Spray freeze-drying apparatus and spray freeze-drying system

Abstract

The application relates to a spray freeze-drying device and a spray freeze-drying system. The spray freeze-drying device comprises a spray chamber, a freezing chamber and a multi-stage cyclone drying chamber which are sequentially communicated from top to bottom. The spray chamber atomizes liquid material into mist droplets with small particle size and narrow distribution at normal temperature, and the mist droplets are dispersed by a first medium to prevent agglomeration and protect the wall surface. A jet mixing inner part is arranged in the freezing chamber, mist droplets are rapidly frozen into ice particles by a second medium, and the ice particles are dispersed. A cyclone mixing inner part is arranged in the multi-stage cyclone drying chamber, a third medium with different temperatures is introduced to gradually increase the temperature, the residence time of the ice particles in the drying chamber is prolonged, heat and mass transfer are strengthened, solvent sublimation and diffusion are accelerated, and the ice particles are gradually dried into powder particles. The spray freeze-drying device and system can realize continuous industrial production of porous micropowder products containing heat-sensitive materials, reduce production cost, improve the quality of high-value-added products such as medicines, biological products and food, and bring remarkable economic benefits and social benefits.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of process equipment technology, and in particular relates to a spray freeze-drying device and a spray freeze-drying system. Background Technology

[0002] To ensure the stable storage of high-value-added products such as pharmaceuticals, biological products, and food, it is often necessary to dry their liquid forms into powders. These products contain many heat-sensitive active substances that are easily deactivated under high-temperature conditions. To preserve the active ingredients and maintain the product's efficacy, bioavailability, and nutritional value, intermittent batch production using vacuum freeze-drying is commonly employed. However, each batch requires a long production time, involves high energy consumption due to the high vacuum level, and produces products with large and widely distributed particle sizes, sometimes even clumping. To reduce particle size, shorten production time, lower energy consumption and production costs, and increase product solubility or dissolution rate, spray freeze-drying technology has been developed in recent years. This technology involves atomizing a liquid, freezing it into ice particles through sufficient contact with a cold medium, and then drying these ice particles into powder. This process can produce porous micro-powder products with high bioactivity, low density, high specific surface area, and high solubility or dissolution rate.

[0003] Currently, spray freeze-drying technology includes spray freezing and drying processes. Among them, there are three main types of spray freezing processes: (1) liquid products are sprayed into cold gas and frozen into ice particles; (2) liquid refrigerant is sprayed around the liquid product while it is sprayed, the refrigerant absorbs heat and vaporizes, and the liquid product droplets freeze into ice particles; (3) the liquid product nozzle is located above the liquid refrigerant, and the droplets fall into the liquid refrigerant and freeze into ice particles. There are two main types of drying processes: (1) vacuum freeze-drying, that is, the vacuum pump is used to draw the dryer to the required vacuum level, the dryer is equipped with a heater or the heat medium is introduced into the external jacket to heat and control the temperature inside the dryer, and the solvent in the ice particles is directly sublimated and removed; (2) atmospheric pressure freeze-drying, that is, atmospheric pressure low humidity inert gas is introduced into the loose bed of ice particles in the dryer, and the heat and mass transfer process is enhanced through the convection flow of gas and ice particles, which accelerates the sublimation and diffusion of solvent in ice particles.

[0004] However, in the three spray freezing processes mentioned above, the liquid product atomizers are directly installed in the freezing environment, which makes the atomizers prone to freezing and clogging, usually requiring heating and insulation. Directly spraying the liquid product into the freezing environment results in larger droplet sizes after atomization due to the higher viscosity of the material at lower temperatures, making them difficult to control and leading to longer drying times, larger product particle sizes, and a wider distribution range. Furthermore, the ice particles generated during the spray freezing process are collected and then centrally dried, causing both the spray freezing and drying processes to be intermittent, preventing the entire process from being continuous and reducing production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a spray freeze-drying apparatus and a spray freeze-drying system to address the aforementioned technical problems.

[0006] A spray freeze-drying apparatus includes a spray chamber, a freeze chamber, and a multi-stage cyclone drying chamber connected sequentially from top to bottom;

[0007] The spray chamber is equipped with a material pipeline and a first medium pipeline. The material pipeline is used to transport materials to the spray chamber, and the first medium pipeline is used to transport a first medium to the spray chamber, so as to atomize the materials into droplets and disperse the droplets at room temperature.

[0008] The freezing chamber is provided with a second medium pipeline, which is used to deliver a second medium to the freezing chamber to freeze the dispersed mist droplets into ice particles and disperse the ice particles.

[0009] The multi-stage cyclone drying chamber is equipped with a third medium pipeline, which is used to supply a third medium at different temperatures to the multi-stage cyclone drying chamber to dry the dispersed ice particles into powder particles step by step.

[0010] In one embodiment, the number of spray chambers is 1 to 4, and the spray chambers are located at the center of the freezing chamber or are evenly arranged around the perimeter of the freezing chamber.

[0011] In one embodiment, there are multiple first media lines, with some of the first media lines located at the top of the spray chamber and the remaining first media lines located at the side of the spray chamber.

[0012] In one embodiment, there are multiple second media pipelines, with some of the second media pipelines located at the top of the freezer compartment and the remaining second media pipelines located at the side of the freezer compartment.

[0013] In one embodiment, a portion of the second medium pipeline is disposed at the top center of the freezer compartment.

[0014] In one embodiment, the top of the freezer compartment has an opening that communicates with a portion of the second medium pipeline, and a jetting element is provided at the opening.

[0015] In one embodiment, the multi-stage cyclone drying chamber has 3 to 6 stages, and the cyclone drying chambers are arranged sequentially from top to bottom. The temperature of the third medium introduced into the first few stages of the cyclone drying chamber is lower than the temperature of the third medium introduced into the later stages of the cyclone drying chamber.

[0016] In one embodiment, the spray freeze-drying apparatus further includes a discharge mechanism connected to the lower part of the multi-stage cyclone drying chamber and having a discharge port for discharging the powder particles;

[0017] The discharge mechanism is equipped with a filter, and the first medium, the second medium and the third medium are discharged from the discharge mechanism after gas-solid separation through the filter.

[0018] In one embodiment, the discharge mechanism is provided with a medium outlet, and the spray freeze-drying device further includes a fan, the exhaust port of which is connected to the medium outlet through an exhaust pipeline.

[0019] A spray freeze-drying system includes a material tank, a first medium tank, a second medium tank, a third medium tank, and a spray freeze-drying apparatus as described in any one of the preceding claims;

[0020] The material tank is connected to the material pipeline of the spray freeze-drying device via a delivery pump. The first medium tank is connected to the first medium pipeline of the spray freeze-drying device, the second medium tank is connected to the second medium pipeline of the spray freeze-drying device, and the third medium tank is connected to the third medium pipeline of the spray freeze-drying device.

[0021] The aforementioned spray freeze-drying device and system, by sequentially arranging a spray chamber, a freezing chamber, and a multi-stage cyclone drying chamber from top to bottom, allows materials to be pumped and sequentially sprayed, frozen, and dried to obtain porous micro powder products. The entire process enables continuous industrial production. Specifically, the spray freeze-drying device separates the spray chamber and freezing chamber, with the spray chamber operating at room temperature to prevent atomizer blockage due to low-temperature freezing. The atomized droplets have a small and easily controllable particle size, ensuring shorter times for the subsequent freezing and drying processes. Furthermore, the continuous multi-stage cyclone drying after spray freezing enhances heat and mass transfer, accelerates solvent sublimation and diffusion, speeds up the drying process, and allows the spray freezing and drying processes to proceed continuously. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a simplified structural diagram of a spray freeze-drying apparatus provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a simplified structural diagram of a spray freeze-drying system provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0024] The labels in the attached diagram are explained as follows:

[0025] 10. Spray freeze drying unit; 100. Spray chamber; 110. Material pipeline; 111. Main material pipeline; 112. Branch material pipeline; 130. First valve; 120. First medium pipeline; 121. Main first medium pipeline; 122. Branch first medium pipeline; 140. Second valve; 150. Third valve; 200. Freezing chamber; 210. Second medium pipeline; 220. Fourth valve; 230. Fifth valve; 240. Main second medium pipeline; 300. Multistage cyclone drying chamber; 300a. First The following components are listed: a first-stage cyclone drying chamber; a second-stage cyclone drying chamber; a third-stage cyclone drying chamber; a fourth-stage cyclone drying chamber; a third-stage media pipeline; a sixth valve; a discharge mechanism; a discharge port; a vibrator; a filter; a blower; an exhaust pipeline; a seventh valve; a material tank; a first media tank; a second media tank; a third media tank; and a media treatment and recovery device. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0027] In the description of this application, it should be understood that if terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" appear, these terms indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0028] Furthermore, where the terms "first" and "second" appear, these terms are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, where the term "multiple" appears, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0029] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0030] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the use of descriptions such as "above" or "below" the second feature indicates that the first and second features are in direct contact or indirect contact via an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. Similarly, "below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0031] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. If so, the terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0032] See Figure 1 This application provides a spray freeze-drying apparatus 10, which includes a spray chamber 100, a freezing chamber 200, and a multi-stage cyclone drying chamber 300 connected sequentially from top to bottom. The spray chamber 100 is equipped with a material pipeline 110 and a first medium pipeline 120. The material pipeline 110 is used to transport material to the spray chamber 100, and the first medium pipeline 120 is used to transport a first medium to the spray chamber 100 to atomize the material into droplets and disperse the droplets at room temperature. The freezing chamber 200 is equipped with a second medium pipeline 210, which is used to transport a second medium to the freezing chamber 200 to freeze the dispersed droplets into ice particles and disperse the ice particles. The multi-stage cyclone drying chamber 300 is equipped with a third medium pipeline 310, which is used to transport a third medium at different temperatures to the multi-stage cyclone drying chamber 300 to dry the dispersed ice particles into powder particles stage by stage. Figure 1 The arrows in the diagram represent the flow direction of each fluid.

[0033] It should be noted that the spray chamber 100 is equipped with an atomizer, which can be a four-fluid nozzle, an ultrasonic atomizer, a vibrating mesh atomizer, or other atomizers. Each stage of the swirl drying chamber is equipped with a swirl element, which is used to make the airflow swirl and mix in the swirl drying chamber, which can prolong the residence time of ice particles in the swirl drying chamber and ensure sufficient contact between the gas and solid phases (i.e., ice particles and the third medium) for heat and mass transfer.

[0034] This spray freeze-drying device 10 is not only suitable for drying and pulverizing high-value-added products such as pharmaceuticals, biological products, and food containing heat-sensitive materials, but also for preparing fine ceramic powders such as metal oxides and composite oxides, catalyst powders, and metal and alloy micro powders. The materials used in the spray freeze-drying device 10 can be liquid materials, specifically solutions, emulsions, or suspensions. The first, second, and third media are low-humidity gases such as nitrogen, helium, and carbon dioxide that do not chemically react with the materials. Low-humidity gases have low dew points; for example, low-humidity nitrogen has a dew point ≤-60℃, resulting in low saturated water content, which is beneficial for drying the materials. The following description uses an aqueous solution as an example, with nitrogen as the first, second, and third media, to illustrate the operation of the spray freeze-drying device 10.

[0035] The aqueous solution is pumped and supplied to the atomizer in the spray chamber 100 via a material pipeline 110. Under the action of nitrogen at room temperature, it is atomized into droplets with a particle size of approximately 3μm to 5μm. Simultaneously, another primary medium disperses the droplets to prevent them from agglomerating due to collisions and to shorten their residence time within the spray chamber 100. This allows the airflow of droplets (hereinafter referred to as "droplet airflow") to quickly enter the freezing chamber 200. The entire atomization process is conducted at room temperature, preventing the atomizer from becoming clogged due to low-temperature freezing. Furthermore, because the viscosity of the material is lower at room temperature than at low temperatures, it is easier to atomize. The resulting droplet size is smaller and easier to control, ensuring that the subsequent freezing and drying processes can proceed at a faster pace. For the freezing process, the smaller the droplet size, the faster the freezing speed; for the drying process, the drying speed is limited by the sublimation and diffusion of water molecules in the ice particles. The smaller the particle size, the faster the sublimation and diffusion, and the shorter the required drying time. Therefore, the droplet size obtained by atomization must be small enough and have a narrow distribution to ensure that the subsequent freezing and drying processes require a short time.

[0036] Subsequently, the ambient temperature droplet gas stream mixes with low-temperature nitrogen gas (e.g., -80℃ to -60℃) in the freezing chamber 200. The droplets rapidly freeze into ice particles, while another stream of low-temperature nitrogen gas (e.g., -80℃ to -60℃) disperses the ice particles. This prevents particle collisions and agglomeration, and also purges away particles to prevent deposition, resulting in sufficiently small and narrowly distributed ice particles that facilitate subsequent drying. The low-temperature nitrogen gas can be obtained by flash evaporation of liquid nitrogen mixed with ambient temperature nitrogen, or by cooling ambient temperature nitrogen and liquid nitrogen through a heat exchanger.

[0037] The frozen ice particles then enter a multi-stage cyclone drying chamber 300 for staged cyclone drying. Due to the small particle size of the ice particles, airflow drying can enhance the heat and mass transfer process, and the sublimation and diffusion rate of water molecules is fast. The drying time is significantly shortened compared to the conventional vacuum freeze-drying process, thus allowing for a continuous drying process.

[0038] It should be noted that the temperature of the third medium introduced into the first few stages of the cyclone drying chamber is lower than the temperature of the third medium introduced into the later stages of the cyclone drying chamber. Specifically, the nitrogen temperature introduced into the largest stage of the cyclone drying chamber is higher than the nitrogen temperature introduced into the smallest stage of the cyclone drying chamber, and the nitrogen temperature introduced into the remaining stages of the cyclone drying chamber is greater than or equal to the nitrogen temperature introduced into the adjacent previous stage of the cyclone drying chamber. For example, when the multi-stage cyclone drying chamber 300 has 4 stages, the nitrogen gas introduced into the first-stage cyclone drying chamber 300a and the second-stage cyclone drying chamber 300b is at the same temperature, which can be room temperature. The nitrogen gas introduced into the third-stage cyclone drying chamber 300c and the fourth-stage cyclone drying chamber 300d is at the same temperature, which can be 40℃~50℃. During drying, the first and second stage drying processes are the removal of free water from ice particles, which requires less driving force. The temperature of the mixed gas flow (i.e., the droplet gas flow and the nitrogen gas introduced during atomization and freezing processes) is gradually increased by introducing room temperature nitrogen gas, resulting in a faster drying speed. The third and fourth stage drying processes are the desorption of bound water from ice particles, which requires more driving force. The temperature of the mixed gas flow is gradually increased by introducing low-humidity nitrogen gas at 40℃~50℃ to accelerate the sublimation and diffusion of water molecules, thereby obtaining dry powder particles at room temperature. It is evident that this application can accelerate the drying process of ice particles by setting different nitrogen temperatures within the multi-stage cyclone drying chamber 300.

[0039] The spray freeze-drying apparatus 10 of this application, by sequentially arranging a spray chamber 100, a freezing chamber 200, and a multi-stage cyclone drying chamber 300 from top to bottom, allows materials to be conveyed and sequentially sprayed, frozen, and dried from top to bottom to obtain porous micro powder products. The entire process can achieve continuous industrial production. Specifically, the spray freeze-drying apparatus 10 separates the spray chamber 100 and the freezing chamber 200, and the spray chamber 100 operates at room temperature, avoiding blockage of the atomizer due to low-temperature freezing. The atomized droplets have a small and easily controllable particle size, thus ensuring a shorter time required for the subsequent freezing and drying processes. Furthermore, the material undergoes continuous multi-stage cyclone drying after spray freezing, enhancing heat and mass transfer, accelerating solvent sublimation and diffusion, and speeding up the drying process, enabling the spray freezing and drying processes to proceed continuously.

[0040] In summary, the spray freeze-drying apparatus 10 of this application can realize the continuous industrial production of porous micro powder products containing heat-sensitive materials, reduce energy consumption and production costs, improve the quality of high value-added products such as pharmaceuticals, biological products, and food, and bring significant economic and social benefits.

[0041] like Figure 1 As shown, the number of spray chambers 100 is 1 to 4 (e.g., 1, 4). Figure 2 (As shown, there are 2, 3, or 4 spray chambers), and the number of spray chambers 100 can be flexibly adjusted according to product output and type. When there is only one spray chamber 100, it is located at the center of the freezing chamber 200; when there are multiple spray chambers 100, they are evenly distributed around the circumference of the freezing chamber 200. This arrangement of the spray chambers 100 ensures that the droplets within the spray chamber 100 can effectively utilize the second medium to quickly freeze into ice particles upon entering the freezing chamber 200.

[0042] When multiple spray chambers 100 are configured, the material pipeline 110 can be configured as follows: Figure 1 The diagram shows a main material pipeline 111 and multiple branch material pipelines 112. The inlet of each branch material pipeline 112 is connected to the main material pipeline 111, and the outlet is connected to the corresponding spray chamber 100. The main material pipeline 111 is equipped with a booster pump, which facilitates material transport. Each branch material pipeline 112 is equipped with a first valve 130, which can be controlled to open and close according to product output and type.

[0043] like Figure 1As shown, there are multiple first medium pipelines 120. Some of the first medium pipelines 120 are located at the top of the spray chamber 100, while the remaining first medium pipelines 120 are located on the side of the spray chamber 100. The first medium pipelines 120 located at the top of the spray chamber 100 are used for atomization; the first medium pipelines 120 located on the side of the spray chamber 100 are used for dispersing droplets. In this way, when the first medium prevents droplets from colliding with each other, it can also prevent droplets from agglomerating due to impact with the wall, thereby providing a certain degree of protection to the wall.

[0044] When multiple spray chambers 100 are configured, the first medium pipeline 120 located at the top of each spray chamber 100 may include a first main medium pipeline 121 and multiple first branch medium pipelines 122. The inlet of each branch medium pipeline 122 is connected to the first main medium pipeline 121, and the outlet is connected to the atomizer in the corresponding spray chamber 100. Each branch medium pipeline 122 is equipped with a second valve 140. The opening and closing of the second valve 140 on each branch medium pipeline 122 can be controlled according to the opening and closing of the first valve 130 on each branch medium pipeline 112.

[0045] When multiple spray chambers 100 are provided, the first medium pipeline 120 located on the side of the spray chamber 100 may also include a first medium main pipeline 121 and multiple first medium branch pipelines 122. The inlet of the first medium branch pipeline 122 is connected to the first medium main pipeline 121, and the outlet is connected to the corresponding spray chamber 100. Each first medium branch pipeline 122 is equipped with a third valve 150. The opening and closing of the third valve 150 on each first medium branch pipeline 122 can be controlled according to the opening and closing of the first valve 130 on each material branch pipeline 112.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, there are multiple second medium lines 210. Some of the second medium lines 210 are located at the top of the freezer compartment 200, while the remaining second medium lines 210 are located on the side of the freezer compartment 200. The second medium lines 210 located at the top of the freezer compartment 200 are used to freeze the mist droplets, while the second medium lines 210 located on the side of the freezer compartment 200 are used to disperse ice particles. When the second medium prevents ice particles from colliding with each other, it can also prevent ice particles from agglomerating due to impact with the wall surface, thus providing a certain degree of protection to the wall surface.

[0047] The second medium pipeline 210 located at the top of the freezer compartment 200 and the second medium pipeline 210 located on the side of the freezer compartment 200 can be connected to the second medium main pipeline 240. The second medium can be supplied to the second medium pipeline 210 located at the top of the freezer compartment 200 and the second medium pipeline 210 located on the side of the freezer compartment 200 via the second medium main pipeline 240. The second medium pipeline 210 located at the top of the freezer compartment 200 is equipped with a fourth valve 220, and the second medium pipeline 210 located on the side of the freezer compartment 200 is equipped with a fifth valve 230. The flow rate of the second medium can be adjusted by regulating the fourth valve 220 and the fifth valve 230.

[0048] Part of the second medium pipeline 210 is located at the top center of the freezer compartment 200. After entering from the top center of the freezer compartment 200, the second medium can quickly mix with the ambient temperature droplet airflow entering from all around the freezer compartment 200.

[0049] The top of the freezer 200 has an opening that connects to a portion of the second medium pipeline 210, and a jetting device is installed at the opening. The jetting device allows the ambient temperature mist gas flow to mix rapidly with the second medium, causing the mist droplets to freeze quickly into ice particles.

[0050] The multi-stage cyclone drying chamber 300 has 3 to 6 stages (e.g., 3 stages, ...). Figure 1 (As shown, there are 4, 5, or 6 stages), and the cyclone drying chambers of the multi-stage cyclone drying chamber 300 are arranged sequentially from top to bottom. The number of stages in the cyclone drying chamber can be flexibly adjusted according to the product's heating, drying, and dehydration characteristics.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, each stage of the cyclone drying chamber is equipped with a third medium pipeline 310, and each third medium pipeline 310 is equipped with a sixth valve 320. It should be noted that the temperature of the third medium introduced into the third medium pipeline 310 is not the same, for example... Figure 1 In the spray freeze-drying apparatus shown, the temperature of the third medium introduced into the third medium pipeline 310 of the first and second stage cyclone drying chambers is the same; while the temperature of the third medium introduced into the third medium pipeline 310 of the third and fourth stage cyclone drying chambers is the same as, and greater than, the temperature of, the third medium introduced into, the third medium pipeline 310 of the first and second stage cyclone drying chambers. The opening and closing of the sixth valve 320 corresponding to each stage of the cyclone drying chamber can be controlled according to the product's heating, drying, and dehydration characteristics.

[0052] like Figure 1As shown in some embodiments of this application, the spray freeze-drying apparatus 10 further includes a discharge mechanism 400, which is connected to the lower part of the multi-stage cyclone drying chamber 300 and has a discharge port 400a for discharging powder particles. A filter 500 is provided inside the discharge mechanism 400. The first medium, the second medium, and the third medium are discharged from the discharge mechanism 400 after gas-solid separation by the filter 500. The solid micro powder product is collected and unloaded and packaged from the discharge port 400a of the discharge mechanism 400. The wet nitrogen gas (i.e., the first medium, the second medium, and the third medium) is discharged from the discharge mechanism 400 after gas-solid separation by the filter 500. It can be recycled after being dehumidified and dried by the external treatment and recovery device 60.

[0053] The filter 500 can be configured in two or more units for continuous gas-solid separation and discharge.

[0054] The discharge mechanism 400 is also equipped with a vibrator 700, which is used to shake off the powder particles on the filter screen of the filter 500.

[0055] Furthermore, the discharge mechanism 400 is equipped with a media outlet, and the spray freeze dryer 10 also includes a fan 600. The exhaust port of the fan 600 is connected to the media outlet through an exhaust pipeline 610. The fan 600 draws the first, second, and third media through the filter 500 to the treatment and recovery device 60 for dehumidification, drying, and recycling. A seventh valve 620 is installed on the exhaust pipeline 610.

[0056] On the other hand, such as Figure 2 As shown, one embodiment of this application also provides a spray freeze-drying system, which includes a material tank 20, a first medium tank 30, a second medium tank 40, a third medium tank 50, and a spray freeze-drying device 10 as described in any of the above claims; the material tank 20 is connected to the material pipeline 110 of the spray freeze-drying device 10 via a delivery pump, the first medium tank 30 is connected to the first medium pipeline 120 of the spray freeze-drying device 10, the second medium tank 40 is connected to the second medium pipeline 210 of the spray freeze-drying device 10, and the third medium tank 50 is connected to the third medium pipeline 310 of the spray freeze-drying device 10.

[0057] The spray freeze-drying system of this application comprises a spray chamber 100, a freezing chamber 200, and a multi-stage cyclone drying chamber 300 arranged sequentially from top to bottom in a spray freeze-drying device 10. Liquid materials, after being conveyed, can sequentially undergo spraying, freezing, and drying from top to bottom to obtain a porous micro-powder product. The entire process can achieve continuous industrial production. Specifically, the spray freeze-drying device 10 separates the spray chamber 100 and the freezing chamber 200, and the spray chamber 100 operates at room temperature, avoiding blockage of the atomizer due to low-temperature freezing. The atomized droplets have a small and easily controllable particle size, thus ensuring a shorter time required for the subsequent freezing and drying processes. Furthermore, after spray freezing, the material undergoes continuous multi-stage cyclone drying, enhancing heat and mass transfer, accelerating solvent sublimation and diffusion, and speeding up the drying process, enabling the spray freezing and drying processes to proceed continuously.

[0058] In summary, the spray freeze-drying system of this application can realize the continuous industrial preparation of porous micro powder products containing heat-sensitive materials, reduce energy consumption and production costs, improve the quality of high value-added products such as pharmaceuticals, biological products, and food, and bring significant economic and social benefits.

[0059] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0060] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A spray freeze-drying apparatus, characterized in that, It includes a spray chamber, a freezing chamber, and a multi-stage cyclone drying chamber connected sequentially from top to bottom; The spray chamber is equipped with a material pipeline and a first medium pipeline. The material pipeline is used to transport materials to the spray chamber, and the first medium pipeline is used to transport a first medium at room temperature to the spray chamber, so as to atomize the material into droplets and disperse the droplets at room temperature. The freezing chamber is provided with a second medium pipeline, which is used to deliver a second medium to the freezing chamber to freeze the dispersed mist droplets into ice particles and disperse the ice particles. The multi-stage cyclone drying chamber is equipped with a third medium pipeline, which is used to supply the multi-stage cyclone drying chamber with a third medium at different temperatures to dry the dispersed ice particles into powder particles step by step; wherein, the cyclone drying chambers of the multi-stage cyclone drying chamber are arranged sequentially from top to bottom, and the temperature of the third medium supplied by the first few stages of the cyclone drying chamber is lower than the temperature of the third medium supplied by the later stages of the cyclone drying chamber.

2. The spray freeze-drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of spray chambers is 1 to 4, and the spray chambers are located in the center of the freezing chamber or are evenly arranged around the perimeter of the freezing chamber.

3. The spray freeze-drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are multiple first media pipelines, some of which are located at the top of the spray chamber, and the remaining first media pipelines are located at the side of the spray chamber.

4. The spray freeze-drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are multiple second medium pipelines, some of which are located at the top of the freezer compartment, while the remaining second medium pipelines are located on the side of the freezer compartment.

5. The spray freeze-drying apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, A portion of the second medium pipeline is located at the top center of the freezer compartment.

6. The spray freeze-drying apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The top of the freezer compartment has an opening that communicates with a portion of the second medium pipeline, and a jetting element is provided at the opening.

7. The spray freeze-drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-stage cyclone drying chamber has 3 to 6 stages.

8. The spray freeze-drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The spray freeze-drying device further includes a discharge mechanism, which is connected to the bottom of the multi-stage cyclone drying chamber and has a discharge port to discharge the powder particles; The discharge mechanism is equipped with a filter, and the first medium, the second medium and the third medium are discharged from the discharge mechanism after gas-solid separation through the filter.

9. The spray freeze-drying apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The discharge mechanism is provided with a medium outlet, and the spray freeze-drying device also includes a fan, the air outlet of which is connected to the medium outlet through an air extraction pipeline.

10. A spray freeze-drying system, characterized in that, It includes a material tank, a first medium tank, a second medium tank, a third medium tank, and a spray freeze-drying apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 9; The material tank is connected to the material pipeline of the spray freeze-drying device via a delivery pump. The first medium tank is connected to the first medium pipeline of the spray freeze-drying device, the second medium tank is connected to the second medium pipeline of the spray freeze-drying device, and the third medium tank is connected to the third medium pipeline of the spray freeze-drying device.

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