JP2021137796A - Ultrafine bubble-containing liquid manufacturing device, manufacturing method, and ultrafine bubble-containing liquid - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide UFB-containing liquid with high concentration.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing ultrafine bubble-containing liquid that contains an ultrafine bubble generated by causing film boiling in the liquid using a heat generator includes a step of disengaging a solid body of a heat generator which is present on a side coming into contact with liquid, as a micro substance, by film boiling and generating an ultrafine bubble that has the disengaged micro substance as the core thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid having an ultrafine bubble having a diameter of less than 1.0 μm, a production method, and an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid.

In recent years, techniques have been developed that apply the characteristics of fine bubbles such as microbubbles having a diameter of micrometer and nanobubbles having a diameter of nanometer. Among them, the usefulness of Ultra Fine Bubble (hereinafter, also referred to as “UFB”) having a diameter of less than 1.0 μm has been confirmed in various fields.

Patent Document 1 describes an apparatus for producing UFB by boiling a film. Patent Document 2 describes a fine bubble generation accelerator for nano-order fine bubbles.

JP-A-2019-42664 International Publication No. 2018/097019

According to the technique of Patent Document 1, it is possible to generate UFB having a dramatically higher concentration than a method such as a pressure dissolution method. The fine bubble generation accelerator of Patent Document 2 describes that high-concentration fine bubbles are maintained for a long period of time. There is a demand for a UFB-containing liquid having a higher concentration than the UFB obtained by these techniques.

An object of the present invention is to provide a high-concentration UFB-containing liquid.

The method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid containing ultrafine bubbles produced by causing a film to boil using a heating element in the liquid. It is characterized by including a step of detaching a solid existing on a surface of the heating element on the side in contact with a liquid as a minute substance by boiling the film to generate an ultrafine bubble having the detached minute substance as a nucleus. ..
Further, the ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to one aspect of the present invention is an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid containing ultrafine bubbles generated by causing film boiling using a heating element in the liquid, and the heating element. It is characterized in that the solid existing on the surface on the side in contact with the liquid is separated as a minute substance by boiling the film, and contains an ultrafine bubble generated by using the separated minute substance as a nucleus.
Further, the apparatus for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to one aspect of the present invention is an ultra that produces an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid containing ultrafine bubbles generated by causing a film to boil using a heating element in the liquid. A fine bubble-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus, wherein the heating element, a solid existing on the surface of the heating element in contact with the liquid, and the solid are separated as minute substances by boiling the film. It is characterized by including a generation unit that generates an ultrafine bubble centered on a detached minute substance.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a high-concentration UFB-containing liquid.

It is a figure which shows an example of a UFB generator. It is a schematic block diagram of a pretreatment unit. It is a schematic block diagram of a dissolution unit and a figure for demonstrating the dissolution state of a liquid. It is a schematic block diagram of the T-UFB generation unit. It is a figure for demonstrating the detail of a heat generating element. It is a figure for demonstrating the state of the film boiling in a heat generating element. It is a figure which shows the state that UFB is generated with the expansion of a membrane boiling bubble. It is a figure which shows the state that UFB is generated with the contraction of a membrane boiling bubble. It is a figure which shows a mode that UFB is generated by reheating of a liquid. It is a figure which shows the state that UFB is generated by the shock wave at the time of defoaming of the bubble generated by the film boiling. It is a figure which shows how the UFB is generated by the change of the saturation solubility. It is a figure which shows the configuration example of a post-processing unit. It is a schematic block diagram of the UFB-containing liquid production apparatus. It is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a heat generating element in a UFB generation part. It is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a heat generating element in a UFB generation part. It is a figure explaining the 2nd nuclear supply part. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the 1st nuclear supply part. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the 1st nuclear supply part. It is a figure explaining the mechanism which a nucleus is generated. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the 1st nuclear supply part. It is a block diagram explaining the structure of control in a UFB-containing liquid production apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram of the UFB-containing liquid production apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram of the UFB-containing liquid production apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram of the UFB-containing liquid production apparatus.

<< Outline of UFB generation method >>
Hereinafter, the outline of the UFB generation method utilizing the film boiling phenomenon will be described.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a UFB generator. The UFB generator 1 includes a pretreatment unit 100, a dissolution unit 200, a T-UFB generation unit 300, a posttreatment unit 400, and a recovery unit 500. The liquid W such as tap water supplied to the pretreatment unit 100 is subjected to treatment unique to each unit in the above order, and is recovered as a T-UFB-containing liquid in the recovery unit 500. Hereinafter, the functions and configurations of each unit will be described. Although the details will be described later, in the present specification, the UFB generated by utilizing the film boiling accompanying the rapid heat generation is referred to as T-UFB (Thermal-Ultra Fine Bubble).

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the pretreatment unit 100. The pretreatment unit 100 degass the supplied liquid W. The pretreatment unit 100 mainly has a degassing container 101, a shower head 102, a decompression pump 103, a liquid introduction path 104, a liquid circulation path 105, and a liquid outlet path 106. For example, the liquid W such as tap water is supplied to the degassing container 101 from the liquid introduction path 104 via the valve 109. At this time, the shower head 102 provided in the degassing container 101 atomizes the liquid W and sprays it into the degassing container 101. The shower head 102 is for promoting the vaporization of the liquid W, but as a mechanism for producing the vaporization promoting effect, a centrifuge or the like can be substituted.

When the decompression pump 103 is operated with all the valves closed after a certain amount of liquid W is stored in the degassing container 101, the already vaporized gas component is discharged and dissolved in the liquid W. The vaporization and discharge of existing gas components are also promoted. At this time, the internal pressure of the degassing container 101 may be reduced to about several hundred to several thousand Pa (1.0 Torr to 10.0 Torr) while checking the pressure gauge 108. Examples of the gas degassed by the pretreatment unit 100 include nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide and the like.

The degassing treatment described above can be repeated for the same liquid W by using the liquid circulation path 105. Specifically, the shower head 102 is operated with the valve 109 of the liquid introduction path 104 and the valve 110 of the liquid lead-out path 106 closed and the valve 107 of the liquid circulation path 105 open. As a result, the liquid W stored in the degassing container 101 and once degassed is sprayed again on the degassing container 101 via the shower head 102. Further, by operating the decompression pump 103, the vaporization treatment by the shower head 102 and the degassing treatment by the decompression pump 103 are performed repeatedly on the same liquid W. Then, each time the above-mentioned repeated treatment using the liquid circulation path 105 is performed, the gas component contained in the liquid W can be gradually reduced. When the liquid W degassed to a desired purity is obtained, the liquid W is sent to the dissolution unit 200 via the liquid lead-out path 106 by opening the valve 110.

Although FIG. 2 shows a pretreatment unit 100 in which the gas portion is made low pressure to vaporize the dissolved liquid, the method for degassing the dissolved liquid is not limited to this. For example, a heating boiling method in which the liquid W is boiled to vaporize the dissolved substance may be adopted, or a membrane degassing method in which a hollow fiber is used to increase the interface between the liquid and the gas may be adopted. As a degassing module using a hollow fiber, the SEPAREL series (manufactured by Dainippon Ink Co., Ltd.) is commercially available. This is used for the purpose of using poly4-methylpentene-1 (PMP) as a raw material for the hollow fiber membrane and degassing air bubbles mainly from ink supplied to the piezo head. Further, two or more of the vacuum degassing method, the heating boiling method, and the membrane degassing method may be used in combination.

3A and 3B are a schematic configuration diagram of the dissolution unit 200 and a diagram for explaining the dissolution state of the liquid. The dissolution unit 200 is a unit that dissolves a desired gas in the liquid W supplied from the pretreatment unit 100. The dissolution unit 200 mainly has a dissolution container 201, a rotary shaft 203 to which a rotary plate 202 is attached, a liquid introduction path 204, a gas introduction path 205, a liquid lead-out path 206, and a pressure pump 207.

The liquid W supplied from the pretreatment unit 100 is supplied to and stored in the dissolution container 201 from the liquid introduction path 204. On the other hand, the gas G is supplied to the dissolution container 201 from the gas introduction path 205.

When a predetermined amount of the liquid W and the gas G are stored in the dissolution container 201, the pressurizing pump 207 is operated to raise the internal pressure of the dissolution container 201 to about 0.5 Mpa. A safety valve 208 is arranged between the pressurizing pump 207 and the dissolution container 201. Further, by rotating the rotating plate 202 in the liquid via the rotating shaft 203, the gas G supplied to the dissolution container 201 is bubbled, the contact area with the liquid W is increased, and the gas G is dissolved in the liquid W. Facilitate. Then, such an operation is continued until the solubility of the gas G reaches almost the maximum saturated solubility. At this time, in order to dissolve as much gas as possible, means for lowering the temperature of the liquid may be arranged. Further, in the case of a poorly soluble gas, the internal pressure of the dissolution container 201 can be increased to 0.5 MPa or more. In that case, it is necessary to optimize the material of the container from the viewpoint of safety.

When the liquid W in which the components of the gas G are dissolved at a desired concentration is obtained, the liquid W is discharged via the liquid lead-out path 206 and supplied to the T-UFB generation unit 300. At this time, the back pressure valve 209 adjusts the flow pressure of the liquid W so that the pressure at the time of supply does not become higher than necessary.

FIG. 3B is a diagram schematically showing how the gas G mixed in the dissolution container 201 is dissolved. The bubble 2 containing the component of the gas G mixed in the liquid W dissolves from the portion in contact with the liquid W. Therefore, the bubble 2 gradually contracts, and the gas-dissolved liquid 3 exists around the bubble 2. Since buoyancy acts on the bubbles 2, the bubbles 2 move to a position off the center of the gas-dissolved liquid 3 or separate from the gas-dissolved liquid 3 to become residual bubbles 4. That is, in the liquid W supplied to the T-UFB generation unit 300 via the liquid lead-out path 206, the gas-dissolved liquid 3 surrounds the bubbles 2, or the gas-dissolved liquid 3 and the bubbles 2 are separated from each other. Some of the states are mixed.

In the figure, the gas-dissolved liquid 3 means "a region in which the dissolved concentration of the mixed gas G is relatively high in the liquid W". In the gas component actually dissolved in the liquid W, the concentration is highest in the periphery of the bubble 2 or in the center of the region even when separated from the bubble 2, and the concentration of the gas component is continuous as the distance from the position increases. It becomes low. That is, in FIG. 3B, the region of the gas-dissolved liquid 3 is surrounded by a broken line for the sake of explanation, but in reality, such a clear boundary does not exist. Further, in this example, it is permissible for a gas that is not completely dissolved to exist in the liquid in the form of bubbles.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the T-UFB generation unit 300. The T-UFB generation unit 300 mainly includes a chamber 301, a liquid introduction path 302, and a liquid lead-out path 303, and a flow pump from the liquid introduction path 302 through the chamber 301 to the liquid lead-out path 303 is not shown. Is formed by. As the flow pump, various pumps such as a diaphragm pump, a gear pump, and a screw pump can be adopted. The gas-dissolving liquid 3 of the gas G mixed by the dissolution unit 200 is mixed in the liquid W introduced from the liquid introduction path 302.

An element substrate 12 provided with a heat generating element 10 is arranged on the bottom surface of the chamber 301. When a predetermined voltage pulse is applied to the heat generating element 10, bubbles 13 generated by film boiling (hereinafter, also referred to as film boiling bubbles 13) are generated in a region in contact with the heat generating element 10. Then, an ultrafine bubble (UFB11) containing a gas G is generated as the film boiling bubble 13 expands or contracts. As a result, the UFB-containing liquid W containing a large number of UFB 11s is derived from the liquid lead-out path 303.

5 (a) and 5 (b) are views showing the detailed structure of the heat generating element 10. FIG. 5A shows a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the heat generating element 10, and FIG. 5B shows a cross-sectional view of the element substrate 12 in a wider area including the heat generating element 10.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the element substrate 12 has a thermal oxide film 305 as a heat storage layer and an interlayer film 306 also serving as a heat storage layer laminated on the surface of the silicon substrate 304. As the interlayer film 306, a SiO ₂ film or a SiN film can be used. A resistance layer 307 is formed on the surface of the interlayer film 306, and a wiring 308 is partially formed on the surface of the resistance layer 307. As the wiring 308, Al alloy wiring such as Al, Al—Si, or Al—Cu can be used. A protective layer 309 made _{of a SiO 2} film or a Si ₃ N ₄ film is formed on the surfaces of the wiring 308, the resistance layer 307, and the interlayer film 306.

On the surface of the protective layer 309, the portion corresponding to the heat acting portion 311 that eventually becomes the heat generating element 10 and its surroundings are the protective layer 309 from the chemical and physical impacts associated with the heat generation of the resistance layer 307. A cavitation resistant film 310 is formed to protect the surface. On the surface of the resistance layer 307, the region where the wiring 308 is not formed is the heat acting portion 311 in which the resistance layer 307 generates heat. The heat generating portion of the resistance layer 307 on which the wiring 308 is not formed functions as a heat generating element (heater) 10. As described above, the layers in the element substrate 12 are sequentially formed on the surface of the silicon substrate 304 by the semiconductor manufacturing technology, whereby the silicon substrate 304 is provided with the heat acting portion 311.

The configuration shown in the figure is an example, and various other configurations can be applied. For example, a configuration in which the stacking order of the resistance layer 307 and the wiring 308 is reversed, and a configuration in which an electrode is connected to the lower surface of the resistance layer 307 (so-called plug electrode configuration) can be applied. That is, as will be described later, the structure may be such that the liquid can be heated by the heat acting unit 311 to cause film boiling in the liquid.

FIG. 5B is an example of a cross-sectional view of a region of the element substrate 12 including a circuit connected to the wiring 308. The surface layer of the silicon substrate 304, which is a P-type conductor, is partially provided with an N-type well region 322 and a P-type well region 323. By introducing and diffusing impurities such as ion implantation by a general MOS process, P-MOS 320 is formed in the N-type well region 322, and N-MOS 321 is formed in the P-type well region 323.

The P-MOS 320 is composed of a source region 325 and a drain region 326 formed by partially introducing N-type or P-type impurities into the surface layer of the N-type well region 322, a gate wiring 335, and the like. The gate wiring 335 is deposited on the surface of the N-shaped well region 322 excluding the source region 325 and the drain region 326 via a gate insulating film 328 having a thickness of several hundred Å.

The N-MOS 321 is composed of a source region 325 and a drain region 326 formed by partially introducing N-type or P-type impurities into the surface layer of the P-type well region 323, a gate wiring 335, and the like. The gate wiring 335 is deposited on the surface of the P-shaped well region 323 excluding the source region 325 and the drain region 326 via a gate insulating film 328 having a thickness of several hundred Å. The gate wiring 335 is made of polysilicon with a thickness of 3000 Å to 5000 Å deposited by the CVD method. The C-MOS logic is composed of these P-MOS 320 and N-MOS 321.

In the P-type well region 323, an N-MOS transistor 330 for driving an electric heat conversion element (heat generation resistance element) is formed in a portion different from the N-MOS 321. The N-MOS transistor 330 is composed of a source region 332 and a drain region 331 partially formed on the surface layer of the P-type well region 323 by steps such as introduction and diffusion of impurities, and a gate wiring 333 and the like. The gate wiring 333 is deposited on the surface of the portion of the P-shaped well region 323 excluding the source region 332 and the drain region 331 via the gate insulating film 328.

In this example, an N-MOS transistor 330 is used as a driving transistor for the electrothermal conversion element. However, the driving transistor may be any transistor that has the ability to individually drive a plurality of electrothermal conversion elements and can obtain the fine structure as described above. Not limited. Further, in this example, the electrothermal conversion element and the driving transistor thereof are formed on the same substrate, but these may be formed on different substrates.

An oxide membrane separation region 324 is formed by field oxidation having a thickness of 5000 Å to 10000 Å between each element such as between P-MOS 320 and N-MOS 321 and between N-MOS 321 and N-MOS transistor 330. ing. Each element is separated by the oxide membrane separation region 324. In the oxide film separation region 324, the portion corresponding to the heat acting portion 311 functions as the first heat storage layer 334 on the silicon substrate 304.

An interlayer insulating film 336 made of a PSG film or BPSG film having a thickness of about 7,000 Å is formed on the surface of each element of the P-MOS 320, N-MOS 321 and N-MOS transistor 330 by the CVD method. After the interlayer insulating film 336 is flattened by heat treatment, an Al electrode 337 serving as a first wiring layer is formed through a contact hole penetrating the interlayer insulating film 336 and the gate insulating film 328. An interlayer insulating film 338 composed of a SiO2 film having a thickness of 10000 Å to 15000 Å is formed on the surfaces of the interlayer insulating film 336 and the Al electrode 337 by a plasma CVD method. On the surface of the interlayer insulating film 338, a resistance layer 307 made of a TaSiN film having a thickness of about 500 Å is formed by a co-splat method on a portion corresponding to the heat acting portion 311 and the N-MOS transistor 330. The resistance layer 307 is electrically connected to the Al electrode 337 in the vicinity of the drain region 331 via a through hole formed in the interlayer insulating film 338. On the surface of the resistance layer 307, Al wiring 308 as a second wiring layer to be wiring to each electric heat conversion element is formed. The wiring 308, the resistance layer 307, and the protective layer 309 on the surface of the interlayer insulating film 338 are made of a SiN film having a thickness of 3000 Å formed by the plasma CVD method. The cavitation-resistant film 310 deposited on the surface of the protective layer 309 is at least one metal selected from Ta, Fe, Ni, Cr, Ge, Ru, Zr, Ir, etc., and is a thin film having a thickness of about 2000 Å. Consists of. As the resistance layer 307, various materials other than the above-mentioned TaSiN, such as TaN _0.8 , CrSiN, TaAl, and WSiN, which can cause film boiling in a liquid, can be applied.

6 (a) and 6 (b) are views showing the state of film boiling when a predetermined voltage pulse is applied to the heat generating element 10. Here, the case where the film boiling under atmospheric pressure is caused is shown. In FIG. 6A, the horizontal axis represents time. The vertical axis of the lower graph shows the voltage applied to the heating element 10, and the vertical axis of the upper graph shows the volume and internal pressure of the film boiling bubbles 13 generated by the film boiling. On the other hand, FIG. 6B shows the state of the film boiling foam 13 in association with the timings 1 to 3 shown in FIG. 6A. Hereinafter, each state will be described over time. As will be described later, the UFB 11 generated by the film boiling is mainly generated near the surface of the film boiling bubble 13. In the state shown in FIG. 6B, as shown in FIG. 1, the UFB 11 generated in the generation unit 300 is re-supplied to the dissolution unit 200 via the circulation path, and the liquid is again supplied to the liquid passage of the generation unit 300. Indicates the supplied state.

Before the voltage is applied to the heat generating element 10, the inside of the chamber 301 is maintained at substantially atmospheric pressure. When a voltage is applied to the heating element 10, film boiling occurs in the liquid in contact with the heating element 10, and the generated bubbles (hereinafter referred to as film boiling bubbles 13) expand due to the high pressure acting from the inside (timing 1). .. The foaming pressure at this time is considered to be about 8 to 10 MPa, which is a value close to the saturated vapor pressure of water.

The voltage application time (pulse width) is about 0.5 μsec to 10.0 μsec, but even after the voltage is no longer applied, the membrane boiling bubble 13 expands due to the inertia of the pressure obtained at timing 1. However, inside the membrane boiling foam 13, the negative pressure generated by the expansion gradually increases, and acts in the direction of contracting the membrane boiling foam 13. Eventually, the volume of the membrane boiling bubble 13 becomes maximum at the timing 2 when the inertial force and the negative pressure are balanced, and thereafter, the volume rapidly contracts due to the negative pressure.

When the film boiling bubble 13 disappears, the film boiling bubble 13 disappears not in the entire surface of the heat generating element 10 but in one or more extremely small regions. Therefore, in the heat generating element 10, a larger force is generated in the extremely small region where the film boiling bubbles 13 disappear than at the time of foaming shown in the timing 1 (timing 3).

The generation, expansion, contraction, and disappearance of the film boiling bubbles 13 as described above are repeated each time a voltage pulse is applied to the heat generating element 10, and a new UFB 11 is generated each time.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10, how UFB11 is generated in each process of generation, expansion, contraction and disappearance of the membrane boiling bubble 13 will be described in more detail.

7 (a) to 7 (d) are diagrams schematically showing how UFB 11 is generated with the generation and expansion of the membrane boiling bubbles 13. FIG. 7A shows a state before the voltage pulse is applied to the heat generating element 10. A liquid W in which the gas-dissolving liquid 3 is mixed flows inside the chamber 301.

FIG. 7B shows a state in which a voltage is applied to the heat generating element 10 and the film boiling bubbles 13 are uniformly generated in almost the entire area of the heat generating element 10 in contact with the liquid W. When a voltage is applied, the surface temperature of the heating element 10 rises sharply at a rate of 10 ° C./μsec or more, and when the temperature reaches approximately 300 ° C., film boiling occurs and film boiling bubbles 13 are generated.

After that, the surface temperature of the heating element 10 rises to about 600 to 800 ° C. during the application of the pulse, and the liquid around the film boiling bubble 13 is also rapidly heated. In the figure, the region of the liquid that is located around the membrane boiling foam 13 and is rapidly heated (100 μS or less) is shown as the unfoamed high temperature region 14. The gas-dissolved liquid 3 contained in the unfoamed high-temperature region 14 exceeds the thermal dissolution limit and precipitates at almost the same time to become UFB. The diameter of the precipitated bubbles is about 10 nm to 100 nm, and has a high gas-liquid interface energy. In addition, a liquid is interposed between the bubbles. Therefore, it does not disappear in a short time and floats in the liquid W while maintaining its independence. The bubbles generated by the thermal action during expansion from the generation of the film boiling bubbles 13 in this way are referred to as the first UFB11A.

FIG. 7C shows the process of expansion of the membrane boiling foam 13. Even after the application of the voltage pulse to the heating element 10 is completed, the film boiling foam 13 continues to expand due to the inertia of the force obtained when it is generated, and the unfoamed high temperature region 14 also moves and diffuses due to the inertia. That is, in the process of expansion of the membrane boiling foam 13, the gas-dissolved liquid 3 contained in the unfoamed high-temperature region 14 is newly precipitated as bubbles to become the first UFB 11A.

FIG. 7D shows a state in which the membrane boiling bubble 13 has the maximum volume. The membrane boiling foam 13 expands due to inertia, but the negative pressure inside the membrane boiling foam 13 gradually increases with the expansion, and acts as a negative pressure for contracting the membrane boiling foam 13. Then, when this negative pressure is balanced with the inertial force, the volume of the membrane boiling bubble 13 becomes maximum, and then it starts to contract.

In the contraction stage of the membrane boiling foam 13, UFB (second UFB11B) generated by the processes shown in FIGS. 8 (a) to 8 (c) and UFB generated by the processes shown in FIGS. 9 (a) to 9 (c). There is (third UFB). It is considered that these two processes coexist.

8 (a) to 8 (c) are views showing how UFB 11 is generated as the membrane boiling bubbles 13 contract. FIG. 8A shows a state in which the membrane boiling foam 13 has started contraction. Even if the membrane boiling bubble 13 starts contracting, the surrounding liquid W still has an inertial force in the expanding direction. Therefore, the inertial force acting in the direction away from the heat generating element 10 and the force toward the heat generating element 10 as the film boiling bubble shrinks act on the polar periphery of the film boiling bubble 13, and the pressure is reduced. Become. In the figure, such a region is shown as an unfoamed negative pressure region 15.

The gas-dissolved liquid 3 contained in the unfoamed negative pressure region 15 exceeds the pressure dissolution limit and precipitates as bubbles. The diameter of the precipitated bubbles is about 100 nm, and then the bubbles do not disappear in a short time and float in the liquid W while maintaining their independence. The bubbles precipitated by the pressure action when the membrane boiling bubbles 13 contract in this way are referred to as the second UFB 11B.

FIG. 8B shows the process of contraction of the membrane boiling foam 13. The speed at which the membrane boiling foam 13 contracts is accelerated by the negative pressure, and the unfoamed negative pressure region 15 also moves with the contraction of the membrane boiling foam 13. That is, in the process of contraction of the membrane boiling foam 13, the gas-dissolved liquid 3 at the portion where the unfoamed negative pressure region 15 passes is deposited one after another to become the second UFB 11B.

FIG. 8C shows a state immediately before the film boiling bubble 13 disappears. The accelerated contraction of the membrane boiling foam 13 also increases the moving speed of the surrounding liquid W, but pressure loss occurs due to the flow path resistance in the chamber 301. As a result, the region occupied by the unfoamed negative pressure region 15 becomes larger, and a large number of second UFB 11Bs are generated.

9 (a) to 9 (c) are views showing how UFB is generated by reheating the liquid W when the membrane boiling foam 13 is contracted. FIG. 9A shows a state in which the surface of the heat generating element 10 is covered with the shrinking film boiling bubbles 13.

FIG. 9B shows a state in which the film boiling bubbles 13 are contracted and a part of the surface of the heat generating element 10 is in contact with the liquid W. At this time, heat remains on the surface of the heat generating element 10 so that the film does not boil even if the liquid W comes into contact with the surface. In the figure, the region of the liquid that is heated by coming into contact with the surface of the heat generating element 10 is shown as the unfoamed reheating region 16. Although the film does not boil, the gas-dissolved liquid 3 contained in the unfoamed reheating region 16 precipitates beyond the thermal dissolution limit. The bubbles generated by the reheating of the liquid W when the film boiling bubbles 13 contract in this way are referred to as a third UFB11C.

FIG. 9C shows a state in which the film boiling bubbles 13 are further contracted. As the film boiling bubble 13 becomes smaller, the region of the heat generating element 10 in contact with the liquid W becomes larger, so that the third UFB 11C is generated until the film boiling bubble 13 disappears.

10 (a) and 10 (b) are views showing how UFB is generated by the impact (a kind of so-called cavitation) at the time of defoaming the membrane boiling foam 13 generated by the membrane boiling. FIG. 10A shows a state immediately before the film boiling bubble 13 disappears. The membrane boiling bubble 13 rapidly contracts due to the internal negative pressure, and the unfoamed negative pressure region 15 covers the periphery thereof.

FIG. 10B shows a state immediately after the film boiling bubble 13 disappears at the point P. When the membrane boiling bubble 13 is defoamed, the acoustic wave spreads concentrically starting from the point P due to the impact. Acoustic waves are a general term for elastic waves that propagate regardless of whether they are gas, liquid, or solid, and the density of liquid W, that is, the high-pressure surface 17A and low-pressure surface 17B of the liquid W are alternately propagated.

In this case, the gas-dissolved liquid 3 contained in the unfoamed negative pressure region 15 is resonated by the shock wave at the time of defoaming the film boiling foam 13, and undergoes a phase transition beyond the pressure dissolution limit at the timing when the low pressure surface 17B passes. .. That is, at the same time as the film boiling bubbles 13 disappear, a large number of bubbles are precipitated in the unfoamed negative pressure region 15. The bubbles generated by the shock wave when the film boiling bubbles 13 are defoamed are referred to as the fourth UFB11D.

The fourth UFB11D generated by the shock wave at the time of defoaming the membrane boiling bubble 13 suddenly appears in an extremely narrow thin film region in an extremely short time (1 μS or less). The diameter is sufficiently smaller than the first to third UFBs, and the gas-liquid interface energy is higher than that of the first to third UFBs. Therefore, it is considered that the fourth UFB 11D has different properties from the first to third UFB 11A to 11C and produces different effects.

Further, since the fourth UFB11D is uniformly generated everywhere in the concentric spherical region where the shock wave propagates, it will be uniformly present in the chamber 301 from the time when it is generated. At the timing when the fourth UFB11D is generated, a large number of the first to third UFBs already exist, but the existence of these first to third UFBs has a great influence on the generation of the fourth UFB11D. No. Further, it is considered that the first to third UFBs will not disappear due to the generation of the fourth UFB11D.

11 (a) and 11 (b) are views showing how UFB is generated by a change in the saturation solubility of the liquid W. FIG. 11A shows a state in which the film boiling foam 13 is generated. The surrounding liquid W is also heated with the formation of the membrane boiling foam 13, and a high temperature region 19 having a higher temperature than the other regions is formed around the membrane boiling foam 13. Since the saturated solubility of the liquid W decreases as the temperature of the liquid increases, the saturated solubility of the high temperature region 19 becomes lower than that of the other regions, resulting in a supersaturated state in which a phase transition to a gas is likely to occur. Then, the gas-dissolved liquid 3 in such a supersaturated state undergoes a phase transition when it comes into contact with the membrane boiling bubbles 13, and precipitates as UFB. In the figure, the arrow indicates the direction in which the gas-dissolved liquid 3 is deposited. The bubbles generated by the change in saturation solubility around the membrane boiling bubbles 13 in this way are referred to as the fifth UFB11E.

FIG. 11B shows a state in which the membrane boiling foam 13 is defoamed. The fifth UFB11E generated by contacting the membrane boiling foam 13 is attracted toward the heat generating element 10 together with the defoaming of the membrane boiling foam 13, and the region 13'occupied by the membrane boiling foam 13 is filled with liquid. W is satisfied. Of the precipitated UFBs, those that have not been redissolved in the liquid W remain as the fifth UFB11E.

As described above, it is assumed that the UFB 11 is generated at a plurality of stages until the film boiling bubbles 13 are generated and defoamed by the heat generated by the heat generating element 10. The first UFB11A, the second UFB11B, the third UFB11C and the fifth UFB11E are generated in the vicinity of the surface of the film boiling foam generated by the film boiling. Here, the vicinity is a region within about 20 μm from the surface of the membrane boiling foam. The fourth UFB11D is generated in the region where the shock wave generated when the bubbles are defoamed (disappeared) propagates. In the above-mentioned example, an example until the film boiling bubble 13 is defoamed is shown, but the method is not limited to this in order to generate UFB. For example, by communicating with the atmosphere before the generated membrane boiling bubbles 13 are extinguished, UFB can be generated even when the membrane boiling bubbles 13 are not exhausted.

Next, the residual characteristics of UFB will be described. The higher the temperature of the liquid, the lower the dissolution characteristics of the gas component, and the lower the temperature, the higher the dissolution characteristics of the gas component. That is, the higher the temperature of the liquid, the more the phase transition of the dissolved gas component is promoted, and the more easily UFB is generated. The temperature of the liquid and the solubility of the gas are in inverse proportion to each other, and as the temperature of the liquid rises, the gas exceeding the saturated solubility becomes bubbles and is deposited in the liquid.

Therefore, when the temperature of the liquid rises sharply from room temperature, the dissolution characteristics suddenly drop, and UFB begins to be generated. Then, as the temperature rises, the thermal melting characteristics decrease, and a large amount of UFB is generated.

On the contrary, when the temperature of the liquid drops from room temperature, the dissolution characteristics of the gas increase, and the produced UFB becomes easy to liquefy. However, such temperatures are well below room temperature. Further, even if the temperature of the liquid is lowered, since the UFB once generated has a high internal pressure and a high gas-liquid interface energy, it is extremely unlikely that a pressure high enough to destroy the gas-liquid interface acts. That is, the UFB once generated does not easily disappear as long as the liquid is stored at normal temperature and pressure.

In the above, the first UFB11A described with reference to FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (c), the third UFB11C described with reference to FIGS. 9 (a) to 9 (c), and FIGS. 11 (a) to 11 (b) have been described. The fifth UFB11E can be said to be a UFB produced by utilizing such thermal dissolution characteristics of a gas.

On the other hand, regarding the relationship between the pressure of the liquid and the dissolution characteristics, the higher the pressure of the liquid, the higher the dissolution characteristics of the gas, and the lower the pressure, the lower the dissolution characteristics. That is, the lower the pressure of the liquid, the more the phase transition of the gas-dissolved liquid dissolved in the liquid to the gas is promoted, and the UFB is easily generated. When the pressure of the liquid drops from normal pressure, the dissolution characteristics drop at once and UFB begins to be generated. Then, as the pressure decreases, the pressure dissolution characteristics decrease, and a large amount of UFB is generated.

On the contrary, when the pressure of the liquid rises from the normal pressure, the dissolution property of the gas rises, and the produced UFB becomes easy to liquefy. However, such a pressure is sufficiently higher than the atmospheric pressure, and even if the pressure of the liquid rises, the UFB once generated has a high internal pressure and a high gas-liquid interface energy, so that the gas-liquid interface is destroyed. It is extremely unlikely that a moderately high pressure will act. That is, the UFB once generated does not easily disappear as long as the liquid is stored at normal temperature and pressure.

In the above, the second UFB11B described with reference to FIGS. 8 (a) to 8 (c) and the fourth UFB11D described with reference to FIGS. 10 (a) to 10 (c) utilize the pressure dissolution characteristics of such a gas. It can be said that the UFB is generated by the above.

In the above, the first to fourth UFBs having different generation factors have been described individually, but the above-mentioned generation factors occur simultaneously and frequently with the event of film boiling. Therefore, at least two or more types of UFBs among the first to fourth UFBs may be generated at the same time, and these generation factors may cooperate with each other to generate UFBs. However, it is common that all the generation factors are invited by the volume change of the film boiling bubbles generated by the film boiling phenomenon. In the present specification, the method of producing UFB by utilizing the film boiling accompanying the rapid heat generation is referred to as a T-UFB (Thermal-Ultra Fine Bubble) production method. Further, the UFB produced by the T-UFB production method is referred to as T-UFB, and the liquid containing T-UFB produced by the T-UFB production method is referred to as a T-UFB-containing liquid.

Most of the bubbles generated by the T-UFB generation method are 1.0 μm or less, and it is difficult to generate millibubbles and microbubbles. That is, according to the T-UFB generation method, UFB is dominantly and efficiently generated. Further, the T-UFB produced by the T-UFB production method has a higher gas-liquid interface energy than the UFB produced by the conventional method, and does not easily disappear as long as it is stored at normal temperature and pressure. Further, even if a new T-UFB is generated by the new film boiling, it is suppressed that the previously generated T-UFB disappears due to the impact. That is, it can be said that the number and concentration of T-UFB contained in the T-UFB-containing liquid have a hysteresis characteristic with respect to the number of times of film boiling in the T-UFB-containing liquid. In other words, the concentration of T-UFB contained in the T-UFB-containing liquid can be adjusted by controlling the number of heat-generating elements arranged in the T-UFB generation unit 300 and the number of times voltage pulses are applied to the heat-generating elements. ..

See FIG. 1 again. When the T-UFB-containing liquid W having a desired UFB concentration is generated in the T-UFB generation unit 300, the UFB-containing liquid W is supplied to the post-treatment unit 400.

12 (a) to 12 (c) are diagrams showing a configuration example of the post-processing unit 400. The post-treatment unit 400 removes impurities contained in the UFB-containing liquid W in the order of inorganic ions, organic substances, and insoluble solids.

FIG. 12A shows a first post-treatment mechanism 410 for removing inorganic ions. The first post-treatment mechanism 410 includes an exchange container 411, a cation exchange resin 412, a liquid introduction path 413, a water collection pipe 414, and a liquid outlet path 415. The exchange container 411 contains a cation exchange resin 412. The UFB-containing liquid W generated by the T-UFB generation unit 300 is injected into the exchange container 411 via the liquid introduction path 413 and absorbed by the cation exchange resin 412, where cations as impurities are removed. NS. Such impurities include a metal material peeled off from the element substrate 12 of the T-UFB generation unit 300, and examples thereof include SiO ₂ , SiC, SiC, Ta, Al ₂ O ₃ , Ta ₂ O ₅ , and Ir. Be done.

The cation exchange resin 412 is a synthetic resin in which a functional group (ion exchange group) is introduced into a polymer base having a three-dimensional network structure, and the synthetic resin contains spherical particles of about 0.4 to 0.7 mm. Presented. As the polymer base, a copolymer of styrene-divinylbenzene is generally used, and as the functional group, for example, methacrylic acid-based and acrylic acid-based ones can be used. However, the above material is an example. The materials can be changed in various ways as long as the desired inorganic ions can be effectively removed. The UFB-containing liquid W absorbed by the cation exchange resin 412 and from which the inorganic ions have been removed is collected by the water collecting pipe 414 and sent to the next step via the liquid outlet path 415. In this step, it is not necessary to remove all the inorganic ions contained in the UFB-containing liquid W supplied from the liquid introduction path 413, and at least some of the inorganic ions may be removed.

FIG. 12B shows a second post-treatment mechanism 420 for removing organic matter. The second post-treatment mechanism 420 includes a storage container 421, a filtration filter 422, a vacuum pump 423, a valve 424, a liquid introduction path 425, a liquid outlet path 426, and an air suction path 427. The inside of the storage container 421 is divided into two upper and lower regions by a filtration filter 422. The liquid introduction path 425 is connected to the upper region of the upper and lower regions, and the air suction passage 427 and the liquid outlet passage 426 are connected to the lower region. When the vacuum pump 423 is driven with the valve 424 closed, the air in the storage container 421 is discharged through the air suction path 427, the inside of the storage container 421 becomes negative pressure, and the UFB-containing liquid is discharged from the liquid introduction path 425. W is introduced. Then, the UFB-containing liquid W in a state where impurities have been removed by the filtration filter 422 is stored in the storage container 421.

Impurities removed by the filtration filter 422 include organic materials that can be mixed in tubes and units, such as organic compounds containing silicon, siloxanes, epoxies, and the like. Examples of the filter membrane that can be used for the filtration filter 422 include a sub μm mesh filter that can remove even bacterial systems (a filter having a mesh diameter of 1 μm or less) and an nm mesh filter that can remove even viruses. In a filtration filter having such a fine opening diameter, bubbles larger than the opening diameter of the filter can also be removed. In particular, when fine bubbles are adsorbed on the opening (mesh) of the filter, the filter may be clogged and the filtration rate may be reduced. However, as described above, most of the bubbles generated by the T-UFB generation method have a diameter of 1.0 μm or less, and it is difficult to generate microbubbles or microbubbles larger than 1.0 μm. That is, since the generation rate of millibubbles and microbubbles is very small, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the filtration rate due to the adsorption of bubbles on the filter. Therefore, a filtration filter 422 including a filter having a mesh diameter of 1 μm or less can be suitably applied to a system provided with a T-UFB generation method.

As an example of the filtration method applicable to this embodiment, there are a so-called dead-end filtration method and a cross-flow filtration method. In the dead-end filtration method, the flow direction of the supply liquid and the flow direction of the filter liquid passing through the filter opening flow in the same direction, that is, in directions along each other. On the other hand, in the cross-flow filtration method, the flow of the feed liquid flows in the direction along the filter surface, that is, the flow of the feed liquid and the flow of the filter liquid passing through the filter opening intersect. In order to suppress the adsorption of air bubbles to the filter opening, it is preferable to apply a cross-flow filtration method.

When the vacuum pump 423 is stopped and the valve 424 is opened after the UFB-containing liquid W is stored in the storage container 421 to some extent, the T-UFB-containing liquid in the storage container 421 is sent to the next step via the liquid lead-out path 426. Be liquid. Here, the vacuum filtration method is adopted as a method for removing impurities of organic substances, but as a filtration method using a filter, for example, a gravity filtration method or a pressure filtration method can also be adopted.

FIG. 12 (c) shows a third post-treatment mechanism 430 for removing insoluble solids. The third post-treatment mechanism 430 includes a settling container 431, a liquid introduction path 432, a valve 433, and a liquid outlet path 434.

First, with the valve 433 closed, a predetermined amount of UFB-containing liquid W is stored in the settling container 431 from the liquid introduction path 432 and left for a while. During this time, the solid matter contained in the UFB-containing liquid W is settled to the bottom of the settling container 431 by gravity. Further, among the bubbles contained in the UFB-containing liquid, bubbles having a relatively large size such as microbubbles also float on the liquid surface by buoyancy and are removed from the UFB-containing liquid. When the valve 433 is opened after a sufficient time has elapsed, the UFB-containing liquid W from which solid matter and large-sized bubbles have been removed is sent to the recovery unit 500 via the liquid outlet path 434. In the above, an example in which the three post-processing mechanisms are applied in order is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the order of the three post-processing mechanisms may be changed, and at least one post-processing mechanism is adopted as necessary. You may.

See FIG. 1 again. The T-UFB-containing liquid W from which impurities have been removed by the post-treatment unit 400 may be sent to the recovery unit 500 as it is, or may be returned to the dissolution unit 200 again. In the latter case, the gas dissolution concentration of the T-UFB-containing liquid W, which has decreased due to the formation of T-UFB, can be compensated again to the saturated state in the dissolution unit 200. If a new T-UFB is then generated by the T-UFB generation unit 300, the UFB-containing concentration of the T-UFB-containing liquid can be further increased under the above-mentioned characteristics. That is, the UFB-containing concentration can be increased by the number of circulations around the dissolution unit 200, the T-UFB generation unit 300, and the post-treatment unit 400, and after the desired UFB-containing concentration is obtained, the UFB-containing liquid W Can be sent to the recovery unit 500. In the above, the form in which the UFB-containing liquid treated by the post-treatment unit 400 is returned to the dissolution unit 200 and circulated is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, after the liquid is returned to the dissolution unit 200 and circulated a plurality of times to increase the T-UFB concentration before being supplied to the post-treatment unit 400 after passing through the T-UFB generation unit. Post-processing may be performed by the post-processing unit 400.

The recovery unit 500 collects and stores the UFB-containing liquid W sent from the post-treatment unit 400. The T-UFB-containing liquid recovered by the recovery unit 500 becomes a high-purity UFB-containing liquid from which various impurities have been removed.

In the recovery unit 500, the UFB-containing liquid W may be classified according to the size of T-UFB by performing a filtering process in several steps. Further, since the T-UFB-containing liquid W obtained by the T-UFB method is expected to be higher than the normal temperature, the recovery unit 500 may be provided with a cooling means. In addition, such a cooling means may be provided in a part of the post-processing unit 400.

The above is the outline of the UFB generator 1, but of course, a plurality of units as shown in the figure can be changed, and it is not necessary to prepare all of them. Depending on the type of liquid W or gas G to be used and the purpose of use of the T-UFB-containing liquid to be generated, a part of the above-mentioned units may be omitted, or another unit may be added in addition to the above-mentioned units. You may.

For example, when the gas contained in the UFB is the atmosphere, the pretreatment unit 100 and the dissolution unit 200 as the pretreatment unit can be omitted. On the contrary, if it is desired to include a plurality of types of gases in the UFB, the dissolution unit 200 may be further added.

Further, the unit for removing impurities as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C may be provided upstream of the T-UFB generation unit 300, or may be provided both upstream and downstream. .. When the liquid supplied to the UFB generator is tap water, rainwater, contaminated water, etc., the liquid may contain organic or inorganic impurities. If the liquid W containing such impurities is supplied to the T-UFB generation unit 300, the heat generating element 10 may be altered or a salting out phenomenon may occur. By providing the mechanism shown in FIGS. 11 (a) to 11 (c) upstream of the T-UFB generation unit 300, the above-mentioned impurities can be removed in advance.

<< Liquids and gases that can be used in T-UFB-containing liquids >>
Here, the liquid W that can be used to generate the T-UFB-containing liquid will be described. Examples of the liquid W that can be used include pure water, ion-exchanged water, distilled water, physiologically active water, magnetically activated water, cosmetic water, tap water, seawater, river water, water and sewage water, lake water, groundwater, rainwater, and the like. Be done. Further, a mixed liquid containing these liquids and the like can also be used. Further, a mixed solvent of water and a water-soluble organic solvent can also be used. The water-soluble organic solvent used in combination with water is not particularly limited, and specific examples thereof include the following. Alcohols having 1 to 4 carbon atoms such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, n-butyl alcohol, sec-butyl alcohol, and tert-butyl alcohol. Amides such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, 2-pyrrolidone, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, N, N-dimethylformamide, N, N-dimethylacetamide. Ketone or keto alcohols such as acetone and diacetone alcohol. Cyclic ethers such as tetrahydrofuran and dioxane. Ethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol. 1,2-butanediol, 1,3-butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,2-hexanediol, 1,6-hexanediol. Glycos such as 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, and thiodiglycol. Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether. Lower alkyl ethers of polyhydric alcohols such as diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, triethylene glycol monomethyl ether, triethylene glycol monoethyl ether, and triethylene glycol monobutyl ether. Polyalkylene glycols such as polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol. Triols such as glycerin, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, trimethylolpropane. These water-soluble organic solvents may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

Examples of the gas component that can be introduced in the dissolution unit 200 include hydrogen, helium, oxygen, nitrogen, methane, fluorine, neon, carbon dioxide, ozone, argon, chlorine, ethane, propane, and air. Further, it may be a mixed gas containing some of the above. Further, the dissolution unit 200 does not necessarily have to dissolve a substance in a gaseous state, and a liquid or a solid composed of a desired component may be dissolved in the liquid W. In this case, the dissolution may be natural dissolution, dissolution by applying pressure, hydration by ionization, ionization, or dissolution accompanied by a chemical reaction.

<< Effect of T-UFB generation method >>
Next, the features and effects of the T-UFB generation method described above will be described in comparison with the conventional UFB generation method. For example, in a conventional bubble generator represented by the Venturi method, a mechanical decompression structure such as a decompression nozzle is provided in a part of the flow path, and a liquid is flowed at a predetermined pressure so as to pass through the decompression structure. As a result, bubbles of various sizes are generated in the area downstream of the decompression structure.

In this case, among the generated bubbles, buoyancy acts on bubbles having a relatively large size such as millibubbles and microbubbles, so that the bubbles eventually rise to the liquid surface and disappear. Further, the UFB on which buoyancy does not act does not have such a large gas-liquid interface energy, so that it may disappear together with the millibubbles and microbubbles. In addition, even if the decompression structure is arranged in series and the same liquid is repeatedly flowed through the decompression structure, the number of UFBs corresponding to the number of repetitions cannot be stored for a long period of time. That is, in the UFB-containing liquid produced by the conventional UFB production method, it was difficult to maintain the UFB-containing concentration at a predetermined value for a long period of time.

On the other hand, in the T-UFB generation method using film boiling, a sudden temperature change from normal temperature to about 300 ° C. or a sudden pressure change from normal pressure to about several megapascals is made in the immediate vicinity of the heat generating element. It is caused locally. The heat generating element has a quadrilateral shape with a side of several tens of μm to several hundreds of μm. Compared to the size of a conventional UFB generator, it is about 1/1 to 1/1000. Moreover, a phase transition occurs when the gas-dissolved liquid existing in the extremely thin film region on the surface of the boiling foam momentarily exceeds the thermal dissolution limit or the pressure dissolution limit (in an ultra-short time of microseconds or less). It becomes UFB and precipitates. In this case, bubbles having a relatively large size such as millibubbles and microbubbles are hardly generated, and the liquid contains UFB having a diameter of about 100 nm with extremely high purity. Further, since the T-UFB thus produced has a sufficiently high gas-liquid interface energy, it is not easily destroyed under a normal environment and can be stored for a long period of time.

In particular, in this example using the film boiling phenomenon in which a gas interface can be locally formed with respect to the liquid, the interface is formed on a part of the liquid existing in the vicinity of the heat generating element without affecting the entire liquid region. The region that acts thermally and pressure can be an extremely local range. As a result, the desired UFB can be stably produced. Further, by circulating the liquid and further imparting the UFB generation condition to the generated liquid, it is possible to additionally generate a new UFB with less influence on the existing UFB. As a result, a UFB liquid of a desired size and concentration can be produced relatively easily.

Further, since the T-UFB production method has the above-mentioned hysteresis characteristic, the content concentration can be increased to a desired concentration while maintaining high purity. That is, according to the T-UFB production method, a UFB-containing liquid having high purity, high concentration, and long-term storage can be efficiently produced.

<< Specific use of T-UFB-containing liquid >>
In general, the ultrafine bubble-containing liquid has different uses depending on the type of gas contained therein. Any gas can be converted to UFB as long as it can dissolve an amount of PPM to BPM in the liquid. As an example, it can be applied to the following applications.

-The UFB-containing liquid containing air can be suitably used for cleaning industrial, agricultural and fishery industries, medical purposes, etc., and for growing plants and agricultural and marine products.

-The ozone-containing UFB-containing liquid is suitable for cleaning applications such as industrial, agricultural and fishery industries, and medical applications, as well as for sterilization, sterilization, and sterilization, and for environmental purification of wastewater and contaminated soil. Can be used.

-The UFB-containing liquid containing nitrogen is suitable for cleaning applications such as industrial, agricultural and fishery industries, and medical purposes, as well as for sterilization, sterilization, and sterilization, and for environmental purification of wastewater and contaminated soil. be able to.

-The UFB-containing liquid containing oxygen can be suitably used for growing plants and agricultural and marine products in addition to cleaning applications such as industrial, agricultural and fishery industries, and medical uses.

-The UFB-containing liquid containing carbon dioxide can be suitably used for cleaning applications such as industrial, agricultural and fishery industries, and medical applications, as well as applications for sterilization, sterilization, and sterilization.

-A UFB-containing liquid containing perfluorocarbon, which is a medical gas, can be suitably used for ultrasonic diagnosis and treatment. As described above, the UFB-containing liquid can exert its effects in a wide range of fields such as medical treatment, pharmaceuticals, dentistry, food, industry, agriculture and fisheries.

In each application, the purity and concentration of UFB contained in the UFB-containing liquid are important in order to quickly and surely exert the effect of the UFB-containing liquid. That is, if a T-UFB production method capable of producing a UFB-containing liquid having a desired concentration with high purity is used, more effects than ever can be expected in various fields. Hereinafter, the T-UFB production method and the applications in which the T-UFB-containing liquid is expected to be suitably applicable are listed.

(A) Liquid purification application-By arranging the T-UFB generation unit in the water purifier, it is expected that the water purification effect and the purification effect of the PH preparation liquid will be enhanced. Further, the T-UFB generation unit can be arranged in a carbonated water server or the like.

-By arranging the T-UFB generation unit in a humidifier, an aroma diffuser, a coffee maker, etc., it can be expected to improve the humidifying effect, the deodorizing effect, and the scent diffusion effect in the room.

・ The dissolution unit produces a UFB-containing liquid in which ozone gas is dissolved, and by using this for dental treatment, burn treatment, wound treatment when using an endoscope, etc., medical cleaning effect and disinfection effect are improved. You can expect it to happen.

-By arranging the T-UFB generation unit in the water tank of an apartment house, it can be expected to improve the water purification effect and chlorine removal effect of drinking water stored for a long period of time.

-In the sake brewing process, such as sake, shochu, and wine, where high-temperature sterilization cannot be performed, pasteurization can be performed more efficiently than before by using a T-UFB-containing liquid containing ozone and carbon dioxide. Can be expected.

-In the manufacturing process of specified health foods and foods with functional claims, by mixing UFB-containing liquid with raw materials, pasteurization treatment becomes possible, and it is possible to provide safe and functional foods without losing flavor. ..

-At aquaculture sites for fish and pearls, it can be expected that spawning and development of fish and shellfish will be promoted by arranging a T-UFB production unit in the supply route of seawater and freshwater for aquaculture.

-By arranging the T-UFB generation unit in the process of refining the food storage water, it can be expected that the food storage state will be improved.

-By arranging the T-UFB generation unit in the decolorizer for decolorizing pool water, groundwater, etc., a higher decolorization effect can be expected.

-By using the T-UFB-containing liquid for repairing cracks in concrete members, it can be expected that the effect of repairing cracks will be improved.

-By adding T-UFB to liquid fuel of equipment (automobiles, ships, airplanes) that use liquid fuel, it can be expected to improve the energy efficiency of the fuel.

(B) Cleaning Applications In recent years, UFB-containing liquids have been attracting attention as cleaning water for removing stains and the like adhering to clothes. It is expected that the cleaning power will be further improved by arranging the T-UFB generation unit described in the above embodiment in the washing machine and supplying the UFB-containing liquid having higher purity and excellent permeability than the conventional one to the washing layer. can.

-By arranging the T-UFB generation unit in the bath shower or toilet bowl washing machine, in addition to the cleaning effect of all living things such as the human body, the effect of promoting the removal of decontamination such as water stains and mold on the bathroom or toilet bowl can be expected.

-By arranging T-UFB generation units in window washers of automobiles, high pressure washers for washing wall materials, car wash machines, dishwashers, food washer, etc., the cleaning effect of each is further improved. Can be expected.

-It can be expected that the cleaning effect will be improved by using the T-UFB-containing liquid when cleaning and servicing parts manufactured in a factory such as a deburring process after press working.

-It can be expected that the polishing effect can be improved by using the T-UFB-containing liquid as the polishing water for the wafer at the time of manufacturing the semiconductor element. Further, in the resist removing step, by using the T-UFB-containing liquid, it can be expected to promote the peeling of the resist which is difficult to peel.

-By arranging the T-UFB generation unit in the equipment for cleaning and disinfecting medical equipment such as medical robots, dental treatment equipment, and organ storage containers, the cleaning effect and disinfection effect of these equipment can be improved. You can expect it. It can also be applied to the treatment of living things.

(C) Pharmaceutical applications-By containing a T-UFB-containing solution in cosmetics, etc., it promotes penetration into subcutaneous cells and significantly reduces additives such as preservatives and surfactants that adversely affect the skin. Can be done. As a result, it is possible to provide cosmetics that are more secure and have functionality.

-By utilizing a high-concentration nanobubble preparation containing T-UFB as a contrast medium for medical examination equipment such as CT and MRI, it is possible to efficiently utilize the reflected light from X-rays and ultrasonic waves, and more detailed captured images. Can be used for initial diagnosis of malignant tumors.

・ In an ultrasonic therapy device called HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound), by using high-concentration nanobubble water containing T-UFB, the irradiation power of ultrasonic waves can be reduced, and treatment can be performed more non-invasively. can do. In particular, it is possible to reduce damage to normal tissues.

-Using high-concentration nanobubbles containing T-UFB as seeds, phospholipids that form liposomes are modified in the negatively charged region around the bubbles, and various medical substances (DNA, RNA, etc.) are passed through the phospholipids. Can be prepared as a nanobubble preparation.

-As a treatment for pulp and dentin regeneration, when a drug containing high-concentration nanobubble water produced by T-UFB is sent into the dental canal, the drug penetrates deeply into the dentin canal due to the penetrating action of the nanobubble water and promotes the sterilization effect. Infected root canal treatment of dental pulp can be performed quickly and safely.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be specifically described.

(First Embodiment)
FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of the ultrafine bubble-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus 2000 (hereinafter, referred to as UFB-containing liquid producing apparatus 2000) according to the first embodiment. The UFB-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus 2000 of the present embodiment mainly includes a liquid supply unit 600, a gas dissolution unit 800, a nuclear supply unit 750 (750A, 750B), a first storage chamber 900, and an ultrafine bubble generation unit 1000 ( Hereinafter referred to as a UFB generator 1000). The liquid supply unit 600, the gas dissolution unit 800, and the UFB generation unit 1000 correspond to the pretreatment unit 100, the dissolution unit 200, and the T-UFB generation unit 300 of FIG. 1, respectively. Each part is connected to each other by the pipe 700, and the liquid W is circulated by the pump 701 arranged in the middle of the pipe 700. In FIG. 13, solid arrows indicate the flow of liquid and dashed arrows indicate the flow of gas. Further, in FIG. 13, two nuclear supply units 750, a first nuclear supply unit 750A and a second nuclear supply unit 750B, are shown as the nuclear supply unit 750, but at least one nuclear supply unit 750 is provided. Just do it. When the two are not particularly distinguished, the description will be simply referred to as the nuclear supply unit 750.

The liquid supply unit 600 mainly includes a liquid storage unit 601, two pumps 602 and 603, and a degassing unit 604. The liquid W stored in the liquid storage unit 601 is sent to the first storage chamber 900 by the pumps 602 and 603 via the degassing unit 604. Inside the degassing unit 604, a membrane through which gas can pass and liquid cannot pass is provided. When only the gas passes through the membrane due to the pressure of the pumps 602 and 603, the gas and the liquid are separated, the liquid W goes to the first storage chamber 900, and the gas is discharged to the outside. Various gases may be dissolved in the liquid stored in the liquid storage unit 601. Before the liquid is sent to the first storage chamber 900, the dissolved gas is removed by the degassing unit 604. By removing the gas, the dissolution efficiency of the gas dissolution step to be performed later can be increased.

The gas melting unit 800 includes a gas supply unit 804, a pretreatment unit 801 and a merging unit 802, and a gas-liquid separation chamber 803. The gas supply unit 804 may be a cylinder for storing the desired gas G, but may be a device capable of continuously generating the desired gas G. For example, when the desired gas G is oxygen, it can be a device that takes in the atmosphere, removes nitrogen, and continuously pumps the nitrogen-depleted gas. The gas dissolution unit 800 may include a solubility sensor (not shown).

The gas G supplied from the gas supply unit 804 merges with the liquid W flowing out of the first storage chamber 900 in the merging unit 802 after being discharged or the like by the pretreatment unit 801. At this time, a part of the gas G is dissolved in the liquid W. The merged gas G and liquid W are separated again by the gas-liquid separation chamber 803, and the gas G not dissolved in the liquid W is discharged to the outside. The liquid W in which the gas G is dissolved is then sent to the UFB generation unit 1000 by the pump 701 via the first nuclear supply unit 750A. In the present embodiment, the pretreatment unit 801 applies a high electric field treatment such as plasma discharge to _{the oxygen O 2 supplied from the gas supply unit 804.} As a result, the oxygen gas becomes active and ozone O ₃ is generated. The generated ozone is sent to the confluence unit 802. As a result, in the gas melting unit 800, ozone and water are mixed to generate ozone water, which is sent to the first nuclear supply unit 750A as a liquid W.

The first nuclear supply unit 750A supplies the liquid in which the substance that becomes the core of UFB production is dissolved or dispersed to the UFB generation unit 1000. A high-concentration UFB-containing liquid can be produced by generating UFB in the UFB generation unit 1000 using a liquid in which a substance that is the core of UFB production is dissolved or dispersed. Further, in the UFB-containing liquid which is ozone water thus produced, ozone can remain for a long time. That is, it is possible to provide a UFB-containing liquid having a long ozone life. Details will be described later.

The UFB generation unit 1000 generates UFB in the inflowing liquid W. Various methods such as the Venturi method can be adopted as the UFB generation method, but in the present embodiment, the T-UFB method described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 10 is adopted. A filter 1001 is arranged upstream of the UFB generation unit 1000 to prevent impurities, dust, and the like from flowing into the UFB generation unit 1000. By removing impurities, dust, etc., the efficiency of UFB generation in the UFB generation unit 1000 can be improved. On the other hand, this filter 1001 is set so that a substance that is a core of UFB production can pass through. The UFB-containing liquid W generated by the UFB generation unit 1000 is stored in the first storage chamber 900 through the pipe 700. The UFB generation unit 1000 includes a second nuclear supply unit 750B. Details will be described later.

The first storage chamber 900 stores the following mixed liquid. That is, the liquid W supplied from the liquid supply unit 600, the desired gas G dissolved in the gas dissolution unit 800, and the liquid W in which the core substance for UFB production is dissolved or dispersed in the nuclear supply unit 750, and the UFB generation. Part 1000 contains a mixed solution with the UFB-containing solution in which T-UFB is generated.

The liquid level sensor 902 is arranged at a predetermined height in the first storage chamber 900 and detects the liquid level of the liquid W. When the liquid W is supplied from the liquid supply unit 600, the supply is stopped when the liquid level reaches the liquid level sensor 902. The valve 904 is opened when the liquid W contained in the first storage chamber 900 is discharged to the outer container. The outer container may be, for example, the post-treatment unit 400 of FIG. 1, the recovery unit 500, the post-treatment unit 400, and the recovery unit 500. Although not shown in the figure, a stirring means for making the temperature of the liquid W and the distribution of the UFB uniform may be provided inside the first storage chamber 900. Further, a UFB concentration sensor for detecting the UFB concentration of the liquid W contained in the first storage chamber 900 may be provided.

The cooling unit 903 cools the liquid W stored in the first storage chamber 900. In order to efficiently dissolve the desired gas G in the gas melting unit 800, the temperature of the liquid W supplied to the gas dissolving unit 800 is preferably as low as possible. Further, by keeping the temperature of the circulating liquid W at a low temperature, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise of the UFB generation unit 1000 that generates UFB by utilizing the film boiling, and to extend the life of the UFB generation unit 1000. In the present embodiment, a temperature sensor is provided inside the first storage chamber 900, and the temperature of the liquid W supplied to the gas melting unit 800 is set to 10 ° C. or lower by using the cooling unit 903 while detecting the temperature of the liquid. I'm adjusting.

The configuration of the cooling unit 903 is not particularly limited, but for example, a method using a Perche element, a method of circulating a liquid cooled by a chiller, or the like can be adopted. In the latter case, a cooling pipe for circulating the cooling liquid may be wound around the outer periphery of the first storage chamber 900 as shown in FIG. 13, or the first storage chamber 900 has a hollow structure and the cooling pipe is arranged in the hollow. You may let me. Further, the cooling pipe may be immersed in the liquid W of the first storage chamber 900.

With the above configuration, in the present embodiment, the liquid W circulates from the first storage chamber 900, passes through the gas melting unit 800, the nuclear supply unit 750, and the UFB generation unit 1000, and returns to the first storage chamber 900 again. A route is formed.

In FIG. 13, a pump 701 that promotes circulation in the entire circulation path is arranged between the gas dissolving unit 800 and the UFB generating unit 1000, but the position and number of pumps are not limited to this. The pump may be arranged, for example, between the UFB generation unit 1000 and the first storage chamber 900, between the gas melting unit 800 and the UFB generation unit 1000, and between the UFB generation unit 1000 and the first storage unit 1000. It may be arranged both between the room 900 and the room 900. Further, in the configuration of each part, a pump or a valve necessary for the operation of each part may be provided. However, as the pump, it is preferable to use a pump having small pulsation and flow rate variation so as not to impair the UFB generation efficiency.

Further, the recovery path and the valve 904 for recovering the liquid W may be provided at other positions in the liquid circulation path instead of the first storage chamber 900. Further, when the temperature of the UFB generation unit 1000 rises sharply, the UFB generation unit 1000 may be provided with a cooling unit similar to the first storage chamber 900.

Further, the solubility sensor, the temperature sensor and the UFB concentration sensor may be provided at any position as long as they are in the circulation path. Further, it may be provided at a plurality of positions in the circulation path so that the average value can be output.

The members that come into contact with the UFB-containing liquid, such as the pipe 700, the pump 701, the filter 1001, the first storage chamber 900, and the wetted portion of the UFB generating unit 1000, are made of a material having strong corrosion resistance. Is preferable. For example, fluororesins such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA), metals such as SUS316L, or other inorganic materials can be preferably used. As a result, UFB can be suitably produced even when a highly corrosive gas G or liquid W is used.

<< Explanation of UFB generation using core material >>
Next, an example in which UFB is produced at a high concentration by using a liquid W in which a core substance for UFB production (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a nucleus) supplied by the nuclear supply unit 750 is dissolved or dispersed. Will be explained. Hereinafter, the first nuclear supply unit 750A will be described as an example.

As described above, ozone water is supplied to the first nuclear supply unit 750A. The highly reactive ozone water dissolves the nuclei for UFB formation in the first nuclear supply unit 750A, for example, in the liquid W at the molecular level. In this example, the nucleus for UFB generation is a substance (channel wall) in contact with the liquid W in the circulation path for UFB generation such as the first nuclear supply unit 750A, the pipe 700, and the first storage chamber 900. ) Is part of. The nuclei for UFB production are dissolved or dispersed in the liquid W, so that UFB can be produced at a high concentration. This is because, in general, when generating bubbles, it is possible to generate bubbles from the presence of nuclei with less energy than to generate bubbles from the absence of nuclei. .. Therefore, when the nuclei for UFB production are dissolved or dispersed, more UFB can be produced as compared with the case where the nuclei are not present. In particular, it is more desirable if the core substance is a hydrophobic substance that has an affinity for gas. As described above, the size of the UFB is 10 to 100 nm as an example, and in the present embodiment, it is, for example, 100 to 200 nm. It is useful that the core material for UFB production is dispersed in the liquid in a size less than or equal to the size of the UFB. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is useful that the nuclei for UFB formation are dispersed in a size of, for example, 100 to 200 nm or less.

The liquid W is sent to the UFB generation unit 1000 by the first nuclear supply unit 750A in a state where the nuclei for UFB generation are dissolved or dispersed. In the UFB generation unit 1000, for example, as described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11, the film boiling bubbles 13 are generated to generate UFB11 in the core of UFB at a high concentration. The present inventors have found that a larger amount of UFB than before is produced by generating a film boiling bubble 13 in the UFB generation unit 1000 in the presence of a core substance to generate UFB. rice field. Specifically, it was found that 1 billion pieces / ml of UFB-containing liquid was produced. Basically, one UFB can be produced for one nucleus, but this UFB-containing liquid may also contain UFB produced from a state without a nucleus. In addition, the present inventors have found that the life of ozone is extended in this UFB-containing liquid (ozone water). With ordinary ozone water, the life of ozone is about several tens of minutes. That is, ozone usually disappears from ozone water in which ozone is dissolved in about several tens of minutes. On the other hand, the present inventors have confirmed that the UFB-containing liquid (ozone water) thus produced contains a high concentration of ozone even after 3 days or more.

In a method other than the method for producing UFB using membrane boiling described in the present embodiment, for example, in a UFB generation method such as the Venturi method, bubbles having a large buoyancy and volume such as microbubbles and millibubbles are generated at the same time as UFB generation. Occurs at the same time. When microbubbles, millibubbles, etc. are generated, the nuclei (mainly hydrophobic substances, etc.) that are effective in producing UFB are adsorbed by these bubbles and are not dispersed. Therefore, in a UFB generation method such as the Venturi method, it is difficult to efficiently generate a high-concentration UFB. On the other hand, according to the UFB generation method by film boiling used in the present embodiment, UFB is generated in the process from local pressure generation to defoaming in a micrometer-sized film boiling foam. By this mechanism, UFB can be generated with almost no generation of large bubbles of millimeter size or larger. Therefore, according to the combination of the method for producing UFB using the film boiling of the present embodiment and the solution or dispersion in which the substance that is the core of UFB production is dissolved or dispersed, a high concentration of UFB is efficiently produced. be able to.

In the above description, oxygen is arranged under a high voltage to be turned into plasma and dissolved in a liquid to generate ozone, which is a radical substance, and ozone water is in contact with a core substance (for example, a liquid). An example of contact with a part of the flow path wall) was described. Thereby, an example of dissolving the nucleus of UFB production at the molecular level has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Although the example in which the nuclear supply unit 750 is arranged in the middle of the circulation path from the gas melting unit 800 to the UFB generation unit 1000 has been described, the nuclear supply unit 750 may be provided in the UFB generation unit 1000. That is, the nucleus may be dissolved by the second nuclear supply unit 750B in the UFB generation unit 1000.

An example of the second nuclear supply unit 750B provided in the UFB generation unit 1000 will be described. As described above, the nuclear supply unit 750 supplies the UFB generation core substance to the UFB generation unit 1000. Here, when UFB is generated by the UFB generation unit 1000, the substance that is the core of UFB production can also be dissolved in the liquid W. That is, by applying heat to a solid existing on the surface layer of the heating element 10 (also referred to as a heating element) by the heating element 10, the substance can be separated as a core substance and the core substance can be dissolved in a liquid. For example, when the film is boiled in the liquid W, as described above, a rapid pressure is generated at the time of generating the film boiling bubbles and at the time of defoaming. Due to this pressure, substances such as the surface layer of the heat generating element 10 are scraped off at the molecular level and dissolved in the liquid. As described above, the nuclear supply unit 750 may be provided in the UFB generation unit 1000 itself.

Further, in the present embodiment, the example in which the first nuclear supply unit 750A is arranged in the circulation path for generating UFB has been described, but it does not necessarily have to be arranged in the circulation path. In another system, a lysate in which the UFB nuclei are lysed may be supplied to the system and the lysate may be mixed in the circulation pathway.

<< Example of nuclear supply in UFB generator 1000 >>
Next, an example in which a nucleus for UFB generation is supplied to the UFB generation unit 1000 and UFB is generated based on the nucleus will be described. The nucleus may be supplied from the first nuclear supply unit 750A or may be supplied from the second nuclear supply unit 750B. In the UFB generation unit 1000, for example, as described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11, a film boiling bubble 13 is generated in the liquid. The film boiling foam 13 generates UFB11 in the core of UFB, and a high-concentration UFB-containing liquid is produced. Hereinafter, an example in which a UFB is generated will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15.

14 and 15 are enlarged views of the vicinity of the heat generating element 10 in the UFB generator 1000 described with reference to, for example, FIGS. 7 to 11. FIG. 14A shows a state before the voltage pulse is applied to the heat generating element 10. A liquid W in which the gas-dissolving liquid 3 is mixed flows inside the chamber 301. The protective layer 309 and the cavitation resistant film 310 that protect the heat generating element are not described in FIG.

FIG. 14B shows a state in which the heat generating element 10 is heated. The heat generating element 10 and the liquid W (including the gas-dissolved liquid 3) are heated from the surface in contact with the heat generating element 10 and the temperature rises to form the unfoamed high temperature region 14. The broken line in the figure is conveniently represented as a contour line indicating a predetermined temperature in the heat fall distribution from high temperature to room temperature.

FIG. 14C shows a state in which the liquid W that has reached 300 ° C. in the high temperature region near the contact surface between the heat generating element 10 and the liquid W of the element substrate 12 generates the film boiling bubbles 13. .. The film boiling bubbles 13 are generated all at once on the surface of the heat generating element 10 (excluding a part of the area around the heat generating element that has not reached 300 ° C.), and are very thin film-like bubbles of 1 μm or less at the initial stage of generation. Is. Further, as described with reference to FIG. 6, this bubble has a very high pressure of 100 atm level and appears in an extremely short time, so that it gives a thermal and pressure impact to the vicinity. This thermal and pressure impact gives a chemical, electrical, mechanical, or physical effect to the surface of the heating element. As a result, a part of the surface substance of the heat generating element 10 is melted, ionized, or destroyed, or a part of the surface material is cut off from the molecular or interatomic bonding force and separated as a minute substance 18. The desorbed micro substance 18 is one of the core substances for UFB production. That is, the second nuclear supply unit 750B in the UFB generation unit 1000 is associated with the element substrate 12. Here, the micro substance 18 refers to a very small substance, and specifically, a substance having a particle size of 100 nm or less. It should be noted that, by repeatedly generating film boiling, the bond strength may be lowered and a large surface substance of 1 μm or more may be detached, but the one having that size does not float much in the liquid and settles by its own weight. Such a surface substance having a size of 1 μm or more is not included in a substance having a small weight of 100 nm or less and floating in a liquid, such as the minute substance 18 of the present embodiment.

FIG. 14D shows the growth of the membrane boiling foam 13, showing the state in which the membrane boiling foam 13 has further grown and the UFB 11 has been generated by thermal and pressure action in the unfoamed high temperature region 14 around the membrane boiling foam 13. show. In the unfoamed high temperature region 14, although it does not foam thermally, the saturated solubility decreases because it reaches the level of 200 ° C. instantaneously, and the dissolved gas in the liquid W and the gas-dissolved liquid 3 precipitates, and becomes UFB11. Become. Further, the UFB 11 due to the precipitation of the dissolved gas due to the pressurization by the film boiling bubble 13 and the dissolved gas due to the decrease in saturation solubility due to the low pressure close to vacuum in the process of the film boiling bubble 13 expanding due to the inertial force. UFB11 due to precipitation also occurs.

In such an environmental state, the presence of the minute substance 18 may be the starting point for precipitation of the dissolved gas. This is because the minute substance 18 causes non-uniformity that impairs the uniformity in a uniform state in which no substance is present. The fine substance 18 makes it possible to generate gas precipitation even if the precipitation energy is small at the initial stage of the decrease in saturation solubility. That is, since the precipitated volume is small, a smaller UFB 11 can be produced. Even in this state, as shown in FIG. 14D, UFB11 generated not due to the minute substance 18 is also generated, but the quantity tends to be small.

In FIG. 15A, the inertial force in the expansion direction of the membrane boiling foam 13 of the surrounding liquid and the force in the contraction direction due to the vacuum state inside the membrane boiling foam 13 are balanced, and the growth of the membrane boiling foam 13 is stopped. Indicates the maximum volume state. 15 (b) to 15 (c) show a state in which the contraction force of the membrane boiling foam 13 is superior and the membrane boiling bubbles proceed in the contraction direction. The membrane boiling bubble 13 contracts small and is on the verge of disappearing. FIG. 15D shows the moment when the membrane boiling bubble 13 disappears, and at that moment, the liquids collide with each other to generate a large cavitation shock wave. Also at that time, the minute substance 18 is released, and UFB11 caused by the minute substance 18 is generated. As described above, a part of the surface substance is separated as the minute substance 18 by the thermal and pressure impact at the time of foaming and defoaming the film boiling foam 13. Then, the detached micro substance 18 can become a core of UFB production at the time of production of each UFB 11 described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11.

FIG. 16 is a diagram imitating the state of UFB generation described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, and is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the heat generating element 10. That is, FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the second nuclear supply unit 750B. FIG. 16A shows a protective film 21 existing between the heat generating element 10 and the liquid W (not shown in FIGS. 14 and 15). The protective film 21 has a function of electrically protecting the heat generating element 10 from liquid and a function of protecting the heat generating element 10 from the above-mentioned thermal and pressure cavitation impacts and the like. Specifically, the protective film 21 includes at least one of the protective layer 309 and the cavitation resistant film 310 described in FIG. Koge 22 is attached to the surface (liquid contact surface) of the protective film 21. The koge 22 is a substance that is altered or burnt by heat among the liquid components, and is an adhering component that is accumulated on the surface of the protective film 21 as the koge 22 by repeatedly generating the film boiling bubbles 13 by the heat generating element 10. Is.

FIG. 16B shows a state in which the liquid W having reached 300 ° C. generated the film boiling bubbles 13 in the high temperature region near the contact surface between the protective film 21 and the liquid W on the heat generating element 10. As described above, the film boiling bubble 13 gives a thermal and pressure impact in the vicinity thereof. This thermal and pressure impact gives a chemical, electrical, mechanical, or physical action to the surface of the heat generating element (protective film 21). As a result, a part 23 of the koge 22 of the surface-adhering substance is melted, ionized, or destroyed, or the molecular or interatomic bonding force of the part 23 of the surface material is cut off and separated as a minute substance 18. Further, a part 24 of the substance constituting the protective film 21 is melted, ionized, or destroyed, or the molecular or interatomic bonding force of the part 24 of the surface material is cut off and separated as a minute substance 18. Examples of substances constituting the protective film 21 (protective layer 309 and cavitation resistant film 310) are as described above. In this embodiment, the protective layer 309 is a compound containing Si. For example, it may be SiN, SiO, SiC, SiON, or SiOC. The cavitation-resistant film 310 is a refractory metal having a melting point of 1770 ° C. or higher, and is, for example, any one of Hf, Ta, W, Nb, Ir, and Pt, or an alloy or oxide containing these. Can be configured.

FIG. 16C shows how the UFB 11 is generated starting from the detached minute substance 18. The interface between the liquid W and the minute substance from the protective film 21 that forms part of the koge 22 and the element substrate 12 is chemically, electrically, physically, such as turbulence of surface energy and concentration of electrical energy at the sharp tip. Or there may be non-uniformity in the mechanical state. Therefore, it can be said that a condition for easily generating UFB 11 is created. Here, when the thermal and pressure actions of the film boiling bubbles 13 are applied, UFB 11 is likely to be generated starting from a part 23 of the koge of the detached surface adhering substance and a part 24 of the protective film substance.

FIG. 16D shows a state in which UFB11 is generated and grown starting from a part 23 of the koge of the detached surface-adhering substance and a part 24 of the protective film substance. UFB11 is a bubble precipitated in excess of supersaturated solubility. When UFB11 is generated at a non-starting point, a huge amount of energy is required to change from nothing to existence, so that even after the generation of ultrafine bubbles, the UFB11 grows to 100 nm or more due to its remaining capacity. On the other hand, when the minute substance 18 is present, the ultrafine bubble is generated even with a relatively low energy, so that the remaining capacity is small and the ultrafine bubble can remain relatively small. The above is the description of the second nuclear supply unit 750B arranged in the UFB generation unit 1000. That is, it is an example in which a core substance is supplied in the UFB generator 1000.

As described above, in this example, the core substance for UFB production is a part of the koge 22, a minute substance from the protective film 21 forming a part of the device substrate 12, a part of the substance dissolved by ozone, and the like. Was explained as an example, but it is not limited to this. The liquid W may contain at least one kind of substance that is a core of UFB production. That is, the liquid W may contain a substance having an SP value (Solubility Parameter value) different from that of the liquid W. When a substance having a polarity different from that of the liquid W is contained, the core substance is easily separated.

<< Explanation of the first nuclear supply unit 750A >>
Next, details and a modification of the first nuclear supply unit 750A will be described. The first nuclear supply unit 750A of the present embodiment has a configuration in which a liquid in which a substance that is a core of UFB production is dissolved is supplied to the UFB generation unit 1000. In the present embodiment, the ozone water generated by the gas melting unit 800 is a part of the pipe 700 through which the ozone water is passed toward the UFB generating unit 1000.

FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the first nuclear supply unit 750A. An example is shown in which the liquid W in which the nucleus 751 is dissolved is supplied to the UFB generator 1000 as a liquid containing the nucleus 751.

FIG. 18 shows a first nuclear supply unit 750A as a system for generating a nucleus 751 using ozone water 755 and supplying a liquid containing a nucleus. Although FIG. 18 shows an example in which the first nuclear supply unit 750A includes the discharge unit 756 and the gas-liquid mixing unit 758, the discharge unit 756 and the gas-liquid mixing unit 758 are as shown in FIG. The gas melting unit 800 may be configured. Oxygen 757 is supplied to the discharge unit 756, and the discharge unit 756 discharges the corona to generate ozone 753 in the oxygen 757. Ozone water 755 is generated by mixing ozone 753 with a liquid in a gas-liquid mixing section 758. Ozone water 755 is supplied to the nucleated liquid generation unit 759, the nucleated liquid generating unit 759 generates nuclei 751 from a part 752 of the flow path wall, and sends out the nucleated liquid containing the nuclei 751 in the liquid. ..

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating the mechanism by which the nucleus 751 is generated in the first nuclear supply unit 750A. FIG. 19A is a diagram simulating the inside of the nuclear-filled liquid generating section 759. Ozone water 755 containing ozone 753 flows inside the nuclear-filled liquid generator 759. When the ozone water 755 flows inside the nucleated liquid generating section 759, it oxidizes a part 752 of the material of the flow path wall 760 to generate oxide nuclei 761 (wall material + O) and separates it from the flow path wall 760. As a result, a liquid containing a nucleus containing oxidation nuclei 761 is generated and supplied to the UFB generation unit 1000. FIG. 19B is a diagram illustrating the formation mechanism of the oxidized nuclei 761 in more detail. The flow path wall 760 is an organic polymer 762 having a structure of R1-R2-R3-R4. _{When Ozone 753 of O 3} comes into contact with the organic polymer 762, an organic synthesis reaction occurs to produce ozone oxide 763 having a 5-membered ring structure. When ozone oxide 763 is generated, organic matter is deteriorated, ozone cracking that causes cracks destroys ozone oxide 763, and oxide nuclei 761 are separated from the flow path wall. Since this is a reaction that occurs at the molecular level, it acts advantageously as a core substance for UFB production as a minute substance 18 having a size of 100 nm or less to several nm.

As the material of the flow path wall 760, an inorganic substance, a metal, or the like can be used in addition to an organic substance, and oxides having different properties can be produced depending on the material. For example, phosphorus or nitrogen can be used as an effective nutritional component for food cultivation. In the case of metal, it can also be used as an oxygen supplement material utilizing a redox reaction as a metal oxide.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating another example of the first nuclear supply unit 750A. FIG. 20 shows a method for producing a liquid containing a core using an oil / fat component as a core component. First, oleic acid 772 is discharged from the pores as a spray into a water-oil mixer 773 to be mixed with a liquid. As a result, a fine oleic acid mixed solution is generated in a liquid containing water as a main component. Further, ultrasonic vibration or swirling is performed by a homogenizer 774, a vortex mixer, or the like to generate finer oleic acid nuclei. As a result, a liquid containing a nucleus 751 of a minute substance is generated. As the substance to be mixed, an organic material, an inorganic material, a metal material, or the like can be used in addition to the fat and oil component. The first nuclear supply unit 750A of FIG. 20 may be used as the first nuclear supply unit 750A of FIG. 13, or may be arranged in the circulation path separately from the first nuclear supply unit 750A of FIG.

Further, although the example in which the first nuclear supply unit 750A described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 20 is arranged in the circulation path shown in FIG. 13 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. These first nuclear supply units 750A may be incorporated into a separate system for producing the nuclear-filled liquid to provide the nuclear-filled liquid to the system as shown in FIGS. 1 and 13.

<Block diagram and UFB manufacturing method>
Next, the configuration of the UFB-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus 2000 and the UFB manufacturing method will be described.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram for explaining a control configuration in the UFB-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus 2000 of the present embodiment. The CPU 2001 controls the entire apparatus while using the RAM 2003 as a work area according to the program stored in the ROM 2002.

Under the instruction of the CPU 2001, the pump control unit 2004 controls the drive of various pumps including the pumps 602, 603, and 701 included in the circulation path shown in FIG. The valve control unit 2005 controls the opening and closing of various valves including the valve 904 under the instruction of the CPU 2001. The sensor control unit 2006 controls various sensors including a solubility sensor, a temperature sensor, a UFB concentration sensor, and the like in addition to the liquid level sensor 902 under the instruction of the CPU 2001, and provides the detection values of the various sensors to the CPU 2001.

For example, at the start of operation of the UFB-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus 2000, the CPU 2001 drives the pumps 602 and 603 until the liquid level sensor 902 detects the liquid level, and stores a predetermined amount of liquid in the first storage chamber 900. Further, when the UFB concentration detected by the UFB concentration sensor reaches a predetermined value, the CPU 2001 causes the pump control unit 2004 to stop the operation of the pump 701, causes the valve control unit 2005 to open the valve 904, and causes the valve control unit 2005 to open the valve 904. The liquid W contained in the pump is discharged.

Next, an example of a method for producing a UFB-containing liquid will be described. First, the CPU 2001 stores a predetermined amount of liquid in the first storage chamber 900 (S01). Specifically, the CPU 2001 operates the pumps 602 and 603 while monitoring the detection of the liquid level sensor 902. As a result, the liquid W stored in the liquid supply unit 600 is sent to the first storage chamber 900 while being degassed by the degassing unit 604. Then, when the liquid level sensor 902 detects the liquid level, the CPU 2001 stops the operation of the pumps 602 and 603. As a result, a predetermined amount of liquid W is stored in the first storage chamber 900.

Next, the CPU 2001 starts temperature adjustment of the liquid W stored in the first storage chamber 900 (S02). Specifically, the cooling unit 903 is operated while monitoring the detected temperature of the temperature sensor. Then, when the detection temperature of the temperature sensor becomes 10 ° C. or lower, the process proceeds to the next control.

Next, the CPU 2001 operates the gas dissolving unit 800 and drives the pump 701 under the first circulation condition to circulate the liquid W while monitoring the detection of the solubility sensor (S03). In the present embodiment, the first circulation condition is a circulation condition suitable for dissolving the gas G in the liquid W. In the present embodiment, as such a first circulation condition, the flow velocity of the liquid in the circulation path is 500 to 3000 mL / min, and the flow pressure is 0.2 to 0.6 MPa. That is, in S03, the CPU 2001 causes the pump control unit 2004 to drive the pump 701 so that such a flow velocity and a flow pressure are maintained.

For example, in the case where the UFB generation unit has a configuration such as a Venturi method, that is, a configuration in which a UFB is generated by passing a specific flow path structure through a liquid, the UFB generation can be stopped without stopping the flow of the liquid. However, bubbles of unintended size may be generated. However, since the T-UFB method is adopted in this embodiment, UFB is not generated by the UFB generation unit 1000 unless a voltage is applied to the heat generating element (heater). That is, by not operating the UFB generation unit 1000 in S03, in the circulating liquid W, only the solubility of the gas G is efficiently increased under the first circulation condition in a state where the UFB is not generated. I can go.

When the solubility sensor detects a predetermined solubility, the CPU 2001 stops the operation of the gas dissolving unit 800 and the pump 701 (S04). As a result, the circulation of the liquid W is stopped, and the liquid W in which the desired gas G is dissolved at a desired solubility is stored in the first storage chamber 900.

Next, the CPU 2001 drives the pump 701 under the second circulation condition to circulate the liquid W (S05). In the present embodiment, the second circulation condition is a circulation condition suitable for causing the UFB generation unit 1000 to generate UFB. In the present embodiment, as such a second circulation condition, the flow velocity of the liquid in the circulation path is 30 to 150 mL / min, and the flow pressure is 0.1 to 0.2 MPa. That is, in S05, the CPU 2001 causes the pump control unit 2004 to drive the pump 701 so that such a flow velocity and a flow pressure are maintained.

Further, the CPU 2001 operates the UFB generation unit 1000 while monitoring the detection of the UFB concentration sensor. At this time, the CPU 2001 does not operate the gas melting unit 800. That is, in the circulating liquid W, the UFB concentration is efficiently increased under the second circulation condition.

When the UFB concentration sensor detects a predetermined UFB concentration, the CPU 2001 stops the operation of the UFB generation unit 1000 and the pump 701 (S06). As a result, the circulation of the liquid W is stopped, and the UFB-containing liquid W containing the UFB of the desired gas G at a desired concentration is stored in the first storage chamber 900.

Next, the CPU 2001 opens the valve 904 and discharges the UFB-containing liquid W stored in the first storage chamber 900 to an external recovery container (S07). At this time, the CPU 2001 may discharge all the liquids W contained in the first storage chamber 900, but may discharge only a part of the liquids W.

Next, the CPU 2001 determines whether or not the amount of the liquid W collected in the collection container has reached the target amount (S08). If the target amount is not achieved, the CPU 2001 returns to S01 and repeats the steps S01 to S07. On the other hand, in S08, when it is determined that the target amount has been achieved, this process ends.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the UFB generation unit 1000 generates UFB using a liquid in which the substance that is the core of UFB production is dissolved or dispersed. As a result, a high-concentration UFB-containing liquid can be produced. Further, in the UFB-containing liquid which is ozone water thus produced, ozone can remain for a long time. That is, it is possible to provide a UFB-containing liquid having a long ozone life.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 22 is a schematic configuration diagram of the UFB-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus 2000 according to the second embodiment. The UFB-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus 2000 of the present embodiment differs from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 13 in that two circulation routes are prepared for the first storage chamber 900. The circulation path A indicated by the arrow A in the figure is a circulation path returning from the first storage chamber 900 to the first storage chamber 900 via the gas melting unit 800, and is driven by the first pump 702. The circulation path B indicated by the arrow B is a circulation path returning from the first storage chamber 900 to the first storage chamber 900 via the UFB generation unit 1000, and is driven by the second pump 703.

By preparing such two circulation paths, in the UFB-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus 2000 of the present embodiment, the step of dissolving the desired gas G and the step of generating the UFB are set to suitable circulation conditions for each. It can be executed by a set independent circulation route.

Although the example of FIG. 22 shows an example in which the first nuclear supply unit 750A is arranged in the circulation path A, it may be arranged in the circulation path B or may be arranged in the circulation paths A and B. .. The first nuclear supply unit 750A can be any of the first nuclear supply units 750A described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 20. Further, a second nuclear supply unit 750B is arranged in the UFB generation unit 1000.

Next, an example of a method for producing a UFB-containing liquid will be described. In the present embodiment, as described in the first embodiment, the CPU 2001 stores a predetermined amount of liquid in the first storage chamber 900 and adjusts the temperature. Next, the CPU 2001 operates the gas melting unit 800 and drives the first pump 702 under the first circulation condition to start the circulation of the liquid W in the circulation path A. The content of the first circulation condition is the same as that of the first embodiment. Then, such circulation in the circulation path A is continued until the solubility sensor detects a predetermined solubility. When the solubility sensor detects a predetermined solubility, the CPU 2001 stops the operation of the gas dissolving unit 800 and the first pump 702.

Next, when the solubility sensor detects a predetermined solubility, the CPU 2001 starts circulation in the circulation path B. Specifically, the second pump 703 is driven under the second circulation condition, and the UFB generator 1000 is further operated. The content of the second circulation condition is the same as that of the first embodiment. Then, such circulation in the circulation path B is continued until the UFB concentration sensor detects a predetermined UFB concentration. When the UFB concentration sensor detects a predetermined UFB concentration, the CPU 2001 stops the operation of the UFB generation unit 1000 and the second pump 703.

When both the circulation in the circulation path A and the circulation in the circulation path B are stopped, the CPU 2001 opens the valve 904 and discharges the liquid W contained in the first storage chamber 900 to an external collection container. Subsequent steps are the same as the examples described in the first embodiment.

While circulating in the circulation path B, the circulation path A may be stopped or may be circulated under the third circulation condition. The third circulation condition is a condition for replenishing the gas solubility in the liquid, which is reduced by the formation of UFB. The conditions may be the same as those of the first circulation condition, but the flow velocity and the pressure may be lower than those of the first circulation condition so as not to destroy the generated UFB. Further, the flow rate and pressure may be the same as those of the first circulation condition, and the circulation and the stop under the first circulation condition may be periodically repeated. In any case, according to this example, the gas solubility of the liquid W can be maintained at a suitable value regardless of the UFB content concentration, and the UFB production efficiency can be further improved.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, both the circulation path A and the circulation path B are shorter than the circulation path shown in the first embodiment, so that each step can be completed in a shorter time than in the first embodiment. can. Then, the step of dissolving the gas G by the circulation path A and the step of generating the UFB by the circulation path B can be performed by individual paths under the circulation conditions suitable for each, so that the desired UFB can be obtained. The contained liquid can be produced more efficiently.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the path through which the liquid flows (circulation path A) at a relatively high flow velocity and high pressure can be suppressed to be shorter than that in the first embodiment, so that the UFB-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus itself can be made more compact. It is inexpensive and compact, and can be expected to facilitate maintenance.

(Third Embodiment)
FIG. 23 is a schematic configuration diagram of the UFB-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus 2000 according to the third embodiment. The UFB-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus 2000 of the present embodiment differs from the second embodiment shown in FIG. 22 in that a second storage chamber 950 is added.

The second containment chamber 950 is smaller than the first containment chamber 900 and has a capacity of about 1/100 to 1/5 of that of the first containment chamber 900. Like the first storage chamber 900, the second storage chamber 950 is also preferably made of a material having strong corrosion resistance, for example, a fluororesin such as PTFE or PFA, a metal such as SUS316L, or the like. Inorganic materials can be preferably used. The second storage chamber 950 also has substantially the same configuration as the first storage chamber 900, and includes a liquid level sensor 952 and a cooling unit 953. However, in the present embodiment, the UFB concentration sensor for detecting the UFB content concentration and the piping and valve 954 for discharging the UFB-containing liquid to the outer container are not the first storage chamber 900 but the second storage chamber 900. It is provided only in room 950.

The circulation path A indicated by the arrow A in the figure is a circulation path returning from the first storage chamber 900 to the first storage chamber 900 via the gas melting unit 800, and is driven by the first pump 702. The circulation path B indicated by the arrow B in the figure is a circulation path returning from the second storage chamber 950 to the second storage chamber 950 via the UFB generation unit 1000, and uses the third pump 704 as a drive source. Further, the path indicated by the arrow C in the figure is a path for sending the liquid W from the first storage chamber 900 to the second storage chamber 950, and the fourth pump 705 is used as a drive source.

Although the example of FIG. 23 shows an example in which the first nuclear supply unit 750A is arranged in the circulation path A, it may be arranged in the circulation path B or the circulation path C. It may be arranged in two or more of the circulation paths A, B, and C. The first nuclear supply unit 750A can be any of the first nuclear supply units 750A described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 20. Further, a second nuclear supply unit 750B is arranged in the UFB generation unit 1000.

In the UFB-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus 2000 of the present embodiment as described above, the circulation path A for dissolving the desired gas G and the circulation path B for generating the UFB are independent without merging with each other. There is. Therefore, even if the liquid is simultaneously flowed through these two circulation paths, the conditions suitable for each circulation path can be maintained with high accuracy without the circulation conditions such as the flow velocity and the pressure affecting each other. For example, the flow velocity and pressure under the first circulation condition may be higher than those in the first and second embodiments in order to further increase the gas dissolution efficiency in the liquid W. Further, in addition to the flow velocity and pressure, the liquid temperature in the circulation path may be included in the circulation conditions, and the temperatures adjusted in the circulation path A and the circulation path B may be different. That is, in the first circulation condition, a temperature suitable for dissolving the desired gas G may be set, and in the second circulation condition, a temperature suitable for producing UFB may be set.

Next, an example of a method for producing a UFB-containing liquid will be described. In the present embodiment, as described in the first embodiment, the CPU 2001 stores a predetermined amount of liquid in the first storage chamber 900 and adjusts the temperature. Next, the CPU 2001 operates the gas melting unit 800 and drives the first pump 702 under the first circulation condition to start the circulation of the circulation path A. At this time, the CPU 2001 does not operate the third pump 704 and the fourth pump 705. The content of the first circulation condition may be the same as that of the first embodiment, or may be a higher flow velocity and a higher pressure than that of the first embodiment. Then, such circulation in the circulation path A is continued until the solubility sensor detects a predetermined solubility.

When the solubility sensor detects a predetermined solubility, the CPU 2001 sends a part of the liquid W contained in the first storage chamber 900 to the second storage chamber 950. Specifically, first, the operations of the gas melting unit 800 and the first pump 702 are stopped. Then, while monitoring the detection of the liquid level sensor 952 provided in the second storage chamber 950, the fourth pump 705 is operated, and when the liquid level sensor 952 detects the liquid level, the fourth pump Stop 705. As a result, a predetermined amount of liquid W is stored in the second storage chamber 950.

Next, the CPU 2001 supplies the liquid W sent to the second storage chamber 950 from the liquid supply unit 600 to the first storage chamber 900 again. That is, the CPU 2001 operates the pumps 602 and 603 until the liquid level sensor 902 detects the liquid level.

When the detection temperature of the temperature sensor (not shown) becomes 10 ° C. or lower, the CPU 2001 resumes the operation of the gas melting unit 800, drives the first pump 702 under the third circulation condition, and causes the circulation path A. Circulate the liquid W with. The third circulation condition may be the same flow velocity and pressure as the first circulation condition, or may be a different flow velocity and pressure from the first circulation condition. Further, the flow rate and pressure may be the same as those of the first circulation condition, and the circulation and the stop under the first circulation condition may be intermittently repeated.

When the solubility sensor detects a predetermined solubility, the CPU 2001 stops the operation of the gas dissolving unit 800 and the first pump 702. However, it is not essential to stop the operation of the first pump 702. That is, in the subsequent steps, the circulation path A may be performed while being circulated.

On the other hand, in parallel with the circulation of the circulation path A by the first pump 702, the CPU 2001 also performs the circulation control of the circulation path B. The CPU 2001 drives the third pump 704 under the second circulation condition to circulate the liquid W in the circulation path B, and starts the operation of the UFB generation unit 1000. The content of the second circulation condition may be the same as that of the first embodiment, or may be different from that of the first embodiment. In any case, it suffices if the flow velocity and pressure suitable for generating the UFB are set. The CPU 2001 continues such circulation in the circulation path B until the UFB concentration sensor provided in the second accommodation chamber 950 detects a predetermined UFB concentration.

When the UFB concentration sensor detects a predetermined UFB concentration, the CPU 2001 stops the operation of the UFB generation unit 1000 and the third pump 704. Then, the CPU 2001 opens the valve 954 and discharges the liquid W stored in the second storage chamber 950 to an external recovery container.

Here, in the first storage chamber 900, the time required to dissolve the desired gas G in the liquid to the desired solubility after receiving the new liquid from the liquid supply unit 600 is defined as T1. Further, in the second storage chamber 950, the time required for the supplied liquid W to be made into a UFB-containing liquid having a desired concentration and the discharge to the collection container is completed is defined as T2. At this time, in this embodiment, it is assumed that T1 ≦ T2 is satisfied. By satisfying the above conditions, when the discharge from the second storage chamber 950 to the recovery container is completed, the liquid W in which the desired gas is dissolved at the desired dissolution concentration is completed in the first storage chamber 900. Therefore, the UFB generation process can be continued without waste.

Then, the CPU 2001 determines whether or not the amount of the liquid W collected in the collection container has reached the target amount. If the desired amount is not achieved, the CPU 2001 again sends the liquid from the first containment chamber 900 to the second containment chamber 950. At this time, the liquid stored in the first storage chamber 900 is a liquid in which a desired gas is already dissolved with a desired solubility. On the other hand, when it is determined that the amount of liquid W collected in the collection container has reached the target amount, this process ends.

According to the present embodiment described above, the step of dissolving the gas G by the circulation path A and the step of generating the UFB by the circulation path B can be simultaneously performed in parallel under the circulation conditions suitable for each. can. Further, since the circulation path A and the circulation path B are independent without merging with each other, it is possible to maintain the conditions suitable for each circulation path with higher accuracy.

(Fourth Embodiment)
FIG. 24 is a schematic configuration diagram of the UFB-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus 2000 according to the fourth embodiment. In the UFB-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus 2000 of the present embodiment, the difference from the third embodiment shown in FIG. 23 is that the route indicated by the arrow D in the figure is added. The path indicated by the arrow D in the figure is a path for sending the liquid W from the second storage chamber 950 to the first storage chamber 900, and the fifth pump 706 is used as a drive source. Further, in the second storage chamber 950 of the present embodiment, a lower limit sensor 957 for managing the lower limit of the liquid level is provided in addition to the liquid level sensor 952 for controlling the upper limit of the liquid level. A fourth pump 705 for sending the liquid W from the first containment chamber 900 to the second containment chamber 950, and a fifth pump 705 for sending the liquid W from the second containment chamber 950 to the first containment chamber 900. The pumps 706 may be the same, but may have different liquid feeding capacities.

Although the example of FIG. 24 shows an example in which the first nuclear supply unit 750A is arranged in the circulation path A, it may be arranged in the circulation path B, the circulation path C, or the circulation path C. It may be arranged in the circulation path D. It may be arranged in two or more circulation paths A, B, C and D. The first nuclear supply unit 750A can be any of the first nuclear supply units 750A described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 20. Further, a second nuclear supply unit 750B is arranged in the UFB generation unit 1000.

According to the present embodiment having the above configuration, the liquid W in the process of producing UFB in the circulation path B can be returned to the gas dissolution step of the circulation path A again. That is, the solubility of the gas reduced by the generation of UFB can be adjusted to an appropriate solubility again by returning it to the circulation path A.

Next, an example of a method for producing a UFB-containing liquid will be described. In the present embodiment, as described in the first embodiment, the CPU 2001 stores a predetermined amount of liquid in the first storage chamber 900 and adjusts the temperature. Further, when the solubility sensor detects a predetermined solubility, the CPU 2001 sends a part of the liquid W contained in the first storage chamber 900 to the second storage chamber 950. At this time, the CPU 2001 does not stop the first pump 702, and keeps the circulation of the circulation path A maintained.

Next, the CPU 2001 drives the third pump 704 under the second circulation condition to circulate the liquid W in the circulation path B, and starts the operation of the UFB generation unit 1000. Next, the CPU 2001 determines whether or not the UFB concentration sensor has detected a predetermined UFB concentration. If it is determined that the predetermined UFB concentration has not been reached, a part of the liquid W contained in the second storage chamber 950 is returned to the first storage chamber 900. Specifically, the fifth pump 706 is operated while monitoring the detection of the lower limit sensor 957 provided in the second accommodation chamber 950, and when the lower limit sensor 957 detects the liquid level, the fifth pump 706 is operated. The operation of the pump 706 is stopped. As a result, a predetermined amount of liquid W is returned from the second storage chamber 950 to the first storage chamber 900.

When the solubility sensor 805 detects a predetermined solubility, the CPU 2001 sends a part of the liquid W contained in the first storage chamber 900 to the second storage chamber 950 again. Specifically, the fourth pump 705 is operated while monitoring the detection of the liquid level sensor 952 provided in the second storage chamber 950, and when the liquid level sensor 952 detects the liquid level, the second pump 705 is operated. The operation of the pump 705 of No. 4 is stopped. As a result, a predetermined amount of liquid W is sent from the first storage chamber 900 to the second storage chamber 950. Then, the step of causing the liquid W to flow out and flow in between the first storage chamber 900 and the second storage chamber 950 is repeated until the UFB concentration sensor detects a predetermined UFB concentration.

When the UFB concentration sensor determines that a predetermined UFB concentration has been detected, the CPU 2001 stops the circulation between the UFB generation unit 1000 and the circulation path B. Then, the valve 954 is opened, and the liquid W stored in the second storage chamber 950 is discharged to an external recovery container.

Then, the CPU 2001 determines whether or not the amount of the liquid W collected in the collection container has reached the target amount. If the target amount is not achieved, the CPU 2001 repeats the process from the step of storing a predetermined amount of liquid in the first storage chamber 900. When it is determined that the target amount has been achieved, the CPU 2001 stops the circulation of the circulation path A and the operation of the gas melting unit 800, and this process ends.

According to the present embodiment described above, regardless of the movement of the liquid W between the first storage chamber 900 and the second storage chamber 950 and the discharge of the liquid from the second storage chamber 950, the circulation path A The gas dissolution step and the UFB generation step in the circulation path B can be continuously performed. Therefore, the production efficiency of the UFB-containing liquid can be further improved as compared with the above-described embodiment.

10 Heat generating element 11 UFB (Ultra Fine Bubble)
12 Element substrate 750 Nuclear supply unit 1000 UFB generation unit

Claims (17)

A method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid containing ultrafine bubbles generated by causing film boiling using a heating element in a liquid.
The ultra comprising a step of separating the solid existing on the surface of the heating element on the side in contact with the liquid as a minute substance by boiling the film and generating an ultrafine bubble having the separated minute substance as a nucleus. A method for producing a fine bubble-containing liquid. The method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to claim 1, wherein the micro substance contains a component of a liquid contact surface of a layer that protects the heating element. The method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the micro substance contains a component of a liquid contact surface of a flow path wall of a flow path through which the liquid passes. Any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the micro substance contains a component of kogation formed by heating the liquid, which is formed on the liquid contact surface of the layer that protects the heating element. The method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to. The method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the minute substance contains a component contained in the liquid. The method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the micro substance contains an adhesive component existing on the liquid contact surface of the layer that protects the heating element. .. The method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to claim 1, wherein the desorption of the minute substance is caused by at least one of heat and pressure associated with the boiling of the film. The desorption of the micromaterial comprises being caused by a chemical, electrical, physical or mechanical action based on at least one of the heat and pressure associated with the boiling of the membrane. The method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to any one of 1 to 7. The ultrafine bubble content according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the heat or pressure associated with the film boiling is generated by at least one of the film boiling at the time of occurrence, growth, contraction, and defoaming. Liquid manufacturing method. The method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the particle size of the fine substance is 100 nm or less. The method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the micro substance is a compound containing Si. The method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to claim 11, wherein the compound containing Si is SiN, SiO, SiC, SiON, or SiOC. The method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the micro substance is a refractory metal having a melting point of 1770 ° C. or higher. 13. The melting point metal is a substance composed of any one of Hf, Ta, W, Nb, Ir, and Pt, or an alloy or oxide containing these, according to claim 13. The method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to the above. The method for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the minute substance has an SP value different from that of the liquid. An ultrafine bubble-containing liquid containing ultrafine bubbles generated by causing film boiling using a heating element in the liquid.
An ultrafine bubble characterized in that a solid existing on a surface of the heating element in contact with a liquid is separated as a minute substance by boiling the film, and an ultrafine bubble generated with the separated minute substance as a nucleus is contained. Containing liquid. An ultrafine bubble-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus for producing an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid containing ultrafine bubbles generated by causing film boiling using a heating element in a liquid.
The manufacturing equipment
With a heating element
A solid existing on the surface of the heating element on the side in contact with the liquid,
A generation unit that separates the solid as a minute substance by boiling the film and generates an ultrafine bubble with the separated minute substance as a nucleus.
An ultrafine bubble-containing liquid manufacturing apparatus comprising the above.

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