Pulse electric field processing device

Abstract

A pulsed electric field processing device is provided with: a first processing unit (50) that performs a first process, which is a pulsed electric field process, on a liquid object to be processed; a first pipe (60) through which the object to be processed that has passed through the first processing unit (50) passes; a second processing unit (70) into which the object to be processed that has passed through the first pipe (60) enters and which performs second processing including pulsed electric field processing on the object to be processed; a second pipe (80) through which the object to be processed that has passed through the second processing unit (70) passes; and a third processing unit (90) through which the object to be processed, which has passed through the second pipe (80), passes, and which performs third processing including pulsed electric field processing on the object to be processed. The heat dissipation performance of the second piping (80) is higher than the heat dissipation performance of the first piping (60).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a pulse electric field treatment device for generating a pulse electric field. Background Art

[0002] As a technology capable of treating food or beverage at a lower temperature than heat treatment, pulse electric field treatment technology is mentioned.

[0003] Patent document 1 shows a sterilizing device for sterilizing liquid food while the liquid food flows from upstream to downstream. Patent document 1 shows that the liquid food is heated in a first heating region, the heated temperature is maintained in an energized heating region and an electric field is applied to the liquid food, the liquid food is further heated in a second heating region, the heated temperature is maintained in a heat-retaining region, and the liquid food is cooled in a cooling region and restored to room temperature.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-183973 Summary of the invention

[0005] In Patent Document 1, there are two processing parts, namely, a temperature rise area and an electric heating area, but a heat insulating material is provided in the temperature rise area of ​​one of the processing parts, and heat dissipation is adjusted by the processing part. Therefore, there is a problem that the processing part is limited in structure, and the device becomes large-scale and complicated.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a pulse electric field treatment device which has a simple structure and can be miniaturized.

[0007] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the purpose, the pulse electric field treatment device in the present invention is characterized by comprising: a first treatment section that performs a first treatment as a pulse electric field treatment on a liquid treatment object; a first pipe that allows the treatment object that has passed through the first treatment section to pass; a second treatment section that allows the treatment object that has passed through the first pipe to flow in and performs a second treatment including a pulse electric field treatment on the treatment object; a second pipe that allows the treatment object that has passed through the second treatment section to pass; and a third treatment section that allows the treatment object that has passed through the second pipe to pass and performs a third treatment including a pulse electric field treatment on the treatment object. The heat dissipation performance of the second pipe is higher than that of the first pipe.

[0008] Effects of the Invention

[0009] The pulse electric field treatment device according to the present invention has an effect of having a simple structure and being able to be miniaturized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a pulse electric field treatment device according to the first embodiment.

[0011] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a first treatment section of the pulse electric field treatment device according to the first embodiment.

[0012] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration example of the first treatment section of the pulse electric field treatment device according to the first embodiment.

[0013] Figure 4 1 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration example of a pulse power supply of the pulse electric field treatment device according to the first embodiment.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of temperature distribution of an object to be processed by the pulse electric field processing device according to the first embodiment.

[0015] Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of the pulse electric field treatment device according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration example of the pulse electric field treatment device according to the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing another configuration example of the pulse electric field treatment device according to the first embodiment.

[0018] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram showing another configuration example of the pulse electric field treatment device according to the first embodiment.

[0019] Fig.10 It is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a pulse electric field treatment device according to the second embodiment.

[0020] Fig.11 It is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration example of the pulse electric field treatment device according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Hereinafter, the pulse electric field treatment device according to the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0022] Implementation method 1.

[0023] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing a structural example of a pulse electric field treatment device according to Embodiment 1. The pulse electric field treatment device comprises a pulse power supply 10, an upstream piping 40, a first treatment section 50, a first piping 60, a second treatment section 70, a second piping 80, a third treatment section 90 and a downstream piping 41. The pulse electric field treatment device performs treatment including sterilization treatment on a treatment object. The pulse power supply 10 outputs a pulse voltage having a voltage greater than or equal to 1 kV and a pulse width less than or equal to 100 microseconds. A liquid treatment object such as juice or milk flows through the interior in the order of the upstream piping 40, the first treatment section 50, the first piping 60, the second treatment section 70, the second piping 80, the third treatment section 90 and the downstream piping 41. Each processing unit consisting of the first processing unit 50, the second processing unit 70 and the third processing unit 90 is electrically connected to the pulse power supply 10, and has the function of repeatedly applying a pulse electric field to the processing object flowing through the inside of each processing unit through the pulse voltage output by the pulse power supply 10.

[0024] The first treatment section 50 performs a first treatment, which is a pulse electric field treatment, on the treatment object. The first pipe 60 allows the treatment object that has passed through the first treatment section 50 to pass through. The second treatment section 70 allows the treatment object that has passed through the first pipe 60 to flow in, and performs a second treatment including the pulse electric field treatment on the treatment object. The second pipe 80 allows the treatment object that has passed through the second treatment section 70 to pass through. The third treatment section 90 allows the treatment object that has passed through the second pipe 80 to pass through, and performs a third treatment including the pulse electric field treatment on the treatment object.

[0025] Figure 2 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a structural example of the first treatment section 50 of the pulse electric field treatment device involved in Embodiment 1. The first treatment section 50 includes an electrode 51, an insulating material 54, and a treatment chamber 55. The electrode 51 includes a pair of high-voltage electrodes 52 and a low-voltage electrode 53. A pulse voltage is applied to the high-voltage electrode 52, and the low-voltage electrode 53 is maintained at a ground potential. By setting the material of the electrode 51 to titanium, platinum, stainless steel, etc., the wear of the electrode 51 caused by the pulse voltage is suppressed. The high-voltage electrode 52 and the low-voltage electrode 53 are in the shape of flat plates and are arranged opposite to each other across the treatment object. That is, the high-voltage electrode 52 and the low-voltage electrode 53 are arranged to generate an electric field in a direction approximately perpendicular to the flow direction W of the treatment object.

[0026] The processing chamber 55 is a space in the first processing unit 50 where an electric field is generated by the electrode 51 and through which the processing object passes. Thus, the high-voltage electrode 52 and the low-voltage electrode 53 are in the shape of a flat plate, and when the two are arranged relative to each other, the processing chamber 55 becomes a rectangular parallelepiped. The high-voltage electrode 52 is connected to the tubular metal upstream piping 40 and the first piping 60 via the insulating material 54 for electrical insulation. In the low-voltage electrode 53, it can be connected to the upstream piping 40 and the first piping 60 via the insulating material 54, or it can be provided in an integrated manner with the upstream piping 40 and the first piping 60 without the insulating material 54. In the former case, it has the effect of reducing the electrical noise generated by the pulse voltage, and in the latter case, it has the advantage that the first processing unit 50 can be miniaturized. By setting the material of the insulating material 54 to a resin material or ceramic containing fluorine, the insulating material 54 has high heat resistance and voltage resistance.

[0027] Figure 3 FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration example of the first treatment unit 50 of the pulse electric field treatment device according to Embodiment 1. Figure 3 In the embodiment, the electrode 51 having the high-voltage electrode 52 and the low-voltage electrode 53 is an annular structure with the flow direction W of the treatment object as the axis. From the upstream side of the treatment object, the upstream piping 40, the insulating material 54, the low-voltage electrode 53, the insulating material 54, the high-voltage electrode 52, the insulating material 54, the low-voltage electrode 53, the insulating material 54, and the first piping 60 are sequentially arranged. An electric field is generated in the direction roughly along the flow direction W of the treatment object, so when all of the high-voltage electrode 52, the low-voltage electrode 53, and the insulating material 54 are set to an annular structure with the same inner diameter, the treatment chamber 55 becomes a cylindrical or annular shape. In addition, since the low-voltage electrode 53 is arranged at two places in a manner of separating the high-voltage electrode 52 relative to the flow direction W of the treatment object, the current path flowing from the high-voltage electrode 52 to the low-voltage electrode 53 is divided into two. The insulating material 54 between the low voltage electrode 53 and the upstream pipe 40 and the insulating material 54 between the low voltage electrode 53 and the first pipe 60 may not necessarily be provided. If provided, they have the effect of reducing electrical noise, and if not provided, they have the advantage of enabling miniaturization.

[0028] like Figure 2 As shown, when the high voltage electrode 52 and the low voltage electrode 53 are arranged opposite to each other, the electric field generated in the processing chamber 55 can be spatially uniform, thereby achieving the effect of reducing the unevenness of the processing. Figure 3 As shown, when the high voltage electrode 52 and the low voltage electrode 53 are arranged along the flow direction W of the processing object, the processing chamber 55 can be set to a cylindrical shape, and the processing object can flow unimpeded with low pressure loss from the upstream piping 40 to the first piping 60.

[0029] The second processing unit 70 and the third processing unit 90 have Figure 2 or Figure 3 The first processing unit 50 shown in the figure has the same structure, and the repeated description is omitted.

[0030] Figure 4 1 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration example of the pulse power supply 10 of the pulse electric field treatment device according to the first embodiment. Figure 4 The circuit structure for applying a pulse voltage to the first processing unit 50 is shown. The circuit structure for applying a pulse voltage to the second processing unit 70 and the third processing unit 90 also has the same structure as Figure 4 The same circuit structure. In the pulse power supply 10, the switch 13, the capacitor 11, the switch 14, and the capacitor 12 are connected in series in order from the ground side. The high voltage electrode 52 of the first processing unit 50 is connected to the capacitor 12 through a cable or the like. In the capacitor 11, the terminal on the switch 13 side is the charging side terminal, and the switch 14 side is the ground side terminal. In addition, in the capacitor 12, the switch 14 side is the charging side terminal, and the high voltage electrode 52 side is the ground side terminal.

[0031] The DC power supply 15 generates a DC voltage for charging the capacitor 11 and the capacitor 12. The DC power supply 15 is connected to the charging side terminals of the capacitor 11 and the capacitor 12 via at least one current limiter 16. In addition, at least one current limiter 16 is provided between the charging side terminals of the capacitor 11 and the capacitor 12. Similarly, the ground side terminals of the capacitor 11 and the capacitor 12 are grounded via at least one current limiter 16, and at least one current limiter 16 is provided between the ground side terminals of the two.

[0032] The pulse power supply 10 outputs a pulse voltage by including two steps, a charging step and a discharging step. In the charging step, the capacitor 11 and the capacitor 12 are charged by the DC power supply 15. In the discharging step, the charging voltages of the capacitors 11 and 12 are superimposed and output by setting the switches 13 and 14 to ON at approximately the same time. After outputting the charging voltage, the discharging step is terminated by setting the switches 13 and 14 to OFF. That is, the period during which the switches 13 and 14 are set to ON is the period of the discharging step, corresponding to the pulse width of the pulse voltage output from the pulse power supply 10. When the pulse power supply 10 is in the discharging step, the voltage output to the high voltage electrode 52 is a pulse voltage, and the current flowing through the processing chamber 55 corresponding to the pulse voltage is a pulse current.

[0033] A semiconductor switch such as MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) or IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) is used for the switch 13 and the switch 14. In addition, a resistor or a reactor is used for the current limiter 16. When a resistor is used, there is an advantage that the capacitors 11 and 12 can be charged with a stable voltage, and when a reactor is used, power consumption can be reduced.

[0034] exist Figure 4 In the configuration example of the pulse power supply 10 shown, two capacitors and two switches are used, but three or more of each may be used with the same configuration. The greater the number of capacitors and switches, the higher the pulse voltage can be obtained.

[0035] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of temperature distribution of an object to be processed by the pulse electric field processing device according to the first embodiment. Figure 5 The horizontal axis shows the position of the processing object in the flow direction W. Figure 5 The vertical axis shows the temperature of the object to be processed. Figure 5 , the temperature change of the treatment object in the path from the upstream pipe 40 to the downstream pipe 41 is shown. P1 in the horizontal axis is the area corresponding to the upstream pipe 40, P2 is the area corresponding to the first treatment section 50, P3 is the area corresponding to the first pipe 60, P4 is the area corresponding to the second treatment section 70, P5 is the area corresponding to the second pipe 80, P6 is the area corresponding to the third treatment section 90, and P7 is the area corresponding to the downstream pipe 41.

[0036] In the area P2 corresponding to the first treatment section 50, the area P4 corresponding to the second treatment section 70, and the area P6 corresponding to the third treatment section 90, the temperature of the treatment object rises in accordance with the energy input from the pulse power supply 10. In the area P3 corresponding to the first piping 60 and the area P5 corresponding to the second piping 80, the temperature of the treatment object changes in accordance with the respective heat dissipation amounts. Figure 5 The solid line and the dotted line in φ show the fluctuation of the temperature of the processing object in the areas P5 to P7.

[0037] In the pulse electric field treatment, if the temperature is too high, the flavor will deteriorate and the nutritional content will decrease. If the temperature is too low, the treatment effect represented by sterilization will decrease. Therefore, there is an appropriate temperature range A sandwiched by an appropriate upper limit value Tmax and an appropriate lower limit value Tmin for pulse electric field treatment. It is preferable to ensure the appropriate temperature range A with as long a distance as possible between the first treatment section 50 as the initial process and the third treatment section 90 as the final process. The appropriate temperature range A is higher than the temperature of the treatment object in the area P1 corresponding to the upstream piping 40. Therefore, between the first treatment section 50 and the third treatment section 90, it is preferable not to suppress the temperature rise upstream but to suppress the temperature rise downstream. In addition, in the first treatment section 50, the second treatment section 70, and the third treatment section 90, if a heat dissipation adjustment structure is adopted, there will be structural restrictions in each treatment section, and there will be a large-scale and complicated device. Therefore, in the first embodiment, it is set to be a structure in which the heat dissipation performance of the second piping 80 to the outside becomes higher than that of the first piping 60.

[0038] For example, the heat dissipation performance of the first pipe 60 can be represented by the reciprocal of the total value of the thermal resistance of the path from the treatment object passing through the inside of the first pipe 60 to the outside of the first pipe 60. The larger the reciprocal of the total value of the thermal resistance, the higher the heat dissipation performance. Therefore, by adopting the first method of making the wall thickness of the second pipe 80 thinner than the wall thickness of the first pipe 60, the second method of increasing the thermal conductivity of the material constituting the second pipe 80 compared with the thermal conductivity of the material constituting the first pipe 60, or the third method of increasing the heat dissipation area, i.e., the external contact area, of the second pipe 80 compared with the heat dissipation area, i.e., the external contact area of ​​the first pipe 60, the external contact area of ​​the first pipe 60, the heat dissipation performance of the second pipe 80 can be improved compared with the first pipe 60. In addition, the outside of the first pipe 60 and the second pipe 80 in the case of air cooling is, for example, the surrounding air of the first pipe 60 and the second pipe 80.

[0039] Figure 6 : is a cross-sectional view showing a structural example of the pulse electric field treatment device involved in Embodiment 1. In order to improve the heat dissipation performance of the second pipe 80 compared with the heat dissipation performance of the first pipe 60, the length of the second pipe 80 is made longer than the length of the first pipe 60, and a heat dissipation fin 84 is provided in the second pipe 80. By providing the heat dissipation fin 84, the heat dissipation performance per unit distance passed in the path of the treatment object passing through the second pipe 80 can be improved. Therefore, even if the second pipe 80 and the first pipe 60 are the same length, a higher heat dissipation performance than the second pipe 80 can be achieved. Or, as Figure 6As shown, the length of the second pipe 80 can be made longer than the length of the first pipe 60, and the effect of improving the heat dissipation performance per unit distance obtained by the heat dissipation fins 84 and the effect of improving the heat dissipation performance obtained by increasing the length of the second pipe 80 can be superimposed. In either case, the heat dissipation performance from the inlet to the outlet of the second pipe 80 is improved compared to the heat dissipation performance from the inlet to the outlet of the first pipe 60.

[0040] Specifically, the heat sink fin 84 is a concavo-convex metal body used to expand the area of ​​the boundary surface between the second pipe 80 and the outside. The heat sink fin 84 reduces the concavo-convex shape near the second processing section 70 and the third processing section 90 corresponding to the two ends, or does not have a concavo-convex shape, and on the contrary, increases the concavo-convex shape near the middle. With the structure as described above, the risk of discharge short circuit can be reduced between the second processing section 70 and the third processing section 90 to which high voltage is applied and the heat sink fin 84 as the ground potential. The heat sink fin 84 can be an integrated structure with the second pipe 80 or a detachable structure. In the former case, there is an advantage of further improving the heat dissipation performance, and in the latter case, since it can be removed for cleaning, it has the advantage of easy maintenance.

[0041] Instead of providing the heat dissipation fins 84, a heat dissipation fin for air cooling the second pipe 80 may be provided. The air cooling fan has the effect of improving the heat dissipation performance of the second pipe 80, similarly to the heat dissipation fins 84. Alternatively, a higher heat dissipation performance may be obtained by combining the heat dissipation fins 84 and the air cooling fan.

[0042] Figure 7 : is a cross-sectional view showing another structural example of the pulse electric field treatment device involved in Embodiment 1. In order to reduce the heat dissipation from the treatment object to the outside of the first pipe 60, a heat insulating material 64 is installed on the outer periphery of the first pipe 60. By installing the heat insulating material 64, it is possible to suppress the temperature drop of the treatment object in the first pipe 60, and the temperature of the treatment object can be brought to an appropriate temperature range on the upstream side.

[0043] Figure 8 1 is a schematic diagram showing another configuration example of the pulse electric field treatment device according to Embodiment 1. The upstream pipe 40 is provided in the vertical direction so that the treatment object flows from low to high, and is connected to the first treatment unit 50 .

[0044] The first pipe 60 is a pipe connecting the first treatment section 50 and the second treatment section 70, and is composed of a first upstream straight portion 61, a first semicircular portion 62, and a first downstream straight portion 63. The first upstream straight portion 61 is a pipe connecting the first treatment section 50 and the first semicircular portion 62 by a straight line. The first downstream straight portion 63 is a pipe connecting the first semicircular portion 62 and the second treatment section 70. The first semicircular portion 62 is a pipe having a semicircular path bent at 180 degrees, and connects the first upstream straight portion 61 and the first downstream straight portion 63.

[0045] The second pipe 80 has the same structure as the first pipe 60 , is composed of a second upstream linear portion 81 , a second semicircular portion 82 , and a second downstream linear portion 83 , and connects the second treatment section 70 and the third treatment section 90 .

[0046] The downstream pipe 41 is installed in the vertical direction so that the treatment object flows from low to high.

[0047] By adopting the above-mentioned structure, the structure from the upstream piping 40 to the downstream piping 41 can be integrated into a small space, and the device can be miniaturized. In addition, the first processing unit 50, the second processing unit 70, and the third processing unit 90 can be arranged in close positions, so there is an advantage that the wiring of the high voltage output from the pulse power supply 10 can be shortened, and the safety of the device can be improved.

[0048] When the second pipe 80 is made longer than the first pipe 60, the sum of the distances of the second upstream straight portion 81 and the second downstream straight portion 83 is made longer than the sum of the distances of the first upstream straight portion 61 and the first downstream straight portion 63. On the other hand, the first semicircular portion 62 and the second semicircular portion 82 are set to the same shape, thereby making it possible to standardize the components and reduce the manufacturing cost. In the first pipe 60 and the second pipe 80, the structural elements for adjusting the heat dissipation performance of the heat dissipation fins 84, the heat insulating material 64, etc. can be set only in the straight portion, or can be set in the entirety including the semicircular portion. When the distance of the straight portion is sufficiently longer than the distance of the semicircular portion, the former structure is set in consideration of the cost and the corresponding effect. On the contrary, when the distance of the straight portion is insufficient, in order to ensure the heat dissipation performance, the latter structure including the semicircular portion is set.

[0049] Fig. 9 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing another configuration example of the pulse electric field treatment device according to the first embodiment. Fig. 9 In the structure shown, Figure 8The structure shown is rotated 90 degrees so that the upstream piping 40 and the downstream piping 41 are in a horizontal direction. The upstream piping 40, the first processing section 50 and the first upstream straight section 61 are arranged at the highest position, and then the first downstream straight section 63, the second processing section 70 and the second upstream straight section 81 are arranged at the second highest position. Finally, the second downstream straight section 83, the third processing section 90 and the downstream piping 41 are arranged at the lowest position. As a result, the average height of the path for the processing object to pass through in the first piping 60 is higher than the average height of the path for the processing object to pass through in the second piping 80. From the upstream piping 40 to the downstream piping 41, it is configured so that the high temperature portion is at a low position and the low temperature portion is at a high position. As a result, for example, the heat dissipated to the outside in the second downstream straight section 83 rises to a high position by natural convection, thereby increasing the temperature outside the first upstream straight section 61 and improving the thermal insulation performance of the first piping 60.

[0050] The power output from the pulse power supply 10 may be different for the first processing unit 50, the second processing unit 70, and the third processing unit 90. It is preferred that the temperature rise is suppressed more toward the downstream side, so the power input is reduced for the processing unit arranged toward the downstream side. That is, the power input to the first processing unit 50 is set to the maximum, the power input to the second processing unit 70 is set to the second size, and the power input to the third processing unit 90 is set to the minimum.

[0051] Regarding the adjustment of the power in each treatment unit, the pulse width or pulse frequency is adjusted when the pulse voltage is set to be constant, which is preferred because the power supply control is simplified. Alternatively, the pulse voltage, pulse width and pulse frequency can all be set to be constant, so that the area of ​​the electrode 51 provided in each treatment unit is different. The larger the area of ​​the electrode 51, the larger the pulse current flows, so the closer the treatment unit is to the downstream side, the smaller the area of ​​the electrode 51 is, thereby suppressing the temperature rise on the downstream side. That is, the area of ​​the electrode 51 of the first treatment unit 50 is set to the maximum, the area of ​​the electrode 51 of the second treatment unit 70 is set to the second size, and the area of ​​the electrode 51 of the third treatment unit 90 is set to the minimum.

[0052] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the heat dissipation performance of the second pipe 80 is made higher than the heat dissipation performance of the first pipe 60, so that there is no structural restriction for heat dissipation in the first treatment section 50, the second treatment section 70, and the third treatment section 90, and the treatment object can be treated at an appropriate temperature. Therefore, the quality of the treatment object can be improved, and a pulse electric field treatment device with a simple structure and capable of being miniaturized can be realized.

[0053] In addition, in the above, a plurality of control methods including the following method are described, namely, making the second pipe 80 longer than the first pipe 60 in terms of the distance over which the treatment object flows, making the heat dissipation performance of the second pipe 80 higher per passing distance than the heat dissipation performance of the first pipe 60 per passing distance, making the wall thickness of the second pipe 80 thinner than the wall thickness of the first pipe 60, making the thermal conductivity of the material constituting the second pipe 80 higher than the thermal conductivity of the material constituting the first pipe 60, making the heat dissipation area of ​​the second pipe 80 larger than the heat dissipation area of ​​the first pipe 60, and making the heat dissipation area of ​​the second pipe 80 larger than the heat dissipation area of ​​the first pipe 60. A heat insulating material 64 is provided on the outer periphery of the tube 60 so that the average height of the treatment object in the first piping 60 is higher than the average height of the treatment object in the second piping 80, the area of ​​the electrode of the first treatment section 50 is increased compared with the area of ​​the electrode of the second treatment section 70, and the power of the pulse electric field treatment input to the first treatment section 50 is increased compared with the power of the pulse electric field treatment input to the second treatment section 70. However, it is also possible to appropriately select more than or equal to two of these multiple control methods and combine the selected more than or equal to two control methods for execution.

[0054] Implementation method 2.

[0055] Fig.10 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a pulse electric field treatment device according to Embodiment 2. In Embodiment 2, a cooling water channel 86 as a cooling device is provided in the second pipe 80. Other configuration elements are the same as those in Embodiment 1, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0056] like Fig.10 As shown, in the second pipe 80, a cooling water channel 86 as a first water channel for a refrigerant for lowering the temperature of the treatment object is provided. By providing the cooling water channel 86, a greater heat dissipation performance is obtained. The heat dissipation performance when the cooling water channel 86 is provided and water cooling is performed is represented by the heat flux from the treatment object passing through the inside of the second pipe 80 to the refrigerant. Thus, the heat dissipation performance can be improved by increasing the thermal conductivity of the material constituting the second pipe 80, increasing the temperature or flow rate of the refrigerant, increasing the contact area between the refrigerant and the second pipe 80, and the like.

[0057] Therefore, by adjusting the temperature or flow rate of the refrigerant, the heat dissipation performance can be adjusted, and by measuring the temperature of the treatment object, the target temperature can be feedback controlled. Alternatively, it is also possible to perform feedforward control such as adjusting the temperature or flow rate of the refrigerant in accordance with the output power of the pulse power supply 10. Both feedback control and feedforward control have the effect of adjusting the temperature with high precision.

[0058] Fig.11 FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing another structural example of the pulse electric field treatment device according to Embodiment 2. Fig.11 in Fig.10 The structure shown is supplemented with a heating water channel 66 and a connecting water channel 67. A heating water channel 66 as a second water channel for the flow of a refrigerant for increasing the temperature of the treatment object is provided in the first pipe 60. In addition, a connecting water channel 67 is provided to connect the heating water channel 66 and the cooling water channel 86. The refrigerant after the temperature rise can flow to the heating water channel 66 through the cooling water channel 86, so that the heat energy taken from the treatment object can be used for the temperature rise of the treatment object in the first pipe 60 through the second pipe 80. Through the structure as described above, energy can be effectively utilized to obtain energy-saving effects. In addition, by shortening the length of the connecting water channel 67 and performing heat insulation, a higher energy-saving effect can be obtained.

[0059] As described above, according to Embodiment 2, the temperature of the object to be processed can be more appropriately managed, and the quality of the object to be processed is improved. In addition, since the heating water channel 66 and the cooling water channel 86 are connected, energy-saving effects can be expected.

[0060] Furthermore, the control method of the second embodiment may be appropriately combined with a plurality of control methods described in the first embodiment and executed.

[0061] The structures shown in the above embodiments represent a part of the contents of the present invention and can be combined with other known technologies. Without departing from the gist of the present invention, they can be appropriately combined, or a part of the structures can be omitted or changed.

[0062] Description of the label

[0063] 10 pulse power supply, 11, 12 capacitors, 13, 14 switches, 15 DC power supply, 16 current limiter, 40 upstream piping, 41 downstream piping, 50 first processing unit, 51 electrode, 52 high-voltage electrode, 53 low-voltage electrode, 54 insulating material, 55 processing chamber, 60 first piping, 64 heat insulating material, 66 heating water channel, 67 connecting water channel, 70 second processing unit, 80 second piping, 84 heat sink fins, 86 cooling water channel, 90 third processing unit.

Claims

1. A pulse electric field treatment device, characterized in that: have: a first processing section for performing a first processing as a pulse electric field processing on a liquid processing object; a first pipe through which the object to be processed that has passed through the first processing section passes; a second treatment section into which the treatment object flowing through the first pipe is introduced and into which a second treatment including the pulse electric field treatment is performed on the treatment object; a second pipe through which the object to be processed that has passed through the second processing section passes; as well as a third treatment section through which the treatment object passing through the second pipe passes and performs a third treatment including the pulse electric field treatment on the treatment object; The heat dissipation performance of the second pipe is higher than the heat dissipation performance of the first pipe.

2. The pulse electric field treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second pipe has a longer distance over which the treatment object flows than the first pipe.

3. The pulse electric field treatment device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The heat dissipation performance per passing distance of the second pipe is higher than the heat dissipation performance per passing distance of the first pipe.

4. The pulse electric field treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The wall thickness of the second pipe is thinner than the wall thickness of the first pipe.

5. The pulse electric field treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The thermal conductivity of the material constituting the second pipe is higher than the thermal conductivity of the material constituting the first pipe.

6. The pulse electric field treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: A heat dissipation area of ​​the second pipe is larger than a heat dissipation area of ​​the first pipe.

7. The pulse electric field treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: A heat insulating material is provided on the outer periphery of the first pipe.

8. The pulse electric field treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: An average height of the treatment object in the first pipe is higher than an average height of the treatment object in the second pipe.

9. The pulse electric field treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The first treatment section and the second treatment section each have an electrode for performing the pulse electric field treatment. The area of ​​the electrode of the first treatment part is larger than the area of ​​the electrode of the second treatment part.

10. The pulse electric field treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The power of the pulse electric field treatment input to the first treatment unit is greater than the power of the pulse electric field treatment input to the second treatment unit.

11. The pulse electric field treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: A cooling device is provided for cooling the second pipe.

12. The pulse electric field treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The first pipe and the second pipe respectively have a first water passage and a second water passage for adjusting the temperature. The first water channel and the second water channel are connected.

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