operation of the operation panel 205, and an alarm sound or a voice message is output when a message is displayed on the screen. May be.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the Example, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned Example, A various change is possible within the range which does not deviate from the meaning. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the sample is put into the rotor 120 from the lower connection pipe 172 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the liquid feed pump 173 is provided on the upper connection pipe 182 side to The present invention can be similarly applied to a configuration in which the supernatant is collected from the lower connection pipe 172 by being put into the rotor 120 from the pipe 182 side. In that case, the liquid feed pump 173 is provided in the path of the upper connection pipe 182, the sample tank 171 is connected to the upper connection pipe 182, and the supernatant collection tank 181 is connected to the lower connection pipe 172. What is necessary is just to arrange | position a mass flowmeter in.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Continuous centrifuge 50 Wiring and piping group 100 Centrifugal part 101 Chamber 110 Base 111, 112 Bolt 120 Rotor 121 Rotor body 122 Lower rotor cover 123 Upper rotor cover 125 Core 125A Trunk part 125B Wing part 126 Compartment 127 Precipitate 130 Drive Portion 131 Upper shaft 132 Nut 140 Lower rotation support 141 Lower shaft 142 Nut 160 Lift 161 Arm 171 Sample tank 172 Lower connection pipe 173 Liquid feed pump 175 Mass flow meter 181 Supernatant recovery tank 182 Upper connection pipe 185 Mass flow meter 200 Control unit 205 Operation panel 500 Display screen 501 Rotational speed display unit 502 Elapsed time display unit 503 Chamber temperature display unit 504 Chamber vacuum degree display unit 505 Trend display unit 06 Rotational speed 507 Temperature 510 Precipitation status display field 511 Sample processing amount 512 Estimated precipitation capacity 513 Estimated precipitation mass 520 Message display part 521 Alarm display part 530 Vacuum button 540 Start button 550 Stop button 560, 570 Pop-up window 561, 571 Icon 802 Sample Throughput 803 Precipitation mass 805 Rotor volume ratio

Claims (11)

A rotor for separating the sample, a drive unit for rotating the rotor, a supply line for continuously supplying the sample to the rotor, a discharge line for continuously discharging the sample from the rotor, and the supply line In a centrifuge having a sample supply means for sending the sample to
A mass flow meter is provided in the path of the supply line and the discharge line,
The centrifuge characterized by calculating the amount of sediment deposited in the rotor by subtracting the value of the mass flow meter on the supply line side from the value of the mass flow meter on the discharge line side.   The centrifuge according to claim 1, wherein the sedimentation amount is an estimated volume or / and an estimated mass of the sediment precipitated on the rotor. A display unit is provided to display the driving status.
The centrifuge according to claim 2, wherein the estimated capacity or / and the estimated mass are displayed on the display unit during a centrifugal separation operation.   The centrifuge according to claim 3, wherein the estimated capacity and the estimated mass displayed on the display unit are displayed as absolute values or expressed as a percentage with respect to a settling allowable upper limit value.   When the estimated capacity or estimated mass of the sediment deposited on the rotor reaches the set upper limit value during the centrifugal operation, the process proceeds to the centrifugal operation stop process by stopping the sample supply means. The centrifuge according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that.   The display unit displays an alarm indicating that the sample supply to the rotor is stopped when the precipitate reaches an upper limit value and shifts to a centrifuge operation stop process. The centrifuge according to any one of 3 to 5.   The centrifuge according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein when the centrifuge operation stop process is completed, the amount of the sample injected into the rotor is displayed on the display unit as a processing amount.   The centrifuge according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the mass flow meter is a Coriolis type mass flow meter. A rotor for separating the sample, a drive unit for rotating the rotor, a supply line for continuously supplying the sample to the rotor, a discharge line for continuously discharging the sample from the rotor, and the supply line In the centrifuge provided with the sample supply means for sending the sample to the display and the display unit for displaying the operation status,
The measuring device is provided to measure and supply either the amount of the sample supplied from the supply line to the rotor by the sample supply means or the amount of the sample discharged from the rotor to the discharge line. Find the integrated value of the sample,
The centrifuge characterized by displaying the integrated value on the display unit as a centrifugally processed amount when the rotor is stopped after completion of the centrifugal separation operation.   The centrifuge according to claim 9, wherein an estimated capacity or / and an estimated mass of the sediment precipitated on the rotor is displayed on the display unit together with the processing amount. The rotor is provided with two rotating shafts connected vertically in the axial direction and having a through hole inside. The sample is supplied into the rotor from one of the through holes communicating with the rotating shaft, and the rotor from the other The centrifuge according to claim 1 or 9, wherein the sample inside is discharged.

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