JP4850729B2 - Method and apparatus for mixing powder and liquid - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is a mixture of powder and liquid in a beverage production plant, particularly when a small amount of powder (for example, 2 to 3% of the total amount) is mixed in a large amount of liquid with respect to the powder and liquid. The present invention relates to a powder and liquid mixing method and apparatus capable of mixing uniformly and continuously.

  Conventionally, in a beverage production plant, for example, a plant that produces coffee milk by mixing coffee powder (powder) with milk (liquid), the powder is continuously mixed with the liquid quantitatively. Undissolved materials such as “dama” and “mamako” were generated, and the powder could not be uniformly mixed with the liquid. Therefore, the mixing accuracy is not constant due to the undissolved material, which is a problem.

In order to solve this problem, the following mixing apparatus has been developed.
(1) The powder is continuously and freely dropped with respect to the central region in the inner cylindrical container, and the liquid is ejected from the outlet holes provided along the circumferential direction in the lower end cylindrical portion of the cylindrical container, A mixing device that mixes powder in the middle of dropping with a jet (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  (2) It has a powder supply pipe for sending powder by pneumatic transportation, a liquid supply pipe for ejecting liquid, and a cylindrical mixing pipe into which the powder supply pipe and the liquid supply pipe are inserted at the same open end. And the mixing tube has a bent portion that changes the transport flow path of the air-powder mixture ejected from the tip of the powder supply tube, and further flows between the liquid ejected from the liquid supply tube and the bent portion. A mixing apparatus in which the liquid supply pipe is arranged so as to intersect with the powder whose path has been changed (for example, see Patent Document 2).

  (3) A discharge pipe whose one end is closed and the other end is opened, a liquid jet nozzle which is attached to an end portion of the discharge pipe which is closed and opens in the axial direction of the discharge pipe, and the discharge pipe A powder supply pipe extending in the intersecting direction and having one end opened to the peripheral surface of the discharge pipe in the vicinity of the closing end, and powder and liquid mixed while passing through the discharge pipe A mixing device comprising a return means for returning a part of the mixed fluid to the supply pipe (for example, see Patent Document 3).

JP 2003-340253 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-112519 JP 09-313909 A

The conventional example has the following problems.
In Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-340253), a jet water stream collides with falling powder, the jet water stream collides with a wall of a pipeline, and water droplets scatter around and adhere to a slit. For this reason, there has been a risk that clogging may occur in the slit due to the inability to continuously mix a fixed amount of powder and liquid.

  In Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-112519), a vortex flow is generated in a liquid supply pipe, and the vortex flow is mixed in a state where the vortex flow is brought into contact with the powder on the side surface of the powder supply pipe. The powder is mixed in a mist-like central circular thin film open on the side. For this reason, the powder is scattered at the mixing portion of the powder and the liquid, and the powder is wound into a thin film, so that the mixing cannot be performed satisfactorily.

  In Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-313909), a mixed fluid is injected into a primary stirring vessel in a direction in which a vortex is generated, and the mixed fluid obtained by dropping powder into the vortex fluid is a different fluid. It is drawn out as a jet flow by the fluid and mixed again with the liquid, but depending on the height of the injection position of the powder supply device and the mixed fluid, the screw feeder is submerged to the screw feeder of the powder supply device due to the change of the liquid jet water flow. The feeder may be blocked, or “dama” and “namako” may occur due to submersion. Although circulation mixing is possible by switching the three-way valve, the primary agitation vessel may be blocked by powder “dama” by controlling the jet water flow. Mixing with the liquid ejected from the nozzle is difficult to be performed uniformly.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to mix a liquid and a powder and to mix them uniformly without generating undissolved substances. Another object is to prevent the mixed powder continuous quantitative supply means from being submerged by a change in water flow.

  The present invention relates to a vertical vortex generator that converts a liquid pumped from a liquid input tube into a horizontal vortex flow, a powder input tube that is concentrically disposed in the vertical vortex generator, and the vertical vortex generator. An overflow pipe communicating with the upper part of the generator, a powder continuous quantitative supply means provided on the upper wall of the vertical vortex generator and connected to an upper end of the powder input pipe, and the vertical vortex generator And a transverse vortex generator provided on the upstream side of the mixing part of the horizontal pipe part of the T-shaped pipe and for making the pumped liquid into a vertical vortex flow. It is characterized by that.

The present invention is characterized in that a stirring and mixing means is provided on the downstream side of the intersecting portion in the horizontal pipe portion of the T-shaped pipe line. The present invention is characterized in that the stirring and mixing means is a pipe mixer. The present invention is characterized in that the powder continuous quantitative supply means is a rotary valve or a table feeder. The present invention is characterized in that a lower end portion of the vertical spiral generator is continuous with a T-shaped pipe line via a V-shaped pipe line including a straight tube portion and a funnel portion continuous with the lower end of the straight tube portion. And

  In the present invention, the liquid is pumped into the vertical vortex generator to generate a horizontal vortex flow, and the powder is continuously supplied from the lower end of the powder injection tube to the center of the horizontal vortex flow. A process of forming a mixed horizontal vortex flow and feeding a fixed amount at a time, forming a vertical vortex flow by pumping liquid into a horizontal vortex generator, and causing the vertical vortex flow to collide with the horizontal vortex flow. And a remixing step of stirring.

  The present invention is characterized in that the mixed fluid mixed in the remixing step is further stirred and mixed.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to mix liquid and powder uniformly without generating undissolved substances, and the powder continuous quantitative supply means can be obtained by changing the water flow. It is possible to prevent submersion.

  More specifically, powder is supplied from the powder continuous quantitative supply means to a powder injection tube having a central axis concentric with the vertical vortex generator, and the powder is swirled at the tip of the powder injection tube. Since it is continuously and freely dropped on the water flow surface, it can be mixed with the liquid without generating "dama".

  Since the overflow pipe is provided, when the backflow water up to the head pressure up to the length of the powder input pipe is going to rise, the powder is drained from the overflow pipe. Means can be prevented from being submerged.

  Since the powder input tube has a predetermined length, the powder falling on the lower end of the powder input tube can be brought into uniform contact with the swirling water flow surface to increase the mixing rate, and the swirling water flow Direct contact with the powder continuous quantitative supply means can be avoided.

  Since it is equipped with a vertical swirl generator and a horizontal swirl generator, when powder is continuously fed into a powder feeding tube by a powder continuous quantitative supply means, the powder is generated in a vertical swirl. The horizontal swirl generated in the vessel is mixed into a mixed horizontal swirl, and the mixed horizontal swirl collides with the vertical swirl of the horizontal swirl generator and is turned into a remixed flow. Therefore, the liquid and powder are mixed uniformly.

  By adjusting the amount of liquid and the amount of powder that is continuously free-falling, a liquid mixture having a desired concentration can be produced.

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The liquid / powder mixing apparatus includes a horizontal spiral generator 1 and a T-shaped pipe 7 connected to the lower end of the generator 1 via a V-shaped pipe 2.

The generator 1 forms a swirl flow 12 (referred to as a “horizontal spiral flow”) centered on a vertical axis 1 c , and a powder injection tube 3 is concentrically formed at the center of the upper wall. It is installed vertically. The powder input tube 3 is a thin tube, and the diameter thereof is, for example, 1/6 of the diameter of the main body of the generator 1, and the lower end 3 a is in the vicinity of the lower end of the generator 1. It extends to.

  An overflow 10 is provided on the upper end side of the horizontal spiral generator 1, and a fluid input pipe 4 is provided on the lower end side thereof. The liquid input tube 4 is provided in a tangential direction with respect to the cylindrical horizontal spiral generator 1 main body.

  The V-shaped pipe line 2 includes a straight tube portion connected to the generator 1 and a funnel portion continuous to the lower end of the straight tube portion. The lower end of the funnel part is connected to the vertical pipe part 7 a of the T-shaped pipe line 7. The vertical pipe portion 7a is orthogonal to the horizontal pipe portion 7b at the intersection M.

A horizontal spiral generator 8 is provided on one side of the intersecting portion M in the horizontal pipe portion 7b, and a pipe mixer 9 serving as a mixing means is provided on the other side.
The horizontal swirler 8 forms a swirl flow 13 (referred to as “vertical swirl flow”) around the central axis 7c of the horizontal pipe portion 7b of the T-shaped pipe line 7. The horizontal swirl flow 12 is displaced by 90 °. The pipe mixer 9 further stirs and mixes the mixed flow 14 of the liquid w and the powder 6, but this pipe mixer 9 is provided as an auxiliary, and may be omitted depending on circumstances.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.
Turn on the start-up switch of the liquid and gas mixing device.
Then, a liquid, for example, water w is pumped from the liquid input pipe 4 into the horizontal vortex generator 1 and descends while forming a horizontal vortex flow 12 (swirl flow).

  The powder 6 filled in the hopper H is supplied to the powder input pipe 6 continuously and continuously by the rotation of the rotary valve 5, and freely falls in the powder input pipe 6 while being dropped at the center of the horizontal spiral flow 12. It is thrown. The powder 6 is mixed with the liquid w in the v-shaped pipe 2 while riding on the horizontal spiral flow 12 to become a mixed horizontal spiral flow 12a.

  The mixed horizontal spiral flow 12 a flows into the intersection M through the vertical pipe portion 7 a of the T-shaped pipe line 7. At this time, since the vertical spiral flow 13 is sent into the horizontal tube portion 7 b of the T-tube portion 7 by driving the horizontal spiral generator 8, the mixed horizontal spiral flow 12 a is converted into the vertical spiral flow 13. The mixture is stirred and mixed uniformly to form a mixed stream 14. The mixed stream 14 is further stirred and mixed while passing through the pipe mixer 9 and then discharged outside the apparatus.

When the amount of liquid supplied from the liquid input pipe 4 is too large, or when it does not flow smoothly due to being constricted in the V- shaped pipe 2, the horizontal spiral flow 12 may rise. In such a case, Since the water is drained from the overflow pipe 10, the liquid w does not rise in the powder input pipe 3. Therefore, the rotor valve 5 connected to the upper end of the powder input tube 3 is not submerged.

  Since the powder input tube 3 is provided, the powder 6 continuously supplied from the rotary valve 5 is uniformly contacted with the spiral flow surface 2a and mixed while freely falling in the powder input tube 3. .

Examples of the present invention will be described.
From a rotary valve of the liquid and powder mixing device, 80 kg of sodium bicarbonate powder was continuously charged in a small amount into a powder feeding tube over 30 minutes, dropped freely, and mixed in 3000 liters of 80 ° C. water. At this time, sodium bicarbonate was completely dissolved and mixed uniformly.

  The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above. For example, as a continuous quantitative supply means, a table feeder or the like can be used in addition to a rotary valve.

It is a front longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vertical vortex generator 2 V-shaped pipe line 3 Powder input pipe 4 Liquid input pipe 5 Rotary valve 6 Powder 7 T-shaped pipe line 8 Horizontal vortex generator 9 Pipe mixer 10 Overflow pipe

Claims (7)

A vertical swirl generator that converts the liquid pumped from the liquid input pipe into a horizontal swirl;
A powder input tube disposed concentrically in the vertical spiral generator;
An overflow pipe communicating with the upper part of the vertical spiral generator;
A powder continuous quantitative supply means provided on the upper wall of the vertical spiral generator and connected to the upper end of the powder input tube;
A T-shaped conduit continuous to the lower end of the vertical spiral generator;
A horizontal vortex generator provided on the upstream side of the mixing part of the horizontal pipe part of the T-shaped pipe line, and making the pumped liquid a vertical vortex flow;
An apparatus for mixing liquid and powder, comprising:   2. The liquid / powder mixing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a stirring and mixing means is provided on the downstream side of the intersecting portion of the horizontal pipe portion of the T-shaped pipe line.   3. The liquid and powder mixing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the stirring and mixing means is a pipe mixer.   2. The liquid and powder mixing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the powder continuous quantitative supply means is a rotary valve or a table feeder. The lower end portion of the vertical spiral generator is continuous with a T-shaped pipe line through a V-shaped pipe line including a straight tube portion and a funnel portion continuous with the lower end of the straight tube portion. The liquid-powder mixing apparatus according to 1. A process of generating a horizontal swirl flow by pumping liquid from a liquid input pipe into a vertical swirl generator;
In the center of the horizontal vortex flow, the powder is continuously and quantitatively charged from the lower end of the powder input tube, and mixed to form a mixed horizontal vortex flow;
A remixing step in which liquid is pumped into a transverse vortex generator to form a vertical vortex, and the vertical vortex collides with the horizontal vortex and agitates;
A method of mixing liquid and powder, characterized by comprising: 7. The liquid and powder mixing method according to claim 6, wherein the mixed fluid mixed in the remixing step is further stirred and mixed.

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