A two-stage hydraulic separation type high-uniformity microsphere production equipment system and method

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of two-stage hydraulic sorting high-uniformity microsphere production equipment system and method, belong to material production field.The production equipment system includes: rough selection equipment, fine selection equipment, circulating water tank, control system etc., wherein rough selection equipment and fine selection equipment are used for the core room cavity inside sorting operation and are equipped with multilayer porous plate water distribution device and net column steady flow sorting device.The method for producing high-uniformity microsphere includes two steps of primary rough selection and secondary fine selection.The application eliminates vortex and oblique flow by using net column steady flow sorting device, creates stable laminar flow as sorting flow field, significantly improves sorting efficiency, and improves sorting precision through two-stage hydraulic sorting mode, can freely sort out high-uniformity microsphere with specific particle size range and uniformity coefficient ≤1.05, to meet the customization needs of different application scenarios for microsphere particle size specification.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of materials production technology, and more specifically, to a two-stage hydraulic sorting high-uniformity microsphere production equipment system and method. Background Technology

[0002] High-uniformity microspheres typically refer to microspheres with a narrow particle size distribution and high uniformity (10–1000 μm), which can be used in high-pressure ion exchange, drug delivery, substance separation and purification, and liquid crystal layer spacers in display panels. Since it is difficult to guarantee that the particle size distribution consistently meets the requirements during direct manufacturing, high-uniformity microspheres usually need to be obtained through sorting. Mechanical sieving is a commonly used sorting method, but it is generally more suitable for microspheres with a particle size greater than approximately 180 μm. For microspheres with a particle size less than approximately 180 μm, the sieving process is more cumbersome and it is difficult to directly obtain products with a narrow particle size distribution due to electrostatic effects and pore-clogging effects.

[0003] Hydraulic methods are based on the difference in settling rates of particles in an aqueous medium due to differences in particle size or specific gravity, thereby achieving particle classification and sorting. As early as the 1980s, researchers designed multiple glass tubes of different diameters for hydraulic sorting of uniformly sized resins, including "Multi-column high-pressure ion exchange device for isotope enrichment", "Hydraulic sorting of microspherical resins for high-pressure ion exchange", and "An automatic hydraulic sorting device for highly uniform spherical particles". However, the single-stage particle size range of the resins obtained in the above studies was still relatively wide, the processing scale was limited to small-scale tests, and the problem of "difficulty in maintaining a constant flow rate" was revealed.

[0004] Patents with publication numbers CN110918246A, CN201342369Y, CN201720121U, CN203540693U, and CN208194646U disclose hydraulic sorting equipment for engineering applications, in which the internal structure of the cylinder / tank used for sorting is mainly a hollow structure. While patents with publication numbers CN203540693U and CN203972104U incorporate a water distribution device at the bottom of the cylinder, they also lack further flow stabilization structures for the sorting chamber. During hydraulic sorting, the rising and settling of particulate matter disturbs the water flow field, easily leading to eddies and oblique flows within the hollow cavity, thus affecting the stability of the sorting flow field and sorting accuracy. Therefore, it is still necessary to improve the water distribution and flow stabilization structures within the sorting chamber, as well as the grading process, to enhance the controllability of the high-uniformity microsphere sorting process. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the problems of existing hydraulic separation technologies, such as the susceptibility of the separation flow field to eddy currents and oblique flow disturbances, and the difficulty in simultaneously addressing the processing range and narrowing of particle size distribution in single-stage separation, this invention provides a two-stage hydraulic separation high-uniformity microsphere production equipment system and method. The separation chamber is equipped with a multi-layer porous plate water distribution device and a grid column flow stabilization separation device. Dispersed water distribution and vertical channel confinement reduce the disturbance of eddy currents and oblique flow on the floating and settling of microspheres. Simultaneously, a two-stage processing mode of primary coarsening + secondary fine selection is adopted. During the fine selection stage, the receiving branch chamber B2 is switched according to the change in influent flow rate, allowing microspheres migrating under different hydraulic conditions to enter the corresponding branch chamber, thereby achieving gradual narrowing of the particle size range and compartmentalized collection.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this invention proposes a two-stage hydraulic sorting high-uniformity microsphere production equipment system, comprising: The equipment includes a coarse selection device (A), a fine selection device (B), a circulating water tank (C), a control system (D), and various accessories such as pipes, valves, water pumps, filters, and flow meters.

[0007] The coarse selection equipment A consists of a main chamber A1 and several auxiliary chambers A2 to A3. m The system is an integrated structure, with each primary sub-chamber having one or more chambers, and adjacent chambers connected in series via baffle channels; from the primary chamber A1 to the last primary sub-chamber A. m The cross-sectional area of ​​the main chamber A1 and the total cross-sectional area of ​​the secondary chambers increase progressively. The main chamber A1 and each secondary chamber have, from bottom to top, multi-layer perforated plate water distribution devices and grid column flow stabilizing and separating devices. The bottom of the main chamber A1 also has a separate water inlet distribution device, connected to the circulating water tank C via an inlet pipe. The inlet pipe is equipped with an inlet pump, valves, and a flow meter. The tops of the main chamber A1 and each secondary chamber are connected to the circulating water tank C via outlet pipes. The inlet and outlet pipes are connected via a backwash pipe. The last secondary chamber A1… m A filter is also installed on top.

[0008] The refining equipment B consists of a main chamber B1 and several auxiliary chambers B2. The main chamber B1 receives the coarsened microspheres transferred from the main chamber A1 or any of the primary auxiliary chambers of the coarsening equipment A. The main chamber B1 and any of the auxiliary chambers B2 are connected in series, and the auxiliary chambers B2 are connected in parallel. Inside the main chamber B1, from bottom to top, there are a water inlet and distribution device, a multi-layer perforated plate water distribution device, and a grid column flow stabilizing and separating device. The water inlet and distribution device is connected to the circulating water tank C through an inlet pipe, which is equipped with an inlet pump, valves, and a flow meter. The top of the main chamber B1 is equipped with a baffle cap, which is connected to each auxiliary chamber B2 through a pipe. The tops of the main chamber B1 and each auxiliary chamber B2 are connected to the circulating water tank C through outlet pipes. The inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are connected through a backwash pipe. Each auxiliary chamber B2 is also equipped with a filter at its top.

[0009] The circulating water tank C stores, provides, and receives clean water, enabling its recycling. The circulating water tank C is equipped with an electric heating insulation jacket for heat preservation and temperature regulation of the stored clean water.

[0010] The control system D is electrically connected to the valve, water pump and flow meter, and is used to control the operation of the water pump and valve according to the set inlet water flow rate, so as to realize the automatic control of inlet water flow rate adjustment and flow path switching.

[0011] Preferably, the multi-layer perforated plate water distribution device consists of two or more layers of perforated plates, with an opening rate of 50% to 90%, and the holes adopt a concave structure, with the holes of adjacent layers of perforated plates being staggered.

[0012] Preferably, the cross-section of the grid column flow stabilization and sorting device is grid-shaped, and the chamber space is divided into several vertically parallel columnar fluid channels, with the hydraulic radius of the water passage section of a single columnar fluid channel being 0.5 to 5.0 cm.

[0013] This invention also proposes a method for producing highly uniform microspheres based on the above-mentioned equipment system, comprising the following steps: S1. Primary roughing: The microspheres to be sorted are conveyed to the main chamber A1 of the roughing equipment A. Through roughing, the microspheres are separated in the main chamber A1 and the various auxiliary chambers A2 to A1. m The initial classification is performed according to the particle size range to obtain coarsely selected microspheres; S2. Secondary Selection: Select the coarsely chosen equipment from main room A1 or any first-level sub-rooms A2 to A1. m The coarsely selected microspheres are transferred to the main chamber B1 of the fine selection equipment B. After fine selection, the finely selected high-uniformity microspheres are collected in each of the auxiliary chambers B2 after secondary classification.

[0014] Preferably, the general process of the S1 primary coarse selection is as follows: S11: Fill the coarse selection equipment A with clean water, except for opening the final sub-chamber A. m In addition to the top valve of the main chamber, close the top valves of the main chamber and other auxiliary chambers; S12: Open the bottom valve of the main chamber A1, slowly input the microspheres to be sorted into the main chamber A1, and then close the bottom valve; S13: Start the inlet pump and introduce water into the main chamber A1 from the bottom through the inlet pipe. Control the inlet flow rate to increase gradually in small increments according to the set value and maintain a stable flow rate for a fixed time at each time. This allows the microspheres in the main chamber A1 to flow with the water through the baffle channel into the next stage auxiliary chamber A2, and so on, finally flowing into the last stage auxiliary chamber A2. m After being filtered by the top filter, the effluent returns to the circulating water tank C, while the microspheres remain in the main chamber A1 and the various auxiliary chambers. S14: Repeat S12 to S13 to achieve coarse selection of multiple batches of the same microspheres to be sorted.

[0015] Preferably, the general process of the S2 secondary selection is as follows: S21: Open the valve at the bottom of the main chamber B1 of the fine selection equipment B, input the coarsening microspheres from the main chamber A1 of the coarsening equipment A or any first-level auxiliary chamber into the main chamber B1, and then close the bottom valve; S22: Turn on the water inlet pump and introduce water from the bottom of the main chamber B1 through the water inlet pipe. Control the water inlet flow rate to increase in small steps according to the set value and maintain it stably for a fixed time at each water inlet flow rate. This allows the microspheres in the main chamber B1 to flow into the baffle cap with the water from the top, and then flow into a branch chamber B2 that is responsible for receiving the water. After being filtered by the filter at the top of the branch chamber B2, the water returns to the circulating water tank C, and the microspheres remain in the branch chamber B2. Each time the water inlet flow rate is changed, the branch chamber B2 responsible for receiving the water is switched accordingly, so that the microspheres in the main chamber B1 are gradually distributed to each branch chamber B2. S23: Drain the clean water and remaining microspheres from the main chamber B1, turn on the water inlet pump and inject water from the top of the main chamber B1 through the backwash pipe to backwash the chamber multiple times; S24: Repeat S21 to S23 to achieve fine selection of multiple batches of different coarsely selected microspheres.

[0016] Preferably, the water medium used for hydraulic separation is pure water, deionized water, tap water, or salt water containing electrolytes.

[0017] Compared with existing technologies, the present invention provides a two-stage hydraulic sorting high-uniformity microsphere production equipment system and method, which has at least the following beneficial effects: (1) A multi-layer perforated plate water distribution device and a grid column flow stabilization separation device are installed inside the sorting chamber. The multi-layer perforated plate is used to disperse the water flow entering the chamber. The grid column flow stabilization separation device divides the chamber space into multiple vertical columnar fluid channels, restricting the development of transverse large-scale flow, thereby reducing the disturbance of eddies and oblique flow on the floating and settling of microspheres, which is conducive to improving the stability of the sorting flow field.

[0018] (2) A two-stage hydraulic separation mode of primary roughing + secondary fine selection is adopted. First, the particle size range of the microspheres to be selected is narrowed through roughing, and then secondary fine selection is carried out, so that the separation process forms a hierarchical relationship, which is conducive to obtaining microspheres with a narrower particle size distribution.

[0019] (3) In the selection stage, the change of influent flow rate is matched with the switching of the receiving branch chamber B2, so that the microspheres migrating under different influent flow rate conditions enter the corresponding branch chamber B2 respectively, so as to realize the segmented collection according to hydraulic conditions, which is convenient to obtain microspheres with different target particle size ranges. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and form part of the specification. They are used in conjunction with embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a front view schematic diagram of the two-stage hydraulic sorting high-uniformity microsphere production equipment system of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a top view of the coarse selection equipment A single-stage auxiliary chamber of the present invention, which contains two rectangular chambers.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a top view schematic diagram of the coarse selection equipment A single-stage auxiliary chamber of the present invention, which contains four rectangular chambers.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a top view schematic diagram of the coarse selection equipment A single-stage auxiliary chamber of the present invention, which includes a circular annular cavity.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a top view schematic diagram of the selected equipment B of the present invention, which includes six auxiliary chambers.

[0025] Figure 6 Images of polydisperse microspheres (100–360 μm) under a microscope.

[0026] Figure 7 The image shows microspheres with high uniformity of 165±5μm obtained by two-stage hydraulic separation under a microscope.

[0027] Figure 8 The image shows a microscopic observation of 210±8μm highly uniform microspheres obtained by two-stage hydraulic separation.

[0028] Figure 9 The image shows microspheres with high uniformity of 190±8μm obtained by two-stage hydraulic separation under a microscope.

[0029] In the diagram: 1. Coarse selection equipment A; 2. Fine selection equipment B; 3. Circulating water tank C; 4. Control system D. Figure 1 The box marked with "S" is used to indicate the control system D (4). Detailed Implementation

[0030] The present invention will now be described and explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, this invention proposes a two-stage hydraulic sorting high-uniformity microsphere production equipment system, comprising: The equipment includes a coarse selection device (A), a fine selection device (B), a circulating water tank (C), a control system (D), and various accessories such as pipes, valves, water pumps, filters, and flow meters.

[0032] The coarse selection equipment A consists of a main chamber A1 and several auxiliary chambers A2 to A3. m The system is an integrated structure, with each primary sub-chamber having one or more chambers, and adjacent chambers connected in series via baffle channels; from the primary chamber A1 to the last primary sub-chamber A. m The cross-sectional area of ​​the main chamber A1 and the total cross-sectional area of ​​the secondary chambers increase progressively, i.e., A1 <A2<A3<…<A m The main chamber A1 and each of the auxiliary chambers are equipped with a multi-layer perforated plate water distribution device and a mesh column flow stabilizing and sorting device, arranged from bottom to top. The bottom of the main chamber A1 also has a separate water inlet distribution device, connected to the circulating water tank C via an inlet pipe. The inlet pipe is equipped with an inlet pump, valves, and a flow meter. The tops of the main chamber A1 and each of the auxiliary chambers are connected to the circulating water tank C via outlet pipes. The inlet and outlet pipes are connected via a backwash pipe. The last auxiliary chamber A... m A filter is also installed on top.

[0033] The cross-sectional area of ​​the main chamber A1 and the total cross-sectional area of ​​the secondary chambers increase progressively. Together with the series baffle channels between adjacent chambers, they form hydraulic separation conditions that vary along the coarse separation flow path. This allows microspheres of different particle sizes to be retained in each chamber and provides coarsely separated microspheres with narrowed particle size ranges for subsequent fine separation.

[0034] The refining equipment B consists of a main chamber B1 and several auxiliary chambers B2. The main chamber B1 receives the coarsened microspheres transferred from the main chamber A1 or any of the primary auxiliary chambers of the coarsening equipment A. The main chamber B1 and any of the auxiliary chambers B2 are connected in series, and the auxiliary chambers B2 are connected in parallel. Inside the main chamber B1, from bottom to top, there are a water inlet and distribution device, a multi-layer perforated plate water distribution device, and a grid column flow stabilizing and separating device. The water inlet and distribution device is connected to the circulating water tank C through an inlet pipe, which is equipped with an inlet pump, valves, and a flow meter. The top of the main chamber B1 is equipped with a baffle cap, which is connected to each auxiliary chamber B2 through a pipe. The tops of the main chamber B1 and each auxiliary chamber B2 are connected to the circulating water tank C through outlet pipes. The inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are connected through a backwash pipe. Each auxiliary chamber B2 is also equipped with a filter at its top.

[0035] The circulating water tank C stores, provides, and receives clean water, enabling its recycling. The circulating water tank C is equipped with an electric heating insulation jacket for heat preservation and temperature regulation of the stored clean water.

[0036] The control system D is electrically connected to the valve, water pump and flow meter, and is used to control the operation of the water pump and valve according to the set inlet water flow rate, so as to realize the automatic control of inlet water flow rate adjustment and flow path switching.

[0037] During the selection process, the control system D controls the water intake of the main chamber B1 according to the set water intake flow rate, and controls the corresponding valve to switch the branch chamber B2 currently connected to the main chamber B1 when the water intake flow rate changes, so that the microspheres that migrate out under different water intake flow rate states enter the corresponding branch chamber B2 respectively.

[0038] The multi-layer perforated plate water distribution device consists of two or more layers of perforated plates. The perforation rate of the perforated plates is 50% to 90%, the holes adopt a concave structure, and the holes of adjacent layers of perforated plates are staggered.

[0039] The cross-section of the grid-like flow stabilization and sorting device is grid-shaped, dividing the chamber space into several vertically parallel cylindrical fluid channels. The hydraulic radius of the water passage section of a single cylindrical fluid channel is 0.5–5.0 cm. When the hydraulic radius is too small, the grid boundary restricts the passage of particles more, posing a risk of local blockage and increased local pressure. When the hydraulic radius is too large, the constraint of the channel wall on the flow in the central area weakens, which is not conducive to suppressing large-scale lateral disturbances. Therefore, in this embodiment, the hydraulic radius of the water passage section of a single cylindrical fluid channel is set within the range of 0.5–5.0 cm.

[0040] As an optional approach, a static pressure balancing chamber of height H is provided between the top of the perforated plate and the bottom of the column-based flow stabilization and separation device, where H is 2 to 5 times the hydraulic radius of the cylindrical fluid channels. This static pressure balancing chamber serves as a transition space before the outflow from the perforated plate enters the column-based flow stabilization and separation device, allowing the water flow dispersed by the perforated plate to have a certain buffer distance before entering each cylindrical fluid channel.

[0041] This invention also proposes a method for producing highly uniform microspheres based on the above-mentioned equipment system, comprising the following steps: S1. Primary roughing: The microspheres to be sorted are transported to the main chamber A1 of the roughing equipment A. Through roughing treatment, coarsely sorted microspheres are generated in the main chamber A1 and each level of auxiliary chambers. S2. Secondary Refinement: The coarse microspheres from the main chamber of coarse selection equipment A or any first-level auxiliary chamber are transferred to the main chamber B1 of fine selection equipment B. Through fine selection, highly uniform microspheres with secondary classification are generated in each auxiliary chamber B2.

[0042] The general process of the S1 primary coarse selection is as follows: S11: Fill the coarse selection equipment A with clean water, except for opening the final sub-chamber A. m In addition to the top valve of the main chamber A1, close the top valves of the other auxiliary chambers; S12: Open the bottom valve of the main chamber A1, slowly input the microspheres to be sorted into the main chamber A1, and then close the bottom valve; S13: Start the inlet pump and introduce water into the main chamber A1 from the bottom through the inlet pipe. Control the inlet flow rate to increase gradually in small increments according to the set value and maintain a stable flow rate for a fixed time at each time. This allows the microspheres in the main chamber A1 to flow with the water through the baffle channel into the next stage auxiliary chamber A2, and so on, finally flowing into the last stage auxiliary chamber A2. m After being filtered by the top filter, the effluent returns to the circulating water tank C, while the microspheres remain in the main chamber A1 and the various auxiliary chambers. S14: Repeat S12 to S13 to achieve coarse selection of multiple batches of the same microspheres to be sorted.

[0043] The general process of the S2 secondary selection is as follows: S21: Open the valve at the bottom of the main chamber B1 of the fine separator B to input the coarsening microspheres from the main chamber A1 of the rougher separator A or any first-level auxiliary chamber into the main chamber B1, and then close the bottom valve; the method of transferring the coarsening microspheres from the rougher separator A to the fine separator B is not particularly limited. It can be transferred manually or transported through a material conveying pipeline. The specific method can be selected according to the equipment layout and production method.

[0044] S22: Turn on the inlet pump and introduce water from the bottom of the main chamber B1 through the inlet pipe. Control the inlet flow rate to increase in small steps according to the set value. In two adjacent inlet flow rate steps, the inlet flow rate of the later step is increased by 5% to 30% relative to the previous step. Maintain the flow rate stably for a preset time at each inlet flow rate. This allows the microspheres in the main chamber B1 to flow with the water from the top into the baffle cap. Then, the water is controlled to flow into a branch chamber B2 that is responsible for receiving the microspheres. After being filtered by the filter at the top of the branch chamber B2, the water returns to the circulating water tank C, while the microspheres remain in the branch chamber B2. Each time the inlet flow rate is changed, the branch chamber B2 responsible for receiving the microspheres is switched accordingly, so that the microspheres in the main chamber B1 are gradually distributed to each branch chamber B2. S23: Drain the clean water and remaining microspheres from the main chamber B1, turn on the water inlet pump and inject water from the top of the main chamber B1 through the backwash pipe to backwash the chamber multiple times; S24: Repeat S21 to S23 to achieve fine selection of multiple batches of different coarsely selected microspheres.

[0045] The water medium used for hydraulic separation is pure water, deionized water, tap water, or salt water containing electrolytes.

[0046] In this embodiment, laser diffraction was used to obtain the volumetric distribution data of microsphere size. The particle sizes corresponding to a cumulative volumetric distribution of 10% and 60% were denoted as d10 and d60, respectively, and a uniformity coefficient was calculated using K = d60 / d10. The closer K is to 1, the more concentrated the particle size distribution.

[0047] The following description is based on specific embodiments.

[0048] Example 1: Using Figure 6The polydisperse microspheres (100–360 μm) shown were used as the experimental treatment objects, and were processed by... Figure 1 The equipment system shown (where the coarse selection equipment A single-stage auxiliary chamber contains two rectangular chambers, such as...) Figure 2 As shown; the secondary chamber has a total of 5 stages (m=6) for two-stage hydraulic separation, the process of which is as follows: S1. Primary Coarsening: The microspheres to be sorted are transported to the main chamber of coarsening equipment A. The inlet pump is turned on, and water is introduced from the bottom of the main chamber A1 through the inlet pipe. The inlet flow rate is controlled to increase gradually according to the set value and maintained stably for 3 hours at each inlet flow rate. This allows the microspheres in the main chamber A1 to flow with the water through the baffle channel into the next stage auxiliary chamber A2, and so on, until they finally reach auxiliary chamber A6. Initial coarsened microspheres are generated in the main chamber and each stage of auxiliary chambers. Among them, coarsened microspheres with a particle size range of 150-190 μm are obtained in auxiliary chamber A4.

[0049] S2. Secondary Refinement: The 150-190 μm coarse microspheres from the two chambers A4 of the coarse selection equipment A were transferred to the main chamber B1 of the refinement equipment B. The water pump was turned on, and water was introduced from the bottom of the main chamber B1 through the inlet pipe. The inlet flow rate was controlled to increase gradually in small increments according to a set value and maintained stably for 4 hours at each flow rate. Each time the inlet flow rate was changed, the receiving chamber B2 was switched accordingly, allowing the microspheres in the main chamber B1 to be gradually distributed to the receiving chambers in B2. A total of four inlet flow rates were changed during the experiment. Highly uniform microspheres of 165 ± 5 μm were obtained in the second receiving chamber, with a uniformity coefficient of 1.02 measured by laser diffraction. Figure 7 As shown.

[0050] Example 2: Using Figure 6 The polydisperse microspheres (100–360 μm) shown were used as the experimental treatment objects, and were processed by... Figure 1 The equipment system shown (where the coarse selection equipment A single-stage auxiliary chamber contains four rectangular chambers, such as...) Figure 3 As shown; the secondary chamber has a total of 4 stages (m=5) for two-stage hydraulic separation, the process is as follows: S1. Primary Coarsening: The microspheres to be sorted are transported to the main chamber A1 of the coarsening equipment A. The inlet pump is turned on, and water is introduced into the main chamber A1 through the inlet pipe. The inlet flow rate is controlled to increase gradually according to the set value and maintained stably for 4 hours at each inlet flow rate. This allows the microspheres in the main chamber A1 to flow with the water through the baffle channel into the next stage auxiliary chamber A2, and so on, until they finally reach the auxiliary chamber A5. Initial coarsened microspheres are generated in the main chamber A1 and each stage of auxiliary chambers. Among them, coarsened microspheres with a particle size range of 160-250 μm are obtained in the auxiliary chamber A3.

[0051] S2. Secondary Refinement: The 160-250 μm coarse microspheres from the four chambers of the coarse selection equipment A (sub-chamber A3) were transferred to the main chamber B1 of the refinement equipment B. The water pump was turned on, and water was introduced from the bottom of the main chamber B1 through the inlet pipe. The inlet flow rate was controlled to increase gradually in small increments according to a set value and maintained stably for 3 hours at each flow rate. Each time the inlet flow rate was changed, the receiving sub-chamber B2 was switched accordingly, allowing the microspheres in the main chamber B1 to be gradually distributed to the sub-chambers B2. A total of six inlet flow rates were changed during the experiment. Highly uniform microspheres of 210 ± 8 μm were obtained in the fourth receiving sub-chamber, with a uniformity coefficient of 1.04 measured by laser diffraction. Figure 8 As shown.

[0052] Example 3: Using Figure 6 The polydisperse microspheres (100–360 μm) shown were used as the experimental treatment objects, and were processed by... Figure 1 The equipment system shown (where the coarse selection equipment A single-stage auxiliary chamber contains a circular chamber, such as...) Figure 4 As shown; the secondary chamber has a total of 4 stages (m=5) for two-stage hydraulic separation, the process is as follows: S1. Primary Coarsening: The microspheres to be sorted are transported to the main chamber A1 of the coarsening equipment A. The inlet pump is turned on, and water is introduced into the main chamber A1 from the bottom through the inlet pipe. The inlet flow rate is controlled to increase gradually according to the set value and is maintained stably for 5 hours at each inlet flow rate. This allows the microspheres in the main chamber A1 to flow with the water through the baffle channel into the next stage auxiliary chamber A2, and so on, until they finally reach the auxiliary chamber A5. Initial coarsened microspheres are generated in the main chamber and each stage of auxiliary chambers. Among them, coarsened microspheres with a particle size range of 170-250 μm are obtained in the auxiliary chamber A3.

[0053] S2. Secondary Refinement: 170–250 μm coarse microspheres from chamber A3 of the coarse selection equipment A are transferred to main chamber B1 of the refinement equipment B. The water pump is turned on, and water is introduced from the bottom of main chamber B1 through the inlet pipe. The water flow rate is controlled to increase gradually in small increments according to a set value and maintained stably for 2 hours at each flow rate. Each time the water flow rate is changed, the receiving chamber B2 is switched accordingly, allowing the microspheres in main chamber B1 to be gradually distributed to the receiving chambers in B2. A total of five water flow rate changes were made during the experiment. Highly uniform microspheres of 190 ± 8 μm were obtained in the second receiving chamber, with a uniformity coefficient of 1.05 measured by laser diffraction. Figure 9 As shown.

[0054] The following describes the two-stage sorting process and its technical effects based on the operational results of Examples 1 to 3: From polydispersed initial microspheres ( Figure 6The sorting results show that the two-stage treatment of coarse and fine separation can gradually narrow the particle size range of microspheres. In Example 1, the particle size range of the material was narrowed to 150-190 μm in the coarse separation stage. Subsequently, in the fine separation stage, by adjusting the influent flow rate step by step and switching the receiving chamber, microspheres of 165±5 μm were obtained in the second receiving chamber. The uniformity coefficient was measured to be 1.02 by laser diffraction. Figure 7 Examples 2 and 3 were performed for different particle size ranges, and finally, 210±8μm particles (uniformity coefficient 1.04) were obtained in the corresponding fine-selection chamber. Figure 8 ) and 190±8μm (uniformity coefficient 1.05, Figure 9 Microspheres.

[0055] From the perspective of the structural and procedural relationships, the concave, staggered perforated plate at the bottom first disperses the water flow entering the chamber, breaking up the concentrated influent before it enters the upper region. The grid column flow stabilization and sorting device further divides the chamber into multiple vertical cylindrical fluid channels, restricting the large-scale lateral flow and thus reducing the disturbance of eddies and oblique flows on the floating and settling of microspheres. In the coarse selection stage, the microspheres to be sorted are initially classified through multi-stage series chambers. In the fine selection stage, the coarsely selected microspheres with narrowed particle size range are sent into the main chamber B1, and the gradual change of the influent flow rate corresponds to the switching of the receiving branch chamber B2, so that microspheres migrating under different hydraulic conditions enter the corresponding branch chambers. The particle size and uniformity coefficient results of Examples 1 to 3 show that microspheres with a narrow particle size distribution can be obtained under the stated operating conditions.

[0056] The above embodiments are used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make corresponding adjustments to the equipment layout and operating parameters according to the specific sorting objects and production conditions without departing from the technical concept of the present invention.

Claims

1. A two-stage hydraulic sorting high-uniformity microsphere production equipment system, characterized in that, It includes a coarse selection equipment A (1), a fine selection equipment B (2), a circulating water tank C (3), and a control system D (4). The coarse selection equipment A (1) and the fine selection equipment B (2) are respectively connected to the circulating water tank C (3). The control system D (4) is used to control the inlet flow of the coarse selection equipment A (1) and the fine selection equipment B (2), and to control the flow path switching between the main chamber B1 and each branch chamber B2 in the fine selection equipment B (2). The coarse selection equipment A(1) consists of a main chamber A1 and several secondary chambers A2 to A1. m The main chamber A1 and each level of the auxiliary chambers are connected in series by a baffle channel. The main chamber A1 and each level of auxiliary chambers are provided with a multi-layer perforated plate water distribution device and a mesh column flow stabilization and sorting device from bottom to top. The bottom of the main chamber A1 is also provided with a separate water inlet and distribution device. The fine selection equipment B (2) consists of a main chamber B1 and several auxiliary chambers B2. The main chamber B1 is used to receive coarse microspheres transferred from the main chamber A1 or any first-level auxiliary chamber of the coarse selection equipment A (1). The main chamber B1 is connected in series with any auxiliary chamber B2, and the auxiliary chambers B2 are connected in parallel. The interior of the main chamber B1 is provided with a water inlet and distribution device, a multi-layer perforated plate water distribution device and a grid column flow stabilization and separation device from bottom to top. The top of the main chamber B1 is provided with a baffle and water collection cap connected to each auxiliary chamber B2.

2. The two-stage hydraulic sorting high-uniformity microsphere production equipment system according to claim 1, characterized in that, From the main room A1 to the last level auxiliary room A m The cross-sectional area of ​​the main chamber A1 for water passage and the various auxiliary chambers A2 to A1 m The total cross-sectional area of ​​the water passage in the chamber increases gradually.

3. The two-stage hydraulic sorting high-uniformity microsphere production equipment system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-layer perforated plate water distribution device consists of two or more layers of perforated plates. The perforation rate of the perforated plates is 50% to 90%, and the holes on the perforated plates adopt a concave structure. The holes of adjacent layers of perforated plates are staggered.

4. The two-stage hydraulic sorting high-uniformity microsphere production equipment system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cross-section of the grid column flow stabilization and sorting device is grid-shaped, dividing the chamber space into several vertically parallel columnar fluid channels. The hydraulic radius of the water passage section of a single columnar fluid channel is 0.5 to 5.0 cm.

5. The dual-stage hydraulic sorting high-uniformity microsphere production equipment system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The circulating water tank C(3) is equipped with an electric heating insulation jacket on the outside for heat preservation and temperature regulation of the stored clean water; and the last stage auxiliary chamber A m Filters are installed at the top of the main body and at the top of each branch chamber B2.

6. A method for producing high-uniformity microspheres using a two-stage hydraulic separation system, based on the two-stage hydraulic separation high-uniformity microsphere production equipment system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Primary coarse separation: The microspheres to be separated are transported to the main chamber A1 of the coarse separation equipment A (1). Through coarse separation, the microspheres are separated in the main chamber A1 and the various auxiliary chambers A2 to A1. m The initial classification is performed according to the particle size range to obtain coarsely selected microspheres; S2. Secondary Selection: Select the main chamber A1 or any first-level secondary chamber A2 to A1 of the coarse selection equipment A (1). m The coarsely selected microspheres are transferred to the main chamber B1 of the fine selection equipment B(2), and after fine selection, the finely selected high-uniformity microspheres are collected in each branch chamber B2 after secondary classification.

7. The method for producing high-uniformity microspheres using a two-stage hydraulic sorting system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The primary coarse selection process in step S1 includes: S11: Fill the coarse selection equipment A (1) with clean water, keeping the last stage auxiliary chamber A clean. m The top discharge passage is opened, while the top discharge passages of the main chamber A1 and other auxiliary chambers remain closed; S12: Input the microspheres to be sorted into the main chamber A1; S13: Fresh water is introduced from the bottom of the main chamber A1, and the water flow rate is controlled to increase from a small step, and is maintained stably for a fixed time at each water flow rate, so that the microspheres flow into the next level of auxiliary chamber through the baffle channel with the water flow, until the water is returned to the circulating water tank C (3). Microspheres of different particle size ranges are retained in the main chamber A1 and each level of auxiliary chamber respectively. S14: Repeat steps S12 to S13 repeatedly to perform coarse selection of multiple batches of the same type of microspheres to be sorted.

8. The method for producing high-uniformity microspheres using a two-stage hydraulic separation method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The secondary selection process in step S2 includes: S21: Introduce coarse microspheres from a designated chamber in coarse selection equipment A (1) into the main chamber B1 of fine selection equipment B (2); S22: Fresh water is introduced from the bottom of the main chamber B1, and the water flow rate is controlled to increase from a small step and maintained stably for a fixed time at each water flow rate. This allows the microspheres in the main chamber B1 to flow from the top into the baffle cap with the water flow and into the currently selected single auxiliary chamber B2 responsible for receiving the water. The filtered water is returned to the circulating water tank C (3). Each time the water flow rate is changed, the auxiliary chamber B2 responsible for receiving the water is switched accordingly. S23: Drain the clean water and remaining microspheres from the main chamber B1, and inject water from the top of the main chamber B1 to backwash the chamber; S24: Repeat steps S21 to S23 in a cyclical manner to perform fine selection of coarsely selected microspheres of different particle sizes in multiple batches.

9. The method for producing high-uniformity microspheres using a two-stage hydraulic sorting system according to claim 8, characterized in that, In step S22, the fixed maintenance time for each influent flow rate is 2h to 4h.

10. The method for producing high-uniformity microspheres by two-stage hydraulic sorting according to claim 6, characterized in that, The water medium used for hydraulic separation is pure water, deionized water, tap water, or salt water containing electrolytes.

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