JPH07108714B2 - Antioxidants for liquid and semi-liquid stores - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an antioxidant for liquid and semi-liquid substances.

[Conventional technology]

In general, liquid and semi-liquid products develop mold during storage,
The deterioration of quality is caused by rot, discoloration, deterioration of taste, etc. due to microorganisms, and the cause is often oxygen. Therefore, it is possible to prevent their deterioration under anoxic conditions, and as a means of forming anoxic conditions, nitrogen scene or nitrogen substitution method or a method of allowing an oxygen scavenger to coexist with stored materials in a closed system is performed. It is known that the oxygen agent method can be applied to, for example, maintaining the quality and taste of sake and soy sauce, preventing the oxidation of edible oil, preventing the discoloration of jam and tomato juice, and preventing the formation of mold.

By the way, conventionally, as a storage device in a storage tank for liquid and semi-liquid materials, it is necessary to extend the expansion and contraction due to temperature change by keeping the storage space in a closed or open type tank to keep the storage space at a minimum. A device that prevents pressure change due to the breathing action of an atmos valve or a nozzle with a filter, or a storage tank is placed in a closed tank and the air in the upper space of the tank is purged with nitrogen gas to form a nitrogen seal and the above-mentioned oxidation is performed. Some methods such as measures to prevent deterioration have been adopted.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, since the conventional storage device for storing liquid and semi-liquid substances in the storage tank is in a storage state in the presence of air, it is impossible to prevent oxidation of the storage product due to oxygen, or It is impossible to completely remove oxygen even when the nitrogen is sealed with nitrogen gas, and even if a large amount of nitrogen gas is used, the presence of oxygen in the gas composition will be allowed and eventually oxidation cannot be prevented. It was a thing. Moreover, in any case, it is difficult to deal with the temperature change in the storage tank or the change in the pressure state in the tank due to the liquid withdrawal or the like, which is difficult to deal with.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of conventional liquid and semi-liquid storage devices, and the object of the present invention is to minimize the amount of nitrogen gas used and to store it in a substantially oxygen-free state. In order to provide liquid and semi-liquid material storage devices that can store liquid and semi-liquid materials in the storage tank, make almost no loss of nitrogen gas, and can also cope with changes in conditions such as pressure in the storage tank. is there.

[Means for solving problems]

The present inventors have completed various aspects of the present invention as a result of various studies on an apparatus that circulates a gas in a storage tank by using nitrogen gas together to remove oxygen in a system gas with a deoxidizer.

That is, the present invention relates to one or more storage tanks having a structure capable of being closed, an oxygen absorber container, a filter arranged between the oxygen storage container and the oxygen absorber container, and a blower for circulating the gas in the system. A device for preventing oxidation of liquid and semi-liquid storage, which comprises a gas circulation path connecting the above equipment and a nitrogen gas holder, the nitrogen gas holder being a cylindrical tank containing an appropriate amount of water with the top open An outer cylinder having at least three rails attached to the inner surface of the part, and a bell-shaped container arranged in the outer cylinder with the upper part closed. A bell which is attached to a guide roller and which can be operated in the vertical direction, and a space inside the bell which is formed by water and the bell contained in the outer cylinder and which is connected to the gas circulation path by a pipe. Becomes, system pressure Oxygen concentration in the storage tank and the system while maintaining the equilibrium of about antioxidant system of liquid and semi-liquid reservoir, wherein substantially be 0%.

The present invention relates to a liquid or semi-liquid storage tank (one or more) capable of being sealed, a filter, an oxygen absorber container,
The oxygen scavenger consists of a blower, a gas circulation path connecting these devices, and a nitrogen gas holder connected to the gas circulation path.After the storage material is injected, the space in the storage tank is purged with nitrogen gas and then the gas in the system is circulated. Oxygen in the storage tank and the same system is removed by utilizing the action of the oxygen scavenger contained in the container and keeping the pressure in the system constant by the action of the nitrogen gas holder, and the oxygen concentration in the system is substantially zero.
A device for preventing oxidation of liquid and semi-liquid storages, which can be maintained at%, is characterized in that a deoxidizer container and a nitrogen gas holder are provided side by side in the system.

In the present invention, as the liquid and semi-liquid substance storage tank, a cylindrical vertical closed type tank is usually used.

The oxygen scavenger container in the present invention is preferably a container for storing the oxygen scavenger, and the circulation gas passes through in the direction from the lower part to the upper part. The circulating gas is deoxygenated by passing through the oxygen absorber container.

The filter in the present invention is installed between the oxygen absorber container and the storage tank, and is provided for filtering the gas introduced into the storage tank. The blower is installed to circulate the gas in the system and promote the deoxygenation in the system by the action of the oxygen scavenger contained in the oxygen scavenger container. Since the gas to be deoxidized can be efficiently sent to the oxygen absorber container, it is preferable to install the blower in front of the oxygen absorber container.

The nitrogen gas holder in the present invention has a function generally used in chemical devices and the like. This nitrogen gas holder is composed of an outer cylinder, a bell and an appropriate amount of water contained in the outer cylinder. The outer cylinder is a cylindrical tank having an open upper part, and at least three rails are vertically provided on the inner surface of the side surface part. The bell is a bell-shaped container that is placed inside the outer cylinder with the upper part closed.
A guide roller that is in contact with the rail is attached to the outer surface of the side surface, and the guide roller moves along the rail so that it can be operated in the vertical direction. An appropriate amount of water is contained in the outer cylinder, and a closed space is formed inside the bell by the water and the bell. The space inside the bell is connected to the gas circulation path by a pipe.

The space inside the bell forms the amount of water stored in the outer cylinder so that the opening end of the bell does not contact the bottom of the outer cylinder even when the volume is the smallest, the outer cylinder, the bell and the space inside the bell. It is preferable to be strict.

The nitrogen gas holder has a structure in which the bell is sealed with water as described above, and the pressure inside the bell is 100 to 500 mm water column,
The water column is preferably adjusted to 200 to 300 mm. By communicating the space inside the bell of the nitrogen gas holder with the gas circulation path, the pressure in the system becomes the same as that of the nitrogen gas holder, that is, the space inside the bell.

By providing the nitrogen gas holder connected to the gas circulation path in this way, the nitrogen gas holder plays the role of a buffer for pressure fluctuations associated with changes in the space volume in the system, and the bells respond to changes in system pressure. Rises and falls, the enclosed space volume in the bell changes, and the system pressure is maintained at a slight pressure within a certain range.

Therefore, the nitrogen gas holder is also appropriately set in consideration of the internal volume of the gas phase system of the apparatus, including the number of bells of the storage tank and the change in the gas phase volume due to the introduction and removal of the liquid material into and from the storage tank. It

The oxygen absorber contained in the oxygen absorber container may be any oxygen absorber having a function of absorbing oxygen, but a normal oxygen absorber,
For example, sulfite, bisulfite, dithionite, ferrous salts such as ferrous sulfate, hydroquinone, catechol, resorcin, pyrogallol, gallic acid, rongalit, ascorbic acid and / or its salt, isoascorbic acid and / Or its salt, sorbose, glucose, lignin, dibutylhydroxytoluene or butylhydroxyanisole containing oxygen scavenger, or an oxygen scavenger containing metal powder such as iron powder is used.
A carbon dioxide generating oxygen absorber or a carbon dioxide absorbing oxygen absorber may also be used. Of these oxygen absorbers, oxygen absorbers containing iron powder and the like are preferable. The oxygen absorber is preferably solid.

In the present invention, the storage tank, the filter, the oxygen absorber container, the blower, and the nitrogen gas holder are essential, but other mechanisms can be provided as necessary. For example, valves at various places, manometers, liquid level gauges, exhaust ports, nitrogen gas pumps, safety valves or pressure reducing valves, etc. may be mentioned.

An example of the device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. In the drawing, a blower 200, an oxygen absorber container 300, a filter 400, storage tanks 500, 500a, a nitrogen gas holder 100, a nitrogen gas cylinder.
The device is assembled with 600 and the piping that connects these devices.

First of all, when storing the stored items in the storage tank 500,
The storage tank 500 and the inside of the device are purged with nitrogen gas in advance to purge the air in the system, and then the entire system is shut off from the outside air and the blower 200 is activated to circulate the system gas and leave it in the system gas. Although there is a method of completely injecting oxygen into the storage tank 500 after completely removing oxygen through the oxygen absorber layer, it is preferable to operate by the following method in consideration of efficiency and economy. The air in the storage tank 500 is purged with nitrogen gas to create a nitrogen gas atmosphere. Of the valves attached to the storage tank 500, the liquid inlet valve 512, the circulation pipe valve 592 and the vent pipe valve 511 are opened and the other valves are opened. Is closed, and the piping circuit has a blower 200
3, 691 will be open. Under this condition, a predetermined storage material is injected into the storage tank 500, and when the injection is completed, the liquid inlet valve 512 is closed. Then, nitrogen gas is supplied from the nitrogen gas cylinder 600 to replace the air in the space in the storage tank 500 with nitrogen gas. After replacement, the vent pipe valve 511 is closed. If there are multiple storage tanks such as 500a, 500b, etc., repeat this operation in sequence and place in a nitrogen gas atmosphere. Next, open the required valve in the system internal circulation piping with a blower and blower 20
0 is started to circulate the gas in the system, and residual oxygen in the system is removed via the oxygen absorber container 300. When there are a plurality of storage tanks, the circulation gas inlet valve 591 at the top of the storage tank is appropriately adjusted in order to equalize the distribution of the circulating gas air volume by the blower 200 as much as possible. After that, nitrogen gas is separately injected into the nitrogen gas holder 100 from the nitrogen gas cylinder 600 so as to be electrically connected to the piping inside the system, and the entire system is made uniform. During storage of the stored material, the blower 200 may be started when the oxygen in the system gas is removed and the blower 200 has a predetermined value or less.

Although the stored material is stored under the above-mentioned condition, the nitrogen gas holder 100 buffers against the volume change of the system gas accompanying the temperature change of the stored material in the intermediate storage tank, and the rail attached to the outer cylinder 100. A bell 120 provided with a guide roller 121 moves up and down along the line 111, whereby the volume of the space 150 inside the bell 120 is changed and the pressure balance of the gas in the system is maintained.

When the stored material in the storage tank is extracted after storage, the operation method differs depending on whether an appropriate amount is extracted or the entire amount is extracted. First, when extracting an appropriate amount, open the liquid outlet valve 513 of the storage tank 500 for extracting,
There is no need to operate any valves attached to other storage tanks,
The required amount can be extracted. Nitrogen gas holder is used for the pressure change due to the liquid level drop in the storage tank.
100 buffers to maintain pressure balance as before.
On the other hand, when extracting the total amount of the liquid in the storage tank, the same operation as above can be performed, but the nitrogen gas holder
It is preferable to carry out the operation by the following method because it may increase the volume of 100 and may cause a loss of atmospheric gas or nitrogen gas. That is, the set of valves attached to the storage tank 500 is closed, then the vent pipe valve 511 and the liquid outlet valve 5 are closed.
13 is opened and the whole quantity is extracted. The inside of the storage tank that has completed the extraction of the liquid is entirely replaced with air, so the liquid is kept as it is until the next liquid injection. When re-injecting the liquid, the operation initially performed is repeated.

Regarding the handling of the oxygen scavenger container 300, it is not necessary to use the oxygen scavenger after the above-mentioned operation is performed to form the oxygen scavenging state in the apparatus system, and thereafter, operations such as injecting or withdrawing the stored matter in the storage tank are performed. Therefore, unless the air is introduced from the outside of the system, the deoxidized state is maintained, so that the deoxidant is not necessary. The operation of loading and replacing the oxygen absorber in the oxygen absorber container 300 is performed by first closing the system gas circulation piping valves before and after the oxygen absorber container 300 and removing the upper lid of the oxygen absorber container 300, and after the work is completed. The upper lid is sealed, and then the valves in front of and behind the oxygen absorber container 300 are opened to start the oxygen absorber start state.

〔The invention's effect〕

In the device of the present invention, the problem of residual oxygen in the conventional liquid or semi-liquid storage device is solved by installing a deoxidizer container, and storage of liquid quantity fluctuation of storage material, oxygen absorption and change of storage temperature, etc. Sensitive to changes in pressure in the tank system, the atmospheric gas in the system is not purged, and there is no need to inhale the outside air, and the equilibrium state in the system is maintained efficiently and at low pressure. It Therefore, by using the apparatus of the present invention, liquid and semi-liquid substances that are easily deteriorated by oxidation, such as sake, wine, soy sauce, jam, mayonnaise, and dressing, can be preferably stored.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the antioxidant for liquid and semi-liquid stored materials of the present invention. In the figure, 100 ... Nitrogen gas holder, 110 ... Outer cylinder 111 ... Rail, 120 ... Bell 121 ... Guide roller, 130 ... Water 131 ... Water inlet, 132 ... Water outlet 140 ... Piping Open end, 150 …… Space inside the bell 191 …… Valve, 200 …… Blower 201 …… Stop valve, 300 …… Oxygen absorber container, 400 …… Filter, 500 …… Storage tank 500 a …… Storage tank, 511 Vent pipe valve 512 …… Liquid inlet valve, 513 …… Liquid outlet valve 514 …… Liquid level gauge, 519 …… Pressure gauge 591 …… Valve, 592 …… Valve 593 …… Valve, 600 …… Nitrogen gas cylinder 601 ... Reducing valve, 602 ... Safety valve 609 ... Pressure gauge, 691 ... Representing valve.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. One or more storage tanks having a structure capable of being sealed, an oxygen absorber container, a filter arranged between the storage tank and the oxygen absorber container, and a blower for circulating gas in the system. An apparatus for preventing the oxidation of liquid and semi-liquid storage, which comprises a gas circulation path connecting the above equipment and a nitrogen gas holder, the nitrogen gas holder being a cylindrical tank containing an appropriate amount of water and having an open top. An outer cylinder having at least three rails attached to the inner surface of the part, and a bell-shaped container arranged in the outer cylinder with the upper part closed. A bell which is attached to a guide roller and which can be operated in the vertical direction, and a space inside the bell which is formed by water and the bell contained in the outer cylinder and which is connected to the gas circulation path by a pipe. And the equilibrium of system pressure Antioxidant system of liquid and semi-liquid reservoir, characterized in that to keep the oxygen concentration in the storage tank and system lifting while being substantially 0%.