JP2017087105A - Aerosol generating device and aerosol generating method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an aerosol generating device that continuously and stably generates uniform aerosol while easily responding to a request for increasing the amount of aerosol being generated.SOLUTION: An aerosol generating device includes: a container having an opening and being loaded with compressed powders; pressing means for gradually pressing the compressed powders toward the opening; a mixing chamber forming a sealed space around the opening; a gas introduction part for introducing a gas into the mixing chamber; a protecting and shaving means for making powders by shaving the compressed powders by relatively performing a rotational motion in parallel or nearly in parallel with the end surface of the compressed powders or a linear motion to the compressed powders while pressing the end surface of the compressed powders pressed by the pressing means and being protected from a gas flow; and an aerosol deriving part for directing aerosol formed by mixing the powders with the gas in the mixing chamber to a supply destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for artificially generating an aerosol in which powder is dispersed in a gas. More specifically, the present invention relates to the field of using powders such as aerosol behavior evaluation, generation of aerosols containing reference particles for filter performance evaluation, powder transport and thermal spraying, and aerosol deposition methods. The present invention relates to an aerosol generation apparatus and an aerosol generation method suitable for use in film formation techniques such as (AD method).

  As an apparatus for artificially generating an aerosol in which powder is dispersed in a gas, for example, an aerosol generating apparatus shown in FIG. 9 is known. The aerosol generator includes a cylinder 102 having an extrusion port 102a for a cylindrical compressed powder 101 loaded therein, a piston 103 for gradually extruding the compressed powder 101 from the extrusion port 102a, and an inner periphery of the extrusion port 102. A casing 104 having a space and a rotating brush 106 that scrapes off an end surface of the compressed powder 101 extruded from the extrusion port 102a are provided. The rotating brush 106 is housed in a guide 110 having an upper opening 110a and a lower opening 110b. The powder scraped off by the rotating brush 106 is conveyed to the upper opening 110a of the guide 110 along with the rotation of the rotating brush 106, and mixed with the air introduced from the air introducing portion 107a of the air circulation pipe 107 to become an aerosol. Derived from the aerosol deriving unit 107b (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

Tokyo Direc Co., Ltd., "Powder Dispersion Generator RBG 1000/2000 Aerosol Generator (Drying Dispersion Type)", [online], [Searched on September 24, 2015], Internet <URL: http: //www.t-dylec .net / products / pdf / palas_rbg1000_2000.pdf>

  However, in the aerosol generation device of Non-Patent Document 1, the rotating brush 106 rotates about a rotating shaft 106a perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis of the cylindrical compressed powder 101. Therefore, in order to scrape the entire end face of the compressed powder 101 satisfactorily, the diameter of the rotary brush 106 must be relatively larger than the diameter of the end face of the compressed powder 101. Therefore, when an increase in the amount of aerosol generated is required, if an attempt is made to increase the capacity of the cylinder 102 so that a compressed powder 101 having a larger diameter can be used, the diameter of the rotating brush 106 is considerably increased accordingly. Must be big. That is, the aerosol generating device of Non-Patent Document 1 has a problem that the size of the device has to be increased as a whole in response to a request for an increase in the amount of generated aerosol. Due to such problems, the aerosol generation device of Non-Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is difficult to meet the demand for an increase in the amount of aerosol generation.

  Further, in addition to the fact that the compressed powder 101 is brittle and easily collapses, in the aerosol generator of Non-Patent Document 1, there are many portions where the compressed powder 101 is exposed without being protected by the cylinder 102. Therefore, when the compressed powder 101 is scraped off with the rotating brush 106, it may be easily broken, and part of the powder may be subjected to aerosolization in a lump state, which may cause unevenness in the aerosol. In addition, the powder scraped off in a part of the gap of the brush structure of the rotating brush 106 may be clogged and aggregated, or conversely, there may be almost no powder. In such a case, the agglomerated powder is discharged from the gap of the brush structure in the upper opening 110a of the guide 110 to be used for aerosolization, or almost no powder is discharged from the gap of the brush structure to generate aerosol. May not be possible. This also causes unevenness in the aerosol.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an aerosol generation apparatus and an aerosol generation method capable of continuously generating a uniform aerosol while being easy to meet the demand for an increase in the amount of aerosol generation. To do.

  In order to solve such a problem, an aerosol generation device of the present invention includes a container having an opening and loaded with compressed powder, pressing means for gradually pressing the compressed powder toward the opening, A mixing chamber that forms a sealed space around it, a gas introduction part that introduces gas into the mixing chamber, and an end face of the compressed powder pressed by the pressing means to protect it from the gas flow while protecting the end face of the compressed powder Protective / shaving means for generating powder by scraping the compressed powder by performing a parallel or substantially parallel rotational motion or linear motion relative to the compressed powder, and the powder is gas in the mixing chamber. And an aerosol deriving unit for deriving the aerosol generated by mixing to the supply destination.

  In addition, in order to solve such a problem, the aerosol generation method of the present invention is such that a compressed powder is loaded into a container having an opening, the compressed powder is gradually pressed toward the opening, and a sealed space is formed around the opening. A gas is introduced into the mixing chamber forming the gas, and the rotational surface or linear motion is parallel or substantially parallel to the end surface of the compressed powder while protecting the end surface of the compressed powder pressed by the pressing means and protecting it from the gas flow. By performing relative to the compressed powder, the compressed powder is scraped to generate powder, and the aerosol generated by mixing the powder with gas in the mixing chamber is led to the supply destination. .

  According to the present invention, a rotary motion or a linear motion parallel or substantially parallel to the end surface of the compressed powder is applied to the compressed powder while protecting the end surface of the compressed powder from the gas flow introduced into the mixing chamber. Since the compressed powder is scraped off relatively, the protective / scraping means may be approximately the same size as or slightly larger than the end face of the compressed powder, or gas. The protective / shaving means may be slightly smaller than the end face of the compressed powder as long as it can be protected from the flow. Therefore, even if the capacity of the container for loading the compressed powder is increased in response to the demand for an increase in the amount of aerosol generated, the entire apparatus can be made compact. In other words, it is possible to meet the demand for an increase in the amount of aerosol generated while making the entire apparatus compact.

  In addition, the rotary powder or linear motion parallel to or substantially parallel to the end face of the compressed powder is relative to the compressed powder while protecting the end face of the compressed powder from the gas flow introduced into the mixing chamber. Since the compressed powder is scraped off to generate the powder, the compressed powder is broken by the gas flow even if a gas flow occurs around the area where the compressed powder is scraped off. There is no such thing, and the fully crushed powder can be cut out. And it can be mixed with gas at the same time or immediately after cutting out the powder to produce an aerosol. Since the pulverized powder is stably supplied, uniform aerosol can be generated continuously and stably.

It is sectional drawing which shows an example of embodiment of the aerosol generator of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a protection and shaving means. It is a figure which shows the other example of a protection and a shaving means. It is a figure which shows the modification of the protection and shaving means shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the other modification of the protection and shaving means shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the further another example of a protection and a shaving means. It is a figure which shows the evaluation result of the aerosol generator of this invention. It is a figure which shows the evaluation result of the aerosol generator using a fixed-quantity powder supply apparatus and an ejector. It is a figure which shows an example of the conventional aerosol generator.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an aerosol generator according to the present invention. The aerosol generator according to this embodiment includes a container 2 having an opening 2a and loaded with a compressed powder 1, a pressing means 3 for gradually pressing the compressed powder 1 toward the opening 2a, and an opening. A mixing chamber 4 that forms a sealed space around 2a, a gas introduction portion 5 that introduces gas into the mixing chamber 4, and an end face of the compressed powder 1 pressed by the pressing means 3 are pressed to protect the gas from flowing. Protective / shaving means for scraping the compressed powder 1 to generate powder by performing a rotational motion or linear motion parallel or substantially parallel to the end face of the compressed powder 1 relative to the compressed powder 1. 6 and an aerosol deriving unit 7 for deriving an aerosol generated by mixing powder with a gas in the mixing chamber 4 to a supply destination.

  The compressed powder 1 is composed of powder as a dispersed phase that constitutes an aerosol.

  The particle size and chemical composition of the powder constituting the compressed powder 1 are appropriately selected according to the purpose of use of the aerosol. The particle size is appropriately selected from the range of submicron order to micron order, for example, as the primary particle diameter. The chemical composition is appropriately selected from, for example, inorganic components such as sulfates and nitrates, carbon components such as soot, organic substances, metals, sea salts, biological components, minerals, and the like.

  The compressed powder 1 is obtained by pressure-molding a powder. The pressure molding is performed, for example, by filling the container 2 with powder and pressing it. As a result, the powder is pressure-formed in the container 2 to form the compressed powder 1, which can be directly used for the generation of aerosol. Of course, a molded product that has been press-molded in advance with another facility in accordance with the size of the container 2 may be loaded into the container 2. Also, a spare container 2 is prepared, and using this, powder is packed in advance in another facility and pressed, or a molded product that has been press-formed in advance in another facility is loaded into the spare container 2. Therefore, it is possible to adopt a cartridge conversion method. Any of these forms is included in the loading of the compressed powder 1 into the container 2 in the present invention.

  In this embodiment, the container 2 is, for example, a cylinder, but is limited to a cylindrical shape such as a cylinder as long as the loaded compressed powder 1 can be pressed toward the opening 2a. Not. For example, the inner peripheral surface shape may be a circle or a polygon such as a rectangle. The outer contour shape does not necessarily correspond to the inner peripheral surface shape, and the shape is not particularly limited. The inner surface of the container 2 is preferably mirror-finished by a smoothing process such as buffing, for example, to reduce friction with the compressed powder 1 and to be easily pressed toward the opening 2a.

  In the present embodiment, the pressing means 3 gradually pushes the compressed powder 1 toward the opening 2a by driving a motor. Specifically, the rotational force of the electronic motor 30 is transmitted to the rod 33 fixed to the piston 32 via the gear box 31, and the surface opposite to the surface on the opening 2 a side of the compressed powder 1 by the piston 32. The whole is pushed and gradually pushed out toward the opening 2a and pushed toward the protection / shaving member 6. However, the pressing means 3 is not limited to such a form, and can be reciprocated in the container 2, and the compressed powder 1 is pressed by pressing the surface opposite to the surface on the opening 2a side. Any means capable of gradually moving 1 toward the opening 2a may be used.

  The mixing chamber 4 has a structure that forms a sealed space around the opening 2 a of the container 2. The mixing chamber 4 is provided with a gas inlet 5 and an aerosol outlet 7. A gas as a dispersion medium constituting the aerosol is introduced from the gas introduction unit 5 into the mixing chamber 4, and a gas flow is formed at or near the location where the powder is scraped, and is compressed by the protection / shaving means 6. At the same time or immediately after the powder is cut out from the powder 1, it is mixed with gas to form an aerosol. This aerosol is led out from the aerosol lead-out unit 7 to the supply destination.

  The shape of the mixing chamber 4 is, for example, a cylindrical shape, but is not limited to such a shape. For example, the inner peripheral surface shape may be a circle or a polygon such as a rectangle. The outer contour shape does not necessarily correspond to the inner peripheral surface shape, and the shape is not particularly limited.

  The gas introduced into the mixing chamber 4 from the gas introduction part 5 is appropriately selected according to the purpose of use of the aerosol. Examples thereof include dry air, oxygen, nitrogen, helium and argon, and a mixture of two or more of these gases, but are not necessarily limited to these gases. The flow rate of the gas introduced from the gas introduction unit 5 into the mixing chamber 4 is appropriately selected from a range at least equal to the flow rate at which aerosol can be generated. An example is 20 m / sec (flow rate: 600 L / min) to 100 m / sec (flow rate: 3000 L / min), but is not limited to this range.

  The protection / shaving means 6 is a rotational movement or straight line parallel or substantially parallel to the end surface of the compressed powder 1 while pressing the end surface of the compressed powder 1 pressed toward the opening 2a to protect it from the gas flow. By performing the movement relative to the compressed powder 1, the compressed powder 1 is scraped to generate powder. Thereby, even if a gas flow is introduced around the part where the powder is scraped off, the compressed powder 1 is not broken by this gas flow, and the sufficiently crushed powder can be scraped off.

  The protective / shaving means 6 is roughly composed of a protective member 6a that protects the gas powder by pressing the end surface of the compressed powder 1 pressed toward the opening 2a, and a shaving portion 6b that scrapes the compressed powder 1. Composed.

  In the aerosol generating apparatus shown in FIG. 1, protection is performed in a state where the end face of the compressed powder 1 is pushed out from the opening 2a by the pressing means 3 (that is, the side surface of the compressed powder 1 is slightly exposed from the opening 2a). -The shaving means 6 is used for scraping. In this case, the shape and size of the protective member 6a are determined in consideration of the shape and size of the end face (cross section) of the compressed powder 1 and the movement of the protection / shaving means 6 when the compressed powder 1 is scraped. It is determined as appropriate so as to be protected from the flow of gas introduced into the mixing chamber 4 when the body 1 is scraped off. For example, as in the present embodiment, when the compressed powder 1 is cylindrical and the end surface (cross section) of the compressed powder 1 is circular, when the compressed powder 1 is scraped off by rotational movement, the protective member 6a. The pressing means is formed into a disk shape having substantially the same diameter as the circular shape of the end surface of the compressed powder 1 or a disk shape having a slightly larger or smaller diameter than the circular shape of the end surface of the compressed powder 1. The end face of the compressed powder 1 pressed against the opening 2 a by 3 is protected from the flow of gas introduced into the mixing chamber 4 when the compressed powder 1 is scraped off. When the compressed powder 1 is scraped off by a linear motion (reciprocating linear motion) in a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction of the compressed powder 1, the shape of the protective member 6a covers the circular shape of the end surface of the compressed powder 1, and The compressed powder pressed toward the opening 2a by the pressing means 3 by making it a rectangular shape or the like that secures the length in the moving direction so that the end face of the compressed powder 1 is not greatly exposed during the reciprocating linear motion. The end surface of the body 1 is protected from the flow of gas introduced into the mixing chamber 4 when the compressed powder 1 is scraped off. However, these forms are merely examples, and are not necessarily limited to these forms.

  Here, the end surface of the compressed powder 1 may be scraped off by the protection / shaving means 6 without pushing the end surface of the compressed powder 1 out of the opening 2a. For example, the end face of the compressed powder 1 may be scraped off in a state where it is buried inside the container 2 with respect to the opening 2a. Alternatively, the end surface of the compressed powder 1 is substantially flat with the opening 2a (that is, the end surface of the compressed powder 1 is not pushed out from the opening 2a toward the outside of the container 2 and from the opening 2a. Also, it may be scraped off in a state where it is not buried inside the container 2. In these cases, the shape and size of the protective member 6a are determined in consideration of the shape and size of the inner periphery of the container 2 and the movement of the protection / shaving means 6 when the compressed powder 1 is scraped. It is determined appropriately so as to be protected from the flow of gas introduced into the mixing chamber 4 when scraping, and not to contact the container 2 when scraping the compressed powder 1. For example, when the container 2 is a cylinder as in this embodiment, when the compressed powder 1 is scraped off by a rotational motion, the shape and size of the protective member 6a is slightly smaller than the inner peripheral diameter of the container 2. It may be a disk shape having However, this form is an illustration to the last, and is not necessarily limited to these forms.

  The shaving portion 6b scrapes the compressed powder 1 by performing a rotational motion or linear motion on the compressed powder 1 in parallel or substantially parallel to the end face of the compressed powder 1 pressed toward the opening 2a. As long as it can be used, the shape and form are not particularly limited.

  For example, as the shaving portion 6, a compressed powder can be obtained simply by providing a slit linearly or curved in the radial direction, or by providing a step or the like on the back surface (contact surface with the end surface of the compressed powder 1) of the protective member 6 a. 1 can be scraped off by line contact. The size (height) of the step may be at least about the same as the particle size of the powder composing the compressed powder 1 (primary particle size). Regarding the position of the step, for example, when the protective member 6a is disk-shaped and the compressed powder 1 is scraped off by a rotational movement, the step is provided from the center of the back surface of the protective member 6a toward the radially outer side. Good. When the protective powder 6a is rectangular or the like and the compressed powder 1 is scraped off by linear motion, a step may be provided across the linear motion direction. Further, the step is not limited to a continuous straight line and may be discontinuous. Further, the shape of the step may be curved instead of linear. A plurality of steps may be provided.

  In the case where the end surface of the compressed powder 1 is pushed out from the opening 2a by the pressing means 3 and scraped off by the protection / shaving means 6, the scraped powder is between the opening 2a of the container 2 and the back surface of the protection member 6a. It is discharged from the gap. When the size of the protective member 6a is slightly smaller than the end surface of the compressed powder 1, the protective member 6a is also discharged from the peripheral portion of the protective member 6a. When the end surface of the compressed powder 1 is buried in the inner side of the container 2 relative to the opening 2a, or when the end surface of the compressed powder 1 is substantially flat with the opening 2a, it is scraped off. The powder thus discharged is discharged from the gap between the inner periphery of the container 2 and the outer periphery of the protective member 6a. Note that one or a plurality of powder discharge holes and slits may be provided in the protective member 6a within a range that does not hinder the protection of the end face of the compressed powder 1 from the gas flow. In this case, the scraped powder is discharged also from the powder discharge hole and the slit.

  Here, it is good also as what roughened the back surface (contact surface with the end surface of the compressed powder 1) of the protection member 6a as the cutting part 6. FIG. In this case, the compressed powder 1 can be scraped off by surface contact. In the same manner as above, the scraped powder is from the gap between the opening 2a of the container 2 and the back surface of the protective member 6a (when the size of the protective member 6a is slightly smaller than the end surface of the compressed powder 1). (From the peripheral edge of the protective member 6a) or from the gap between the inner periphery of the container 2 and the outer periphery of the protective member 6a. In this case as well, one or more powder discharge holes may be provided in the protective member 6a as long as the protection from the gas flow on the end face of the compressed powder 1 is not hindered. As a result, the scraped powder is also discharged from the powder discharge hole. In addition, since the compressed powder 1 can be scraped off without roughening the back surface of the protective member 6a (the contact surface with the end face of the compressed powder 1), the protective member 6a may be processed without roughening in some cases. It is good also as the shaving part 6 as it is. In this case as well, one or more powder discharge holes may be provided in the protective member 6a as long as the protection from the gas flow on the end face of the compressed powder 1 is not hindered.

  In addition, by cutting the compressed powder 1 by line contact, the frictional resistance applied to the protecting / shaving means 6 can be made smaller than when the compressed powder 1 is cut by surface contact. Can be shaved. Therefore, from the viewpoint of reducing the driving force of the rotational motion or the linear motion, it is preferable to scrape the compressed powder 1 by line contact.

  The operating speed of the protection / shaving means 6 is adjusted according to the pressing speed of the compressed powder 1 by the pressing means 3. Specifically, the pressing speed of the compressed powder 1 is adjusted by the pressing means 3 in accordance with the amount of powder to be generated per unit time (in other words, the amount of powder to be subjected to aerosolization per unit time). The Then, according to the pressing speed of the compressed powder 1 by the pressing means 3, the compressed powder 1 is pressed at the timing when the compressed powder 1 is pressed by the particle size of the powder (primary particles) constituting the compressed powder 1. The operating speed of the protection / shaving means 6 is adjusted so as to be scraped off by the protection / shaving means 6.

  If the operating speed of the protection / shaving means 6 is too slow, the frictional resistance when scraping the compressed powder 1 may increase and stop. Further, the compressed powder 1 may partially collapse, and the powder may be discharged in a lump state. Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the operating speed of the protection / shaving means 6 within a range in which the frictional resistance at the time of scraping the compressed powder 1 does not stop and the compressed powder 1 does not break down. . The pressing speed of the compressed powder 1 by the pressing means 3 is preferably adjusted so that the operating speed of the protection / shaving means 6 can be adjusted within this range.

  Here, FIG. 2 to FIG. 6 illustrate the configuration of the protection / shaving means 6 in the case where the compressed powder 1 has a cylindrical shape and the end surface is scraped off by rotating the compressed powder 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the protection / shaving means 6 shown in FIG. 2 has a protection member 6a in a disc shape, and has a slit 6b as a shaving portion from the center of the disc toward the outer periphery. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, the slit 6b is inclined so that one end 6b 'side protrudes slightly below the back surface of the disk-shaped protective member 6a. A rotation shaft 6x is provided at the center of the disk-shaped protection member 6a, and the protection member 6a rotates around the rotation shaft 6x by rotation of the motor 10 or the like. With this configuration, when the disk-shaped protection member 6a is rotated around the rotation shaft 6x so that one end 6b ′ of the slit 6b follows the other end 6b ″ (in FIG. (Clockwise rotation), the compressed powder 1 is scraped off at one end 6b ′ side of the slit 6b and discharged from the slit 6b. That is, in the protection / shaving means 6 shown in FIG. 2, the one end 6b 'side of the slit 6b functions as a blade, and the entire slit 6b functions like a ridge.

  Here, the number of the slits 6b is not limited to the one provided as illustrated, and a plurality of slits 6b may be provided. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable to provide the plurality of slits 6b at substantially equal intervals in the outer peripheral direction in parallel with the normal direction while being shifted from the central axis. Thereby, the whole end surface including the center part of the end surface of the compressed powder 1 pressed toward the opening 2a can be easily scraped off.

  Further, the shaving portion 6b may have a notch structure instead of a slit structure. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a triangular cutout extending from the central axis of the disk toward the outer peripheral side is formed, and one end 6 b ′ of the cutout protrudes downward from the back surface of the disk-shaped protection member 6 a. Tilt it. With this configuration, when the disk-shaped protection member 6a is rotated around the rotation axis 6x so that one end 6b ′ of the notch 6b follows the other end 6b ″ (in FIG. (Clockwise rotation), the compressed powder 1 is scraped off at one end 6b ′ side of the notch 6b and discharged from the notch 6b.

  In the protection / shaving means 6 shown in FIG. 5, the protection member 6a is formed in a disk shape, and an S-shaped protrusion 6b is provided as a shaving part on the back surface thereof. Specifically, two sets of S-shaped projections 6b intersecting at the center of rotation are arranged at equal intervals. The disk-shaped protective member 6a is provided with a plurality of powder discharge holes 6d. Therefore, by rotating the disk-shaped protection member 6a around the rotation axis 6x in the bending direction of the end of the S-shaped protrusion 6b (clockwise rotation in FIG. 5), the S-shaped protrusion 6b. The powder scraped off at the end of the plate moves sequentially toward the depression of the S-shaped projection 6b and is discharged from a plurality of discharge holes 6d provided in the disk-shaped protection member 6a. In this case, if only the outer side of the end face of the compressed powder 1 is disturbed by the S-shaped protrusion 6b, the powder sequentially moves toward the depression of the S-shaped protrusion 6b, so that it is difficult to apply frictional resistance. There is an advantage that the driving force for rotation of the protection / shaving means 6 can be made smaller.

  The protection / shaving means 6 shown in FIG. 6 assumes that the protection member 6a has a disk shape, and the back surface thereof is roughened to function as the shaving portion 6b. A rotation shaft 6x is provided at the center of the disk-shaped protection member 6a, and the protection member 6a rotates around the rotation shaft 6x by rotation of the motor 10 or the like. Thus, the back surface as the shaving portion 6b is brought into surface contact with the end surface of the compressed powder 1 in a state where the end surface of the compressed powder 1 pressed toward the opening 2a is pressed and protected by the protective member 6a. Can be scraped off. The powder scraped off from the compressed powder 1 is similar to the above from the gap between the opening 2a of the container 2 and the back surface of the protective member 6a (the size of the protective member 6a is slightly smaller than the end surface of the compressed powder 1). If it is small, it is discharged from the periphery of the protective member 6a) or from the gap between the inner periphery of the container 2 and the outer periphery of the protective member 6a.

  According to the aerosol generating apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, the powder cut out by the protection / shaving means 6 is sufficiently crushed. In detail, it is crushed substantially to the primary particle level. Moreover, the end face of the compressed powder 1 pressed toward the opening 2a is protected from the flow of gas introduced from the gas introduction part 5 into the mixing chamber 4 by the protection / shaving means 6, so that this gas flow Therefore, the compressed powder 1 is not broken. Then, the powder cut out by the protection / shaving means 6 is stirred by the gas introduced into the mixing chamber 4 from the gas introduction part 5 at the same time or immediately after being cut out and mixed with the gas, and the aerosol is collected. Therefore, a situation in which the scraped powder agglomerates again is unlikely to occur. Moreover, the sufficiently crushed powder is stably supplied. Therefore, it becomes possible to generate a uniform aerosol continuously and stably. The aerosol generated in the mixing chamber 4 is supplied from the aerosol outlet 7 to a desired supply destination.

  Further, according to the aerosol generating apparatus of the present invention, the protective / shaving means 6 can be approximately the same size as the end face of the compressed powder, or can be slightly larger or smaller. Therefore, even if the capacity of the container for loading the compressed powder is increased in response to the demand for an increase in the amount of aerosol generated, the overall apparatus can be made compact, as in the conventional aerosol generator. In addition, the entire apparatus is not increased in size. Therefore, it is possible to meet the demand for an increase in the amount of aerosol generated while making the entire apparatus compact.

  In addition, the aerosol generator of the present invention has an excellent advantage that it is easy to form a uniform aerosol without agglomerating easily chargeable powder material. For example, in the case of the above-described conventional technology using a rotating brush, the powder may be charged and agglomerated by friction with the brush. In a fine structure such as a brush, such a phenomenon is likely to occur because the powder is scraped off in the form of point contact or close to it. On the other hand, in the aerosol generating apparatus of the present invention, a fine structure such as a brush is not used, and the powder is difficult to be charged because it is cut by surface contact or line contact. If the container 2 and the protective / shaving means 6 are made of a conductive material such as metal (for example, stainless steel), even if the powder is charged, the charged powder is discharged by the charge removing effect of the conductive material. can do. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the effect of making a uniform aerosol without aggregating the easily chargeable powder material.

  The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, only one container 2 is provided for one mixing chamber 4. However, a plurality of containers 2 are provided for one mixing chamber 4 to protect each one. A shaving means 6 may be provided. In this case, by sequentially switching the containers 2 to be used according to the consumption state of the compressed powder 1, it is possible to generate a uniform and stable aerosol continuously for a long time. Further, it is possible to generate an aerosol having a higher dispersed phase concentration by simultaneously extruding the compressed powder 1 from a plurality of containers 2 and scraping the compressed powder 1 by the protection / shaving means 6.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

<Example 1>
An aerosol generation test was performed using the aerosol generator of the present invention shown in FIG. The capacity of the cylinder 2 was 2010 cm ³ and the diameter of the piston 32 was 80 mm. The protection / shaving means 6 is as shown in FIG.

The powder material constituting the compressed powder 1 was barium sulfate (precipitated barium sulfate, BaSO ₄ powder, Sakai Chemical Industry). This barium sulfate has an average particle size (primary particle size) of 0.7 microns.

  The pressing speed of the compressed powder 1 by the piston 32 was about 1 mm per minute. The rotation speed of the protection / shaving means 6 was 100 revolutions per minute. The compressed powder 1 was scraped off by the protection / shaving means 6 in a state of being exposed about 5 mm from the opening 2a.

The flow rate of air (dry air) to the mixing chamber 4 was 600 L / min. The diameter of the air introduction pipe was 1 inch (about 25 mm) (channel cross-sectional area: 490 mm ² ).

  FIG. 7 shows the results of measuring the time-dependent change in the aerosol concentration (dispersed phase concentration in the aerosol) with an aerosol spectrometer (Welas 2000 manufactured by Paras). From the results shown in FIG. 7, it was revealed that the aerosol can be continuously and stably supplied at a constant dispersed phase concentration over a long period of about 76 minutes.

<Comparative Example 1>
A comparative test with respect to Example 1 was performed by using an air ejector to generate an aerosol by quantitatively supplying powder using a hopper to a negative pressure portion formed by the air ejector. The results are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, in the aerosol generation method as in Comparative Example 1, the aerosol concentration (dispersed phase concentration in the aerosol) was not stable, and it was difficult to supply the aerosol continuously and stably. This is because the powder could not be stably and quantitatively supplied due to bridging in the hopper.

  In the system using the air ejector as in Comparative Example 1, the environment in which the aerosol is generated is required to be atmospheric pressure. This is because if the environment in which the aerosol is generated becomes higher than atmospheric pressure, air flows into the negative pressure portion formed by the air ejector, making it impossible to supply powder. On the other hand, in the aerosol generator of the present invention, since a mechanism such as an air ejector is not used, the aerosol is generated even if the environment for generating the aerosol is higher than atmospheric pressure (for example, 1 MPa or more). It can be generated continuously and stably.

  The present invention can be used to generate aerosols containing reference particles for evaluation of aerosol behavior and for evaluation of filter performance such as hepa filters.

  The present invention can also be used as a means for carrying powder. For example, it can be used for conveying grain powder such as wheat flour and conveying pulverized coal to a furnace.

  Furthermore, the present invention can be used as a means for spraying a powder material onto a substrate when spraying.

In addition, the present invention can be used as an aerosol generating means in film forming techniques such as an aerosol deposition method (AD method) for forming a brittle material on a substrate at room temperature.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Compressed powder 2 Container 2a Opening part 3 Pressing means 4 Mixing chamber 5 Gas introduction part 6 Protection and shaving means 7 Aerosol discharge part

Claims (2)

A container having an opening and loaded with compressed powder;
Pressing means for gradually pressing the compressed powder toward the opening;
A mixing chamber forming a sealed space around the opening;
A gas introduction part for introducing gas into the mixing chamber;
While pressing the end face of the compressed powder pressed by the pressing means and protecting it from the gas flow, rotational or linear motion parallel or substantially parallel to the end face of the compressed powder is applied to the compressed powder. A protective / shaving means for scraping the compressed powder to generate powder by relatively performing,
An aerosol generating apparatus comprising: an aerosol deriving unit for deriving an aerosol generated by mixing the powder with the gas in the mixing chamber to a supply destination. Loading a container with an opening with compressed powder,
Gradually press the compressed powder toward the opening,
Introducing gas into the mixing chamber forming a sealed space around the opening;
While pressing the end face of the compressed powder pressed by the pressing means and protecting it from the gas flow, a rotational motion or linear motion parallel or substantially parallel to the end face of the compressed powder is applied to the compressed powder. Relatively scraping the compressed powder to generate a powder,
An aerosol generation method, wherein an aerosol generated by mixing the powder with the gas in the mixing chamber is led to a supply destination.