WO2014057230A1

WO2014057230A1 - Saturator for injecting a gas into a liquid

Info

Publication number: WO2014057230A1
Application number: PCT/FR2013/052437
Authority: WO
Inventors: Vincent Jung; Jordan MANGENOT; Guillaume WURGER; Delphine Chmura
Original assignee: Sdel Alsace
Priority date: 2012-10-12
Filing date: 2013-10-11
Publication date: 2014-04-17
Also published as: EP2906332A1; FR2996781B1; FR2996781A1

Abstract

The present invention concerns a saturator (1) for injecting a gas into a liquid, comprising a body (2) in which a flow of liquid circulates from, upstream, at least one inlet opening (3) to at least one outlet opening (4) located downstream, said body (2) comprising at least one gas injection device (5) upstream and in the axis (7) of a central core (6) for dispersing said gas into said liquid. Said saturator (1) is characterised in that the gas injection device (5) is located at a distance from the central core (6) of between 2 and 20 mm, in order to prevent the gas from taking preferential paths between the gas injection device (5) and the central core (6).

Description

Saturator for injecting a gas into a liquid

The present invention relates to the field of devices for injecting and dispersing gas in any liquid, these devices being in particular designated by the term "saturator" because they allow saturation of a liquid by a gas.

The present invention will find its application mainly in the field of facilities intended in particular to allow the injection of gas into a liquid, for example, but not limited to, an injection of carbon dioxide C0 ₂ for the carbonation of said liquid.

Traditionally, the saturators known in the state of the art consist of a body with an inlet and an outlet and inside which circulates a flow of liquid. They also include a device for injecting a gas into the liquid.

In order to promote the dissolution of the gas, various means are implemented downstream of the injection device, in particular means increasing the turbulence and therefore the contact between the gas bubbles with the liquid.

Thus, patent document EP 2,060,318, for example, describes a saturator comprising a gas diffuser located upstream of a turbulence chamber.

In a different way, in the US patent document

4 173 178, it is proposed to introduce carbon dioxide into a portion of the liquid that has been previously taken from a main line to be circulated in a secondary line, or "bypass" line. It is thus at the level of the latter that is performed the injection of carbon dioxide into the liquid.

According to another state of the art, corresponding to the patent document F 2 949 355, it is known to provide on the internal walls of the body of the saturator annular turbulence projections, and to implant axially in this case. saturator a central dispersion core, both defining rings of turbulence.

In this document F 2 949 355, the gas injection device comprises a membrane anti-return device having a tubular shape and surrounding orifices distributed in a ring on a hollow diffuser, substantially cylindrical and closed at its lower end. This injection device is placed at a certain distance upstream of the axially adjustable central core, in particular by means of a threaded stud adjustment device. In short, this core, with the annular projections, acts as a valve and, depending on its axial positioning, it decreases or increases the annular passage section of the liquid. As a result, there is an increase or decrease in the pressure drop across the saturator, making it possible to optimize the dissolution of the gas within the liquid.

It was found that such a saturator, very powerful in itself, could still be improved in its performance while being simplified in its design, in sum that this saturator was likely to be further improved.

It is within the framework of an inventive step that it has been found that the main disadvantage of existing saturators results from preferential paths, borrowed through the saturator by the gas injected into the liquid. The consequence of the presence of these preferential paths is a distribution and unsatisfactory stability of the gas in the liquid.

In the particular case where the gas injected into the liquid consists of C0 ₂ , insufficient stability of the gas causes a strong disgorging or overactivity, the opening of the bottle containing the liquid. In addition, if the liquid is not consumed quickly after opening, the amount of gas contained in said liquid decreases rapidly to be almost zero, which is unpleasant for the consumer.

Another disadvantage lies in the fact that, when the flow of liquid in the saturator is low, the gas and the liquid, because of their difference in density and speed, tend to form a two-phase mixture upstream of the turbulence means. As a result, the gas will tend to flow, then to accumulate, in the upper part of the saturator, which causes a non-homogeneous distribution of said gas within the liquid, and therefore a low dissolution efficiency.

In a second inventive step, it was highlighted the importance of the distance separating the injection device from the dissolution means and in particular from the central dispersion core, to remedy these problems resulting from preferential paths of the gas in the saturator.

Indeed, no document of the state of the art makes mention of this problematic, and, consequently, does not give a solution making it possible to solve it and to answer the expectations of the professionals of the sector.

In particular, devices for mixing two liquids are known, in particular in the patent document WO 2006/060282. More particularly, the device described in the latter is intended to allow the mixing and lysis of cells in order to promote a release of biological compounds of interest. A cell suspension is fed, via an inlet pipe, to a conduit in which a lysis solution circulates. In order to further facilitate the lysis of the cells, the device described in this document may optionally include an impact target whose objective is to destroy the cell aggregates present in the suspension.

However, such a device is in no way adapted to the injection of a gas into a liquid, nor, a fortiori, to a saturation of said liquid by such a gas. In addition, the device object of the aforementioned document does not evoke in any case, nor solves, the problems related to preferential paths that can take a gas in a liquid.

It is the same in the patent document US 2009/0079107, which describes a mixer for mixing a liquid additive with a polymer dissolved in a solvent. For this purpose, the mixer comprises a mixing duct, in which flows the polymer stream, and a conduit for supplying a liquid additive. In the mixing duct, a mixing chamber is provided, the latter having a rotatable rotor hub so as to create a shear flow in order to facilitate mixing between the solution incorporating the liquid additive and the polymer.

The invention thus offers the possibility of overcoming the various disadvantages of the state of the art by proposing a saturator in which the distance between the gas injection device and the central core is reduced compared to the distance that traditionally exists between these two elements of a saturator.

For this purpose, the present invention relates to a saturator for injecting a gas into a liquid, comprising a body in which a flow of liquid flows from, upstream, at least one inlet orifice to at least one orifice of outlet located downstream, said body comprising at least one gas injection device upstream and in the axis of a central dispersion core of said gas within said liquid. The saturator according to the invention is characterized in that the gas injection device is located at a distance from the central core of between 2 and 20 mm, to prevent said gas from passing preferentially between the injection device of the gas injection device. gas and the central core.

More particularly, this distance between the gas injection device and the central core may be between 5 and 10 mm.

More preferably still, this distance is between 6 and 8 mm.

Such a distance, between 6 and 8 mm, between the gas injection device and the central core, still allows an improvement in the dissolution of the gas in the liquid, because the preferential paths of the gas within said liquid are virtually non-existent .

According to a very interesting embodiment, the gas injection device constitutes fastening means and maintaining the central core in axial position in the body of said saturator.

Advantageously, the gas injection device constitutes a means for adjusting the axial positioning of the central core in the body of said saturator.

According to another feature of the invention, the central core defined, with the inner wall of the saturator body, at least one turbulence ring.

More particularly, a turbulence ring is defined on the one hand by two successive circular protrusions offset axially along the inner wall of the body of the saturator and on the other hand by two peripheral edges of the central core each acting with a circular projection so forming a valve and a valve seat.

Interestingly, the body of said saturator may be composed of one or more modules, each module comprising a tubular body and a central core provided with at least one end of connection means to another module and / or an injection module and / or an output module and / or an input sleeve and / or an output sleeve.

The present invention has many advantages. On the one hand, the device according to the invention makes it possible to substantially counteract the creation of preferential paths taken by the gas through the saturator. As a result, the present device allows optimum distribution and dissolution of said gas in the liquid. On the other hand, the saturator according to the invention also makes it possible to prevent the formation of a diphasic mixture between the gas and the liquid upstream of the turbulence means, such a formation also disadvantages a satisfactory dissolution of the gas within the liquid. .

Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments of the invention, with reference to the single appended figure schematically showing a cross-sectional view of one of the modes. of realization of the saturator according to the invention. As shown in Figure 1, the present invention relates to a saturator 1 for allowing the injection of a gas into a liquid.

The present saturator 1 is intended more particularly to be integrated into an installation allowing in particular the carbonation of a liquid and / or the extraction of a gas contained in a liquid.

The term "carbonation" is understood to mean dissolving carbon dioxide C0 ₂ in a liquid. As regards the extraction of a gas dissolved in a liquid, this is done traditionally by the addition of a second gas, called entrainment gas, in this liquid. The dissolved gas to be extracted may in particular consist of O ₂ dioxygen; in this case, the removal of this dissolved gas is called "deaeration", or "deoxygenation".

The gas which is injected into the liquid, via the saturator 1 according to the invention, can be arbitrary. It may especially consist of carbon dioxide C0 ₂ , dinitrogen N ₂ , or even oxygen 0 ₂ . It is also possible to inject into a liquid a mixture composed of several of these gases.

The liquid into which the gas is injected can also be of any type; for example, said liquid may consist of any beverage, with or without pulp, carbonated or not, such as in particular fruit juice, wine, cider, milk, beer, syrup, water, or alternatively a mixture incorporating several of these liquids, such as for example a mixture consisting of water and a syrup. This liquid may also consist, for example, of soup, sauce, soda or lemonade.

When the gas injected into the liquid via the present saturator 1 consists of carbon dioxide C0 ₂ , said saturator 1 makes it possible to carbonate said liquid by dissolving the C0 ₂ therein; a gaseous drink is thus obtained, for example gaseous water in the case where the liquid consists of water. According to another example of application of the invention, the gas injected into the liquid may consist of dinitrogen N ₂ . In this case, said liquid may then be conveyed to a device for enabling a drive, for example, oxygen 0 _2, naturally present and dissolved in the liquid. The entrainment of the oxygen is thus facilitated by the nitrogen N ₂ dissolved via the saturator 1. This advantageously makes it possible to considerably reduce the concentration of O ₂ O ₂ present initially in the liquid, and thus to avoid the phenomena of oxidation that may result from the presence of this gas in the liquid.

Returning now to the saturator 1 in itself, it comprises a body 2, preferably substantially tubular, through which flows any liquid flow.

Said flow of liquid passes through the body 2 of the saturator 1 from at least one upstream inlet opening 3 to at least one outlet orifice 4 situated downstream with respect to said inlet orifice 3.

The body 2 of the saturator 1 according to the present invention also comprises at least one gas injection device 5 located upstream of the dissolution means. Such a gas injection device 5 is preferred to a Venturi suction device, which could also allow dissolution of the gas in a liquid, but with which this dissolution would be less effective.

In addition, downstream of this injection device 5 may be placed a central core 6, the latter being more particularly intended to promote diffusion of the gas injected into said liquid.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the body 2 of the saturator 1, of tubular section, extends symmetrically about an axis 7 between its inlet 3 and its outlet 4, said injection device 5 and the central core 6 being themselves axially arranged in this body 2 of said saturator 1. In a particularly novel way, the gas injection device 5, in other words the point where the gas comes into contact with the liquid, is situated, upstream of the central core 6, at a sufficiently small distance for the gas injected a part does not take preferential paths in the liquid between the injection device 5 and said core 6 and secondly diffuses substantially uniformly and homogeneously in the annular space around the latter.

More specifically, this distance between the injection device 5 and said central core 6 is between 2 and 20 mm.

More preferably, this distance is between 5 and 10 mm.

By applying such a distance, the preferential paths taken by the gas within said liquid are substantially reduced. As a result, the dissolution of the gas in the liquid is better, and when the gas consists of C0 ₂ , the carbonation of the liquid is optimal.

Preferably, this distance between 6 and 8 mm.

The choice of such a distance, between the point where the gas is injected into the liquid and the central core 6, further improves the dissolution of said gas in a liquid, further reducing the preferred paths taken by said gas.

Preferably, the gas injection device 5 comprises a cylindrical injection nozzle 8 whose axis coincides with the axis 7 of the body 2 of the saturator 1, said injection nozzle 8 comprising at least, at its end, a gas injection orifice in the axis 7 of the body 2 of said saturator 1, said injection orifice being situated at the aforementioned distance from the central core 6.

According to another embodiment, which is that represented in the appended FIGURE, the injection nozzle 8 comprises, at its periphery and at the distance mentioned above with respect to the central core 6, injection orifices 9 of FIG. gas advantageously distributed regularly around said nozzle 8.

Preferably, said injection nozzle 8 comprises means for connection to an external gas supply. In particular, these connecting means are defined by a connection duct 10 passing through the wall of the body 2 of the saturator 1.

Thus, these connection means constitute means for holding and axial positioning of the injection nozzle 8 in the body 2 of the saturator 1.

Advantageously, the injection device 5 constitutes substantially means for fixing and holding the central core 6 in axial position in the body 2 of the saturator 1.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the saturator 1, the central core 6 is fixed on the downstream end of the injection nozzle 8.

More particularly still, said injection nozzle 8 is extended, beyond the injection orifice (s) 9, by a tip 11 for fixing the central core 6.

According to yet another embodiment, the saturator 1 according to the invention comprises means for adjusting the axial positioning of the central core 6 inside the body 2 of said saturator 1.

Advantageously, these adjustment means are constituted by the attachment tip 11 associated with the injection nozzle 8.

In particular, this fastener 11 is defined in the form of a threaded rod on which is screwed the central core 6 through a threaded hole of adapted section, the latter being provided axially at the upstream end. of the central nucleus 6.

In a particularly advantageous manner, said central core

6 of the saturator 1 defines, with the inner wall 12 of the body 2 of said saturator 1, at least one turbulence ring 13.

Such a turbulence ring 13 is more precisely defined on the one hand at the inner wall 12 of the body 2 of the saturator 1 by two projections 14, 141 successive circular and offset axially along this inner wall 12 and, secondly, at the central core 6 by two flanges 15, 151 each acting respectively with a circular projection 14, 141, in the manner of a valve and a valve seat.

As can be seen in the appended FIGURE, between these two successive circular protrusions 14, 141 and these two flanges 15, 151 of the central core 6, there appears an annular space corresponding to said turbulence ring 13.

The central core 6 can then act from bottom to top or from top to bottom, a flange 15, 151 and a circular projection 14, 141 can then cooperate jointly, one being arranged above the other as it appears on the attached figure.

According to an advantageous embodiment, not visible in the appended figure, between two circular projections 14, 141, the inner wall 12 of the body 2 of the saturator 1 can be configured in the form of one or more cavities, the latter again contributing to increase the desired turbulence effect for a good dissolution of the gas within the liquid.

Advantageously, the saturator 1 according to the invention may also comprise at least one means for injecting a complementary component into the liquid circulating in said saturator, this component possibly being a flocculant or a coagulant.

The present invention also relates to a saturator 1 whose body is composed of several adjacent modules, each of these modules comprising at least, on the one hand, a tubular body 2 and, on the other hand, a central core 6.

In addition these adjacent modules are preferably provided with at least one of their upstream ends and / or downstream connection means for connecting a module to a previous module and / or a next module. Such connection means may take the form of connection flanges well known to those skilled in the art.

Advantageously, the first module, located upstream of the following module or modules, forms an injection module with the orifice upstream inlet 3 and comprises at least one gas injection device 5. The last module, located downstream of the other modules, constitutes an output module with a downstream outlet orifice 4.

Thus, for example, when the saturator 1 comprises three adjacent modules, that is to say an injection module, an intermediate module and an output module, said intermediate module comprises, on the one hand, at its upstream end, connecting means to the injection module and, at its downstream end, connecting means to the output module.

However, according to a preferred embodiment, all the core core modules 6 are identical, the saturator 1 further comprising an inlet sleeve with an upstream inlet port 3 and equipped with an injection device 5, as well as an outlet sleeve provided with a downstream outlet port 4.

FIG. 1 further illustrates a combination of these two solutions, the saturator 1 consisting of an inlet sleeve with an inlet orifice 3 and an injection device 5 and an exit module, comprising, itself, a tubular body 2 with central core 6 and an outlet port 4. Between this inlet sleeve and the output module are interchangeable one or more intermediate modules. This solution has the advantage of facilitating assembly; in fact, on the inlet sleeve can be fixed the central cores 6, themselves connectable to each other, thanks to suitable connection means, in particular screw-type or similar.

In this way each module can form a dissolution stage, the saturator 1 having as many stages as desired.

Note in passing, that each floor itself may include one or more rings of turbulence 13.

As regards the various applications of the saturator 1 according to the present invention, it can in particular be integrated into a more complex installation intended to allow the carbonation of liquids from liquid and gaseous constituents.

Such an installation is for example described in more detail in the French patent application number F 2 949 355.

The present saturator 1 can also be inserted into an installation intended to allow the elimination of a gas dissolved naturally in a liquid, said gas being able in particular to consist of dioxygen. In this case, the gas injected via said saturator 1 serves as a gas for driving the second gas present in the liquid.

Such an application is particularly advantageous in the case where the liquid in question consists for example of wine and it is desired to deoxygenate the latter; then, in the wine, dinitrogen N ₂ is injected, via the saturator 1 according to the invention, so as to facilitate the entrainment of oxygen O ₂ by N ₂ . The liquid to be deoxygenated may also consist of any type of liquid.

More particularly, when the N ₂ dinitrogen is injected into a liquid with the saturator 1 according to the invention, it was determined that the deoxygenation efficiency was improved by about 30% compared to a deoxygenation of a liquid when the gas The N _{2 drive} is injected via a conventional saturator of the state of the art. In other words, the amount of dissolved oxygen is about 30% less with the present saturator 1, which is made possible by the excellent dissolution of N ₂ in the liquid. As a result, the oxidation phenomena in the liquid in question are substantially reduced.

It is also possible that one wants to remove carbon dioxide C0 ₂ present in a liquid, especially in water having a natural carbonation at the source. In this case, the gas injected via the saturator 1 according to the invention may consist in particular of nitrogen N ₂ and / or oxygen 0 ₂ and / or any other gas and / or gas mixture. Once the injection of gas via the saturator 1 has been carried out, the entrainment of the dissolved gas can be obtained by any means known to those skilled in the art. Traditionally, the liquid to be deoxygenated is placed in a tank, which can optionally be placed and kept under vacuum by the action of a vacuum pump.

After the step of removing a gas naturally dissolved in a liquid, it is still possible to carbonate it, always via the saturator 1 according to the present invention. Thus, an installation may comprise on the one hand a first saturator 1 intended to allow a dissolution of a entrainment gas favoring the elimination of a gas naturally present in a liquid and, on the other hand, downstream thereof. first saturator 1, a second saturator 1 for the carbonation of this same liquid by dissolving CO ₂ in the latter.

In a particularly advantageous manner, and which is apparent from the whole of the present description, the saturator 1 according to the invention allows a better dispersion performance of the gas in the liquid in which it is injected, compared to the saturators conventionally used in the state of the art. An improvement in this efficiency is due in particular to the fact that the present saturator 1 makes it possible to prevent the gas from taking preferential paths before reaching the central core 6 of said saturator 1.

Claims

Saturator (1) for injecting a gas into a liquid, comprising a body (2) in which a flow of liquid flows from, upstream, at least one inlet orifice (3) to at least one orifice of outlet (4) located downstream, said body (2) comprising at least one gas injection device (5) upstream and in the axis (7) of a central core (6) for dispersing said gas within said liquid, said saturator (1) being characterized in that the gas injection device (5) is located at a distance from the central core (6) of between 2 and 20 mm, to prevent said gas from taking preferential paths between the gas injection device (5) and the central core (6).

Saturator (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that the distance between the gas injection device (5) and the central core (6) is between 5 and 10mm.

Saturator (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that the distance between the gas injection device (5) and the central core (6) is between 6 and 8 mm.

Saturator (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that the gas injection device (5) constitutes means for fixing and maintaining the central core (6) in axial position in the body (2). ) of said saturator (1).

Saturator (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that the gas injection device (5) constitutes a means for adjusting the axial positioning of the central core (6) in the body (2) of said saturator (D · Saturator (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5 characterized in that the central core (6) defined, with the inner wall (12) of the body (2) of the saturator (1), at least one ring of turbulence (13).

Saturator (1) according to claim 6 characterized in that a turbulence ring (13) is defined on the one hand by two successive circular projections (14, 141) offset axially along the inner wall (12) of the body ( 2) of the saturator (1) and secondly by two peripheral flanges (15, 151) of the central core (6) each acting with a circular projection (14) so as to form a valve and a valve seat.

Saturator (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7 characterized in that the body (2) of said saturator (1) is composed of one or more modules, each module comprising a tubular body (2) and a central core (6) provided at least one end of connecting means to another module and / or an injection module and / or an output module and / or an inlet sleeve and / or an outlet sleeve.