Drying device for lactulose production

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of functional sugar processing, and discloses a drying device for lactulose production, which comprises a freezing tank, an atomizer is arranged at the top of an inner cavity of the freezing tank, and the atomizer is respectively communicated with an external storage tank and an external air compressor through a pipeline and a three-way valve; a low-temperature nitrogen inlet is formed in the lower part of the atomizer and the side wall of the freezing tank on one side of the upper part of the inner cavity of the freezing tank, and is communicated to a liquid nitrogen tank through a pipeline and an air inlet valve; a discharge port at the bottom of the freezing tank is communicated to a dryer through a discharge valve and a pipeline, a detachable drying disc is arranged at the bottom of an inner cavity of the dryer, and a scraper is arranged at the upper part of the drying disc; the upper portion of one side of the side wall of the dryer communicates with a temperature control system, and the bottom of the side wall communicates with a vacuum system and a water catching device. The device can be used for producing solid lactulose, and the product is low in loss, high in purity and convenient to store and transport.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of functional sugar processing, and particularly relates to a drying device for lactulose production. Background Art

[0002] Lactulose, also known as lactobionic acid and isomerized lactose, is a disaccharide formed by connecting a galactose and a fructose through a β-1,4 glycosidic bond. Its sweetness is 48% - 60% of that of sucrose, and it is extremely soluble in water. Industrially, it mainly exists in the form of syrup. As a new type of oligosaccharide, lactulose is a reducing disaccharide with low viscosity, low calorific value, high safety, no Maillard reaction, and convenient use, and has special health care functions. Its applications are not only widely used in clinical medicine, but also extended to multiple fields such as health products and food additives.

[0003] At present, lactulose products on the market mainly exist in the form of syrup. Since liquid lactulose requires low temperature, light protection and other conditions for storage, the requirements are relatively high, and it is extremely easy to decompose to produce by-products under the influence of high temperature, reducing the effective components. Therefore, its storage and transportation process is strictly restricted, and it is extremely important to produce solid lactulose, but there is no relevant device for producing solid lactulose on the market. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the utility model is to provide a drying device for lactulose production, which can overcome the defects in the prior art, can produce solid lactulose, and has less product loss, high purity and is convenient for storage and transportation.

[0005] To solve the above technical problem, the technical solution of the utility model is:

[0006] A drying device for lactulose production includes a freezing tank. At the top of the inner cavity of the freezing tank, there is an atomizer, and the atomizer is respectively connected to an external storage tank and an air compressor through pipelines and a three-way valve; on the side wall of the upper part of the inner cavity of the freezing tank below the atomizer, there is a low-temperature nitrogen inlet, and the low-temperature nitrogen inlet is connected to a liquid nitrogen tank through a pipeline and an intake valve; the discharge port at the bottom of the freezing tank is connected to a dryer through a discharge valve and a pipeline. At the bottom of the inner cavity of the dryer, there is a detachable drying tray, and the drying tray is connected to a bracket connected to the bottom of the dryer through a buckle. A scraper is arranged above the drying tray; on one side of the upper part of the side wall of the dryer, there is a temperature control system connected, and on the bottom of the side wall, there are respectively connected a vacuum system and a water capture device.

[0007] Preferably, the freezing tank is provided with a heat preservation interlayer. This ensures a reduction in internal heat loss and is designed and provided by Wuxi Guanghe Sheng Chemical Equipment Co., Ltd.

[0008] Preferably, the storage tank is a stainless-steel storage tank with a thermal insulation jacket to ensure that the material temperature remains constant, and it is designed and provided by Guangzhou Senmet Light Industry Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

[0009] Preferably, the air compressor is a silent oil-free air compressor. The model is: AZ5502S, and it is provided by Aizheng Compressor (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

[0010] Preferably, the atomizer is a two-fluid atomizer. It is suitable for the relatively high viscosity characteristic of the lactulose solution. The nozzle model is BIM automatic micro-mist nozzle, which has an internal automatic valve and can be automatically closed and opened. It is provided by Shanghai Wutai Fluid Technology Co., Ltd.

[0011] Preferably, the discharging valve is an automatic discharging valve. It is the C810-B stainless-steel two-position two-way electric center-line butterfly valve provided by Shanghai Beisite Automation Technology Co., Ltd.

[0012] Preferably, the air inlet valve is a pressure reducing valve. It is the RW41 series stainless-steel pressure reducing valve of Shanghai Woyuan Automatic Control Valve Co., Ltd.

[0013] Preferably, the dryer is a vacuum freeze dryer, the model is SZFD-50F, and the manufacturer is Shanghai Shunzhi Instrument Manufacturing Co., Ltd. The vacuum freeze dryer includes a machine body and a temperature control system and a vacuum system connected to the machine body; the water capture device includes a cold trap or a water capture pipeline arranged inside the vacuum freeze dryer, and a water collection tank arranged outside the vacuum freeze dryer.

[0014] Preferably, both the drying tray and the scraper are made of 316L stainless steel and are provided by Shenzhen Fubang Stainless Steel Products Co., Ltd.

[0015] Preferably, the scraper is connected to a stirring motor arranged at the bottom of the dryer through a driving shaft that penetrates the drying tray and the bottom of the dryer.

[0016] Furthermore, the stirring motor is provided by Jiangsu Chuangyuan Power Technology Co., Ltd., the model is DYT-YC4EF, and it is connected to the scraper through the driving shaft. While driving the scraper to rotate, it turns the material, making the material distribution in the drying tray more uniform and improving the drying efficiency.

[0017] Due to the adoption of the above technical solutions, the beneficial effects of the present utility model are:

[0018] 1. By using a two-fluid atomizer to atomize the material, the present utility model overcomes the deficiencies of the traditional pressure atomizer, is easy to operate, is more suitable for high-viscosity materials such as lactulose, has a better atomization effect, is more evenly distributed, is beneficial to the rapid freezing of the material, and reduces the low-temperature freeze-drying time of the material;

[0019] 2. The drying tray of the present utility model adopts snap connection, which facilitates the disassembly and assembly of the drying tray and is convenient for cleaning. The scraper in the tray can prevent the adhesion of materials on the one hand and make the materials evenly distributed in the drying tray on the other hand, improving the drying efficiency.

[0020] 3. The whole process of the present utility model adopts a low-temperature treatment method, which effectively prevents the denaturation of materials and the generation of by-products caused by high temperature, and ensures the content of effective substances.

[0021] In summary, the present utility model provides a new device for the low-temperature drying of lactulose. The drying effect and drying yield both meet the requirements, improving the product applicability. At the same time, through rapid low-temperature freezing and material turning, the freeze-drying time is short, ensuring the product purity while increasing the lactulose yield. The product is also convenient for storage and transportation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 is a top view structural diagram of the drying tray and the scraper of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0024] In the figure, 1, freezing tank; 2, atomizer; 3, storage tank; 4, air compressor; 5, liquid nitrogen tank; 6, dryer; 7, drying tray; 8, bracket; 9, scraper; 10, temperature control system; 11, vacuum system; 12, water capture device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0025] The present utility model will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments.

[0026] Embodiment 1:

[0027] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, a drying device for lactulose production includes a freezing tank 1. At the top of the inner cavity of the freezing tank 1, an atomizer 2 is provided. The atomizer 2 is connected to an external storage tank 3 and an air compressor 4 respectively through pipes (not marked) and a three-way valve (not marked); on the side wall of the upper part of the inner cavity of the freezing tank 1, below the atomizer 2, a low-temperature nitrogen inlet (not marked) is provided, and the low-temperature nitrogen inlet is connected to a liquid nitrogen tank 5 through a pipe and an intake valve (not marked); the discharge port (not marked) at the bottom of the freezing tank 1 is connected to a dryer 6 through a discharge valve (not marked) and a pipe. At the bottom of the inner cavity of the dryer 6, a detachable drying tray 7 is provided. The drying tray 7 is connected to a bracket 8 by snap connection, and the bottom of the bracket 8 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the dryer 6. A scraper 9 is provided above the drying tray 7. When disassembling, first remove the scraper 9, and then remove the drying tray 7 as a whole; on one side of the upper part of the side wall of the dryer 6, a temperature control system 10 is connected, and on the bottom of the side wall, a vacuum system 11 and a water capture device 12 are respectively connected.

[0028] During actual production, the lactulose solution in the storage tank 3 is transported to the atomizer 2 in the freezing tank 1 under the action of the compressed air conveyed by the air compressor 4. The solution is dispersed into uniform small droplets through the atomizer 2. Under the action of the low-temperature nitrogen gas conveyed from the liquid nitrogen tank 5, the small droplets quickly condense into solid particles. Due to rapid freezing, the formation of large ice crystals is avoided. The solid particles fall to the bottom of the freezing tank 1 under the action of gravity. After accumulating to a certain extent, the discharge valve is opened, and the material enters the dryer 6 and falls into the drying tray 7. It is subjected to low-temperature vacuum drying under the action of the scraper 9. The inside of the dryer 6 is in a deep vacuum state, far lower than the triple point of water - the critical point at which the solid, liquid, and gaseous forms of a material can coexist. Water is extracted from the material by sublimation, which directly converts solid ice into gaseous vapor without passing through the liquid phase again; therefore, the structural integrity and chemical properties of the product can be highly retained. The water-catching device 12 provided in the dryer 6 can condense and adsorb the sublimated water vapor and collect it in a water collection tank (not marked). When the moisture of the material in the drying tray 7 is dried to a certain extent, the machine is stopped for discharging, and the solid lactulose of the finished product in the drying tray 7 is collected and packaged to complete the drying process.

[0029] It should be understood that these embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and not to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, it should be understood that after reading the content taught by the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to the present invention, and these equivalent forms also fall within the scope defined by the appended claims of this application.

Claims

1. A drying device for lactulose production, characterized in that: The invention comprises a freezing tank, wherein an atomizer is arranged at the top of the inner cavity of the freezing tank, and the atomizer is respectively connected to an external storage tank and an air compressor through a pipeline and a three-way valve; a low-temperature nitrogen inlet is arranged on the side wall of the freezing tank at the lower part of the atomizer and on one side of the upper inner cavity of the freezing tank, and the low-temperature nitrogen inlet is connected to a liquid nitrogen tank through a pipeline and an air inlet valve; a discharge port at the bottom of the freezing tank is connected to a dryer through a discharge valve and a pipeline, a detachable drying plate is arranged at the bottom of the inner cavity of the dryer, the drying plate is connected to a bracket connected to the bottom of the dryer through a buckle, and a scraper is arranged on the upper part of the drying plate; a temperature control system is connected to the upper part of one side of the side wall of the dryer, and a vacuum system and a water capture device are respectively connected to the bottom of the side wall.

2. The drying device for lactulose production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The freezing tank is provided with a heat-insulating interlayer.

3. The drying device for lactulose production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material storage tank is a material storage tank provided with a heat-insulating jacket.

4. The drying device for lactulose production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air compressor is a silent oil-free air compressor.

5. The drying device for lactulose production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The atomizer is a two-fluid atomizer.

6. The drying device for lactulose production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The discharge valve is an automatic discharge valve.

7. The drying device for lactulose production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air intake valve is a pressure reducing valve.

8. The drying device for lactulose production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dryer is a vacuum freeze dryer.

9. The drying device for lactulose production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The scraper is connected to a stirring motor arranged at the bottom of the dryer through a driving shaft penetrating the drying plate and the bottom of the dryer.

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