KR20160011358A - Fluid providing apparatus for dispersing and mixing fluid by fucused ultrasound - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a fluid supplying apparatus increasing dispersion efficiency, when a mixed fluid is dispersed by an ultrasonic wave focusing apparatus. The fluid supplying apparatus for dispersing a fluid by focused ultrasonic waves according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a fluid storage part providing a path where a mixed fluid of a hydrophilic fluid and a hydrophobic fluid flows, connected to a fluid flow path in which the ultrasonic wave focusing apparatus dispersing and mixing the fluid included in the mixed fluid by focusing the ultrasonic waves is installed on one path through multiple connection parts to inject the mixed fluid to the fluid flow path, and installed to inject the mixed fluid dispersed by the ultrasonic wave focusing apparatus through the fluid flow path; and a pretreatment part providing the mixed fluid by dispersing the same into micro-size before the mixed fluid is stored in the fluid storage part.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a fluid supply device for fluid dispersion by a focused ultrasound (FLUID PROVIDING APPARATUS FOR DISPERSING AND MIXING FLUID BY FUCUSED ULTRASOUND)

The present invention relates to a technique for dispersing and mixing a mixed fluid composed of hydrophilic and hydrophobic fluids uniformly and stably in nanometer units by using ultrasonic waves without adding a dispersant such as a surfactant, To a fluid supply structure for increasing dispersion efficiency.

Recently, a variety of materials have been used to enhance the quality of cosmetics, seasonings, and medical materials. These materials are mixed and commercialized, and they are commercially supplied in a state mixed with a liquid such as water for use in edible, cosmetic or medical use.

However, the materials used in the above products can be roughly divided into a hydrophilic material and a hydrophobic material. A hydrophilic substance is a substance that is well mixed with water and has a chemical structure of a hydrophilic group. A hydrophobic substance is a substance that does not mix well with water. Typically, a substance such as oil has a hydrophobic group chemical structure.

Therefore, when a hydrophilic substance and a hydrophobic substance are mixed in the above products, the fluids must be sold in a state in which they are not mixed with each other. In this case, degradation of the quality of the product and inadequate appearance are also pointed out, Have been studied to develop a mixed fluid homogeneously mixed.

Additives such as surfactants (emulsifiers) share lipophilic groups with hydrophilic groups and are used to homogeneously mix hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances such as water and oil. However, these additives require different additives depending on the type of oil, and addition of additional additives may adversely affect the human body. Therefore, techniques for mixing hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials without using such additives Has been pointed out.

In order to solve such a problem, dispersion and mixing techniques using materials using ultrasonic waves have been proposed. Bath, Cup and Horn types have been used as typical techniques for dispersing ultrasonic waves. However, in the ultrasonic dispersion and mixing technique, it is difficult to disperse and mix a large amount of fluid, and as the static pressure in the water is lower than the vapor pressure, the water is evaporated and the air introduced into the water is bubbled due to low pressure, A cavitation phenomenon occurs unevenly, and the size of the dispersed particles is dispersed and mixed in a unit of micrometers. Therefore, a limitation has been put on the dispersing performance, As it is formed as a unit of micrometer, it has been pointed out that instability that separates into a hydrophilic substance and a hydrophobic substance again over time.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hydrophilic material and a hydrophobic material which are mixed with each other by using ultrasonic waves, uniform dispersion and mixing can be performed, and the dispersion performance can be greatly increased, and the separation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials can be minimized The present invention provides a technique for producing a stable mixed fluid, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for increasing dispersion efficiency by allowing each fluid to be evenly dispersed and mixed when a fluid is mixed using ultrasonic waves.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fluid supply device for fluid dispersion by focused ultrasound, the fluid supply device comprising: a path for moving a mixed fluid in which a hydrophilic fluid and a hydrophobic fluid are mixed, An ultrasonic focusing apparatus for dispersing and mixing the fluids contained in the mixed fluid by the focused ultrasonic waves is connected to a fluid movement path provided in one path through a plurality of connection portions to introduce the mixed fluid into the fluid movement path A fluid storage unit installed to allow the mixed fluid dispersed by the ultrasonic focusing apparatus to flow through the fluid movement path; And a pretreatment unit that disperses the mixed fluid in micrometer units and provides the mixed fluid to the fluid storage unit before the mixed fluid is stored in the fluid storage unit.

According to the present invention, by dispersing the hydrophilic fluid contained in the fluid and the hydrophobic fluid while dispersing the ultrasonic waves in the flow path of the fluid, the particles can be uniformly dispersed as the particles are dispersed and mixed in the nanometer scale, Therefore, in order to ensure stability that is not re-agglomerated, it is preferable to mix the fluid in a large unit in advance by pretreatment and disperse it in nanometer units by focused ultrasound to greatly increase the efficiency of dispersion and mixing It is effective.

That is, it is possible to minimize the occurrence of phenomenon that the separated materials are not mixed and dispersed due to the flow rate of the separated materials depending on the fluid storage state during the dispersion and mixing using the focused ultrasonic wave in the state where the ultrasonic waves are not completely mixed. Thus, the efficiency of dispersion and mixing can be greatly increased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a fluid supply device for fluid dispersion by focused ultrasound according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
2 is a view showing an example of a structure of a fluid storage portion and a connection portion according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 schematically illustrates the degree of dispersion of a mixed fluid according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a configuration example of an ultrasonic focusing apparatus for implementing an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an ultrasonic focusing fluid dispersion and mixing apparatus and method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a fluid supply device for fluid dispersion by focused ultrasound according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a fluid supply device for fluid dispersion by focused ultrasound according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a fluid storage part 10 and a pretreatment part 20.

The fluid storage portion 10 means a structure in which a mixed fluid circulated by the ultrasonic focusing device 30 and the circulation device 40 to be described below is stored. In the present invention, the mixed fluid means a fluid in which a hydrophilic fluid and a hydrophobic fluid are mixed. For example, a fluid mixed with water and oil may be an example of a mixed fluid, and examples of a mixed fluid will not be limited thereto.

The mixed fluid stored in the fluid storage portion 10 is moved through the fluid movement path 50 and is preferably moved by the circulation device 40 through the fluid movement path 50.

That is, the mixed fluid is dispersed and mixed by the ultrasonic focusing device 30 while circulating from the fluid storage portion 10 through the fluid movement path 50. The ultrasonic focusing apparatus 30 is installed in one path of the fluid movement path 50 as shown in FIG.

In this configuration, when the mixed fluid reaches a path where the ultrasonic focusing apparatus 30 is installed while the fluid moves on the fluid moving path 50, the ultrasonic wave generated by the ultrasonic focusing apparatus 30 passes through the fluid moving path 50 , And the fluids contained in the mixed fluid are dispersed in nanometer units by the focused ultrasonic waves and mixed without the emulsifier.

The mixed fluid dispersed and mixed by the ultrasonic focusing device 30 is introduced into the fluid storage portion 10 again through the fluid movement path 50 by the circulation device 40.

As the above functions are repeated, the mixed fluids that have been simply mixed in the fluid reservoir 10 are completely dispersed and homogeneously mixed. These mixed fluids enable highly homogeneous dispersion and mixing through nanometer-scale dispersion compared to other mechanical mixing, emulsifying and other conventional ultrasonic mixing devices, and especially over time, And the separation of the hydrophilic fluid and the hydrophobic fluid can be minimized.

1, the fluid storage part 10 is connected to the fluid path 50 through the first connection part 11 and the second connection part 12. As shown in FIG.

The first connection part 11 is formed such that the mixed fluid in the relatively less dispersed part of the mixed fluid stored in the fluid reservoir 10 flows into the fluid path 50 from the fluid reservoir 10, 2 connection portion 12 is formed such that a mixed fluid dispersed and mixed by the ultrasonic focusing device 30 is introduced into the fluid storage portion 10 from the fluid movement path 50.

Accordingly, as the circulation device 40 operates, the mixed fluid is circulated so as to be sequentially moved through the fluid storage part 10, the first connection part 11, the fluid movement path 50 and the second connection part 12 do.

The positions where the first connection part 11 and the second connection part 12 are formed can be set according to the specific gravity, for example.

That is, when the mixed fluid is composed of a hydrophilic fluid and a hydrophobic fluid, for example, a hydrophobic material having a smaller specific gravity than that of water and water, the first connection part 11 is connected to the second connection part 12 It can be installed in a high position. That is, since the mixed fluid in the portion where the hydrophobic substance having a low specific gravity is mixed with water should flow into the fluid transfer path 40 through the first connection portion 11. However, depending on the specific gravity of the hydrophobic substance and the hydrophilic material, it is natural that the installation positions of the first connection part 11 and the second connection part 12 may be changed.

That is, as described above, the mixed fluid in the relatively less dispersed portion of the mixed fluid flows from the fluid storage portion 10 into the fluid movement path 50 through the first connection portion 11, Any structure may be used as far as the mixed fluid dispersed by the focusing device 30 flows into the fluid reservoir 10 through the second connection portion 12. [

The fluid reservoir 10 may have a cylindrical structure, or may have a variety of structures, such as a structure having a plurality of barrier layers of different heights. The shape of the fluid storage portion 10 may be any structure for circulating the mixed fluid to be described below.

On the other hand, another example of the configuration of each connecting portion 11 is shown in Fig. 2 is a view showing an example of a structure of a fluid storage part and a connection part according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the mixed fluid stored in the fluid reservoir 10 may be classified into three regions A, B, and C, for example, depending on the specific gravity. The first connection portions 111 and 112 are formed of two connection portions 111 and 112 provided in a region where the mixed fluid of the region A having the smallest specific gravity and the region C of the region C having the largest specific gravity are located. .

The mixed fluid during dispersion includes a region (C) having a high ratio of the specific gravity of the hydrophilic fluid to the hydrophobic fluid, a region (A) having a high ratio of the low specific gravity fluid, and a region (B) in which the size is large.

Judging from the above function of the present invention, the criterion for classifying A to C is classified into three regions A, B, and C in the order of higher density of fluid having a smaller specific gravity for a fluid having a higher specific gravity It has its characteristics.

That is, a region having a high density of a fluid having a low specific gravity means a region having a specific gravity having a low specific gravity, and a region having a low specific gravity having a low concentration means a region having a specific gravity Is a high region. In this case, the region A is the region having the lowest specific gravity, the region C is the region having the lowest specific gravity and the region B is the region having the lowest specific gravity. Of the total area of the sample.

Accordingly, as mentioned above, it is possible to introduce mixed fluids into the fluid movement path 50 in a region where the density of the small specific gravity fluid is the smallest and the largest region, that is, It is preferable that the first connecting portions 111 and 112 are formed in regions A and C, respectively. On the other hand, in the case of the dispersed mixed fluid, it is preferable to flow into the region B.

By forming the first connecting portions 111 and 112 in the regions A and C, the portion having a high specific gravity and the portion having a small specific gravity are uniformly introduced into the fluid movement path 50, thereby further increasing the efficiency of dispersion and mixing .

In such a structure, the fluid having a small specific gravity will be moved to the region A again according to the degree of dispersion, and accordingly, the concentration of the fluid having a small specific gravity naturally will be maintained at a high distribution in the region A. On the other hand, the fluid with a higher specific gravity will move to the C region again depending on the degree of dispersion, so that the concentration of the fluid having a smaller specific gravity will be the lowest in the C region in the relative concentration ratio.

When this process is repeated, the difference in the concentration of the fluid having a small specific gravity with respect to the fluid having a large specific gravity is gradually reduced, resulting in complete dispersion.

As described above, it is preferable that the second connection part 12 is installed in the area B as the first connection parts 111 and 112 are provided in the areas A and C, respectively.

Referring again to FIG. 1, in order to perform the dispersion and mixing function of the mixed fluid, the mixed fluid is supplied to the fluid movement path 50 and the ultrasonic focusing apparatus 30 in the fluid storing portion 10, 1, the mixed fluid is subjected to a series of processes in advance by the preprocessing section 20 and is provided to the fluid storage section 10. [

The pretreatment unit 20 disperses the mixed fluid in micrometers before providing the fluid to the fluid reservoir 10 before storing the mixed fluid in the fluid reservoir 10.

In the fluid storage unit 10, as described above, a mixed fluid in which a hydrophilic fluid and a hydrophobic fluid are mixed is stored. At this time, even if the ultrasound focusing apparatus 30 is used, There is a great possibility that only the hydrophilic fluid flows in, the hydrophobic fluid flows in, or the hydrophilic fluid and the hydrophobic fluid flow in unison depending on the configuration.

When the hydrophilic fluid and the hydrophobic fluid are mixed together, the ultrasonic focusing device 30 disperses the particles of each fluid in the nanometer scale, thereby performing the function of uniformly mixing the fluids. Accordingly, there is a possibility that the dispersion and mixing efficiency may be deteriorated when the mixed fluid, which is not dispersed and mixed at all, is introduced as mentioned above.

Accordingly, before the mixed fluid is stored in the fluid reservoir 10, the preprocessor 20 disperses the mixed fluid in micrometers so that the hydrophilic fluid and the hydrophobic fluid are mixed in a relatively uniform state or mixed in the mixed fluid, And the mixed fluid in the mixed state is stored in the fluid reservoir 10.

The pretreatment unit 20 may include, for example, a conventional ultrasonic dispersing apparatus, such as a bath type, a cup type, and a horn type, . However, it is a matter of course that any of the devices for performing the function of dispersing and mixing the particles of the mixed fluid in micrometer units as the function of the preprocessing unit 20 can be included in the configuration of the preprocessing unit 20 .

1, a position at which the mixed fluid, which has been pretreated from the pretreatment unit 20, flows into the fluid reservoir 10 and the fluid reservoir 10 is connected to the upper side of the fluid reservoir 10 It is to be understood that the position is not limited to that shown in FIG. 1, but may be provided at other positions than the upper portion of the fluid storage portion 10.

2 and the configuration of the pretreatment unit 20 shown in Fig. 1, as described above, the dispersion and the mixing efficiency, which may occur when the mixed fluid is directly supplied to the ultrasonic focusing apparatus 30, Therefore, the efficiency of dispersion and mixing of the mixed fluid can be greatly improved, and the productivity of the mixed fluid can be greatly improved.

3 is a schematic representation of the degree of dispersion of a mixed fluid according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the mixed fluid may be classified into a first mixed fluid 100, a second mixed fluid 101, and a third mixed fluid 102.

The first mixed fluid 100 is a mixed fluid in which dispersion is not performed at all, and the hydrophilic substance (y) and the hydrophobic substance (x) are completely separated from each other. At this time, if the first mixed fluid 100 is primarily dispersed in the micrometer unit by the pretreatment unit 20, the hydrophilic substance (y) and the hydrophobic substance (x) are not completely dispersed and mixed but are uniformly distributed And the second mixed fluid 101 is formed.

The second mixed fluid 101 is stored in the fluid reservoir 10 and then flows into the ultrasonic focusing apparatus 30 to be in the state of the third mixed fluid 102. [ The third mixed fluid 102 is shown as a mixed fluid after passing through the ultrasonic focusing device 30 in FIG. 3, but as mentioned in FIGS. 1 and 2, the third mixed fluid 102 has a mixed fluid repeatedly And means a state finally formed while circulating the ultrasonic focusing apparatus 30 for a predetermined period of time.

The third mixed fluid 102 is a state in which the hydrophilic substance (y) and the hydrophobic substance (x) are completely dispersed and mixed in the nanometer scale. The mixed fluid in this state has the stability that the dispersed state of the dispersed state hardly fluctuates over time because the particles of the fluid are homogeneously mixed.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that the hydrophilic fluid and the hydrophobic fluid can be dispersed and mixed with high efficiency and high productivity and can be produced in a completely mixed state.

4 is a configuration example of an ultrasonic focusing apparatus for implementing an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, portions overlapping with the description of Figs. 1 to 3 will be omitted.

4, the ultrasonic focusing apparatus 30 includes a focusing tube 31, an ultrasonic focusing unit (not shown) including the piezoelectric vibrator 32, and a medium 33. The ultrasonic focusing apparatus 30 may be any of those other than the configuration of FIG. 4, provided that the ultrasonic focusing apparatus 30 is configured to focus the ultrasonic waves on the moving path of two or more substances that are not dissolved together and disperse and mix the materials.

The focusing tube 31 is provided so as to surround one path of the fluid movement path 50 and has a hollow. It is preferable that the focusing tube 31 is a cylindrical shape having a shaft in the longitudinal direction of the fluid movement path 50. In the embodiment of the present invention, it may be made of a metal material such as aluminum, Any material may be used as long as it is a material for transmitting ultrasonic waves generated in the piezoelectric vibrator 32 to the fluid movement path 50.

The piezoelectric vibrator 32 is a device for converting the electric energy applied from the power supply device into ultrasonic energy. In the embodiment of the present invention, a piezoelectric transducer including lead, zirconium and titanium is used as the piezoelectric ceramic However, any energy converter capable of performing such a function can be used.

The piezoelectric vibrator 32 vibrates in a radial direction in a hollow cylindrical shape of the metal tube 31 when electrical energy is applied. Ultrasonic waves generated in the piezoelectric transducer 32, that is, the ultrasonic wave focusing unit, are transmitted to the medium 33 and are immediately transmitted to the focusing tube 31. At this time, the medium 33 is filled in the focusing tube 31, A very strong focused ultrasound sound field is formed at the center of the focusing tube 31. [

At this time, one path of the fluid movement path 50 is preferably provided at the axial center of the focusing tube 31, that is, at the center of the focusing tube 31 in which the above-mentioned extremely strong focused ultrasonic sound field is formed, A concentrated focused ultrasound sound field is applied to the mixed fluid circulating through one path of the path 50. [ Accordingly, two or more materials that are not dissolved in the mixed fluid are dispersed in nanoparticle units, and the cohesive force is reduced, and they are uniformly mixed with each other.

Hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials are distinguished on the basis of their affinity for water, which is classified into the geometric shape of water droplets on a flat surface. The angle between the edge and the surface of the droplet is classified by the contact angle. When the contact angle is 90 degrees or less, the surface is defined as hydrophilic. When the contact angle is 90 degrees or more, the surface is classified as hydrophobic.

Specifically, the hydrophilic material may include a polar molecule having an electrically asymmetric structure, and the hydrophobic material means a molecule having an electrically symmetric structure.

In order to dissolve these materials, there is a method of adding a dispersant such as an emulsifier having both a hydrophilic group and a hydrophobic group as mentioned above.

However, since emulsifiers are unsuitable for use as chemicals in cosmetics, medical liquids, edible liquids, and the like, they are unstable due to the influence on the human body. In general, even when an emulsifier is added, .

Therefore, in order to uniformly mix hydrophilic materials and hydrophobic materials without adding an emulsifier, that is, to allow them to dissolve each other, it is necessary to remove the cohesive force that pulls each of the materials from each other, A process is required.

For this purpose, when the ultrasonic wave is focused through the structure as shown in FIG. 4, the dispersion is performed by energy of a very high frequency (about 400 kHz), so that the sizes of hydrophilic and hydrophobic material particles such as water and oil, The nano emulsion can be made in a very small size, for example, in the nanometer scale, so that it can be dispersed more effectively, the cavitation can be made uniform in structure, and the persistence of dispersion is greatly improved, There is an advantage that it can be greatly increased.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. That is, within the scope of the present invention, all of the components may be selectively coupled to at least one.

It is also to be understood that the terms such as " comprises, "" comprising," or "having ", as used herein, mean that a component can be implanted unless specifically stated to the contrary. But should be construed as including other elements. All terms, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as predefined terms, should be interpreted to be consistent with the contextual meanings of the related art, and are not to be construed as ideal or overly formal, unless expressly defined to the contrary.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (7)

An ultrasonic focusing device for providing a path through which a mixed fluid in which a hydrophilic fluid and a hydrophobic fluid are mixed is moved and the ultrasonic waves are focused to disperse and mix the fluids contained in the mixed fluid by the focused ultrasonic waves, A fluid storage part connected to the movement path through a plurality of connection parts to introduce the mixed fluid into the fluid movement path and to allow the mixed fluid dispersed by the ultrasonic focusing device to flow through the fluid movement path; And
And a pretreatment unit that disperses the mixed fluid in micrometer units and provides the mixed fluid to the fluid storage unit before the mixed fluid is stored in the fluid storage unit. Device. The method according to claim 1,
The plurality of connection portions may include:
A first connection part formed in a portion of the mixed fluid in which relatively less dispersed fluid is introduced from the fluid storage part into the fluid movement path; And
And a second connection part formed to allow the mixed fluid dispersed by the ultrasonic focusing device to flow from the fluid movement path to the fluid storage part. 3. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising a circulation device for circulating the mixed fluid so that the mixed fluid sequentially flows through the fluid storage part, the first connection part, the fluid movement path, and the second connection part. Fluid supply device for fluid distribution. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the mixed fluid comprises at least a hydrophobic substance having a specific gravity smaller than that of water and water,
Wherein the first connection part is installed at a higher position than the second connection part. 3. The method of claim 2,
The first connection part
And two connecting portions provided in a region where the mixed fluid in the smallest specific gravity region and the mixed fluid in the largest specific gravity region are located when the mixed fluid stored in the fluid storing portion is classified into three regions according to specific gravity, A fluid supply device for fluid dispersion by focused ultrasound. 6. The method of claim 5,
The second connection portion
Wherein the first fluid is disposed in a region where the mixed fluid in the region excluding the two regions provided with the first connecting portion is located. The method according to claim 1,
The ultrasonic focusing apparatus includes:
An ultrasonic focusing unit which is installed to surround one path of the fluid movement path and includes a hollow focusing tube and a piezoelectric vibrator connected to the outer circumferential surface of the focusing tube and generates ultrasonic waves by receiving power from a power supply unit; And
And a medium that is filled in the focusing tube and transmits ultrasonic waves generated in the ultrasonic focusing unit to one path of the fluid moving path.

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