JP4774418B2 - Catalyst slurry applicator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a catalyst slurry coating apparatus for coating a catalyst slurry on a catalyst carrier substrate of an exhaust gas purifying catalyst.

  Exhaust gas discharged from an internal combustion engine such as an automobile engine has harmful components such as hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides. After being purified using an exhaust gas purification catalyst, It has been discharged.

  The exhaust gas-purifying catalyst is supplied in the form of a slurry and applied to the inner wall of the honeycomb flow path of the catalyst carrier base material. As an apparatus for applying a slurry, an apparatus as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known.

  This slurry coating apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes a supply tank for supplying slurry, a cylinder chamber and a piston for supplying a fixed amount of slurry to the end face of the catalyst support base, and a catalyst support base for holding the end face of the catalyst support base. It is comprised from the material holding | maintenance part.

  The supply tank is provided with slurry adjusting means for measuring the viscosity of the slurry and stirring the inside of the tank.

  The supply tank, the cylinder chamber, and the catalyst carrier substrate holding part are connected by piping, and the slurry circulates between the cylinder chamber and the supply tank by a control means such as a valve provided in the flow path so that the viscosity of the slurry is constant. I try to keep it. The slurry is supplied to the catalyst carrier base material by supplying a predetermined amount of the piston in the cylinder chamber to the catalyst carrier base material holding part via a pipe. In the catalyst carrier base material holding part, the slurry supplied via the pipe enters from the lower end of the catalyst carrier base material and is supplied until the liquid level of the slurry reaches a predetermined coating width.

  Further, the slurry that has not been applied to the catalyst carrier base material is returned to the supply tank via the pipe and reused.

JP 2001-276629 A

  In such a configuration, when the slurry is supplied from the cylinder chamber to the catalyst carrier base material holding part via a pipe, if the slurry is supplied in a short time, the slurry liquid level of the catalyst carrier base material part fluctuates (becomes unstable). Sometimes. The fluttering of the liquid level causes variations in the coating area and adversely affects the quality of the catalyst support substrate. Therefore, the moving speed of the piston in the cylinder chamber must be slowed to suppress fluttering of the slurry liquid level, resulting in an increase in coating time.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a catalyst slurry coating apparatus having a configuration capable of shortening the slurry coating time of a catalyst carrier substrate (hereinafter referred to as a carrier substrate).

The invention described in claim 1
A slurry application apparatus for a catalyst for filling a slurry to be applied to a carrier substrate from the lower end surface of the carrier substrate,
A press-fitting pot movable in the vertical direction for filling the measured slurry provided on the lower side of the carrier substrate from the lower end surface of the carrier substrate;
A liquid holding cap that is provided on the upper side of the carrier base material and is movable in the vertical direction covering the upper side of the carrier base material;
A carrier holding seal that seals a gap between a portion where the press-fitting pot and the liquid holding cap grip a carrier substrate;
A press-fitting piston that reduces the volume of the press-fitting pot provided in the press-fitting pot after covering the periphery of the carrier base with the press-fitting pot, the liquid holding cap, and the carrier holding seal when filling the slurry into the carrier base The space covered with the liquid holding cap and the carrier seal provided in the liquid holding cap is made negative pressure by suction from the suction hole provided in the upper surface of the liquid holding cap, and measured. It is a slurry application apparatus for a catalyst provided with a filling mechanism for filling slurry in a carrier substrate in conjunction with the operation of a press-fit piston.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, after the support substrate is covered with the press-fitting pot and the liquid holding cap, the covered space is set to a negative pressure, and the slurry is directly filled into the support substrate without using a pipe. Yes. Since the process of supplying the slurry measured in the cylinder chamber to the catalyst carrier base material holding part via piping is not required, the piston of the cylinder chamber is operated slowly to suppress fluttering of the slurry liquid level of the catalyst carrier base material holding part. A process is also unnecessary.

  The upper side of the carrier substrate is kept at a negative pressure while being covered with a liquid holding cap and a carrier holding seal. Then, the slurry measured from the lower side of the carrier substrate is filled into the carrier substrate together with the operation of the press-fit piston. Since the upper side of the carrier base material is in a negative pressure state, there is no defective application to the carrier base material due to the air engagement of the press-fitting piston operating in conjunction, and the slurry can be uniformly applied in a short time. Further, the press-fit piston can be operated quickly. Therefore, the application time of the slurry to the carrier substrate can be greatly shortened.

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

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of the coating stage 5 of the catalyst slurry coating apparatus. The application stage 5 includes a slurry tank 15 in which the slurry 3 is stored, a metering syringe 16 that measures the slurry 3 to be applied, a press-in pot 17 and a press-in piston 18 that press-fit the slurry 3 into the lower end of the carrier 2, and the carrier 2. The liquid holding cap 19 is supported from above. The slurry tank 15 and the measuring syringe 16 are connected by a pipe 20. The pipe 20 is provided with a valve 21 so that the supply of the slurry 3 from the slurry tank 15 can be stopped and continued. The slurry tank 15 is provided with a propeller 22 for stirring, and the propeller 22 is rotated by driving the stirring motor 23 to keep the slurry 3 at a constant concentration.

  A pipe 24 for supplying the slurry 3 to the press-fitting pot 17 is connected to the measuring syringe 16. The pipe 24 is provided with a valve 25 to supply and stop the slurry 3. The pipe 24 is bent so as to have an inverted U shape on the upper side of the press-fitting pot 17, and a slurry supply nozzle 26 is attached to the tip of the pipe 24. The inverted U-shaped portion of the slurry supply nozzle 26 and the pipe 24 can be retracted from the upper side of the press-fit pot 17 when the supply of the slurry 3 to the press-fit pot 17 is completed.

  The slurry 3 is supplied to the metering syringe 16 by supplying the slurry 3 from the slurry tank 15 with the valve 25 closed and the valve 21 opened. When the metering syringe 16 is filled with a predetermined amount of slurry 3, the valve 25 is opened and the valve 21 is closed to drive the servo cylinder 27 of the metering syringe 16 and press the predetermined amount of slurry 3 through the pipe 24. Supply to pot 17. The amount of the slurry 3 to be supplied can be changed by the stroke of the servo cylinder 27.

  The press-fitting pot 17 is supported by the support member 28. A press-fit piston 18 provided in the press-fit pot 17 can be driven in the vertical direction by a servo cylinder 30. A carrier holding seal 31 is provided at the upper end of the press-fitting pot 17. As shown in FIG. 2, the surface where the carrier 2 and the carrier holding seal 31 are in contact with each other is constituted by an elastic member 33 (for example, rubber), and the elastic member 33 swells when air is supplied from a pneumatic pump (not shown). A sealed space between the carrier 2 and the press-fitting pot 17 can be formed. Returning to FIG. 1, the main body frame 29 is provided with a slide rail 32 so that the support member 28 can slide in the vertical direction. Since the length of the carrier 3 varies depending on the production type, it is necessary that the carrier holding seal 26 can be aligned at an arbitrary height. Therefore, the support member 28 is moved up and down by a servo motor (not shown) so that the carrier holding seal 31 can be aligned with the lower end of the carrier 2 held by the holding chuck 13.

  The carrier 2 is transported to the position A in FIG. 1 by the transport mechanism. At the position A, the holding chuck 13 can turn 180 degrees, and the carrier 2 can be arranged upside down. The slurry 3 press-fitted into the carrier 2 from the lower end is arranged on the upper side of the carrier 2 as the holding chuck 13 turns 180 degrees. A liquid holding cap 19 is provided at a position facing the press-fitting pot 17 through the carrier 2. A carrier holding seal 34 having the same mechanism as that of the carrier holding seal 31 provided at the upper end of the press-fitting pot 17 is provided on the carrier 2 side of the liquid holding cap 19. The liquid holding cap 19 is supported by the support member 36. The support member 36 can move up and down along a slide rail 37 provided on the main body frame 29. A suction hole 35 is connected to the upper side of the liquid holding cap 19 and communicates with a suction pump (not shown). After the upper end of the carrier 2 is sealed with the carrier holding seal 34, the space covered with the liquid holding cap 19 can be made negative by operating the suction pump.

  Next, operation | movement of the slurry application | coating apparatus 1 of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the slurry application apparatus.

  First, the carrier 2 is charged into the slurry application device (step S01).

  Next, when the carrier 2 is loaded, the holding chuck 13 of the transport mechanism chucks (holds) the substantially central portion of the carrier 2 in the vertical direction. When the chucking is completed, the carrier 2 moves to the coating stage 5 (step S02).

  Next, when the carrier 2 arrives at the coating stage 5, the slurry 3 is supplied from the slurry tank 15 to the metering syringe 16. The slurry 3 is supplied with the valve 25 closed and the valve 21 opened. When the pipe from the metering syringe 16 and the valve 25 to the valve 21 is filled with the slurry 3, the valve 21 is switched to the closed state, and the supply and metering of the slurry 3 are completed (step S03).

  Next, the valve 25 is switched to the open state, the servo cylinder 27 is driven, and the slurry 3 filled in the metering syringe 16 is transferred to the press-fitting pot 17 using the pipe 24 and the slurry supply nozzle 26. The press-fitting pot 17 is positioned below the slurry supply nozzle 26. Since the slurry 3 is not exposed to the outside air until it is supplied to the press-fitting pot 17, the viscosity is kept constant (step S04).

  Next, when the servo cylinder 27 moves by a predetermined stroke and the slurry 3 of the metering syringe 16 enters the press-fitting pot 17, the valve 25 is switched to the closed state. When the time (several seconds) when the slurry 3 runs out of the slurry supply nozzle 26 has elapsed, the pipe 24 and the slurry supply nozzle 26 move from the upper side of the press-fitting pot 17 to the standby position. Thereby, supply of the slurry 3 to the press-fitting pot 17 is completed (step S05).

  Next, the press-fitting pot 17 rises and stops at a height at which the carrier holding seal 31 is located at the lower end of the carrier 2. Air is supplied from a pump (not shown), and the elastic member 33 of the carrier holding seal 31 expands to hold the carrier 2. The press-fitting pot 17 is raised by driving the support member 28 with a servo motor (not shown) and positioning in the height direction. Since the length of the carrier 2 is different for each type, the height position of the press-fitting pot 17 can be adjusted according to the type (step S06).

  Next, the liquid holding cap 19 descends from the standby position and stops at a height at which the carrier holding seal 34 is located at the upper end of the carrier 2. Similarly to step S06, air is supplied from a pump (not shown), and the elastic member 33 of the carrier holding seal 34 expands to hold the carrier 2 (step S07).

  Next, a suction pump (not shown) is activated, and the space sealed by the liquid holding cap 19 and the carrier 2 is made negative pressure via the suction hole 35. Then, the servo cylinder 30 is driven in conjunction with the negative pressure state to raise the press-fit piston 18. As the press-fit piston 18 rises, the slurry 3 in the press-fitting pot 17 fills the carrier 2 and is pulled up to the upper side of the carrier 2 because of the negative pressure state (step S08).

  Since the upper side of the carrier 2 is limited to a negative pressure state and the press-fit piston 18 is operated in conjunction with the press-fit piston 18, the press-fit piston 18 can be operated in a short time without application failure due to air biting when the press-fit piston 18 is operated. . Therefore, the application time of the slurry 3 to the carrier 2 can be greatly shortened.

  The slurry 3 has a viscosity, and can be applied along the inner wall by being pressed into the carrier 2. Further, since the upper side of the carrier 2 is set to a negative pressure, a predetermined amount of the slurry 3 is applied to the carrier 2 along the inner wall.

  Next, the air supply to the elastic member 33 of the carrier holding seals 31 and 34 is stopped, the elastic member 33 is contracted, and the holding of the carrier 2 is released. Next, the press-fitting pot 17 is lowered to the standby position (position where the slurry 3 is supplied from the metering syringe 16). Next, the liquid holding cap 19 is raised to the standby position (step S09).

  Next, the holding chuck 13 is rotated 180 degrees so that the carrier 2 is turned upside down (inverted so that the injected slurry 3 is on the upper side of the carrier 2) (step S10).

  Next, the carrier 2 held by the holding chuck 13 is transported from the coating stage 5 to the next stage (drying process or the like) (step S11).

  As described above, according to the catalyst slurry coating apparatus 1 of the present invention, the slurry 3 directly press-fitted into the carrier 2 from the lower end side is reversed together with the carrier 2, so that the slurry 3 can be uniformly applied to the inner wall of the carrier 2 in a short time. Can be applied. In addition, all of the weighed slurry 3 is used for applying the carrier 2, and the slurry 3 that has not been applied is not reused. Therefore, the slurry 3 having a constant viscosity can be applied to the carrier 2. Further, since the excess slurry during application is not reused, the equipment for circulating the slurry is not required, and a compact apparatus configuration can be achieved.

It is a schematic side view of a coating stage. It is a schematic sectional drawing of a press-fit pot. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a slurry application apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

2 Carrier substrate (carrier)
3 Slurry 5 Application Stage 13 Holding Chuck 15 Slurry Tank 16 Metering Syringe 17 Pressing Pot 18 Pressing Piston 19 Liquid Holding Cap 20 Piping 21 Valve 22 Propeller 23 Stirring Motor 24 Piping 25 Valve 26 Slurry Supply Nozzle 27 Servo Cylinder 28 Support Member 29 Main Body Frame 30 Servo Cylinder 31 Carrier Holding Seal 32 Slide Rail 33 Elastic Member 34 Carrier Holding Seal 35 Suction Hole 36 Support Member 37 Slide Rail

Claims (1)

A slurry application apparatus for a catalyst for filling a slurry to be applied to a carrier substrate from the lower end surface of the carrier substrate,
A press-fitting pot movable in the vertical direction for filling the measured slurry provided on the lower side of the carrier substrate from the lower end surface of the carrier substrate;
A liquid holding cap that is provided on the upper side of the carrier base material and is movable in the vertical direction covering the upper side of the carrier base material;
A carrier holding seal that seals a gap between a portion where the press-fitting pot and the liquid holding cap grip a carrier substrate;
A press-fitting piston that reduces the volume of the press-fitting pot provided in the press-fitting pot after covering the periphery of the carrier base with the press-fitting pot, the liquid holding cap, and the carrier holding seal when filling the slurry into the carrier base The space covered with the liquid holding cap and the carrier seal provided in the liquid holding cap is made negative pressure by suction from the suction hole provided in the upper surface of the liquid holding cap, and measured. A slurry application apparatus for a catalyst, comprising a filling mechanism for filling slurry into a carrier substrate in conjunction with the operation of a press-fit piston.

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