JP6197997B2 - Hydrothermal treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hydrothermal treatment apparatus.

  In recent years, a method of hydrothermally treating not only general waste such as food residue, wood waste, paper waste, raw garbage, and food waste but also organic sludge as an object to be treated with steam in a subcritical state has been proposed ( For example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 4898970

  In the method proposed in Patent Document 1, the hydrothermal treatment of the workpiece and the subsequent dehydration treatment are sequentially performed in a subcritical atmosphere in the common treatment apparatus main body, thereby saving the space of the apparatus, This has resulted in a reduction in the moisture content of an object to be treated (hereinafter referred to as dehydrated cake) that has undergone heat treatment and dehydration treatment. In Patent Document 1, the processing apparatus main body is depressurized, and moisture is evaporated from the dehydrated cake by this depressurization. However, the reduction of the moisture content of the dehydrated cake leads to simplification of handling of the dehydrated cake and weight reduction. Therefore, it has been requested to further reduce the moisture content. In addition, it is also required to simplify the reduction of the moisture content of the dehydrated cake and to reduce the cost of the hydrothermal treatment and dehydration treatment of the workpiece.

  In order to achieve at least a part of the problems described above, the present invention can be implemented as the following forms.

(1) According to one aspect of the present invention, a hydrothermal treatment apparatus is provided. This hydrothermal treatment apparatus is a hydrothermal treatment apparatus for an object to be processed using water vapor in a subcritical state, and is accommodated in a hollow processing apparatus main body and the processing apparatus main body in a state where the object to be processed is charged. A sub-critical atmosphere is formed by introducing the subcritical water vapor into the hollow dehydration tube, the dehydration tube into which the object to be processed has been added, and the processing device body, and the inside of the processing device body is made a subcritical atmosphere. A hydrothermal treatment section for hydrothermally treating the object to be treated; and dehydrating a liquid component by applying a compressive force to the object to be treated which has been put into the dehydration pipe and subjected to the hydrothermal treatment in the subcritical atmosphere. A dehydration processing unit for separating and guiding the separated liquid component to the bottom side of the processing apparatus body;
Discharge of the liquid component from the bottom of the processing apparatus main body to the storage tank is performed by opening and closing a pipeline connecting the storage tank disposed on the lower side of the processing apparatus main body and the bottom of the processing apparatus main body. And a control unit for controlling. The dehydration processing unit releases the compressive force after the control unit discharges the liquid component to the storage tank, and the hydrothermal treatment unit releases the compressive force by the dehydration processing unit. Then, the inside of the processing apparatus main body is released to the atmosphere to eliminate the subcritical atmosphere.

  In the hydrothermal treatment apparatus of the above form, a compressive force is applied to an object that has undergone hydrothermal treatment in a subcritical atmosphere to dehydrate and separate the liquid component, and the dehydrated and separated liquid component is stored in a storage tank below the processing apparatus main body. Discharge. As a result, the hydrothermal treatment apparatus of the above form cuts the contact with the liquid component in the treatment apparatus main body while leaving the dehydrated workpiece in the subcritical atmosphere. In addition, since the hydrothermal treatment apparatus of the above form releases the object to be processed from the compressive force, the solid component becomes uncompressed even though the object to be processed is in a subcritical atmosphere. This collapses from the compressed shape and increases the surface area under a subcritical atmosphere. Since the hydrothermal treatment apparatus of the above-described form releases the subcritical atmosphere by releasing the inside of the treatment apparatus main body where the treatment object having an enlarged surface area remains in this way, the liquid component remaining in the treatment object is reduced in pressure. Evaporation by is promoted by expanding the surface area of the workpiece. As a result, according to the hydrothermal treatment apparatus of the above aspect, the moisture content of the dehydrated cake that is the object to be treated that has undergone the hydrothermal treatment and dehydration treatment can be more reliably reduced.

  (2) In the hydrothermal treatment apparatus according to the above aspect, the dehydration processing unit applies a centrifugal force to the object to be processed in the subcritical atmosphere even after the pipe is opened by the control unit. Secondary dehydration for dehydrating and separating the components may be performed, and the compression force may be released after the secondary dehydration. In the case of dehydrating by applying a compressive force to the object to be processed, the degree of compression is determined by the ratio of solid content or physical properties contained in the object to be processed. Get the rest. According to the hydrothermal treatment apparatus of the above aspect, the liquid component remaining in the object to be processed after compression dehydration is subjected to dehydration separation by applying centrifugal force to the object to be processed, so that the moisture content of the dewatered cake is further increased by that amount. It can be further reduced.

  (3) In the hydrothermal treatment apparatus according to any one of the above forms, the control unit pressurizes the inside of the storage tank to discharge the liquid component to the storage tank. The pressure may be equalized with the critical atmosphere, and the pipe line may be opened after the pressure equalization. In this way, the liquid component can be discharged into the storage tank without hindrance due to its own weight, and the interior of the processing apparatus body can be more reliably discharged even after the liquid component is discharged than when the liquid component is discharged. The subcritical atmosphere can be maintained, and the pressure reduction of the processing apparatus main body can be avoided. Therefore, according to the hydrothermal treatment apparatus of this embodiment, when the liquid component remaining in the object to be processed is dehydrated by depressurizing the main body of the treatment apparatus, the effectiveness of evaporation by the depressurization can be enhanced.

  (4) In the hydrothermal treatment apparatus of the above aspect, the control unit may introduce the subcritical water vapor into the storage tank so as to pressurize the storage tank. In this way, equalizing the pressure through the pressurization of the storage tank is simplified.

  Note that the present invention can be realized in various forms, for example, in a form such as a hydrothermal treatment method of an object using water vapor in a subcritical state.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the hydrothermal processing apparatus 100 as embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the hydrothermal treatment method. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the mode of the drive of the hydrothermal processing apparatus 100 in a subcritical process. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the mode of the drive of the hydrothermal processing apparatus 100 in a subcritical compression dehydration process. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the mode of the drive of the hydrothermal processing apparatus 100 in a storage tank pressurization process. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the mode of the drive of the hydrothermal processing apparatus 100 in a subcritical liquid removal process. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the mode of the drive of the hydrothermal processing apparatus 100 in the re-dehydration process in a subcritical environment. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the mode of the drive of the hydrothermal processing apparatus 100 in the cancellation process of a compressive force. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the mode of the drive of the hydrothermal processing apparatus 100 in a deaeration process. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the mode of the drive of the hydrothermal processing apparatus 100 in an extraction process.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 as an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a hollow processing apparatus main body 1, a storage tank 2, a hollow dehydration pipe 11, a control apparatus 110, and a water vapor supply device group 200. The processing apparatus main body 1 includes a cylindrical outer cylinder 3, an exhaust pipe 4, an intake pipe 5, a drain pipe 6, a lid portion 7, a fixing jig 8, a rotary slide mechanism 9, a shaft 10, And a dehydrating tube 11. The storage tank 2 is disposed below the processing apparatus main body 1 and stores liquid discharged from the bottom of the processing apparatus main body 1, that is, liquid components dehydrated and separated from the object to be processed. The storage tank 2 includes a supply / exhaust pipe 21 and a supply pipe 22, and the supply pipe 22 is connected to the drain pipe 6 of the processing apparatus main body 1 via an opening / closing valve 23. In addition, the storage tank 2 includes a drain pipe 24 on the lower side along the direction of gravity, and discharges the liquid in the tank to the outside through the opening of the opening / closing valve 24a in the middle of the pipeline.

  The outer cylinder 3 of the processing apparatus body 1 has a cylindrical portion, and a flange portion 3a is provided at one end of the cylindrical rotary slide mechanism 9 side. A lid 7 is fixed to one end of the outer cylinder 3 opposite to the flange 3 a by a fixing jig 8. In the state where the lid portion 7 is fixed by the fixing jig 8, the processing apparatus main body 1 becomes hollow in the inner region of the outer cylinder 3, and the lid portion 7 is fixed to the dehydrating tube lid described later by the fixing jig 8. It can be removed from the outer cylinder 3 together with the portion 11a.

The dehydrating tube 11 has a bottomed cylindrical shape along the outer cylinder 3 and is disposed inside the outer cylinder 3 so as to be rotatable forward and backward. The dehydrating tube 11 is provided with a plurality of openings 11b on the cylindrical peripheral wall thereof, and a dehydrating tube lid 11a is detachably provided on the open end side of the fixing jig 8 side. The dehydrating tube lid 11 a is connected to the lid 7 of the outer cylinder 3, and the dehydrating tube lid 11 a can also be removed from the dehydrating tube 11 when removing the lid 7 from the outer cylinder 3. Therefore, in a state where the dehydrating tube lid portion 11a is removed together with the lid portion 7 by the fixing jig 8, the dehydrating tube 11 can be loaded with an object to be processed, and the dehydrating tube 11 is in a state where the object to be processed is charged. Is stored in the processing apparatus main body 1 and placed in a subcritical atmosphere together with the object to be processed inside the outer cylinder 3 by a steam supply device group 200 described later. A piston 12 is disposed inside the dehydrating pipe 11. The piston 12 is engaged with the dehydrating pipe 11 by a key and a key groove on the outer peripheral wall of the piston and the inner peripheral wall of the dehydrating pipe. It is slidable along the inner surface of the cylinder. The shaft 10 passes through the flange portion 3 a and the bottom of the dehydrating tube 11 and is connected to the piston 12. The outer cylinder 3 and the dehydrating tube 11 are installed in a horizontal shape in which the longitudinal direction is horizontal and the longitudinal direction of the shaft 10 parallel to the longitudinal direction is substantially perpendicular to gravity. The bottom cylindrical portion of the outer cylinder 3 is the lower cylindrical portion according to gravity.

  The rotary slide mechanism 9 is engaged with a shaft 10 extending from the piston 12 and is moved forward and backward along the longitudinal direction of the shaft 10 by a built-in gear mechanism (not shown) and forward / reverse about the axis of the shaft 10. These rotational movements can be executed independently or in parallel. Since the piston 12 is engaged with the dehydrating tube 11 as described above, the dehydrating tube 11 rotates together with the piston 12 by the rotational movement of the shaft 10 by the rotary slide mechanism 9. The engagement between the piston 12 and the dehydrating pipe 11 is maintained not only at the original position of the bottom of the dehydrating pipe 11 shown in FIG. 1 but also at the compression end position and the compression releasing position, which will be described later. Due to the rotational movement of the shaft 10 by the slide mechanism 9, the dehydrating tube 11 rotates together with the piston 12 and agitates the already-treated workpiece. The dehydrating tube 11 is also rotated by the rotary slide mechanism 9 together with the piston 12 at a compression end position and a compression release position which will be described later. In addition, the piston 12 slides and drives the inside of the dehydrating tube 11 alone along the longitudinal direction of the shaft 10 by the rotary slide mechanism 9. In addition, the above-described slide motion and rotational motion by the rotary slide mechanism 9 are performed under the control of the control device 110 described later.

  The exhaust pipe 4 includes an open / close valve 4a at one end on the outside air side, and opens the inside of the outer cylinder 3 to the outside air or an external device through the valve opening. The intake pipe 5 is connected to the water vapor supply device group 200, and introduces high-temperature, high-pressure subcritical water vapor generated by the water vapor supply device group 200 into the processing apparatus main body 1. The timing of this water vapor introduction is set by a control device 110 described later, and under the control of the control device 110, the inside of the processing apparatus main body 1 becomes a subcritical atmosphere due to the subcritical water vapor. The drainage pipe 6 forms a pipe line connecting the storage tank 2 disposed on the lower side of the processing apparatus main body 1 and the bottom of the processing apparatus main body 1 together with the liquid supply pipe 22, and opens the opening / closing valve 23. The liquid inside the outer cylinder 3, that is, the liquid component dehydrated and separated from the object to be processed is guided to the storage tank 2. In addition, the supply / exhaust pipe 21 of the storage tank 2 includes an opening / closing valve 21a at one end thereof, and is connected to the steam supply device group 200 via the valve. Water vapor in a critical state is introduced into the storage tank 2. The timing of the introduction of the water vapor is set by a control device 110 described later. Under the control of the control device 110, the inside of the storage tank 2 is pressurized with subcritical water vapor, and the storage tank 2 is connected to the processing device main body 1. It is assumed to be at the same pressure as the subcritical atmosphere. The on-off valve 21a is configured as a so-called three-way valve, and connects the air supply / exhaust pipe 21 to the water vapor supply device group 200, and also connects the air supply / exhaust pipe 21 to the atmosphere release pipe 21b to supply water vapor inside the storage tank 2 to the air supply / exhaust pipe. 21 and the atmosphere release pipe 21b. The various valves described above are driven and controlled by the control device 110.

  The control device 110 is configured as a computer having a CPU that executes logical operations, a ROM, and a RAM, and performs overall control of the hydrothermal treatment device 100. In other words, the control device 110 controls the opening and closing of the various valves described above while receiving inputs from various switches and sensors (not shown), and controls the introduction of subcritical water vapor from the water vapor supply device group 200, and the rotary slide mechanism. 9 drive control is executed.

  Next, a hydrothermal treatment method using the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the hydrothermal treatment method. Prior to the execution of the hydrothermal treatment shown in FIG. 2, the control device 110 controls the various valves such as the opening / closing valve 23 to close, and performs the hydrothermal treatment shown in FIG. 2 through the operation of a start switch (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the hydrothermal treatment method according to the present embodiment, first, a subcritical processing step is performed (step ST1). FIG. 3 is an explanatory view schematically showing how the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 is driven in the subcritical treatment process. In FIG. 3, for the sake of understanding, the processing apparatus main body 1 is shown in a transparent manner. The same applies to FIG. 4 and subsequent figures. Before the start of this subcritical treatment step, after removing the lid 7 and the dehydrating tube lid 11a and storing the organic sludge 31 as the object to be treated inside the dehydrating tube 11, as shown in FIG. The lid 7 and the dehydrating tube lid 11a are closed, and the outer cylinder 3 and the lid 7 are tightly fixed by the fixing jig 8 to seal the inside of the outer cylinder 3. Thereafter, a subcritical processing step is performed.

  The control device 110 maintains the open / close valve 4a of the exhaust pipe 4, the open / close valve 23 of the drain pipe 6, the open / close valve 21a of the air supply / exhaust pipe 21, and the open / close valve 24a of the drain pipe 24 while keeping the water vapor supply device. High-temperature, high-pressure sub-critical water vapor is introduced from the group 200 through the intake pipe 5 into the processing apparatus main body 1, specifically, the outer cylinder 3. Here, in this embodiment, the temperature of the water vapor supplied from the water vapor supply device group 200 is 133 ° C. or higher and 212 ° C. or lower, specifically 210 ° C., for example. As a result, the inside of the outer cylinder 3 is filled with water vapor in a subcritical state at high temperature and high pressure, and water vapor also enters the inside of the dehydrating tube 11 through the opening 11b of the cylindrical portion. Filled with water vapor. That is, the inside of the processing apparatus main body 1 is made into a subcritical atmosphere by the introduced subcritical water vapor, and the dewatering pipe 11 is filled with the organic sludge 31 in the processing apparatus main body 1. It is stored and placed in a subcritical atmosphere together with the organic sludge 31. In this embodiment, this subcritical atmosphere is maintained over the subcritical processing step, and the pressure is 0.1 MPa or more and 22.1 MPa or less, preferably 0.2 MPa or more and 1.6 MPa or less, and more preferably. Is 0.7 MPa to 1.1 MPa, specifically 0.9 MPa, for example, and the temperature is 120 ° C. to 200 ° C., preferably 160 ° C. to 180 ° C., specifically For example, 170 ° C.

  In this subcritical atmosphere, the control device 110 drives and controls the rotary slide mechanism 9 to rotate the shaft 10 forward and backward about its axis. Since the piston 12 is located in the illustrated original position and is engaged with the dehydrating tube 11 as described above, the forward / reverse rotation of the shaft 10 is transmitted to the dehydrating tube 11 via the piston 12. As a result, the dewatering pipe 11 rotates in the forward and reverse directions, that is, swings while containing the organic sludge 31, and stirs the organic sludge 31, so that subcritical water vapor is added to the entire organic sludge 31. Go to 31 locations. Thereby, the subcritical treatment for the organic sludge 31, that is, the hydrothermal treatment of the organic sludge 31 in the subcritical atmosphere is performed. Therefore, the “hydrothermal treatment unit” in the present invention is constructed by the control device 110 and the rotary slide mechanism 9 driven under the control of the control device 110. While this subcritical processing step is being performed, the supplied water vapor aggregates at the bottom of the outer cylinder 3, or liquid components such as moisture leak from the organic sludge 31, thereby treating the treated water 32. Accumulates.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, a subcritical compression dehydration step is performed (step ST2). The transition from the subcritical treatment process to the subcritical compression and dehydration process is performed according to the elapsed time measured by the control device 110. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view schematically showing how the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 is driven in the subcritical compression dehydration process. In the subcritical compression dehydration step, the control device 110 drives and controls the rotary slide mechanism 9 while maintaining the subcritical atmosphere developed in the subcritical processing step described above in the processing device body 1. 10 is slid forward toward the inside of the outer cylinder 3. At this time, the control device 110 does not cause the rotation of the shaft 10 by the rotary slide mechanism 9. As a result, the piston 12 slides toward the dehydrating tube lid 11a, the organic sludge 31 is compressed between the piston 12 and the dehydrating tube lid 11a, and dehydration is performed. The position of the piston 12 at this time becomes the compression end position described above. When the organic sludge 31 is compressed inside the dehydration pipe 11 by the piston 12 that has been slid forward to the compression end position, liquid components (dehydrated filtrate) such as moisture contained in the organic sludge 31 are opened in the dehydration pipe 11. It is discharged through the part 11b. Thereby, the treated water 32 is further stored in the outer cylinder 3. In the subcritical compression-dehydration step while maintaining the subcritical atmosphere, liquid components are dehydrated and separated through compression from the organic sludge 31 subjected to the hydrothermal treatment (subcritical treatment) in step ST1 in the subcritical atmosphere. The separated liquid component is guided to the bottom of the processing apparatus main body 1 as the treated water 32. Therefore, the “dehydration processing unit” in the present invention is constructed by the control device 110 involved in the subcritical compression dehydration step of step ST2 and the rotary slide mechanism 9, the piston 12, the shaft 10 and the like driven under the control.

  At this time, the viscosity of the liquid water contained in the organic sludge 31 subjected to the subcritical treatment is apparently lowered because the processing apparatus main body 1 is in a subcritical atmosphere and has a high temperature and a high pressure. For this reason, the dewaterability by compression can be improved by compressing and dehydrating the organic sludge 31 subjected to the subcritical process in a high temperature and high pressure atmosphere in a subcritical state, and the subcritical state at a high temperature and high pressure can be used for the dehydration process. It can be used effectively.

  Next, a storage tank pressurization process is performed (step ST3). The transition from the subcritical compression dehydration process to the storage tank pressurization process is performed according to the elapsed time measured by the control device 110. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing how the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 is driven in the storage tank pressurization process. In the storage tank pressurization step, the control device 110 drives and controls the open / close valve 21a of the air supply / exhaust pipe 21 while maintaining the above-described subcritical atmosphere inside the processing apparatus main body 1 to supply water vapor. High-temperature, high-pressure subcritical water vapor is introduced into the storage tank 2 from the equipment group 200 through the air supply / exhaust pipe 21. As a result, the inside of the storage tank 2 is pressurized and becomes equal in pressure to the subcritical atmosphere in the processing apparatus main body 1.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, a subcritical sub-liquid removal step is performed (step ST4). The transition from the storage tank pressurization process to the subcritical dewatering process is the elapsed time measured by the control device 110, or the internal pressure contrast (equalization) of the processing apparatus main body 1 and the storage tank 2 measured by a sensor (not shown). Is made according to. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view schematically showing how the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 is driven in the subcritical dewatering step. In this subcritical dewatering step, the controller 110 first controls the opening / closing valve 21a to stop the introduction of water vapor into the storage tank 2, and then controls the opening / closing valve 23 to open. Thereby, in the processing apparatus main body 1, the processing apparatus main body 1 and the storage tank 2 are maintained at the same pressure from the bottom of the processing apparatus main body 1 while the subcritical atmosphere described above is maintained. The stored treated water 32 is discharged to the storage tank 2 along the outflow path 32r connecting the drainage pipe 6 and the liquid supply pipe 22 by its own weight. Therefore, the “control unit” in the present invention is constructed by the control device 110, the on-off valve 21 a and the on-off valve 23 that are driven under the control of the control device 110, and the drainage pipe 6. In the storage tank 2, the water level of the treated water 32 in the tank rises with the drainage of the treated water 32 from the treatment apparatus body 1, and all of the treated water 32 stored at the bottom of the treatment apparatus body 1 is stored in the storage tank 2. To be discharged.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, a re-dehydration step in a subcritical environment is performed (step ST5). The transition from the subcritical dewatering process to the re-dehydration process in the subcritical environment is the elapsed time measured by the control device 110 or the treated water 32 of the treatment apparatus main body 1 and the storage tank 2 measured by a sensor (not shown). It is made according to the water level change. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view schematically showing how the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 is driven in the re-dehydration process in a subcritical environment. In the re-dehydration process in this subcritical environment, the control device 110 continues to perform the valve closing control of the opening / closing valve 21a and the valve opening control of the opening / closing valve 23, and drives and controls the rotary slide mechanism 9 in the subcritical atmosphere. Then, for example, the shaft 10 is rotated forward about the axis. Since the piston 12 is located at the compression end position shown in the figure and is engaged with the dehydrating pipe 11 as described above, the rotation of the shaft 10 is transmitted to the dehydrating pipe 11 via the piston 12. Thereby, the dehydration pipe 11 rotates while the organic sludge 31 is compressed by the piston 12. Since the control device 110 rotates the shaft 10 at a high speed in the re-dehydration process in this subcritical environment, a large centrifugal force acts on the organic sludge 31 compressed by the piston 12. As a result, the liquid component remaining in the organic sludge 31 is centrifugally dehydrated from the organic sludge 31, passes through the opening 11b, and reaches the bottom of the processing apparatus body 1 as shown in the illustrated internal outflow 32ru. Then, it flows into the storage tank 2 through the above-described outflow path 32r. At this time, since the storage tank 2 is in the same pressure state as the processing apparatus main body 1, the liquid component centrifugally dehydrated from the organic sludge 31 is smoothly stored through the opening 11b of the dewatering pipe 11 and the outflow path 32r. Flow into tank 2. Moreover, since the processing apparatus main body 1 is under a subcritical atmosphere and has a high pressure, the liquid component remaining in the organic sludge 31 has an apparent viscosity drop as described above. Centrifugal dehydration of the liquid component from the organic sludge 31 is promoted. Note that the control device 110 controls to stop the high-speed rotation of the shaft 10 by the rotary slide mechanism 9 in accordance with the completion of the re-dehydration process in the subcritical environment.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, a release process for releasing the compressive force involved in dehydration is performed (step ST6). The transition from the re-dehydration process in the subcritical environment to the compression force releasing process is performed according to the elapsed time measured by the control device 110. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view schematically showing how the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 is driven in the compression force releasing step. In this compression force releasing step, the controller 110 first controls the rotary slide mechanism 9 to drive the shaft 10 while controlling the opening / closing valve 23 to maintain the processing apparatus main body 1 in the subcritical atmosphere. It slides backward from the compression end position shown in FIG. As a result, the piston 12 is further away from the dehydrating tube lid 11a than the compression end position, so the compression force applied to the organic sludge 31 by the piston 12 is released. The position of the piston 12 whose compression force has been released in this way is the compression release position. Note that the centrifugal force accompanying the high-speed rotation of the shaft 10 has already been released when the re-dehydration process is completed in the subcritical environment. Although the organic sludge 31 is placed in a subcritical atmosphere by releasing the compressive force described above, the solid shape of the sludge becomes non-compressed, so that the compression shape is destroyed by its own weight, and the dehydrating pipe 11 spreads to the bottom and its surface area increases.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, a deaeration process is performed (step ST7). The transition from the compression force releasing process to the degassing process is performed according to the elapsed time measured by the control device 110. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing how the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 is driven in the deaeration process. In this deaeration process, the control device 110 controls the opening / closing of the opening / closing valve 4a of the exhaust pipe 4, the switching control of the opening / closing valve 21a of the supply / exhaust pipe 21, and the opening control of the opening / closing valve 24a of the drain pipe 24. I do. The switching control of the opening / closing valve 21a is switching control for communicating the air supply / exhaust pipe 21 with the air release pipe 21b. These valve controls may be performed simultaneously or in time series. In this case, if the switching control of the opening / closing valve 21a and the opening control of the opening / closing valve 24a are performed in this order, the water vapor remaining above the liquid level of the treated water 32 in the storage tank 2 first passes through the atmosphere release pipe 21b to the atmosphere. Since the treated water 32 of the storage tank 2 is discharged through the drain pipe 24 after being released and the internal pressure of the storage tank 2 is reduced to about atmospheric pressure, scattering of the treated water at the time of discharge can be prevented. On the other hand, if the opening / closing control of the opening / closing valve 24a is performed before the switching control of the opening / closing valve 21a, the treated water 32 of the storage tank 2 is rapidly passed through the drain pipe 24 due to the pressure of the water vapor remaining above the liquid surface. Can be discharged. In addition, if the drain pipe 24 is connected to a piping path (not shown), even if the treated water is discharged quickly, there is no problem with treated water scattering. In the deaeration process with valve control described above, water vapor is released inside the outer cylinder 3, and the inside of the outer cylinder 3 has a predetermined pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure of the high-temperature and high-pressure atmosphere in the subcritical state, specifically For example, the pressure drops to atmospheric pressure. On the other hand, in the storage tank 2, as described above, water vapor is discharged and treated water is discharged.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, an extraction process is performed (step ST8) . Transition from the deaeration process to the extraction process is the elapsed time measured by the control device 110, the internal pressure (atmospheric pressure) of the processing apparatus body 1 measured by a sensor (not shown), or the storage tank 2 measured by a sensor (not shown). It is made according to the treated water level (= zero). FIG. 10 is an explanatory view schematically showing how the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 is driven in the extraction step. In this take-out process, the control device 110 performs the fixing release control of the lid portion 7 by the fixing jig 8 and the backward sliding of the shaft 10 by the drive control of the rotary slide mechanism 9. Both of these controls may be performed concurrently or sequentially. Since the removal of the lid 7 from the outer cylinder 3 and the removal of the dehydrating tube lid 11a from the dehydrating tube 11 are performed by the fixing release control of the fixing jig 8, the organic sludge that has undergone compression dehydration and centrifugal dehydration 31 dewatered cakes are taken out from the dewatering tube 11. The dewatered cake of the organic sludge 31 is incinerated or landfilled. Further, since the piston 12 returns to the original position shown in the figure by the backward slide of the shaft 10, the organic sludge 31 to be newly treated can be put into the dehydrating pipe 11 in preparation for the next hydrothermal treatment. . When taking out the dehydrated cake after removing the dehydrating tube lid 11a, the shaft 10 is slid forward by the rotary slide mechanism 9 under the control of the control device 110, and the dehydrated cake is removed from the open end of the dehydrating tube 11 by the piston 12. Can be pushed to the side. This makes it easy to take out the dehydrated cake. Then, after performing the forward slide for the extrusion, the piston 12 may be returned to the original position by the backward slide. The control device 110 drives and controls all the valves such as the opening / closing valve 4a to be in a closed state to prepare for the start of the next subcritical processing step.

  The hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration introduces an organic material that has been introduced into the dehydration pipe 11 by introducing high-temperature, high-pressure subcritical water vapor from the steam supply device group 200 into the treatment apparatus body 1. The sludge 31 is hydrothermally treated in a subcritical atmosphere (step ST1: FIG. 3). Then, a compression force is applied to the organic sludge 31 thus subjected to hydrothermal treatment by the piston 12 to dehydrate and separate the liquid component (step ST2: FIG. 4), and the treated water 32 which is the dehydrated and separated liquid component is treated as the main body of the processing apparatus. 1 is discharged to the storage tank 2 below 1 (step ST4: FIG. 6). Thereby, the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of this embodiment cuts the contact with a liquid component in the processing apparatus main body 1 while keeping the compressed and dehydrated organic sludge 31 in the subcritical atmosphere. In addition, since the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment releases the compressed and dehydrated organic sludge 31 from the compressive force (step ST6: FIG. 8), the organic sludge 31 is placed in a subcritical atmosphere. However, when the solid component becomes non-compressed, it collapses from the compressed shape and enlarges the surface area of the organic sludge 31 in a subcritical atmosphere. The hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment eliminates the subcritical atmosphere by releasing the inside of the treatment apparatus main body 1 in which the organic sludge 31 whose shape is collapsed and the surface area is increased is left to the atmosphere (step ST7: FIG. 9). .

  Before the inside of the treatment apparatus main body 1 in which the organic sludge 31 remains is released to the atmosphere to eliminate the subcritical atmosphere, most of the liquid components remaining in the organic sludge 31 are 100 under the subcritical atmosphere. The temperature is higher than ℃. From this state, the subcritical atmosphere is eliminated and the internal pressure of the processing apparatus main body 1, specifically, the outer cylinder 3, is reduced to atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the moisture of 100 ° C. or more contained in the compressed organic sludge 31 Becomes steam and evaporates under reduced pressure, and is discharged to the outside of the outer cylinder 3. Thereby, moisture is further removed from the organic sludge 31 that has been dehydrated in the subcritical compression dehydration step, and dewatering efficiency is increased. In addition, since the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment increases the surface area of the organic sludge 31, the liquid component remaining in the organic sludge 31 is evaporated under reduced pressure to increase the surface area of the organic sludge 31. To promote. As a result, according to the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the moisture content of the dewatered cake of the organic sludge 31 that has undergone the hydrothermal treatment and the dehydration treatment can be further reliably reduced.

  The hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment also rotates the centrifugal centrifugal force on the organic sludge 31 that has undergone compression dehydration even when the treated water 32 is discharged to the storage tank 2 below the treatment apparatus main body 1 (step ST4: FIG. 6). To dehydrate and separate the liquid component (step ST5: FIG. 7), and then release the compression force. When dehydration is performed by applying compression force to the organic sludge 31 by the piston 12, the degree of compression is determined by the solid content and physical properties contained in the organic sludge 31, and the organic sludge even after dehydration by compression. A liquid component may remain in 31. However, according to the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the liquid component remaining in the organic sludge 31 after the compression dehydration is subjected to dehydration separation by applying a centrifugal force to the organic sludge 31, so that much. In addition, the moisture content of the dehydrated cake can be further reduced. Moreover, according to the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the dehydration and separation of the liquid component (treated water 32) by centrifugal force is performed in a high-pressure environment under a subcritical atmosphere. By reducing the viscosity of the liquid, centrifugal dehydration of the liquid component from the organic sludge 31 can be promoted, and the water content can be further reduced.

  In discharging the treated water 32 to the storage tank 2 below the processing apparatus main body 1 (step ST4: FIG. 6), the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment pressurizes the inside of the storage tank 2 to To achieve the same pressure as the subcritical atmosphere. Therefore, according to the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the treated water 32 stored at the bottom of the treatment apparatus main body 1 can be discharged to the storage tank 2 without hindrance by its own weight, and the organic sludge 31 can be discharged. In some cases, even after discharge of the treated water 32 from the processing apparatus main body 1, the inside of the processing apparatus main body 1 can be more reliably left in a subcritical atmosphere, and the processing apparatus main body 1 is not lowered. As a result, according to the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, both the effectiveness of dehydration by centrifugation of the liquid component remaining in the organic sludge 31 and the effectiveness of evaporation dehydration by subsequent decompression are enhanced. be able to.

  The hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment introduces subcritical water vapor from the water vapor supply device group 200 to the storage tank 2 and pressurizes the tank, so that the storage tank can be easily equalized with the processing apparatus main body 1. .

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be realized with various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each embodiment described in the summary section of the invention are intended to solve part or all of the above-described problems, or part of the above-described effects. Or, in order to achieve the whole, it is possible to replace or combine as appropriate. Further, if the technical feature is not described as essential in the present specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

  In the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the above-described embodiment, the liquid component is dehydrated and separated by applying a rotational centrifugal force to the organic sludge 31 that has undergone compression dehydration (re-dehydration step: step ST5: FIG. 7). The process may be omitted, and the compressive force releasing process of step ST6 may be performed following the subcritical sub-liquid removal process of step ST4. Even in this case, the organic sludge 31 that has been subjected to compression dehydration can be subjected to evaporation under reduced pressure with an increase in the surface area, so that the water content can be reduced.

  In the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment described above, pressurization of the storage tank 2 is achieved by introducing subcritical water vapor, but high pressure air is introduced into the storage tank 2 to pressurize the tank. Also good.

  In the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment described above, in the compression force releasing step (step ST6), the piston 12 is slid back. In addition to this retraction slide, the dehydrating pipe 11 is caused to swing. Also good. That is, first, as described above, the piston 12 is slid backward to the compression release position, and the shaft 10 is rotated forward and backward by the rotary slide mechanism 9 at this piston position. In this way, the dewatering pipe 11 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions together with the piston 12 while the piston 12 is positioned at the compression release position, so that the organic sludge 31 whose compression shape is broken by the backward slide of the piston 12 is Since the shape of the dehydrating tube 11 is further agitated and further collapsed, the surface area further increases. At this time, since the processing apparatus main body 1 remains in the subcritical atmosphere, the vacuum dehydration in the deaeration process (step ST7) following the compression force releasing process is further promoted. Therefore, according to the embodiment in which the dehydrating pipe 11 is swung in addition to the backward slide of the piston 12 in the compression force releasing step, the water content can be further and reliably reduced.

In the hydrothermal treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment described above, the storage tank 2 was pressurized in the storage tank pressurization step (step ST3) to equalize the pressure with the processing apparatus body 1, but the subcritical processing step (step ST1). At this time, the storage tank 2 may have the same pressure as the processing apparatus main body 1. That is, during the subcritical processing step (step ST1), the opening / closing valve 23 of the drain pipe 6 is opened, the opening / closing valve 24a of the drain pipe 24 and the opening / closing valve 21a of the supply / exhaust pipe 21 are closed, some of the subcritical state water vapor introduced from the supply equipment group 200 to the processing apparatus main body 1 in advance is introduced into the storage tank 2. In addition, the open / close valve 23 is closed before the rotary slide mechanism 9 for hydrothermal treatment in the processing apparatus main body 1 is driven. By doing so, the storage tank 2 can be made equal in pressure to the processing apparatus main body 1 without using a pipe line from the water vapor supply device group 200 to the supply / exhaust pipe 21.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Processing apparatus main body 2 ... Storage tank 3 ... Outer cylinder 3a ... Flange part 4 ... Exhaust pipe 4a ... Open / close valve 5 ... Intake pipe 6 ... Drain pipe 7 ... Cover part 8 ... Fixing jig 9 ... Rotating slide mechanism 10 ... Shaft 11 ... Dehydration pipe 11a ... Dehydration pipe lid 11b ... Opening 12 ... Piston 21 ... Supply / exhaust pipe 21a ... Open / close valve 21b ... Air release pipe 22 ... Liquid supply pipe 23 ... Open / close valve 24 ... Drain pipe 24a ... Open / close valve 31 ... Organic sludge 32 ... Treated water 32r ... Outflow path 32ru ... Internal outflow 100 ... Hydrothermal treatment apparatus 110 ... Control apparatus 200 ... Steam supply equipment group

Claims (4)

A hydrothermal treatment apparatus for a workpiece using water vapor in a subcritical state,
A hollow processing apparatus body;
A hollow dewatering tube accommodated in the processing apparatus main body in a state where the object to be processed is charged;
The subcritical water vapor is introduced into the dehydrating pipe and the processing apparatus main body into which the object to be processed has been introduced to make the inside of the processing apparatus main body into a subcritical atmosphere, and the object to be processed under the subcritical atmosphere A hydrothermal treatment section for hydrothermal treatment,
A liquid component is dehydrated and separated by applying a compressive force to the object to be processed that has been put into the dehydration tube and subjected to the hydrothermal treatment in the subcritical atmosphere, and the separated liquid component is separated from the bottom of the processing apparatus main body. Dehydration processing section leading to the side of
Discharge of the liquid component from the bottom of the processing apparatus main body to the storage tank is performed by opening and closing a pipeline connecting the storage tank disposed on the lower side of the processing apparatus main body and the bottom of the processing apparatus main body. And a control unit for controlling
The dehydration processing unit releases the compressive force after the liquid component is discharged to the storage tank by the control unit,
The hydrothermal treatment unit is configured to release the subcritical atmosphere by releasing the inside of the treatment device main body to the atmosphere after the compression force is released by the dehydration treatment unit.   The dehydration processing unit performs secondary dehydration for applying a centrifugal force to the object to be processed in the subcritical atmosphere to dehydrate and separate liquid components even after the control unit opens the pipe. The hydrothermal treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the compressive force is released after the secondary dehydration.   The controller, when discharging the liquid component to the storage tank, pressurizes the inside of the storage tank to equalize the subcritical atmosphere of the processing apparatus main body, and after the pressure equalization The hydrothermal treatment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pipe line is opened.   The hydrothermal treatment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit introduces the subcritical water vapor into the storage tank so as to pressurize the storage tank.

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