JP2020081986A - Liquid mixer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a liquid mixer which provides homogeneous and stable emulsion without using a surface-active agent.SOLUTION: A liquid mixer 10 includes a cylindrical first mixing chamber 111 which surrounds a first center shaft 112 and an injection part 120 which injects gas and mixed liquid including at least two kinds of liquid to the first mixing chamber. The injection part includes a cylindrical second mixing chamber 121 which surrounds a second center shaft 1200, a gas injection nozzle 122 which is connected to the second mixing chamber on the second center shaft and injects gas to the second mixing chamber along the second center shaft, at least one first mixed liquid injection nozzle 123 which is connected to the second mixing chamber on a cross-section orthogonal to the second center shaft and injects mixed liquid to the second mixing chamber along an inclination direction which intersects a radiation direction of the second center shaft and a second mixing liquid injection nozzle 125 which connects the second mixing chamber and the first mixing chamber and injects mixture of gas mixed in the second mixing chamber and mixed liquid to the first mixing chamber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a gas-liquid shearing type liquid mixing device for mixing a plurality of liquids (dispersoid and dispersion medium). More specifically, the present invention generates fine bubbles in a mixture of a plurality of liquids to generate a shearing force between the plurality of liquids, so that the fine bubbles can be inexpensively miniaturized to a submicron level and homogenized. Liquid mixing device capable of producing an improved emulsion.

Emulsions are familiar products such as butter, mayonnaise, milk, ice cream and other foods and drinks, creams used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, inks and paints such as acrylic paints, adhesives, photosensitive layers of photographic films, and sealants for asphalt paving. It is used in a wide variety of fields from raw materials to construction materials.

Like water and oil, one of a plurality of liquids that do not mix originally, becomes fine particles and is dispersed in the other is called emulsified, and the emulsified liquid is called emulsion. Such emulsions are roughly classified into two types. Taking familiar things as an example, an emulsion in which oil droplets are dispersed in water, such as milk and mayonnaise, is an O/W (Oil in Water) type emulsion, and conversely oil such as butter and margarine is used. An emulsion in which water droplets are dispersed is called a W/O (Water in Oil) emulsion.

Emulsification occurs when physical energies such as impact force, shearing force, or cavitation force are applied to multiple liquids that do not mix originally, but generally emulsions are in a very unstable state, and gradually separate into two layers if left unattended. Will end up. Therefore, an emulsifier is added to stabilize the emulsion. By adding an emulsifier (for example, a surfactant), it becomes possible to evenly disperse the water and the oil which are contradictory to each other, and the obtained emulsion is stabilized.

Conventionally, when an oily substance having a specific function is emulsified and dispersed in water, an emulsifier having a required HLB (Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance) value is selected according to the property of the oily substance and emulsified and dispersed. .. The required HLB value of the surfactant used as an emulsifier must be used properly for each of the case of making an O/W emulsion and the case of making a W/O emulsion. Therefore, determining the appropriate combination of surfactants is very cumbersome and requires a lot of labor. Furthermore, when many kinds of oily substances are mixed, stable emulsification is almost impossible. Further, the surfactant is not necessary for the original purpose of the solution and may interfere with the function of the solution. When used in cosmetics, the surfactant may be a stimulant to the skin. Furthermore, since surfactants have low biodegradability and cause foaming, they pose a serious problem such as environmental pollution.

Therefore, an emulsification (or emulsification) technology without adding an emulsifier has been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a fluid mixer for mixing a plurality of types of fluids, and it has been confirmed that this fluid mixer has an ability to generate an emulsion having a particle size of about 10 μm or less.

Patent Document 2 discloses that uniform dispersion, dissolution, solubilization, and emulsification of a gas in a liquid, and uniform dispersion, dissolution, solubilization, and emulsification of a liquid in a different liquid can be performed in a large volume and in a short time. It was confirmed that a processing device that can be used was disclosed, and that an emulsion fuel of light oil and water in which the milky state was maintained for about half a day was obtained.

Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for producing an emulsion fuel in which water particles are uniformly dispersed in a fuel oil component by a static mixer without the aid of a chemical action of a surfactant.

Patent Document 4 discloses a technique for providing an emulsion having excellent dispersion stability without using an emulsifier (surfactant), which is a water-in-oil type (W in oil) composed of hexadecane and water prepared by ultrasonic irradiation. /O) Addition of one of salt, hydrogen-bonding molecule, and alcohols (eg sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, urea, formamide, ethanol, glycerin) as a surface-inert substance to stabilize dispersion It has been confirmed that the effect of improving the sex is improved.

JP-A-2014-004534 Patent No. 5380545 Specification JP 2009-203323 JP JP 2016-165716 JP

The technique of Patent Document 1 is a method of mixing by a single passage of a mixed fluid like a static mixer, and the obtained emulsion is not at a sufficient level in terms of homogeneity, fineness and high-concentration emulsification.

From the results of Example 5 of Patent Document 2, it can be seen that the emulsification without gas shows better results. In other words, this technique has a problem that large bubbles enter the pump and reduce the pump efficiency, so that it is not effective in emulsification using gas.

The emulsion fuel produced by the device of Patent Document 3 has a dispersion time of about several tens of seconds, and it is not supposed to provide a stable emulsion for a long time.
Although the technique of Patent Document 4 does not use an emulsifier (surfactant), it is necessary to add one of a salt, a hydrogen-bonding molecule, and an alcohol in order to improve the dispersion stability of the emulsion.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention focuses on a gas-liquid shear type fluid mixing system of a circulating batch system, and is a fluid that can be inexpensively emulsified and dispersed without using an additive such as a surfactant. The main issue is to provide a mixing device and a homogeneous and stable emulsion.

Embodiments of the present invention include
(A) Jetting for injecting a cylindrical first mixing chamber (111) surrounding the first central axis (112) and a mixed liquid containing gas and at least two kinds of liquids into the first mixing chamber (111) Section,
(B) The injection part (120) is
A cylindrical second mixing chamber (121) surrounding the second central axis (1200),
A gas connected to the second mixing chamber (121) on the second central axis (1200) and injecting the gas into the second mixing chamber (121) along the second central axis (1200). An injection nozzle (122),
It is connected to the second mixing chamber (121) on a cross section orthogonal to the second central axis (1200), and extends along the oblique direction intersecting the radial direction of the second central axis (1200). At least one first mixture injection nozzle (123) for injecting the mixture into the mixing chamber (121);
The second mixing chamber (121) is connected to the first mixing chamber (111), and the mixture of the gas and the mixed liquid mixed in the second mixing chamber (121) is mixed with the first mixing chamber (111). ) Is equipped with a second mixture injection nozzle (125),
(C) is a gas-liquid shearing type liquid mixing device.

According to the liquid mixing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration, in the second mixing chamber, gas is injected into the second mixing chamber via the gas injection nozzle. In addition, a mixed liquid containing two kinds of liquids is jetted into the second mixing chamber from around the gas jet nozzle via the first mixed liquid jet nozzle. At this time, the injection direction of the mixed liquid is an oblique direction intersecting with the radial direction of the second central axis. Therefore, in the second mixing chamber, a vortex flow centered on the second central axis is formed by the mixed liquid injected therein, and the gas is entrained in the vortex flow to form a gas-liquid shear vortex, where The two liquids mix reasonably well. Therefore, according to the gas-liquid shearing type fluid mixing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, for example, an aqueous liquid (dispersion medium or dispersoid) and a hydrophobic liquid (dispersoid or dispersion medium) which is incompatible with the aqueous liquid. It is possible to obtain a stable emulsion of submicron level, which is composed of a mixture of liquids.

In the present invention, the aqueous liquid constituting the emulsion is selected from the group consisting of water; and a mixture of water and an organic solvent compatible with water, but water is preferable in view of the load on the human body and the environment. In the present invention, the hydrophobic liquid constituting the emulsion is, for example, but not limited to, a natural oily substance having an insect repellent or insecticidal effect, for example, allspice oil, cajeput oil, cinnamon oil, cedar oil, citronella oil, geranium oil. , Soybean oil, thyme oil, clove oil, garlic oil, basil oil, peppermint oil, verbena oil, castor oil, peppermint oil, pine resin, lavender oil, lemongrass oil, lemon eucalyptus oil, rosemary oil, etc. .. Other natural oily substances include flaxseed oil, olive oil, tung oil, sesame oil, rice bran oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, hazelnut oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil, etc. Can be mentioned.

In the emulsion of the present invention, a substance having an insect repellent or insecticidal effect derived from a natural product can be used in combination with a natural oily substance or another natural oily substance having an insect repellent or insecticidal effect, and is not limited to, for example, Pyrethroids extracted from ovules of pyrethrum, which have an insecticidal or insecticidal effect on mosquitoes, cockroaches, mites, flies; insect repellent against insects with sucking or perforating mouths such as aphids, whiteflies, leafhoppers and thrips Nicotine, which is a tobacco extract, which has an insecticidal effect; Sabadiric acid (tiglic acid) extracted from mackerel of the lily family, which acts as a contact poison and a digestive poisoning agent against insects; insecticides such as mites and fish killing Rotenone extracted from plants of the genus Roncocalps and Delis (eg, Dokufuji), which has a wide range of effects as agents and pesticides; and Neem (scientific name Azadirachta indeca ( azadirachta indica)) and the neem oil extracted from it.

Various additives can be added to the emulsion prepared according to the present invention as long as the stability of the emulsion is not adversely affected. The additive that can be used in the present invention is one selected from the group consisting of sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, chlorine, potassium, calcium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, copper, zinc, selenium, molybdenum, iodine, or the like. A plurality of essential minerals; activated carbon, silica gel, zeolite, one or more porous materials selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide (mesoporous silica), aluminum oxide, and the like.

However, in the present invention, the surfactant having a function of lowering the interfacial tension at the interface between the so-called aqueous liquid (for example, water) and the hydrophobic liquid (for example, oil) and the interfacial tension when it is added to the emulsion are also reduced. Among those that do not have a function of causing the action, it is selected from one of salts, hydrogen-bonding molecules, and alcohols (for example, selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, urea, formamide, ethanol, and glycerin). No additives are used.

In the present invention, the gas introduced for gas-liquid shearing may be air, oxygen, ozone, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, etc., and may be appropriately selected in view of the effectiveness of the substance having an insect repellent or insecticidal effect to be used. However, air is preferable from the viewpoint of simplicity.

The definitions of terms used in the present specification are shown below.
"Fluid" is a general term for a continuum that does not generate shear stress in a stationary state. In general, it is a continuous body that is not a solid, and liquids, gases, and plasmas correspond to fluids as the form of matter.
"Emulsion" or "emulsion" refers to a dispersion system solution in which both the dispersoid and the dispersion medium are liquids. Also called an emulsion or emulsion. Making two separated liquids into emulsions is called emulsification, and substances that have the function of emulsifying are called emulsifiers. In the present invention, it is called an emulsion.
A "microemulsion" is a kind of dispersion system consisting of two liquids similar to emulsions, but has a small diameter of about 100 nm or less, is composed of micelles, is thermodynamically stable, and requires strong stirring. It means that it can be easily formed. Since the micelles are small, there is little scattering of visible light, and the feature is that they appear transparent or translucent.
A "dispersion system" is a substance in which particles with a size of 1 nm to 1000 nm (1 um) are suspended or suspended in a gas, liquid, or solid. This phenomenon of floating or suspending is called dispersion.
"Dispersoid and dispersion medium" are solid or liquid particles suspended or suspended in a dispersion system as a dispersoid or dispersed phase, and the medium is called a dispersion medium.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a liquid mixing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the 1st mixing block which concerns on Embodiment 1 incorporated in the liquid mixing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view (FIG. 3A) and a sectional view (FIG. 3B) of the outer cylinder block incorporated in the first mixing block shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a plan view (FIG. 4A), a sectional view (FIG. 4B), and a bottom view (FIG. 4C) of the liquid/gas introduction block incorporated in the first mixing block shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a plan view (FIG. 4A), a sectional view (FIG. 4B), and a bottom view (FIG. 4C) of the support block incorporated in the first mixing block shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a plan view (FIG. 3A) and a sectional view (FIG. 3B) of a gas introduction block incorporated in the first mixing block shown in FIG. 2. Sectional views of the vortex flow forming block incorporated in the first mixing block shown in FIG. 2 (FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b)), and sectional views of other forms of the vortex flow forming block (FIG. 7(c) to FIG. (E)). It is sectional drawing (FIG.8(a)) and bottom view (FIG.8(b)) of the upper stage inner cylinder block incorporated in the 1st mixing block shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view (FIG. 9A) and a bottom view (FIG. 9B) of the cross-section adjusting block incorporated in the first mixing block shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 10 is a plan view (FIG. 10A), a side view (FIG. 10B), and a sectional view (FIG. 10C) of the second mixed block according to the second embodiment. It is a top view (FIG. 11(a)), a side view (FIG. 11(b)), and a sectional view (FIG. 11(c)) of the hollow cylindrical block incorporated in the second mixing block according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a plan view (FIG. 12( a )), a side view (FIG. 12( b )), and a sectional view (FIG. 12( c )) of the liquid/gas flow path block incorporated in the second mixing block according to the second embodiment. is there. 13A is a plan view (FIG. 13A), a side view (FIG. 13B), and a sectional view (FIG. 13C) of a liquid jet nozzle block incorporated in a second mixing block according to the second embodiment. 14A and 14B are a plan view (FIG. 14A) and a sectional view (FIG. 14B) of the gas injection nozzle block incorporated in the second mixing block according to the second embodiment. 15A is a plan view (FIG. 15A), a side view (FIG. 15B), and a sectional view (FIG. 15C) of the upper section incorporated in the second mixing block according to the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a liquid mixing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 shows a liquid mixing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. The liquid mixing apparatus 10 roughly has a mixing unit 100, a pump unit 200, a liquid transfer unit 300, and a gas suction unit 400.

[Mixing unit]
The mixing unit 100 is configured by combining a plurality of blocks (a first mixing block 110, a second mixing block (injection section) 120, an upper flow channel block 130, a lower flow channel block 140, etc.) described below.

The 1st mixing block 110 has the 1st mixing chamber 111 for mixing two liquids so that it may mention later. The first mixing chamber 111 has a cylindrical inner surface 113 centered on a central axis (first central axis) 112 extending in the vertical direction in the figure.

The upper part of the first mixing chamber 111 is covered with a lid 114. The lid 114 includes a pressure adjusting valve 115. A circular hole 116 is formed at the bottom of the first mixing block 110 so as to vertically pass through the bottom of the container along the central axis 112. An inner screw 117 (see FIG. 2) is formed on the surface of the circular hole 116. The circular hole 116 forms a part of a second mixing block storage chamber (vertical hole 132) that stores a second mixing block 120 described later.

At the bottom of the first mixing block 110, a liquid recovery passage 118 penetrating the bottom is formed at a position horizontally separated from the central axis 112 by a predetermined distance. In the embodiment, the bottom surface of the first mixing block 110 is formed by an inverted frustoconical inclined bottom surface 119 that gradually increases from the upper opening edge of the circular hole 116 toward the outside in the radial direction.

The first mixing block 110 is supported by the upper flow path block 130. The upper flow path block 130 has a circular hole 131 of a predetermined depth, which has substantially the same cross section as the circular hole 116 and is formed immediately adjacent to the circular hole 116 at the bottom of the container. 131 forms one large vertical hole 132 with the circular hole 116 of the first mixing block 110. The vertical hole 132 forms a second mixing block accommodating chamber for accommodating a second mixing block 120 described later.

The upper flow path block 130 also penetrates the liquid supply path (liquid supply hole) 133 extending from the bottom surface of the circular hole 131 to the lower surface of the upper flow path block 130, and the inner peripheral cylindrical surface of the circular hole 131 in a substantially horizontal direction. An extending gas supply path (gas supply hole) 134 and a liquid recovery path 135 having a cross section substantially the same as the liquid recovery path 118 are formed immediately below and adjacent to the liquid recovery path 118 of the first mixing block 110. Has been done.

The upper flow path block 130 is supported by the lower flow path block 140. The lower flow path block 140 has a cross section that is substantially the same as the liquid supply path (liquid supply hole) 133 immediately below and adjacent to the liquid supply path (liquid supply hole) 133 of the upper flow path block 130. A liquid supply path (liquid supply hole) 141 is formed.

As described above, the liquid recovery passage 118 of the first mixing block 110 and the liquid recovery passage 135 of the upper flow passage block 130 form one liquid recovery passage. Further, the liquid supply passage 133 of the upper flow passage block 130 and the liquid supply passage 141 of the lower flow passage block 140 form one liquid supply passage.

The second mixing block 120 is accommodated in the vertical hole 132 described above. As shown in FIG. 2, in the embodiment, the second mixing block 120 includes eight sub blocks (outer cylinder block 1210, liquid/liquid/block 1210) arranged along a central axis (second central axis) 1200 extending in the vertical direction of the figure. The gas introduction block 1220, the support block 1230, the gas introduction block 1240, the vortex flow forming block 1250, the lower inner cylinder block 1260, the upper inner cylinder block 1270, and the cross-section adjustment block (cross-section adjustment unit 1280) are included. The central axis 1200 coincides with the central axis (first central axis) 112 of the first mixing block 110 when the second mixing block 120 is accommodated in the vertical hole 132.

As shown in FIG. 3, the outer cylinder block 1210 includes a lower cylinder part 1211 having an outer diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of the vertical hole (second mixing block housing chamber) 132, and an upper cylinder part having an outer diameter larger than that of the vertical hole 132. 1212. As shown, the lower tube portion 1211 and the upper tube portion 1212 are integrally formed of one material. In the embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 1212 is a regular hexagonal nut surface 1213. An inner thread 1214 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 1212 from its upper end to a predetermined depth. An outer thread 1215 is formed on the upper part of the outer peripheral surface of the lower cylindrical portion 1211 and a small diameter cylindrical surface is formed on the lower part of the outer peripheral surface of the lower cylindrical part 1211. ) 1216 is formed. A plurality of gas supply holes 1217 are formed in the lower part of the annular groove (manifold) 1216 at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. An annular flange 1218 that projects inward in the radial direction is formed at the lower end of the lower tubular portion 1211, and a liquid supply hole 1219 is formed inside this annular flange 1218.

As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid/gas introduction block 1220 has a circular plate portion 1221. The circular plate portion 1221 is integrally formed with a cylindrical portion 1222 extending upward along a central axis (which corresponds to the second central axis 1200 when the liquid/gas introducing block 1220 is combined with another block). ing. The circular cylindrical portion 1222 is formed with a central hole 1223 extending from the upper end surface of the circular cylindrical portion 1222 to the middle stage of the circular plate portion 1221 along the central axis. An inner screw 1224 is formed on the inner surface of the central hole 1223. An annular groove (manifold) 1225 is formed on the outer peripheral side surface of the circular plate portion 1221. Further, inside the circular plate portion 1221, a plurality of (four in the embodiment) gas supply passages 1226 that communicate the annular groove 1225 and the central hole 1223 are formed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. Further, in the circular plate portion 1221, a plurality of liquid supply passages 1227 penetrating the upper surface and the lower surface of the circular plate portion 1221 are formed between the adjacent gas supply passages 1226.

As shown in FIG. 5, the support block 1230 is entirely formed of a hollow cylinder, and has a central axis at the upper outer peripheral corner portion (matches the second central axis 1200 when the support block 1230 is combined with other blocks). A ring-shaped step 1231 centering on (1) is formed. The support block 1230 also has a gas supply hole 1232 extending through the support block 1230 along the central axis. In the embodiment, the air supply hole 1232 has a lower hole portion 1233, a middle hole portion 1234, and an upper hole portion 1235. The inner diameter of the lower hole portion 1233 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the circular cylindrical portion 1222 in the liquid/gas introduction block 1220. Therefore, the support block 1230 can be assembled without any gap by fitting the circular tube portion 1222 of the liquid/gas introduction block 1220 into the lower hole portion 1233. The inner diameter of the middle hole portion 1234 is formed slightly larger than the inner diameter of the circular cylindrical portion 1222 of the liquid/gas introduction block 1220, and the outer screw of the gas introduction block 1240 described later penetrates the middle hole portion 1234. The internal thread 1224 of the liquid/gas introduction block 1220 can be fitted. The inner diameter of the upper hole portion 1235 is larger than the inner diameter of the middle hole portion 1234, and the head of the gas introduction block 1240 described later is inserted therein.

As shown in FIG. 6, the gas introduction block 1240 is composed of a so-called set bolt and is aligned with the central axis (matches the second central axis 1200 when the gas introduction block 1240 is combined with other blocks). It has an upper-stage large-diameter cylinder portion 1241, a lower-stage small-diameter cylinder portion 1242, and a gas supply hole 1243 that penetrates the upper-stage large-diameter cylinder portion 1241 and the lower-stage small-diameter cylinder portion 1242. In the embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the upper-stage large-diameter cylindrical portion 1241 is formed by a cylindrical surface, and the outer screw 1244 is formed on the outer-circumferential surface of the lower-stage small-diameter cylindrical portion 1242. On the other hand, a part of the gas supply hole 1243, which is located in the upper large-diameter cylindrical portion 1241, is formed by a hexagonal inner nut surface 1245.

As shown in FIG. 7, the vortex flow forming block 1250 includes a substantially circular ring. As shown in FIG. 2, the vortex flow forming block 1250 has an outer diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the support block 1230, and its wall thickness (radial thickness) is substantially the same as the width of the annular step 1231 in the support block 1230. Is. Returning to FIG. 7, the vortex flow forming block 1250 has at least one liquid injection hole 1251. As shown in the drawing, the liquid injection hole 1251 is radiated from the central axis along a horizontal plane orthogonal to the central axis (which coincides with the second central axis 1200 when the vortex flow forming block 1250 is combined with another block). It extends in the tangential direction of the inner peripheral surface of the vortex flow forming block 1250, and the outer edge of the liquid injection hole 1251 coincides with the inner peripheral tangent line of the vortex flow forming block 1250.

At least one liquid ejection hole 1251 in the vortex flow forming block 1250 may be provided. Therefore, the vortex flow forming block 1250 may include a plurality of liquid ejection holes as shown in FIGS. 7B to 7D.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lower cylindrical block 1260 is formed of a hollow cylindrical body, the outer diameter of which is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the inner surface of the cylinder of the outer cylindrical block 1210, and the inner diameter of which is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the vortex flow forming block 1250.

As shown in FIG. 8, the upper cylindrical block 1270 is made of a hollow cylindrical body, and extends downward along the central axis (which coincides with the second central axis 1200 when the upper cylindrical block 1270 is combined with other blocks). A lower cylindrical portion 1271, an intermediate cylindrical portion 1272, and an upper cylindrical portion 1273, which are arranged in this order from top to bottom. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower cylindrical portion 1271 has an outer screw 1274 that meshes with an inner screw 1241 formed on the upper cylindrical portion 1212 of the outer cylindrical block 1210. The inner diameters of the lower cylindrical portion 1271 and the middle cylindrical portion 1272 are substantially equal to the inner diameter of the lower cylindrical block 1260. A taper surface 1275 is formed on the inner upper end portion of the middle cylindrical block 1272 so as to spread like a truncated cone from bottom to top. The upper cylindrical portion 1276 has a thin cylindrical wall 1276 extending upward from the outer upper end portion of the middle cylindrical portion 1272. An inner screw 1277 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the thin cylindrical wall 1276. In addition, injection nozzles (mixture injection holes) 1278 penetrating the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface are formed in the lower portion of the thin-walled cylindrical wall 1276 (in the vicinity of the intermediate cylindrical portion 1272 and the connecting portion) at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. Has been done. In the embodiment, the injection nozzle 1278 is formed by an elongated opening in the circumferential direction (see FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 9, the cross-section adjustment block 1280 is made of a solid cylindrical body. An outer screw 1281 that meshes with an inner screw 1277 formed on the thin cylindrical wall 1276 of the upper cylindrical block 1270 is formed on the outer peripheral cylindrical surface of the cross-section adjusting block 1280. The bottom surface of the cross-section adjustment block 1280 is provided with a truncated conical tapered surface 1282 having a taper angle substantially the same as the inverse tapered surface 1275 of the upper cylindrical block 1270. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, by engaging the outer screw 1281 of the cross-section adjustment block 1280 with the inner screw 1277 of the upper cylinder block 1270, the taper surface 1275 of the upper cylinder block 1270 and the taper surface 1282 of the cross-section adjustment block 1280 are formed. A mixed liquid supply passage 1283 that radially spreads upward is formed therebetween.

In the case of combining the eight blocks having such a configuration, first, the liquid/gas introduction block 1220 is arranged at the bottom of the lower cylinder portion 1211 of the outer cylinder block 1210. In this state, the annular groove (manifold) 1225 of the liquid/gas introduction block 1220 is connected to the outer annular groove (manifold) 1216 of the outer cylinder block 1210 via the gas supply hole 1217.

Next, the support block 1230 is placed on the circular cylindrical portion 1222 of the liquid/gas introduction block 1220. After that, the lower small diameter cylindrical portion 1242 of the gas introduction block 1240 is inserted into the middle hole portion 1234 and the lower hole portion 1233 of the support block 1230, and the outer screw 1244 of the lower small diameter cylinder portion 1242 is screwed into the inner screw of the liquid/gas introduction block 1220. The support block 1230 is held between the upper large-diameter cylinder portion 1241 of the gas introduction block 1240 and the circular cylinder portion 1222 of the liquid/gas introduction block 1220 by engaging with the 1224. In this state, the vortex flow forming block 1250 is arranged on the annular step 1231 of the support block 1230.

Subsequently, the lower inner cylinder block 1260 is placed on the vortex flow forming block 1250. Further, the outer screw 1274 of the upper inner cylinder block 1270 is engaged with the inner screw 1214 of the outer cylinder block 1210, whereby the liquid/gas introduction is performed between the upper inner cylinder block 1270 and the annular flange 1218 of the outer cylinder block 1210. The block 1220, the support block 1230, the vortex flow forming block 1250, and the lower inner cylinder block 1270 are fixed.

Finally, the outer screw 1281 of the cross-section adjusting block 1280 is engaged with the inner screw 1277 of the upper inner cylinder block 1270. At this time, by adjusting the rotation amount of the upper inner cylinder block 127, the mixed liquid supply passage 1283 (FIG. 2) formed between the tapered surface 1275 of the upper inner cylinder block 1270 and the tapered surface 1282 of the cross-section adjustment block 1280 (see FIG. 2). You can adjust the cross section.

The second mixing block 120 configured by combining a plurality of small blocks as described above is inserted into the vertical holes 132 of the first mixing block 110 and the upper flow path block 130. At this time, the inner screw 117 formed on the inner surface of the circular hole 116 of the first mixing block 110 forming the upper part of the vertical hole 132 is attached to the outer screw 1215 formed on the outer cylinder block 1210 of the second mixing block 120. The second mixing block 120 is fixed to the first mixing block 110 by being engaged with each other.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 2, a second mixing chamber 121 having a circular cross section extending vertically along the central axis is formed inside the second mixing block 120. As shown in the drawing, the second mixing chamber 121 has a gas injection nozzle 122 (gas supply hole 1243 of the gas introduction block 1240) on the bottom surface of the second mixing chamber 121, and a lower inner peripheral surface of the second mixing chamber 121. The first mixed liquid injection nozzle 123 (the liquid injection hole 1251 of the vortex flow forming block 1250) is provided, and the inverted truncated conical mixed liquid supply path 124 (the upper inner cylinder block 1260 and the cross-section adjustment) is provided at the upper end of the second mixing chamber 121. The mixed liquid supply passage (annular flow passage) 1284 formed between the blocks 1280 is provided, and a plurality of second mixed liquid injection nozzles 125 (of the upper inner cylinder block 1270) are provided at the end of the mixed liquid supply passage 124. It has an injection nozzle 1278).

A liquid supply path 126 is formed outside the support block 1230 and the vortex flow forming block 1250 and inside the outer cylinder block 1210. The liquid supply path 126 has one end (lower end) supplied through the liquid supply path 1227 of the liquid/gas introduction block 1220, the liquid supply path 133 of the upper flow path block 140, and the liquid supply path 141 of the lower flow path block 140. It is connected to the pipe 301, and the other end (upper end) is connected to the first mixed liquid injection nozzle 123 (the liquid injection hole 1251 of the vortex flow forming block 1250).

Further, the gas supply path 134 of the upper flow path block 130 includes the annular groove 1216 and the gas supply hole 1217 of the outer cylinder block 1210, the gas supply path 1226 of the liquid/gas introduction block 1220, and the gas supply hole 1243 of the gas introduction block 1240. It is connected to the gas injection nozzle 122 through.

[Pumping unit]
As shown in FIG. 2, the pump unit 200 has a pump 201. The pump 201 may be a non-volumetric pump, a volumetric pump, or a special type pump. The non-volumetric pump may also be a centrifugal pump (spiral pump, diffuser pump), mixed flow pump (vortex pump, diffuser pump), or axial flow pump.

The pump 201 has a pump casing 202. The pump casing 202 includes a suction port 203, a discharge port 204, and a pump channel 205 connecting the suction port 203 and the discharge port 204. The pump flow path 205 includes a drive unit 206 that sucks the liquid from the suction port 203 and discharges the liquid from the discharge port 204. For example, in the case of a centrifugal pump, the drive unit is an impeller, and this impeller is drivingly connected to a motor 207 provided outside the pump casing.

In the embodiment, the liquid extraction port 208 is provided at the lowest position of the pump channel 205.

[Liquid transfer unit]
The liquid transfer unit 300 has a liquid supply pipe 301 and a liquid recovery pipe 302. The liquid supply pipe 301 connects the liquid supply channel 141 and the pump discharge port 204. The liquid recovery pipe 302 connects the liquid recovery passage 135 and the pump suction port 203. In the embodiment, the liquid supply pipe 301 extends horizontally from the pump discharge port 204 to the liquid supply flow path 141, or extends at an ascending slope. The liquid recovery pipe 302 extends horizontally from the liquid recovery path 135 to the pump suction port 203 or has a downward slope.

[Gas suction unit]
The gas suction unit 400 has a gas suction pipe 401. The gas suction pipe 401 has one end connected to the gas supply path 134 of the upper flow path block 130, and the gas suction port 402 at the other end opened to the atmosphere, or connected to an appropriate gas cylinder (not shown). Has been done. The gas suction pipe 401 includes a flow rate adjusting valve 403, a flow rate sensor 404, and a check valve 405 in order from the other end (gas suction port 402) toward one end.

[motion]
An emulsification process for obtaining an emulsion by dispersing a hydrophobic liquid (dispersoid) in an aqueous liquid (dispersion medium) using the liquid mixing device 10 having the above configuration will be described.

In the emulsification process, the mixed liquid 500 in which the aqueous liquid and the hydrophobic liquid are mixed at a predetermined ratio is stored in the first mixing chamber 111, and the pump 201 is driven. As a result, the mixed liquid 500 in the first mixing chamber 111 passes from the liquid recovery passage (outlet) 118 formed on the inclined bottom surface 119 of the first mixing block 110, passes through the liquid recovery passage 155 and the liquid recovery pipe 302, and is pumped. It is sucked into the pump flow path 205 through the liquid recovery pipe 302 until it reaches the suction port 203.

The mixed liquid 500 sucked into the pump 201 passes through the pump flow path 205 and is discharged from the discharge port 204.

The mixed liquid discharged from the pump discharge port 204 passes through the pump discharge port 204, the liquid supply pipe 301, the liquid supply paths 141, 133, 1227, 126, and the first mixed liquid injection nozzle 123, and then the second mixing chamber. It is injected at the bottom of 121. As described above, since the first mixed solution injection nozzle 123 extends in the tangential direction of the inner surface of the cylinder of the second mixing chamber 121, the liquid injected from the first mixed solution injection nozzle 123 is not mixed with the second mixed solution. A spiral vortex flow is generated along the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder of the chamber 121, and a strong shear field is formed there. On the other hand, the air supplied from the gas suction unit 400 passes through the gas supply path 134, the annular groove 1216, the gas supply hole 1217, the annular groove 1225, the gas supply paths 1226 and 1243 from the gas injection nozzle 122 to the second mixing chamber. It is injected at the bottom center of 121. The gas jetted from the gas jet nozzle 122 is taken into the vortex in the second mixing chamber 121. As a result, the sucked gas is miniaturized, and a mixed liquid containing micro bubbles or ultra fine bubbles (both of which are called “fine bubbles”) is generated. Further, in the presence of fine bubbles, the mixed liquid undergoes a strong shearing action, and the hydrophobic liquid disperses in the aqueous liquid.

In this way, the mixed liquid containing fine bubbles is injected from the second mixed liquid injection nozzle 125 into the first mixing chamber 111 via the inverted frustoconical mixed liquid supply passage 1284 of the second mixing chamber 121. .. The mixed liquid injected into the first mixing chamber 111 rises in the first mixing chamber 111 as a spiral flow in a state where the spiral motion given in the second mixing chamber 121 is maintained as it is. Therefore, the mixed liquid injected into the first mixing chamber 111 is subjected to the shearing action again in the presence of fine bubbles. As a result, the hydrophobic liquid is more evenly dispersed in the aqueous liquid.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mixed liquid 500 injected into the first mixing chamber 111 rises in the injection region 501 spreading in a spindle shape. At this time, the relatively large bubbles move upward in the first mixing chamber 111 due to the influence of buoyancy and reach the water surface. On the other hand, the fine bubbles contained in the mixed liquid 500 descend on the downward flow (swirl flow) of the mixed liquid 500 formed in the first mixing chamber 111, and enter the liquid recovery passage 118 of the inclined bottom surface 119 at the bottom of the container. Taken out.

After that, the mixed liquid 500 passes through the liquid recovery pipes 302 from the liquid recovery paths 118 and 135, enters the flow path 205 in the pump 201 from the suction port 203, and is driven by a drive unit (for example, an impeller) 206 rotating in the pump 201. The hydrophobic liquid is further dispersed in the aqueous liquid due to the strong shearing action again.

As described above, according to the liquid mixing apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the hydrophobic liquid is uniformly dispersed in the aqueous liquid in the presence of fine bubbles. In particular, in the above-described embodiment, the mixed liquid subjected to the shearing action (primary shearing) in the second mixing chamber 121 is subjected to the shearing action (second shearing) again in the first mixing chamber 111. Further, the pump 201 is further subjected to shearing action (third shearing). Therefore, the hydrophobic liquid is uniformly dispersed in the aqueous liquid.

The mixed liquid in which the hydrophobic liquid is uniformly dispersed in the aqueous liquid as described above is extracted from the liquid extraction port 208 of the pump 201. As shown in FIG. 1, since the liquid extraction port 208 is provided at the lowest position of the liquid mixing device 10, when the liquid extraction port 208 is opened, all the mixed liquids existing in each part of the liquid mixing device 10 are extracted. Gather at mouth 208. Therefore, subsequent disassembly and cleaning can be performed easily.

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 10 shows a second mixing block 220 according to the second embodiment.

The second mixing block 220 is roughly divided into three sections, an upper section 2201, a middle section 2202, and a lower section 2203.

As shown in FIG. 11, the middle section 2202 has a hollow cylindrical block 2210. Inside the hollow cylindrical block 2210, a through hole 2211 extending vertically is formed along the central axis 2204 of the second mixing block 220. The middle stage of the through hole 2210 is a second mixing chamber 2212 having a circular cross section. The upper stage and the lower stage of the through hole 2210 are an upper stage connecting chamber 2213 and a lower stage connecting chamber 2214 having a diameter larger than that of the second mixing chamber 2212, respectively. An upper inner screw 2215 and a lower inner screw 2216 are formed on the inner peripheral cylindrical surfaces of the upper connecting chamber 2213 and the lower connecting chamber 2214, respectively. On the outer peripheral surface of the hollow cylindrical block 2210, an upper hexagonal nut surface 2217 and a lower outer screw 2218 are formed.

As shown in FIG. 10, the lower section 2203 has three blocks, namely, a liquid/gas flow path block 2220, a mixed liquid injection nozzle block (vortex flow formation block) 2230, and a gas injection nozzle block 2240.

As shown in FIG. 12, the liquid/gas flow path block 2220 is made of a substantially cylindrical material. Inside the liquid/gas flow path block 2220, a cylindrical chamber 2221 extending downward from the upper end surface of the liquid/gas flow path block 2220 along the vertical central axis, and a liquid/gas from the bottom of the room 2221 A plurality of holes extending to the lower end surface of the flow path block 2220 are formed. The plurality of holes include a cylindrical gas supply passage 2222 extending along the central axis and a plurality of liquid supply passages 2223 arranged outside the gas supplying passage 2222 and extending parallel to the central axis. An inner screw 2224 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the gas supply passage 2222. On the outer peripheral surface of the liquid/gas flow path block 2220, an external screw 2225 is formed on the liquid/gas flow path block 2220. The outer screw 2225 has a size and shape capable of engaging with the lower inner screw 2216 of the hollow cylindrical block 2210.

As shown in FIG. 13, the liquid jet block 2230 is made of a substantially disc-shaped or substantially cylindrical material. Inside the liquid ejecting block 2230, a cylindrical through hole 2231 extending from the upper surface to the lower surface of the liquid ejecting block 2230 is formed along the central axis in the vertical direction. The through hole 2231 has an upper portion 2232 and a lower portion 2233, the inner diameter of the upper portion 2232 is larger than the inner diameter of the lower portion 2233, and a step portion 2234 is formed at the boundary between the two. On the upper end surface of the liquid jet block 2230, a mixed liquid jet nozzle 2235 including a plurality of grooves is formed. Each mixed solution injection nozzle 2235 is oriented obliquely with respect to the radial direction from the central axis. In the embodiment, the mixed liquid injection nozzle 2235 extends along the tangent line to the inner surface of the cylinder of the through hole upper step portion 2232.

As shown in FIG. 14, the gas injection nozzle block 2240 is the same as the gas introduction block 1240 of the first embodiment. Therefore, detailed description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 15, the upper section 2201 has four blocks, that is, a lower flow path forming block 2250, an upper flow path forming block 2260, an adjusting block 2270, and a fixed block 2280.

The lower flow path forming block 2250 is made of a substantially cylindrical material. Inside the lower flow path forming block 2250, an upper flow path 2251 extending downward from the upper end surface of the lower flow path forming block 2250 and a lower flow path 2252 extending upward from the lower end surface are formed along the central axis. The upper flow passage 2251 and the lower flow passage 2252 are separated by an intermediate wall 2253 formed between them. The middle wall 2253 is formed with four middle passages 2254 that connect the upper passage 2251 and the lower passage 2252 around the central axis at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The middle wall 2253 also has a threaded hole (internal thread) 2255 extending along the central axis. A taper surface 2256 is formed on the upper part of the upper channel 2251 so as to extend obliquely outward and upward in an inverted truncated cone shape. On the other hand, an outer screw 2257 is formed on the lower portion of the outer periphery of the lower flow path forming block 2250. The outer screw 2257 has a size and shape capable of engaging with the lower inner screw 2215 (FIG. 11) of the hollow cylindrical block 2210.

The upper flow path block 2260 is made of a substantially hollow cylindrical material. The upper flow path block 2260 has a through hole 2261 extending along the central axis and penetrating the upper flow path block 2260 in the vertical direction. An internal screw 2262 is formed on the top of the through hole 2261. A taper surface 2263 is formed on the lower surface of the upper flow path block 2260 so as to extend obliquely outward from the bottom to the top in an inverted truncated cone shape. The tapered surface 2263 of the upper flow path block 2260 has the same or substantially the same taper angle as the tapered surface 2256 of the lower flow path formation block 2250. The upper flow path block 2260 is also formed with a screw hole (inner screw) 2264 extending radially from the outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion toward the inner peripheral surface.

The adjustment block 2270 is formed by a cylindrical pin, and has a large diameter upper step portion 2271 and a small diameter lower step portion 2272. An outer screw 2273 is formed on the upper portion 2271 and an outer screw 2274 is formed on the lower portion 2272. The external thread 2273 of the upper stage portion 2271 has a size and shape that can mesh with the internal thread 2262 of the upper flow path block 2260. The outer screw 2274 of the lower portion 2272 has a size and shape that can engage with the screw hole (inner screw) 2255 of the lower flow path block 2250.

The fixed block 2280 is a cylindrical screw member 2281. The screw member 2281 has an external thread 2282 on the outer peripheral surface. The outer screw 2282 has a size and shape capable of engaging with the screw hole (inner screw) 2264 of the upper flow path block 2260.

When assembling the second mixing block 220 according to the second embodiment having the above-described configuration, for example, the upper section 2201 and the lower section 2203 each including the plurality of blocks described above are combined.

In the lower section 2203, the mixed liquid injection nozzle block 2230 is placed on the liquid/gas flow passage block 2220, and in this state, the external screw 2244 of the gas injection nozzle block 2240 is engaged with the internal screw 2224 of the liquid/gas flow passage block 2220. The liquid/gas flow path block 2220 and the mixed liquid injection nozzle block 2230 are fixed to the liquid/gas flow path block 2220 by combining them. The lower section 2203 thus assembled is fixed to the middle section 2202 by engaging the outer screw 2225 of the liquid/gas flow path block 2220 with the lower inner screw 2216 of the middle section 2202.

The upper section 2201 meshes the lower external thread 2274 of the adjusting block 2270 with the central screw hole 2255 of the lower flow path forming block 2250, for example. Next, the adjusting block 2270 is inserted from the lower end into the through hole 2261 of the upper flow passage forming block 2260, and the inner screw 2262 of the upper flow passage forming block 2260 is engaged with the upper outer screw 2273 of the adjusting block 2270 to form the lower flow passage. The height of the upper flow path forming block 2260 with respect to the block 2250 is adjusted, and the gap (the mixed liquid injection nozzle 2205 (see FIG. 10)) between the tapered surfaces 2256 and 2263 of both blocks 2250 and 2260 is adjusted. After adjusting the clearance, the fixing block 2280 is engaged with the screw hole 2264 of the upper flow path forming block 2260, and its tip is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the adjusting block 2270 to fix the height of the adjusting block 2270. The adjustment of the gap may be performed after the second mixing block 220 is assembled. The upper section 2201 combined in this way is fixed to the middle section 2202 by engaging the outer thread 2257 of the lower flow path forming block 2260 with the upper inner thread 2215 of the middle section 2202.

The second mixing block 220 thus combined is mounted and fixed in a second mixing block storage chamber (not shown) formed at the bottom of the first mixing block, as in the first embodiment. At this time, the outer screw 2218 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the middle section 2211 is engaged with the corresponding inner screw (the inner screw corresponding to the inner screw 117 of the first embodiment) to cause the second mixing block 220 to undergo the first mixing. Fix to the block. Further, the gas supply path 2222 and the liquid supply path 2223 at the lower end of the second mixing block 220 are connected to the corresponding gas supply path and liquid supply path.

When a hydrophobic liquid (dispersoid) is dispersed in an aqueous liquid (dispersion medium) to obtain an emulsion, these mixed liquids are discharged from a mixed liquid injection nozzle 2235 of a liquid injection block 2223 through a liquid supply passage 2223 to a second liquid injection nozzle 2235. It is injected into the mixing chamber 2212. As described above, since the mixed liquid injection nozzle 2235 extends in the tangential direction of the inner surface of the cylinder of the second mixing chamber 2212, the liquid ejected from the mixed liquid injection nozzle 2223 will not penetrate the inner circumference of the cylinder of the second mixing chamber 2212. A spiral vortex flow is generated along the surface and a strong shear field is formed there. On the other hand, it is injected from the gas supply path 2222 to the center of the second mixing chamber 2212, and is taken into the vortex of the mixed liquid in the second mixing chamber 2212. As a result, the sucked gas is atomized, and a mixed liquid containing micro bubbles or ultra fine bubbles is generated. Further, in the presence of fine bubbles, the mixed liquid undergoes a strong shearing action, and the hydrophobic liquid is dispersed in the aqueous liquid.

The mixed liquid containing fine bubbles is injected into the first mixing chamber through the inverted truncated cone-shaped mixed liquid injection nozzle 2205 of the second mixing chamber 2212. The mixed liquid injected into the first mixing chamber rises in the first mixing chamber as a spiral flow in a state where the spiral motion given in the second mixing chamber 2212 is maintained as it is. Therefore, the mixed liquid injected into the first mixing chamber is subjected to the shearing action again in the presence of fine bubbles. As a result, the hydrophobic liquid is more evenly dispersed in the aqueous liquid.

Further, according to the second embodiment, there is an advantage that the size of the mixed solution injection nozzle of the second mixing block can be easily adjusted. Therefore, the dispersion state of the hydrophobic liquid (dispersoid) in the aqueous liquid (dispersion medium) can be easily adjusted.

10: Liquid mixing device 100: Mixing unit 110: First mixing block 120: Second mixing block (injection section)
111: 1st mixing chamber 112: 1st center axis 121: 2nd mixing chamber 123: 1st mixed-solution injection nozzle 125: 2nd mixed-solution injection nozzle 1280: Section adjustment block (section adjustment part)
1200: central axis

Claims (5)

(A) Jetting for injecting a cylindrical first mixing chamber (111) surrounding the first central axis (112) and a mixed liquid containing gas and at least two kinds of liquids into the first mixing chamber (111) Section,
(B) The injection part (120) is
A cylindrical second mixing chamber (121) surrounding the second central axis (1200),
A gas connected to the second mixing chamber (121) on the second central axis (1200) and injecting the gas into the second mixing chamber (121) along the second central axis (1200). An injection nozzle (122),
It is connected to the second mixing chamber (121) on a cross section orthogonal to the second central axis (1200), and extends along the oblique direction intersecting the radial direction of the second central axis (1200). At least one first mixture injection nozzle (123) for injecting the mixture into the mixing chamber (121);
The second mixing chamber (121) is connected to the first mixing chamber (111), and the mixture of the gas and the mixed liquid mixed in the second mixing chamber (121) is mixed with the first mixing chamber (111). ) Is equipped with a second mixture injection nozzle (125),
(C) A liquid mixing device. The liquid mixing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first mixed liquid injection nozzle (123) extends along a tangent line of a cylindrical inner surface forming the second mixing chamber (121). The injection part (120) is
An annular flow path (1284) connecting the second mixing chamber (121) and the second mixed solution injection nozzle (125);
The liquid according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a cross-section adjusting portion (1280) that adjusts a cross-section of the annular flow path on a cylindrical surface centered on the second central axis (1200). Mixing device. The liquid mixing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first central axis (112) and the second central axis (1200) are arranged on the same straight line. A recovery path (118) for recovering the mixed liquid from the first mixing chamber (111),
5. The mixed liquid supply passage (133) for supplying the mixed liquid recovered in the recovery passage (118) to the first mixed liquid injection nozzle (123), according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The liquid mixing device as described in 1.

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