A freeze dryer respirator and freeze drying system with online regenerable filler

Abstract

This utility model relates to a freeze dryer respirator and freeze drying system with online regenerable filler. The respirator includes a shell, a base, a heating sleeve, a heating rod, and heat dissipation fins. The shell is detachably connected to the base, and the shell and base together form a cavity. The heating rod and heating sleeve are respectively fixed to the base, with the heating rod placed inside the heating sleeve. The heat dissipation fins are fixed to the outer wall of the heating sleeve. The cavity is filled with desiccant, and the heat dissipation fins are used to transfer heat to the desiccant. This utility model addresses the problem of the desiccant needing to be removed from the respirator for drying and regeneration. By adding a pipe leading to a water ring pump group, the high temperature generated by the corrugated pipe being evacuated during the freeze dryer's sterilization process is used to heat the desiccant inside the respirator through the heating tube inside the respirator and the outer heating sleeve, achieving online regeneration of the desiccant without removing it.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of freeze dryer technology, specifically to a freeze dryer respirator and freeze drying system with online regenerable filler. Background Technology

[0002] A freeze dryer mainly consists of a drying chamber and a condenser. The drying chamber has shelves to support the material being freeze-dried; the shelves are raised and lowered by hydraulic cylinders. The drying chamber and condenser are connected by a diaphragm valve, which is also powered by a hydraulic cylinder. The diaphragm valve opens at the end of pre-freezing and closes after sublimation. During the sublimation stage of freeze drying, the vacuum provided by the vacuum system draws moisture from the drying chamber through the diaphragm valve to the condenser, where it is captured by the low-temperature coils, completing the transfer of moisture and achieving material drying.

[0003] During the movement of the shelf, diaphragm valve, and discharge push rod, to prevent foreign objects from falling into the drying chamber and condenser during cylinder movement, and to protect the cylinder from sterilization steam and cleaning water during cleaning and sterilization, a corrugated evacuation pipe is installed on the moving cylinder. The corrugated evacuation pipe is a hollow, stretchable, and compressible metal hose that fits over the cylinder, isolating it from external space. As the cylinder extends and retracts, the corrugated evacuation pipe also extends and retracts. To balance the pressure generated inside the corrugated evacuation pipe during this process, a breather is installed at the rear end to equalize the air pressure inside and outside the pipe. The breather is filled with anhydrous silica gel to remove moisture from the air entering the pipe, keeping it dry. Anhydrous silica gel is blue when dry and turns red after absorbing moisture; it needs to be replaced promptly when it turns red. During the sublimation stage, the vacuum system maintains the vacuum environment by evacuating the drying oven and condenser, and simultaneously evacuates the bellows piping system to prevent vacuum leakage and avoid causing the vacuum level inside the drying oven to rise again.

[0004] The existing technology has the following main drawbacks: Anhydrous silica gel has limited drying capacity and is prone to discoloration, requiring frequent replacement. Because the silica gel in the respirator is constantly exposed to alternating low and normal temperatures, it easily absorbs moisture, becomes ineffective, and turns red, necessitating inspection, disassembly, and replacement of the silica gel. If regeneration is needed after the anhydrous silica gel has discolored, it must be removed and placed in an oven for heating and drying, requiring repeated removal and inconvenient regeneration operations. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a freeze dryer respirator and freeze drying system with online regenerable filler.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A freeze dryer respirator with online regenerable filler includes a housing, a base, a heating sleeve, a heating rod, and heat dissipation fins;

[0008] The outer shell is detachably connected to the base, and the outer shell and the base together form a cavity;

[0009] The heating rod and the heating sleeve are respectively fixed on the base, and the heating rod is placed inside the heating sleeve;

[0010] The heat dissipation fins are fixed to the outer wall of the heating sleeve, and the cavity is filled with desiccant. The heat dissipation fins are used to transfer heat to the desiccant.

[0011] The outer shell is connected to ports A, B, and C, which are respectively connected to the cavity. Port A is used to connect to the corrugated pipe evacuation pipe, port B is connected to the atmospheric environment, and port C is used to connect to the vacuum pump set and the water ring pump set.

[0012] Furthermore, the outer casing is fixed to the base by clips or bolts.

[0013] Furthermore, the heating sleeve is located on the central axis of the cavity.

[0014] Furthermore, a heating jacket is installed on the outside of the housing to provide heat to the desiccant from the outside.

[0015] Furthermore, the outer casing is connected to a feeding valve and a discharging valve. The feeding valve is used to add new desiccant into the cavity, and the discharging valve is used to discharge the waste desiccant from the cavity.

[0016] Furthermore, the cavity is provided with a spiral heating coil, which surrounds the outside of the heating sleeve.

[0017] Furthermore, when there are two or more respirators, in two adjacent respirators, the B port of the preceding respirator and the A port of the following respirator are connected by a pipe to form a respirator assembly.

[0018] This utility model discloses a freeze-drying system, which includes the above-mentioned respirator, wherein there are three respirators, namely a first respirator, a second respirator and a third respirator;

[0019] Port A of the first respirator is connected to the shelf lifting corrugated pipe for evacuation.

[0020] The A port of the second respirator is connected to the evacuation pipe of the diaphragm valve opening and closing bellows.

[0021] Port A of the third respirator is connected to the push rod bellows evacuation pipe.

[0022] The C ports of the first, second, and third respirators are connected in parallel and then connected to the vacuum pump group and the water ring pump group;

[0023] The first, second, and third respirators are each connected to a solenoid valve at ports A, B, and C, respectively. The front ends of the vacuum pump group and the water ring pump group are also connected to corresponding solenoid valves.

[0024] This utility model discloses a freeze-drying system, including the aforementioned respirator assembly. The A port of the foremost respirator in the respirator assembly is connected to a main pipe. The shelf lifting corrugated pipe evacuation pipe, the diaphragm valve opening and closing corrugated pipe evacuation pipe, and the push rod corrugated pipe evacuation pipe are respectively connected to the main pipe. The C port of the rearmost respirator in the respirator assembly is connected to a vacuum pump group and a water ring pump group through a pipe. Each corrugated pipe evacuation pipe, the main pipe, the B port of each respirator, the C port of the rearmost respirator, and the front end of the vacuum pump group and the water ring pump group are respectively connected to corresponding solenoid valves.

[0025] By adopting the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0026] This invention addresses the defect of anhydrous silica gel in a corrugated tube evacuation pipe breather being prone to moisture absorption and failure. It adds a heating sleeve inside the breather, fixes a heating rod inside the heat pipe sleeve, adds heat dissipation fins to the heating sleeve, and adds a heating jacket outside the breather. This allows for heating and dehydration of the desiccant during freeze-drying. The vacuum system used in the sublimation stage of the freeze dryer is utilized to evacuate the corrugated tube evacuation pipe, removing moisture from the anhydrous silica gel during the vacuuming process.

[0027] This invention addresses the problem of limited drying capacity of anhydrous silica gel by increasing the variety of desiccants. The anhydrous silica gel in the respirator can be replaced with desiccant such as calcium chloride. At the same time, depending on the production and usage, the single respirator structure can be changed to a series structure of two or more respirators containing different desiccants, connected to the inlet of the corrugated pipe evacuation pipeline, thereby improving drying efficiency and extending the single-use time.

[0028] This invention addresses the problem of desiccant needing to be removed from the respirator for drying and regeneration. By adding a pipeline to the water ring pump group, the high temperature generated by the corrugated pipe being evacuated and heated during the sterilization process of the freeze dryer is used to heat the desiccant inside the respirator through the heating tube inside the respirator and the heating jacket outside the respirator, thus achieving online regeneration without removing the desiccant. Attached Figure Description

[0029] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a respirator;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of Example 1 of the freeze-drying system;

[0032] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of Example 2 of the freeze-drying system. Detailed Implementation

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, this utility model discloses a freeze dryer respirator with online regenerable filler. The respirator 1 includes a shell 11, a base 12, a heating sleeve 13, a heating rod 14, and heat dissipation fins 15.

[0034] The outer shell 11 is detachably connected to the base 12 by means of snaps or bolts, and the outer shell 11 and the base 12 together form a cavity;

[0035] The heating rod 14 and the heating sleeve 13 are respectively fixed on the base 12, and the heating rod 14 is placed inside the heating sleeve 13;

[0036] The heat dissipation fins 15 are fixed to the outer wall of the heating sleeve 13. The cavity is filled with desiccant, and the heat dissipation fins 15 are used to transfer heat to the desiccant.

[0037] The outer casing 11 is connected to ports A, B and C, which are respectively connected to the cavity. Port A is used to connect to the bellows evacuation pipe, port B is connected to the atmospheric environment, and port C is used to connect to the vacuum pump set and the water ring pump set.

[0038] Preferably, the heating rod 14 is located on the central axis of the cavity to ensure uniform heating throughout the cavity.

[0039] Preferably, a heating jacket 16 is installed on the outside of the outer casing 11 to provide heat to the desiccant from the outside. The heating jacket 16, in conjunction with the internal heating rod 14, can improve the uniformity of heating of the desiccant.

[0040] In order to enable online feeding and discharge of desiccant, a feeding valve 17 and a discharging valve 18 are designed on the outer shell 11. The feeding valve 17 is used to add new desiccant into the cavity, and the discharging valve 18 is used to discharge the waste desiccant from the cavity.

[0041] To further improve the regeneration efficiency of the desiccant after it becomes damp, a spiral heating coil 19 is also provided inside the cavity, which surrounds the outside of the heating sleeve 13. Circulating hot steam or hot water can be introduced into the heating coil 19.

[0042] The outer shell 11 of the respirator 1 is made of a partially transparent structure, forming an observation window structure, which allows observation of whether the internal desiccant changes color.

[0043] To address the limited drying capacity of anhydrous silica gel, the types of desiccants can be increased. The anhydrous silica gel in the respirator can be replaced with desiccant such as calcium chloride. Simultaneously, depending on production usage, the single respirator structure can be modified into a series connection of two or more respirators containing different desiccants, connected to the inlet of the corrugated evacuation pipe. This improves drying efficiency and extends the single-use time. When there are two or more respirators, the B port of the preceding respirator and the A port of the following respirator are connected via a pipe to form a respirator assembly.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, a freeze-drying system has three respirators, namely a first respirator, a second respirator, and a third respirator;

[0045] The A port of the first respirator is connected to the shelf lifting corrugated pipe evacuation pipe 1;

[0046] The A port of the second respirator is connected to the evacuation pipe 2 of the bellows diaphragm valve opening and closing system.

[0047] The A port of the third respirator is connected to the push rod bellows evacuation pipe 3;

[0048] The C ports of the first, second, and third respirators are connected in parallel and then connected to the vacuum pump group and the water ring pump group;

[0049] Solenoid valves are connected to ports A, B, and C of the first, second, and third respirators, respectively. Corresponding solenoid valves are also connected to the front ends of the vacuum pump group and the water ring pump group.

[0050] During the pre-freezing stage, the solenoid valve 1-1 (port A) connected to the shelf lifting bellows evacuation pipe 1 and the solenoid valve 1-2 (port B) on the outer shell of the first breather are in the open state, and the shelf lifting bellows and the first breather are connected to the external environment to balance the negative pressure generated inside the shelf lifting bellows at low temperature. The solenoid valve 1-3 (port C) on the corresponding pipe is closed.

[0051] The solenoid valve 2-1 (port A) connected to the bellows evacuation pipe 2 of the diaphragm valve opening and closing system and the solenoid valve 2-2 (port B) on the housing of the second breather are in the open state. The bellows and the second breather are connected to the external environment by the diaphragm valve opening and closing system, which is used to balance the negative pressure generated inside the bellows at low temperature. The solenoid valve 2-3 (port C) on the corresponding pipe is closed.

[0052] The solenoid valve 3-1 (port A) connected to the push rod bellows evacuation pipe 3 and the solenoid valve 3-2 (port B) on the outer shell of the third breather are in the open state. The push rod bellows and the third breather are connected to the external environment to balance the negative pressure generated inside the bellows at low temperature. The solenoid valve 3-3 (port C) on the corresponding pipe is closed.

[0053] During the sublimation stage, the drying chamber and condenser are under negative pressure. To prevent the negative pressure from rising again, the shelf lifting bellows, the diaphragm valve opening and closing bellows, and the push rod bellows are also connected to the vacuum pump unit, which, together with the drying chamber and condenser, evacuates the vacuum. At this time, the solenoid valve 5 before the vacuum pump unit is open, and the solenoid valves 1-1 and 1-3 connected to the shelf lifting bellows evacuation pipe 1 are in the open state. To maintain the negative pressure in the drying chamber and condenser, the vacuum pump unit evacuates the shelf lifting bellows and the first breather, and the solenoid valve 1-2 responsible for connecting to the atmosphere is closed.

[0054] At the same time, the solenoid valves 2-1 and 2-3 connected to the evacuation pipe 2 of the diaphragm valve opening and closing bellows are in the open state. In order to maintain the negative pressure in the drying box and condenser, the vacuum pump group evacuates the diaphragm valve opening and closing bellows and the second breather, and the solenoid valve 2-2 responsible for connecting to the atmosphere is closed.

[0055] At the same time, the solenoid valves 3-1 and 3-3 connected to the push rod bellows evacuation pipe 3 are in the open state. In order to maintain the negative pressure in the drying box and condenser, the vacuum pump group evacuates the push rod bellows and the third breather, and the solenoid valve 3-2, which is responsible for connecting to the atmosphere, is closed.

[0056] During the sublimation stage, the heating jackets and internal heating rods of each respirator can heat the desiccant inside the respirator, and the negative pressure when the drying chamber and condenser are evacuated will remove the moisture inside the desiccant.

[0057] After the freeze dryer is sterilized, the drying chamber and condenser are kept at a high temperature of around 120°C. A vacuum is drawn into the drying chamber and condenser using a water ring pump set to dry the chamber body. At the same time, a vacuum is drawn into each corrugated pipe to dry the internal environment of the corrugated pipe. The heating rod inside the breathing device and the heating jacket outside the breathing device are turned on to heat the desiccant and maintain the desiccant at a temperature of around 120°C to regenerate the damp desiccant. At this time, the solenoid valve 4 in front of the water ring pump set is open, and the solenoid valves 1-1 and 1-3 connected to the shelf lifting corrugated pipe evacuation pipe 1 are in the open state. The solenoid valve 1-2, which is responsible for connecting to the atmosphere, is closed to regenerate the desiccant in the first breathing device.

[0058] At the same time, the solenoid valves 2-1 and 2-3 connected to the bellows evacuation pipe 2 of the diaphragm valve are in the open state, and the solenoid valve 2-2, which is responsible for connecting to the atmosphere, is closed to regenerate the desiccant in the second respirator.

[0059] At the same time, the solenoid valves 3-1 and 3-3 connected to the bellows evacuation pipe 3 are in the open state, while the solenoid valve 3-2, which is responsible for connecting to the atmosphere, is closed to regenerate the desiccant in the third respirator.

[0060] like Figure 3As shown, the present invention discloses a freeze-drying system, including a respirator assembly, which consists of at least two respirators connected in series. In this embodiment, the respirator assembly includes a first respirator and a second respirator.

[0061] The A port of the first respirator (the frontmost respirator in the respirator assembly) is connected to the main pipe. The shelf lifting bellows evacuation pipe 1, the diaphragm valve opening and closing bellows evacuation pipe 2, and the push rod bellows evacuation pipe 3 are respectively connected to the main pipe. The C port of the second respirator (the rearmost respirator in the respirator assembly) is connected to the vacuum pump group and the water ring pump group through pipes. Each bellows evacuation pipe, the main pipe, the B port of each respirator, the C port of the rearmost respirator, and the front end of the vacuum pump group and the water ring pump group are respectively connected to corresponding solenoid valves.

[0062] During the pre-freezing stage, solenoid valve 7 on the main pipe is opened, solenoid valve 6 connected to port C of the second breather is closed, solenoid valve 9 at port B of the second breather is opened, solenoid valve 1-1 on the shelf lifting bellows evacuation pipe 1, solenoid valve 2-1 on the diaphragm valve opening and closing bellows evacuation pipe 2, and solenoid valve 3-1 on the push rod bellows evacuation pipe 3 are opened to balance the negative pressure generated inside the bellows at low temperature, and solenoid valves 5 and 4 leading to the vacuum pump group and the water ring pump group are closed.

[0063] During the sublimation stage, the shelf lifting bellows, the diaphragm valve opening and closing bellows, and the push rod bellows are directly connected to the vacuum pump unit and are evacuated together with the drying chamber and condenser. At this time, the solenoid valve 1-1 on the shelf lifting bellows evacuation pipe 1, the solenoid valve 2-1 on the diaphragm valve opening and closing bellows evacuation pipe 2, and the solenoid valve 3-1 on the push rod bellows evacuation pipe 3 are open. The solenoid valve 7 on the main pipe is open, the solenoid valve 6 on the second breather is open, and the solenoid valves 8 and 9 at the B port of the first and second breathers are closed. The solenoid valve 5 leading to the vacuum pump unit is open, the vacuum pump unit is turned on, and the three bellows are evacuated. At the same time, the heating rods inside the first and second breathers begin to heat, providing heat to the desiccant and removing moisture from the desiccant under the action of vacuum.

[0064] After the freeze dryer chamber is sterilized, sterilizing steam is used to heat the desiccant in the first and second respirators through the heating jacket and internal heating coil of the respirator, regenerating the desiccant at high temperature. During this stage, the solenoid valves 1-1 on the shelf lifting bellows evacuation pipe 1, 2-1 on the diaphragm valve bellows evacuation pipe 2, and 3-1 on the push rod bellows evacuation pipe 3 are open; the solenoid valve 7 on the main pipe is open; the solenoid valve 6 on the second respirator is open; the solenoid valves 8 and 9 at port B of the first and second respirators are closed; the solenoid valve 4 before the water ring pump group is open; and the water ring pump group is activated to remove moisture from the desiccant, regenerating the desiccant in the first and second respirators.

[0065] The specific embodiments of this utility model have been described above. However, those skilled in the art should understand that this is only an example. Those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to this embodiment without departing from the principle and essence of this utility model, but all such changes and modifications fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A freeze-dryer breather with on-line regenerable packing, characterized by: Includes the outer casing, base, heating sleeve, heating rod, and heat dissipation fins; The outer shell is detachably connected to the base, and the outer shell and the base together form a cavity; The heating rod and the heating sleeve are respectively fixed on the base, and the heating rod is placed inside the heating sleeve; The heat dissipation fins are fixed to the outer wall of the heating sleeve, and the cavity is filled with desiccant. The heat dissipation fins are used to transfer heat to the desiccant. The outer shell is connected to ports A, B, and C, which are respectively connected to the cavity. Port A is used to connect to the corrugated pipe evacuation pipe, port B is connected to the atmospheric environment, and port C is used to connect to the vacuum pump set and the water ring pump set.

2. A freeze-dryer breather according to claim 1, wherein: The outer casing is fixed to the base by clips or bolts.

3. A freeze-dryer breather according to claim 1, wherein: The heating sleeve is located at the central axis of the cavity.

4. A freeze-dryer breather according to claim 1, wherein: A heating jacket is installed on the outside of the outer shell to provide heat to the desiccant from the outside.

5. A freeze-dryer breather according to claim 1, wherein: The outer shell is connected to a feeding valve and a discharging valve. The feeding valve is used to add new desiccant into the cavity, and the discharging valve is used to discharge the waste desiccant from the cavity.

6. A freeze-dryer breather according to claim 1, wherein: The cavity is equipped with a spiral heating coil, which surrounds the outside of the heating sleeve.

7. A freeze-dryer breather according to claim 1, wherein: When there are two or more respirators, in two adjacent respirators, the B port of the preceding respirator and the A port of the following respirator are connected by a pipe to form a respirator assembly.

8. A lyophilization system comprising the breather of any one of claims 1-6, wherein: The respirator has three parts, namely a first respirator, a second respirator, and a third respirator; Port A of the first respirator is connected to the shelf lifting corrugated pipe for evacuation. The A port of the second respirator is connected to the evacuation pipe of the diaphragm valve opening and closing bellows. Port A of the third respirator is connected to the push rod bellows evacuation pipe. The C ports of the first, second, and third respirators are connected in parallel and then connected to the vacuum pump group and the water ring pump group; The first, second, and third respirators are each connected to a solenoid valve at ports A, B, and C, respectively. The front ends of the vacuum pump group and the water ring pump group are also connected to corresponding solenoid valves.

9. A lyophilization system comprising the respirator assembly of claim 7, wherein: The A port of the frontmost respirator in the respirator assembly is connected to the main pipe. The shelf lifting bellows evacuation pipe, the diaphragm valve opening and closing bellows evacuation pipe, and the push rod bellows evacuation pipe are respectively connected to the main pipe. The C port of the rearmost respirator in the respirator assembly is connected to the vacuum pump group and the water ring pump group through pipes. Each bellows evacuation pipe, the main pipe, the B port of each respirator, the C port of the rearmost respirator, and the front end of the vacuum pump group and the water ring pump group are respectively connected to corresponding solenoid valves.

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