JP5222053B2 - Melting separator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a separation apparatus used for melting and concentrating utilizing the fact that when an frozen raw material solution is thawed, the concentration is different between an initial melt and a late melt.

One of the freeze concentration methods for concentrating liquid foods such as fruit juice and seasonings is a method using melt concentration. This method utilizes the fact that when the raw ice is frozen, the concentration of the melt is different between the initial melt and the late melt. This is a technique for obtaining a concentrated liquid by collecting a concentrated melt (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Specifically, using a device as shown in FIG. 7, the raw ice C is put into the dewatering basket 13 ′ and centrifugal dehydration is performed while melting with hot air to recover the high-concentration melt L. Is.

However, when centrifugal dewatering of the raw ice C is performed using such a dewatering basket 13 ', there is room for improvement as described below.
That is, when the raw ice C is extremely unevenly distributed in the dewatering basket 13 ', the balance is lost, and the dewatering basket 13' is exposed in the same manner as the phenomenon seen when the washing machine is dewatered. May damage the equipment.
In particular, since the raw ice C is centrifuged and dehydrated while being melted, the partially melted original ice C may be frozen again on the surface of the peripheral wall 13b 'of the dewatering bowl 13', and may be unevenly distributed once. If frozen raw ice C is not thawed and removed, it will be difficult to continue stable operation.
Further, after the melt L is obtained, the ice (residual ice) remaining on the dewatering basket 13 'has to be removed, but this removal takes a long time.

JP 2006-136811 A

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and by preventing the uneven distribution of raw ice in the dewatering basket, stable operation can be continued and residual ice can be removed in a short time. Development of a new melting / separating apparatus capable of processing is a technical issue.

That is, the melting / separating apparatus according to claim 1 performs the concentration treatment of the liquid to be processed by melting the raw ice obtained by freezing the liquid to be processed and recovering the high-concentration molten liquid generated at the initial stage of melting. In the separation apparatus used when performing, this apparatus comprises a dewatering bowl for centrifugal dehydration of the melt from the raw ice so that the rotation axis is vertical, A disperser is provided, and is configured to disperse the raw ice supplied on the disperser toward the peripheral wall of the dewatering bowl. Inside the dewatering bowl, there is a dispersing bar or a rotatable dispersing bar. The prepared dispersion plate is arranged, and the inner wall of the screen in the dewatering basket is provided with ribs so that the raw ice sticking to the screen is not in a cylindrical shape but in a state where the cylinder is divided. It is characterized by being composed Is shall.
According to the present invention, the centrifugal force can be applied to the original ice by the dispersing disk, and the original ice can be evenly distributed throughout the dewatering basket to stabilize the rotation of the dewatering basket.
Further, when the dispersion rod is arranged, the raw ice attached to the peripheral wall of the dewatering basket can be distributed over the entire circumference and can be made to have an equal thickness.
In addition, when a dispersion plate provided on a rotatable dispersion rod is arranged, it is possible to maintain the state where the dispersion plate is always in contact with the surface of the raw ice, and the rotation of the dewatering basket can be stabilized from the initial operation stage. Can be made.
Furthermore, the raw ice that adheres to the screen does not have a cylindrical shape, but is in a state where the cylinder is divided, so that it can be easily peeled off from the screen by compressed air or the like.

In addition to the above requirements, the melting and separating apparatus according to claim 2 is characterized in that the dispersing disc has a shape that rises from the central portion to the outer peripheral portion in a longitudinal sectional view.
According to the present invention, a larger centrifugal force can be applied to the raw ice by ensuring a longer moving distance of the raw ice on the dispersion disc.
Further, even when the original ice bounces on the dispersion plate, the original ice can be brought to the center of the separation plate, and the centrifugal force by the dispersion plate can be reliably applied to the original ice.

In addition to the requirement described in the first or second aspect , the melting / separating apparatus according to the third aspect has one or more support functions including a scraper function and a gas-liquid blowing nozzle function. It is characterized by the fact that it serves as a dual purpose.
According to the present invention, the number of parts can be reduced to reduce the manufacturing cost of the apparatus, and the remaining from the dewatering trough in a short time by jetting of compressed air, hot air, or hot water from the scraper function or the gas-liquid blowing nozzle. Ice can be removed.
The above problems can be solved by using the configuration of the invention described in each of the claims as a means.

  According to the present invention, by preventing the uneven distribution of the original ice in the dewatering basket and forming the original ice concentrically with the dewatering basket, the centrifugal force easily acts on the original ice evenly. Concentration unevenness of the melt that occurs when there is a difference in thickness is unlikely to occur, so it is easy to recover a highly concentrated melt with high uniformity in a short time, and it is possible to continue stable operation. Since the residual ice can be easily removed from the water, the productivity of the concentrate can be increased. In addition, the stress on the rotating system of the dewatering basket can be reduced and the life of the apparatus can be extended.

  Hereinafter, the melting and separating apparatus of the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiment, but it is also possible to appropriately modify this embodiment within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

  In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes the melting and separating apparatus of the present invention, which is produced at the initial stage of melting by melting raw ice C obtained by freezing the liquid to be treated such as fruit juice and seasonings. This is a separation device used when the liquid to be processed is concentrated by collecting the high-concentration melt L.

First, a rough configuration of the melting and separating apparatus 1 will be described. In this apparatus, a shaft 11 is pivotally supported on a bearing 10 fixed to a machine frame F, and an output shaft of a motor M is connected to one end of the shaft 11. A pedestal 12 is fixed to the other end, and a dewatering basket 13 is installed on the pedestal 12 to form a centrifugal separation mechanism.
A casing 16 is disposed so as to surround the dewatering basket 13, and an upper portion of the casing 16 is closed by a top plate 16 a.

Next, the components of the melting and separating apparatus 1 will be described in detail. First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dewatering trough 13 has a peripheral wall 13b raised at the outer edge portion of a circular bottom plate 13a. A spacer 13c is appropriately disposed on the side surface, and a flange 13d is attached to the uppermost portion of the peripheral wall 13b. A mesh-like screen 13e is stretched between the spacer 13c and the flange 13d.
The bottom plate 13a has a discharge port 13f.

  In this embodiment, the peripheral wall 13b is formed so as to protrude outward as it goes upward. Therefore, the melt L separated from the raw ice C is as shown in FIG. 3 (a). Then, it rises along the peripheral wall 13b by the action of the centrifugal force, and eventually flows out from the liquid drain hole 13g formed in the upper end portion of the peripheral wall 13b. Then, the melt L is formed in a circular shape along the entire circumference of the flange 13d and is guided to the liquid collecting bowl 16c fixed in the housing 16 and discharged to the outside.

  A dispersion plate 15 is provided on the bottom plate 13a in the dewatering bowl 13 with respect to the center of rotation (on the extension line of the shaft 11). The distribution plate 15 has a flat plate shape as shown in FIG. 2 or a shape that rises from the center to the outer periphery in the longitudinal sectional view as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C is selected according to the application, and this will be described later. .

Further, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), a dispersion rod 17 is disposed inside the dewatering basket 13, and is attached to the top plate 16a in a substantially vertical state.
As will be described in detail later, the dispersion rod 17 may be used in combination with one or more support functions including a scraper function and a gas-liquid blowing nozzle function.
When the scraper function is provided, a mechanism for moving the dispersing rod 17 toward and away from the screen 13e is provided so that the scraper can be brought into contact with the screen 13e.
When the gas / liquid blowing nozzle function is to be provided, the dispersing rod 17 is tubular, and a nozzle or the like is provided on the peripheral wall.
In addition, the top plate 16a is provided with a charging tube 16b through an opening formed substantially at the center, and further includes a hot air nozzle 18, a compressed air nozzle 19, and the like.

The melt separation apparatus 1 of the present invention is configured as described above as an example, and the operation mode of this apparatus will be described below.
First, ice blocks obtained by freezing liquids to be treated such as fruit juice and seasonings with an appropriate freezer are crushed to about 1 cm square using a crusher to obtain raw ice C.
Then, the motor M is started to rotate the dewatering basket 13 (inner diameter φ390 mm) at about 300 rpm, and warm air of about 20 ° C. is supplied from the hot air nozzle 18 into the dewatering bowl 13, and in this state, 1 is supplied to the charging cylinder 16 b. Feed the batch of raw ice C.

Then, since the raw ice C is supplied onto the rotating disperser 15, it receives centrifugal force and moves on the disperser 15 in the outer peripheral direction, and is eventually released from the disperser 15 to the outside. It is dispersed toward the peripheral wall 13b.
Incidentally, when the raw ice C is in the form of fine powder or slurry, the dispersion plate 15 can be made flat as shown in FIG. In the case of a granular shape, flake shape, or block shape, the raw ice C bounced by the dispersion plate 15 may fall from the dispersion plate 15 without receiving centrifugal force.
Therefore, when handling granular, flaky or block-shaped raw ice C, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), a disperser 15 having a shape that rises from the center to the outer periphery in the longitudinal sectional view is employed. . In this case, as shown in FIG. 2 (c), the raw ice C bounced on the surface of the dispersion plate 15 moves down from the slope and is moved toward the center, and then moves from here to the outer periphery. The centrifugal force is surely applied by the dispersion plate 15.
Further, in the case of the dispersion plate 15 having this shape, the contact time with the original ice C can be ensured longer (the movement distance of the original ice C on the dispersion plate 15 is longer) than that of the flat plate type. A larger centrifugal force can be applied to the ice C.

The raw ice C is attached to the screen 13e by the action of centrifugal force. At this time, the thickness is regulated by the dispersion rod 17, so that the entire screen 13e as shown in FIG. It will be distributed with uniform thickness over the circumference. For this reason, the rotation of the dewatering basket 13 can be stabilized.
Incidentally, when there is no dispersion rod 17, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the raw ice C is unevenly distributed in the circumferential direction of the screen 13e, the thickness becomes non-uniform, and vibrations are generated, making operation impossible. There is also.

Next, the rotational speed of the dewatering basket 13 is increased to about 1000 to 1800 rpm (229 to 724 G), and the process proceeds to the dewatering operation. As shown in FIG. 3A, the dewatering basket 13 is attached to the screen 13e. A part of the raw ice C is melted by the hot air, becomes the melt L, rises on the peripheral wall 13b, and eventually reaches the liquid collecting bowl 16c from the drain hole 13g formed at the upper end of the peripheral wall 13b and is discharged to the outside. The Rukoto.
In such a process, a concentrated liquid can be obtained by recovering the initial melt L having a low melting temperature. When a dewatering bowl (φ350 mm, 3000 rpm, 1762 G) to which a centrifugal force was further applied was used, a concentrated solution having a high concentration could be obtained more efficiently and in a short time.

The raw ice C (residual ice) is removed when the melt L having a desired concentration is no longer obtained. The screen 13e is heated by hot air and compressed air supplied from the hot air nozzle 18 and the compressed air nozzle 19. The raw ice C (residual ice) attached to the surface is melted and blown off, and discharged from the discharge port 13f to the outside.
Note that the concentration of the melt L is measured with a densitometer or a mass spectrometer, and when the concentration of the melt L falls below a predetermined concentration, the operation moves to an operation of automatically removing the original ice C (residual ice). Thus, automatic operation can be performed. Furthermore, operations such as charging of the original ice C, recovery of the melt L, and removal of the original ice C (residual ice) may be automated using a timer so that the operation proceeds to the next operation after a certain period of time has elapsed. it can.
Further, the rib 13h may be formed at an appropriate height using an insulating material or the like on the inner surface of the screen 13e in the dewatering basket 13, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B as an example. When the rib 13h is provided so as to extend in the height direction at a place where the screen 13e is divided into four parts in plan view, the raw ice C attached to the screen 13e does not have a cylindrical shape. As shown in 4 (c), the cylinder is divided into four parts. For this reason, it can be easily peeled off from the screen 13e by compressed air or the like.

[Other Examples]
The present invention is based on the above-described embodiment, but the following embodiment can be adopted based on the technical idea of the present invention.
First, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), the dispersion rod 17 is rotatable, and the dispersion rod 17 is provided with a dispersion plate 17a, so that the dispersion plate 17a approaches and separates from the inner peripheral surface of the screen 13e. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that is possible. In this case, the dispersion rod 17 is rotated according to the thickness of the raw ice C adhering to the screen 13e, and the state where the dispersion plate 17a is always in contact with the surface of the raw ice C can be maintained. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5B, the thickness of the raw ice C is regulated by the dispersion plate 17a immediately after it starts to adhere to the screen 13e in the initial stage of operation. The thickness is distributed, and the rotation of the dewatering basket 13 can be stabilized from the initial operation stage. FIG. 5C shows a state in which the raw ice C is thickly attached to the screen 13e by rotating the dispersion bar 17. FIG.
When removing the original ice C (residual ice), it is possible to function as a scraper by rotating the dispersion rod 17 and pressing the dispersion plate 17a against the original ice C (residual ice). Further, by providing the dispersion plate 17a with the compressed air nozzle 19, the raw ice C (residual ice) can be melted and blown off more effectively.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the shaft 11 can be connected to the upper surface of the bottom plate 13 a of the dewatering basket 13 so that the dewatering basket 13 is in a suspended state. In this case, since the input cylinder 16 b cannot be disposed above the center of the dispersion plate 15, the discharge portion of the input tube 16 b installed at a shifted position is directed toward the center of the distribution plate 15.

It is a perspective view which partially fractures and shows the fusion | melting separation apparatus of this invention. It is the perspective view which shows the vertical side view and dispersion | distribution disk which show a dewatering basket. It is the top view and longitudinal cross-sectional side view which show the sticking state of the raw ice to the screen when not providing with the dispersion | distribution rod. It is the top view and vertical side view which show the Example which provided the rib on the screen, and the perspective view perspective view which shows the raw ice adhering to this screen. It is the perspective view, top view, and vertical side view which show the other Example of a dispersion rod. It is a skeleton figure showing other examples of a melting separation device. It is a skeleton figure showing the melting separation device indicated by patent documents.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Melting | disconnecting apparatus 10 Bearing 11 Shaft 12 Base 13 Dehydrating bowl 13a Bottom plate 13b Peripheral wall 13c Spacer 13d Flange 13e Screen 13f Discharge port 13g Discharge hole 13h Rib 15 Dispersing plate 16 Housing 16a Top plate 16b Loading cylinder 16c Dispersing rod 17c 17a Dispersion plate 18 Hot air nozzle 19 Compressed air nozzle C Raw ice F Machine frame L Melting liquid M Motor

Claims (3)

This apparatus is used in a separation apparatus used for concentrating a liquid to be processed by thawing the raw ice obtained by freezing the liquid to be processed and collecting a high-concentration molten liquid generated at the initial stage of melting. Is provided with a dewatering bowl for centrifugal dehydration of the melt from the raw ice so that the rotation axis is vertical, and a dispersion disk is provided in the dewatering bowl. The supplied raw ice is configured to disperse toward the peripheral wall of the dewatering bowl, and inside the dewatering bowl, a dispersion plate provided on a dispersion rod or a rotatable dispersion rod is arranged, A melting / separation characterized in that the inner wall of the screen in the dewatering trough is provided with ribs so that the original ice attached to the screen is not cylindrical but is in a state where the cylinder is divided. apparatus. The melting and separating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dispersion disk has a shape that rises from a central part to an outer peripheral part in a longitudinal sectional view. The melting / separating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the dispersion rod or the dispersion plate exhibits one or more support functions including a scraper function and a gas-liquid blowing nozzle function. .

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