JP3391083B2 - Carbonated water production equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing carbonated water,
In particular, it relates to a carbonated water production apparatus capable of producing low-concentration carbonated water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a carbonated water production apparatus has a cold water supply pipe and a liquid carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) supply pipe, and CO ₂ is mixed with cold water to produce carbonated water. What is done is known.

That is, since the solubility of CO ₂ in water depends on the temperature of the water to be dissolved, it is better to mix it in a liquid state. Therefore, conventionally, liquid CO ₂ is dissolved.

[0004]

However, CO ₂
When mixed in the liquid state, CO ₂
Therefore, it is impossible to produce carbonated water containing a trace amount of CO ₂ . For this reason, the conventional carbonated water production apparatus could not stably produce desired low-concentration carbonated water.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems and provides a carbonated water production apparatus capable of efficiently supplying CO ₂ gas to raw water to efficiently produce a desired low-concentration carbonated water. The purpose is to

[0006]

A carbonated water production apparatus of the present invention is supplied with carbon dioxide gas, which is connected to the water supply pipe to which the raw water is supplied and which is connected to the water supply pipe so that the raw water and the carbon dioxide gas merge. And a gas pipe, which is connected to the gas pipe from the upstream side.
A gas storage part, a thin tube part, and a check valve are provided in this order toward a connecting part between the gas pipe and the water supply pipe .

[0007]

When carbon dioxide is produced by injecting CO ₂ gas into raw water under pressure, the fluctuation range of carbon dioxide pressure is 0.05 to 0.2 kg /
Since the delicate control within the pressure range of cm ² is required, when the water pressure changes due to the change in conditions, the target low-concentration carbonated water cannot be obtained.

The present inventors have developed a carbonated water producing apparatus of the present invention capable of producing a predetermined low concentration carbonated water by injecting a fixed amount of CO ₂ gas into a fixed amount of water.

In the present invention, raw water is supplied from a water supply pipe, and the amount of this water supply is accurately measured using, for example, a constant volume type flow meter which emits one pulse every 1 cc.

By the way, in order to stably obtain a predetermined carbonated water concentration, it is necessary to mix the possible frequency much water and CO ₂ gas, upon mixing with water and CO ₂ gas in the pipe, a predetermined In order to inject the CO ₂ gas at the same cycle as the amount of water supplied, it is necessary to control the minute flow rate of the gas. In the prior art, a device for controlling such a minute flow rate is very expensive.

In the apparatus for producing carbonated water of the present invention, the mass amount required to achieve a predetermined maximum concentration of CO ₂ gas that has been primarily depressurized from the high-pressure carbon dioxide gas cylinder for food is secured in the gas reservoir of the gas pipe. . CO secured in this gas storage
₂ Gas is discharged at a constant flow rate to the water side to mix with water at a predetermined ratio.

When this CO ₂ gas is injected into the raw water with a pressure difference, if there is a pressure fluctuation on the water side, a difference in the injection amount of carbon dioxide gas will result, and the resulting carbonated water concentration will fluctuate. In the present invention, the thin pipe portion and the check valve are provided between the gas storage portion and the mixing point (the connecting portion between the gas pipe and the water supply pipe), and C of the gas storage portion is provided.
By adjusting the flow rate of O ₂ gas in the narrow tube and sending it to the mixing point, the CO ₂ gas injection amount is made constant regardless of the pressure change on the water side.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The carbonated water producing apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an embodiment of the carbonated water producing apparatus of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 denotes a raw water supply pipe, which is provided with a flow meter 1. Reference numeral 12 denotes a gas pipe for supplying CO ₂ gas in the carbon dioxide gas cylinder 1 for food to a mixing point (T-shaped joint) M, and at the mixing point M, a water supply pipe 11
Is connected with. The gas pipe 12 has a pressure reducing valve 3,
A first solenoid valve 4, a second solenoid valve 5, a capillary tube 6 and a check valve 7 are provided, and a gas holder 9 having a pressure switch 8 is connected between the solenoid valves 4 and 5. . Reference numeral 10 is a controller to which the measured values of the flow meter 1 and the pressure switch 8 are input and which controls the opening and closing of the solenoid valves 4 and 5 based on the results. Reference numeral 13 is an outflow pipe for carbonated water. 12a-12f show some gas pipes.

In the carbonated water producing apparatus of this embodiment, raw water is supplied from the water supply pipe 11 at a predetermined pressure and a predetermined flow rate, and the raw water flow rate at this time is accurately measured by the flow meter 1 and the measured value is It is input to the controller 10. The flow meter 1 is preferably a constant volume type flow meter that emits one pulse for each flow rate of 1 cc, which enables accurate measurement.

When it is confirmed in the controller 10 that the measured value of the flow meter 1 has reached the preset raw water flow rate, the controller 10 outputs an open signal for the second solenoid valve 5 to open the solenoid valve 5. . As a result, the gas holder 9
The CO ₂ gas having a pressure of 7 kg / cm ² is supplied to the pipe 12d,
The raw water in the water supply pipe 12 is injected and mixed at the mixing point M through the pipe 12e, the second solenoid valve 5, the capillary tube 6, the check valve 7 and the pipe 12f.

When the CO ₂ gas is injected into the raw water in this way, the CO ₂ gas pressure in the gas holder 9 drops. When the pressure in the gas holder 9 drops to 6.5 kg / cm ^{2, the} lower limit signal is input from the pressure switch 8 to the controller 10, and the second solenoid valve 5 is closed.

In the controller 10, after the lower limit signal from the pressure switch 8 is input, a slight time delay (due to the delay timer) is taken and the first solenoid valve 4 and the second solenoid valve 5 are opened at the same time. When the open signal of the first solenoid valve 4 is output in consideration of the above, the solenoid valve 4 opens. As a result, the high-pressure CO ₂ gas in the food carbon dioxide cylinder 2 is decompressed from the pipe 12a to about 8 kg / cm ² by the pressure reducing valve 3, and then the pipe 12b, the first solenoid valve 4, the pipe 12c, and the pipe 12d are connected. After that, it flows into the gas holder 9.

CO ₂ gas flows into the gas holder 9, the amount of CO ₂ gas in the gas holder 9 increases, and the pressure becomes 7 kg.
When the pressure rises to / cm ^{2, the} upper limit signal is input from the pressure switch 8 to the controller 10, the first solenoid valve 4 is closed, and one cycle of CO ₂ gas injection is completed.

The CO stored in the gas holder 9 in this way
By repeating the cycle of injecting a constant amount of ₂ gases into raw water, it is possible to continuously obtain carbonated water of a predetermined concentration.

By the way, the pressure at the mixing point M depends on the pressure of the downstream equipment installed thereafter, and depends on it. When the pressure at the mixing point M fluctuates, the pressure on the outlet side of the second solenoid valve 5 changes, and the amount of CO ₂ gas (mass) passing through the second solenoid valve 5 changes. That is, the pressure switch 8 of the gas holder 9 is 7 kg / cm ² to 6.5 kg /
When the pressure drops to cm ² , the lower limit signal is sent to the controller 1
However, the mass of the CO ₂ gas passing through the second solenoid valve 5 is the same as that of the pressure at the mixing point M because it is not instantaneous from the time when it is detected until the second solenoid valve 5 is closed. Higher is less, lower is more.

Therefore, in this embodiment, by providing the capillary tube 6 between the second solenoid valve 5 and the check valve 7, the CO ₂ gas pressure in the gas holder 9 is kept at both ends of the capillary tube 6. The flow rate is adjusted so that it gradually changes according to the differential pressure in step S1, so that the pressure at which the lower limit signal is output can be reliably detected, and even if the pressure at the mixing point M is low, more CO ₂ gas is not injected. Is configured.

Further, the pressure at the mixing point M is set to be equal to or lower than the pressure obtained by subtracting the pressure loss due to the spring pressure of the check valve 7 from the lower limit pressure (6.5 kg / cm ² ) of the gas holder 9, Due to the high pressure, the injection of CO ₂ gas does not become insufficient.

With this configuration, the amount of CO ₂ gas injected becomes constant regardless of the change in pressure at the mixing point M, and carbonated water of a predetermined concentration can be stably obtained.

The pipe diameter of the thin tube portion composed of the capillary tube 6 differs depending on the raw water pressure of the carbonated water producing apparatus and the set values of the upper limit signal and the lower limit signal of the pressure switch 8. 12 other parts (pipe 1
2e, 12f, etc.) is preferably about 1/5 to 1/10 of the tube diameter.

In this embodiment, the set concentration of the carbonated water to be obtained can be changed by changing the capacity of the gas holder. Further, by changing the injection interval of CO ₂ gas, the concentration of carbonated water can be further adjusted within this set concentration range.

In this embodiment, the holding capacity of the gas holder is about 3 ml, the diameter of the gas pipe 12 is 6 mm, the diameter of the capillary tube is 0.8 mm, and the water supply pressure is 6 kg /.
cm ² and 10 to 200 by performing 1 cycle from 200 to 700 cc under the above-mentioned upper limit signal and lower limit signal.
Carbonated water of ppm was obtained.

The carbonated water production apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is an embodiment of the carbonated water production apparatus of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated apparatus unless it exceeds the gist. .

For example, the gas storage section is not limited to the tank type shown in the figure, but may be a tubular type for storing CO ₂ gas.
Alternatively, the diameter of the pipe between the first solenoid valve and the second solenoid valve may be simply increased to store CO ₂ gas in this large diameter portion.

Further, the mixing point M is not limited to the T-joint shown and may be a line mixer.

Further, an ejector may be provided at the mixing point M to suck air. In this case, CO ₂
It is possible to reduce the overall pressure in the gas supply piping system. That is, the pressure reduction by the air suction contributes to the pressure reduction in the pressure reducing valve 3. Normally, the pressure of the gas cylinder 2 is 50 kg / cm
It is about ^2, in the above embodiment being reduced pressure of CO ₂ gas pressure in the pressure reducing valve 3 to 8 kg / cm ² but, by the pressure of the whole CO ₂ gas supply pipe system is lowered, the CO ₂ gas pressure of 3 It is possible to reduce the pressure to about 0.5 kg / cm ² . This CO ₂ gas pressure of 3.5 kg / cm ² is
It is equal to the CO ₂ gas pressure used in fast food stores, convenience stores, etc. Therefore, by reducing the pressure in this way, the present invention can be applied without changing existing equipment.

Incidentally, on the downstream side (the discharge pipe 13 in FIG. 1) of the carbonated water producing apparatus of the present invention, a mineral water generator filled with a carbonic acid-containing substance, a water cooler, or a carbonated water is usually used. The faucet is connected.

A preferred embodiment of the carbonated water producing apparatus of the present invention is as follows.

An apparatus for producing carbonated water, characterized in that the gas reservoir provided in the gas pipe is a tank.

An apparatus for producing carbonated water, characterized in that the gas storage portion provided in the gas pipe is a large diameter portion of the pipe diameter.

An apparatus for producing carbonated water, characterized in that the thin tube portion provided in the gas pipe is a capillary tube.

An apparatus for producing carbonated water, characterized in that a connecting portion between the water supply pipe and the gas pipe is a T-shaped joint.

An apparatus for producing carbonated water, characterized in that a connecting portion between the water supply pipe and the gas pipe is a line mixer.

An apparatus for producing carbonated water, characterized in that an ejector is provided at a connecting portion between the water supply pipe and the gas pipe.

An apparatus for producing carbonated water, characterized in that the amount of CO ₂ gas injection is controlled in proportion to the flow rate of water supplied to the water supply pipe.

An apparatus for producing carbonated water, characterized in that a valve is provided on the downstream side of the gas storage part, the pressure of the gas storage part is detected, and the valve is closed according to the detected pressure.

[0043]

As described above in detail, according to the carbonated water producing apparatus of the present invention, a desired low-concentration carbonated water can be easily obtained, for example, only by setting the CO ₂ gas injection interval. . The device configuration is simple and compact. It is possible to continuously obtain low-concentration carbonated water. Such an effect is produced.

The carbonated water producing apparatus of the present invention can be combined with a column filled with a calcium salt-containing substance to provide an inexpensive calcium ion water producing apparatus.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an embodiment of a carbonated water production apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Flow meter 2 Carbon dioxide cylinders for food 3 pressure reducing valve 4, 5 solenoid valve 6 capillary tubes 7 Check valve 8 pressure switch 9 gas holder 10 controller M mixing point

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B01F 1/00

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A water supply pipe to which raw water is supplied, Connected to the water supply pipe so that raw water and carbon dioxide merge.
And the gas pipe to which carbon dioxide is suppliedEquipped with In the gas pipe, From the upstream side of the gas pipe and the water supply pipe
Towards the connecting part,Gas storage part, thin tube part and check valveBut this
Are provided in orderCarbonated water production equipment characterized by
Place 2.The carbonated water producing apparatus according to claim 1.
In addition, a flow meter provided in the water supply pipe and the gas meter
Solenoid valve provided in the gas pipe between the storage part and the thin tube part
(Second solenoid valve) and a pressure valve provided in the gas reservoir.
Equipped with an When the measured value of the flow meter reaches a preset flow rate
The second solenoid valve is opened and carbon dioxide gas is
It is supplied from the retaining part to the connecting part, Then, the pressure in the gas reservoir is set to a preset pressure.
The lower limit signal from the pressure switch,
The second solenoid valve is configured to be closed.
An apparatus for producing carbonated water, characterized by: 3.The carbonated water producing apparatus according to claim 2,
The upstream end of the gas reservoir of the gas pipe,
The cylinder, pressure reducing valve and solenoid valve (first solenoid valve) are upstream
It is provided in this order from the side, The pressure inside the gas reservoir drops to a preset pressure
Then, the lower limit signal from the pressure switch causes the first
After the second solenoid valve is closed, the first solenoid valve is not opened.
From the carbon dioxide gas cylinder for food to the carbon storage
Gas flows in, The pressure inside the gas reservoir rises to a preset pressure
Then, the upper limit signal from the pressure switch causes the first electric current to flow.
Characterized in that the magnetic valve is configured to be closed
Carbonated water production equipment . 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
In the carbonated water manufacturing device, the thin tube portion is a capillary.
An apparatus for producing carbonated water, which is a tube. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
Oite of the carbonated water manufacturing device, ejector to the connecting portion
An apparatus for producing carbonated water, which is provided.