JP7348695B1 - coolant tank - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a coolant tank capable of recovering impurities floating on the surface of a coolant liquid. [Solution] A tank body 3 into which coolant liquid discharged from a processing machine 11 flows, a guide 10 that generates a vortex V of the coolant liquid in the tank body 3, and impurities mixed in the coolant liquid are separated from the coolant liquid. A cyclone type separator 6 to flow the coolant liquid from the tank body 3 to the cyclone type separator 6. The tank body 3 has an opening 51 for sucking the coolant at the tip of the tank body 3, which is located coaxially with the tank body 3. , a diameter reducing part 32 is provided to reduce the diameter of the tank body 3 toward the bottom surface 31. [Selection diagram] Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a coolant tank.

2. Description of the Related Art Coolant tanks that circulate and supply coolant to processing machines such as cutting machines, grinding machines, and polishing machines have been known.

The coolant liquid contains impurities such as chips and abrasive grains generated by the processing machine, and if left untreated, the impurities may form into lumps and clog the piping that circulates and supplies the coolant to the processing machine. be. This obstructs the circulating supply of coolant to the processing machine, which adversely affects the operation of the processing machine. Therefore, it is required to remove impurities from the coolant liquid as much as possible.

As a technique for removing impurities from coolant liquid, for example, a coolant cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. In the coolant cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 1, coolant liquid discharged from a processing machine flows into a magnetic separator. Thereby, the coolant liquid is stored in the circular coolant tank after magnetic material chips in the liquid are adsorbed and separated. Further, chips remaining in the coolant without being separated by the magnetic separator are sent together with the coolant from the bottom of the coolant tank to the magnetic separator for reprocessing.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-321135

Impurities mixed into the coolant liquid may float on the surface of the coolant liquid by combining with oil in the coolant liquid. Therefore, in the structure in which the coolant is sent from the bottom of the coolant tank to the magnetic separator again as in the conventional coolant cleaning device described above, there is a problem in that impurities floating on the liquid surface cannot be sufficiently recovered.

The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coolant tank capable of recovering impurities floating on the surface of the coolant liquid.

In order to solve the above problems, the coolant tank of the present invention has the following configuration.

(1) A cylindrical tank body with a bottom into which coolant liquid discharged from a processing machine flows; a vortex generating means for generating a vortex flow of the coolant liquid in the tank body; Separation means for separating the coolant from the coolant liquid; and a pipe line for flowing the coolant liquid from the tank body to the separation means, the pipe line being connected to the inside of the tank body from the opposite side of the bottom surface of the tank body. The tank body extends into the coolant liquid and is located coaxially with the tank body, and has an opening in the coolant liquid in the tank body at a tip end thereof for sucking the coolant liquid. The tank body includes a diameter-reducing portion that reduces the diameter of the tank body toward the bottom surface , and the tank body includes a conical flow regulating member protruding from the bottom surface coaxially with the tank body. and the opening portion is located near the apex of the rectifying member .

According to the above coolant tank, when a vortex of the coolant liquid is generated by the vortex generating means, impurities floating on the liquid surface gather at the center of the vortex (the center of the tank body). This is because the centrifugal force lowers the pressure of the coolant in the center of the vortex (the center of the tank body), and increases the pressure of the coolant around the periphery, causing impurities to gather in the lower pressure area. it is conceivable that.

In addition, since the tank body includes a diameter-reducing portion that reduces the diameter of the tank body toward the bottom surface, the coolant liquid within the tank body rides onto the diameter-reducing portion due to the centrifugal force of the eddy flow. As a result, the level of the coolant liquid rises near the outer periphery of the tank body, and conversely, the liquid level decreases at the center of the tank body. In other words, the liquid level in the center where impurities gather is lowered.

Further, the pipe line for flowing the coolant liquid from the tank body to the separation means is extended into the coolant liquid in the tank body from the opposite side of the bottom surface of the tank body (that is, from above the tank body), and is connected to the tank body. It is characterized by being located on the same axis and having an opening for sucking the coolant at the tip of the coolant inside the tank body, so as mentioned above, the center where impurities gather due to the vortex flow. When the liquid level of the coolant drops, impurities floating on the liquid surface can be sucked out from the opening along with the coolant liquid. The impurities sucked together with the coolant are separated from the coolant by the separation means.

Like the coolant tank above, if a conical rectifying member is installed coaxially with the tank body and protrudes from the bottom, it will more effectively lower the liquid level in the center where impurities gather when a vortex is generated. The inventor of the present application discovered through experiments that it is possible to do so. The reason why the liquid level at the center of the tank body 3 is lower when the rectifying member 34 is provided than when it is not provided is due to the circumferential speed of the vortex V of the coolant around the rectifying member 34 and the vicinity of the outer periphery of the tank body 3. This is considered to be because the difference between the circumferential velocity of the vortex V of the coolant and the circumferential velocity of the coolant becomes larger. By lowering the liquid level at the center of the tank body 3, impurities floating on the liquid surface can be more reliably sucked from the opening of the pipe in the coolant liquid.

(4) The coolant tank according to any one of (1) to (3), further comprising a cylindrical body that concentrically covers the pipe line within the tank main body, the cylindrical body comprising: The present invention is characterized in that a slit is provided below the liquid level of the coolant liquid before the vortex is generated, and that the slit is opened in the same direction as the opening.

After the vortex is generated until the liquid level has completely lowered, there is a risk that impurities that collect in the center will adhere to the outer circumferential surface of the pipe and cannot be recovered. According to the above-mentioned coolant tank, the cylindrical body is provided with a cylindrical body concentrically covering the pipe line within the tank body, and the cylindrical body is provided with a slit below the liquid level of the coolant liquid within the tank body. Therefore, the impurities that tend to gather in the center due to the vortex flow into the interior of the cylindrical body (the space between the cylindrical body and the pipe) through the slits after the liquid level begins to fall. Furthermore, since the cylindrical body opens in the same direction as the opening of the conduit, impurities that have flowed into the cylindrical body can be sucked out from the opening of the conduit through the opening. be. Therefore, it is possible to prevent impurities from adhering to the pipe.

(5) The coolant tank according to any one of (1) to (4) is characterized in that the opening is enlarged in diameter in a trumpet shape.

If the liquid level drops, there is a risk that air will be sucked in along with the coolant liquid from the opening of the pipe. If air is drawn in, there is a risk that the impurity separation efficiency of the separation means will be reduced. According to the above-mentioned coolant tank, since the diameter of the opening is enlarged in a trumpet shape, an unnecessary drop in the liquid level is dammed up, and thus air suction can be prevented.

According to the coolant tank of the present invention, impurities floating on the surface of the coolant liquid can be recovered.

It is a front view of the coolant tank concerning this embodiment. It is a top view of the coolant tank concerning this embodiment. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. FIG. (a) is a perspective view of the conduit viewed from the side opposite to the opening, and (b) is a perspective view of the conduit viewed from the side of the opening.

Embodiments of the coolant tank of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a coolant tank 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the coolant tank 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. Note that the liquid level LS11 in FIG. 3 represents the liquid level of the coolant liquid before the vortex V is generated, and the liquid level LS12 represents the liquid level of the coolant liquid when the vortex V is generated. 4(a) is a perspective view of the conduit 5 viewed from the side opposite to the opening 51, and FIG. 4(b) is a perspective view of the conduit 5 viewed from the side of the opening 51.

(About the coolant tank configuration)
First, the configuration of the coolant tank 1 according to this embodiment will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coolant tank 1 includes a magnetic separator 2, a tank body 3, a first coolant pump 4, a pipe line 5, a cyclone separator 6 (an example of separation means), The main components are a settling tank 7, a clean tank 8, and a second coolant pump 9.

The magnetic separator 2 is a device for removing magnetic impurities (chip, etc.) from the coolant liquid. The magnetic separator 2 is connected to the processing machine 11 (see FIG. 1), and coolant liquid discharged from the processing machine 11 flows into the magnetic separator 2. Note that the processing machine 11 is, for example, a cutting machine, a grinding machine, a polishing machine, etc., although it is not particularly limited.

When the coolant liquid is introduced into the magnetic separator 2, the magnetic separator 2 processes the coolant liquid by adsorbing and separating magnetic impurities in the coolant liquid using an internal magnetic drum. The coolant liquid after treatment is then flowed into the tank body 3. Here, since non-magnetic impurities (for example, abrasive grains, etc.) contained in the coolant cannot be separated by the magnetic separator 2, they flow into the tank body 3 together with the coolant.

The tank body 3 is a cylindrical case with a bottom that can store coolant liquid, and the coolant liquid is stored inside even when the coolant tank 1 is not operating (liquid level LS11 in FIG. 3). reference). The tank body 3 is made of a steel material (for example, SS400) with a thickness of 3 mm. The size of the tank body 3 is determined based on the required storage amount of coolant liquid, and is not particularly limited. (see Fig. 3) is approximately 350 mm.

The tank body 3 includes a diameter-reducing portion 32 that reduces the diameter of the tank body 3 toward the bottom surface 31, as shown in FIG. Thereby, the diameter D21 of the bottom surface 31 is smaller than the diameter D11 of the tank body 3. The diameter D21 of the bottom surface 31 is desirably larger than the diameter D41 of the conduit 5, and in this embodiment, the diameter D21 is set to 200 mm, which is the smallest value within the range in which the tank body 3 can be manufactured. Further, the length D22 of the reduced diameter portion 32 in the axial direction is set within a range of 25 to 35% of the height D12 of the tank body 3, and is approximately 100 mm in this embodiment.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the bottom surface 31 is made thicker than other parts of the tank body 3 by welding a plate material 33 to the bottom surface 31. The plate material 33 is a disk-shaped plate material having a thickness of 6 mm and made of SS400 or the like. The plate material 33 is fixed by welding the outer peripheral portion (welded portion W). In other words, the thickness of the bottom surface 31 is increased to 9 mm. The purpose of increasing the thickness of the bottom surface 31 is for reinforcement. This is because when a vortex V of the coolant liquid (see FIG. 2; details will be described later) is generated, the bottom surface 31 may be worn out due to impurities in the coolant liquid. Although the same reinforcing effect can be obtained by manufacturing the tank body 3 using a steel material with a plate thickness of 9 mm, it is easier to manufacture the tank body 3 by reinforcing only the bottom surface 31 as described above.

Furthermore, a conical rectifying member 34 is provided on the bottom surface 31 so as to protrude coaxially with the tank body 3 . The diameter D31 of the rectifying member 34 is desirably smaller than the diameter of the bottom surface 31 and larger than the diameter D41 of the pipe line 5, and is approximately 150 mm in this embodiment. Further, the height D32 of the flow regulating member 34 is desirably about half the axial length D22 of the reduced diameter portion 32, and in this embodiment is about 30 to 50 mm.

A pipe line 5 connected to the first coolant pump 4 is located coaxially with the tank body 3. The pipe line 5 extends into the coolant liquid in the tank body 3 from the side opposite to the bottom surface 31 of the tank body 3 (the upper side in FIGS. 1 and 3).

The conduit 5 is a metal pipe with a diameter D41 of 50 mm. Note that the size of the diameter D41 is not limited to 50 mm. The pipe line 5 has an opening 51 at its tip in the coolant liquid. Thereby, the pipe line 5 can suck the coolant liquid and impurities in the coolant liquid from the opening 51 when the first coolant pump 4 operates. Further, the opening 51 includes an enlarged diameter portion 53 whose diameter is enlarged in a trumpet shape toward the tip. Further, the opening 51 is located near the apex P of the rectifying member 34. Specifically, the position is such that the enlarged diameter portion 53 and the apex P overlap each other in the axial direction. By doing so, the opening area of the opening portion 51 is narrowed by the rectifying member 34, so that the force for sucking the coolant liquid can be increased.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the conduit 5 includes a cylindrical body 52 that concentrically covers the conduit 5 within the tank body 3. The cylindrical body 52 is provided with a slit 52a that penetrates the outer circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 52. Three slits 52a are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical body 52. However, the number of slits 52a is merely an example, and is not limited to three. Further, the axial position of the slit 52a in the cylindrical body 52 is positioned below the liquid level LS11 before the vortex V of the coolant liquid is generated, as shown in FIG. Further, the cylindrical body 52 opens in the same direction as the opening 51 of the conduit 5. This opening is referred to as a second opening 52b.

The first coolant pump 4 is connected to the cyclone separator 6 by a hose H11 (see FIG. 2). Therefore, the coolant liquid and impurities sucked by the pipe line 5 flow into the cyclone separator 6 via the hose H11.

The cyclone separator 6 separates impurities and coolant liquid by centrifugal force by generating a spiral flow inside. In this way, since the cyclone separator 6 separates impurities by centrifugal force, it is possible to reliably separate non-magnetic impurities from the coolant liquid.

The separated impurities are discharged from the lower part of the cyclone separator 6 in FIG. 1 to the settling tank 7. The coolant liquid from which impurities have been separated (hereinafter referred to as clean liquid) is discharged from the upper part of the cyclone separator 6 in FIG. The upper part of the cyclone separator 6 is connected to the clean tank 8 by a hose H12 (see FIG. 2), and the clean liquid discharged from the cyclone separator 6 flows into the clean tank 8. The amount of clean liquid discharged by the cyclone separator 6 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 240 L/min. Although three cyclone separators 6 are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the number is not particularly limited.

The clean liquid that has flowed into the clean tank 8 is sent to the processing machine 11 (see FIG. 1) by the second coolant pump 9. The amount of clean liquid sent to the processing machine 11 is set to be smaller than the amount of clean liquid discharged by the cyclone separator 6, and is, for example, 180 L/min. The remaining clean liquid that has not been sent to the processing machine 11 is returned to the tank body 3 at a rate of 60 L/min. The guide 10 (an example of a vortex generating means, see FIG. 2) that causes the clean liquid to flow into the tank body 3 is provided along the inner circumferential wall of the tank body 3, so that the clean liquid returned to the tank body 3 causes the tank to flow into the tank body 3. A vortex V is generated in the coolant liquid within the main body 3.

(About effects)
The coolant tank 1 having the above configuration has the following effects.

When the coolant tank 1 is operated, the first coolant pump 4 starts sucking the coolant liquid in the tank body 3 from the pipe line 5. Further, the first coolant pump 4 causes the sucked coolant to flow through a cyclone separator 6, where impurities remaining in the coolant are separated. The coolant liquid (clean liquid) from which impurities have been separated is sent to the clean tank 8. The coolant liquid sent to the clean tank 8 is sent to the processing machine 11 by the second coolant pump 9. After the coolant liquid is used in the processing machine 11, it flows into the magnetic separator 2 while containing impurities. The magnetic separator 2 separates magnetic impurities from the coolant liquid, and causes the coolant liquid to flow into the tank body 3. Furthermore, the coolant liquid that has flowed into the tank body 3 is sucked from the pipe line 5 by the first coolant pump 4 . In this way, the coolant tank 1 circulates and supplies coolant liquid to the processing machine 11.

In the clean tank 8, the remaining coolant liquid that has not been sent to the processing machine 11 is returned to the tank body 3 by a guide 10. This generates a vortex V (see FIG. 2).

When the vortex V is generated, impurities floating on the liquid surface gather at the center of the vortex V (the center of the tank body 3). This is considered to be because the pressure becomes low at the center of the vortex V (the center of the tank body 3) due to centrifugal force, and the pressure becomes high at the outer periphery. In addition, due to the centrifugal force of the vortex V, the coolant liquid within the tank body rides onto the reduced diameter portion 32. As a result, as shown by the liquid level L12 in FIG. 3, the liquid level of the coolant liquid rises near the outer periphery of the tank body 3, and conversely, the liquid level decreases in the central part of the tank body 3.

Furthermore, by providing a rectifying member 34 that protrudes from the bottom surface 31 coaxially with the tank body 3, it is possible to more effectively lower the liquid level in the center of the tank body 3, where impurities gather. , the inventor of the present application discovered through experiments. The reason why the liquid level at the center of the tank body 3 is lower when the rectifying member 34 is provided than when it is not provided is due to the circumferential speed of the vortex V of the coolant around the rectifying member 34 and the vicinity of the outer periphery of the tank body 3. This is considered to be because the difference between the circumferential velocity of the vortex V of the coolant and the circumferential velocity of the coolant becomes larger.

In other words, the liquid level in the center where impurities gather is lowered. Since the pipe line 5 is located coaxially with the tank body 3, impurities floating on the liquid surface can be efficiently sucked from the lowered liquid level. Since the pipe line 5 is located coaxially with the tank body 3, impurities floating on the liquid level LS12 together with the coolant liquid can be sucked from the lowered liquid level LS12.

Furthermore, when the vortex V is generated, impurities that settle on the bottom side of the tank body 3 also gather at the center of the vortex V (the center of the tank body 3) (see arrow F11 in FIG. 3). This is considered to be because the pressure becomes low at the center of the vortex V (the center of the tank body 3) due to centrifugal force, and the pressure becomes high at the outer periphery. The impurities gathered at the center of the vortex V (the center of the tank body 3) are sucked up by the conduit 5 along the rectifying member 34 (see arrow F12 in FIG. 3). Therefore, not only impurities floating in the coolant liquid but also precipitated impurities can be recovered. Note that arrows F11 and F12 in FIG. 3 indicate the movement of impurities and do not indicate the flow of the coolant liquid.

Furthermore, there is a risk that impurities that collect in the center of the tank body 3 will adhere to the outer circumferential surface of the pipe line 5 during the period from when the vortex V is generated until the liquid level is completely lowered, making it impossible to collect them. However, the pipe line 5 includes a cylindrical body 52 that concentrically covers the pipe line 5, and the cylindrical body 52 includes a slit 52a below the liquid level LS11 of the coolant liquid in the tank body 3. Therefore, impurities that tend to gather in the center due to the vortex V flow into the interior of the cylindrical body 52 (the space between the cylindrical body 52 and the pipe 5) through the slit 52a after the liquid level begins to fall. (See arrow F13 in FIG. 3). Further, since the cylindrical body 52 is opened in the same direction as the opening 51 of the conduit 5 (second opening 52b), impurities that have flowed into the cylindrical body 52 through the opening are removed from the tube. Suction is possible through the opening 51 of the channel 5 (see arrow F14 in FIG. 3). Therefore, it is possible to prevent impurities from adhering to the pipe line 5. Note that arrows F13 and F14 in FIG. 3 indicate the movement of impurities and do not indicate the flow of the coolant liquid.

Furthermore, when the level of the coolant liquid drops, there is a risk that air will be sucked together with the coolant liquid from the opening 51 of the conduit 5. If air is sucked, there is a possibility that the impurity separation efficiency in the cyclone separator 6 will decrease. However, since the conduit 5 includes the enlarged diameter portion 53, the diameter of the opening 51 is enlarged in a trumpet shape, and the enlarged diameter portion 53 blocks an unnecessary drop in the liquid level, thereby preventing air suction. can do.

Note that the above embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, it goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

1 Coolant tank 3 Tank body 5 Pipeline 6 Cyclone separator (an example of separation means)
10 Guide (an example of eddy current generating means)
11 processing machine 32 diameter reducing part 34 rectifying member 51 opening 52 cylindrical body 52a slit 52b second opening P apex

Claims (3)

A cylindrical tank body with a bottom into which coolant liquid discharged from a processing machine flows; a vortex generating means for generating a vortex flow of the coolant liquid in the tank body; and a pipe line for flowing the coolant liquid from the tank body to the separation means,
The pipe line is
extending into the coolant liquid in the tank body from the opposite side of the bottom surface of the tank body, and being located coaxially with the tank body;
Providing an opening for sucking the coolant at a tip in the coolant in the tank body;
The tank body includes a diameter reducing part that reduces the diameter of the tank body toward the bottom surface;
The tank body includes a conical rectifying member protruding from the bottom surface coaxially with the tank body;
the opening is located near the apex of the rectifying member;
A coolant tank featuring The coolant tank according to claim 1 ,
comprising a cylindrical body concentrically covering the pipe line within the tank body;
The cylindrical body is
providing a slit below the liquid level of the coolant liquid before the vortex is generated;
opening in the same direction as the opening;
A coolant tank featuring The coolant tank according to claim 1 or 2,
The opening has a diameter enlarged in a trumpet shape;
A coolant tank featuring

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