JPH07123962A - Continuously sterilizing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a continuously sterilizing device suitable for sterilizing foods and drinks, by heating a liquid at a temperature raising part, retaining and sterilizing the liquid in a conducting route of a retention part of a specific structure, capable of minimizing the retention part, having excellent insulation effect. CONSTITUTION:A liquid is heated at a temperature raising part and then retained and sterilized in a conducting route 10 of a retention part having an adjoining constitution jointly comprising a partition wall of spiral or zigzag shape to provide the objective continuously sterilizing device. The conductive route 10 of the retention part is in a double spiral form having two adjoining passageways through the partition wall 11c. The liquid flow direction in one spiral passageway is opposite to the liquid flow direction in the other spiral passageway and heat exchange is preferably carried out between liquids flowing both the passageways through the spiral route.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a continuous sterilizer, and particularly to food and drink such as juice and liquid for culture (hereinafter referred to as medium).
The present invention relates to an apparatus for continuously sterilizing miscellaneous bacteria and unnecessary bacteria.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A sterilizer is a device for killing unnecessary microorganisms such as bacterial cells in a liquid by applying heat to a liquid (which may include solid matter. The liquid will be described below). Is a device for continuously performing. The continuous sterilization apparatus comprises a temperature raising unit for raising the temperature of the liquid, or a heating unit, a retention unit for keeping the temperature of the heated liquid for a certain time for complete sterilization, and a cooling unit for cooling the heated liquid. It is widely used because it can perform large-scale processing as compared with batch operation. As an introduction to such a continuous sterilizer, there is a book "Biochemical Engineering (bottom)" (pages 211 to 220, published by the University of Tokyo Press on July 31, 1968).

FIG. 6 shows a conventional continuous sterilizer.
The raw material liquid in the raw material tank 1 passes through the heat exchanger 2, is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater 3 (heating portion), and enters the retention pipe 6 (retention portion). The raw material liquid exiting the retention pipe 6 is sterilized by heat. This raw material liquid enters the heat exchanger 2 again to give heat to the raw material liquid, then is cooled by the cooler 4 and enters the sterilization tank 5.

In this way, the raw material liquid is continuously sterilized. In the heater 3 of the temperature raising section, the temperature of the raw material liquid is generally 12
The temperature is raised to about 0 ° C. or higher, and then the liquid is retained in the retention pipe 6 in the retention section for about 60 seconds. In order to perform these operations continuously, a retention pipe as shown in FIG. 7 is used in the retention section.

[0005]

The reason for using the retention pipe in the retention part is that the length of the pipe is sufficiently long to increase the retention time of the raw material liquid passing therethrough. In addition, a thin pipe is used as the conduit so that a bypass flow does not occur due to turbulence in the raw material liquid flow in the retention part. For complete sterilization, the temperature of the liquid in the retention tube should not be reduced. For this reason, the pipe to be retained is kept warm enough.

In the retention pipe 6, it is necessary to attach a jacket or a sufficiently thick heat insulating material to the outside over the entire length of the retention pipe 6 in order to prevent the temperature of the liquid inside from decreasing.
Therefore, there is a problem that the retention portion becomes large.

An object of the present invention is to provide a continuous sterilizer in which the retention section is small, and thereby the entire apparatus is downsized.

[0008]

The retention part of the continuous sterilizer of the present invention has an adjoining structure in which the conductive paths share a partition wall.

For example, the conducting path through which the liquid flows has a spiral shape or a meandering shape. Here, the flow direction of the liquid in one spiral passage of the retention part is opposite to the flow direction of the liquid in the other spiral passage,
A configuration may be adopted in which the walls of the respective spiral-shaped conduits are double spiral-shaped conduits that share each other, and the liquid discharged from one spiral-shaped passage enters the other spiral-shaped passage.

[0010]

The conduits in the retention section are connected two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally, for example, in a spiral shape or a meandering shape, and the partition walls are shared, so that heat exchange is performed at the temperature of the liquid itself and self-keeping is performed. It will be. Therefore, the number of places to attach the heat insulating material and the like can be reduced, and the size of the retaining portion can be reduced.

At least one surface of the wall surrounding the liquid is sandwiched,
Liquid that has flowed earlier (or later) is in contact. Therefore, it means that the liquids in the stagnation portion keep each other warm. For this reason, it is not necessary to attach a large jacket or a sufficiently thick heat insulating material to the outside over the entire length, and the place where the heat should be kept can be narrowed, and the size of the retention portion can be reduced.

Further, the liquid is made to flow in one spiral-shaped conduit of the double spiral-shaped conduit and then put in the other spiral-shaped conduit so that the liquid flows on both sides of the partition wall are in opposite directions. You can Therefore, heat is exchanged between the high temperature part of one spiral conduit and the low temperature part of the other spiral conduit. As a result, the temperature of the liquid in the retention section can be made more uniform, and the sterilization effect can be improved.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The continuous sterilization apparatus of the present invention will be described below based on embodiments with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view of a retention pipe according to an embodiment of the continuous sterilization apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view.

In the figure, a retention pipe 10 replaces the retention pipe 6 of the conventional continuous sterilization apparatus shown in FIG. 5, and a flange 11b communicates with a flange 11a via a flow passage divided by a spiral partition 11c. Have a configuration.

The retention tube 10 has a drum shape, and the partition wall has a single spiral shape. The liquid heated by the heater 3 shown in FIG. 6 enters the retention pipe 10 through the flange 11a,
It passes through a spiral-shaped conductive path formed by the spiral partition wall 11c and exits from the flange 11b.

With the above-mentioned structure, the heat of the liquid that escapes from the partition wall exchanges heat between the same liquids, and the amount of heat released to the outside is reduced. Therefore, the amount of material that keeps the retention tube 10 warm is small, and the retention section can be made small.

In the above embodiment, the flow of liquid is
Although the flow was from the flange 11a to the flange 11b,
Even if this flow is reversed from the flange 11b to the flange 11a, the effect remains the same.

Next, a retaining pipe according to another embodiment will be described. In FIG. 3, the flow path connected to the opening 22a of the flange 21a and the flow path connected to the opening 22b of the flange 21b are connected via a spiral partition 21c, and both are spirally wound to form the double spiral retention pipe 20. Is forming.

The double-spiral shape is formed by aligning two pipes so that their side surfaces are in contact with each other and rolling them into a double-spiral shape. The liquid that has entered from one opening 22a flows as shown by the solid arrow and is discharged from the opening 22b. The discharged liquid enters again through the opening 22c, flows in the spiral in the opposite direction as indicated by a dotted arrow, and is discharged through the opening 22d.

Although FIG. 3 shows the discharge side opening 22b of one spiral conducting path and the introduction side opening 22c of the other spiral conducting path separately, both openings are inside the retention pipe 20. You may connect directly.

In the retention pipe of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the flow directions of the liquids flowing through the two spiral conducting paths are opposite to each other. Therefore, the temperature gradient along the flow direction of the liquid is reduced. In this way, the liquid can be kept at a constant temperature for a longer time, and the sterilization effect can be enhanced.

The retention pipe 30 shown in FIG. 4 is a further embodiment. In this retention tube 30, the conducting path is not spiral but meandering. The flow path extending from the flange portion 31a is partitioned by comb-shaped partition walls 31c that alternately project from the left and right in the drawing, and forms a meandering flow path to reach the flange portion 31b. Also in this embodiment, the heat retaining effect of the heat exchange of the liquid flowing from the flange portion 31a toward the flange portion 31b is sufficiently high, and the manufacturing is easier as compared with the embodiments of FIGS. Further, by adopting a rectangular flat plate shape, there is an advantage that the heat insulating material can be easily attached and the retaining portion can be easily fixed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the meandering conductive path 33a is formed.
May be turned back at the turning point 32, and a meandering conducting path 33b for returning may be provided along the original conducting path to form a double meandering shape. In this way, the same effect as that of the double spiral retention pipe shown in FIG. 3 can be obtained. Further, two pieces shown in FIG. 4 may be stacked and one flange portion of each conduction path may be connected. The double meandering shape or the overlapping meandering shape makes it possible to reverse the flow directions of the liquids flowing on both sides of the partition wall. Also, spiral pipes may be overlapped. The superposition is not limited to double, and may be triple or more. In the case of superposed tubing, the outer surface where all tubing contacts the outside world can be further reduced.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the single spiral and the double spiral are configured in a plane, but they may be three-dimensional ones such as a single coil and a double coil like a filament of an incandescent lamp. In that case, make a single coil or a double coil with a metal pipe, put it in a box, have good thermal conductivity in the box, and compact it while compacting a material such as metal powder with a thermal expansion coefficient similar to that of a metal pipe. It may be formed in such a manner that the barrier ribs are filled in and the partition walls are shared. You may heat-sinter as needed.

In order to lengthen the residence time, a plurality of residence pipes as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 are connected in series, and if necessary, a heater 3 is disposed between the residence pipes to control the temperature. It is good to maintain.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments.
The present invention is not limited to these. For example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, improvements, combinations, and the like can be made.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size of the retention portion, and thus it is possible to obtain a miniaturized continuous sterilizer. In addition, the heat retaining effect of the retention part can be enhanced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a cross section of a single spiral retention tube according to an embodiment of a continuous sterilization apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an appearance of a retention tube shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a cross section of a double spiral retention tube according to another embodiment of the continuous sterilization apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a cross section of a meandering retention tube according to still another embodiment of the continuous sterilization apparatus of the present invention.

5 is a view showing a cross section of a double meandering retention section according to a modified example of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 of the continuous sterilization apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flow of a conventional continuous sterilization apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an appearance of a retention portion in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 raw material tank 2 heat exchanger 3 heater 4 cooler 5 sterilization tank 6, 10, 20, 30 retention pipe 11a, 11b, 21a, 21b, 31a, 31b flange part 11c, 21c, 31c partition wall 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d opening 32 turning point

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Shoji Yoshinaga 5-2 Koyodai, Ryugasaki-shi, Ibaraki Hitachi Techno Engineering Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A continuous sterilizer for sterilizing a liquid by raising the temperature of a liquid in a temperature raising section and then retaining the liquid in a conducting path of a retaining section so that the conducting path of the retaining section has an adjacent structure sharing a partition wall. A continuous sterilizer characterized in that 2. The continuous sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the conducting path of the retaining portion is either spiral or meandering. 3. The connecting passage of the retaining portion is a double spiral having two passages adjacent to each other via a partition wall, and the liquid flow direction in one spiral passage and the spiral passage in the other spiral passage. 2. The continuous sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the flow direction of the liquid is opposite to that of the liquid, and heat exchange is performed between the liquids flowing through the both passages through the partition wall of the spiral passage.