JP5831857B2 - Powder dispersion device, fine powder production method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a powder dispersion device and a fine powder production method.

  When a fine powder is used as a raw material in the manufacturing process of pharmaceuticals, foods, toners, etc., it is desired to supply the fine powder in the form of uniform primary particles in order to maintain the homogeneity and uniformity of the product. However, since fine powder generally has cohesiveness, it is easy to form a powder aggregate and it is difficult to obtain a homogeneous dispersion state. For this reason, in the field of handling powder, there is a problem of how to disperse fine powder in a homogeneous state, and various methods have been studied.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a powder dispersion device that injects a gas to a powder that goes to a lower discharge port along an inclined surface, and disperses the powder aggregate by the shearing force of the airflow. . Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a powder dispersing apparatus that causes powder dropped from a supply port to collide with a conical member to disperse powder aggregates.

JP2011-110512 JP2007-75681

  However, in the prior art method, powders contact each other on an object surface such as an inclined surface or a collision member to form a powder aggregate, which is moved toward the lower discharge port by gravity and discharged. There was a problem that. For this reason, although the method of the prior art exerts a certain degree of effect on the powder having weak cohesion, it is difficult to supply the powder having high cohesion uniformly dispersed in the state of primary particles. .

  In order to solve the above problems, a powder processing container for introducing powder and dispersing the powder by gas injection, wherein the inner diameter of the lower region gradually decreases downward, Proposed is a powder dispersion device comprising a gas injection port for performing gas injection toward the bottom surface side of a powder processing container, and an outlet for taking out the powder dispersed and swung up by the gas injection from the powder processing container.

  In addition, a powder storage step in which the powder is put in the bottom of the powder processing container where the inner diameter of the lower region gradually decreases toward the bottom, and a gas injection from the gas injection port toward the bottom side of the powder processing container A fine powder generation method comprising: a gas jetting step, and a step of taking out the powder dispersed and soared by gas jetting from the powder processing container.

  In the present invention having the above-described configuration, the powder that has been dispersed and swept up by the gas jet is taken out from the outlet provided above, so that it is possible to disperse evenly agglomerated powder in a uniform state. Become.

The figure which shows schematically the structure of the powder dispersion apparatus of Embodiment 1. The perspective view which shows a mode that the powder processing container of the powder dispersion apparatus of FIG. 1 was isolate | separated. The figure which shows the other example of the powder processing container of Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the other example of a gas injection opening The figure which shows the other example of the positional relationship of a gas inlet and an outlet The figure which shows the mode at the time of injecting gas from the gas injection port to the lowest region of a powder processing container The figure which shows the example which provided the powder introduction port in the powder processing container The figure which shows the example which provided the knocker in the outer wall of the powder processing container The figure which shows an example of the flow of a process of the fine powder production | generation method of Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the structure of the powder dispersion apparatus of Embodiment 2 roughly. The perspective view which shows a mode that the powder processing container of the powder dispersion apparatus of FIG. 10 isolate | separated from the container cap. The figure which shows the mode at the time of injecting gas from the gas injection port to the lowest region of a powder processing container The figure which shows an example of the structure where the powder control column also plays the role of the gas supply pipe The figure which shows the example in which the lower area | region of a powder control column becomes a substantially conical shape inverted. The figure which shows the example which provided the several gas injection port in the side surface of the lower area | region of a powder control column

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the powder dispersion apparatus according to the present invention will be described. The mutual relationship between the embodiment and the claims is as follows. In the first embodiment, claims 1 and 5 will be mainly described, and in the second embodiment, claims 2, 3, and 4 will be mainly described. In addition, this invention is not limited to these embodiments at all, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof.

<< Embodiment 1 >>

<Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the powder dispersion apparatus of the present embodiment. The “powder dispersing apparatus” 100 is an apparatus for introducing powder and dispersing the powder by gas injection, and the “powder processing container” in which the inner diameter of the lower region gradually decreases downward. 1, a “gas injection port” 11 for injecting gas toward the bottom surface side of the powder processing container, and an “outlet” 21 for taking out the dispersed powder, which is a powder that has risen by gas injection, from the powder processing container It consists of. Hereinafter, each component will be described.

(Powder processing container)
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the powder processing container of the powder dispersing apparatus of FIG. 1 is separated. In the example of this figure, a “container cap” 31 provided with a “gas inlet” 12 and an “outlet” 21 can be fitted into the “powder processing container” 1. The “body treatment container” 1 and the “container cap” 31 can be easily combined and separated. The “gas introduction pipe” 13 connects the “gas introduction port” 12 and the “gas injection port” 11. When introducing the powder into the powder processing container, the “powder processing container” 1 and the “container cap” 31 are separated, and the powder is introduced from the “opening” 2 of the “powder processing container” 1. After the introduction of the powder, it is combined with other parts.

  The “powder processing container” 1 is characterized in that the inner diameter of the lower region gradually decreases downward. The lower region of the powder processing container is a region that stores powder dispersed by gas injection and receives gas injection from the upper part. As an example of the shape of the lower region where the inner diameter gradually decreases downward, the round bottom shape shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be considered as an example. FIG. 3 is a view showing another example of the powder processing container. In the example of FIG. 3, the lower region has an inverted truncated conical shape. In this way, by gradually reducing the inner diameter of the lower region downward, the gas is diffused in the lower region when gas injection is received from the upper portion, and an isotropic upward flow is generated.

(Gas injection port)
The “gas injection port” 11 performs gas injection toward the lower region of the powder processing container. The gas to be injected is introduced from the “gas introduction port” 12 to the “gas injection port” 11 through the “gas introduction pipe” 13. The shape of the gas introduction tube is not particularly limited, and it is conceivable as an example to have a narrow tube shape as shown in FIG. Further, the diameter of the “gas injection port” 11 can be substantially the same as the diameter of the “gas introduction pipe” 13, or a diameter smaller than the diameter of the “gas introduction pipe” 13 as shown in FIG. It is also possible to increase the pressure / velocity of the injection gas. The smaller the diameter of the gas injection port, the higher the pressure / velocity of the injection gas, but since the injection amount and the injection area become smaller, it is preferable to select appropriately according to the amount of powder, etc. Can be considered variable.

  Further, the position of the gas injection port is not particularly limited as long as it is a position where gas can be injected toward the lower region of the powder processing container, but it is close to the region where the powder is stored. It is preferably provided at the lowermost part of the gas introduction pipe. In addition, it is possible to generate an isotropic diffusion air flow at the bottom of the powder processing container by injecting the gas directly downward from the gas injection port provided at the lowermost part of the gas introduction pipe. The diffusion airflow can not only make the powder fly, but also disperse the powder aggregate. Further, a gas injection port may be provided on the side surface near the lowermost portion of the gas introduction pipe. By providing the gas injection port on the side surface near the lowermost part of the gas introduction pipe, it becomes possible to simultaneously generate a swirling flow. The swirling flow can disperse the powder aggregates by a shearing force. It should be noted that the gas injection direction of the gas injection port is not necessarily limited to the lowermost part of the powder processing container, and may be injected toward another region.

(Exit)
At the “take-out port” 21, the powder dispersed and soared by gas injection is taken out from the “powder processing container” 1. The position of the take-out port is set higher than that of the gas injection port so that the powder that has been dispersed and soared by the gas injection is discharged. In addition, it is possible to make low the ratio discharged | emitted in the form of a powder aggregate from an outlet by making the position of an outlet from an upper area | region. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the “gas inlet” 12 is provided above the “outlet” 21, but the “gas inlet” 12 is connected to the “outlet” 21 as shown in FIG. Can also be provided below. Further, the number of outlets may be singular or plural, and it may be appropriately selected according to the application. For example, it is conceivable to open any one or more of the plurality of outlets according to the allowable level of the powder aggregate and take out the powder contained in the airflow. Moreover, it is possible to discharge a plurality of airflows having different fine powder concentrations by opening a plurality of outlets at different height positions at a time. In addition, the powder discharged | emitted from an outlet may be discharged | emitted as it is according to a use, and may be conveyed to another apparatus via a transport pipe.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state when gas is injected from the gas injection port to the lowermost region of the powder processing container. The pressurized gas introduced from the “gas introduction port” 12 is transported to the “gas injection port” 11 through the “gas introduction pipe” 13. The gas injected from the “gas injection port” 11 causes the powder stored in the lowermost region of the powder processing container to disperse and rise. Even if the powder agglomerates are formed at the stage of being stored in the “powder processing container” 1, the powder agglomerates have a larger mass than the fine powders, so that the degree of the powder agglomeration is weak. . Further, as described above, the powder aggregate itself is easily dispersed by the gas ejected from the “gas ejection port” 11 and becomes fine powder.

  The injection speed of the gas injected from the gas injection port is adjusted between 1 m / s and 500 m / s, depending on the size of the powder processing container, the average mass of the fine powder, the position of the outlet, and the like. It is preferable to adjust between 100 m / s and 400 m / s. For example, when the injection speed is reduced, the discharge speed of the fine powder is slowed, but it is possible to reduce the rate at which the powder aggregate rises and is discharged from the outlet. Further, when the injection speed is increased, the proportion of the powder aggregates discharged from the outlet is slightly increased, but the discharge speed of the fine powder can be increased. Further, the gas injection speed does not need to be constant, and the structure may be configured such that the magnitude periodically changes, or the gas injection may be intermittently performed. In addition, in order to inject gas into the powder processing container from the gas injection port, the gas introduced into the gas introduction pipe has a higher pressure than the gas in the powder processing container, and pressure gas supply such as a pump It is supplied to the gas inlet by means. When the pressure difference between the powder processing container and the gas introduction pipe is increased, the gas injection speed is also increased. Further, by using a gas inlet as a valve, it is possible to introduce or shut off a pressure gas as necessary. Moreover, the kind of gas injected from a gas injection port is not specifically limited, It is preferable to select the gas with low reactivity with powder.

  In the example of FIG. 2, an example is shown in which the powder is introduced from the “opening” 2 of the “powder processing container” 1, but is not limited to this example. For example, a configuration in which a powder introduction port is provided in a part of the powder processing container and powder is continuously introduced without separating the powder processing container is also conceivable. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a powder introduction port is provided in a powder processing container. In the example of this figure, the “powder introduction port” 22 is provided slightly above the lower region of the “powder processing container” 1. The powder may be introduced continuously or intermittently. In the example of FIG. 7, the powder introduction port is provided slightly above the lower region of the powder processing container, but it may be provided in the lower region of the powder processing container, or may be provided in the intermediate region or the upper region. Good.

  In order to prevent the powder from adhering to the inner wall of the powder processing container, it is conceivable to provide a knocker that strikes and vibrates the outer wall of the powder processing container. FIG. 8 is a view showing an example in which a knocker is provided on the outer wall of the powder processing container. In the example of this figure, the “knocker” 41 is provided in an intermediate region of the “powder processing container” 1. The number and position of knockers are not particularly limited, and may be provided in the lower region or the upper region, or a plurality of knockers may be provided.

<Process flow>
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow of the fine powder generation method of the present embodiment. First, in step S1, powder is accumulated in the bottom of the powder processing container where the inner diameter of the lower region gradually decreases downward (powder storage step). Next, in step S2, gas is injected from the gas injection port toward the bottom surface side of the powder processing container (gas injection step). Next, in step S3, the powder dispersed and soared by the gas injection is taken out from the powder processing container (extraction step).

<Effect>
In the powder dispersion device of the present embodiment, the powder that has been dispersed and swept up by gas jetting is taken out from the outlet provided above, so that even agglomerated powder can be dispersed in a uniform state. .

<< Embodiment 2 >>

<Configuration>
FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the powder dispersion apparatus of the present embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the “powder dispersion apparatus” 100 according to the present embodiment includes a “powder processing container” 1, a “gas injection port” 11, and an “outlet” 21. Furthermore, the “powder disperser” 100 of the present embodiment is a “powder disperser” in which the outer diameter of the lower region gradually decreases downward so that the powder can fly along the inner surface of the powder processing container by gas injection. A “body flow control column” 51 is provided in the “powder processing container” 1.

(Powder processing container)
FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state where the powder processing container of the powder dispersing apparatus of FIG. 10 is separated from the container cap. In the example of this figure, a “container cap” 31 provided with a “gas inlet” 12 and an “outlet” 21 can be fitted into the “powder processing container” 1. The “body treatment container” 1 and the “container cap” 31 can be easily combined and separated. The “gas introduction pipe” 13 connects the “gas introduction port” 12 and the “gas injection port” 11. The “powder control column” 51 stores a “gas introduction pipe” 13 therein. When introducing the powder into the powder processing container, the “powder processing container” 1 and the “container cap” 31 are separated, and the powder is introduced from the “opening” 2 of the “powder processing container” 1. After the introduction of the powder, it is combined with other parts.

(Powder control column)
In the “powder control column” 51, the outer diameter of the lower region gradually decreases downward so that the powder can fly along the inner surface of the powder processing container by gas injection. FIG. 12 is a view showing a state when gas is injected from the gas injection port to the lowermost region of the powder processing container. As shown in this figure, by gradually reducing the outer shape of the lower region of the “powder control column” 51 downward, the powder that has risen by the gas injection is directed toward the inner wall of the powder processing container. It moves and rises as it is along the inner wall of the powder processing container. As described above, by narrowing the distance between the powder processing container and the powder control column, the shearing force on the powder becomes easy to work, and the powder is easily dispersed uniformly.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, when the powder control column is provided in the powder processing container, the “gas injection port” 11 may be provided at the lowermost part of the “powder control column” 51. Thereby, it becomes possible to generate a diffusion air current by spraying from right above the powder stored in the lower region of the powder processing container. 10 to 12, the gas supply pipe is housed inside the powder control column. However, the powder control column itself may also serve as the gas supply pipe. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which the powder control column also serves as a gas supply pipe. In the example of this figure, the inside of the “powder control column” 51 is a gas passage, and the gas introduced from the “gas inlet” 12 passes through the inside of the “powder control column” 51, It is discharged from the “gas injection port” 11.

  Further, the shape of the powder control column is not limited to the above example, and other shapes may be used. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the lower region of the powder control column has an inverted substantially conical shape. In the example of this figure, a “gas injection port” 11 is provided in the vicinity of the apex of the substantially conical shape, so that high-speed injection can be performed from a small injection port. The position of the gas injection port is not limited to the lowermost part of the powder control column, and the gas injection port can be provided on the side surface of the lower region of the powder control column. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a plurality of gas injection ports are provided on the side surface of the lower region of the powder control column. In the example of this figure, in addition to the “gas injection port” 11 provided at the lowermost part of the “powder control column” 51, a plurality of “gas injections” provided on the side surface of the lower region of the “powder control column” 51. There is a “mouth” 12. The gas injected from the gas injection port on the side surface of the lower region becomes a swirling flow, and winds up the powder stored in the lower region of the powder processing container. The number of gas injection ports provided on the side surface of the lower region of the powder control column is not particularly limited, but a plurality of gas injection ports are preferably provided at equal intervals along the outer periphery of the powder control column. With this configuration, it is possible to generate a swirling flow with little variation in speed in the circumferential direction, and to further disperse the powder.

<Effect>
In the powder dispersion device of the present embodiment, the powder that has been dispersed and swept up by gas jetting is taken out from the outlet provided above, so that even agglomerated powder can be dispersed in a uniform state. . In addition, the powder control column makes it easy to apply a shearing force to the powder, and the ratio of the powder aggregate can be further suppressed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Powder processing apparatus, 1 ... Powder processing container, 2 ... Opening part, 11 ... Gas injection port, 12 ... Gas introduction port, 13 ... Gas introduction pipe, 14 ... Other gas injection port, 21 ... Outlet, 31 ... container cap, 41 ... knocker, 51 ... powder control column

Claims (5)

An apparatus for introducing powder and dispersing the powder by gas injection,
Ri a gradually reduced inner diameter of the lower region to the bottom, the powder processing container inner bottom shape is round shape,
A gas injection port for performing gas injection toward the bottom side of the powder processing container;
An outlet for taking out the powder dispersed and soared by the gas jet from the powder processing container;
A powder flow control column in which the outer diameter of the lower region gradually decreases downward and the outer bottom shape is a round bottom so that the powder blows up along the inner surface of the powder processing container by gas injection. A powder dispersing apparatus having the powder processing container . The powder dispersion device according to claim 1 , wherein the powder flow control column includes a gas injection port at a lowermost part. The powder dispersion apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the powder flow control column is provided with a gas injection port on a surface of the lower region. The powder disperser according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the powder flow control column has a gas passage inside thereof . Powder Ri inner diameter of the lower region is gradually smaller toward the bottom, the powder reservoir steps Earn put on the bottom of the powder processing container is an inner bottom shape round shape,
A gas injection step of injecting gas from the gas injection port toward the bottom surface side of the powder processing container;
A fine powder producing method comprising: a step of taking out the powder dispersed and swung up by the gas jet from the powder processing container;
A powder flow control column in which the outer diameter of the lower region gradually decreases downward and the outer bottom shape is a round bottom so that the powder blows up along the inner surface of the powder processing container by gas injection. In the powder processing container ,
Fine powder production method.

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