JPH0763610B2 - Powder processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Field of Industrial Application> The present invention relates to a powder processing apparatus.

In the pharmaceutical industry, fertilizer industry, food industry, etc., powders are sprayed with a treating agent such as water or a binder solution to granulate, coat and / or condition the powders. In operation, the product obtained is required to be physically and chemically homogeneous. Especially in the recent high-tech product era, such a demand is even stronger.

The present invention relates to a powder processing apparatus that meets the above demands.

<Prior art and its problems> Various types of powder granulating and / or coating devices have been proposed in the past, and a model is selected in relation to its purpose in specific use. The most common of these is a device that utilizes a fluidized bed. The apparatus sprays a treatment agent from a spraying member such as a spray nozzle while fluidizing the powder with hot air, granulates the powder, and further performs coating treatment. There is also an improved type of such an apparatus in which a circulating flow is added to the powder, or a treating agent is sprayed and dried at the same time.

However, the above-mentioned conventional device using the fluidized bed has the following problems.

1) A large amount of gas is required because it is a device that fluidizes powder only by blowing gas.

2) The particle size of the powder is greatly involved in the formation of the fluidized bed of the powder, but there is a corresponding variation in the particle size of the powder as the raw material, and the powder is fluidized exclusively by blowing gas. In the device, when trying to fluidize a large particle size powder, a small particle size powder scatters. Conversely, when trying to fluidize a small particle size powder, a large particle size powder is dispersed. Becomes difficult to fluidize. In particular, if the variation in particle size increases with granulation, it becomes more difficult to fluidize the whole. And, when the fluidization of the whole becomes difficult, the resulting product becomes physically and chemically inhomogeneous.

3) In a device that fluidizes powder exclusively by blowing gas, it is difficult to fluidize itself if the powder is fine powder of 30 μm or less.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention and Means for Solving the Problems> The present invention provides a new processing apparatus for solving the above-mentioned conventional problems.

Therefore, the present invention is that a container equipped with one to several vibration sources is supported by elastic bodies such as one to several springs so that some kind of automatic movement can be given. A supply port and a product discharge port are opened, and further, a spray member and a gas dispersion material are installed in the container, and a vibration source is operated to vibrate the container, and at the same time, a container is provided through the gas dispersion material. By blowing gas into the interior, the powder supplied from the raw material supply port is fluidized, and the treatment agent is sprayed from the spraying member to granulate, coat and / or condition the powder. The present invention relates to a powder processing apparatus.

The important point in the present invention is that even if it is a fine powder which is said to be unable to be fluidized by a conventional fluidized bed apparatus, and further, a powder having a variation in particle size, When a vibration that gives a certain kind of free movement is applied to the powder and a dispersed gas is blown into the powder from below, the powder forms a stable fluidized bed with little bubbling and slugging, as if it were a liquid. Under such a phenomenon, a treatment agent is sprayed from a spraying member to the powder in a homogeneous dispersed state forming the fluidized bed to granulate, coat and / or condition the powder. It is in.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment> FIG. 1 is an overall view showing an embodiment of the present invention in a partially sectional state. Cylindrical vertical container whose lower part is formed in an inverted cone shape
A jacket 12 through which a heat medium can flow is provided around the side area of 11, and a vibration motor 13 is provided at the lower end, the vertical container 11 is fixed to a mounting frame 14, and the mounting frame 14 is a spring. It is supported by the base 17 at 15,16. The vertical container 11 is provided with a gas discharge port 21, a fine powder return port 22, a raw material supply port 23 and a product discharge port 24 in this order from the upper side to the lower side, and the powder which will be described later is provided in the vertical container 11. A spray nozzle as a spraying member above and within the fluidized bed height of A.
31, 32 are mounted, and further, a gas dispersion material 41 is mounted below the spray nozzle 32 and the product discharge port 24. And
The gas discharge port 21 is connected to the dust collector 51, the fine powder that is entrained and scattered from the gas from the gas discharge port 21 is collected by the dust collector 51 and returned to the fine powder return port 22, and the raw material supply port 23 is The product outlet 24 is connected to the raw material container 52 via the screw conveyor 61.
By adjusting the rotation of the screw conveyor 61 according to the product discharge amount from the raw material container 52 to the raw material supply port 23
It is possible to control the amount of raw material powder supplied to the material. Then, the treatment agent sprayed from the spray nozzles 31 and 32 with the aid of compressed air from the compressor 62 is sent from the treatment agent container 53 through the metering pump 63 so that the spray amount is controlled, and further gas The gas blown into the vertical container 11 via the dispersion material 41 is blown from the blower 64 via the heater 65, the valve 66, etc. so that the blowing amount and temperature thereof are controlled.

The vibration motor 13 is operated to vibrate the vertical container 11, and thus the gas dispersion material 41, and further blows gas from the blower 64 into the vertical container 11 through the heater 65, the valve 66, and the gas dispersion material 41. Since the powder A in the vertical container 11 forms a stable fluidized bed as if it were a liquid, at this time, the treatment agent is sprayed from the spray nozzles 31 and 32 to produce the powder A as described above. It is a composition for granulating, coating and / or controlling the humidity.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are cross-sectional views of essential parts showing another embodiment of the present invention. The other configurations that are not described are the first
As in the case of the figure, the vertical container 18 is provided with raw material supply ports 25a, 25b, 25c at three locations and a product discharge port 26 in the fluidized bed height of the powder B. The spray nozzle 33 is mounted only above the height of the fluidized bed, while the vertical container 19 has a raw material supply port 27 and a gas dispersion material described later.
The product discharge ports 28 are opened at the tips of the pipes that penetrate the 43a and are inserted into the height of the fluidized bed of the powder C.
The spray nozzle 34 is installed only in the height of the fluidized bed. And, the gas dispersion materials 42, 43 are installed below the vertical containers 18, 19, and the gas dispersion materials 42, 43 are respectively the gas dispersion materials 42a, 43a at the central portion and the gas dispersion material 42b at the peripheral portion thereof. , 43b, and the gas dispersion material 43b is inclined in an inverted conical shape. In these examples, the flow states of the powders B and C can be appropriately changed by controlling the amount of gas blown between the gas dispersion materials 42a and 43a and the gas dispersion materials 42b and 43b.

In the present invention, the number of vibration generation sources represented by the vibration motor and the number of elastic bodies represented by the springs can be appropriately selected in relation to the shape and size of the container, for example. Further, as the gas dispersion material, punching metal, sintered metal, unglazed, filter cloth, or the like having an opening diameter according to each purpose can be appropriately used. And, in relation to the type of powder and the purpose of processing,
The blowing gas can be an inert gas, and the inside of the container can be operated under pressure or under reduced pressure.

<Operation> The processing apparatus according to the present invention granulates, coats, and / or adjusts the humidity of powder. The treating agent used is usually
In the case of granulation, it is a solution of the binder, in the case of coating it is the solution of the corresponding coating agent, and in the case of conditioning it is water. Then, for example, in the case of granulating and coating, as described above, the heating medium is circulated through the jacket in a fluidized state of the powder to dry the powder, and then the solution of the binder is sprayed from the spray nozzle to After granulating the powder, the solution of the coating agent is further sprayed from the spray nozzle, and drying → granulation → coating can be performed in a series of operations.

In order to make the operation of the present invention as described above clearer, the operation will be described in a concrete use state of the embodiment shown in FIG. Lower minimum diameter 300 mm × cone height 500 mm + upper diameter 60
Average particle size of about 20 in a vertical container 11 with a height of 0 mm and a height of 1000 mm
An organic substance powder (hereinafter, simply referred to as powder) having a size of μm was filled up to the upper end of the conical portion. The gas dispersion material 41 is a multilayer porous metal sintered plate having an opening diameter of 25 μm. Operate the vibration motor 13,
Vibration with an amplitude of 1.0 mm and a frequency of 1500 rpm was applied to the vertical container 11, and air was blown through the gas dispersion material 41 at the same time. The surface of the powder bulged into a flat surface and formed a stable fluidized bed as if it were a liquid without bubbling or slugging, and a clear stirring or swirling motion was observed within the height of the fluidized bed. Then, countless small bubbles were generated from the surface of the powder that had risen. In this state, steam was circulated to the jacket 12 and the heater 65 was heated to adjust the whole system to 60 ° C., and then the dextrin aqueous solution was sprayed from the spray nozzles 31 and 32. Along with the spraying, the upstream and downstream of the powder in the vertical container 11 and the swirling flow were accelerated.
After operating for 30 minutes, the granulated product discharged from the product discharge port 24 was a granular substance having an average flow diameter of about 150 μm and having a substantially spherical shape. Although the description is omitted, it goes without saying that the processing can be continuously performed as described above. <Effects of the Invention> As described above, the present invention provides mechanical vibration and gas blowing. Since the powder is fluidized by a synergistic action and the powder is granulated, coated and / or adjusted in the fluidized state, even if there is a corresponding variation in the powder, the powder is a fine powder with a particle size of 30 μm or less. However, even if it is a small amount of gas, there is an excellent effect that a physically or chemically homogeneous granulated product or coated product can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view showing an embodiment of the present invention in a partially cross-sectional state, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views of main parts showing another embodiment of the present invention. 11,18,19 …… Vertical container 12 …… Jacket, 13 …… Vibration motor 14 …… Mounting frame, 15,16 …… Spring 17 …… Base 23,25a to 25c, 27 …… Material supply port 24 , 26,28 …… Product discharge port 31 ～ 34 …… Spray nozzle 41 ～ 43 …… Gas dispersion material A ～ C …… Powder

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A container equipped with one to several vibration sources is supported by an elastic body such as one to several springs so as to give some kind of automatic movement, and the container is supplied with raw materials. A mouth and a product discharge port are opened, and a spraying member and a gas dispersion material are further installed in the container, and a vibration source is operated to vibrate the container, and at the same time, the inside of the container is passed through the gas dispersion material. By blowing gas into the powder, the powder supplied from the raw material supply port is fluidized, and the treatment agent is sprayed from the spray member to granulate, coat and / or condition the powder. Powder processing equipment. 2. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the container is controlled. 3. The temperature of the gas blown into the container through the gas dispersion material is controlled.
Item 2. The powder processing apparatus according to Item 2 or Item 2. 4. The powder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gas dispersion material is divided into a gas dispersion material in the central portion and a gas dispersion material in the peripheral portion. Body processing equipment. 5. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the gas dispersion material in the peripheral portion is inclined in an inverted conical shape. 6. The treatment of powder according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the product discharge port is opened at the tip of a pipe inserted into the fluidized bed. apparatus.