Tube connection structure and fluid aggregation device including the same

Abstract

To provide a tube connection structure capable of collectively attaching a plurality of tubes to a connected part, and a fluid aggregation device including the same.SOLUTION: A tube connection structure for fluid conveyance used in a reaction apparatus used on a table, the tube connection structure comprising a connected portion, a pressing portion, a plurality of the tubes through which a fluid passes, and seal members disposed at end portions of the tubes, the connected portion having a plurality of through holes communicating with the tubes, the pressing portion includes a plurality of through-holes through which the tube passes, the sealing member has a shape including an insertion hole into which the tube is inserted, and the tube is inserted into the through-hole of the pressing portion so that the through-hole of the pressing portion communicates with the hole of the tube to which the sealing member is attached at the end portion, and when the connected portion and the pressing portion are fastened, the plurality of sealing members come into contact with the plurality of through-holes of the pressing portion to connect the tube and the connected portion in a liquid-tight manner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tube connection structure and a fluid gathering device including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Figure 8 of Patent Document 1 shows a structure for connecting a tube to a liquid mixing device using a sealing part made of elastic resin called a ferrule. Specifically, a female thread is provided on the inner wall of a recessed hole in the liquid mixing device, and a tube with a ferrule fixed to its end is inserted into the recessed hole. Then, the threaded part through which the tube is inserted is screwed into the recessed hole. A tapered part is provided on the inner wall of the threaded part, and when the threaded part is screwed in, the ferrule and the threaded part are pressed together. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-39664 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the tube connection structure of Patent Document 1, as shown in Fig. 8, it is necessary to operate one screw portion to connect one tube. When connecting multiple tubes to a device, it is necessary to operate multiple corresponding screw portions, making the tube installation work complicated. When one tube is placed adjacent to another tube, there is a problem in that when rotating the screw portion corresponding to the other tube, fingers may interfere with the screw portion corresponding to the one tube, making it difficult to install the tubes smoothly.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a tube connection structure that allows multiple tubes to be collectively attached to a connection receiving portion, and a fluid gathering device including the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by providing a tube connection structure for fluid transport used in a benchtop reaction apparatus, the tube connection structure comprising a connection receiving portion, a pressing portion, a plurality of the tubes through which fluid passes, and a sealing member disposed at the end of the tube, the connection receiving portion having a plurality of through holes communicating with the tube, the pressing portion having a plurality of through holes through which the tubes pass, the sealing member having a shape including an insertion hole for inserting the tube, the through holes of the connection receiving portion being brought into contact with the holes of the tubes attached to the end of the sealing member so as to communicate with the through holes of the connection receiving portion, the tube being inserted into the through hole of the pressing portion, and when the connection receiving portion and the pressing portion are fastened, the plurality of sealing members come into contact with the through holes of the pressing portion, thereby liquid-tightly connecting the tube and the connection receiving portion. In this tube connection structure, multiple tubes with sealing members fixed to their ends are inserted into the pressing member, and the pressing member is connected to the connection receiving portion, thereby allowing the multiple tubes to be fixed together to the connection receiving portion.

[0007] In addition, the above problem is solved by a fluid collection device that has, in addition to the tube connection structure, a collection section that is connected to the connected section, and the collection section has a throttle section that collects the fluid discharged from the multiple through holes in the connected section.

[0008] In the tube connection structure, the connected portion and the pressing portion can be fastened together with a screw.

[0009] The sealing member may have a tapered portion that narrows toward the upstream side of the tube.

[0010] The through hole of the pressing portion may have a shape having an inclined surface in a portion that comes into contact with the sealing member, the inclined surface coming into contact with the tapered portion of the sealing member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a tube connection structure that allows a plurality of tubes to be collectively attached to a connected portion, and a fluid gathering device including the same. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a fluid aggregation device including a tube connection structure. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the fluid gathering device of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA′ in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the fluid gathering device of FIG. 1 showing a state in which a tube is connected. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of use of a fluid aggregation device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the tube connection structure and the fluid collection device including the structure of the present invention will be described. The embodiments shown below are merely limited examples of the embodiments of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the exemplified embodiments.

[0014] The tube connection structure of this embodiment is a connection structure for tubes for fluid transport used in a reaction apparatus used on a table. The apparatus according to this embodiment is a fluid gathering apparatus 1, as shown in Figures 1 to 4.

[0015] The fluid concentrating device 1 is used for the purpose of concentrating and merging gases or liquids (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as fluids) flowing through multiple tubes 91. For example, the system 5 shown in FIG. 5 includes multiple mixing sections 51, a fluid concentrating device 1, and a separation tank 56, and is used as a mixer-settler. In a mixer-settler, multiple fluids are mixed and then separated, making it possible to extract any component by utilizing, for example, differences in solubility in the multiple fluids. Note that, although the example in FIG. 5 has three mixing sections 51, the number of mixing sections 51 and the number of third tubes 54 can be increased or decreased as appropriate.

[0016] By providing the fluid gathering device 1 between the separation tank 56 and the plurality of mixing sections 51, the slug flow generated in the mixing section 51 begins to separate in the cavity of the fluid gathering device 1. Separation of the slug flow also progresses in the fourth tube 55, and the slug flow is easily separated into one liquid and the other liquid in the separation tank 56.

[0017] Mixing section 51 merges multiple fluids and discharges the merged fluids. Mixing section 51 has a first tube 52 that supplies one fluid to mixing section 51 using a first pump 61, a second tube 53 that supplies the other fluid to mixing section 51 using a second pump 62, and a third tube 54 that discharges the fluids mixed in mixing section 51.

[0018] 5 includes a plurality of mixing sections 51, and each mixing section 51 is connected to the above-mentioned first tube 52, second tube 53, and third tube 54. The third tube 54, which transports fluids discharged from the plurality of mixing sections, is connected to the fluid collecting device 1. The fluids mixed in the individual mixing sections 51 are joined together in the fluid collecting device 1.

[0019] The mixing section 51 can be supplied with immiscible liquids, such as water and oil, or immiscible fluids, such as a solvent and a gas, from multiple paths, such as a first tube 52 and a second tube 53. One fluid is supplied from the first tube 52 by a first pump 61. The other fluid is supplied from the second tube 53 by a second pump 62. The one fluid and the other fluid are mixed in the mixing section 51, and a slug flow is discharged from a third tube 54 connected to the mixing section 51. The slug flow can maintain its slug state until it is mixed in the fluid concentrating device 1. By increasing the number of mixing sections 51, the amount of liquid in the slug flow can be increased, allowing the reaction to be scaled up.

[0020] The mixer 51 is not particularly limited, but for example, a tabletop reactor having a Y-shaped mixing channel as shown in Figures 1 and 4 of JP 2017-13706 A can be suitably used. One fluid is supplied to one of the two inlet channel systems, and the other fluid is supplied to the other of the two inlet channel systems, and the one fluid and the other fluid are mixed at the confluence point. The confluenced fluid is discharged from the discharge channel. The mixer is not limited to the above example, and may be any unit capable of mixing multiple liquids. For example, a mixer having two or more inlet channel systems or a larger-capacity tabletop mixer may be used.

[0021] The liquid collected in the fluid collection device 1 is transported to the separation tank 56 via the fourth tube 55. In the separation tank 56, the fluids mixed in the fluid collection device 1 are separated. When immiscible fluids are mixed in the mixer 51 to generate a slug flow, the multiple fluids separate in the separation tank due to differences in density. One of the fluids separated in the separation tank 56 is discharged to the outside of the system via the first discharge path 57. The flow rate of the first discharge path 57 is adjusted by the first valve 63. The other of the liquids separated in the separation tank 56 is discharged to the outside of the system via the second discharge path 58. The flow rate of the second discharge path 58 is adjusted by the second valve 64. In the example of the mixer-settler described above, the fluid collection device was used to collect liquids flowing through multiple paths, but it can also be used to collect gases.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4 , the fluid gathering device 1 has the following tube connection structure. That is, the tube connection structure has a connected portion 11, a pressing portion 12, multiple tubes 91 through which fluid passes, and seal members 13 disposed at the ends of the tubes 91. The connected portion 11 has multiple through holes 111 that communicate with the tubes 91. The pressing portion 12 has multiple through holes 121 through which the tubes 91 pass, and the seal member 13 has a shape that includes an insertion hole 131 through which the tubes 91 are inserted. The through holes 111 of the connected portion 11 are brought into contact with the holes of the tubes 91, with the seal members 13 attached to the ends thereof, so that they communicate with each other. When the tubes 91 are inserted into the through holes 121 of the pressing portion and the connected portion 11 and the pressing portion 12 are fastened together, the multiple seal members 13 come into contact with the edges of the multiple through holes 121 of the pressing portion 12, thereby liquid-tightly connecting the tubes 91 and the connected portion 11. The above-mentioned communication includes a configuration in which the hole of the tube 91 communicates with the through-hole 111 of the connected portion 11 via the insertion hole 131 of the seal member 13.

[0023] The tube connection structure has an annular packing 15 and a collecting section 14 connected to the connected part 11 via the packing 15. The collecting section has a throttle section 141 that collects fluids discharged from the plurality of through holes 111 of the connected part 11. The tube connection structure and the collecting section 14 constitute a fluid collecting device 1.

[0024] The receptacle 11 preferably has a plurality of through holes communicating with the tube and a surface supporting the sealing member 13. The through holes preferably extend in a direction intersecting the surface. In the example of FIG. 1, the receptacle 11 is made of a substantially rectangular plate material with a plurality of circular through holes 111. The shape of the receptacle 11 is not limited to this example and may be any shape that allows the formation of through holes, such as a block, plate, truncated cone, cube, or cylinder. The inner diameter of the plurality of through holes 111 is preferably approximately the same as the inner diameter of the tube 91 so that the tube 91 communicates with the receptacle 11. In the example of FIG. 5, the tube 91 and the third tube 54 coincide with each other.

[0025] The pressing portion 12 has a plurality of through holes 121 through which the tube 91 passes. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the pressing portion 12 is formed of a substantially rectangular plate material with a plurality of circular through holes 121. The pressing portion 12 preferably has a surface or portion that presses the sealing member 13 and maintains the position of the sealing member. The through holes 121 preferably extend in a direction intersecting the surface or portion. The shape of the pressing portion 12 is not limited to this example and may be any shape that allows the formation of a through hole, such as a block shape, a plate shape, a truncated cone shape, a cube shape, or a cylinder shape. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the pressing portion 12 has a recess 122 at the end of the through hole 121 that receives the sealing member 13 (described later). While the recess 122 may be omitted, providing the recess 122 at the portion where the sealing member 13 and the pressing portion 12 contact each other can improve the adhesion between the sealing member 13 and the pressing portion 12 and increase the liquid-tightness. The recess 122 is shaped to have an inclined surface 125 that comes into contact with a tapered portion 132 of the seal member 13 so as to correspond to the seal member 13 .

[0026] The plurality of through holes 121 provided in the pressing portion 12 have a spacing of 1 to 15 mm between adjacent through holes 121. When attempting to screw a tube into the through holes 121 as in the past, the spacing between adjacent through holes 121 is small, making it difficult to attach the tube. With the tube connection structure of FIG. 1, it is easy to connect the tube even if the spacing between the through holes 121 is small. By reducing the spacing between the through holes 121, the external dimensions of the device can be made smaller.

[0027] The recess 122 communicates with the through-hole 121 of the pressing part 12, and has a shape in which the edge of the through-hole 121 is cut obliquely so that the inner diameter becomes smaller toward the upstream side of the tube.

[0028] The seal member 13 has a tapered portion 132 that tapers toward the upstream side of the tube 91. The tapered portion 132 causes the outer diameter of the seal member 13 to decrease toward the upstream side. When the pressing portion 12 is pressed against the connection portion 11 and fixed, the tapered portion 132 of the seal member 13 bites into the recess 122 of the pressing portion 12, achieving high liquid-tightness. When the connection portion 11 and the pressing portion 12 are fastened together with a screw 82, as described below, the degree of contact between the seal member 13 and the recess 122 can be adjusted by adjusting the tightening of the screw. The seal member 13 has a flange-shaped base at the portion that abuts against the flat surface of the connection portion 11. Because the seal member 13 has the tapered portion 132, the seal member 13 is compressed radially as the pressing portion 12 approaches the connection portion 11. This firmly holds the tube 91 to the seal member 13. When the flange-shaped base contacts the pressing portion 12, the movement of the pressing portion 12 and the radial compression of the tube by the sealing member 13 stop. The surface of the base of the sealing member 13 that contacts the connected portion 11 is a flat surface. A convex portion similar to the tapered portion 132 may also be provided at the base of the connected portion.

[0029] The sealing member 13 can be made of an appropriate material. For example, the sealing member 13 can be made of a fluororesin such as ETFE, which has excellent corrosion resistance, or an elastic material such as synthetic rubber. The same applies to the packing 15, which will be described later.

[0030] The surface of the receptacle 11 against which the seal member 13 abuts is defined as one surface. The collecting section 14 is connected to the other surface of the receptacle 11 in a liquid-tight manner. The collecting section 14 has a cavity with a constricted section 141 whose inner diameter narrows from the upstream side to the downstream side. The upstream end of the collecting section 14 is connected to the other surface of the receptacle 11, and the multiple through holes 111 of the receptacle 11 communicate with the cavity. The downstream end of the cavity reaches the downstream end of the collecting section 14, forming an opening 144. The fluid collected by the fluid collecting device 1 is discharged from the opening 144 to the outside. In the system of FIG. 5, a fourth tube 55 is connected to a portion with a larger inner diameter downstream of the opening 144. The inner diameter of the fourth tube 55 can be larger than that of the first tube 52, the second tube 53, or the third tube 54. For example, the inner diameter of the fourth tube 55 can be 3 to 10 mm. The shape of the collecting portion 14 may be any shape that allows a cavity to be formed, such as a plate shape or a block shape.

[0031] The cavity in the collecting section 14 has a large inner diameter portion on the upstream side and a small inner diameter portion on the downstream side, with the large inner diameter portion and the small inner diameter portion connected by an inclined surface. The size of the inner diameter is based on the inner diameter of the opening on the upstream side and the inner diameter of the opening on the downstream side. The end of the inclined surface is arc-shaped with rounded corners, making it less likely to generate turbulence.

[0032] The pressing portion 12 and the connected portion 11 are provided with a plurality of through holes 126, 112 for inserting screws 81. The collecting portion 14 is provided with a screw hole 142 that communicates with the through holes 126, 112 and has a screw groove formed on its inner wall. The screw hole 142 may be a recessed hole or a through hole. The pressing portion 12, the connected portion 11, and the collecting portion 14 are fixed and integrated by inserting a screw 81 into the through holes 126, 112 and the screw hole 142 and tightening the screw. An annular gasket 15 is provided between the collecting portion 14 and the connected portion 11 so as to encompass the plurality of through holes 111 of the connected portion 11 and the upstream opening of the cavity 141. In the example of FIG. 4 , the gasket 15 is fitted into an annular recessed groove 143 provided in the collecting portion 14. The recessed groove may be provided in the connected portion 11.

[0033] The pressing portion 12 is provided with a plurality of through holes 123 for inserting screws, in addition to the through holes 126. The connected portion 11 is provided with a screw hole 113, in addition to the screw hole 122. The pressing portion 12 and the connected portion 11 can be fixed and integrated by inserting a screw 82 into the through holes 123 and the screw hole 113 and tightening the screw 82. The strength with which the seal member 13, disposed between the non-contact portion 11 and the pressing portion 12, is pressed can be adjusted by tightening the screw 82. The pressing portion 12 and the connected portion 11 are provided with through holes 124, 114 for inserting a positioning pin 83. By inserting the positioning pin 83 into the through holes 124, 114, the pressing portion 12 and the connected portion 11 are properly positioned. The through holes 114 may be recessed holes. The screw hole 113 may be a through hole or a recessed hole.

[0034] The through holes and screw holes into which the screws 81, 82 are inserted are both arranged outside the area where the through hole 111 is formed. In other words, they are arranged outside the cavity of the collecting section 14. This makes it possible to arrange the through holes and screw holes with a gap between the screws 81, 82, making it easy to operate the screws 81, 82.

[0035] The pressing portion 12, the connected portion 11, and the collecting portion 14 can be made of an appropriate material such as a metal such as stainless steel or Hastelloy, a fluorine-based synthetic resin material such as PEEK, PFE, or PTFE, or a glass material.

[0036] The tube may be a known hollow tube used in, for example, flow synthesis using a microreactor. The inner diameter of the tube is not particularly limited, but tubes of about 0.5 to 3 mm may be used. Examples of the tube include those made of synthetic resin materials such as silicone resin and PTFE, and metal materials such as stainless steel, SiC, and Hastelloy.

[0037] In the above-described tube connection structure, multiple tubes 91 can be easily connected to the connection receiving portion 11 by operating the screw 81 or the screw 82. It is preferable that the total number of screws 81 or the total number of screws 82 is equal to or less than the total number of sealing members 13 or tubes 91.

[0038] The sealing member may be made flat by omitting the tapered convex portion protruding toward the upstream side of the tube. In this case, the concave portion 122 provided at the end of the through hole of the pressing portion 12 is omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 91 tubes 11 Connected part 12 Pressing section 13 Sealing material 82 Screw 132 Tapered section 125 Slope 14 Aggregation Department 141 Constriction section

Claims

1. A connection structure for a tube for transporting a fluid used in a benchtop reactor, A tube connection structure including a connected portion, a pressing portion, a plurality of the tubes through which a fluid passes, and a sealing member disposed at an end of the tubes, the connected portion has a plurality of through holes that communicate with the tube, the pressing portion has a plurality of through holes through which the tube passes; the sealing member has a shape including an insertion hole into which the tube is inserted, A tube connection structure in which the through hole of a tube with a sealing member attached to its end is brought into contact with the through hole of the connected part so that the holes are in communication, the tube is inserted into the through hole of the pressing part, and when the connected part and the pressing part are fastened together, the multiple sealing members come into contact with the multiple through holes in the pressing part, thereby liquid-tightly connecting the tube and the connected part.

2. 2. The tube connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the connected portion and the pressing portion are fastened together with a screw.

3. 3. The tube connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member has a tapered portion that tapers toward the upstream side of the tube.

4. 4. The tube connection structure according to claim 3, wherein the through hole of the pressing portion has an inclined surface in a portion that comes into contact with the sealing member, the inclined surface coming into contact with the tapered portion of the sealing member.

5. 3. The tube connection structure according to claim 1, further comprising a collecting portion connected to the connected portion, The collecting portion is a fluid collecting device having a throttle portion that collects fluids discharged from a plurality of through holes in the connected portion.

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