Manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of ice sealed with hydrogen gas

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing ice sealed with hydrogen gas, and to provide ice sealed with hydrogen gas.SOLUTION: A manufacturing method includes forming granular ice stored in a cylinder whose one end is closed by a stopper member to three-dimensional ice by injecting (or injecting and subsequently) hydrogen gas into the cylinder from a hydrogen gas introduction passage formed in the stopper member, and also compressing from the other end of the cylinder to one end by a piston having a gas releasing passage. A manufacturing apparatus has the hydrogen gas introduction passage formed in the stopper member, and the hydrogen gas releasing passage formed in the piston, and is fitted with a filter for covering a gas inflow port of the gas releasing passage. The void of the ice formed in a three-dimensional shape by compressing the granular ice is sealed with hydrogen gas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing ice in which hydrogen gas is sealed, and ice in which hydrogen gas is sealed. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been a growing interest in taking in hydrogen gas into the body to maintain and improve health. Inhaling hydrogen gas into the body is said to remove active oxygen such as hydroxyl radicals, which are deeply involved in many diseases such as aging, cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure, and it is being incorporated into advanced medical treatments.

[0003] In order to take in hydrogen gas into the body, hydrogen water, which is made by dissolving hydrogen gas in water, is consumed as a drink, and is expected to have anti-aging effects, beauty effects, fatigue relief, etc. Hydrogen water is also known to be used for cleaning semiconductor elements, etc.

[0004] Methods for producing hydrogen water include supplying pressurized hydrogen gas to water and dissolving it, electrolyzing water, and reacting water with metals such as Ca and Mg or metal hydrides. However, the amount of hydrogen gas that dissolves in water at normal temperature and pressure (20°C, 1 atm) is estimated at about 1.8 ml per 100 ml of water. Moreover, hydrogen gas escapes quickly, and dissipates into the atmosphere over time, causing the amount of hydrogen gas dissolved in water to decrease rapidly.

[0005] In view of this, an invention has been presented as a method for retaining hydrogen gas, in which hydrogen gas is sealed in by freezing water containing hydrogen gas (Patent Document 1). As mentioned above, hydrogen gas has low solubility in water, and furthermore, the diffusivity of hydrogen gas is very high, so that the amount of hydrogen gas remaining in the ice from which hydrogen gas is extracted from water during cooling to form ice is significantly reduced. Therefore, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, raw hydrogen water containing supersaturated fine-bubble hydrogen gas is brought into contact with liquid nitrogen and flash-frozen to produce ice.

[0006] Here, fine hydrogen gas bubbles refer to microscopic bubbles of hydrogen gas with diameters of the micron order (1 to 100 μm) or nano order (1 μm or less). Supersaturation refers to a state in which more gas is present in a liquid than the theoretical solubility of the gas in the liquid. In order to increase the amount of hydrogen gas contained in the raw water, it is considered preferable to remove gas species other than hydrogen, especially dissolved oxygen.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the invention described in Patent Document 1, when raw hydrogen water is supplied to an aluminum pouch having a volume of 200 to 400 mL and frozen, the amount of residual hydrogen in the thawed water is 1.2 ppm (Patent Document 1,

[0059] ). In order to obtain the benefits of anti-aging, beauty, fatigue recovery, etc., it is said that it is desirable to take in about 40 mL of hydrogen gas per day. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6982869 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a method and apparatus for producing ice that traps a larger amount of hydrogen gas than conventional ice, and further to provide ice that traps a larger amount of hydrogen gas than conventional ice. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following means. [1] A method for producing ice that has hydrogen gas trapped inside, comprising the steps of: injecting hydrogen gas into a cylinder whose one end is sealed with a stopper member through a hydrogen gas inlet passage formed in the stopper member; and compressing the ice from the other end of the cylinder toward one end with a piston having a gas release passage, thereby forming the ice into a three-dimensional shape. [2] A method for producing ice that has hydrogen gas trapped inside, comprising the steps of: injecting hydrogen gas into a cylinder whose one end is sealed with a stopper member through a hydrogen gas inlet passage formed in the stopper member; and then compressing the ice from the other end of the cylinder toward one end with a piston having a gas release passage, thereby forming the ice into a three-dimensional shape. [3] A device for producing ice with hydrogen gas sealed inside, comprising: a cylinder for storing granular ice, a stopper member inserted into one end of the cylinder to close said end, a piston inserted into the other end of the cylinder and driven toward one end of the cylinder, and a hydrogen gas supply source, wherein the stopper member is formed with a hydrogen gas inlet passage through which hydrogen gas is introduced from the hydrogen gas supply source, and the piston is formed with a gas release passage and is fitted with a filter that covers the gas inlet of the gas release passage; the device for producing ice with hydrogen gas sealed inside, characterized in that it compresses granular ice and forms it into a three-dimensional shape. [4] Ice containing hydrogen gas, which is made by compressing and molding powdered ice into a three-dimensional shape to form numerous voids, and which is characterized in that hydrogen gas is trapped in the voids in the ice. [5] The ice described in [4], characterized in that the ice powder is compressed into a three-dimensional shape to form numerous voids, and hydrogen gas is sealed in the ice at a ratio of at least 10 mL of hydrogen gas per 100 mL of ice having numerous voids. Effect of the Invention

[0011] In the method and apparatus for producing ice containing hydrogen gas of the present invention, granular ice contained in a cylinder is compressed by a piston having a gas release passage formed therein to form three-dimensional ice. This makes it possible to easily produce three-dimensional ice containing hydrogen gas, and also to seal a relatively large amount of hydrogen gas in the three-dimensional ice. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a cylinder containing granular ice. [Diagram 2] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a cylinder in which the contained granular ice is being compressed into a piston. [Diagram 3] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the cylinder after the piston has completed compressive molding of the contained granular ice. [Figure 4] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a cylinder in a state where ice that has been compressed and molded is being pushed out from the bottom end by a piston. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The ice containing hydrogen gas of the present invention is basically produced by supplying hydrogen gas to granular ice stored in a cylinder, then compressing the granular ice and forming it into a three-dimensional shape, and then sealing hydrogen gas (molecular hydrogen) in the voids formed inside the ice that has been formed into the three-dimensional shape.

[0014] Granular ice refers to ice in the form of particles or powder with a diameter of 1 mm or less, and also includes ice made by shaving or crushing a block of ice into a cotton-like or powdery form, such as that used in shaved ice, a type of frozen dessert topped with syrup. In addition, powdered ice includes not only ice made from water, but also frozen beverages such as frozen fruit juice, milk, coffee, tea, and black tea, which are primarily made of water, as well as frozen fruit and frozen pudding.

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a method and device for producing ice containing hydrogen gas will be described with reference to the drawings. The process for producing three-dimensional ice with hydrogen gas trapped inside is shown together with the manufacturing apparatus in Figures 1 to 4. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4, the cylinder is placed vertically (i.e., the axis of the cylinder is vertical) relative to the installation surface, but it may be placed on its side (i.e., the axis of the cylinder is horizontal) or at an angle.

[0016] 1 shows the main body of the manufacturing apparatus, and the main body includes a cylinder 1 and a stopper member 2 that is attached to the bottom, which is one end of the cylinder 1, and closes the bottom of the cylinder 1. The stopper member 2 functions as a stopper (stop plug) and is made up of a base portion 3 and a stopper portion 4. The base portion 3 supports the end face of the cylinder bottom, which is one end of the cylinder 1, and the stopper portion 4 is a portion that fits into the bottom of the cylinder 1. The base portion 3 and the stopper portion 4 integrally form the stopper member 2, but the stopper portion 4 may also be fixed to the base portion 3. Powdered ice is poured into the cylinder 1 from the other end, which is the upper end, and powdered ice 100 is stored inside the cylinder 1. When the cylinder 1 is installed lying on its side or at an angle, powdered ice fed into the other end of the cylinder 1 can be collected and stored at one end of the cylinder 1 using a means such as a pusher or screw conveyor.

[0017] A hydrogen gas inlet passage 5 is formed inside the stopper member 2 so that hydrogen gas can be introduced into the cylinder 1 . One end of the hydrogen gas introduction path 5 is a hydrogen gas inlet 6, which in this embodiment is located on the side surface of the base portion 3 of the stopper member, but is not limited to the side surface. A short pipe (no drawing number) is attached to the hydrogen gas inlet 6, and this pipe connects to a hydrogen gas supply source (not shown) such as a hydrogen gas cylinder, so that hydrogen gas is sent from the hydrogen gas supply source through the hydrogen gas inlet 6 to the hydrogen gas introduction path 5. The other end of the hydrogen gas introduction path 5 is a hydrogen gas outlet 7, and hydrogen gas is supplied from this outlet 7 into the cylinder 1. The supplied hydrogen gas permeates into the gaps between the powdered ice 100 stored in the cylinder 1. In order to supply a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas to the powdered ice stored in the cylinder 1, it is desirable to have the hydrogen gas at a high pressure, preferably about 2 atm to 10 atm.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2, powdered ice 100 contained in cylinder 1 is inserted from the top end, which is the other end of cylinder 1, and compressed by piston 8 which is driven toward the bottom, which is one end of cylinder 1. A push rod 9 which can be driven up and down is connected to the center of the top surface of piston 8, and by pushing push rod 9 downward, powdered ice 100 is compressed by piston 8 and formed into a three-dimensional shape. When installing the cylinder 1 in a horizontal or tilted position, one end of the cylinder 1 is supported by a stopper member 2 that abuts the installation surface such as a vertical wall or a tilted wall, and with the cylinder 1 fixed horizontally or diagonally, a piston 8 is inserted from the other end of the cylinder 1, and a push rod 9 is pushed in a horizontal or diagonal direction. The piston 8, which is driven horizontally or diagonally toward one end of the cylinder 1, compresses the powdered ice 100 and forms it into a three-dimensional shape.

[0019] The timing of compressing the powdered ice contained in cylinder 1 by piston 8 may be such that hydrogen gas is injected into cylinder 1 and piston 8 is compressed at the same time, i.e., compression of piston 8 is started while hydrogen gas is being injected into cylinder 1, or hydrogen gas may be injected into cylinder 1 and then piston 8 is compressed, i.e., compression of piston 8 is started after hydrogen gas is injected into cylinder 1.

[0020] The granular ice 100 contained in the cylinder 1 is compressed by the piston 8 to about 1 / 10 to 3 / 10 of its volume (about 3 / 20 in the figure), but it cannot be compressed unless some of the gas, such as air or hydrogen gas, contained in the gaps between the granular ice 100 is released. For this reason, a gas release passage 10 is required to release this gas during compression molding. An adjustment valve may be provided in the gas release passage 10 to adjust the pressure or amount of gas to be released.

[0021] In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4, as shown in Fig. 2, a hole is formed vertically penetrating the center of the piston 8, and a hole communicating with this hole is formed at the lower end of the push rod 9 to form a gas release passage 10, and a part of the gas release passage 10 is provided in the push rod 9. The gas inlet 11 of this gas release passage 10 is provided in the center of the lower surface of the piston 8. The part of the gas release passage 10 formed in the push rod 9 is formed at the axial center of the lower end of the push rod 9, but is bent sideways near the upper end of the gas release passage 10, and this gas outlet 12 is provided on the side of the push rod 9. The gas release passage 10 formed in the push rod 9 may be formed along the axial center of the push rod 9 without being bent sideways, and the gas outlet 12 may be provided at the upper end of the push rod. Also, the gas release passage 10 may be provided only in the piston 8, and the gas outlet 12 may be provided not in the push rod 9 but in a location on the top surface of the piston 8 where the push rod 9 is not present.

[0022] The gas inlet 11 of the gas release passage 10 of the piston 8 is covered with a filter 13. This prevents powdered ice from entering the gas inlet 11 and blocking the gas release passage 10 when the piston 8 is compressed. Therefore, the filter 13 must be one that allows gas to pass through but does not allow powdered ice to pass through. The filter 13 preferably has a filtering accuracy of several microns as a filtering grade. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the filter 13 covers the entire lower surface of the piston 8 as shown in Fig. 2, but it does not have to cover the entire lower surface. The filter 13 can be attached to the lower surface of the piston 8 by screwing or gluing. A sintered metal filter can be used as such a filter 13. Sintered metal filters are available commercially and come in a wide range of filtering accuracies, from 0.1 μm to 200 μm.

[0023] When hydrogen gas is supplied to powdered ice 100 contained in a cylinder 1 and compressed by a piston 8 as shown in Fig. 2, the powdered ice 100 is compressed, the bulk volume decreases, and the powdered ice 100 becomes compressed powdered ice 150. When compressed further, the bulk volume of the powdered ice 150 decreases further, and the powdered ice 150 becomes compressed into ice 200 formed into a three-dimensional shape. During this process, many (multiple) voids are formed inside the compressed, three-dimensional ice 200, and hydrogen gas is trapped in these voids. The voids formed inside the three-dimensional ice 200 are considered to be surrounded by ice walls, and the hydrogen gas trapped in the three-dimensional ice will not dissipate immediately unless the ice melts.

[0024] After the compression by the piston 8 is completed, as shown in Fig. 4, when the cylinder 1 and piston 8 are pulled up, the three-dimensional ice 14 formed by compression separates from the stopper portion 3 of the stopper member 2 and is pulled up together with the piston 8 while adhering to the filter 13. Next, the stopper member 2 is removed from the end of the cylinder 1, and the piston 8 is lowered to expose it slightly from the bottom, which is one end of the cylinder 1, and the three-dimensional ice 200 formed is separated from the filter 13, and ice in which hydrogen gas is sealed is obtained.

[0025] The compressed, three-dimensional ice 200 can be stored in a household freezer that can be set to a freezing temperature of about -16°C to -20°C, and it has been confirmed that even if the ice is frozen for about half a year in a freezer set to this temperature range, the amount of hydrogen gas released from the compressed, three-dimensional ice 200 hardly decreases, even when compared to the three-dimensional ice 200 immediately after it has been compressed and molded.

[0026] The mechanism by which hydrogen gas is trapped in the three-dimensional ice 200 formed by compression with the piston 8 is not clear, but it is thought that when hydrogen gas permeates the gaps between the granular ice contained in the cylinder 1 and the pressure of the piston 8 is applied, a large number of voids surrounded by walls of ice are formed, and at the same time, hydrogen gas is trapped in these numerous voids.

[0027] The dimensions of the cylinder 1 of the device for producing ice containing hydrogen gas described above are not particularly limited as long as the driving force of the push rod 9 is large enough and the powdered ice contained in the cylinder 1 can be compressed by the piston, and the inner diameter of the cylinder 1 and the diameter of the piston 8 can be scaled up. The cross-sectional shape of the cylinder 1 and the piston 8 is not limited to a circle, but may be a square or a rectangle. In addition, a relatively large piece of ice 200 having a three-dimensional shape formed by compression can be produced, and the ice 200 can be chopped into a plurality of smaller pieces of ice having a three-dimensional shape. At this time, some of the hydrogen gas escapes, but as long as the chopped ice has a certain volume, the reduction can be suppressed to a relatively small percentage.

[0028] When hydrogen, which is said to be good for your health, is ingested through hydrogen water or other methods, the hydrogen gas concentration is so small, at around 1 to 1.6 ppm, that no effect can be expected. However, with ice molded into a three-dimensional shape according to the present invention, it has been confirmed that hydrogen gas can be trapped at a ratio of 10 to 20 mL per 100 mL of ice, meaning that at least 10 mL of hydrogen gas can be trapped per 100 mL of ice. If the specific gravity of ice is 0.92 and the density of hydrogen is 0.0899 g / L, 100 mL of ice will defrost to produce 92 g of water, so 10 mL of hydrogen gas per 100 mL of ice is equivalent to 9.7 ppm (10 × 10 -3 ×0.0899 / 92=9.7×10 -6 =9.7 ppm). In this way, it is possible to confine at least 10 times as much hydrogen gas as in the conventional method of sealing hydrogen gas in water by freezing it. High-concentration hydrogen gas is a dangerous substance, and generally, when its concentration in the air exceeds 4% by volume, it is prone to explosion or fire, making it impractical to inhale it. However, the ice molded into the three-dimensional shape of the present invention slowly melts, releasing small amounts of hydrogen gas as it does so, eliminating this danger.

[0029] The ice formed into a three-dimensional shape according to the present invention can be stored for a long period of time in the freezer compartment of a home refrigerator, and can be cut to an appropriate size, crushed, and consumed directly in the mouth or added to drinking water, milk, juice, coffee, tea, black tea, whiskey, shochu, liqueur, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1: Cylinder 2: Stopper material 3: Base part (of the stopper part) 4: Stopper part (of the stopper component) 5: Hydrogen gas inlet 6: Hydrogen gas inlet 7: Hydrogen gas outlet 8: Piston 9: Push stick 10: Gas release passage 11: Gas inlet (for gas relief passage) 12: Gas outlet (gas relief passage) 13: Filter ... 100: Powdered ice 150: Granular ice being compressed 200: Compressed, three-dimensional ice

Claims

1. A method for producing ice containing hydrogen gas, comprising the steps of: A method for producing ice containing trapped hydrogen gas, comprising the steps of: injecting hydrogen gas into a cylinder, one end of which is sealed with a stopper member, through a hydrogen gas inlet passage formed in the stopper member; and compressing the ice from the other end of the cylinder toward one end with a piston having a gas release passage, thereby forming the ice into a three-dimensional shape.

2. A method for producing ice containing hydrogen gas, comprising the steps of: A method for producing ice containing sealed hydrogen gas, comprising the steps of: injecting hydrogen gas into a cylinder, one end of which is sealed with a stopper member, through a hydrogen gas inlet passage formed in the stopper member; and then compressing the ice from the other end of the cylinder toward one end with a piston having a gas release passage, thereby forming the ice into a three-dimensional shape.

3. An apparatus for producing ice containing hydrogen gas, comprising: The ice maker has a cylinder for storing powdered ice, a stopper member inserted into one end of the cylinder to close the end, a piston inserted into the other end of the cylinder and driven toward the one end of the cylinder, and a hydrogen gas supply source; The stopper member is formed with a hydrogen gas inlet passage through which hydrogen gas is introduced from a hydrogen gas supply source, A gas release passage is formed in the piston, and a filter is attached to cover the gas inlet of the gas release passage. This device produces ice containing trapped hydrogen gas, characterized by compressing powdered ice and forming it into a three-dimensional shape.

4. This ice containing hydrogen gas is formed by compressing and molding powdered ice into a three-dimensional shape to form a large number of voids, and is characterized in that hydrogen gas is sealed in the voids of the ice.

5. The ice according to claim 4, characterized in that the ice powder is compressed and molded into a three-dimensional shape to form a large number of voids, and hydrogen gas is sealed in the ice at a ratio of at least 10 mL of hydrogen gas per 100 mL of ice having a large number of voids.

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