A cyclone defoamer for a fermenter

Abstract

A cyclone defoamer for a fermenter, characterized by comprising a disc baffle and a cyclone defoaming ring. The disc baffle is located at the center of the cyclone defoamer, and the cyclone defoaming ring is fixed to the outer periphery of the disc baffle. The disc baffle is coaxially fixed to the central stirring shaft of the fermenter. The cyclone defoaming ring has a multi-layered butterfly structure, with the interior of the butterfly shell divided into multiple cyclone channels by circumferentially distributed baffles. Each layer of the cyclone defoaming ring has a radial foam inlet on its inner periphery and a radial outlet on its outer periphery. Several foam inlet windows are axially opened on the upper surface, and baffles are provided at the foam inlet windows to facilitate foam entry. This invention features a reasonable structure, good defoaming effect, high efficiency and energy saving, meets GMP requirements, and is easy to clean and sterilize, does not accumulate material, and has no risk of contamination.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a foam elimination device, and more particularly to a vortex defoamer for fermenters, applicable to fermenters in large-scale industrial production. Background Technology

[0002] In liquid deep aerobic bio-fermentation processes, especially in fermenters used in large-scale industrial production, high ventilation and stirring speeds during peak fermentation periods generate significant amounts of foam. This foam leads to material and liquid escape, as well as the escape of live bacteria, wasting valuable components of the fermentation broth and polluting the production environment. For certain products, such as erythritol, riboflavin, and amino acids, which are known for their high foam production, the presence of foam can significantly increase the liquid level in the fermenter, severely impacting the filling coefficient and batch yield. Therefore, it is essential to control the fermentation foam generated during the production process.

[0003] Currently, industrial defoaming and defoaming methods mainly fall into two categories: chemical and physical methods. Chemical methods involve adding industrial defoamers, typically organic surfactants. While these effectively remove foam, as exogenous organic substances, they can interfere with the normal metabolism of the producing microorganisms and are toxic to certain strains. Furthermore, because defoamers cannot be metabolized by the microorganisms, they remain in the fermentation broth and enter subsequent extraction and refining stages, making them difficult to remove and affecting the quality of the final product. Physical defoaming methods involve installing defoaming paddles on the stirring shaft. These paddles come in various forms, such as serrated or serpentine grid shapes (e.g.,...). Figure 5 In traditional defoaming machines, the defoaming paddle rotates along with the mechanical stirring shaft during production, breaking up the surrounding foam. However, the defoaming effect of traditional defoaming paddles depends on the specific foam form during fermentation, resulting in a small radial control area and uneven defoaming. Another method involves injecting compressed air into the fermenter to break up the foam; however, this method causes sudden pressure changes within the fermenter during the defoaming cycle, leading to production instability. It also requires an additional air source, increasing energy consumption, and the system piping is complex, susceptible to contamination, and incurs high maintenance and investment costs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vortex defoamer for fermentation tanks that has a reasonable structure, good defoaming effect, and high efficiency and energy saving, in view of the above-mentioned technical status.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows: a vortex defoamer for a fermenter, characterized in that: it includes a disc baffle and a vortex defoamer ring, the disc baffle is located at the center of the vortex defoamer, the vortex defoamer ring is fixed on the outer periphery of the disc baffle, wherein the disc baffle is coaxially fixed on the central stirring shaft of the fermenter, the vortex defoamer ring is a multi-layered butterfly structure, the inside of the butterfly shell is divided into multiple vortex channels by partitions distributed along the circumference, each layer of the vortex defoamer ring has a radial foam inlet on the inner periphery and a radial outlet on the outer periphery, and a number of foam inlet windows are axially opened on the upper surface, and a baffle is provided at the foam inlet window to facilitate foam entry.

[0006] As an improvement, a central shaft hole is provided in the middle of the disc baffle, and a coupling is welded and fixed at the central shaft hole. The disc baffle is fixed to the central stirring shaft of the fermenter through the coupling.

[0007] Further improvements include the swirl defoaming ring having two or more layers, with the innermost swirl defoaming ring welded and fixed to the outer periphery of the disc baffle, and the outer swirl ring welded and fixed to the outside of the adjacent inner swirl ring. Defoaming grids are installed at the radial outlets of the outer periphery of each of the inner and outer swirl defoaming rings, with the defoaming grid of the inner swirl defoaming ring extending into the foam inlet of the adjacent outer swirl defoaming ring.

[0008] Furthermore, the outer radial outlet direction of the swirl defoaming ring is horizontal or downward inclined, and the angle between the final outlet and the horizontal plane is between 0 and 20°.

[0009] Furthermore, the defoaming grid is arranged in a right-angled rhombus pattern with 45° diagonal bars, or in a rectangular pattern with vertical and horizontal bars, wherein the angle between the cross section of the vertical bar and the radial direction is between 15° and 60°.

[0010] Furthermore, the baffle inside the butterfly-shaped shell of the swirling defoaming ring can be viewed as a plane or a curved surface from above.

[0011] Furthermore, the baffle is a curved surface, and its bending direction is opposite to the rotation direction of the swirling defoaming ring.

[0012] Furthermore, the upper surface of the swirling defoaming ring is an outward and downward inclined surface, the baffles are 4 to 12 evenly spaced, the foam inlet windows on each layer of the swirling defoaming ring are evenly spaced in the circumference, and their number corresponds to the number of swirling channels. The baffles are tilted forward, and the angle between the baffles and the horizontal plane is 30 to 60°.

[0013] Finally, the swirling defoaming ring decreases and extends radially on both the upper and lower conical surfaces. The height of the disc baffle is equal to or close to the weld line of the upper head.

[0014] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this invention are as follows: It features a disc baffle and a swirling defoaming ring, with the swirling defoaming ring viewed from above as having two or more layers, and simultaneously employing multiple inlets such as upper and lower inlets, and radial and axial inlets, resulting in a large foam handling capacity; it efficiently eliminates foam through multiple principles including centrifugal force-assisted squeezing and impact-cutting defoaming; it achieves uniform defoaming, resulting in a stable liquid surface and preventing material escape caused by localized foam protrusions; it requires no external power source such as an air source, relying on the fermenter's own stirring shaft for propulsion; unlike defoaming methods that add chemical defoamers, it does not interfere with the biological fermentation process or affect the extraction and refining in the later stages of fermentation, thus avoiding impacts on the final product quality. This invention features a reasonable structure, excellent defoaming effect, high efficiency and energy saving, meets GMP requirements, and is easy to clean and sterilize, does not accumulate material, and poses no risk of contamination. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure installed inside the tank according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 This is a top view of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figures 3a-3c This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the defoaming grid according to an embodiment of the present invention, where a is a 45° inclined grid, b is a rectangular grid, and c is a cross-sectional view of the rectangular grid along line CC.

[0018] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A partial sectional view along direction B;

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a defoaming paddle device (serpentine grid shape) for an existing fermentation tank. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0021] like Figures 1-4As shown, a cyclone defoamer for a fermenter includes a disc baffle 3 and cyclone defoaming rings 4 and 5. The disc baffle 3 is located at the center of the cyclone defoamer, and the cyclone defoaming rings 4 and 5 are fixed to the outer periphery of the disc baffle 3. The cyclone defoaming rings 4 and 5 are radially extended and inclined downwards as a whole, with the upper and lower conical surfaces typically both decreasing and extending. A central shaft hole is provided in the middle of the disc baffle 3, and a coupling 1 is welded and fixed at the central shaft hole. The disc baffle 3 is fixed to the central stirring shaft 2 of the fermenter through the coupling 1. The height of the disc baffle 3 is... The weld lines of the upper end cap are at the same height or close to each other. The swirling defoaming rings 4 and 5 are multi-layered butterfly structures, similar to cylindrical structures, preferably two layers. The interior of the butterfly shell is divided into multiple swirling channels by partitions 6 distributed along the circumference. Each layer of swirling defoaming rings 4 and 5 has radial foam inlets 45 and 55 on its inner circumference and radial outlets 46 and 56 on its outer circumference. Several foam inlet windows 42 and 52 are axially opened on the upper surfaces 41 and 51, and baffles 43 and 53 are provided at the foam inlet windows 42 and 5 to facilitate foam entry.

[0022] In this embodiment, the swirling defoaming rings 4 and 5 are two layers, inner and outer. The inner swirling defoaming ring 4 is welded and fixed to the outer periphery of the disc baffle 3, and the outer swirling ring 5 is welded and fixed to the outside of the inner swirling ring 4. Defoaming grids 44 are installed at the radial outlets of the outer periphery of the inner and outer swirling defoaming rings 4 and 5, respectively. The defoaming grids 44 of the inner swirling defoaming ring 4 extend into the inner periphery foam inlet 55 of the outer swirling defoaming ring 5. The radial outlet direction of the swirling defoaming rings is downward sloping, and the angle β between the final outlet and the horizontal plane is between 0 and 20°. The defoaming grids 44 are arranged in a right-angled rhombus pattern using 45° diagonal bars. Figure 3a Or a rectangular distribution composed of vertical and horizontal bars, such as... Figure 3b The angle γ between the vertical bar and the radial direction is between 15° and 60°.

[0023] The baffles 6 inside the butterfly-shaped shells of the swirl defoaming rings 4 and 5 are either planar or curved when viewed from above. In this embodiment, the baffles 6 are preferably curved, with the bending direction opposite to the rotation direction of the swirl defoaming rings 4 and 5. The upper and lower end faces of the swirl defoaming rings 4 and 5 are outwardly and downwardly inclined, similar to conical surfaces. There are 4 to 12 baffles 6 evenly spaced. The foam inlet windows 42 and 52 on each layer of swirl defoaming rings 4 and 5 are evenly spaced in a circumferential direction, and their number corresponds to the number of swirl channels. The baffles 43 and 53 are tilted forward, and the angle α between the baffles 43 and 53 and the horizontal plane is 30 to 60°.

[0024] The specific working principle is as follows:

[0025] During fermentation, the cyclone defoamer rotates together with the central stirring shaft 2. As the foam rises, it is blocked by the disc baffle 3 and then drawn into the inner and outer cyclone defoaming rings 4 and 5 by the centrifugal force of the rotation. Figure 1The flow pattern is radial. When the foam volume is large and submerges the vortex defoamer, it can be drawn in from the upper part of the disc baffle 3, such as... Figure 1 The flow pattern is radial. Foam can also be drawn in through the foam inlet windows 42 and 52 on the upper surfaces 41 and 51 of the inner and outer swirling defoaming rings 4 and 5, such as... Figure 1 Central au axial flow pattern. For example... Figure 4 As shown, in order to increase the inhalation effect, baffles 43 and 53 are provided at the rear end of the foam inlet windows 42 and 52, and the angle α between the baffles 43 and 53 and the horizontal plane is 30° to 60°.

[0026] As the height of the swirling defoaming rings 4 and 5 decreases rapidly with radial expansion, the internal space is compressed. The foam will be squeezed and broken as it moves inside. To increase the forced breakage effect and strengthen the structure, such as... Figure 2 As shown, five partition plates 6 are evenly distributed inside the swirl defoaming rings 4 and 5 to separate the space. Their bending direction is opposite to the rotation direction, which is a type of backward-curved blade.

[0027] Unbroken foam can be cut and broken by the defoaming grid 44 at the outlet of the inner swirling defoaming ring 4, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the defoaming grid 44 can have various forms, such as a combination of 45° inclined bars or a combination of straight bars and horizontal bars. The specific form and parameters are selected and adjusted according to the material characteristics and fermentation process. The defoaming grid 44 of the inner swirling defoaming ring 4 enters the outer swirling defoaming ring 5, where, due to the same structure and principle as the inner swirling defoaming ring 4, the foam is broken up again. Figure 1 As shown, the final outlet direction of the swirl defoaming rings 4 and 5 forms an angle β of 20° with the horizontal plane, and is in a downward sloping form.

[0028] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cyclone defoamer for a fermenter, characterized in that: It includes a disc baffle and a swirl defoaming ring. The disc baffle is located at the center of the swirl defoamer, and the swirl defoaming ring is fixed on the outer periphery of the disc baffle. The disc baffle is coaxially fixed on the central stirring shaft of the fermenter. The swirl defoaming ring has a multi-layered butterfly structure. The inside of the butterfly shell is divided into multiple swirl channels by partitions distributed along the circumference. Each layer of the swirl defoaming ring has a radial foam inlet on the inner periphery and a radial outlet on the outer periphery. Several foam inlet windows are axially opened on the upper surface, and baffles are provided at the foam inlet windows to facilitate foam entry. The swirling defoaming ring has two or more layers, with the innermost swirling defoaming ring welded and fixed to the outer periphery of the disc baffle. The outer swirling defoaming ring is welded and fixed to the outside of the adjacent inner swirling defoaming ring. Defoaming grids are installed at the radial outlets of the outer periphery of each inner and outer swirling defoaming ring, with the defoaming grid of the inner swirling defoaming ring extending into the foam inlet of the adjacent outer swirling defoaming ring.

2. The vortex defoamer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The disc baffle has a central shaft hole in the middle, and a coupling is welded and fixed at the central shaft hole. The disc baffle is fixed to the central stirring shaft of the fermenter through the coupling.

3. The vortex defoamer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer radial outlet direction of the swirl defoaming ring is horizontal or downward inclined, and the final outlet angle with the horizontal plane is between 0 and 20°.

4. The vortex defoamer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The defoaming grid is arranged in a right-angled rhombus pattern with 45° diagonal bars or in a rectangular pattern with vertical and horizontal bars, wherein the radial angle of the cross-section of the vertical bars is between 15° and 60°.

5. The vortex defoamer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The baffle inside the butterfly-shaped shell of the swirling defoaming ring is either flat or curved.

6. The cyclone defoamer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The baffle is curved, and its bending direction is opposite to the rotation direction of the swirling defoaming ring.

7. The vortex defoamer according to claim 6, characterized in that: The upper surface of the swirling defoaming ring is an outward and downward inclined surface. There are 4 to 12 baffles evenly spaced. The foam inlet windows on each layer of the swirling defoaming ring are evenly spaced in the circumference, and their number corresponds to the number of swirling channels. The baffles are tilted forward, and the angle between the baffles and the horizontal plane is 30 to 60°.

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