JP7441895B2 - Fluid sterilizer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fluid sterilizer that sterilizes fluids such as water by irradiating ultraviolet rays.

BACKGROUND ART A running water sterilizer that sterilizes water by irradiating ultraviolet light has been known.
Among ultraviolet rays, UVC having a wavelength of 200 nm or more and 280 nm or less has particularly strong sterilizing power, so it is suitable for a running water sterilizer.
As a running water sterilization device, there is one that uses a light emitting diode as a light source for irradiating ultraviolet rays, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-034297. The ultraviolet rays used in this running water sterilizer have a wavelength of 250 nm or more and 350 nm or less, and the irradiated light does not contain any light with a wavelength of 200 nm or less.

JP2019-034297A

The velocity of water flowing through the channel is large in the center of the channel and small in the periphery. That is, the speed of water differs depending on the position of the flow path.
If the velocity of water varies depending on the location of the flow path, sterilization will be non-uniform. That is, the water in the central part where the speed is high is irradiated with UVC for a short time, and the water in the peripheral part where the speed is low is irradiated with UVC for a long time. Therefore, the degree of sterilization in the water in the central portion is lower than that in the peripheral portion, and the degree of sterilization is uneven throughout.

The present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it equalizes the velocity of the fluid in the central part and the velocity of the fluid in the peripheral part, that is, there is no variation in velocity due to differences in the position of the flow path, and An object of the present invention is to provide a fluid sterilization device that can uniformize the degree of sterilization regardless of the location of fluid flow.

The fluid sterilization device according to the present invention includes: a flow path through which a fluid to be sterilized flows; an introduction pipe that guides the fluid into the flow path; a rectifier provided between the introduction pipe and the flow path; and a light source module including a light source that irradiates ultraviolet rays to the fluid flowing in the flow path, and the rectifying section has a dome that has a plurality of openings and is convex toward the upstream side of the fluid. It is formed in the shape of

The fluid sterilization device according to the present invention uses a dome-shaped rectifying plate that is convex toward the upstream side of the fluid, so that the velocity of the fluid flowing in the flow path is almost uniform regardless of the position in the flow path. By doing so, it becomes possible to make the irradiation time of the ultraviolet rays from the light source module almost uniform, and to make the degree of sterilization almost uniform.

FIG. 1 is a schematic end view of a fluid sterilization device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a drawing of a rectifying plate constituting a rectifying section of a fluid sterilization device according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (A) is a schematic front view of an upstream rectifying plate, and (B) is a schematic front view of a downstream rectifying plate. A schematic front view of the plate, FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a pattern of openings formed in a rectifying plate constituting a rectifying section of a fluid sterilization device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. ) is a schematic diagram of a 45° staggered arrangement, and (C) is a schematic diagram of a parallel arrangement. It is a schematic diagram which shows the positional relationship of the opening of the upstream side rectification plate and the opening of the downstream side rectification plate which constitute the rectification|straightening part of the fluid sterilization device based on embodiment of this invention. A schematic diagram showing the velocity of water in a flow path when the openings of the upstream rectifying plate and the downstream rectifying plate constituting the rectifying section of the fluid sterilization device according to the embodiment of the present invention are at shifted positions. It is an explanatory diagram. A schematic diagram showing the speed of water in the flow path when the rectifier is composed of two rectifier plates, an upstream rectifier plate and a downstream rectifier plate, and the openings of the two rectifier plates are aligned. It is an explanatory diagram. It is a schematic explanatory view showing the velocity of water in a channel when a rectification part is constituted of only one rectification plate. Velocity of water in the channel when the rectifier is composed of two rectifier plates, an upstream rectifier plate and a downstream rectifier plate, and the downstream rectifier plate is rotated by 15 degrees with respect to the upstream rectifier plate. FIG. Velocity of water in the channel when the rectifier is composed of two rectifier plates, an upstream rectifier plate and a downstream rectifier plate, and the downstream rectifier plate is rotated by 30 degrees with respect to the upstream rectifier plate. FIG. Velocity of water in the channel when the rectifier is composed of two rectifier plates, an upstream rectifier plate and a downstream rectifier plate, and the downstream rectifier plate is rotated by 45 degrees with respect to the upstream rectifier plate. FIG. The figure (A) is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the velocity of water in the flow channel when the rectifier is composed of one dome-shaped rectifier plate (height 1 mm), and the figure (B) is a A schematic front view of a dome-shaped current plate with a height of 1 mm, and (C) a schematic side view of a dome-shaped current plate with a height of 1 mm. The figure (A) is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the velocity of water in the flow channel when the rectifier is composed of one dome-shaped rectifier plate (height 2 mm), and the figure (B) is a A schematic front view of a dome-shaped current plate with a height of 2 mm, and (C) a schematic side view of a dome-shaped current plate with a height of 2 mm. Figure (A) is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the velocity of water in the flow channel when the rectifier is composed of one dome-shaped rectifier plate (height 5 mm), and Figure (B) is a A schematic front view of a dome-shaped current plate with a height of 5 mm, and (C) a schematic side view of a dome-shaped current plate with a height of 5 mm. This is a drawing explaining the principle that the velocity of water in the flow path is uniform without variation even with a dome-shaped rectifying plate, and (A) is a schematic explanatory diagram in the case of a single flat rectifying plate. , FIG. 3(B) is a schematic explanatory diagram in the case of a dome-shaped current plate.

A fluid sterilization device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a flow path 100 through which a fluid to be sterilized flows, an introduction pipe 500 that guides the fluid to this flow path 100, and a connection between the introduction pipe 500 and the flow path 100. A light source module 200 including a light source 210 that irradiates ultraviolet rays to the fluid flowing in the flow path 100 is provided. The upstream side current plate 710 and the downstream side current plate 720 are installed at a predetermined interval, and the position of the opening 711 of the upstream side current plate 710 and the position of the opening 721 of the downstream side current plate 720 are are different.

In the following description, the fluid to be sterilized is water, but it goes without saying that the fluid sterilizer according to the present invention can also be applied to other fluids such as liquids and gases other than water.

A flow path 100 constituting this fluid sterilization device 1000 is formed into a cylindrical straight pipe type with flanges 110 and 120 provided at the starting end and the terminal end, respectively. The terminal end of this flow path 100 protrudes to the rear side of the flange 120, and a plurality of outflow holes 130 are formed at equal intervals on the side surface of this protruding portion. The plurality of outflow holes 130 are opened at the terminal end side of the flow path 100.
Note that this flow path 100 is molded from fluororesin.

An introduction pipe 500 that guides water to be sterilized into the flow path 100 is connected to the starting end of the flow path 100 . A rectifier 700 for rectifying water flowing through the flow path 100 is interposed between the introduction pipe 500 and the flow path 100.
Water is introduced into the flow path 100 from the center of the introduction pipe 500.
The introduction pipe 500 and the rectifying section 700 are made of stainless steel (SUS304).

The rectifying section 700 is composed of two rectifying plates: an upstream rectifying plate 710 installed on the upstream side and a downstream rectifying plate 720 installed on the downstream side.
The upstream side current plate 710 and the downstream side current plate 720 are formed into a circular shape corresponding to the inner shape of the flow path 100. The upstream side current plate 710 and the downstream side current plate 720 are called punching metal, and as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of circular openings 711 and 721 are opened at equal intervals. .

As shown in FIG. 2(A), the upstream side current plate 710 is a circular metal plate with an outer diameter of 32 mm and a plurality of openings 711 each having a diameter of 1 mm. Furthermore, the intervals between the plurality of openings 711 are set at a pitch of 2 mm.
Further, as shown in FIG. 2A, the downstream current plate 720 is a circular metal plate with an outer diameter of 32 mm and a plurality of openings 721 each having a diameter of 1 mm. Furthermore, the intervals between the plurality of openings 721 are set at a pitch of 2 mm.

Furthermore, in the upstream side current plate 710, the opening 711 is opened at the center of a circular metal plate with an outer diameter of 32 mm, and in the downstream side current plate 720, the center of the circular metal plate with an outer diameter of 32 mm is set as shown in FIG. 2(C). It is made to coincide with the center of an equilateral triangle formed by three openings 721 as shown in FIG.
That is, although the upstream side rectifier plate 710 and the downstream side rectifier plate 720 are formed with the same mold, the positions of the respective openings 711 and 721 are shifted by shifting the metal plates when opening the openings 711 and 721. It looks like this.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 3A, the openings 711 and 721 are opened around the intersection of three sets of parallel lines that intersect at 60 degrees. This arrangement pattern of the openings 711 and 721 is called a 60° staggered pattern.
Note that the arrangement pattern of the openings 711 and 721 is not limited to a 60° staggered pattern, but may also be a pattern called a 45° staggered pattern as shown in FIG. 3(B), or a parallel pattern as shown in FIG. 3(C). It goes without saying that the patterns may be arranged in a concentric pattern or arranged at regular intervals on concentric circles, or may be arranged in other patterns, for example, arranged at random.
Further, it goes without saying that the outer diameter dimensions of each of the current plates 710 and 720, the diameters of the openings 711 and 721, and the pitch interval are not limited to those described above.
This also applies to the following embodiments.

The same mold is used for the upstream side current plate 710 and the downstream side current plate 720, and the positions of the respective openings 711, 721 are made different by shifting the plate materials when opening the openings 711, 721. However, it goes without saying that the molds for the upstream side rectifying plate 710 and the downstream side rectifying plate 720 may be different, and the positions of the openings 711 and 721 of both the current plates 710 and 720 may be made different. .
However, the use of the same mold has the advantage of reducing manufacturing man-hours and manufacturing costs.

When processing the upstream rectifier plate 710 and the downstream rectifier plate 720, the opening 711 of the upstream rectifier plate 710 is opened by setting a mold so that the opening 711 is opened at the center of the upstream rectifier plate 710. 711 is opened, and the mold is set so that the opening 721 of the downstream side current plate 720 is opened at a position offset from the center of the downstream side current plate 720. , 721 are installed in parallel with each other with a predetermined interval, as shown in FIG. 720 and is located at a position different from the opening 721 of the opening 720 .

Note that although the opening 711 of the upstream rectifying plate 710 and the opening 721 of the downstream rectifying plate 720 shown in FIG. It may be.

An outlet pipe 600 is provided on the downstream side of the flow path 100. This lead-out pipe 600 includes a lead-out part 610 that covers a plurality of outflow holes 130 for discharging water flowing through the channel 100 to the outside, and a light source setting part 640 in which the light source module 200 is set. ing.
This outlet pipe 600 is made of stainless steel (SUS304).

The lead-out portion 610 covers the outer peripheral surface of the flow path 100 on the downstream side of the flange 120. This lead-out portion 610 forms an annular outflow path 620 that covers the outflow hole 130.
Therefore, the water flowing through the flow path 100 is led to the outflow path 620 via the discharge hole 130, and is led to the outlet 630 via the outflow path 620 and is discharged to the outside.

The light source module 200 is located at the end of the flow path 100 and includes a light source 210 that is a UVC light emitting diode that emits ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 200 nm or more and 280 nm or less, and a mounting board 220 on which the light source 210 is mounted. It has a lid part 230 on which this mounting board 220 is installed, and a glass window 400 that closes the end of the flow path 100.
That is, in the light source module 200, the glass window 400, the light source 210, the mounting board 220, and the lid part 230 are arranged in this order when viewed from the upstream side.

The glass window 400 is made of quartz glass, and a packing 410 made of fluororubber is provided around its periphery. This glass window 400 is located on the front side of the light source 210 (the side where ultraviolet rays are emitted), and allows the ultraviolet rays from the light source module 200 to pass through the water flowing in the flow path 100. . Therefore, the glass window 400 is one that can transmit ultraviolet rays emitted from the light source 210 with a wavelength of 200 nm or more and 280 nm or less.
Furthermore, this glass window 400 also has the role of preventing water flowing through the flow path 100 from entering the inside of the light source module 200.

In the fluid sterilizer 1000 configured in this way, water introduced into the flow path 100 from the introduction pipe 500 has a wavelength of 200 nm or more and 280 nm emitted from the light source 210 of the light source module 200 located at the terminal end of the flow path 100. It is effectively sterilized by ultraviolet light.

The water sterilized in the channel 100 passes through the outlet hole 130 at the end of the channel 100 → the outlet 620 of the outlet pipe 600 → the outlet 630, and is discharged to the outside.

The rectifier 700 is composed of two rectifier plates, an upstream rectifier plate 710 and a downstream rectifier plate 720, and the opening 711 of the upstream rectifier plate 710 and the opening 721 of the downstream rectifier plate 720 are In the case of misalignment, the velocity of water within the flow path 100 will be as shown in FIG.
That is, it has been confirmed that the speed of water in the flow path 100 is almost the same speed in both the center and the periphery without variation, regardless of its position.

Note that the speed of water in the flow path 100 is shown by color density, and the blacker the color, the higher the speed. Note that this way of expressing the velocity of water is the same in other drawings in this application.

On the other hand, even if the rectifying section 1700 is composed of two rectifier plates, the upstream rectifier plate 710 and the downstream rectifier plate 720, the opening 711 of the upstream rectifier plate 710 and the downstream rectifier plate 720 When the openings 721 of the flow path 100 coincide with the openings 721 of the flow path 100, the velocity of water in the flow path 100 becomes as shown in FIG.
That is, the velocity of water within the flow path 100 is large at the center and becomes smaller toward the periphery. In other words, it can be confirmed that the speed of water within the flow path 100 varies depending on the location.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the velocity of water in the flow path 100 in a fluid sterilization device incorporating a conventional rectifier configured with a single rectifier plate is large in the center and increases toward the periphery. becomes smaller according to In other words, it can be confirmed that the speed of water within the flow path 100 varies depending on the location.
In other words, the speed of water flowing through the channel 100 with one rectifying plate is almost the same as that of two rectifying plates 710 and 720 shown in FIG. 6 whose openings 711 and 721 are in the same position. I can confirm that this will happen.

When the openings 711 of the upstream rectifying plate 710 and the openings 721 of the downstream rectifying plate 720 are misaligned, the velocity of the water in the flow path 100 will be almost constant regardless of its position, regardless of its position. The reason for the same speed is considered to be as follows.
That is, since water is introduced into the flow path 100 from the center of the introduction pipe 500, water is supplied to the center of the introduction pipe 500 and, by extension, to the center of the flow path 100 over the shortest distance. However, water is supplied to the surrounding area after it has diffused. Therefore, the velocity of water in the central part is high, and the velocity of water in the peripheral part is low.

Here, if the position of the opening 711 of the upstream rectifying plate 710 and the position of the opening 721 of the downstream rectifying plate 720 are misaligned, the water in the center will also flow between the upstream rectifying plate 710 and the downstream rectifying plate 720. It is spread through the gaps between.
Moreover, water in the peripheral portion is also diffused in the gap between the upstream side current plate 710 and the downstream side current plate 720.
Therefore, the velocity of the water in the center part and the velocity of the water in the peripheral part are diffused in the gap between the upstream rectifying plate 710 and the downstream rectifying plate 720, so that they are almost uniform without variation, that is, It is considered that the velocity of water is almost uniform without variation regardless of the difference in position within the flow path 100.

When the velocity of water becomes almost uniform regardless of the position within the flow path 100, no matter where the water passes through the flow path 100, it is exposed to ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 200 nm or more and 280 nm or less emitted from the light source 210 of the light source module 200. The amount of time it takes is almost the same. Therefore, the water flowing through the flow path 100 is sterilized almost equally regardless of the position within the flow path 100.

Note that even if two current plates, the upstream side current plate 710 and the downstream side current plate 720, are used, if the openings 711 and 721 of both current plates 710 and 720 are aligned, the upstream side current flow will be Since the water that has passed through the opening 711 of the plate 710 passes through the opening 721 of the downstream current plate 720 as it is, it is not diffused in the gap between the upstream side current plate 710 and the downstream side current plate 720, and is not dispersed in the center portion. It is thought that the velocity of water in the area remains large, while the velocity of water in the surrounding area remains small. In other words, it is the same as when there is only one rectifying plate.

Therefore, even if two current plates, the upstream side current plate 710 and the downstream side current plate 720, are used, if the openings 711 and 721 of both the current plates 710 and 720 are aligned, the flow path 100 Since the time of exposure to the ultraviolet rays from the light source module 200 differs depending on the position within the flow path 100, the degree of sterilization differs depending on the position within the flow path 100.

In the embodiment described above, the upstream side current plate 710 and the downstream side current plate 720 have the same mold with the openings 711 and 721, but the opening 711 of the upstream side current plate 710 is located at the center of the upstream side current plate 710. The mold is set and the opening 711 is opened so that the opening 711 is opened at the downstream side current plate 720. However, the opening 721 of the downstream side current plate 720 is opened at a position shifted from the center of the downstream side current plate 720. The mold is set and the opening 721 is opened.
By doing so, the openings 711 and 721 of the upstream side current plate 710 and the downstream side current plate 720 are opened at different positions.

However, the method of shifting the positions of the opening 711 of the upstream rectifying plate 710 and the opening 721 of the downstream rectifying plate 720 is not limited to the above method.
Even if the upstream rectifier plate 710 does not shift its position to the downstream rectifier plate 720 and the openings 711 and 721 are opened at exactly the same positions, the upstream rectifier plate 710 does not shift its position to the downstream rectifier plate 720 when it is set in the fluid sterilizer 1000. By relatively rotating and setting the plate 720 and the downstream current plate 720, the positions of the openings 711, 721 of both the current plates 710, 720 can be shifted.

The velocity of water in the flow path 100 when the downstream side current plate 720 is rotated by 15 degrees, 30 degrees, and 45 degrees with respect to the upstream side current plate 710 is shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 and 10.
In either case, the openings 711 of the upstream current plate 710 and the openings 721 of the downstream current plate 720 do not overlap, but are shifted in position.

When the downstream rectifying plate 720 is rotated with respect to the upstream rectifying plate 710, the flow rate increases compared to when the positions of the openings 711 of the upstream rectifying plate 710 and the openings 721 of the downstream rectifying plate 720 are aligned. It can be seen that the variation in the speed of water within the path 100 is reduced.
The upstream current plate 710 and the downstream current plate 720 are circular metal plates with an outer diameter of 32 mm, in which a plurality of openings 711 each having a diameter of 1 mm are formed. Furthermore, the intervals between the plurality of openings 711 are set at a pitch of 2 mm. Both rectifying plates 710 and 720 have openings 711 and 721 at the center of a circular metal plate having an outer diameter of 32 mm.

When there is no variation in the speed of water in the flow path 100, the water flowing in the flow path 100 has a wavelength of 200 nm or more emitted from the light source 210 of the light source module 200 in almost the same way regardless of the position within the flow path 100. It can be irradiated with ultraviolet light of 280 nm or less. Therefore, the water flowing through the flow path 100 is sterilized in substantially the same way regardless of the position within the flow path 100.

In addition, in the embodiment described above, the rectifier 700 of the fluid sterilizer 1000 is provided with two rectifier plates, the upstream rectifier plate 710 and the downstream rectifier plate 720, but three or more rectifier plates may be used. Needless to say, it may be prepared in advance.

In the two embodiments described above, two current plates, namely the upstream side current plate 710 and the downstream side current plate 720, are used, but if a dome-shaped current plate 730 as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 is used, It was confirmed that even with one sheet, the variation in water velocity within the flow path 100 is reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 11(B) to 13(B), this dome-shaped rectifier plate 730 has a circular shape with an outer diameter of 32 mm, has a plurality of openings 731, and has It is formed into a dome shape that is convex toward the sides.
The intervals between the plurality of openings 731 are set at a pitch of 2 mm, and each opening 731 is opened in a 60° staggered pattern.

For example, the velocity of water in the flow path 100 when using a dome-shaped rectifying plate 730 with a height of 1 mm is as shown in FIG. 11(A). As shown in FIG. 12(A), the velocity of water in the channel 100 when using a dome-shaped rectifier plate 730 with a height of 5 mm is as follows. The result is as shown in FIG. 13(A).
As shown in FIGS. 11(A) to 13(A), the velocity of water in the central portion of the channel 100 and the velocity of water in the peripheral portions are approximately equalized, that is, It is thought that the velocity of the water will be almost uniform without any variation regardless of the difference in position.

Note that the details of the reason why the dome-shaped rectifying plate 730 makes the speed of water in the flow path 100 almost uniform without variation regardless of the position within the flow path 100 are unknown at present. However, it can be assumed that this is due to the following reasons.
If the water introduced into the flow path 100 from the introduction pipe 500 is fed by a single flat rectifying plate, the water in the peripheral area of the flow path 100 (indicated by the arrow α in FIG. 14(A)) is As shown in (A), the water in the center passes through the opening by turning at right angles twice, and the water in the center passes straight through the opening without making any bends. It is thought that the velocity of water in that part becomes smaller.
On the other hand, if the current plate 730 is dome-shaped, the water in the peripheral area of the flow path 100 (indicated by the arrow β in FIG. 14(B)) is bent twice at an obtuse angle as shown in FIG. 14(B). It passes through the opening 731. In other words, in the case of the dome-shaped current plate 730, water passes through the openings 731 more smoothly than in the case of a flat current plate, so the water flows smoothly as a whole, and the speed of the water in the channel 100 is uniform without variation. It is thought that it will become.

Further, in the fluid sterilization device 1000 described above, the fluid to be sterilized is water, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited thereto.
Of course, other fluids such as liquids other than water and gases such as gases are also included.

In the fluid sterilization device 1000 described above, the light source module 200 is composed of a light source 210 that is a UVC light emitting diode, and a mounting board 220 on which this light source 210 is mounted, and there is no space between the light source 10 and the glass window 400. However, it is also possible to fill this space with a resin mold that has excellent heat dissipation.
By filling the space with the resin mold, higher watertightness of the light source 210 can be ensured, so there is also an advantage that the watertightness of the glass window 400 does not need to be so high.

100 Flow path 200 Light source module 210 Light source 500 Introduction tube 700 Rectifier 710 Upstream rectifier plate 711 Opening (of the upstream rectifier plate) 720 Downstream rectifier plate 721 Opening (of the downstream rectifier plate)

Claims (3)

A flow channel with a circular cross section through which a fluid to be sterilized flows, an introduction pipe that guides the fluid to this flow channel, a rectifier provided between the introduction pipe and the flow channel, and a fluid flowing through the flow channel. and a light source module including a light source that irradiates the fluid with ultraviolet rays, and the rectifying section has a plurality of openings and is formed in a dome shape convex toward the upstream side of the fluid. A fluid sterilizer characterized by : The fluid sterilization device according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is a liquid . 3. The fluid sterilization device according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a UVC light emitting diode that emits ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 200 nm or more and 280 nm or less .