Homogenizer with backwashing structure

Abstract

The invention relates to a homogenizer with a backwashing structure. A homogenizer for homogenizing the raw material, comprising a first guide block 13a for guiding the flow of the raw material with the operation of the plunger 12; a first flow control valve (14a) connected to the first guide block (13a); an inflow regulation unit (15a) that is connected to the first flow control valve (14a); at least one nanocell block (16a, 16b) for homogenizing the raw material input through the inflow regulating unit (15a); a discharge adjustment means (15b) for adjusting the discharge of the homogenized raw material discharged from the nanocell blocks (16a, 16b); a second guide block (13b) that is mounted between the plunger (12) and the first guide block (13a); a second flow control valve (14b) for connecting the second guide block (13b) to the discharge adjustment unit (15b); and a heat exchanger (18) connected to the discharge adjustment unit (15b).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a homogenizer having a backwashing structure, and more particularly, to a homogenizer having a structure for preventing clogging of raw materials by causing the raw materials to flow in the reverse direction. Background Art

[0002] A homogenization process for dispersing a solute or a dispersoid in a solvent or a dispersion medium can be used in the food or beverage industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the cosmetic industry, the ink industry, or the electronics industry. High pressure can be applied to a solution or a raw material to homogenize the solution or the raw material, and the solution or the raw material can be homogenized while flowing along a homogenization device that generates a shear force, an impact, a cavitation phenomenon, etc. Thus, a solution or a raw material for an ink or a cosmetic can be made into an emulsion in which particles having a size of 1 μm or less are dispersed, or the cell wall of cultured microorganisms can be disrupted. US 9656222 discloses a method for reducing cavitation in an interaction chamber. The homogenization process can be carried out in a homogenization chamber. If the raw materials flow continuously in one direction, some solutes or dispersoids may accumulate in a homogenizing block or a homogenization chamber, resulting in a significant reduction in the pressure for homogenization. Therefore, the homogenization process may not be effectively carried out. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a device for preventing such a channel clogging phenomenon. However, the prior art does not disclose such a device.

[0003] To solve the problems of the prior art, the present invention has the following objects. Object of the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a homogenizer having a backwashing structure to solve a channel clogging phenomenon by causing the raw materials to flow in the reverse direction when a relatively large pressure is required due to the channel clogging phenomenon during the homogenization process. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a homogenizer for homogenizing raw materials includes a first guiding block configured to guide the flow of raw materials by the operation of a plunger; a first flow control valve connected to the first guiding block; an inflow regulating unit connected to the first flow control valve; at least one nano cell block configured to homogenize the raw materials input through the inflow regulating unit; an outflow regulating unit configured to regulate the outflow of the homogenized raw materials discharged from the nano cell block; a second guiding block installed between the plunger and the first guiding block; a second flow control valve configured to connect the second guiding block to the outflow regulating unit; and a heat exchanger connected to the outflow regulating unit.

[0006] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the homogenizer further includes a detection unit configured to detect the pressure of the nano cell block, and cause the raw materials to flow through the second flow control valve based on the pressure information detected by the detection unit.

[0007] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the homogenizer further includes a pressure change calculation module configured to calculate the pressure change of the nano cell block; and a backwash control module configured to switch the flow direction of the raw materials.

[0008] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the operation of the plunger is proportional control.

[0009] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, each of the at least one nano cell block includes at least two nano cells.

[0010] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the homogenizer further includes an ultrasonic unit installed at the heat exchanger. Description of the Drawings

[0011] Figure 1 An embodiment of a homogenizer with a backwash structure according to the present invention is shown.

[0012] Figure 2 An embodiment of the operation structure of a homogenizer according to the present invention is shown.

[0013] Figure 3 An embodiment of the control mode of a homogenizer according to the present invention is shown.

[0014] Figure 4 An embodiment of a nano cell block for a homogenizer according to the present invention is shown.

[0015] Figure 5 Shows an embodiment of a heat exchanger for a homogenizer according to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 6 Shows an embodiment of the operation process of a homogenizer according to the present invention. Detailed Description

[0017] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 Shows an embodiment of a homogenizer having a backwashing structure according to the present invention.

[0019] Referring to Figure 1 , a homogenizer for homogenizing a raw material, which includes a first guide block 13a for guiding the flow of the raw material by the operation of a plunger 12; a first flow control valve 14a connected to the first guide block 13a; an inflow adjustment unit 15a connected to the first flow control valve 14a; at least one nano unit block 16a, 16b for homogenizing the raw material input through the inflow adjustment unit 15a; a discharge adjustment unit 15b for adjusting the discharge of the homogenized raw material discharged from the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b; a second guide block 13b installed between the plunger 12 and the first guide block 13a; a second flow control valve 14b for connecting the second guide block 13b to the discharge adjustment unit 15b; and a heat exchanger 18 connected to the discharge adjustment unit 15b.

[0020] The raw material may be composed of a solute and a solvent or a disperse phase and a dispersion medium, and the raw material may be input through an input unit. When the raw material is input into the homogenizer, the plunger 12 may be operated by a pressurizing device such as a motor or a pump to transport the raw material to the homogenizer through a delivery pipe. By the operation of the plunger 12, the raw material may be transported along the delivery pipe to the first guide block 13a. The first guide block 13a may have a function of appropriately guiding the flow of the raw material and checking the flow condition of the raw material. The raw material may flow from the first guide block 13a to the first flow control valve 14a, and the amount of the flowing raw material may be controlled by the first flow control valve 14a. Thus, the amount of the raw material transported to the input control unit 15a may be controlled.

[0021] The raw material can flow from the input control unit 15a to the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b, and homogenization processing of the raw material can be performed at the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b. At least one of the nano unit blocks 16a, 16b can be arranged, and the raw material can be homogenized at the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b by the shear force applied to the raw material, the impact on the walls of the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b, the occurrence of eddy currents, and cavitation phenomena. For example, the two nano unit blocks 16a and 16b can be connected in parallel, so that when one nano unit block is in a non-operating state, the other nano unit block can be used for homogenization. The raw material homogenized in the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b can flow to the discharge control unit 15b, and the discharge control unit 15b can control the flow rate of the raw material homogenized in the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b and maintain the temperature of the homogenized raw material. Such a raw material can flow from the discharge control unit to the heat exchanger 18 for stabilizing.

[0022] The heat exchanger 18 may include a staying block 181 for controlling the temperature of the raw material and transporting the raw material to the heat exchanger 18. During the homogenization process, the dispersoid included in the raw material may adhere inside the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b, and thus a clogging phenomenon may occur in the flow channels formed in the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b. When the clogging phenomenon occurs, the flow pressure will be significantly reduced compared to the applied pressure. Therefore, it is difficult to effectively homogenize the raw material in the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a second guide block 13b and a second flow control valve 14b can be installed to prevent the clogging phenomenon. The second guide block 13b can be installed between the plunger 12 and the flow control valve 13a, and the second flow control valve 14b can be installed at the flow channel connecting the second guide block 13b to the discharge control unit 15b. The second guide block 13b can have the function of switching the flow channel of the raw material. For example, by the pressurization of the plunger 12, the raw material is blocked from flowing to the first guide block 13a, and the raw material can flow to the discharge control unit 15b through the second flow control valve 14b. The input control unit 15a and the discharge control unit 15b can have the function of switching the flow channel of the raw material. The raw material flowing to the discharge control unit 15b through the second guide block 13b and the second flow control valve 14b can flow to the input control unit 15a through the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b. Then, the raw material can be discharged to the outside through the reverse flow block 19.

[0024] The clogging phenomenon of the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b can be solved by generating a reverse flow. The pressure of the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b can be detected by the pressure detection unit 17 to check whether clogging occurs, and the pressure information can be sent to the control module 11. The control module 11 can compare the detected pressure with the applied pressure to determine whether clogging occurs at the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b. When clogging occurs at the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b, the flow to the first guiding block 13a can be blocked, and the first flow control valve 14a can be closed. The second flow control valve 14b can be opened as the flow channel is switched, and the raw material can flow to the reverse flow block 19 for discharge as the flow direction changes. The induction of reverse flow can be carried out in various ways, but is not limited thereto.

[0025] Figure 2 An embodiment showing the operating structure of the homogenizer according to the present invention.

[0026] Referring to Figure 2 ,the flow pressure of the raw material can be set by the operating pressure setting module 21, and the plunger 12 can operate according to the conditions set by the operating pressure setting module 21. When the operation of the plunger 12 is started, the raw material can be input into the flow channel through the input control module 22. The raw material can flow to the nano unit block 16 for homogenization, and the homogenized raw material can flow to the heat exchanger 18 for stabilization. The pressure of the nano unit block 16 can be measured and transmitted to the proportional control module and the pressure change calculation module 25. The proportional control module 24 can determine the pressure in a proportional manner based on the pressure transmitted from the pressure detection module 23 to transmit the pressure to the operating pressure setting module 21, so that the pressure of the plunger 12 can be controlled according to the proportional method.

[0027] The pressure change of the nano unit block 16 over time can be calculated by the pressure change calculation module 25, and if the pressure change exceeds a predetermined range, it can be determined whether clogging occurs. If the measured pressure is outside the predetermined range compared to the applied pressure, and the drop pressure condition continues for a predetermined period of time, it can be determined that clogging has occurred. When it is determined that clogging has occurred, the backwashing control module 26 can start the backwashing process. The clogging state can be solved by the backwashing process. The backwashing process can be carried out in various ways, but is not limited thereto.

[0028] Figure 3 An embodiment showing the control method of the homogenizer according to the present invention.

[0029] Referring to Figure 3, if the pressure applied to the plunger by the pressure setting module 31 is determined, the pressure can be converted into current or voltage by the voltage / current conversion module 32. The converted voltage or current can be amplified by the amplifier 33, and the operation of the valve control module 34 can be controlled by the amplified current or voltage. The plunger can operate according to the operation of the valve control module 34, and the raw material can flow under a predetermined pressure. The pressure of the nano unit block can be measured by the pressure measurement module 35, and the measured pressure can be transmitted to the difference calculation module 36. There may be a difference between the applied pressure and the measured pressure due to various reasons, and the difference can be calculated by the difference calculation module 36. The calculated difference can be transmitted to the offset calculation module 37 for calculating the offset value. And the calculated offset value can be transmitted to the pressure setting module 31 so that the applied pressure value can be offset to adapt to a predetermined flow pressure value.

[0030] The pressure of the nano unit block can be measured in real time by the pressure measurement module 35. If the measured pressure value is different from the predetermined pressure value, the offset value can be calculated by the offset calculation module 37 for adjusting the pressure value to the predetermined pressure value. The offset process of the pressure setting module 31 calculated according to the offset value can be performed in various ways, but is not limited thereto.

[0031] Figure 4 Shows an embodiment of a nano unit block for a homogenizer according to the present invention.

[0032] Reference Figure 4, each of at least one nano unit block 16a, 16b may include at least two nano units 40a and 40b. An inflow channel 41 for raw material flow may be formed within a base frame B. The raw material flowing along the inflow channel 41 may enter the first nano unit 40a. The first nano unit 40a and the second nano unit 40b may generally have a cylindrical shape and have similar or identical shapes to each other. A first guiding channel 43a and a second guiding channel 43b may be formed at the first nano unit 40a, and the raw material flowing along the inflow channel 41 may flow to the first guiding channel 43a and the second guiding channel 43b via a first flow gap 42a and a second flow gap 42b. The first guiding channel 43a and the second guiding channel 43b may have similar or identical shapes and a structure that penetrates the first nano unit 40a. The raw material flowing along the first guiding channel 43a and the second guiding channel 43b may flow in a direction towards the center of the second surface of the first nano unit 40 at the end of the first nano unit 40a after flowing along a third flow gap 44a and a fourth flow gap 44b. The raw material may flow along a third flow channel 45 formed at the second nano unit 40b.

[0033] The third flow channel 45 may extend along the longitudinal centering line of the second nano unit 40b, and the raw material flowing in the third flow channel 45 may flow to a discharge block 47. A discharge guiding channel 46 connected to the third flow channel 45 may be formed at the discharge block 47, and the cross-sectional dimension of the discharge guiding channel 46 may increase along the extending direction. The discharge guiding channel 46 may be connected to a discharge channel 48. The width and depth of each of the flow gaps 42a, 42b, 44a, and 44b may be 50 - 150 μm, preferably 60 - 85 μm, but not limited thereto. The cross-sectional dimension of each of the flow gaps 42a, 42b, 42c, and 42d may gradually increase along the extending direction and may have a curved shape, but not limited thereto.

[0034] Figure 5 An embodiment of a heat exchanger for a homogenizer according to the present invention is shown.

[0035] Refer to Figure 5, the heat exchanger 18 may include a housing 51; a heat exchange tube 52 formed within the housing 51 and having a coil shape; an inlet tube 53 for transferring a homogeneous solution to the heat exchange tube 52; and an outlet tube 54 for discharging the homogeneous solution from the heat exchange tube 52 to a storage tank for storing the homogeneous solution. A coolant tube for guiding a coolant within the heat exchanger 18 may be arranged. Ultrasonic devices 55a, 55b, and 55c may be installed at various positions of the housing 51. The ultrasonic devices 55a, 55b, and 55c may be installed at the circular surface of the housing 51, may be installed at the lid of the housing 51, or may be installed at the lower surface of the housing.

[0036] When the ultrasonic device 55b is installed at the lid of the housing 51, an ultrasonic transmission member 551 may be connected to the ultrasonic device 55b for applying ultrasonic waves to the homogeneous solution flowing within the housing 51. When the ultrasonic device 55c is placed below the housing 51, an ultrasonic transmission plate 511 may be installed below the housing 51. A plurality of vibration elements may be placed at the transmission plate 511, and ultrasonic waves may be guided by the vibration elements in a predetermined direction. The ultrasonic devices 55a, 55b, and 55c may be arranged at various positions of the heat exchanger 18 to apply ultrasonic waves to the homogeneous solution flowing along the heat exchange tube 52. The ultrasonic devices 55a, 55b, and 55c may have an appropriate structure to apply ultrasonic waves to the homogeneous solution.

[0037] Figure 6 An embodiment showing the operation process of a homogenizer according to the present invention.

[0038] Refer to Figure 6 , the operation process of the homogenizer may include the following steps: P61 setting the flow pressure of the raw material and inputting the set pressure; P62 pressurizing the raw material by controlling a control valve; P63 measuring the pressure of the nano unit block in which the raw material flows; P64 determining whether there is a difference between the measured pressure and the applied pressure; P65 determining whether the pressure difference is within a compensable range; P66 calculating the offset / input; P67 operating a backwash valve if the pressure difference exceeds the range; and P68 starting a backwash process according to the operation of the backwash valve.

[0039] At step P64, the pressure of the nano cell block can be measured when there is no pressure difference between the measured pressure and the applied pressure. On the contrary, if a pressure difference appears, it is determined that the difference can be offset. At step P65, if the difference is within the compensable range, the offset can be calculated and input into the control valve P66. On the contrary, if the difference exceeds the compensable range, the backwashing process P68 can be initiated. The backwashing process P68 can be automatically executed by setting the backwashing start condition. For example, the applied pressure or the set pressure can be determined, and the backwashing start pressure can be set. The determined pressure for the homogenization process can be determined and applied to the nano cell block, and the pressure of the nano cell block can be measured by a pressure gauge during the homogenization process. A differential pressure calculation module can be installed to calculate the difference between the applied pressure and the measured pressure. If the pressure difference is greater than the backwashing start pressure, the backwashing process can be automatically initiated. The backwashing process can be executed within a determined time. The homogenizer can be operated in various ways, but not limited to this.

Claims

1. A homogenizer for homogenizing raw materials, comprising: A first guide block 13a for guiding the flow of the raw materials by the operation of a plunger 12; A first flow control valve 14a connected to the first guide block 13a; An inflow adjustment unit 15a connected to the first flow control valve 14a; At least one nano unit block 16a, 16b for homogenizing the raw materials input through the inflow adjustment unit 15a; A discharge adjustment unit 15b for adjusting the discharge of the homogenized raw materials discharged from the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b; A second guide block 13b installed between the plunger 12 and the first guide block 13a; A second flow control valve 14b for connecting the second guide block 13b to the discharge adjustment unit 15b; and A heat exchanger 18 connected to the discharge adjustment unit 15b.

2. The homogenizer according to claim 1, wherein the homogenizer further comprises a detection unit 17 for detecting the pressure of the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b, and causing the raw materials to flow through the second flow control valve 14b based on the pressure information detected by the detection unit 17.

3. The homogenizer according to claim 1, wherein The homogenizer further comprises a pressure change calculation module 25 for calculating the pressure change of the nano unit blocks 16a and 16b; and a backwash control module 26 for switching the flow direction of the raw materials.

4. The homogenizer according to claim 1, wherein The operation of the plunger 12 is proportional control.

5. The homogenizer according to claim 1, each of at least one nano unit block 16a, 16b comprises at least two nano units 40a and 40b.

6. The homogenizer according to claim 1, the homogenizer further comprises ultrasonic devices 45a, 45b and 45c installed at the heat exchanger 18.

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