JP7438574B1 - Microwave extraction device with highly flexible control - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a microwave extraction device that can adjust the extraction rate so that it does not burn even if the water content decreases regardless of the type of the object to be processed. The present invention is an extraction device including a tank, a cooling condenser, a recovery device, and a control device, the control device including an electric valve for allowing or blocking the inflow of outside air into the tank, and a tank internal pressure. It is equipped with a vacuum pump configured to reduce the pressure, a microwave generator that heats the object to be processed in the tank, and a storage medium in which a program is written to control the stirrer that stirs the object to be processed in the tank. , this control device is configured to be able to change the rotation speed and rotation direction of the stirrer and the output of the microwave generator to arbitrary values depending on the temperature of the object to be treated or the steam temperature of the object to be treated during operation. The present invention relates to a microwave extraction device having a high degree of freedom of control. [Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a microwave extraction device with a high degree of freedom of control.

Conventionally, many attempts have been made to effectively utilize biomass consisting of agricultural crop residues, and one example is a method of extracting useful components such as essential oils from biomass. As a method for extracting useful components such as essential oils from biomass, in recent years, devices have been proposed that utilize microwaves to extract useful components such as essential oils from biomass.

The invention described in Patent Document 1 is that in an extraction device using microwaves, the quality of the extract decreases due to uneven heating of biomass, and the energy loss occurs when introducing microwave energy to biomass in a tank. We are proposing a device that solves the problems of loss, decreased recovery efficiency when recovering extracts, and deterioration of extract quality due to burning of biomass.

The extraction device using microwaves in Patent Document 1 can be used to selectively allow or not allow outside air or inert gas to flow into the tank during extraction by opening and closing a valve connected to the tank. In this extraction device, the valve is opened during extraction at a high temperature (approximately 90 to 100°C), which does not require reduced pressure, and is closed when extraction is performed at a low temperature (approximately 40 to 60°C), which requires reduced pressure. As a result, the extraction device can be used for high-temperature extraction (for example, when the object to be processed is the leaves of coniferous trees such as cedar or cypress, or rhizomes of ginger, etc.) and for low-temperature extraction (for example, when the object to be processed is the leaves of coniferous trees such as cedar and cypress, or the rhizomes of ginger, etc.). , the peel of citrus fruits such as Sudachi), and has excellent versatility, allowing one device to be applied to a variety of processing objects.

However, with this extraction device, it was not possible to change the control settings regarding the microwave output or the rotation of the stirrer while the extraction device was in operation. Therefore, when extracting aromatic distilled water, for example, when the water content of the object to be treated decreases as extraction progresses, burning occurs, and there is a limit to extraction.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-30167

The present invention is capable of changing the rotational speed and rotational direction of the stirrer and the output of the microwave generator to arbitrary values depending on the temperature of the object to be treated or the steam temperature of the object to be treated during the operation of the extraction device. By doing so, it is an object of the present invention to provide an extraction device configured to be able to effectively process not only a specific processing object but also various processing objects through highly flexible control. In other words, when extracting aromatic distilled water, for example, a microcontroller with a high degree of freedom can be used to adjust the extraction rate so that it does not burn even if the water content decreases, regardless of the type of the target material. The purpose is to provide a wave extraction device.

The invention according to claim 1 includes: a tank in which an object to be treated is stored;
a microwave generator that generates microwaves;
a waveguide means and a microwave transmission means for guiding the microwave to the tank;
a cooling condenser for cooling and condensing the vapor of the object to be treated that has evaporated from the tank due to heating by the microwave;
a recovery device that recovers the components condensed by the cooling condenser;
a control device that automatically controls the pressure in the tank;
An extraction device comprising:
The control device includes an electric valve for allowing or blocking outside air from flowing into the tank;
A program that controls a vacuum pump configured to reduce the pressure in the tank, the microwave generator, and a stirrer that stirs the object to be processed in the tank. It is equipped with a storage medium written with
The control device can change the rotation speed and direction of rotation of the stirrer and the output of the microwave generator to arbitrary values depending on the temperature of the object to be treated or the steam temperature of the object to be treated during operation. The present invention relates to a microwave extraction device having a high degree of freedom of control and characterized by being configured as follows.

The invention according to claim 2 includes a recovery amount measuring means for measuring the amount of the component recovered in the recovery device, a pressure detection means for detecting the pressure in the tank, and a temperature of steam in the tank and the object to be treated. The present invention relates to a microwave extraction device having a high degree of freedom of control according to claim 1, which has a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of an object.

In the invention according to claim 3, the control device has a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory as the storage medium, and the volatile memory stores information about the elapsed operating time of the microwave extraction device or the cooling Depending on the recovery amount of the components condensed by the condenser , the microwave output of the microwave generator, oscillation/stop, pulse irradiation and its oscillation time/stop time, the stirring rotation speed of the stirrer, and the direction of rotation. 2. A microwave extraction device having a high degree of freedom of control according to claim 1, wherein the forward rotation time/reversal time and the distillation temperature (boiling point) set value of the object to be processed can be set in advance. .

In the invention according to claim 4, the control device controls the pressure in the tank to a target value corresponding to a distillation temperature (boiling point) set value,
Controlling the rotation speed of the vacuum pump by PID control,
The present invention relates to a microwave extraction device having a highly flexible control according to claim 1, wherein opening and closing of the electric valve is controlled by PD control.

In the invention according to claim 5, the control device controls the rotation speed and rotation direction (normal rotation/reverse rotation) time of the stirrer, the output and pulse of the microwave that heats the object to be processed in the tank. The present invention relates to a microwave extraction device having a high degree of freedom of control according to claims 1 to 4, wherein oscillation time/stop time of irradiation and distillation temperature (boiling point) set value are Ramp- controlled .

According to the invention according to claim 1, during the operation of the extraction device, the rotational speed and direction of rotation of the stirrer and the output of the microwave generator can be arbitrarily adjusted depending on the temperature of the object to be treated or the steam temperature of the object to be treated. The rotation speed and direction of rotation of the stirrer and the output of the microwave can be changed according to the temperature of the object to be processed in the tank or the steam temperature of the object to be processed. It can be changed even during operation, which means that it can prevent burning when the temperature of the object to be processed rises too much, and as a result, the amount of recovery can be increased compared to the amount of the object to be processed. .

According to the invention according to claim 2, the automatic control of the extraction device operates according to the program written in the storage medium based on the tank internal pressure, steam temperature, temperature of the object to be treated, and recovery amount of extracted components measured during operation. This has the effect of making it possible to check whether there is a person there.

According to the invention according to claim 3, the control device has a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory as storage media, and the volatile memory is stored according to the elapsed operation time of the microwave extraction device or the cooling condenser. Depending on the amount of collected condensed components , the microwave output of the microwave generator, oscillation/stop, pulse irradiation and its oscillation time/stop time, the stirring rotation speed of the stirrer, the direction of rotation, and the normal rotation time. /Inversion time and distillation temperature (boiling point) of the target material can be set in advance, so the pressure inside the tank is controlled according to the type of target material, and the target material is heated to the desired level. The pressure is reduced to allow distillation at this temperature. Furthermore, it is possible to set a program that changes the rotational speed and rotational direction of the stirrer and the output of microwaves according to the operating time, the amount of recovered extract, the steam temperature, and the temperature of the object to be treated.

According to the invention according to claim 4, in order to control the pressure in the tank to a target value corresponding to the distillation temperature (boiling point) set value, the control device controls the rotation speed of the vacuum pump by PID control and also controls the electric valve. Opening/closing is controlled by PD control. This has the effect that the pressure inside the tank is automatically controlled and extraction is performed at the desired distillation temperature.

According to the invention according to claim 5, the rotation speed and rotation direction (normal rotation/reverse rotation) time of the stirrer, the output of the microwave for heating the object to be treated in the tank, and the oscillation time/stop of pulse irradiation. Ramp control is performed on time and distillation temperature (boiling point) set value. As a result, for example, the rotation speed of the stirrer, the rotation direction (forward/reverse rotation), the microwave output, the pulse irradiation, etc. can be adjusted according to the state in which water evaporates from the object to be treated and/or the temperature rises. The oscillation time/stop time can be gradually changed. That is, compared to a case where gradual change is not possible, more delicate stirring is possible, and microwave irradiation can be performed efficiently, resulting in the effect that the extraction time can be shortened.
Also, for example, when distilling at a lower temperature after raising the temperature of the object for sterilization, it is possible to raise the temperature inside the tank and then lower the pressure inside the tank to lower the distillation temperature (boiling point). Due to the high temperature of the object to be treated, bumping may occur, resulting in the object being mixed into the cooling condenser or recovery device. According to the invention according to claim 5, by gradually lowering the tank internal pressure and gradually lowering the distillation temperature (boiling point), it is possible to perform distillation while suppressing the occurrence of bumping.

1 is a partially cutaway explanatory diagram showing an example of an extraction device having a high degree of freedom of control using microwaves according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a figure showing an example of the menu list of the touch panel concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of PID control of a vacuum pump and electric valve PD control concerning one embodiment of the present invention. (a) is a diagram of an example of instructions for microwave output according to an embodiment of the present invention. (b) is a diagram showing a time chart of microwave output according to the instruction of (a) related to the microwave output device (MG) 1. (c) is a diagram showing a time chart of microwave output according to the instruction of (a) related to the microwave output device (MG) 2. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional extraction device using microwaves disclosed in Patent Document 1. FIG.

<Embodiment>
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of a reduced pressure microwave extraction device (hereinafter also simply referred to as an “extraction device”) according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an extraction device (1) according to the present embodiment. a cooling condenser (3) that cools and condenses the vapor of the object to be treated (S) evaporated from the tank (T) by heating with the microwave; The tank (T) includes a recovery device (4) that recovers the component (E) condensed therein, and a control device (5) that automatically controls the pressure inside the tank (T).
Although the material of the tank (T) is not limited to a specific material, for example, stainless steel is preferably used from the viewpoint of corrosion resistance. Furthermore, the capacity of the tank (T) is not limited, but may be, for example, 15L, 100L, 150L, or 400L.
The waveguide means for guiding the microwave to the tank (T) is a waveguide, and a branch (branching device), scan (switching device), stub (protrusion), etc. may also be used. Further, the transmitting means for transmitting the guided microwaves into the tank (T) is not limited, but examples thereof include a transmitting material made of ceramic, Teflon (registered trademark), glass, quartz, or the like.
The cooling condenser (3) is not limited to either an air-cooled type or a water-cooled type, but a water-cooled type is preferable from the viewpoint of efficiency.
The control device (5) includes an electric valve (6) for allowing or blocking the inflow of outside air into the tank (T), and a vacuum pump (7) configured to reduce the pressure inside the tank (T). A storage medium (5M) in which a program for controlling the microwave generator (2) and the stirrer (8) that stirs the object to be treated (S) housed in the tank (T) is written. We are prepared.
The electric valve (6) is not limited to a specific valve, but in this embodiment, if the open/closed state is known, the deviation is corrected by applying correction in that state, and the opening degree is determined based on the cumulative time of the command. Equipped with a program to convert and control.
During the operation of the extraction device (1), this control device (5) controls the rotation speed and rotation direction of the stirrer (8) and the micro generator (2) depending on the temperature of the object to be treated or the steam temperature of the object to be treated. ) output, oscillation/stop, pulse irradiation, and oscillation time/stop time can be changed to arbitrary values.

The control device (5) has a non-volatile memory (5a) (for example, ROM) and a volatile memory (5b) (for example, RAM) as the storage medium (5M), as shown in FIG. As mentioned above, users can set target values in advance and register or re-register them as recipes. This allows users to create and improve recipes and develop their own products.
The items that the user can register in the program as recipes include microwave output, oscillation/stop, pulse irradiation and oscillation time/stop time, stirring rotation speed, rotation direction, and its correctness according to the elapsed operation time or collection amount. These include rotation time/inversion time, distillation temperature (boiling point) set value, etc., the rotation speed and direction of rotation (forward rotation/reversal) of the stirrer (8), microwave output, and pulse irradiation oscillation time. /Regarding stop time and distillation temperature (boiling point) setting values, not only Step control but also Ramp control settings can be registered.
Regarding microwave pulse irradiation, if there are multiple microwave transmission ports (not shown), for example four, No. 1 to No. 4, by shifting the pulse irradiation start timing of each (offset value). For example, after oscillating No.1 and No.3 and stopping No.2 and No.4, stopping No.1 and No.3, and then oscillating No.2 and No.4 It is also possible to oscillate and repeat the following alternately, or to oscillate No.1, stop No.2 to No.4, then oscillate No.2, then No.1, No.3, No. Stop .4, then oscillate No.3, stop No.1, No.2, No.4, then oscillate No.4, stop No.1 to No.3, and the following It is also possible to repeat the irradiation sequentially. If the start timing of pulse irradiation is the same, No. 1 to No. 4 will oscillate at the same time and stop at the same time.

As shown in the block diagram in Fig. 3, the control device (5) controls the vacuum pump (7) by PID (proportional, integral, differential) control in order to control the pressure in the tank (T) to the target value. It has the function of controlling the rotation speed and opening/closing the electric valve (6) using PD (proportional/derivative) control.
<Deviation>
PID control is feedback control, in which the actual measured value is fed back, compared with the target value, the difference is calculated, and an action is taken.
Therefore, first, the target value and the measured value are subtracted, and the result of the subtraction is used as a deviation for P (proportional) control, I (integral) control, and D (differential) control.
<P control>
P control controls the output value in proportion to the difference from the target value. For example, the input value is motor position information, and the output value is calculated from the difference from the target value.
The larger Kp, which is the proportional gain of P control, the faster the output value approaches the target value.
However, P control has a problem in that it becomes stable when it approaches the target value, and a deviation occurs between the target value and the output value.
<PI control>
In I control, the deviation in P control is compensated for by integrating the deviation over time.
The deviation can be eliminated by adding the manipulated variable obtained by integrating the deviation from the target value caused by the P control over time to the manipulated variable obtained by the P control.
It is called PI control because I control is added to P control.
However, in reality, overshoot may occur if only PI control is used. If P is made too large in order to quickly approach the target value, this overshoot is likely to occur.
<PID control>
A negative component is added to suppress overshoot occurring in PI control. This negative component is D control.
In PI control, the deviation decreases with time, so when this deviation is differentiated, the output becomes a negative value. In other words, the more rapidly the deviation decreases, the stronger the negative component acts. By combining the three controls, P, I, and D, it is possible to construct a system that stably and quickly reaches the target value.
In this embodiment, the rotation speed of the vacuum pump (7) is controlled by PID, and the opening degree of the electric valve (6) is controlled by PD based on the pressure deviation.

PID control of the vacuum pump (7) is performed using the calculation formula shown below, and PD control of the electric valve (6) uses a formula obtained by eliminating the integral term from this calculation formula.
<Calculation formula>
Manipulated amount = Kp x deviation + Ki x cumulative value of deviation + Kd x difference from previous deviation Proportional term: Kp x deviation Integral term: Ki x cumulative value of deviation Differential term: Kd x difference from previous deviation Regarding K (gain) , a fixed value may be used, or an active gain may be used depending on the deviation.

The length of one blade of the agitator (8) in the longitudinal direction is, for example, 32 cm to 120 cm, although not limited, and the pitch angle is, for example, 30 degrees to 35 degrees, although not limited.

As described above, the control device (5) controls the rotation speed and rotation direction (normal rotation/reverse rotation) of the agitator (8), and the microcontroller that heats the object (S) in the tank (T). Function to control wave output, oscillation time/stop time of pulse irradiation, distillation temperature (boiling point) set value output change, oscillation/stop, pulse irradiation and its oscillation/stop by ON/OFF operation, and ramp control. It has the function of
<Ramp control>
Ramp control refers to control that linearly (linearly functions) increases/decreases specific parameters (temperature, pressure, rotation speed, etc.) with respect to time. When expressed in a graph, the horizontal axis represents time t [sec] and the vertical axis represents, for example, voltage V [V], resulting in a waveform of a linear function.
By using Ramp control, it is possible to suppress the initial output to a low level and gradually increase the output to the full output. By using soft start to keep the initial output low at startup and gradually bring it closer to full output, it is possible to suppress heating during startup and reduce the burden on the parameters that need to be processed.
FIG. 4 shows a touch panel screen with/without Ramp control set and a time chart of microwave output side by side.

Even if you try to distill the object to be processed under reduced pressure using a preset program, the condition of the object to be processed is different (for example, thickness, size, water content, etc.) It may not be possible to process it. Therefore, the present invention has the advantage that even during the operation of the extraction device, the rotation speed and rotation direction of the stirrer (8), the output of the microwave, the oscillation/ By operating the stop and pulse irradiation, it is possible to prevent burning when the temperature of the object to be processed rises too much, and as a result, the amount of recovery can be increased compared to the amount of the object to be processed.
In this embodiment, the microwave output can be gradually lowered or stirred as time passes or the amount of extract recovered, without the user having to operate while monitoring the status of the material to be treated (S) as in the past. By setting a unique program in detail, such as increasing the rotation speed of the machine (8) and changing the direction of rotation, and running it automatically, the moisture content of the material to be processed (S) decreases too much and it burns. You can avoid the situation and complete the extraction.
Further, for example, when it is desired to take a large amount of distilled water or to concentrate it as much as possible, the evaporation of water progresses and the temperature of the object to be treated (S) rises. At this time, for example, when the temperature exceeds a certain value, the microwave output can be lowered or the oscillation can be stopped.
Thereby, the temperature of the object to be processed (S) can be lowered, maximum distillation or concentration can be achieved, and burning of the raw material and the irradiation port can be prevented.

According to the present invention, during the operation of the extraction device, the rotation speed and rotation direction of the stirrer and the output of the microwave generator can be set to arbitrary values depending on the temperature of various objects to be treated or the steam temperature of the objects to be treated. To provide an extraction device configured to prevent not only a specific object but also various objects to be processed from overheating and burning, and to effectively process the object. I can do it. In other words, when extracting aromatic distilled water, for example, a microcontroller with a high degree of freedom can be used to adjust the extraction rate so that it does not burn even if the water content decreases, regardless of the type of the target material. A wave extraction device can be provided.

1 Microwave extraction device 2 Microwave generator 3 Cooling condenser 4 Recovery device 5 Control device 5a Non-volatile memory 5b Volatile memory 5M Storage medium 6 Electric valve 7 Vacuum pump 8 Stirrer T Tank

Claims (5)

A tank in which the object to be processed is stored;
a microwave generator that generates microwaves;
a waveguide means and a microwave transmission means for guiding the microwave to the tank;
a cooling condenser for cooling and condensing the vapor of the object to be treated that has evaporated from the tank due to heating by the microwave;
a recovery device that recovers the components condensed by the cooling condenser;
a control device that automatically controls the pressure in the tank;
An extraction device comprising:
The control device includes an electric valve for allowing or blocking outside air from flowing into the tank;
A program that controls a vacuum pump configured to reduce the pressure in the tank, the microwave generator, and a stirrer that stirs the object to be processed in the tank. It is equipped with a storage medium written with
The control device can change the rotation speed and direction of rotation of the stirrer and the output of the microwave generator to arbitrary values depending on the temperature of the object to be treated or the steam temperature of the object to be treated during operation. A microwave extraction device having a high degree of freedom of control, characterized in that it is configured as follows. recovery amount measuring means for measuring the amount of components recovered in the recovery device; pressure detection means for detecting the pressure in the tank; and temperature detection for detecting the temperature of steam in the tank and the temperature of the object to be treated. Microwave extraction device with flexible control according to claim 1, comprising means. The control device has a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory as the storage medium, and the volatile memory stores the elapsed operating time of the microwave extraction device or the amount of components condensed by the cooling condenser. Depending on the amount of recovery, the microwave output of the microwave generator, oscillation/stop, pulse irradiation and its oscillation time/stop time, the stirring rotation speed of the stirrer, the direction of rotation, and its forward rotation time/reversal time. 2. A microwave extraction device having a high degree of freedom of control according to claim 1, wherein the microwave extraction device is configured such that a distillation temperature (boiling point) set value of the object to be processed can be set in advance . The control device controls the pressure in the tank to a target value corresponding to a distillation temperature (boiling point) set value,
Controlling the rotation speed of the vacuum pump by PID control,
The microwave extraction device having a high degree of freedom of control according to claim 1, wherein the electric valve is opened and closed by PD control. The control device controls the rotation speed and rotation direction (normal rotation/reverse rotation) of the stirrer, the output of microwaves for heating the object to be processed in the tank, the oscillation time/stop time of pulse irradiation, 5. The microwave extraction device according to claim 1, wherein the distillation temperature (boiling point) set value is Ramp- controlled .

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