Stirring device and stirring method

Abstract

To strengthen a liquid flow from a bottom part to an upper part from the viewpoint of further micronization and to generate a complicated liquid flow.SOLUTION: The stirring device 100 for stirring a liquid or a mixture of a liquid and a solid as a raw material includes a tank 1 for storing the raw material, an independently rotatable upper turbine blade provided inside an upper turbine case 91 disposed on a central axis in the tank, and an independently rotatable lower turbine blade provided inside a lower turbine case 81 disposed below the upper turbine case.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an agitation device and an agitation method that improve the vertical flow of agitated liquid in a tank. [Background technology]

[0002] Agitators are used to atomize and agitate liquids or mixtures of liquids and solids used as raw materials in cosmetics, food, chemicals, or pharmaceuticals. The agitator consists of a roughly cylindrical tank in which a rotating blade attached to a rotating shaft rotates to agitate the raw materials, and a drive unit for rotating the rotating shaft.

[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 there is concern that insufficient mixing will occur due to insufficient liquid flow in the vertical direction.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes the configuration of an agitator that is provided with a case disperser at the bottom of a tank and can guide liquid from the bottom to the top of the tank, improving the vertical liquid flow. [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 agitation 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 is a problem in that, from the viewpoint of further fine particle size reduction, there is a demand for strengthening the liquid flow from the bottom to the top and for generating a complex liquid flow depending on the raw material.

[0007] The present invention aims to solve the above problems and to strengthen the liquid flow from the bottom to the top from the viewpoint of further miniaturization. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an agitation device for agitating a liquid or a mixture of a liquid and a solid as a raw material, the agitation device comprising: a tank for storing the raw material; an upper turbine blade provided inside an upper turbine case disposed on a central axis within the tank and capable of rotating independently; a lower turbine blade provided inside a lower turbine case disposed below the upper turbine case and capable of rotating independently; The present invention provides a stirring device comprising:

[0009] With this configuration, by rotating the upper turbine blades and the lower turbine blades, the liquid flow from the bottom to the top can be strengthened from the viewpoint of further atomization.

[0010] The stirring device comprises a rotatable rotating shaft arranged in a direction from the center of the top surface of the upper part of the tank toward the bottom surface, a blade-shaped mixer arranged horizontally on the rotating shaft, and a rotatable anchor blade arranged in a direction from the upper part of the tank toward the bottom surface and positioned outside the mixer, wherein the upper turbine case is attached to the rotating shaft and is rotatable together with the mixer, and the upper turbine blade may be attached to a drive shaft arranged in the hollow of the rotating shaft.

[0011] This configuration allows for a compact upper turbine case, and the five-axis rotation mechanism of the upper turbine blades, lower turbine case, lower turbine blades, mixer, and anchor blades can generate a powerful liquid flow from the bottom to the top.

[0012] The stirring device may be configured such that an upper portion of the lower turbine case is housed within the upper turbine case of the upper turbine case.

[0013] With this configuration, the upward liquid flow generated in the lower turbine case can be taken into the upper turbine case without diverging, and can be made into a strong upward liquid flow.

[0014] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a stirring method for stirring a liquid or a mixture of a liquid and a solid as a raw material, the method comprising the steps of: a raw material storing step of storing the raw material in a tank; and a turbine case forward rotation step of rotating upper turbine blades in an upper turbine case provided on a central axis within the tank to generate a liquid flow from the bottom to the top, and rotating lower turbine blades in a lower turbine case provided below the upper turbine case to generate a liquid flow from the bottom to the top.

[0015] This configuration allows the liquid or the mixture of liquid and solid to become a strong upward liquid flow, thereby making it possible to reduce the particle size of the emulsion.

[0016] In the stirring method, in the upper and lower turbine blade forward rotation step, a circumferential tip speed of the rotating upper turbine blade may be made faster than a circumferential tip speed of the rotating lower turbine blade.

[0017] This results in the strongest upward liquid flow, making it possible to make the emulsion particle size the smallest.

[0018] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a stirring method for stirring liquids with other liquids, or liquids containing solids and other liquids containing solids as raw materials, the stirring method comprising: a raw material storing step of storing the raw materials in a tank; and a turbine case reverse rotation step of rotating upper turbine blades in an upper turbine case provided on a central axis within the tank to generate a liquid flow from the top to the bottom, and rotating lower turbine blades in a lower turbine case provided below the upper turbine case to generate a liquid flow from the bottom to the top.

[0019] With this configuration, a centrifugal flow is generated in the tank, generating a complex liquid flow, thereby making it possible to reduce the particle size of the emulsion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] The stirring device and stirring method of the present invention can strengthen the liquid flow from the bottom to the top in order to further reduce the particle size. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a stirring device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a lower turbine case and lower turbine blades according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a lower turbine case according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a lower turbine blade according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a lower homo stand in Example 1 of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lower turbine blade according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the liquid flow when the lower turbine case in the first embodiment of the present invention is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an upper turbine case and upper turbine blades according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a stirring method in Example 1 of the present invention. [Figure 10] 1 is a graph illustrating evaluation result 1 of the stirring method in Example 1 of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10 is a graph illustrating evaluation results 2 of the stirring method in Example 1 of the present invention. [Figure 12] 10 is a graph illustrating evaluation result 3 of the stirring method in Example 1 of the present invention. [Figure 13] 10 is a graph illustrating evaluation result 4 of the stirring method in Example 1 of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a stirring method in Example 2 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Example]

[0022] An agitation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the agitation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a lower turbine case and a lower turbine blade according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows the gap 11 and (b) shows the gap 12. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the lower turbine case according to 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 illustrating the lower turbine blade according to 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 illustrating the lower homo stand according to 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 lower turbine blade according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the liquid flow when the lower turbine case according to the first embodiment of the present invention is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the upper turbine case and the upper turbine blade according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the agitation method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 10 is a graph illustrating evaluation result 1 of the stirring method in Example 1 of the present invention. Fig. 11 is a graph illustrating evaluation result 2 of the stirring method in Example 1 of the present invention. Fig. 12 is a graph illustrating evaluation result 3 of the stirring method in Example 1 of the present invention. Fig. 13 is a graph illustrating evaluation result 4 of the stirring method in Example 1 of the present invention.

[0023] The stirring device 100 in Example 1 includes 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 (not shown) for introducing one raw material A to be stirred, and a raw material B inlet (not shown) for introducing the other raw material B. Here, raw materials A and B in Example 1 are either liquids or mixtures of liquids and solids, and are stirred and emulsified as raw materials to form an emulsion.

[0024] A rotating shaft 2 is provided along the central axis of the tank 1, running from the center of the top surface at the top of the tank 1 to the bottom surface at the bottom. Blade-shaped mixers 3 are attached horizontally to the rotating shaft 2 in four locations left and right and up and down. Furthermore, anchor blades 4 that hold scrapers 5 made of resin for scraping off liquid between the mixer 3 and the side of the tank 1 are provided outside the mixer 3 in six locations left and right and up and down so that they can rotate.

[0025] The rotating shaft 2 is driven to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise by a motor (not shown) installed outside the tank 1. When the rotating shaft 2 is driven to rotate, the mixer 3 rotates horizontally and mixes the raw materials in the tank 1. The anchor blade 4 is also driven to rotate horizontally by another drive source (not shown). The anchor blade 4 can rotate in the opposite direction to the mixer 3, which causes horizontal mixing and allows the scraper 5 to scrape off the liquid from the inner wall of the tank 1.

[0026] In Example 1, the blade-shaped mixers 3 are provided in four locations in the left-right and up-down directions, but this is not necessarily limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. For example, it may be provided in two locations, or in five or more locations, and the optimal number of mixers may be provided depending on the raw materials to be mixed. Also, in Example 1, the anchor blades 4 are provided in six locations, but this is not necessarily limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. For example, it may be provided in one location, or in seven or more locations, or it may not be provided at all.

[0027] Furthermore, in Example 1, the rotating shaft 2, mixer 3, and anchor blade 4 are provided, but this is not necessarily limited to this and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the configuration may not include the mixer 3 and anchor blade 4. In the case of a low-viscosity stirring material, the material may be sufficiently pulverized by rotating the upper turbine case 91 and lower turbine case 81 described below.

[0028] A lower turbine case 81 made of stainless steel is provided at the bottom of the tank 1 and is rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The lower turbine case 81 has a generally truncated cone shape resembling an upside-down bowl, and has lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d) on the side of the lower part for sucking in or discharging liquid and emulsion, and upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) on the upper surface for sucking in or discharging liquid and emulsion.

[0029] In the first embodiment, the lower turbine case 81 has an overall shape that is a generally truncated cone resembling an upside-down bowl, but is not limited to this and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the lower turbine case 81 may have a generally cylindrical shape, a generally square prism shape, or a generally polygonal prism shape, and any other shape can be selected.

[0030] The structure of the lower turbine case 81 will be described in detail. The lower turbine case 81 has a generally truncated cone shape, and upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) that discharge or suck in liquid are provided through the upper surface. The four upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) are elliptical, with the elliptical portions having a slight arc shape (see FIG. 3(a)). Furthermore, a lower homo stand 85 is threadedly attached to stand bolt holes 812 (812a, 812b, 812c, 812d) at the lower end of the lower turbine case 81, and can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise together with the lower turbine case 81. The lower homo stand 85 has four lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d) on its side that suck in or discharge liquid. As a result, the lower turbine case 81 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.

[0031] In the first embodiment, the upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) are oval with the oval portions slightly arc-shaped, and the lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d) have shapes with cutouts on the sides, but this is not necessarily limited to this and can be modified as appropriate. For example, a water-cutting blade or the like may be provided at the opening of the hole to efficiently suck in the liquid. The opening may also have any shape.

[0032] 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 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the number may be three or less, or five or more.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3(b), a cavity is provided inside the lower turbine case 81, and lower turbine blades 83 are rotatably housed therein. The lower turbine blades 83 are threadedly attached to a lower shaft 84 and are rotatable clockwise or counterclockwise as viewed from above by a motor (not shown). The lower turbine blades 83 are configured such that they can generate a liquid flow from bottom to top when rotating counterclockwise as viewed from above, and conversely, they can generate a liquid flow from top to bottom when rotating clockwise as viewed from above (see FIGS. 4(a) and 6). That is, the lower turbine blades 83 have four water-skirting blades 831 (831a, 831b, 831c, 831d) provided around the cylindrical portion. The water-skirting blades 831 (831a, 831b, 831c, 831d) are arranged diagonally from top to bottom of the cylindrical portion, and can efficiently generate a liquid flow from bottom to top or from top to bottom depending on the direction of rotation.

[0034] In the first embodiment, the lower turbine blades 83 are rotatable clockwise or counterclockwise when viewed from above by a motor, but this is not necessarily limited to this and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the lower turbine blades 83 may be freely rotated by the liquid flow caused by the rotation of the lower turbine case 81, without being driven to rotate by a motor.

[0035] In this way, the lower turbine case 81 can be rotated independently in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction by a drive unit (not shown). The lower turbine blades 83 can also be rotated independently in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

[0036] When the lower turbine blade 83 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. In this state, a suction flow B, in which liquid and emulsion are sucked in, is drawn into the lower turbine case 81 through the lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d). The liquid passes through the gaps l1 (see Fig. 2(a)) and l2 (see Fig. 2(b)) between the end of the lower turbine blade 83 and the inner surface of the lower turbine case 81, where the emulsion is crushed and pushed upward in the gaps l1 and l2, and a discharge flow C is discharged from the upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d). In Example 1, the gaps l1 and l2 are set to 1 mm and 0.5 mm, respectively, but are not limited thereto 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.

[0037] In the first embodiment, the lower turbine blades 83 are rotated counterclockwise when viewed from above. However, this is not necessarily limited to this and may be modified as appropriate. For example, the lower turbine blades 83 may be rotated clockwise as viewed from above to cause a liquid flow from top to bottom. In this case, the liquid or emulsion is sucked into the lower turbine case 81 through the upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) and discharged from the lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d).

[0038] In addition, the lower turbine blades 83 may be configured to rotate clockwise when viewed from above to cause a liquid flow from bottom to top, or the lower turbine blades 83 may be configured to rotate counterclockwise when viewed from above to cause a liquid flow from top to bottom.

[0039] Above the lower turbine case 81, an upper turbine case 91 made of stainless steel is provided approximately coaxially with the lower turbine case 81, i.e., rotatable clockwise or counterclockwise along the central axis of the tank 1. As shown in Figure 8, the upper turbine case 91 and upper turbine blades 92 have the same structure as the lower turbine case 81 and lower turbine blades 83, and are shaped like a roughly truncated cone like a bowl overall, with a lower side surface having a lower liquid flow hole (not shown) for sucking in or discharging liquid and emulsion, and an upper surface having an upper liquid flow hole (not shown) for sucking in or discharging liquid and emulsion.

[0040] The upper turbine case 91 has a substantially truncated cone shape, and has an upper liquid flow hole (not shown) penetrating through its upper surface for discharging or sucking in liquid. The upper turbine case 91 is also connected to the rotating shaft 2, and is capable of rotating together with the mixer 3 in the same direction and at the same speed, clockwise or counterclockwise. The upper turbine case 91 also has a lower liquid flow hole (not shown) for sucking in or discharging liquid. As a result, the upper turbine case 91 as a whole has a lower liquid flow hole at the bottom for sucking in or discharging liquid, and an upper liquid flow hole at the top for sucking in or discharging liquid.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 8, a cavity is provided inside the upper turbine case 91, and upper turbine impellers 92 are rotatably housed inside the cavity. The upper turbine impellers 92 are attached to an upper turbine impeller drive shaft 921 provided in the hollow of the rotating shaft 2, and can rotate independently counterclockwise or clockwise by driving the upper turbine impeller drive shaft 921 with a motor (not shown). The shape of the upper turbine impeller 92 is similar to that of the lower turbine impeller 83, and four water-skirting blades are provided around the periphery of the cylindrical portion. These water-skirting blades are arranged diagonally from top to bottom of the cylindrical portion, and can efficiently generate a liquid flow from bottom to top or from top to bottom depending on the direction of rotation. In other words, the upper turbine impeller 92 is configured with a blade shape that can generate a liquid flow from bottom to top by rotating counterclockwise as viewed from above, and conversely, can generate a liquid flow from top to bottom by rotating clockwise as viewed from above.

[0042] Like the lower turbine blades 83, when the upper turbine blades 92 are rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above, a liquid flow from bottom to top occurs, and the liquid is sucked into the upper turbine case 91 through the lower liquid flow holes. As the liquid passes through the gaps between the ends of the upper turbine blades 92 and the inner surface of the upper turbine case 91, the emulsion is crushed in these gaps l1 and l2 and pushed upward, and the liquid flow is discharged from the upper liquid flow holes.

[0043] The lower edge of the upper turbine case 91 overlaps the upper end of the lower turbine case 81 by about 1 mm in the height direction. In other words, the upper part of the lower turbine case 81 is housed within the upper turbine case 91. This allows the liquid flow from bottom to top to generate an upward liquid flow without leaking outside the upper turbine case 91, as will be described later.

[0044] (Stirring Method) First, a raw material storing process is carried out, in which raw materials A and B to be stirred are stored in tank 1. Next, an upper / lower turbine blade forward rotation process is carried out, in which lower turbine blade 83 and upper turbine blade 92 are rotated. In the upper / lower turbine blade forward rotation process, lower turbine blade 83 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above, generating a swirling flow A around lower turbine case 81 as shown in FIG. 7, and also generating a suction flow B that sucks in liquid or emulsion from lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d) provided on the lower side surface of lower turbine case 81, which causes the emulsion to pass through gap 11 between the end of lower turbine blade 83 and the inner surface of lower turbine case 81 to atomize the emulsion, and generating a discharge flow that discharges the atomized emulsion or liquid from upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) provided on the upper part of lower turbine case 81, improving the bottom-to-top liquid flow (see FIG. 7). At the same time, the upper turbine blades 92 are rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above to generate an upward liquid flow from bottom to top. As a result, as shown in Figure 9, a powerful liquid flow is generated by the upward liquid flow caused by the lower turbine blades 83 and the upper turbine blades 92, and the raw material is stirred from bottom to top.

[0045] Here, the lower edge of the upper turbine case 91 overlaps the upper end of the lower turbine case 81. In other words, the upper part of the lower turbine case 81 is housed within the upper turbine case 91. This prevents the liquid flowing from bottom to top from leaking outside the upper turbine case 91, and allows a strong upward liquid flow to be generated.

[0046] (Evaluation Experiment) An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of providing the upper turbine blades 92 and the lower turbine blades 83. The raw materials used in the evaluation experiment were 4 wt % salad oil as the oil phase (dispersoid), 4 wt % Tween 80 as the oil phase (surfactant), 90 wt % water as the aqueous phase (continuous phase), and 2 wt % Span 80 as the aqueous phase (surfactant).

[0047] The results of the evaluation experiment are shown in Figures 11, 12, and 14. In all of the graphs in Figures 11, 12, and 14, the horizontal axis represents elapsed time, which is the rotation time of lower turbine blades 83 or upper turbine blades 92 from 2 minutes to 14 minutes, and the vertical axis represents particle diameter. In the figures, the dashed line graph represents the volumetric particle diameter, and the solid line graph represents the number-average diameter.

[0048] Here, the volume average diameter is an average diameter weighted by volume, and the number average diameter is an average diameter of virtual particles consisting of a virtual particle group made up of uniform diameter particles having properties exactly equivalent to those of an actual particle group when focusing on certain physical properties of a particle group made up of a large number of particles having various particle diameters.

[0049] In this evaluation experiment, the mixer 3, the anchor blade 4, the upper turbine case 91, and the lower turbine case 81 were not operated.

[0050] 10 shows the volume mean diameter (dashed line) and number mean diameter (solid line) when the lower turbine blades 83 are rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above at a peripheral tip speed of 14.14 m / s, while the upper turbine blades 92 are not rotated. This data represents data when the conventional upper turbine blades 92 are not provided.

[0051] In contrast, the volume average diameter (dashed line) and number average diameter (solid line) when the upper turbine blades 92 were rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above at a peripheral tip speed of 14.15 m / s and the lower turbine blades 83 were not rotated are shown in Figure 11. Compared with the data in Figure 10, both the volume average diameter and number average diameter became finer, and after 12 minutes the number average diameter was refined to 1.368 µm.

[0052] 12 shows the volume mean diameter (dashed line) and number mean diameter (solid line) when the lower turbine blade 83 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above at a peripheral tip speed of 14.14 m / s and the upper turbine blade 92 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above at a peripheral tip speed of 14.15 m / s. Because both the lower turbine blade 83 and the upper turbine blade 92 are rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above, an upward liquid flow from bottom to top is generated. In this case, the number mean diameter after 12 minutes has elapsed is 0.615 μm, which is more than four times finer than the conventional number mean diameter of 2.576 μm shown in FIG. 10.

[0053] 13 shows the volume mean diameter (dashed line) and number mean diameter (solid line) when the lower turbine blade 83 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above at a circumferential tip speed of 14.14 m / s and the upper turbine blade 92 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above at a circumferential tip speed of 20.16 m / s. Because both the lower turbine blade 83 and the upper turbine blade 92 are rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above, an upward liquid flow from bottom to top is generated. In this case, the number mean diameter after 12 minutes has elapsed is 0.163 μm, which is a finer number mean diameter than when the lower turbine blade 83 is rotated at a circumferential tip speed of 14.14 m / s and the upper turbine blade 92 is rotated at a circumferential tip speed of 14.15 m / s as shown in FIG. 12.

[0054] In other words, it can be seen that when both the upper turbine blades 92 and the lower turbine blades 83 are rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above at a circumferential tip speed of 14.14 m / s or more, and the circumferential tip speed of the rotating upper turbine blades 92 is made faster than the circumferential tip speed of the rotating lower turbine blades 83, the upward liquid flow is most strengthened and the particles are most refined.

[0055] As described above, in Example 1, a mixing device for mixing a liquid or a mixture of a liquid and a solid as a raw material is provided, a tank for storing the raw material; an upper turbine blade provided inside an upper turbine case disposed on a central axis within the tank and capable of rotating independently; The stirring device is characterized by having a lower turbine blade that is independently rotatable and is provided inside a lower turbine case located below the upper turbine case, and the liquid flow from the bottom to the top can be strengthened from the perspective of further atomization.

[0056] Moreover, in Example 1, there is provided a stirring method for stirring a liquid or a mixture of liquid and solid as a raw material, the stirring method comprising: a raw material storing step for storing the raw material in a tank; and an upper and lower turbine blade forward rotation step for rotating an upper turbine blade in an upper turbine case provided on a central axis within the tank to generate a liquid flow from the bottom to the top, and rotating a lower turbine case in a lower turbine case provided below the upper turbine case to generate a liquid flow from the bottom to the top, thereby making it possible to strengthen the liquid flow from the bottom to the top from the perspective of further fine particle size reduction. [Example]

[0057] The second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that the liquid flow is from bottom to top in the lower turbine case and from top to bottom in the upper turbine case, generating a complex liquid flow.

[0058] The second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating a stirring method in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] (Stirring Method in Example 2) First, a raw material storing step is performed in which raw materials A and B to be stirred are stored in tank 1. Next, an upper / lower turbine case reverse rotation step is performed in which lower turbine blade 83 and upper turbine blade 92 are rotated. In the upper / lower turbine case reverse rotation step, lower turbine blade 83 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above, generating a swirling flow A around lower turbine case 81 as shown in FIG. 7, and also generating a suction flow B that sucks in liquid or emulsion from lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d) provided on the lower side surface of lower turbine case 81. The emulsion passes through gap 11 between the end of lower turbine blade 83 and the inner surface of lower turbine case 81 to atomize the emulsion, and a discharge flow is generated that discharges the atomized emulsion or liquid from upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) provided on the upper part of lower turbine case 81, improving the bottom-to-up liquid flow (see FIG. 7).

[0060] At the same time, the upper turbine blades 92 are rotated clockwise as viewed from above, generating a downward liquid flow from top to bottom. This generates a complex liquid flow including a centrifugal flow, as shown in Figure 14, which is particularly effective for pulverizing raw materials that contain powder.

[0061] Thus, in Example 2, a mixing method for mixing a liquid or a mixture of liquid and solids as a raw material comprises: a raw material storing step for storing the raw material in a tank; and an upper and lower turbine blade reverse rotation step for rotating an upper turbine blade in an upper turbine case provided on the central axis of the tank to generate a liquid flow from the top to the bottom, and rotating a lower turbine case in a lower turbine case provided below the upper turbine case to generate a liquid flow from the bottom to the top, thereby making it possible to generate a complex liquid flow. [Industrial Applicability]

[0062] The stirring device and stirring method of the present invention can be widely applied to fields in which a liquid raw material is stirred and emulsified to form an emulsion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1: Tank 2: Rotating shaft 3: Mixer 4: Anchor blade 5: Scraper 81: Lower turbine case 83: Lower turbine blade 84: Lower shaft 85: Lower 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 91: Upper turbine case 92: Upper turbine blade 921: Upper turbine blade drive shaft 100: Agitator A: Swirling flow B: Suction flow C: Discharge flow

Claims

1. A mixing device that mixes a liquid or a mixture of a liquid and a solid as a raw material, a tank for storing the raw material; an upper turbine blade provided inside an upper turbine case disposed on a central axis within the tank and capable of rotating independently; a lower turbine blade that is provided inside a lower turbine case disposed below the upper turbine case and is independently rotatable.

2. a rotatable rotation shaft provided in a direction from the center of the top surface of the upper portion of the tank toward the bottom surface; a vane-shaped mixer provided horizontally on the rotating shaft; a rotatable anchor blade disposed outside the mixer and arranged in a direction from the top to the bottom of the tank; the upper turbine case is attached to the rotating shaft and is rotatable together with the mixer; 2. The stirring device according to claim 1, wherein the upper turbine blades are attached to a drive shaft provided in the hollow of the rotary shaft.

3. 3. The stirring device according to claim 1, wherein an upper portion of the lower turbine case is housed within the upper turbine case.

4. A stirring method for stirring a liquid or a mixture of a liquid and a solid as a raw material, comprising: a raw material storing step of storing the raw material in a tank; an upper and lower turbine blade forward rotation step for rotating upper turbine blades in an upper turbine case provided on a central axis within the tank to generate a liquid flow from the bottom to the top, and rotating lower turbine blades in a lower turbine case provided below the upper turbine case to generate a liquid flow from the bottom to the top.

5. 5. The stirring method according to claim 4, wherein in the upper and lower turbine blade forward rotation step, the circumferential tip speed of the rotating upper turbine blade is made faster than the circumferential tip speed of the rotating lower turbine blade.

6. A stirring method for stirring a liquid or a mixture of a liquid and a solid as a raw material, comprising: a raw material storing step of storing the raw material in a tank; an upper and lower turbine blade reverse rotation step for rotating an upper turbine blade in an upper turbine case provided on a central axis within the tank to generate a liquid flow from the top to the bottom, and rotating a lower turbine case in a lower turbine case provided below the upper turbine case to generate a liquid flow from the bottom to the top.

Images