JP6449531B2 - Microbubble generator - Google Patents

Description

   The present invention relates to a microbubble generator for generating microbubbles. More specifically, the present invention relates to a microbubble generator for generating microbubbles (nanobubbles) having a diameter of the order of nanometers.

  In recent years, microbubbles called nanobubbles (for example, bubbles having a diameter of 1 μm or less), microbubbles (for example, bubbles having a diameter of 50 μm or less when generated) have various excellent characteristics. It has been discovered and is being used in various fields. For example, a technology relating to a nanobubble utilization method and apparatus that discloses that the characteristics of nanobubbles are discovered and that nanobubbles can be used for cleaning various objects, purifying contaminated water, and the like is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a method and apparatus for generating nanobubbles by electrolysis. However, this apparatus requires an ultrapure water production apparatus, an ultrasonic generator, an electrolysis power supply apparatus, etc., and development of an apparatus having a simpler configuration has been demanded. Therefore, various proposals have also been made for a generating apparatus and a generating method for generating such fine bubbles.

  For example, a fluid swirl chamber defined by a cylindrical member, a first end wall member, and a second end wall member, a fluid introduction hole that is introduced into the fluid swirl chamber from a tangential direction, and a fluid that discharges fluid from the centerline direction A technique related to a fine bubble generating device having a gas swirl shear device including a discharge hole is known (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3). Furthermore, a container body having a cylindrical space that is closed by a conical or frustoconical wall projecting at one end side toward the other end side and opened at the other end side, a gas introduction hole, and a tangential direction are established. There is also known a technique related to a swirling fine bubble generating apparatus including a pressurized liquid introduction port (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

JP 2004-121962 A Japanese Patent No. 4129290 Japanese Patent No. 4118939 Japanese Patent No. 4725707

  The fine bubble generator described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 refines a gas by a shearing force generated by a swirling flow generated in a cylindrical fluid swirling chamber. Further, in the swirl type fine bubble generator described in Patent Document 4, when gas is ejected from the outlet which is an opening of the apparatus container, the gas vortex tube portion is cut due to the swirl speed difference generated simultaneously with the ejection. As a result, fine bubbles having a diameter of 10 to 20 μm are generated.

  On the other hand, it is said that nanobubbles are superior in various properties to microbubbles than microbubbles. In addition, even in the case of microbubbles with a nanometer order, it is said that microbubbles with a diameter of several tens of nanometers have various characteristics superior to those with a diameter of several hundreds of nanometers. However, the techniques described in Patent Documents 2 to 4 described above still have room for improvement and improvement in order to reliably and efficiently generate such points, for example, fine bubbles having a diameter of several tens of nanometers. It was what remained.

Therefore, there is a demand for the development of a method and apparatus for generating nanometer-order fine bubbles having a smaller diameter than conventional fine bubbles having a diameter of nanometer order.
An object of the present invention is to provide a microbubble generator capable of reliably and efficiently generating microbubbles having a diameter of the order of nanometers.

The present invention takes the following means in order to achieve the object.
The fine bubble generator of the present invention 1
A pump for pressurizing and discharging the sucked liquid (5) to a predetermined pressure, provided with a gas (6) supply port in the vicinity of the liquid suction port (20), and by rotating the impeller, A gas-liquid mixing pump (10) which is a vortex pump for discharging a gas-liquid mixed fluid (7) in which the gas bubbles are mixed in the liquid;
A rectangular parallelepiped box member having an injection nozzle (32) through which the gas-liquid mixed fluid (7) is injected, wherein a three-dimensional flat space (V) is formed therein, and the gas-liquid mixed fluid (7) Is injected into the flat space (V) from the injection nozzle (32), causing cavitation to generate and crush bubbles, and the jet fluid from which the gas-liquid mixed fluid (7) is injected shakes A jet-type microbubble generator (30) that generates a vortex that flows in a vortex in a flat space (V), and that refines the bubble into a microbubble by the energy of the bubble collapse and the shearing force of the vortex. )When,
In the jet type fine bubble generating part (30), in the flat space (V), an approximate height of the space is represented by H, an approximate width thereof is represented by W, and an opening of the spray nozzle (32) is formed . When the effective diameter is represented by D1, the jet is jetted in the direction of the length and in the direction of the center line of the space, and the conditions for generating the vortex are D1 <H, W / H> 4 , and W <L .

  The fine bubble generating apparatus of the present invention 2 is characterized in that, in the present invention 1, the liquid is water, the gas is air, and the fine bubbles are fine bubbles having a nanometer level in diameter.

  The fine bubble generating apparatus of the present invention generates fine bubbles generated by a gas-liquid mixing pump by vortex flow due to energy generated when bubbles are crushed in a cavitation phenomenon in a jet generating portion, and by a Coanda effect in a jet generating chamber. With the shearing force, the fine bubbles can be further refined, and fine bubbles with a finer diameter of nanometer order can be reliably and efficiently generated than the conventional fine bubbles. Moreover, this microbubble generator has a simple configuration and can reliably generate high-quality nanometer-order microbubbles.

  Fine bubbles with a diameter of nanometer order generated by this fine bubble generator can more effectively clean the object to be cleaned than conventional ones. For example, if the object to be cleaned to which a radioactive substance (for example, radioactive cesium) is attached is decontaminated, the concentration of the radioactive substance is lower than that of the conventional one, and the decontamination can be performed reliably.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of a microbubble generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the gas-liquid mixing pump constituting the fine bubble generating device. FIG. 3 is a front view schematically showing the principle of jet generation in the fine bubble generation chamber of the jet type fine bubble generation unit constituting the fine bubble generation device. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 taken along line BB.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of a microbubble generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the gas-liquid mixing pump constituting the fine bubble generating device. FIG. 3 is a front view schematically showing the principle of jet generation in the fine bubble generating chamber of the jet type fine bubble generating portion constituting the fine bubble generating device, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 taken along the line BB. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a microbubble generator 1 according to the present invention includes a gas-liquid mixing pump (vortex pump) 10 for mixing and discharging liquid and air, microbubbles [for example, a nanometer (nm ) Order micro-bubbles], and the micro-bubble generating unit 30 for mixing the micro-bubbles with the gas-liquid mixed fluid, the fluid discharge unit 21 of the gas-liquid mixing pump 10 and the fluid of the jet-type micro-bubble generating unit 30 A connection flow path 41 provided between the inlet and the inlet, a delivery flow path 45 provided on the fluid outlet 33 side of the jet-type fine bubble generator 30, and the like. In the description of this embodiment, the liquid 5 is water (for example, tap water) and the gas 6 is air. However, the liquid 5 is another type of liquid, and the gas 6 is another type of gas. Needless to say, it may be.

  A first pressure adjustment valve 42 and a first pressure gauge 43 are connected to the connection flow path 41. The first pressure adjustment valve 42 adjusts the pressure of the gas-liquid mixed fluid (in this embodiment, gas-liquid mixed water) 7 flowing in the connection channel 41 to a predetermined pressure P1 (for example, 0.5 to 0.2 MPa). The pressure of the gas-liquid mixed fluid 7 can be confirmed with the first pressure gauge 43. A second pressure adjusting valve 46 and a second pressure gauge 47 are connected to the delivery channel 45. The second pressure adjustment valve 46 adjusts the pressure of the fine bubble-containing liquid (in this embodiment, fine bubble-containing water) 8 flowing in the delivery channel 45 to a predetermined pressure P2 (for example, 0.4 to 0.1 MPa). The pressure of the fine bubble-containing liquid 8 in the delivery channel 45 can be confirmed with a second pressure gauge 47. The pressure P1 of the gas-liquid mixed fluid 7 is set to be larger than the pressure P2 of the fine bubble-containing liquid 8.

Next, the vortex pump 10 which is a gas-liquid mixing pump will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the vortex pump 10 includes a pump body 11 having a liquid suction port 20 and a fluid discharge port 21, an impeller 14 provided in the pump body 11, an air supply nozzle 22, and the like. Yes. An annular boost channel 16 is formed in the pump body 11, and a liquid suction port 20 is formed in communication with the inlet portion 17 of the boost channel 16. A fluid discharge port 21 is formed in communication with the outlet portion 18 of the pressure increasing flow path 16, and an isolation portion 19 is formed between the inlet portion 17 and the outlet portion 18 of the pressure increasing flow path 16.

  An impeller 14 is rotatably fitted in the pump body 11. On the outer peripheral portion of the impeller 14, a small blade portion 12 in the radial direction formed at a predetermined pitch, and a blade groove portion 13 between the small blade portions 12 are provided. By rotating the rotating shaft 15 fitted in the center of the impeller 14 with a motor (not shown) provided outside, the small blade portion 12 and the blade groove portion 13 of the impeller 14 are connected to the impeller 14. Rotates in a concentric booster channel 16. As the impeller 14 rotates, water (liquid) 5 is sucked from the liquid suction port 20.

An air supply nozzle 22 is inserted and fixed in the liquid suction port 20 of the vortex pump 10. The air (gas) 6 supplied from the air supply nozzle 22 is configured to flow into the boosting channel 16 from the inlet 17 of the boosting channel 16.
As described above, the vortex pump 10 has the annular pressure increasing channel 16 formed around the impeller 14 rotatably fitted in the pump body 11. An air supply nozzle 22 that supplies air 6 is inserted into and fixed to the inlet portion 20 of the pressure increasing flow path 16.

  Air 6 is supplied into the vortex pump 10 from the air supply nozzle 22, and the air (gas) 6 and water (liquid) 5 are mixed and stirred in the vortex pump 10, and the water 5 and air 6 are mixed. Gas-liquid mixed water (gas-liquid mixed fluid) 7 is discharged from the fluid discharge portion 21 to the connection channel 41.

  That is, while the water (liquid) 5 sucked into the liquid suction port 20 of the vortex pump 10 substantially goes around the boosting flow path 16 together with the impeller 14, the inside of each blade groove 13 of the impeller 14 and the boosting flow path 16. Eddy current between the fluid discharge port 21 and the pressure is increased as it travels through the pressure increase flow path 16 and is discharged from the fluid discharge port 21 to the connection flow path 41. At this time, the inlet portion 17 of the pressure increasing flow path 16 becomes negative pressure, and the water 5 is sucked into the inlet portion 17 and the air 6 supplied from the air supply nozzle 22 is also sucked. Since the water 5 and the air 6 are mixed and agitated by the vortex generated between the impeller 14 and the pressure increasing flow path 16, the water 5 and the air 6 move in the pressure increasing flow path 16. Mixed. That is, the gas-liquid mixed water (gas-liquid mixed fluid) 7 in which the water 5 and the air 6 are mixed is discharged from the fluid discharge port 21. Further, the air 6 mixed with the water 5 is a fine bubble [for example, a fine bubble having a diameter of the order of micrometers (μm)] which is refined by receiving a shearing force caused by a vortex.

  Next, the jet type fine bubble generating unit 30 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the jet-type fine bubble generation unit 30 includes a jet-type fine bubble generation box (hereinafter referred to as a fine bubble generation box) 31 that is a flat rectangular parallelepiped. The fine bubble generation box 31 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is vertical. At the fluid inlet portion provided on one surface of the fine bubble generating box 31, the gas-liquid mixed water (gas-liquid mixed fluid) 7 pressurized and discharged by the vortex pump 10 is put into the fine bubble generating box 31. An injection nozzle 32 serving as an injection outlet for injection is fixed. The injection nozzle 32 is an annular space having a cylindrical cross section of the injection port.

  The fine bubble generation box 31 forming the main body of the jet-type fine bubble generation unit 30 includes a fine bubble generation chamber 31 a, a fluid inlet connected to the connection channel 41, and a fluid connected to the delivery channel 45. An outlet 33 and the like are formed. Inside the fine bubble generation box 31, a partitioned fine bubble generation chamber 31a is formed. The internal space V of the fine bubble generating chamber 31a is a three-dimensional box-shaped space that is flat, with the approximate horizontal thickness of the space being H, the approximate width of the space being W, and the vertical length being When L is L and the effective diameter of the opening of the injection nozzle 32 provided at the fluid inlet portion is D1, the relations are approximately “D1 <H”, “W / H> 4”, and “W <L”. The gas-liquid mixed water (gas-liquid mixed fluid) 7 injected from the injection nozzle 32 decreases in pressure as the injection speed increases, and as a result of the pressure decreasing to the saturated vapor pressure, the liquid component (water component) is reduced. A phenomenon called cavitation occurs in which bubbles are generated by evaporation. As a result, bubbles due to the cavitation phenomenon are generated in the jet water (jet fluid) in which the gas-liquid mixed water 7 is jetted from the jet nozzle 32 with the bubbles of the gas-liquid mixed water 7 as the bubble nuclei. Thereafter, when the pressure lowered to the saturated vapor pressure gradually returns to the original pressure on the downstream side of the jet water, the bubbles are compressed and crushed. High-temperature and high-pressure energy generated when the bubbles are crushed is radiated to the surroundings, and the bubbles and fine bubbles in the jet water are refined by this energy. ) Is generated.

  The gas-liquid mixed water (gas-liquid mixed fluid) 7 ejected from the ejection nozzle 32 becomes jet water (jet fluid) and flows in the fine bubble generating chamber 31a. The main jet 34 of jet water is jetted in the direction of the approximate center line of the internal space V in the vertical direction. The main jets 34 and 34 ′ are curved and flow so as to be drawn toward one of the wall surfaces of the fine bubble generating chamber 31 a by the Coanda effect (effect in which the jet is drawn to a nearby wall). Moreover, since it flows so that it may curve also in a corner part, the main jets 34 and 34 'of jet water become a vortex which flows in a vortex. The main jets 34 and 34 'of the jet water undergo a drastic change in the direction of rotation of the vortex, resulting in a movement flow like the main jets 34 and 34' shown in FIGS. Adhering vortices 35 and 35 that are low-pressure vortices are generated at the eight corners of the fine bubble generating chamber 31 by the Coanda effect. Accordingly, the flow (vortex) of the main jets 34 and 34 ′ is generated in the fine bubble generating chamber 31 in the direction of the arrow as illustrated in FIG. 3 or 4, for example. The flow of the main jets 34, 34 'is not constant and stable, and is in the direction of the arrow + w or arrow -w in the plane of the width W, and in the plane of the thickness H is the arrow + h or arrow- As it sways in the h direction, the flow of motion changes so that the direction of rotation of the vortex changes drastically.

  That is, the main jets 34 and 34 'cause cavitation, are unstable and flow while shaking, and a vortex flow is generated. In other words, a vortex phenomenon with a strong stirring force occurs in the fine bubble generating chamber 31a, and the rotational direction of this vortex flow changes drastically. In addition, these main jets 34 and 34 ′, the adhering vortex 35 and 35, etc., whose jet direction changes drastically are very strong against jet water in which gas-liquid mixed water (gas-liquid mixed fluid) 7 and fine bubbles are mixed. Give shear force. This shearing force promotes the mixing of the fine bubbles and the jet water, and also shears the fine bubbles to generate fine bubbles (nanobubbles) on the order of nanometers (nm) having a very small diameter. The microbubbles that have been refined as described above become, for example, microbubbles having a diameter of several tens of nanometers or less, and are mixed and contained in the jet water. The fine bubble-containing water (fine bubble-containing liquid) 8 flows through the delivery channel 45 and is stored, and is used for a desired place, a desired purpose, and the like.

  Such fine bubbles having a diameter of nanometer order are not affected by buoyancy while performing Brownian motion in the liquid (water), and are contained in the liquid (water) for a long time. In addition, when this fine bubble-containing water (fine bubble-containing liquid) 8 is used for cleaning operations, it penetrates deeply into minute gaps, and adsorbs and separates the original components such as dirt, thereby greatly improving the cleaning effect. improves. For example, when the object to be cleaned to which radioactive substances (for example, radioactive cesium) are attached is decontaminated with the water 8 containing fine bubbles, the concentration of the radioactive substance is lower than that of the conventional one, and the decontamination can be performed reliably. . That is, fine bubbles having a diameter of nanometer order can more effectively clean the object to be cleaned than the conventional one.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and it can be modified within the scope of the purpose and spirit of the present invention. Not too long.

1 ... Microbubble generator 5 ... Liquid (water)
6 ... Gas (air)
7 ... Gas-liquid mixed fluid (gas-liquid mixed water)
8 ... Liquid containing fine bubbles (water containing fine bubbles)
10. Gas-liquid mixing pump (vortex pump)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Pump main body 14 ... Impeller 30 ... Jet type fine bubble generation part 31 ... Jet type fine bubble generation box 32 ... Injection nozzle 33 ... Fluid outlet part 34, 34 '... Main jet 35 ... Adhesion jet V ... Internal space W ... Width of internal space H ... Height of internal space

Claims (2)

A pump for pressurizing and discharging the sucked liquid (5) to a predetermined pressure, provided with a gas (6) supply port in the vicinity of the liquid suction port (20), and by rotating the impeller, A gas-liquid mixing pump (10) which is a vortex pump for discharging a gas-liquid mixed fluid (7) in which the gas bubbles are mixed in the liquid;
A rectangular parallelepiped box member having an injection nozzle (32) through which the gas-liquid mixed fluid (7) is injected, wherein a three-dimensional flat space (V) is formed therein, and the gas-liquid mixed fluid (7) Is injected into the flat space (V) from the injection nozzle (32), causing cavitation to generate and crush bubbles, and the jet fluid from which the gas-liquid mixed fluid (7) is injected shakes A jet-type microbubble generator (30) that generates a vortex that flows in a vortex in a flat space (V), and that refines the bubble into a microbubble by the energy of the bubble collapse and the shearing force of the vortex. )When,
In the jet type fine bubble generating part (30), in the flat space (V), an approximate height of the space is represented by H, an approximate width thereof is represented by W, and an opening of the spray nozzle (32) is formed . When the effective diameter is represented by D1, the jet is jetted in the direction of the length and in the direction of the center line of the space, and the conditions for generating the vortex are D1 <H, W / H> 4 , and W <L is the fine bubble generator characterized by the above-mentioned. In the fine bubble generator described in Claim 1,
The liquid is water, the gas is air, and the fine bubbles are fine bubbles having a diameter of nanometer level.

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