JPS62234538A - Control method for granular particle treatment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control the volatile matter such as moisture of a material to be treated with good accuracy by calculating the drying capacity of a title device from >=1 of the inlet temp., inlet humidity and supply gas volume of the gas to be supplied. CONSTITUTION:An inlet humidity sensor 33 and inlet temp. sensor 34 for the supply gas are provided to an air feed unit 2 and further, a slit gas volume sensor 35 and a flowing gas volume sensor 36 are provided to said unit. The drying capacity of the device is, therefore, calculated by a control device 9 from the inlet humidity, inlet temp. and gas volume detected by the sensors 33, 34, 35, 36 and the measured values thereof are used for the individual process controls if the supply gas is a drying gas. For example, the process ends and the next process is started when the calculated value of the moisture of the material to be treated satisfies the preset target value.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to powder and granule processing technology, in particular, automatic process control for granulation, drying, coating, mixing, etc. of pharmaceuticals and foods. It relates to techniques that can be applied to

[Conventional technology]

When processing powder or granules such as granulation, drying, coating, or mixing, moisture in the powder or granules to be processed has a large effect on the physical properties, particle size, particle size distribution, etc. of the product. It is important to control the moisture content of the powder inside to the required level.

As a method for controlling the moisture content of such powder and granular materials, the first method is
Another possible method is to have a worker manage the process subjectively while observing the processing status, or to control the time of each process using a timer.

Furthermore, as a second control method, it is conceivable to provide some kind of humidity sensor in the system to directly measure the moisture content of the object to be treated, and to determine the operating conditions based on the measured value to perform the treatment.

Furthermore, as a third control method, it is conceivable to provide a humidity sensor on the exhaust side to measure the exhaust humidity, determine operating conditions based on the measured value, and perform processing.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, the inventors have discovered that all of the above control methods have the following problems.

First, the first control method has the problem that the physical properties of the product become unstable and, moreover, requires highly skilled special technicians.

Next, in the second control method, the 1W degree sensor is installed inside the processing vessel within the system, which not only does not have good workability during operation and cleaning, but also limits the types of sensors that can be used. However, there is a serious problem in that objects to be processed, processing liquid, powder, etc. adhere to the sensor, resulting in inaccurate measured values.

Furthermore, in the case of the third control method, it is difficult to keep the sensor clean on the exhaust side, it malfunctions when used for a long time, and it is only possible to perform simple control such as increasing or decreasing the amount of spray, and it is difficult to keep the sensor clean on the exhaust side. There is a problem in that it is difficult to accurately grasp the moisture content of the process and control the process based on this.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for accurately controlling volatile components such as moisture in a workpiece.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention calculates the drying capacity of the apparatus from at least one of the inlet temperature, inlet temperature, and supply air volume of gas supplied to the apparatus, and performs process control based on the calculated value.

[Effect]

According to the above-mentioned means, measurement of moisture in the processed material or volatile content such as alcohol solvent, which is an important factor for determining the end point in granulation, drying, coating, etc., can be carried out by measuring the gas content on the artificial side of the device. Since the measurements are performed based on the inlet temperature, inlet humidity, and supply air volume, the measurements are accurate and stable. As a result, the volatile content of the material to be processed can be automatically and appropriately managed, and automatic control of the powder and granular material processing process can be realized.

〔Example〕

The figure is a schematic explanatory diagram of an embodiment of a powder processing apparatus that can implement the control method of the present invention.

The powder processing equipment of this example can be used for granulation, drying, coating, mixing, etc. of various processed materials such as pharmaceuticals and foods. , cooling, and discharge can be performed in any order and any number of times.

This powder/granular material processing apparatus includes a processing AM main unit, that is, a processing unit Ll, which performs required processing such as granulation, drying, coating, and mixing, and supplies necessary gases such as heating or cooling gas to this processing unit 1. an air supply unit 2 for discharging used gas from the processing unit 1, a raw material supply unit 4 for supplying powdered raw materials to the processing unit 1, and a raw material supply unit 4 for discharging used gas from the processing unit 1; Product discharge unit 5 for taking out from the processing unit 1
, a liquid spray unit 6 that supplies a liquid such as a binder liquid or a processing liquid such as a cochindar liquid to the powder and granules being processed, and a powder spray unit 6 that supplies powder for granulation and coating to the powder and granules that are being processed. 7, a moisture measuring unit 8 that measures the moisture content of the powder and granular material in the processing unit 1, and a moisture measuring unit 8 that is electrically connected to each unit to automatically control the units 1 to 8, and is The control device 9 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and the like that automatically controls processes such as preheating, mixing, granulation, drying, resting, coating, cooling, and discharging.

The processing unit 1 includes a processing container 10 having a generally cylindrical shape.
, a raw material input port 11 for inputting granular raw materials into the processing container 10, and a product discharge port 12 for discharging the processed product from the inside of the processing container 10 and collecting it in the product discharge unit 5.
It is equipped with A part of the lower part of the processing container 10 has a ventilation section, and there is a rotating Fi for centrifugally transferring the powder and granules.
13, a stirring member 14 that rotates independently of the rotary plate 13 above the rotary plate 13 to agitate the powder and granules on the rotary plate 13, and a stirring member 14 that is driven by a motor (not shown) to stir the powder and granules. a crushing member 15 for crushing body lumps, and the rotating plate 13
and a motor 16 that rotationally drives the stirring member 14, respectively.
and 17, and a slit gas conduit 1 that supplies gas to the annular slit between the rotating plate 13 and the processing container 10.
8 and a fluidizing gas conduit 19 for supplying fluidizing gas to the ventilation portion of the rotary plate 13 111 are provided. Also, on the outside of the side surface of the processing field 110 slightly above the rotary plate 13,
a powder spray gun 20 that supplies powder from the powder spray unit 7 into the processing container 10; and a lower liquid spray gun 21 that supplies a processing liquid such as a binder liquid or a cochindar liquid into the processing container 10 from the liquid spray unit 6. is installed.

On the other hand, an upper liquid spray gun 22 is provided at the upper part of the processing container 10 for supplying a processing liquid such as a binder liquid or a cochindar liquid from the liquid spray unit 6 into the processing container 10.
A cleaning nozzle 23, a bag filter 24, a pulse jet mechanism 25, and an air knocker 26 are provided.

The air supply unit 2 includes an air supply filter 27, an air supply fan 28, a dehumidifier 29, a high-performance filter 30, a heat exchanger 31, a bypass circuit 32, a filter 30 and a heat exchanger 31. An inlet temperature sensor 33 is provided in the air supply path between the two and detects the inlet humidity of the air supply, and a population temperature sensor 34 is provided downstream of the branch of the bypass circuit 32 and detects the inlet temperature of the air supply. , a slit gas airflow sensor 35 that detects the amount of slit gas supplied to the slit gas conduit 18, a fluidized gas airflow sensor 36 that detects the amount of fluidized gas supplied to the fluidized gas conduit 19, and a slit gas adjustment valve 37 that increases or decreases the supply amount of slit gas based on the detected value of the gas air flow sensor 35;
A fluidizing gas adjustment valve 38 is provided that increases or decreases the supply amount of fluidizing gas based on the detected value of the fluidizing gas flow rate sensor 36.

The exhaust unit 3 includes a dust collector 39 provided in an exhaust path from the processing container 10 and an exhaust fan 40 that sucks exhaust gas from the processing container 10.

Further, the raw material supply unit 4 includes a raw material measuring machine 41 and a raw material transporting machine 4 that supplies powder and granular raw materials to the raw material input port 11.
It consists of 2.

The product discharge unit 5 also includes a product collection container 43 for taking out, collecting and storing processed products from the processing container 10 through the product discharge port 12, and the product collection container 4.
It has a weighing machine 44 for measuring the amount of products stored in the container.

The liquid spray unit 6 includes an upper spray gas flow rate sensor 45 that detects the amount of spray gas supplied to the upper liquid spray gun 22 and a lower spray gas flow sensor that detects the amount of spray gas supplied to the lower liquid spray gun 21. flow sensor 46 and the upper liquid spray gun 22
an upper liquid spray pump 47 that supplies a processing liquid such as a binder liquid or a cochindal liquid to the lower liquid spray gun 21; a lower liquid spray pump 48 that supplies a processing liquid such as a binder liquid or a cochindar liquid to the lower liquid spray gun 21;
It includes a liquid tank 49, a total of ff14150, and a stirrer 51.

Further, the powder spray unit 7 includes a powder measuring machine 52.
and a powder spray gas flow rate sensor 53.

Furthermore, the moisture measuring unit 8 is provided with a sampling cylinder 54 for taking out the powder and granular material being processed in the processing container 10 outside the system for sampling, and is provided within this sampling cylinder 54. Moisture sensor 55 that non-contactly measures the moisture content of the powder and granules taken out
For example, a vacuum generator 56 extracts the powder and granules from the processing container 10 into the sampling cylinder 54 using a vacuum suction force generated by an ejector-type vacuum generation system, and a vacuum generator 56 extracts the powder and granules from the processing vessel IO into the sampling cylinder 54, and the powder and granules after moisture measurement are removed by applying pressure. A pressure generation source (not shown) that returns from the sampling cylinder 54 into the processing vessel IO, a valve 59 that opens and closes the vacuum suction pipe 58 to the vacuum generator 56, and a pressurization pipe 60 to the pressure generation source (not shown). It is equipped with a valve 61 that opens and closes. Although the pressure generation source is not shown, one connected to pressure piping of another production line can be used.

Although not shown, the sampling tube 54 includes a slide gate that connects or blocks the sampling tube 54 and the processing container 10, and a slide gate that prevents the powder inside the sampling tube 54 from leaking into the vacuum suction tube 58. It has a breathable leak-preventing member such as a wire mesh or a porous body.

The control device 9 controls the measured value of the inlet humidity from the artificial humidity/temperature sensor 33, the measured value of the inlet temperature from the inlet temperature sensor 34, and the gas flow rate from the slit gas air volume sensor 35 and the flowing gas air volume sensor 36. The drying capacity of the granular material processing apparatus is calculated based on the measured value, and the process of the granular material processing apparatus is controlled based on the calculated value.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

First, a powdered raw material to be processed is charged into the processing container 10 from the raw material supply unit 4 through the raw material input port 11 . This granular raw material is fluidized by gas from the air supply unit 2, and subjected to centrifugal rotation on the rotary plate 13 by the rotation of the rotary plate 13 in the processing container 10, and undergoes granulation, coating, drying, etc. The fluidization state of the powder raw material is further controlled by the stirring member 14 and the crushing member 15 as necessary.

On the other hand, a processing liquid such as a binder liquid or a cochindar liquid is supplied into the processing chamber of the processing container 10 from a lower liquid spray gun 21 and an upper liquid spray gun 22.
A desired powder is supplied from the powder spray gun 20, and desired processing such as granulation, coating, drying, and cooling is performed.
After the processing is completed, the product is transferred from the product discharge port 12 to the product collection container 4.
It will be collected within 3 days.

In this embodiment, the air supply unit 2 includes a supply gas inlet humidity sensor 33 and an inlet temperature sensor 34, as well as a slit gas flow rate sensor 35 and a flowing gas flow rate sensor 3.
For example, if the supplied gas is a drying gas, the sensors 33, 34, 35, 36
The drying capacity of the apparatus is calculated by the control device 9 from the measured values of the inlet humidity, population temperature, and gas flow rate detected by the controller 9, and the calculation (a) can be used for various process control.

For example, the moisture content of the material to be treated is calculated by the control device 9 from the calculated value of the drying capacity and the water supply rate obtained as described above, and when the calculated value satisfies a preset target value, the water content is calculated. A process can be completed and the next process can be started.

In addition, the control device 9 calculates an appropriate water supply rate from the calculated value of the drying capacity of the device, the desired processing time, and the desired treatment moisture setting value, and controls the supply liquid speed to the same value as the calculation result. The end point of the process can be controlled by time while automatically controlling the process.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, by providing the moisture measuring unit 8 outside the processing chamber 10 near the processing chamber, the moisture of the powder or granular material being processed can be extracted from the processing chamber to the outside of the system, and the moisture can be measured off-line. It can be carried out. In that case, a slide gate (not shown) is opened and a part of the powder in the processing container IO is taken out as a measurement sample into the sampling cylinder 54, ie, out of the system, by the vacuum suction force of the vacuum generator 56.

Thereafter, the slide gate and valve 59 are closed to seal the inside of the sampling cylinder 54, and the moisture from the powder sample is measured by the moisture sensor 55, for example, in a non-contact manner.

The value measured by the moisture sensor 55 is the control bag T! . It can be performed.

After the moisture measurement has been completed, the powder raw material can be returned to the processing container 10 from the sampling cylinder 54 by opening the slide gate and the valve 61 and using pressure from a pressure source (not shown). Therefore, the returned raw material is combined with the raw material in the processing container IO, undergoes the necessary processing, and is effectively used as a product, thereby preventing waste of raw materials.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments,
Various other variations are possible.

For example, in the above embodiment, the case where all of the population temperature, inlet humidity, and gas airflow of the drying gas are measured, but it is possible to automatically control the process by measuring two or any one of these. You may go.

Moreover, various structures other than those in the above-mentioned embodiments can be used for the processing apparatus, and it is also possible to omit one or both of the stirring member 14 and the crushing member 15 in the apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiments.

Furthermore, the present invention includes calculating not only the water content of the object to be treated but also the volatile content of alcohol solvent and the like.

Next, an experimental example according to the present invention will be explained.

(Standard operation) Charge 3.5 kg of lactose and 5 kg of corn starch into the powder processing equipment shown in the figure, and heat the powder at approximately 70°C for approximately 2.0 m.
8% H while being fluidized by an air flow of /1 liter.
PC-L (trade name, manufactured by Nippon Soda Co., Ltd.) aqueous solution
0 m j! Sprayed for 35 minutes at a speed of /+min.

The moisture content at that time was 17.0%. The granules obtained after drying had an average particle size of 220 μm and a bulk density of 0.60 g/−.

(Experiment Example 1) 3.5 kg of lactose and 1.5 kg of cornstarch were charged into the powder processing equipment shown in the figure, and heated at approximately 70°C for approximately 2.0 i/min.
8% I]P while fluidized by a win air flow.
80 ml of C-L aqueous solution! Spraying was started at a rate of /n+in. When the water content of the treated material was set at 17.0% as the spray termination condition, the calculated spray time was 1 hour and 27 minutes. The granules obtained after drying had an average particle size of 215 μm and a bulk density of 0.59 g/cd.

(Experiment Example 2) 3.5 kg of lactose and 1.5 kg of corn starch were charged into the powder processing equipment shown in the figure, and the mixture was heated at approximately 70°C and heated at approximately 2.0 i/h.
8%■(
The setting was such that the PCL aqueous solution was sprayed.

When spraying was performed for 1 hour and 25 minutes, and the moisture content of the treated material was set to 17.0%, the spray rate obtained by calculation was 83.
m17w1n was executed. The granules obtained after drying had an average particle size of 217 μrn and a bulk density of 0.60 B/cnf.
Met.

(Comparative example) 3.5 kir of lactose and 1.5 kg of cornstarch were charged into the powder processing equipment shown in the figure, and heated at about 70°C for about 2.0 r.
8% H while fluidized by an air flow of d/min.
Reproducibility was tested by spraying the PC-L aqueous solution at a rate of 7 Qml/min for 35 minutes. The granules obtained after drying had an average particle size of 195 μm and a bulk density of 0.55 g/cj.

〔Effect of the invention〕

(1), preheating, mixing, granulation, resting, coaching, cooling,
A method for controlling a powder and granular material processing device configured to enable at least two discharge steps to be performed in any order and any number of times, the method comprising controlling the inlet temperature, artificial humidity, and supply of gas supplied to the device. By calculating the drying capacity of the device from at least one of the airflow rates and performing process control based on the calculated value, the moisture content of the material to be treated or the volatile content such as alcohol solvent can be estimated using the drying gas on the drying side of the device. Since this is carried out based on at least one measurement of the inlet temperature, artificial humidity, and supply air volume, the process can be controlled accurately and stably.

(2) With the fl+, it is possible to accurately estimate the volatile content such as moisture of the processed material, which is an extremely important factor for determining the end point of granulation, coating, etc. The end point of granulation, coating, etc. can be determined based on the fixed value of the volatile content, and the feed rate can be automatically controlled.

(3) With the above-mentioned (11 and (21), it is possible to automatically control the powder or granular material processing apparatus, and it is also possible to improve product quality, work efficiency, and reduce costs.

(4) According to (1) above, the gas inlet temperature, inlet humidity, and supply air volume are detected on the inlet side of the device, so malfunctions due to contamination of sensors are suppressed like on the exhaust side, and sensors can be used. The range of types is also wider, making it possible to measure with high precision.

(5)0 The method of the present invention can be applied to various powder and granule processing apparatuses, but is particularly effective in a rotating plate assembly type fluidized bed granulation and coaching apparatus that can control the behavior of powder and granules over a wide range.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figure is a schematic explanatory diagram of an embodiment of a powder processing apparatus that can carry out the powder processing method of the present invention. 1... Processing unit, 2... Air supply unit 1-1 3... Exhaust unit, 4... Raw material supply unit, 5... Product discharge unit, 6... Liquid spray unit, 7. ...Powder spray unit, 8...Moisture measurement unit, 9...Control device, lO...Processing container, 11...Raw material input port, 12...Product discharge port, 13...Rotating plate , 14... Stirring member, 15... Crushing member, 16.17... Motor, 18... Slit gas conduit, 19... Fluid gas conduit, 20... Powder spray gun, 21. ...Lower liquid spray gun, 22, ...Upper liquid spray gun, 23...Cleaning nozzle, 24...Bac filter, 25...Pulse jet mechanism, 26...Air knocker, 27...Air supply Filter, 28... Air supply fan, 29... Dehumidifier, 30... Filter, 31... Heat exchanger, 32... Bypass circuit, 33... Inlet humidity sensor, 34... Inlet temperature sensor, 35... Slit gas airflow sensor, 36... Flowing gas flow rate sensor, 37... Slit gas IA regulating valve, 38... Flowing gas regulating valve, 39... Dust collector, 40. ... Exhaust fan, 41... Raw material measuring machine, 42... Raw material transporter, 43... Product collection container, 44... Weighing machine, 45... Upper spray gas flow rate sensor, 46... Lower spray gas flow rate sensor, 47... Upper liquid spray pump, 48... Lower liquid spray pump, 49... Liquid tank, 50... Measuring machine, 51... Stirrer, 52... Powder meter 18. 53... Powder spray gas flow rate sensor, 54... Sampling tube, 55... Moisture sensor, 56... Vacuum generator, 58... Vacuum suction pipe, 59... Valve, 60... Pressure pipe, 61...valve. Patent applicant Freund Sangyo Co., Ltd. Okawara Seisakusho Co., Ltd. Agent Patent attorney Dai Tsutsui Sodo Patent attorney Hide Matsukura Actual procedural amendment (voluntary) July 9, 1986 Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office Kuro 1) Ming t11r! 1 Patent Application No. 77591 of 1985 2 Name of the invention Control method for powder and granular material processing equipment 3 Name of person making the amendment Tsutsui International Patent Office, 4th floor, Seiwa Building, Ogawara Seisakusho Co., Ltd. (notification 366-0787) ,−
Name (8000) Yamato Tsutsui, Patent Attorney 1 "';, '5, Date of amendment order (voluntary) 2, Claims (1), Preheating, mixing, granulation, suspension, coating, cooling,
A control method for a powder and granular material processing equipment configured to enable at least two or more discharge steps to be performed in any order and any number of times, the method comprising controlling the inlet temperature, inlet humidity, and supply air volume of gas supplied to the equipment. 1. A method for controlling a powder or granular material processing apparatus, characterized in that the drying capacity of the apparatus is calculated from at least one of the above, and the process is controlled based on the calculated value. (2) Calculate the moisture content of the processed material from the calculated value of drying capacity and the labor supply rate, and when the calculated value satisfies the preset target value, the process is completed and the next process is started. The powder and granular material processing apparatus according to claim 1, which indicates that the drying capacity is started with vF@:1, Calculate the appropriate 1J minute supply speed from the calculated value, required processing time, and desired processing time setting, and automatically control the supply liquid speed so that it is the same as the calculation result, while controlling the end point of the process by time. A method for controlling a powder or granular material processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: (4) the powder or granular material processing apparatus has at least a rotary plate and a space between the periphery of the rotary plate and the inner wall of the apparatus; A slit formed in
2. The method of controlling a powder or granular material processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an air flow flowing through the slit and a spray nozzle supplying liquid and/or powder.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1), preheating, mixing, granulation, resting, coaching, cooling,
A control method for a powder and granular material processing equipment configured to enable at least two or more discharge steps to be performed in any order and any number of times, the method comprising controlling the inlet temperature, inlet humidity, and supply air volume of gas supplied to the equipment. 1. A method for controlling a powder or granular material processing apparatus, characterized in that the drying capacity of the apparatus is calculated from at least one of the above, and the process is controlled based on the calculated value. (2) Calculate the moisture content of the processed material from the calculated value of drying capacity and the water supply rate, and when the calculated value satisfies the preset target value, the process ends and the next process begins. Claim 1 characterized in that
A method for controlling a powder or granular material processing apparatus as described in 1. (3) Calculate the appropriate moisture supply rate from the calculated value of drying capacity, the required processing time, and the desired treatment moisture setting value, and process the process while automatically controlling the supply liquid rate to the same value as the calculation result. A method for controlling a powder or granular material processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the end point of the process is controlled by time. (4) The powder and granular material processing device includes at least a rotating plate, and a slit formed between the periphery of the rotating plate and the inner wall of the device;
2. The method of controlling a powder/granular material processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an air flow flowing through the slit and a spray nozzle supplying liquid and powder.