Steering method

Abstract

To further micronize and homogenize an emulsion by optimizing a stirring method such as respective rotating directions and rotating speeds of a turbine case and a turbine blade in a lower part of a tank.SOLUTION: A stirring method using a stirring device that makes an emulsion or a suspension by stirring a material containing a liquid, in which the stirring device 100 includes a tank 1 that stores the material, a rotating case 8 provided at a bottom part in the tank and rotatable clockwise or counterclockwise, and a turbine blade housed in the rotating case and is independently rotatable clockwise or counterclockwise, comprises: a material storing step of storing the material in the tank; and a shearing step of setting a rotational speed of the rotating case to be higher than a rotational speed of the turbine blade, rotating the rotating case and the turbine blade in the same direction, and shearing a solid in the material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method of agitation that improves shear forces on emulsions or suspensions. [Background technology]

[0002] Agitators are used to atomize and mix liquids or liquids and solids in cosmetics, food, chemicals, or pharmaceuticals. Agitators are made up of a roughly cylindrical tank in which a rotating blade attached to a rotating shaft rotates to mix the raw materials, a drive unit for rotating the rotating shaft, and the like.

[0003] In conventional mixers, the flow of the mixed liquid inside the tank is mainly horizontal (in the direction of rotation of the mixing blades), and mixing is insufficient due to insufficient liquid flow in the vertical direction, resulting in insufficient refinement of solid particles. Therefore, further refinement of solid particles is desired.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes the configuration of an agitation device that is equipped with a case disperser at the bottom of a tank and emulsifies, dissolves, and disperses by shearing caused by stirring with the up and down water flows inside the tank, thereby homogenizing solid particles and generating homogeneous, fine droplets. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] Patent Document 1: Patent No. 7025591 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, although the mixing device described in Patent Document 1 can improve the vertical liquid flow by directing the liquid flow from the bottom to the top of the tank, there was a problem in that the optimal rotation direction and rotation speed of the turbine case and turbine blades in the case dispenser could not be determined.

[0007] The present invention aims to solve the above problems and achieve further fineness and homogenization of the emulsion or suspension by optimizing the rotation direction and rotation speed of the turbine case and turbine blades in the lower part of the tank. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a stirring method using a stirring device for stirring a mixture of liquid and liquid, a liquid and a liquid containing a solid, or a liquid containing a solid and a liquid containing a solid to form an emulsion or suspension, the method comprising the steps of: The stirring device includes a tank for storing the raw material, a rotating case provided at the bottom of the tank and rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, and a turbine blade housed in the rotating case and independently rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction; A raw material storage step of storing raw material in the tank; and a shearing step of shearing solids in the raw material by making the rotation speed of the rotating case faster than the rotation speed of the turbine blades and rotating the rotating case and the turbine blades in the same direction.

[0009] With this configuration, the rotational speed of the loading case is made higher than that of the turbine blades, and the loading case and the turbine blades are rotated in the same direction in a shearing process, so that more of the raw material passes through the gap between the inner wall of the loading case and the turbine blades, thereby realizing further finer and homogenized emulsion. Here, liquid refers to oil or water, and liquid containing solid refers to a solution in which powder and oil are dispersed. Also, an emulsion refers to a combination of liquids that do not mix with each other, and a suspension refers to a combination of liquids and solids.

[0010] A stirring method may be configured such that, in the shearing process, the loading case and the turbine blades are both rotated in the same direction, and the rotation speed of the loading case is made greater than the rotation speed of the turbine blades, thereby maximizing the difference between the rotation speed of the loading case and the rotation speed of the turbine blades.

[0011] With this configuration, the shear force in the gap between the inner wall of the loading case and the turbine blades is maximized, making it possible to further refine and homogenize the emulsion. Effect of the Invention

[0012] The stirring method of the present invention can optimize the direction and speed of rotation of the turbine case and turbine blades in the lower part of the tank, thereby achieving further finer and more homogenous emulsion. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a stirring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a loading case in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a turbine case according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a turbine blade according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a homo stand in Example 1 of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a turbine blade according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the liquid flow when the loading case in the first embodiment of the present invention is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the liquid flow when the loading case in the first embodiment of the present invention is rotated clockwise as viewed from above. [Figure 9] 1 is a graph showing test results in Comparative Example 1. [Figure 10] 13 is a graph showing test results in Comparative Example 2. [Figure 11] 13 is a graph showing test results in Comparative Example 3. [Figure 12] 13 is a graph showing test results in Comparative Example 4. [Figure 13] 1 is a graph showing test results of a stirring method in Example 1 of the present invention. [Figure 14] 11 is a graph showing test results of a stirring method in Example 2 of the present invention. [Figure 15] 11 is a graph showing test results of a stirring method in Example 3 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS EXAMPLES

[0014] (Stirring device) The stirring device of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 8. Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining the stirring device in the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the loading case in the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows the gap l1 and (b) shows the gap l2. Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the turbine case in the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a top view and (b) is a side cross-sectional view. Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the turbine blade in the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a top view and (b) is a side cross-sectional view. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the homo stand in the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a top view, (b) is a side cross-sectional view and (c) is a bottom view. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the turbine blade in the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the liquid flow when the loading case in the first embodiment of the present invention is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above. Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining the liquid flow when the loading case in the first embodiment of the present invention is rotated clockwise as viewed from above.

[0015] The stirring device 100 in Example 1 is equipped with a tank 1 made of stainless steel and having a generally cylindrical shape with the bottom and top surfaces gently protruding at the center. The top surface of the tank 1 has a raw material A inlet 6 for introducing one raw material to be stirred and a raw material B inlet 7 for introducing the other raw material to be stirred. Here, raw materials A and B in Example 1 are either a liquid and a liquid, a liquid and a liquid containing a solid, or a liquid containing a solid and a liquid containing a solid, and these raw materials are stirred and emulsified to form an emulsion or suspension.

[0016] A rotating shaft 2 is provided in the tank 1, running from the center of the top surface toward the bottom surface at the bottom. Three blade-shaped mixers 3 are attached horizontally to the rotating shaft 2 in the vertical direction. Furthermore, anchor blades 4 holding scrapers 5 made of resin for scraping off liquid between the sides of the tank 1 are provided rotatably at two locations from the top to the bottom.

[0017] The rotating shaft 2 is rotated by a motor (not shown) installed outside the tank 1. When the rotating shaft 2 is rotated, the mixer 3 rotates horizontally to mix the raw materials in the tank 1. The anchor blade 4 is also rotated horizontally by another drive source (not shown). The anchor blade 4 can rotate in the opposite direction to the mixer 3, which allows horizontal mixing and allows the scraper 5 to scrape off the liquid on the inner wall of the tank 1.

[0018] In Example 1, the blade-shaped mixers 3 are provided in three locations in the vertical direction, but this is not necessarily limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. For example, it may be two locations, or four or more locations, and it is sufficient to provide an optimal number of mixers depending on the raw materials to be mixed. Also, in Example 1, the anchor blades 4 are provided in two locations, but this is not necessarily limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. For example, it may be one location, three or more locations, or it may not be present.

[0019] In addition, in the first embodiment, the rotating shaft 2, the mixer 3, and the anchor blade 4 are provided, but this is not necessarily limited and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the rotating shaft, the mixer, and the anchor blade may not be provided. In the case of a low-viscosity stirring material, the material may be sufficiently finely divided by rotating the rotating case 8 at the bottom of the tank 1.

[0020] A stainless steel loading case 8 is provided at the bottom of the tank 1 so as to be rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The loading case 8 is generally in the shape of a truncated cone like an upside-down bowl, and has lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 952d) on the side of the lower part for sucking in or discharging liquid, emulsion or suspension, and has upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) on the upper surface for sucking in or discharging liquid, emulsion or suspension. In addition, the dispersing blade provided in the case dispenser in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is not provided in the loading case 8 in Example 1 of the present invention.

[0021] In the first embodiment, the loading case 8 has a generally circular truncated cone shape resembling an upside-down bowl, but is not limited to this shape and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the loading case 8 may have a generally cylindrical shape, a generally rectangular prism shape, or a generally polygonal prism shape, and any shape can be selected.

[0022] The structure of the loading case 8 will be described in detail. The turbine case 81 is substantially truncated cone-shaped, and upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) for discharging or sucking liquid are provided through the upper surface. The four upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) are elliptical, and the elliptical portion has a slight arc shape (see FIG. 3(a)). In addition, the homo stand 85 is screwed into the stand bolt hole 812 (812a, 812b, 812c, 812d) at the lower end of the turbine case 81, and can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise together with the turbine case 81. The homo stand 85 has four lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d) for sucking or discharging liquid on its four sides. As a result, the loading case 8 as a whole has lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d) at the bottom for sucking in or discharging liquid, and upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) at the top for sucking in or discharging liquid.

[0023] In the first embodiment, the upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) are elliptical, with the elliptical portion having a slight arc shape, and the lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 952d) have a shape with the side cut out, but this is not necessarily limited to this and can be modified as appropriate. For example, in order to efficiently suck in the liquid, a water cutting blade or the like can be provided at the opening of the hole. Also, the shape of the opening can be any shape.

[0024] In addition, in the first embodiment, the number of the upper liquid flow holes 811 and the lower liquid flow holes 852 is four, but this is not necessarily limited to four and may be changed as appropriate. For example, the number may be three or less, or five or more.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3(b), a cavity is provided inside the turbine case 81, and a turbine blade 83 is rotatably housed inside the cavity. The turbine blade 83 is screwed to a lower shaft 84 and can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise as viewed from above by a motor (not shown). The turbine blade 83 is configured such that it can generate a liquid flow from bottom to top by rotating counterclockwise as viewed from above, and conversely, it can generate a liquid flow from top to bottom by rotating clockwise as viewed from above (see FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 6). That is, the turbine blade 83 has four water cutting blades 831 (831a, 831b, 831c, 831d) provided around the cylindrical portion, and the water cutting blades 831 (831a, 831b, 831c, 831d) are configured obliquely from top to bottom of the cylindrical portion, and can efficiently generate a liquid flow from bottom to top or from top to bottom based on the direction of rotation.

[0026] In the first embodiment, the turbine blades 83 are rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction as viewed from above by a motor, but this is not necessarily limited to this and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the turbine blades 83 may be freely rotated by the liquid flow caused by the rotation of the loading case 8, without being driven to rotate by a motor. Also, the turbine case 81 may not be provided with the turbine blades 8.

[0027] In this way, the rotating case 8 can be rotated in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction by a drive unit (not shown). The turbine blades 83 can also be rotated in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction independently, but the turbine blades 83 can also be rotated freely by the liquid flow caused by the rotation of the rotating case 8 without being rotated by a motor.

[0028] When the rotating case 8 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above, as shown in Fig. 7, a swirling flow A is generated, and a liquid flow from bottom to top is generated, and an intake flow B in which liquid, emulsion, or suspension is sucked in is sucked into the rotating case 8 from the lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d), and passes through the gaps l1 (see Fig. 2(a)) and l2 (see Fig. 2(b)) between the end of the turbine blade 83 and the inner surface of the turbine case 81, whereby the emulsion or suspension is sheared and pushed upward in these gaps l1 and l2, and an exhaust flow C is discharged from the upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d). In the first embodiment, the gaps l1 and l2 are set to 1 mm and 0.5 mm, but they are not necessarily limited to these and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the gaps may be set to l1 = l2 = 0.5 mm, or may be set to l1 = 0.5 mm and l2 = 1 mm, and any gaps may be set depending on the type of raw material.

[0029] In the first embodiment, the rotating case 8 is rotated counterclockwise when viewed from above, but this is not necessarily limited to this and may be changed as appropriate. For example, Alternatively, the loading case 8 may be rotated clockwise as viewed from above to cause a liquid flow from top to bottom. In this case, the liquid, emulsion, or suspension is sucked into the loading case 8 through the upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) and discharged through the lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d).

[0030] In addition, the loading case 8 may be rotated clockwise when viewed from above to create a liquid flow from bottom to top, or the loading case 8 may be rotated counterclockwise when viewed from above to create a liquid flow from top to bottom.

[0031] (Mixing method in Example 1) First, a raw material storing step is carried out in which raw materials to be mixed are stored in tank 1. The following aqueous phase components and oil phase components were used as raw materials in Example 1, including the following comparative examples. That is, an oil phase component prepared by heating 4.2 kg of salad oil and 4.2 kg of Tween 80 to 75°C in a separate container was added to an aqueous phase component prepared by heating 94.5 kg of water and 2.1 kg of Span 80 to 75°C in a mixing tank. Here, Span 80 and Tween 80 are surfactants.

[0032] Next, a shearing process is performed. In the shearing process, the rotating case 8 and the turbine blades 83 provided at the bottom of the tank 1 are rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above, and as shown in Fig. 7, a swirling flow A is generated around the rotating case 8, and a suction flow B is generated that sucks in liquid, emulsion, or suspension from the lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d) provided at the lower side of the rotating case 8, and the emulsion or suspension is sheared and finely divided by passing through the gap 11 between the end of the turbine blade 83 and the inner surface of the turbine case 81, and a discharge flow is generated that discharges the finely divided emulsion, suspension, or liquid from the upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) provided at the upper part of the rotating case 8, improving the liquid flow from bottom to top (see Fig. 7).

[0033] At this time, the rotation speed of the loading case 8 is made greater than the rotation speed of the turbine blades 83, and the loading case 8 and the turbine blades 83 are rotated in the same direction, allowing more of the raw material to pass through the gap between the inner wall of the loading case 8 and the end of the turbine blades 83, thereby achieving further fine-graining and homogenization of the emulsion.

[0034] (Test Results of Comparative Example 1) Comparative Example 1 is an example where a test was conducted in which neither the loading case 8 nor the turbine blade 83 was rotated, but only the anchor blade 4 was rotated to stir inside the tank 1. The test results are shown in FIG. 9. The vertical axis of FIG. 9 indicates the particle size [μm] of the solids contained in the raw material, and the horizontal axis indicates the stirring time (rotation time) [min]. The particle size [μm] of the solids contained in the raw material is expressed by the number average value shown by the solid line and the volume average value shown by the dashed line. Here, the number average value represents the value of the solid with the smallest particle size, that is, micronization, and the volume average value represents variation, that is, homogenization, and it is desirable for both to be small values.

[0035] The test results for Comparative Example 1 show that the particle size is about 2.4 μm to about 2.8 μm in terms of number average particle size and about 14.9 μm to about 14.2 μm in terms of volume average particle size. In other words, even when neither the loading case 8 nor the turbine blade 83 rotates, and only the anchor blade 4 rotates for 30 minutes, the particle size does not change much and is quite large.

[0036] (Test Results of Comparative Example 2) Comparative Example 2 is an example in which the mixer 3 and anchor blade 4 were not rotated, the loading case 8 was not rotated, and the turbine blade 83 was rotated counterclockwise at 1,800 rpm. The test results at this time are shown in FIG. 10. The number average value in Comparative Example 2 is not very different from the number average value in Comparative Example 1, but the volume average value is greatly improved to about 6.9 μm to about 4.7 μm. This is thought to be because the rotation of the turbine blade 83 causes the raw material to pass from bottom to top through the gap between the inner wall of the loading case 8 and the end of the turbine blade 83, which promotes homogenization of the emulsion and suspension.

[0037] (Test Results of Comparative Example 3) Comparative Example 3 is an example in which the mixer 3 and anchor blade 4 were not rotated, the loading case 8 was rotated clockwise at 600 rpm, and the turbine blade 83 was rotated counterclockwise at 1,200 rpm. The test results of Comparative Example 3 are shown in Fig. 11. According to this, the number average value is not very different from Comparative Examples 1 and 2, and the volume average value is about 7.5 µm to about 5.2 µm, which is an improvement from Comparative Example 1 but a deterioration from Comparative Example 2.

[0038] This is because the rotating case 8 rotates clockwise at 600 rpm and the turbine blades 83 rotate counterclockwise at 1,200 rpm, so the difference in rotation speed between the two is 1,800 rpm, the same as in Comparative Example 2. However, since the rotating case 8 rotates in the opposite direction to the turbine blades 83, less raw material passes through the gap between the inner wall of the rotating case 8 and the end of the turbine blades 83, and this is thought to be why the emulsion was not homogenized.

[0039] (Test Results of Comparative Example 4) Comparative Example 4 is an example in which the mixer 3 and anchor blade 4 were not rotated, the loading case 8 was rotated clockwise at 1,800 rpm, and the turbine blade 83 was not rotated. The test results of Comparative Example 3 are shown in Fig. 12. According to this, both the number average value and the volume average value were greatly improved, with the number average value being about 2.4 µm to about 1.1 µm and the volume average value being about 4.1 µm to about 2.0 µm. In particular, the volume average value became smaller as the rotation time became longer.

[0040] The test results of Comparative Example 4 show that the rotation of the loading case contributes greatly to homogenizing the particle size.

[0041] (Test Results of Example 1) In the test of Example 1, the mixer 3 and the anchor blade 4 were not rotated, the loading case 8 was rotated counterclockwise at 2,000 rpm, and the turbine blade 83 was rotated counterclockwise at 200 rpm. In other words, the rotation speed of the loading case 8 was made higher than the rotation speed of the turbine blade 83, the loading case 8 and the turbine blade 83 were rotated in the same direction, and further, the difference between the rotation speed of the loading case 8 and the rotation speed of the turbine blade 83 was maximized.

[0042] The test results for Example 1 are shown in Figure 13. According to this, the number average value is about 2.4 μm to about 0.9 μm, which is smaller than 1 μm after 30 minutes of rotation. In addition, the volume average value is about 3.8 μm to about 1.7 μm, which is also a small value that was not obtained in Comparative Examples 1-4 after 30 minutes of rotation.

[0043] This is believed to be because the rotation speed of the loading case 8 is made greater than the rotation speed of the turbine blades 83, the loading case 8 and the turbine blades 83 are rotated in the same direction, and the difference between the rotation speed of the loading case 8 and the rotation speed of the turbine blades 83 is maximized, which allows more of the raw material to pass through the gap between the inner wall of the loading case 8 and the end of the turbine blades 83, thereby achieving further fineness and homogenization of the emulsion.

[0044] Thus, in Example 1, there is provided a stirring method using a stirring device for stirring liquid and liquid, liquid and liquid containing solids, or liquid containing solids and liquid containing solids as raw materials to form an emulsion or suspension, wherein the stirring device has a tank for storing the raw materials, a rotating case provided at the bottom of the tank and rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, and turbine blades housed in the rotating case and independently rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, and the stirring method is characterized in comprising: a raw material storing step for storing the raw materials in the tank; and a shearing step for shearing the solids in the raw materials by making the rotation speed of the rotating case faster than the rotation speed of the turbine blades and rotating the rotating case and the turbine blades in the same direction, thereby allowing more of the raw material to pass through the gap between the inner wall of the rotating case and the turbine blades, thereby achieving further fineness and homogenization of the emulsion.

[0045] Furthermore, in the shearing process, the loading case and the turbine blades are both rotated in the same direction, and the rotation speed of the loading case is made greater than the rotation speed of the turbine blades, maximizing the difference between the rotation speed of the loading case and the rotation speed of the turbine blades. This maximizes the shear force in the gap between the inner wall of the loading case and the turbine blades, thereby achieving further fine-graining and homogenization of the emulsion. EXAMPLES

[0046] The second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in the direction of rotation in that the rotating case is rotated clockwise and the turbine blades are rotated clockwise at a speed slower than that of the rotating case.

[0047] (Mixing method in Example 2) First, a raw material storing step is carried out in which raw materials to be mixed are stored in tank 1. The following aqueous phase components and oil phase components were used as raw materials in Example 2, including the following comparative examples. That is, an oil phase component prepared by heating 4.2 kg of salad oil and 4.2 kg of Tween 80 to 75°C in a separate container was added to an aqueous phase component prepared by heating 94.5 kg of water and 2.1 kg of Span 80 to 75°C in a mixing tank. Here, Span 80 and Tween 80 are surfactants.

[0048] In the shearing process in Example 2, the rotating case 8 provided at the bottom of the tank 1 is rotated clockwise as viewed from above, and as shown in Fig. 8, a swirling flow A is generated around the rotating case 8, and a suction flow B is generated to suck in liquid, emulsion, or suspension from upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) provided on the upper side surface of the rotating case 8, and the turbine blade 83 is rotated clockwise by a motor at a rotation speed lower than that of the rotating case 8. As a result, the emulsion or suspension is finely divided and homogenized by passing through the gap 11 between the end of the turbine blade 83 and the inner surface of the turbine case 81, and a discharge flow is generated to discharge the finely divided emulsion or liquid from the lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d) provided at the bottom of the rotating case 8, improving the liquid flow from top to bottom (see Fig. 8).

[0049] (Test Results in Example 2) In the test of Example 2, the mixer 3 and the anchor blade 4 were not rotated, the loading case 8 was rotated clockwise at 2,000 rpm, and the turbine blade 83 was rotated clockwise at 200 rpm. In other words, the loading case 8 and the turbine blade 83 were rotated in the opposite direction to the rotation direction in Example 1. The rotation speed of the loading case 8 was made higher than the rotation speed of the turbine blade 83, and the loading case 8 and the turbine blade 83 were rotated in the same direction, and further, the difference between the rotation speed of the loading case 8 and the rotation speed of the turbine blade 83 was maximized.

[0050] The test results of Example 2 are shown in Figure 14. According to this, the number average value is about 2.4 μm to about 0.8 μm, which is smaller than 1 μm after 30 minutes of rotation. In addition, the volume average value is about 3.9 μm to about 1.6 μm, which is also a small value that was not obtained in Comparative Examples 1-4 after 30 minutes of rotation, and the same results as in Example 1 were obtained.

[0051] This is believed to be because the rotation speed of the loading case 8 is made greater than the rotation speed of the turbine blades 83, the loading case 8 and the turbine blades 83 are rotated in the same direction, and the difference between the rotation speed of the loading case 8 and the rotation speed of the turbine blades 83 is maximized, which allows more of the raw material to pass through the gap between the inner wall of the loading case 8 and the end of the turbine blades 83, thereby achieving further fineness and homogenization of the emulsion.

[0052] It was found that good results can be obtained by making the rotation speed of the rotating case 8 greater than the rotation speed of the turbine blades 83, rotating the rotating case 8 and the turbine blades 83 in the same direction, regardless of whether the rotation direction of the rotating case 8 and the turbine blades 83 is clockwise or counterclockwise, and by maximizing the difference between the rotation speed of the rotating case 8 and the rotation speed of the turbine blades 83.

[0053] In this way, in the second embodiment, a stirring method is also used in which a stirring device is used to stir liquids, liquids and liquids containing solids, or liquids containing solids and liquids containing solids as raw materials to form an emulsion or suspension, The stirring device includes a tank for storing the raw material, a rotating case provided at the bottom of the tank and rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, and a turbine blade housed in the rotating case and independently rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction; A raw material storage step of storing raw material in the tank; and a shearing step in which the rotation speed of the loading case is made greater than the rotation speed of the turbine blades and the loading case and the turbine blades are rotated in the same direction to shear solids in the raw material. This stirring method allows more of the raw material to pass through the gap between the inner wall of the loading case and the turbine blades, thereby achieving further fine-graining and homogenization of the emulsion.

[0054] Furthermore, in the shearing process, the loading case and the turbine blades are both rotated in the same direction, and the rotation speed of the loading case is made greater than the rotation speed of the turbine blades, maximizing the difference between the rotation speed of the loading case and the rotation speed of the turbine blades. This maximizes the shear force in the gap between the inner wall of the loading case and the turbine blades, thereby achieving further fine-graining and homogenization of the emulsion. EXAMPLES

[0055] The third embodiment of the present invention differs from the second embodiment in that the difference between the rotation speed of the loading case and the rotation speed of the turbine blades is not maximized.

[0056] (Mixing method in Example 3) First, a raw material storing step is carried out in which raw materials to be mixed are stored in tank 1. The following aqueous phase components and oil phase components were used as raw materials in Example 3, including the following comparative examples. That is, an oil phase component prepared by heating 4.2 kg of salad oil and 4.2 kg of Tween 80 to 75°C in a separate container was added to an aqueous phase component prepared by heating 94.5 kg of water and 2.1 kg of Span 80 to 75°C in a mixing tank. Here, Span 80 and Tween 80 are surfactants.

[0057] Next, the shearing process is performed. In the shearing process, the rotating case 8 and the turbine blades 83 provided at the bottom of the tank 1 are rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above, and as shown in Fig. 7, a swirling flow A is generated around the rotating case 8, and a suction flow B is generated that sucks in liquid and emulsion from the lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d) provided at the lower side of the rotating case 8, the emulsion is made fine by passing through the gap 11 between the end of the turbine blade 83 and the inner surface of the turbine case 81, and a discharge flow is generated that discharges the fine emulsion, suspension, and liquid from the upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) provided at the upper part of the rotating case 8, improving the liquid flow from bottom to top (see Fig. 7).

[0058] At this time, the rotation speed of the loading case 8 is made greater than the rotation speed of the turbine blades 83, and the loading case 8 and the turbine blades 83 are rotated in the same direction, allowing more of the raw material to pass through the gap between the inner wall of the loading case 8 and the end of the turbine blades 83, thereby achieving further fine-graining and homogenization of the emulsion.

[0059] (Test Results in Example 3) In the test of Example 3, the mixer 3 and the anchor blade 4 were not rotated, the loading case 8 was rotated counterclockwise at 2,000 rpm, and the turbine blade 83 was rotated counterclockwise at 800 rpm. In other words, the difference between the rotation speed of the loading case 8 and the rotation speed of the turbine blade 83 was 1,200 rpm, and the difference between the rotation speeds of the two was not maximized. In other words, the rotation speed of the loading case 8 was made higher than the rotation speed of the turbine blade 83, and the loading case 8 and the turbine blade 83 were rotated in the same direction.

[0060] The test results of Example 3 are shown in Fig. 15. According to this, the number average value was about 2.4 µm to about 0.8 µm, which was smaller than 1 µm after 30 minutes of rotation, and similar results were obtained as in Examples 1 and 2. In addition, the volume average value was about 3.9 µm to about 1.6 µm, which was similar to Examples 1 and 2.

[0061] It was found that by making the rotation speed of the loading case 8 faster than the rotation speed of the turbine blades 83 and rotating the loading case 8 and the turbine blades 83 in the same direction, more raw material will pass through the gap between the inner wall of the loading case 8 and the end of the turbine blades 83, and further fine-graining and homogenization of the emulsion can be achieved, even without maximizing the difference between the rotation speeds of the loading case 8 and the turbine blades 83.

[0062] Thus, in the third embodiment, a stirring method is also provided that uses a stirring device to stir liquids, liquids and liquids containing solids, or liquids containing solids and liquids containing solids as raw materials to form an emulsion or suspension, The stirring device includes a tank for storing the raw material, a rotating case provided at the bottom of the tank and rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, and a turbine blade housed in the rotating case and independently rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction; A raw material storage step of storing raw material in the tank; and a shearing step in which the rotation speed of the loading case is made greater than the rotation speed of the turbine blades and the loading case and the turbine blades are rotated in the same direction to shear solids in the raw material. This stirring method allows more of the raw material to pass through the gap between the inner wall of the loading case and the turbine blades, thereby achieving further fine-graining and homogenization of the emulsion. [Industrial Applicability]

[0063] The stirring method of the present invention can be widely applied to fields in which raw materials such as liquids are stirred to make emulsions finer and more homogenous. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1: Tank 2: Rotating shaft 3: Mixer 4: Anchor blade 5: Scraper 6: Raw material A inlet 7: Raw material B inlet 8: Rotating case 9: Cleaning valve port 81: Turbine case 83: Turbine blade 84: Lower shaft 85: Homo stand 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d): Upper liquid flow hole 812 (812a, 812b, 812c, 812d): Bolt hole for stand 831 (831a, 831b, 831c, 831d): Water cutter blade 851 (851a, 851b, 851c, 851d): Bolt hole for disperser 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d): Lower liquid flow hole A: Swirling flow B: Suction flow C: Discharge flow

Claims

1. A stirring method using a stirring device for stirring a liquid and a liquid, a liquid and a liquid containing a solid, or a liquid containing a solid and a liquid containing a solid as raw materials to form an emulsion or a suspension, comprising the steps of: The stirring device includes a tank for storing the raw material, a rotating case provided at the bottom of the tank and rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, and a turbine blade housed in the rotating case and independently rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction; A raw material storage step of storing raw material in the tank; a shearing step of shearing solids in the raw material by making the rotation speed of the loading case faster than the rotation speed of the turbine blades and rotating the loading case and the turbine blades in the same direction.

2. The stirring method according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the shearing process, the loading case and the turbine blades are both rotated in the same direction, and the rotation speed of the loading case is made higher than the rotation speed of the turbine blades, thereby maximizing the difference between the rotation speed of the loading case and the rotation speed of the turbine blades.

Images