Stirring device

Abstract

To provide a stirring apparatus in which cleaning properties of a stirring blade and a scraper are enhanced.SOLUTION: A stirring device 100 includes a tank 1 that stores a raw material, a rotatable rotating shaft 2 that is disposed on a central axis in the tank, a lower turbine blade that is provided inside a lower turbine case 8 disposed on a bottom portion of the tank and is independently rotatable, a substantially cylindrical mixer 3 that is provided on the rotating shaft in a horizontal direction and has a substantially circular cross section, and a substantially cylindrical anchor blade 4 that is supported by a support 23 located outside the mixer and extending in a vertical direction and has a substantially circular cross section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an agitator in which the cleaning properties of the agitating blades inside a tank are improved. [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] There are a wide variety of cosmetics that require mixing to be pulverized, and the materials that need to be mixed for each of these products are different. When switching between products, cleaning of the mixing vessel and mixing blades is essential. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to clean the inside of the mixing vessel in a short time.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes the configuration of an agitator in which a mixer and anchor blades are rotated in an agitation tank. [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, the system described in Patent Document 1 has problems in that the mixer and the agitating blades, called anchor blades, have complex shapes, making cleaning time-consuming, and the multiple scrapers are arranged vertically, making it difficult to clean the narrow gaps between the scrapers.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to realize an agitator with improved cleaning properties for the agitating blades and scraper. [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; a rotatable rotation shaft disposed on a central axis within the tank; a lower turbine blade disposed inside a lower turbine case disposed at the bottom of the tank and capable of rotating independently; a mixer that is horizontally provided on the rotating shaft and has a substantially cylindrical shape with a substantially circular cross section; The present invention provides a mixing device characterized by comprising: an anchor blade having a substantially cylindrical shape with a substantially circular cross section, the anchor blade being supported by a support positioned outside the mixer and extending vertically.

[0009] This configuration improves cleanability because the mixer and anchor blades both have a simple, roughly cylindrical shape with a roughly circular cross section, making them less susceptible to dirt and easier to clean. Furthermore, the lower turbine blades generate a powerful liquid flow, providing excellent mixing performance. This makes it possible to realize a mixing device with mixing blades that are easy to clean while still ensuring mixing performance in the fields of cosmetics, food, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals.

[0010] The turbine may be configured to include upper turbine blades that are provided inside an upper turbine case connected to the tip of the rotary shaft above the lower turbine case and are independently rotatable.

[0011] This configuration improves agitation by maximizing the liquid flow from the upper and lower turbines, while ensuring cleaning performance with the approximately cylindrical mixer and anchor blades.

[0012] The stirring device may be configured such that one scraper is provided on the support body and faces outward with a length substantially equal to the vertical length of the support body.

[0013] With this configuration, since only one scraper is used, there is no need to remove dirt between the scrapers, and cleaning time can be reduced.

[0014] In the stirring device, the rotary shaft and the support may both have a substantially circular cross section.

[0015] This configuration also improves the cleaning properties of the rotating shaft and the support.

[0016] In the stirring device, the tips of the mixer and the anchor blade may be configured to have a substantially hemispherical shape.

[0017] This configuration also improves the cleaning properties of the mixer and the tips of the anchor blades. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The agitator of the present invention can realize an agitator with improved cleaning properties for the agitating blades and scraper. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [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. 10 is a diagram illustrating a stirring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an upper turbine case according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Example]

[0020] An agitation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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. Six mixers 3, each roughly cylindrical and with a roughly circular cross section, are attached horizontally to the rotating shaft 2 in the left-right and up-down directions. Furthermore, supports 23 holding scrapers 5 made of resin for scraping liquid between the mixer 3 and the side of the tank 1 are provided on the outside of the mixer 3, and are rotatable at six positions in the left-right and up-down directions, alternating with the mixer 3 and anchor blades 4. The anchor blades 4 also have a roughly cylindrical shape with a roughly circular cross section.

[0023] The mixer 3 and anchor blade 4 both have a simple, generally cylindrical shape with a generally circular cross section, which makes them less susceptible to dirt and easier to clean, thereby improving washability. The rotating shaft 2 and support 23 may also have a generally cylindrical shape with a generally circular cross section, which makes the rotating shaft 2 and support 23 also generally cylindrical, which makes them less susceptible to dirt and easier to clean, thereby improving washability.

[0024] Furthermore, the tips of the mixer 3 and the anchor blade 4 may have a substantially hemispherical shape. This allows the tips of the mixer 3 and the anchor blade 4 to have a simple shape, which makes them less susceptible to dirt and easier to clean, thereby improving washability.

[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, six approximately cylindrical mixers 3 are provided in the left-right and up-down directions, but this is not necessarily limited to this and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the number of mixers may be five or less, or seven or more, and the optimum number of mixers may be provided depending on the raw materials to be mixed. Also, in Example 1, six anchor blades 4 are provided, but this is not necessarily limited to this and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the number of anchor blades 4 may be five or less, seven or more, or none 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 9 and lower turbine case 8 described below.

[0028] A lower turbine case 8 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 8 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 8 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 8 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 8 will be described in detail. The lower turbine case 8 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 8, and can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise integrally with the lower turbine case 8. 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 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.

[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] As shown in FIG. 3(b), a cavity is provided inside the lower turbine case 8, and a lower turbine blade 83 is rotatably housed therein. The lower turbine blade 83 is threadedly attached to a lower shaft 84 and is rotatable clockwise or counterclockwise as viewed from above by a motor (not shown). The lower 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 FIGS. 4(a) and 6). That is, the lower turbine blade 83 has four water-skirting blades 831 (831a, 831b, 831c, 831d) provided around the periphery of a 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.

[0033] 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 8, without being driven to rotate by a motor.

[0034] In this way, the lower turbine case 8 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. Furthermore, the lower turbine case 8 may be freely rotatable without being driven to rotate.

[0035] 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 8 through the lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d). The liquid passes through the gaps 11 (see Fig. 2(a)) and 12 (see Fig. 2(b)) between the end of the lower turbine blade 83 and the inner surface of the lower turbine case 8, whereby the emulsion is crushed and pushed upward in the gaps 11 and 12, and a discharge flow C is discharged from the upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d). In Example 1, the gaps 11 and 12 are set to 1 mm and 0.5 mm, respectively, but are not necessarily 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.

[0036] In Example 1, In this example, the lower turbine blades 83 are rotated counterclockwise when viewed from above, but this is not necessarily limited to this and may be changed as appropriate. For example, the lower turbine blades 83 may be rotated clockwise when 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 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).

[0037] 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.

[0038] Thus, in Example 1, an agitation device for agitating a liquid or a mixture of liquid and solids as a raw material includes: a tank for storing the raw material; a rotatable rotating shaft disposed on the central axis within the tank; a lower turbine blade disposed inside a lower turbine case disposed at the bottom of the tank and capable of rotating independently; a mixer having a substantially cylindrical shape with a substantially circular cross section disposed horizontally on the rotating shaft; and an anchor blade having a substantially cylindrical shape with a substantially circular cross section disposed outside the mixer and supported by a support extending vertically. This agitation device is characterized by the following: the mixer and anchor blade both have a simple, substantially cylindrical shape with a substantially circular cross section, which makes them less susceptible to dirt and easier to clean, thereby improving cleanability. Furthermore, the lower turbine blade can generate a powerful liquid flow, resulting in excellent agitation performance. Therefore, an agitation device having agitator blades with improved cleanability can be realized while maintaining agitation performance in the fields of cosmetics, food, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. [Example]

[0039] Example 2 of the present invention differs from Example 1 in that it includes upper turbine blades. Example 2 will be described with reference to Figs. 8 and 9. Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating the stirring device in Example 2 of the present invention. Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating the upper turbine case in Example 2 of the present invention.

[0040] In the agitator 200 of Example 2, an upper turbine case 9 made of stainless steel is provided above a lower turbine case 8, and is rotatable approximately coaxially with the lower turbine case 8, i.e., clockwise or counterclockwise along the central axis of the tank 1. The upper turbine case 9 contains an upper turbine impeller 92 that can rotate independently. As shown in FIG. 9, the upper turbine case 9 and the upper turbine impeller 92 have the same structure as the lower turbine case 8 and the lower turbine impeller 83, and are shaped generally like a truncated cone like a bowl, with a lower side surface having a lower liquid flow hole (not shown) for drawing in or discharging liquid and emulsion, and an upper surface having an upper liquid flow hole (not shown) for drawing in or discharging liquid and emulsion.

[0041] The upper turbine case 9 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 9 is also connected to the rotating shaft 2, and is rotatable together with the mixer 3 in the same direction and at the same speed, clockwise or counterclockwise. The upper turbine case 9 also has a lower liquid flow hole (not shown) for sucking in or discharging liquid. As a result, the upper turbine case 9 as a whole has a lower liquid flow hole (not shown) for sucking in or discharging liquid at its bottom, and an upper liquid flow hole (not shown) for sucking in or discharging liquid at its top.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 9, a cavity is provided inside the upper turbine case 9, and upper turbine impellers 92 are rotatably housed inside the cavity. The upper turbine impeller 92 is 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.

[0043] 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 is generated, 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 9, 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.

[0044] The lower edge of the upper turbine case 9 overlaps the upper end of the lower turbine case 8 by about 1 mm in the height direction. This allows the liquid flow from bottom to top to generate an upward liquid flow without leaking to the outside of the upper turbine case 91, as will be described later.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 7, the lower turbine blades 83 are rotated counterclockwise when viewed from above, generating a swirling flow A around the lower turbine case 81. This also generates a suction flow B that draws in liquid and emulsion from the lower liquid flow holes 852 (852a, 852b, 852c, 852d) on the lower side of the lower turbine case 81. The emulsion is then finely divided through the gap 11 between the end of the lower turbine blade 83 and the inner surface of the lower turbine case 81. The finely divided emulsion and liquid are then discharged from the upper liquid flow holes 811 (811a, 811b, 811c, 811d) on the upper part of the lower turbine case 8, resulting in an improved upward liquid flow (see FIG. 7). At the same time, the upper turbine blades 92 are rotated counterclockwise when viewed from above, generating an upward liquid flow. This generates a powerful upward liquid flow due to the upward liquid flow of the lower turbine blades 83 and the upper turbine blades 92, stirring the raw material from bottom to top.

[0046] The upward liquid flow caused by the lower turbine blades 83 and the upper turbine blades 92 generates the strongest liquid flow possible, so that even if the mixer 3 and anchor blades 4 have an approximately cylindrical shape, the mixing force is not reduced and the cleaning properties of the mixing blades and scrapers can be improved.

[0047] Thus, in Example 2, in addition to the lower turbine blades, an upper turbine blade that is independently rotatable and is provided inside the upper turbine case connected to the tip of the rotating shaft above the lower turbine case is provided, thereby improving the cleaning properties of the stirring blades and scraper without reducing the stirring force. [Industrial Applicability]

[0048] The stirring device of the present invention can be widely applied to fields in which a liquid or a mixture of a liquid and a solid is stirred and emulsified as a raw material to form an emulsion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1: Tank 2: Rotating shaft 3: Mixer 4: Anchor blade 5: Scraper 8: Lower turbine case 9: Upper 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 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; a rotatable rotation shaft disposed on a central axis within the tank; a lower turbine blade disposed inside a lower turbine case disposed at the bottom of the tank and capable of rotating independently; a mixer that is horizontally provided on the rotating shaft and has a substantially cylindrical shape with a substantially circular cross section; a substantially cylindrical anchor blade having a substantially circular cross section, the anchor blade being supported by a support positioned outside the mixer and extending in the vertical direction.

2. 2. The stirring device according to claim 1, further comprising an upper turbine blade that is independently rotatable and is provided inside an upper turbine case connected to the tip of the rotating shaft above the lower turbine case.

3. 3. The agitation device according to claim 1, wherein the support body is provided with a scraper extending outward and having a length substantially equal to the vertical length of the support body.

4. 3. The stirring device according to claim 1, wherein the cross sections of the rotary shaft and the support body are both substantially circular.

5. 3. The agitation device according to claim 1, wherein the tips of the mixer and the anchor blade are substantially hemispherical.

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