JP7316410B1 - Evaporative cooling system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a flow control valve capable of suppressing scorching of evaporated components of a liquid product. A valve chamber (21), an inlet portion (22), an outlet portion (23), and a valve device (30) for controlling the flow rate of a liquid product, wherein the inlet portion (22) and the valve chamber (21) are a supply source for supplying the liquid product. is connected, and the outlet 23 is connected to a cooling device for evaporating and cooling the liquid product under negative pressure. [Selection drawing] Fig. 2

Description

The present invention relates to a flow control valve and an evaporative cooling system provided at the inlet of an evaporative cooling tank that evaporates and rapidly cools high-temperature liquids such as beverages under negative pressure.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a flow rate control valve that connects two flow paths and controls the flow rate (see, for example, Patent Document 1). As an example, the flow control valve is used to control the flow rate before sending the liquid to a device that cools the high-temperature liquid under negative pressure (hereinafter referred to as a cooling device).

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a conventional flow control valve. A conventional flow control valve 100 has a valve chamber 121 , and the valve chamber 121 has an inlet portion 122 and an outlet portion 123 . Further, the valve chest 121 is provided with a valve port 128 and an opening 129 . The opening 129 is closed with a lid member 153 . The fixing member 150 is fixed to the valve chamber 121 by a clamp 160 while being in contact with the lid member 153 .

The inlet portion 122 has a cylindrical shape extending horizontally from the valve chamber 121, and is connected to a pipe (not shown) for connection with a sterilizer (not shown). The outlet portion 123 has a cylindrical shape extending downward in the vertical direction from the valve chamber 121, and is connected to a cooling device (not shown).

A valve shaft portion 133 and a valve body portion 132 attached to the valve shaft portion 133 are arranged inside the valve chamber 121 . The valve shaft portion 133 is movable forward and backward, and the opening degree of the valve port 128 is adjusted by the valve body portion 132 by the forward and backward movement of the valve shaft portion 133 . A metal bellows 140 is provided so as to surround the valve shaft portion 133 .

In such a flow control valve 100, the hot liquid product from the sterilizer flows into the valve chamber 121 through the inlet portion 122 and the valve port 128. As shown in FIG. The inside of the valve chamber 121 is under negative pressure because it is connected to the cooling device provided on the outlet 123 side. Therefore, part of the liquid product that has flowed into the valve chamber 121 immediately evaporates. Since this vaporized component stays in the valve chamber 121, there is a risk that it will adhere to the bellows 140 and the valve body portion 132 and burn.

JP-A-2006-97901

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a flow control valve and an evaporative cooling system capable of suppressing scorching of evaporative components of a liquid product.

One aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a sterilization device that heats and sterilizes a liquid product; and a cooling device that evaporates and cools the liquid product sent from the flow control valve under negative pressure, wherein the flow control valve includes a valve chamber and a flow communicating with the valve chamber . an inlet and an outlet forming a passageway; and a valve device for controlling a flow rate of liquid product flowing from the valve chamber to the outlet, wherein the valve device is a boundary between the valve chamber and the outlet. and a valve shaft portion for moving the valve body back and forth, wherein the valve chamber opens on the side opposite to the valve port, and the The flow rate control valve has an opening through which a valve shaft portion is inserted, and further includes a diaphragm that seals between the valve shaft portion and the opening, a back plate that sandwiches the diaphragm with the valve shaft portion, , wherein the inlet is connected to the sterilizer , and the outlet is connected to the cooling device.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the flow control valve and evaporative cooling system which can suppress the sticking of the evaporative component of a liquid product are provided.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an evaporative cooling system for liquid products including a flow control valve; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the flow control valve; 3 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 2; FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a conventional flow control valve;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated. Note that the description of the embodiment is an example, and the present invention is not limited to the following description.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an evaporative cooling system 1 for liquid products including a flow control valve according to the present embodiment. The evaporative cooling system 1 includes a sterilizer 2 that heats and sterilizes the liquid product, a cooling device 3 that cools the heat-sterilized liquid product, and a flow control that controls the flow rate of the liquid product sent from the sterilizer 2 to the cooling device 3. A valve 10 is provided.

The sterilizer 2, the flow control valve 10, and the cooling device 3 are connected in series via piping. These devices, pipes, etc. are called a production line. Although not shown, the production line includes a device for manufacturing and supplying liquid products upstream of the sterilization device 2, and a device for storing liquid products, filling containers, and performing various processing downstream of the cooling device 3. etc. In addition, the liquid flowing through the production line is pumped downstream by the pressure of gas supplied from an arbitrary point on the production line, or pumped by a pump provided at an arbitrary point on the production line, Alternatively, the liquid is sent by creating a height difference in the production line.

The sterilizer 2 is a so-called infusion-type sterilizer that heats and sterilizes the liquid product by bringing it into direct contact with steam. The liquid product heat sterilized by the sterilizer 2 is sent to the flow control valve 10 through piping. In addition, the sterilizer 2 is an example of the supply source described in the claims.

The cooling device 3 is a device that cools the liquid product under negative pressure. Specifically, the cooling device 3 has a tank for temporarily storing the liquid product, and a pump for decompressing the inside of the tank. The water contained in the liquid product evaporates by creating a negative pressure in the tank in which the liquid product is stored with a pump. This evaporation of water takes away heat from the liquid product and cools it. Since such a cooling device 3 is a well-known device, a detailed configuration thereof will be omitted.

The flow control valve 10 is provided between the sterilizer 2 and the cooling device 3 and is a device for controlling the flow rate of the liquid product. A detailed description will be given with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the flow control valve 10 which is one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2. FIG.

The flow control valve 10 has an L-shaped body 20 . The L-shaped body 20 has a valve chamber 21 , an inlet portion 22 and an outlet portion 23 .

The valve chamber 21 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a valve port 28 and an opening 29 at both ends. The valve chamber 21 gradually decreases in diameter toward a valve port 28 that is a boundary with the outlet portion 23 and communicates with the outlet portion 23 via the valve port 28 . Further, the valve chamber 21 is formed with a protrusion 27 that protrudes inward and extends along the inner peripheral surface.

The inlet portion 22 is formed in a cylindrical shape that opens downward in the vertical direction and communicates with the lower side of the valve chamber 21 . The inlet portion 22 has an inlet-side flange 24 formed at the lower opening. A pipe connecting the sterilizer 2 and the flow control valve 10 is fixed to the inlet flange 24 .

The outlet portion 23 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a diameter shorter than that of the valve chamber 21 and communicates with the valve chamber 21 on one side in the horizontal direction (the right side in FIG. 2). The outlet portion 23 has an outlet-side flange 25 formed at the opening on the side opposite to the valve chamber 21 . A pipe connecting the flow control valve 10 and the cooling device 3 is fixed to the outlet side flange 25 .

In addition, the center line of the inlet portion 22 is shifted from the center of the valve chamber 21 in a plane (see FIG. 4) when the outlet portion 23 is seen from the valve chamber 21 . With such a configuration, the flow of the liquid product in the valve chamber 21 can be made uniform and retention can be reduced. Furthermore, vibration of the stem 31 can be suppressed.

The flow control valve 10 has a valve device 30 for controlling the flow rate of the liquid product flowing from the valve chamber 21 to the outlet 23 . Specifically, the valve device 30 has a stem 31 arranged along the central axis of the valve chamber 21 and the outlet portion 23 . The stem 31 can move back and forth in the direction along the central axis (horizontal direction in FIG. 2) by an actuator (not shown).

The stem 31 has a valve body portion 32 and a valve shaft portion 33 . The valve body portion 32 has a shape that allows the opening degree of the valve port 28 to be adjusted. Specifically, the valve body portion 32 is formed in a spindle shape, and the portion with the largest diameter has a shape that closes the valve port 28 . The valve body portion 32 is attached to one end of the valve shaft portion 33 . The stem 31 also has a mounting portion 34 . The mounting portion 34 is coaxial with the valve shaft portion 33 and protrudes from the valve shaft portion 33 toward the joint member 55 . A side surface of the mounting portion 34 is threaded. Further, the valve shaft portion 33 has a stepped portion 35 in which a portion on the mounting portion 34 side is reduced in diameter.

The diaphragm 40 is a member made of resin, and has a first insertion hole 41 in the center. In addition, the back plate 52 is a member provided with a third insertion hole 53 opening in a stepped manner in the center. A narrow diameter portion of the third insertion hole 53 is designated as a third insertion hole 53a, and a large diameter portion is designated as a third insertion hole 53b. A joint member 55 is fitted in the third insertion hole 53 b of the back plate 52 .

The mounting portion 34 is inserted through the first insertion hole 41 and the third insertion hole 53 and screwed into a screw hole 56 provided in the joint member 55 . By screwing the mounting portion 34 into the screw hole 56 in this way, the edge portion of the first insertion hole 41 of the diaphragm 40 is sandwiched between the stepped portion 35 and the back plate 52 . A peripheral portion of the diaphragm 40 is sandwiched between the fixing member 50 and the projecting portion 27 . The diaphragm 40 sandwiched in this manner seals the space between the opening 29 of the valve chamber 21 and the valve shaft portion 33 . A second O-ring 42 is provided between the stepped portion 35 and the edge of the first insertion hole 41 of the diaphragm 40 . A first O-ring 26 is also provided between the fixing member 50 and the protrusion 27 .

The fixing member 50 has a second insertion hole 51 through which the joint member 55 is inserted, and a recess 54 that communicates with the second insertion hole 51 and accommodates the back plate 52 . The fixing member 50 is attached to the opening 29 of the L-shaped body 20 and fixed by a clamp 60 with the joint member 55 inserted through the second insertion hole 51 and the back plate 52 accommodated in the recess 54 . Although not shown, the fixing member 50 has an actuator attached to the opposite side of the recess 54 .

The stem 31 moves back and forth in the left-right direction by an actuator connected via a joint member 55 . When the stem 31 is moved leftward, that is, when the stem 31 is drawn most toward the actuator, the valve body 32 (see the two-dot chain line) closes the valve port 28 . This state is called a closed state. In the closed state, the back plate 52 abuts against the bottom of the recess 54 and the diaphragm 40 (see dotted line) is bent toward the recess 54 .

When the stem 31 is moved rightward, that is, when the stem 31 is pushed toward the outlet portion 23, the valve body portion 32 (see solid line portion) is separated from the valve port 28, and the valve port 28 is opened. This state is called an open state. The degree of opening of the valve port 28 is adjusted according to the distance the stem 31 is moved, making it possible to control the flow rate of the liquid product flowing from the valve chamber 21 to the outlet portion 23 . In the open state, the back plate 52 is separated from the bottom of the recess 54, and the diaphragm 40 (see the solid line portion) extends so as to protrude toward the valve chamber 21 side.

Also, the L-shaped body 20 is provided with a jacket 70 . The jacket 70 forms a channel 71 along the side of the outlet portion 23 . The jacket 70 is provided with a supply port 72 for supplying cooling water to the flow path 71 and a discharge port 73 for discharging the cooling water from the flow path 71 .

In the flow control valve 10 configured as described above, the sterilization device 2 is connected to the inlet portion 22 and the valve chamber 21 , and the cooling device 3 is connected to the outlet portion 23 . A hot liquid product flows from the sterilizer 2 into the inlet 22 and the valve chamber 21 under positive pressure. By adjusting the opening degree of the valve port 28 with the valve device 30 , the liquid product is sent from the valve chamber 21 to the cooling device 3 through the outlet portion 23 .

Since the cooling device 3 reduces the pressure of the liquid product under negative pressure, the pressure of the outlet 23 connected to the cooling device 3 is also negative, and the liquid product begins to evaporate when it flows into the outlet 23 . A portion of the evaporated liquid product is referred to as the evaporated component.

Thus, in the flow control valve 10 , generation of vaporized components is limited to the outlet portion 23 . Therefore, even if the evaporated components stay in the outlet portion 23, the diaphragm 40 and the stem 31 (a part of the valve shaft portion 33 and the valve body portion 32) inside the valve chamber 21 are hardly affected by the evaporated components. , the diaphragm 40 and the like can be prevented from being scorched by the evaporated components.

Further, in the prior art, since the pressure in the valve chamber 121 is negative, a steam seal is used to prevent the inflow of outside air. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, a circular channel 170 is formed between the opening 129 and the fixing member 150, and positive pressure steam is injected through an injection port (not shown). be done. However, as shown in FIG. 2, in the flow control valve 10 of the present invention, since the valve chamber 21 is positively pressurized, the steam seal is not required, and the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 5 , in the prior art, since the cooling device 3 creates a negative pressure, vapor components are generated in the valve chamber 121 and the outlet portion 123 . Since the outlet portion 123 extends downward in the vertical direction from the valve chamber 121 , the evaporated components tend to stay in the valve chamber 121 and the outlet portion 123 . Since the bellows 140, the lid member 153, the valve body portion 132, and the like are arranged in the valve chamber 121, the evaporated components are likely to burn on them.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, in the flow control valve 10 of the present invention, the outlet portion 23 has a cylindrical structure extending horizontally from the valve chamber 21 . Such a structure makes it difficult for the evaporated component to move to the cooling device 3 and stay in the outlet section 23 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the evaporated components from remaining in the outlet portion 23 and being scorched.

Furthermore, the flow control valve 10 has a jacket 70 around the outlet portion 23 so as to circulate cooling water. Therefore, the outlet portion 23 is cooled, and burning of the evaporated components can be suppressed.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, in the prior art, since the pressure is negative, a metal bellows 140 had to be used as a member for partitioning the valve chamber 121 . However, as shown in FIG. 2, in the flow control valve 10 of the present invention, since the valve chamber 21 has a positive pressure, the resin diaphragm 40 can be adopted, compared with the metal bellows 140. Improved durability.

In the evaporative cooling system 1 having such a flow control valve 10 , generation of evaporative components due to the negative pressure of the cooling device 3 is limited to the outlet portion 23 . Therefore, even if the vaporized component stays in the outlet portion 23, the diaphragm 40 and the stem 31 (a part of the valve shaft portion 33 and the valve body portion 32) inside the valve chamber 21 are prevented from being scorched by the vaporized component. be able to.

Although embodiments of the invention have been described, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.
Although the infusion type sterilizer 2 is exemplified as a supply source for supplying a positive pressure liquid product, it is not limited to this. Any type of sterilizer, such as a shell tube type, a plate type, or a Joule heating type, can be used. Further, the supply source is not limited to the sterilization device, and any device capable of supplying the liquid product to the flow control valve 10 may be used.

The liquid product supplied from the supply source does not need to be under positive pressure.

Although the inlet portion 22 extends vertically downward from the valve chamber 21 and the outlet portion 23 extends horizontally from the valve chamber 21, the direction in which the inlet portion 22 and the outlet portion 23 extend from the valve chamber 21 may be arbitrary. . Even if the outlet portion 23 extends downward in the vertical direction, the vaporized component generated at the outlet portion 23 does not reach the valve chamber because the valve opening 28 is completely or partially blocked by the valve body portion 32 . 21, so that the diaphragm 40 and the valve stem 33 inside the valve chamber 21 can be prevented from being scorched.

Although the L-shaped body 20 was provided with the jacket 70 around the outlet portion 23, this is not an essential configuration.

The valve device 30 is moved forward and backward by an actuator via the joint member 55, but is not limited to this. For example, the configuration may be such that the valve device 30 is moved back and forth by manual operation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Evaporative cooling system, 2... Sterilizer (supply source), 3... Cooling device, 10... Flow control valve, 21... Valve chamber, 22... Inlet part, 23... Outlet part, 28... Valve port, 29... Opening, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30... Valve apparatus, 31... Stem, 32... Valve body part, 33... Valve shaft part, 34... Mounting part, 40... Diaphragm, 70... Jacket

Claims (4)

a sterilizer for heat sterilizing a liquid product;
a flow rate control valve for controlling the flow rate of the liquid product sent from the sterilizer under positive pressure;
an evaporative cooling system comprising: a cooling device that evaporates and cools the liquid product sent from the flow control valve under negative pressure,
The flow rate control valve includes a valve chamber, an inlet portion and an outlet portion forming a flow path communicating with the valve chamber, and a valve device for controlling the flow rate of the liquid product flowing from the valve chamber to the outlet portion. prepared,
The valve device has a valve body portion capable of adjusting the degree of opening of a valve port that is a boundary between the valve chamber and the outlet portion, and a valve stem portion that moves the valve body portion back and forth,
The valve chamber has an opening that opens on the side opposite to the valve port and through which the valve shaft portion is inserted,
Further, the flow control valve includes a diaphragm that seals between the valve stem and the opening, and a back plate that sandwiches the diaphragm with the valve stem,
The inlet is connected to the sterilizer ,
The evaporative cooling system , wherein the outlet is connected to the cooling device. The evaporative cooling system of claim 1, comprising:
The inlet portion is formed in a cylindrical shape extending downward in the vertical direction from the valve chamber,
The evaporative cooling system , wherein the outlet portion is formed in a cylindrical shape extending horizontally from the valve chamber. The evaporative cooling system of claim 1, comprising:
An evaporative cooling system , wherein a jacket through which cooling water flows is provided around the outlet. An evaporative cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The valve body portion has a reduced diameter toward the valve port side.
An evaporative cooling system characterized by:

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