Liquid material vaporization device

Abstract

Provided is a liquid material gasification device that can heat a liquid material supply tube without providing a supply tube heating mechanism for heating the liquid material supply tube, the liquid material gasification device including: a gas-liquid mixing section (2) that mixes a liquid material with a gas to generate a gas-liquid mixture; a liquid material supply tube (4) that supplies the liquid material to the gas-liquid mixing section (2); a gasification section (3) that heats the gas-liquid mixture to gasify the liquid material; and a housing (7) that houses the gas-liquid mixing section (2), the gasification section (3), and the liquid material supply tube (4), a flow path (R) that guides heat convection from the gasification section (3) to the liquid material supply tube (4) being formed inside the housing (7).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a device for vaporizing liquid materials. Background Technology

[0002] As a conventional liquid material vaporization device, as shown in Patent Document 1, the following device can be considered: the liquid material is mixed with the carrier gas through the gas-liquid mixing section to generate a gas-liquid mixture, and the gas-liquid mixture is introduced into the vaporization section to vaporize the liquid material.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-104815

[0005] like Figure 4 As shown, in addition to a heating mechanism for the vaporization section for heating the vaporization section, this liquid material vaporization apparatus also includes a heating mechanism for the supply pipe for heating the liquid material supply pipe that supplies liquid material to the gas-liquid mixing section. This supply pipe heating mechanism has a heating block surrounding the liquid material supply pipe, and uses a built-in heater, such as a cylindrical heater, to heat the liquid material supply pipe.

[0006] The liquid material supply pipe is heated to a specified temperature (e.g., around 60°C) using a heating mechanism, and the pressure inside the liquid material supply pipe is checked to confirm whether it is the vapor pressure of the liquid material, thereby confirming the presence or absence of liquid material in the supply pipe. Furthermore, heating the liquid material supply pipe increases the temperature of highly viscous liquid materials, reduces their viscosity, and facilitates the introduction of the liquid material into the gas-liquid mixing section.

[0007] However, if a heating mechanism for the liquid material supply pipe is installed, not only will the number of components increase, but the power consumption will also increase. In addition, the installation area of ​​the liquid material vaporization device will also increase due to the installation of the heating mechanism for the liquid material supply pipe. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Therefore, the present invention was made in view of the problems described above, and its main objective is to enable the liquid material supply pipe to be heated in a liquid material vaporization apparatus without the need for a heating mechanism for heating the liquid material supply pipe.

[0009] That is, the liquid material vaporization apparatus of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a gas-liquid mixing section for mixing liquid material with gas to generate a gas-liquid mixture; a liquid material supply pipe for supplying the liquid material to the gas-liquid mixing section; a vaporization section for heating the gas-liquid mixture to vaporize the liquid material; and a housing for housing the gas-liquid mixing section, the vaporization section and the liquid material supply pipe, wherein a flow channel is formed inside the housing to guide heat convection from the vaporization section to the liquid material supply pipe.

[0010] In such a liquid material vaporization device, since a flow channel is formed inside the casing to guide the heat convection from the vaporization section to the liquid material supply pipe, the liquid material supply pipe can be heated by the heat convection from the vaporization section. Therefore, a separate heating mechanism for the supply pipe is unnecessary. As a result, the number of components can be reduced, environmental impact can be decreased, and power consumption can be reduced. Furthermore, the installation area of ​​the liquid material vaporization device can also be reduced.

[0011] In order to facilitate the heat convection from the vaporization section to the liquid material supply pipe connected to the gas-liquid mixing section, it is preferable that the gas-liquid mixing section is located above the vaporization section inside the housing.

[0012] Specifically, preferably, the liquid material supply pipe is disposed above the vaporization section inside the housing.

[0013] In conventional liquid material vaporization apparatuses, the gas-liquid mixing section is heated by heat transfer (thermal convection) from the vaporization section, leading to thermal decomposition or degradation of the liquid material depending on its type. Therefore, cooling mechanisms, such as those that inject gas into the gas-liquid mixing section, are conventionally provided for cooling. To eliminate the need for this cooling mechanism and prevent the gas-liquid mixing section from becoming excessively hot due to thermal convection from the vaporization section, it is preferable to provide a partition separating the gas-liquid mixing section from the vaporization section. Specifically, it is preferable that the interior of the housing is divided into two receiving spaces, one containing the gas-liquid mixing section and the other containing the vaporization section and the liquid material supply pipe.

[0014] In order to make the gas-liquid mixing section difficult to be heated by heat convection from the vaporization section and easy to guide heat convection from the vaporization section to the liquid material supply pipe in a configuration in which the gas-liquid mixing section is located above the vaporization section, it is preferable to provide a partition wall between the gas-liquid mixing section and the vaporization section, the partition wall having an inclined surface that slopes upward toward the liquid material supply pipe.

[0015] In order to efficiently guide the heat convection from the vaporization section to the liquid material supply pipe, it is preferable to also provide a blower fan, which forms an airflow from the vaporization section toward the liquid material supply pipe.

[0016] According to the present invention described above, the liquid material supply pipe can be heated without the need for a heating mechanism for heating the liquid material supply pipe in the liquid material vaporization device. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the configuration of a liquid material vaporization apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of the gas-liquid mixing section in the same embodiment.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a liquid material vaporization device according to a modified embodiment.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the heating mechanisms of a conventional liquid material vaporization device. Attached Figure Description

[0022] 100··· Liquid Material Gasification Device

[0023] 2. Gas-liquid mixing section

[0024] 3. Gasification Department

[0025] 4. Liquid material supply pipe

[0026] 5. Carrier gas supply pipe

[0027] 6. Gas-liquid mixture outlet pipe

[0028] 7··· Shell

[0029] R···flow channel

[0030] S1···First Containment Space

[0031] S2···Second Containment Space

[0032] 8··· partition wall

[0033] 8x··· Inclined surface

[0034] 9. Fan provided Detailed Implementation

[0035] A liquid material vaporization apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, for ease of understanding, any figures shown below have been appropriately omitted or exaggerated schematically depicted. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, and descriptions are appropriately omitted.

[0036] <Device Composition>

[0037] The liquid material vaporization apparatus 100 of this embodiment is, for example, a liquid material vaporization apparatus assembled in an optical fiber manufacturing apparatus and used in an optical fiber manufacturing process. Alternatively, it may be, for example, a liquid material vaporization apparatus assembled in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and used in a semiconductor manufacturing process.

[0038] Specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, the liquid material vaporization apparatus 100 includes: a gas-liquid mixing unit 2, which mixes liquid material with a carrier gas to generate a gas-liquid mixture; and a vaporization unit 3, which heats the gas-liquid mixture and exhausts the material gas obtained by vaporizing the liquid material through the carrier gas.

[0039] In addition, liquid materials include OMCTS (octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, boiling point 175°C) and TEOS (tetraethoxysilane, boiling point 169°C). Other examples of liquid materials include halogen-based liquid materials such as SiCl4, previously used in optical fiber manufacturing, and materials used in semiconductor processes.

[0040] <Gas-Liquid Mixing Section 2>

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, the gas-liquid mixing unit 2 includes: a main body block 21 having a mixing section 21x for mixing liquid material with carrier gas; and a valve unit 22 provided on the main body block 21 for adjusting the flow rate of liquid material.

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown, the main block 21 has a liquid material flow channel 21a through which liquid material flows, a carrier gas flow channel 21b through which carrier gas flows, and a gas-liquid mixture flow channel 21c through which gas-liquid mixture flows. Furthermore, the confluence of the liquid material flow channel 21a and the gas-liquid mixture flow channel 21c forms a mixing section 21x of the liquid material and carrier gas. The gas-liquid mixture flow channel 21c is connected to this mixing section 21x.

[0043] In this embodiment, the liquid material flow channel 21a is configured to be divided into an upstream portion 21a1 and a downstream portion 21a2 by the valve unit 22. The downstream opening of the upstream portion 21a1 is formed on the bottom surface of an annular recess 211 formed on the upper surface of the main body block 21. The upstream opening of the downstream portion 21a2 is formed in the central portion of the annular recess 211, and the downstream portion 21a2 is connected to the mixing section 21x. Here, the periphery 212 of the upstream opening in the central portion of the annular recess 211 serves as a valve seat (hereinafter referred to as valve seat 212) for contacting or separating from the valve unit 22.

[0044] Valve unit 22 functions as a flow control valve, such as Figure 2 As shown, a sealing member (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of the main body block 21. The valve unit 22 includes: a diaphragm 221, which is a valve body portion that abuts against or separates from the valve seat 212 formed on the upper surface of the main body block 21; and an actuator 222 that presses the diaphragm 221 to deform it. In addition, the actuator may be, for example, a piezoelectric stack.

[0045] In addition, such as Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 As shown, the liquid material supply pipe 4 for supplying liquid material to the liquid material flow channel 21a, the carrier gas supply pipe 5 for supplying carrier gas to the carrier gas flow channel 21b, and the gas-liquid mixture outlet pipe 6 for outleting the gas-liquid mixture from the gas-liquid mixture flow channel 21c are connected to the main body block 21.

[0046] A mass flow meter (not shown) is provided upstream of the fluid material supply pipe 4 to measure the flow rate of the liquid material flowing through the fluid material supply pipe 4. Furthermore, the valve unit 22 is controlled by feedback based on the measurement value of this mass flow meter to ensure that the liquid material supplied to the mixing section 21x reaches a predetermined flow rate. Additionally, a mass flow controller is provided upstream of the carrier gas supply pipe 5 to adjust the flow rate of the carrier gas flowing through the carrier gas supply pipe 5.

[0047] <Vacuuming Section 3>

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, the vaporization section 3 includes a heating block 31, which has a heating channel HS for heating the gas-liquid mixture generated by the gas-liquid mixing section 2.

[0049] Specifically, the vaporization section 3 includes: a heating pipe 32 forming a heating flow channel HS; and a heater 33 for heating the heating pipe 32, wherein the heating pipe 32 and the heater 33 are built into the heating block 31 by covering the heating pipe 32 and the heater 33 with a heat-conducting metal (e.g., aluminum).

[0050] Furthermore, in the vaporization section 3, one end 32a and the other end 32b of the heating pipe 32 extend outward from the surface (upper and lower surfaces) of the heating block 31. Moreover, one end 32a of the heating pipe 32 is connected to the gas-liquid mixture outlet pipe 6, and the other end 32b of the heating pipe 32 becomes the outlet for the vaporized gas obtained from the vaporization of the liquid material.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, one end 32a of the heating pipe 32 is provided on the upper end side of the heating block 31, and the other end 32b is provided on the lower end side of the heating block 31. Furthermore, a heat exchange element 321 for increasing the heat exchange area with the gas-liquid mixture is provided inside the heating pipe 32. Alternatively, a nozzle for injecting the gas-liquid mixture upstream of the heat exchange element 321 may be provided inside the heating pipe 32.

[0052] <The configuration utilizes heat convection from vaporization section 3>

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the gas-liquid mixing section 2, the vaporization section 3, the liquid material supply pipe 4, the carrier gas supply pipe 5, and the gas-liquid mixture outlet pipe 6 are housed within a generally rectangular parallelepiped-shaped casing 7. Specifically, with the casing 7 upright, the gas-liquid mixing section 2 is positioned above the vaporization section 3 inside the casing 7. Additionally, the liquid material supply pipe 4, connected to the gas-liquid mixing section 2, is also positioned above the vaporization section 3, and its inlet 41 is located on the upper surface of the casing 7. Similarly, the carrier gas supply pipe 5 is also positioned above the vaporization section 3, and its inlet 51 is located on the upper surface of the casing 7. Furthermore, in this embodiment, "above" includes not only directly above but also diagonally above.

[0054] Furthermore, a flow channel R is formed inside the housing 7 to guide the heat convection from the vaporization section 3 to the liquid material supply pipe 4. Additionally, the air surrounding the vaporization section 3 is heated by the heat released from the vaporization section 3, thereby generating heat convection from the vaporization section 3. Specifically, the interior of the housing 7 is divided into two receiving spaces S1 and S2. One receiving space S1 (hereinafter, the first receiving space S1) houses the gas-liquid mixing section 2, and the other receiving space S2 (hereinafter, the second receiving space S2) houses the vaporization section 3 and the liquid material supply pipe 4. Moreover, the second receiving space S2 serves as the flow channel R guiding the heat convection from the vaporization section 3 to the liquid material supply pipe 4. An exhaust port 7H is formed on the upper part of the right side wall of the housing 7 forming the second receiving space S2, and the heat convection from the vaporization section 3 is discharged to the outside through the exhaust port 7H.

[0055] Furthermore, the partition wall 8 that divides the interior of the housing 7 into two receiving spaces S1 and S2 has: a first partition wall portion 81, disposed between the gas-liquid mixing section 2 and the vaporization section 3; and a second partition wall portion 82, disposed between the gas-liquid mixing section 2 and the liquid material supply pipe 4. In this embodiment, the partition wall 8 separates the gas-liquid mixing section 2 from the vaporization section 3, preventing heat from the vaporization section 3 from reaching the gas-liquid mixing section 2. Figure 1 As shown, the cross-sectional shape of the partition wall 8 in this embodiment is approximately L-shaped. Furthermore, the partition wall 8, along with the front wall, rear wall, upper wall, and left wall of the housing 7, form the first receiving space S1, and the remaining space becomes the second receiving space S2. Additionally, the gas-liquid mixture outlet pipe 6 penetrates the first partition wall portion 81, and the liquid material supply pipe 4 and the carrier gas supply pipe 5 penetrate the second partition wall portion 82.

[0056] Furthermore, a blower fan 9 is provided in the housing 7, which generates an airflow from the vaporization section 3 toward the liquid material supply pipe 4. Specifically, the blower fan 9 is located in the second receiving space S2. Figure 1 The image shows an example where the fan 9 is positioned on the left side of the vaporization section 3, but the fan 9 can be positioned anywhere.

[0057] <Effects of this implementation method>

[0058] If the liquid material vaporization apparatus 100 of this embodiment is configured in this way, since a flow channel is formed inside the housing 7 to guide the heat convection from the vaporization section 3 to the liquid material supply pipe 4, the liquid material supply pipe 4 can be heated by the heat convection from the vaporization section 3. Therefore, a heating mechanism for the liquid material supply pipe 4 is not required. As a result, the number of components can be reduced, environmental impact can be reduced, and power consumption can be reduced. Furthermore, the installation area of ​​the liquid material vaporization apparatus 100 can also be reduced.

[0059] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since a partition (partition wall 8) is provided to separate the gas-liquid mixing section 2 from the vaporization section 3, the gas-liquid mixing section 2 can be prevented from being heated to a high temperature by heat convection from the vaporization section 3. As a result, the gas-liquid mixing section 2 can be prevented from being heated by heat convection from the vaporization section 3, thereby preventing the thermal decomposition and deterioration of the liquid material.

[0060] <Other Implementation Methods>

[0061] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the partition wall 8 (first partition wall portion 81) located between the gas-liquid mixing section and the vaporization section can also be configured to have an inclined surface 8x that slopes upward toward the liquid material supply pipe 4. With this configuration, heat convection from the vaporization section 3 can be easily guided to the liquid material supply pipe 4.

[0062] The liquid material vaporization device described in the above embodiment can be used not only in optical fiber manufacturing processes and semiconductor manufacturing processes, but also for all other uses of vaporizing liquid materials.

[0063] As a gas-liquid mixing unit, it can be a method of spraying liquid material into gas by means of a nozzle or the like, or a method of vibrating liquid by means of ultrasonic waves by means of an ultrasonic transducer or the like.

[0064] In the embodiment described above, the gas-liquid mixture outlet pipe 6 is a straight pipe shape, but depending on the configuration of the gas-liquid mixing section 2 and the vaporization section 3, the gas-liquid mixture outlet pipe 6 may also be a curved or bent shape.

[0065] The gas-liquid mixture outlet pipe 6 of the described embodiment can be integrally formed with the main body block 21. In this case, the gas-liquid mixture flow channel 21c of the main body block 21 constitutes a part of the gas-liquid mixture outlet pipe 6. That is, the downstream side of the mixing section 21x of the gas-liquid mixing section 2 can be used as the gas-liquid mixture outlet pipe 6.

[0066] In addition to the liquid materials described in the embodiments, the liquid materials in the embodiments may also be liquid materials obtained by dissolving solids in solvents or liquid materials obtained by dispersing solids in dispersion media.

[0067] Furthermore, various modifications and combinations of implementation methods are possible as long as they do not violate the spirit of this invention.

Claims

1. A liquid material vaporization device, characterized in that, The liquid material vaporization device includes: The gas-liquid mixing section mixes liquid materials with gas to generate a gas-liquid mixture. A liquid material supply pipe supplies the liquid material to the gas-liquid mixing section; The vaporization section heats the gas-liquid mixture, vaporizing the liquid material. as well as The housing contains the gas-liquid mixing section, the vaporization section, and the liquid material supply pipe. A flow channel is formed inside the housing to guide the heat convection from the vaporization section to the liquid material supply pipe. A partition wall is provided between the gas-liquid mixing section and the vaporization section, the partition wall separating the gas-liquid mixing section from the vaporization section, making it difficult for the gas-liquid mixing section to be heated by heat convection from the vaporization section.

2. The liquid material vaporization device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Inside the housing, the gas-liquid mixing section is located above the vaporization section.

3. The liquid material vaporization device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Inside the housing, the liquid material supply pipe is located above the vaporization section.

4. The liquid material vaporization device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The interior of the shell is divided into two receiving spaces by the partition wall. The gas-liquid mixing section is housed in one of the containment spaces. The vaporization unit and the liquid material supply pipe are housed in the other containment space.

5. The liquid material vaporization apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The partition wall has an inclined surface that slopes upward toward the liquid material supply pipe.

6. The liquid material vaporization apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The liquid material vaporization device is also equipped with a fan.

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