Intelligent Mixing System

Abstract

An intelligent stirring system (100) for stirring a solution (30), the intelligent stirring system (100) comprising: a motor (7); a contactless electric power supply system (3); inverters (5, 6) for supplying electric power to the motor (7) and the contactless electric power supply system (3); a stirring tank (10) having an induction heating coil (2) for heating the solution (30) and a stirring blade (1) for stirring the solution (30), the stirring tank (10) being configured to enable thermal control of regions obtained by dividing a reserved solution (30) into a plurality of zones; optical fiber sensors (9a, 9b) for measuring the distribution of a physical quantity pertaining to a substance being controlled, parts of the optical fiber sensors (9a, 9b) being disposed within the stirring tank; optical-fiber-signal-analyzing equipment (50) for receiving and analyzing signals from the optical fiber sensors (9a, 9b); a control panel (51) for configuring a control quantity for each of the divided regions according to an output from the optical-fiber-signal-analyzing equipment (50); and a controller (52) for transmitting the control quantity for each region as configured by the control panel (51) to the inverters (5, 6). The amount of heat applied to each region can be configured on the basis of data from the controller (52).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application relates to an intelligent mixing system. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional mixing devices, when operating using a batch process that uses a mixing tank, most control is performed based on the concentration or temperature at one point in the mixing tank, assuming that the spatial distribution in the mixing tank is uniform, and no advanced control that takes spatial distribution into consideration is performed. For example, temperature is measured by point measurement using a thermocouple. Controllers use external steam or hot water, and have poor thermal response. Also, external heating or cooling from a jacket or header outside the mixing tank is mainstream (for example, see Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, or Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-1142 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-118874 A [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Takashima et al., "Study on temperature measurement using thermocouples in microwave irradiation field," Oyama National College of Technology Research Bulletin, No. 37, 2005, pp. 81-86 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In current mixing vessels, the heat capacity of the entire vessel is large and the heat transfer characteristics are not good, so it is necessary to rely on the control of "temperature or flow rate of refrigerant / heat transfer medium" or "agitation speed" which have slow thermal response.Finally, the uniformity of the spatial distribution depends heavily on the agitation characteristics (mixing characteristics) of the solution of the agitator blade, which depends on the blade shape, etc.

[0006] The intelligent stirring system of the present application has been made to solve the problems described above, and is equipped with an optical fiber sensor capable of simultaneous distribution measurement of multivariate parameters, and an actively controlled stirring blade that can divide the controlled area into multiple zones and control each zone when inductively heating and refrigerant cooling the stirring blade installed in a stirring tank, and has the object of providing an intelligent stirring system that allows advanced control of the controlled object by feeding back measurement data of the controlled object obtained by the optical fiber sensor to the actively controlled stirring blade. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The intelligent mixing system disclosed herein comprises: an inverter capable of controlling the amount of power supply and supplying a predetermined amount of power to the motor and the wireless power supply system, respectively; The solution stored inside and the induction heater powered by the non-contact power supply system Heat and the object of control The temperature and viscosity of the solution are An optical fiber sensor that measures the distribution of the induction Heat and a stirring blade that is heated by the induction heater in a non-contact manner and stirs the solution. Heat The paths of the filter and the optical fiber sensor are individually determined, so that the solution is divided into a plurality of zones. By controlling the heating and cooling of the induction heating coil or the rotation speed of the stirring blade, The solution Temperature and Viscosity A mixing vessel in which the above can be set, a fiber optic signal analyzer for receiving and analyzing a signal from the fiber optic sensor taken out through a joint; an operation panel connected to the optical fiber signal analyzer, for setting and storing control information for each divided zone based on an output signal from the optical fiber signal analyzer; a controller connected to the motor, the inverter, and the operation panel, and configured to transmit control information for each of the divided zones from the operation panel to the motor and the inverter; Equipped with Based on the control information for each zone transmitted from the controller, Heating and cooling amounts The present invention is characterized in that the above can be set. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The intelligent stirring system disclosed in the present application is equipped with an optical fiber sensor capable of simultaneously measuring the distribution of multiple variable parameters, and an actively controlled stirring blade that can divide the controlled area into multiple zones and control each zone when inductively heating and refrigerant cooling the stirring blade installed in a stirring tank, and by feeding back the measurement data of the controlled object obtained by the optical fiber sensor to the actively controlled stirring blade, an intelligent stirring system capable of highly advanced control of the controlled object can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an intelligent stirring system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a mechanical part of the intelligent stirring system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining temperature measurement using a test stirring tank. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining temperature measurement when the liquid in the test stirring tank is not being stirred. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining temperature measurement when a liquid in a test stirring tank is stirred. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining detection of adhesion of a foreign object by an optical fiber sensor. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a first example of a method for mounting an optical fiber sensor in a stirring tank. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram for explaining a second example of a method for mounting an optical fiber sensor in a stirring tank. FIG. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram for explaining a third example of a method for mounting an optical fiber sensor in a stirring tank. FIG. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a fixing structure of an optical fiber sensor in a stirring tank. [Figure 11] 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another example of a fixing structure of an optical fiber sensor in a stirring tank. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of installing an optical fiber sensor on a stirring blade. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a controller of the intelligent agitation system of the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a test stirring blade used to examine the effect of viscosity. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the results of an experiment carried out using the test impeller shown in FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 15 is a model diagram for analyzing the deformation of the test impeller in FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an analysis result regarding distortion of a test stirring impeller. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 shows an example of test results of the temperature detected by a thermocouple and the temperature of a CMC aqueous solution measured with a FIMT fiber over time. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of test results of optical fiber strain distribution versus optical fiber coordinates. [Figure 20] 1 is a diagram for explaining a characteristic database of an impeller constructed from an impeller model created to determine the deformation of the impeller in the intelligent impeller system of embodiment 1. FIG. [Figure 21]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a processor and a storage device provided in each control device constituting the intelligent agitation system of the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Embodiment 1 The newly developed intelligent mixing system is equipped with an optical fiber sensor capable of simultaneous distribution measurement of multivariable parameters, and an actively controlled mixing blade that can divide the controlled area into multiple zones and control each zone when inductively heating and refrigerant cooling the mixing blade installed in the mixing vessel, and is a system that enables advanced control of the controlled object by feeding back the measurement data of the controlled object obtained by the optical fiber sensor to the actively controlled mixing blade. The specific contents are explained below using the diagram.

[0011] First, the overall configuration of the intelligent stirring system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] [System Overview] Fig. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of an intelligent stirring system 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. Also, Fig. 2 shows the overall configuration of the mechanical part of this intelligent stirring system. Note that, functionally, this intelligent stirring system is roughly divided into a stirring system and an optical fiber measurement and control system.

[0013] [Mixing system configuration] First, the configuration of the stirring system will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, the impeller 1 arranged in the mixing vessel 10 is an impeller that employs a zone heat control type induction heating and refrigerant cooling method that divides the control target area into multiple zones and can control each zone. In FIG. 1, the impeller 1 is shown as a gate impeller. An induction heating coil 2 (hereinafter also referred to as IH heater 2) is built in, the periphery of which is sealed with an insulator. In addition, optical fibers are laid around it or on the surface of the impeller, which are represented by dotted lines in the form of a trapezoid and a triangle with respect to the center line of the rotation axis in FIG. 1. This induction heating coil 2 is supplied with AC power with a frequency of several tens of Hz to several tens of kHz from an inverter 5 via a non-contact power supply system 3. This non-contact power supply system 3 is composed of one power supply coil 4a and multiple power receiving coils 4b, and is set so that the frequency, voltage, and current supply time of the supplied power can be controlled, and the amount of heating of the zones of the impeller 1 can be arbitrarily changed based on the difference in the resonance frequency of the power receiving coil 4b. The inverter 6 supplies low-frequency power to a motor 7, and the rotation speed is controlled.

[0014] [Mixing system operation] Next, the operation of the stirring system will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Low-frequency power is supplied from the inverter 6 previously described with reference to Figure 1 to the motor 7 via the motor power line 14 shown in Figure 2, whereby the motor 7 provided in the stirring blade drive unit 15 is energized and rotated. At this time, it is possible to control the number of rotations by varying the frequency.

[0015] As a result, the stirring blade 1, which is fixedly attached to the rotating shaft 12 and installed inside the stirring tank 10, rotates coaxially with the rotating shaft 12, which is supported for free rotation by a bearing 11 (this bearing is optional) fixedly supported on the top of the stirring tank 10.

[0016] The method of transmitting the rotational power from the motor 7 to the rotating shaft 12 can be broadly divided into two types: as shown in FIG. 1, where the rotating shaft of the motor and the shaft to which the power is transmitted are different (in this case, the driving force of the motor is transmitted to the rotating shaft 12 via a transmission belt 13), and where the rotating shaft of the motor and the shaft to which the driving force of the motor is transmitted are coaxial.

[0017] At this time, AC power is supplied to the induction heating coil 2 (IH heater 2) provided inside the agitator 1 via an IH power line 16. This induces eddy currents on the surface of the blades of the agitator 1. At this time, approximately 95% of the supplied power is consumed to heat the blades.

[0018] This allows the vanes to be heated without contact, without being affected by the thermal conductivity resistance of the insulator. Furthermore, high heat transfer and rapid solution heating can be achieved by convection from the vane surface. In addition, Joule heat, which is approximately 5% of the power supplied by the induction heating coil 2 generated by current flow, is also recovered for heating the solution, realizing an energy-saving induction heating system.

[0019] The induction heating coil 2 has a flexible shape, and can accommodate a wide range of viscosities of the heated fluid by applying turbine blades, anchor blades, ring blades, screw blades, double helical ribbon blades, etc., without being limited to the gate blades shown in Fig. 1. In addition, the stirring blade drive unit 15, IH power supply line 16, etc. are fixedly supported and attached to a stand 20.

[0020] When the device is also used for cooling, a separate current- and water-carrying body (not shown) capable of carrying both current and water (water carrying includes refrigerant) may be used to pass current during heating and water during cooling. In this case, for example, a hollow tube (commonly known as a hollow conductor) may be used as the current- and water-carrying body, and water supplied from a refrigerant tank described below or a refrigerant other than water may be used during cooling.

[0021] [Optical fiber distributed measurement and control system] Next, the optical fiber distribution measurement and control system will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. In Figure 1, an optical fiber sensor 9a (a rotating optical fiber sensor that rotates as a whole with the rotation of the rotating shaft 12) consisting of a single continuous line, as shown by the solid lines of the trapezoid and triangle in the figure, is installed on the impeller 1 in the above-mentioned stirring vessel 10, and the temperature of the impeller 1 or the solution 30 around the impeller 1 is measured using this optical fiber sensor 9a.

[0022] In addition, an optical fiber sensor 9b (a stationary optical fiber sensor fixed in the stirring tank 10) consisting of a single continuous line indicated by a dotted line is installed on the outer and inner circumferences of the stirring blade 1, and measures the liquid temperature of the solution 30 stored in the stirring tank, the temperature of the wall surface of the stirring tank 10, etc.

[0023] The optical signals of the laser backscattered light measured by these optical fiber sensors 9a and 9b (hereinafter, these are also collectively referred to as the optical fiber sensor 9) are taken out of the mixing tank 10 via a joint 8 (which may be a rotary joint 8; the same applies below) arranged at the top of Figs. 1 and 2, and are transmitted to an optical fiber signal analyzer 50 arranged outside the mixing tank 10. The transmitted optical signals are analyzed by the optical fiber signal analyzer 50, and a physical quantity such as temperature at a desired position of the object to be measured, or a distribution of the physical quantity of the object to be measured, is obtained using an operation panel 51 and a controller 52. Here, the operation panel 51 and the controller 52 are provided with a memory or a database for storage. Note that the output of the optical fiber signal analyzer 50 and the output of the operation panel 51 are input to an AI controller 53 in some cases, and the output of the AI ​​controller 53 is input to the operation panel 51 (details of the AI ​​controller 53 will be described later; see Fig. 13).

[0024] The joint 8 is for extracting a signal from the optical fiber sensor 9a of the rotation system to the outside of the mixing tank 10. Furthermore, when it is necessary to send cooling water or refrigerant from the refrigerant tank 40 to the mixing blade, a joint 8a (not shown; this joint 8a may be a rotary joint 8a) different from the above joint 8 is used.

[0025] At this time, in order to control the temperature of the stirring blade, cooling water whose temperature and flow rate are instructed by the controller 52 based on the output signal of the operation panel 51 (this signal includes information such as the temperature distribution of the stirring blade or the solution measured by the optical fiber sensor 9a) is sent appropriately from the refrigerant tank 40. Note that the operation panel 51 and the controller 52 each have a display device for monitoring.

[0026] Furthermore, based on the temperature, viscosity, and adhesion state of foreign matter of the solution 30 in the stirring tank 10 as control variables, or on distribution information thereof, from the amount of frequency shift analyzed by the optical fiber signal analyzer 50, the amount of input power to the contactless power transfer system 3 and the number of revolutions of the motor 7 can be variably controlled via the inverters 5 and 6, respectively. Note that, although the explanation here is based on the assumption that the amount of input power to the contactless power transfer system 3 and the number of revolutions of the motor 7 are controlled by separate inverters, the control method is not necessarily limited to the method explained here, and it goes without saying that any other method that allows individual control may be used.

[0027] [Temperature measurement] Next, temperature measurement using a test mixing vessel will be explained with reference to FIG. As shown in Fig. 3, an optical fiber sensor 9 and a thermocouple 17 are installed at predetermined positions in the test mixing tank. The installation positions of the optical fiber sensor 9 and the multiple thermocouples 17 are indicated by solid curved lines and circles (a total of eight positions), respectively.

[0028] The optical fiber sensor 9 and thermocouple 17 are fixed to a framework made of multiple transparent strip-shaped acrylic plates and fitted into the inner wall of the stirring tank in order to measure the temperature of the solution 30 in the stirring tank. The optical fiber sensor 9 is wound around this framework in a spiral shape from the top to the bottom of the figure at a pitch p (p = 50 mm) and is fixed by passing through a hole provided in the transparent strip-shaped acrylic plate. At the same time, eight thermocouples 17a to 17h are installed near a total of eight measurement setting positions (hereinafter, the respective positions will be simply referred to as position a, position b, ..., position h) by the optical fiber sensor.

[0029] An IH heater (not shown) is installed under the stirring tank 10, and the bottom of the stirring tank is induction heated to heat the solution 30. The frequency shift amount of the optical fiber sensor from the position a to the position h and the behavior over time of the temperatures detected by eight thermocouples, namely thermocouple 17a, thermocouple 17b, thermocouple 17c, thermocouple 17d, thermocouple 17e, thermocouple 17f, thermocouple 17g, and thermocouple 17h, at positions near the position a to the position h were measured and compared for verification.

[0030] The measurement results are shown in Figures 4 and 5. For comparative verification, two types of liquid were used in the experiment: distilled water and a 75 wt% glycerin aqueous solution. Measurements were also conducted separately for each liquid, with and without stirring. Figure 4 shows the amount of frequency shift change Δν and the behavior of temperature change ΔT over time when each liquid was not stirred, while Figure 5 shows the amount of frequency shift change Δν and the behavior of temperature change ΔT (also called temperature difference ΔT) over time (unit: minutes) when the distillate was stirred.

[0031] First, the measurement results shown in Fig. 4 (more specifically, Fig. 4A, Fig. 4B, Fig. 4C, Fig. 4D) will be described. Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B respectively show the frequency shift change amount Δν and the temperature difference ΔT when distilled water was used, and Fig. 4C and Fig. 4D respectively show the frequency shift change amount Δν and the temperature difference ΔT when a 75 wt % glycerin aqueous solution was used.

[0032] 4A to 4D, for both types of liquids used, the behavior of the frequency shift change amount Δν and the temperature change ΔT (behavior over time) match well. Note that by calculating the sensitivity coefficient C (=ΔT / Δν, unit [K / GHz]) of the optical fiber sensor, the frequency shift change amount Δν detected by the optical fiber sensor can be converted to a temperature change ΔT, so that the temperature change obtained based on the frequency shift change amount Δν detected by the optical fiber sensor can be compared with the temperature change detected by the thermocouple.

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4A to 4D, the temperature variation over time in the stirring tank of the glycerin aqueous solution due to different measurement positions (the size of the dotted arrow in the figure represents the maximum difference between the measurement positions, which corresponds to the maximum value of the "variation" here) is larger than the temperature variation over time in the stirring tank of distilled water, but it can be seen that the amount of frequency shift change detected by the optical fiber sensor at each measurement point sufficiently corresponds in terms of quantity and time to each temperature change detected by the thermocouple, and there is almost no difference.

[0034] Next, we will explain the measurement results shown in Fig. 5 (Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B in detail) when distilled water is stirred by rotating the stirring blade at a rotation speed of 20 rpm of the rotating shaft 12. Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B respectively show the measurement results of the change in frequency shift and the temperature difference near position b.

[0035] That is, FIGS. 5A and 5B respectively show the amount of change in frequency shift Δν detected by an optical fiber sensor installed near position b and the temperature difference ΔT at position b over the course of measurement time. When the impeller was rotated, a stirring flow of the liquid inside the impeller was generated as the impeller rotated, which caused distortion in the optical fiber sensor, and there was concern that this would reduce the accuracy of the temperature measurement. However, as in the case where the impeller was not rotating, it was confirmed that the behavior over time of the frequency shift change amount Δν detected by the optical fiber sensor and the temperature difference ΔT detected by thermocouple 17b were in good agreement, and the effectiveness of temperature measurement by the optical fiber sensor when the impeller was rotating was confirmed.

[0036] From the above, it was found that the optical fiber sensor can measure the temperature distribution in a mixing system with sufficient accuracy, regardless of whether the mixing blade is rotating or not (when the mixing blade is stationary).

[0037] [Detection of foreign matter adhesion] In order to verify that the position of the foreign object can be detected based on the correspondence between the strain generated in the optical fiber sensor and its position based on the measurement data of the signal frequency shift using the above optical fiber sensor, an experiment was conducted in which a magnet representing the foreign object was placed on the optical fiber and at the verification position. The specific details are explained below using the diagram.

[0038] FIG. 6A shows the arrangement of the optical fiber strands for detecting adhesion of foreign matter and the four verification points, position detection point I, when an optical fiber strand is arranged on the circular bottom plate of a cylindrical container and a magnet is further arranged on the strands. A , I B , I C , I D , and magnet arrangement M P (See the area surrounded by the dotted line.) In this case, these position detection points correspond to the optical fiber strand locations where the weight of the placed magnet is concentrated.

[0039] In Fig. 6A, the downward arrow indicates the position of the inlet of the optical fiber, and the upward arrow indicates the position of the outlet of the optical fiber. Also, the dashed line indicates the position detection point I indicated by the black circle. A , I B , I C , ID The arrangement of rectangular magnets corresponding to the magnets is shown in FIG.

[0040] FIG. 6B is a diagram showing the change in frequency shift (vertical axis, unit: GHz) measured at a corresponding measurement position (horizontal axis) when the distance from a reference position is represented as distance (horizontal axis, unit: m) for the measurement position on this optical fiber strand.

[0041] In FIG. 6B, the relatively flat portion corresponds to the position detection point I A , I B , I C , I D The change in frequency shift at points other than the vicinity is shown. The concave parts are the position detection points I C , I D , I A , I B The change in frequency shift at From the measurement results shown in FIG. 6B, it is apparent that the arrangement position of the magnet, which acts as a foreign object, can be detected from the measurement data of the signal frequency shift. From the above facts, it can be inferred that this optical fiber sensor can accurately measure the distribution of the physical quantity of the measurement target.

[0042] [How to install an optical fiber sensor in a mixing vessel] Next, a method of mounting the optical fiber sensor to the stirring tank or stirring blade in the above-mentioned optical fiber measurement and control system will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 7 to 9. These figures are schematic diagrams showing the configuration related to mounting the optical fiber sensor in the optical fiber measurement and control system. Among these figures, Figs. 7 and 8 are diagrams for explaining an example of a method of mounting the optical fiber sensor when a gate blade is used as the stirring blade, and Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method of mounting the optical fiber sensor when a disk turbine blade is used as the stirring blade.

[0043] (1) Installation method 1 First, a first method for mounting an optical fiber sensor when a gate impeller is used as the stirring impeller will be described with reference to the schematic diagram shown in FIG.

[0044] The rotating shaft 12 of the impeller 1a (gate impeller) installed in the stirring tank 10a is supported by a joint 8 and the like, and is set to rotate in the direction of the arrow on the circular arc shown above the rotating shaft 12 when power is applied. The optical fiber sensor 9a of the rotation system is attached to the impeller 1a via the rotating shaft 12 along the path shown by the thick solid line in the figure. This path is configured so that a part of the impeller protrudes into the solution, as shown in FIG. 7. The path protruding from the impeller into the solution includes a surface on which the temperature measurement lines 31 in the solution 30 are connected (see the cylindrical surface on which the dotted ellipses are connected), and a temperature measurement surface 32 (see the annular plane) as shown in FIG. 7. The optical fiber sensor 9a is taken out of the stirring tank 10a along the arrow shown above the joint 8.

[0045] Since the rotating optical fiber sensor 9a in mounting method 1 has the path described above, distribution information of the solution temperature in the stirring tank 10a at a specified part in time and space (specified horizontal and vertical temperature measurement planes, or specified temperature measurement lines) can be obtained.

[0046] On the other hand, the stationary optical fiber sensor 9b is attached along the path indicated by the thick dotted line in the figure. This path includes the stirring tank 10a, the baffle plate 18, the solution 30 in the stirring tank 10a, etc., and measures the temperature of the stirring tank wall, the temperature of the baffle plate, the temperature of the solution, etc.

[0047] (2) Installation method 2 Next, a second mounting method of the optical fiber sensor, which is different from the first mounting method and uses a gate impeller as the stirring impeller as in the first mounting method, will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 8. Below, aspects different from Fig. 7 will be described, and the description of the same aspects as in Fig. 7 will be simplified or omitted.

[0048] The rotating shaft 12 of the stirring blade 1a (gate blade) installed in the stirring tank 10a is supported by a joint 8, etc., and the optical fiber sensor 9a of the rotation system is attached to the stirring blade 1a via this rotating shaft 12, following the path shown by the thick solid line in the figure.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 8, this path is formed in the solution so as to be a common tangent to the outer circumference of a plurality of temperature measurement lines 31 of different diameters shown in the solution inside the stirring blade. On the other hand, the path of the stationary optical fiber sensor 9b (see the thick dotted line in Fig. 8) is the same as that in Fig. 7.

[0050] Since the rotating optical fiber sensor 9a in mounting method 2 has the path described above, it is possible to obtain, as in mounting method 1, information on the spatial and temporal distribution of the solution temperature in a specified portion (multiple specified temperature measurement lines of different diameters and a surface where the temperature measurement lines are connected) in the stirring tank 10a.

[0051] (3) Wearing method 3 Next, a third method for mounting an optical fiber sensor when a disk turbine impeller is used as the stirring impeller will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 9. In particular, aspects different from Fig. 7 or Fig. 8 will be described in detail below, and the explanation of aspects similar to Fig. 7 or Fig. 8 will be simplified or omitted.

[0052] The rotating shaft 12 of the stirring blade 1b (disk turbine blade) installed inside the stirring tank 10b is supported by a joint 8, etc., and the optical fiber sensor 9a of the rotation system is attached to the stirring blade 1b via this rotating shaft 12, following the path shown by the thick solid line in the figure.

[0053] This path is configured such that a part of it protrudes into the solution on the outside in the axial direction of the stirring blade 1b, as shown in Fig. 9. Also, the path protruding from the stirring blade into the solution includes a plurality of temperature measurement surfaces 32 (see the doughnut-shaped surfaces) inside the solution 30, as shown in Fig. 9.

[0054] Furthermore, a draft tube 19 for fixing a stationary optical fiber sensor 9b is provided in the solution on the circumferential outer side of the stirring blade 1b in order to promote a circulating flow inside the stirring tank.

[0055] In mounting method 3, the rotating optical fiber sensor 9a has the path as described above, so that distribution information can be obtained at a specified portion (a specified number of temperature measurement surfaces) in space-time regarding the temperature of the solution stored inside the stirring tank 10b.

[0056] [Fixing structure of optical fiber sensor] Incidentally, the rotating optical fiber sensor 9a and the stationary optical fiber sensor 9b shown in Figures 7 to 9 are attached to the stirring blade 1a or the stirring blade 1b with a unique fixing structure, respectively, in order to measure the temperature and viscosity of the solution 30 or detect adhesion of foreign matter thereto. These unique fixing structures will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0057] (1) Rigid mounting structure Fig. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of an optical fiber sensor installed on an agitating blade, which is used for measuring the viscosity of a solution, etc. A rigid fixing structure adopted as an example of the arrangement of a rotating optical fiber sensor 9a on an agitating blade will be described below with reference to Fig. 10.

[0058] In this case, the optical fiber sensor 9a (having an optical fiber core 90) is coated with a polymer material 91, for example, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), and is fixed inside the impeller in close contact with the impeller, as shown in Fig. 10. In this case, when the viscosity of the solution changes, a stress change occurs in the impeller, which causes the impeller to bend. As a result, the optical fiber sensor 9a fixed to the impeller expands and contracts, and a frequency shift occurs in the backscattered light. Using this, the viscosity change in the solution can be measured.

[0059] (2) Flexible fixation structure Next, Fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of an optical fiber sensor disposed on an agitating blade, which is used for detecting adhesion of a foreign object 21. A soft fixing structure adopted as an example of disposing a stationary optical fiber sensor 9b in a stirring tank will be described below with reference to Fig. 11.

[0060] In this case, the optical fiber sensor 9b (having an optical fiber core 90) is (flexibly) attached to the stirring blade with an adhesive (not shown) as shown in Fig. 11. In this case, when detecting the adhesion of the foreign matter 21, since the adhesive has soft material properties that do not detect the bending of the stirring blade, the optical fiber sensor 9b is distorted only by the weight change caused by the adhesion of the foreign matter 21, and a frequency shift occurs in the backscattered light. By utilizing this, the adhesion position of the foreign matter 21 can be detected.

[0061] As described above, by linking the mixing system of the intelligent mixing system 100 with the optical fiber measurement and control system, it is possible to perform uniform temperature operation, uniform viscosity operation, or temperature distribution and viscosity distribution measurement leading to high quality and high yield for the target object, as well as detection of the location of foreign matter adhesion. By visualizing the control variables, it is possible to optimize the production of the target product and realize management methods that make this possible.

[0062] In the above, it is assumed that the rotating optical fiber sensor 9a is attached to the agitator blade with a rigid fixing structure, and the stationary optical fiber sensor 9b is attached to the agitator blade with a flexible fixing structure. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, both the rotating and stationary systems may be attached to the agitator blade with a rigid fixing structure.

[0063] (3) Hybrid fastening structure In the above-mentioned intelligent mixing system, an example has been described in which an optical fiber sensor with a rigid fixing structure and an optical fiber sensor with a loose fixing structure are used separately as an optical fiber sensor for use in a rotating system and an optical fiber sensor for use in a stationary system, respectively. Below, an example of an optical fiber arrangement in which optical fibers with the above two types of fixing structures are used simultaneously in a mixing blade will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0064] 12A and 12B are explanatory diagrams for explaining a method of arranging optical fiber sensors in which an optical fiber sensor with a rigid fixing structure and an optical fiber sensor with a loose fixing structure are simultaneously used on the stirring blade.

[0065] Figure 12A shows a stirring vessel 10c in which an optical fiber sensor 9c having two types of fixing structures (as described below, this optical fiber sensor 9c is one of the optical fiber sensors 9 described above) is installed on a stirring blade 1, and Figure 12B is an enlarged view of the portion OF surrounded by the dotted line in Figure 12A.

[0066] In FIG. 12B, the optical fiber sensor used in the rotating system is indicated by a thick solid line. Here, an example with a top-bottom symmetrical configuration is shown. The temperature / viscosity measuring unit Pt uses an optical fiber sensor having the above-mentioned rigid fixing structure. On the other hand, the measuring unit Ps for detecting the foreign object adhesion position uses an optical fiber sensor having the above-mentioned soft fixing structure.

[0067] In this way, by using the optical fiber sensor 9c with a hybrid fixing structure having both of the above-mentioned two types of fixing structures as the optical fiber sensor of the rotational system as the optical fiber sensor 9 of the intelligent stirring system shown in Figure 1 earlier, it is possible to simultaneously measure the temperature, viscosity, and adhesion of foreign matter to the measured object.

[0068] Next, to investigate the effect of viscosity, the test impeller shown in Fig. 14 (optical fiber is arranged as FIMT (Fiber in metal tube) fiber at position 1 in the figure and as bare fiber at position 2) was used, and the experimental conditions were set as described below to measure the temperature and strain generated in the test impeller detected by the optical fiber installed in the test impeller. Here, the temperature was measured using a thermocouple and an FIMT fiber. Here, the experimental conditions were as follows: the solution viscosity and temperature were constant and the rotation speed of the test impeller was changed, and the solution viscosity and the rotation speed of the test impeller were constant and the temperature was changed. The solution viscosity was changed to various different values.

[0069] The measured data was analyzed for the following: 1) whether the rotation speed of the test impeller had any effect on the temperature measurement by the FIMT fiber, 2) confirmation of the relationship between the temperature detected by the thermocouple and the temperature detected by the FIMT fiber, 3) analysis of the relationship between the viscosity, the rotation speed of the test impeller, and the strain detected by the optical fiber, and 4) analysis of the relationship between the detected temperature and the strain detected by the optical fiber.

[0070] Next, the results of the test carried out using the test impeller are described below. Figure 15 shows the test result data when the viscosity and temperature were fixed and the rotation speed of the test impeller was set to 40 rpm. The horizontal axis is the measurement position on the fiber (unit: m), and the vertical axis is the frequency shift (unit: GHz). In order to confirm the reproducibility of the data, two measurement results are shown overlapping in Figure 15. Here, the fixed viscosity value is 5800 mPa·s, and the fixed temperature is 30°C. The strain data shows the values ​​measured on both the back and front of the test impeller. From this figure, it can be seen that the reproducibility of the data is almost satisfied, and the values ​​of the strain generated on the back and front of the test impeller are almost the same.

[0071] Next, the test impeller and its modified model used to analyze the above measurement results (to provide analytical support) will be explained with reference to the drawings. As the above deformation model, the test impeller is shown in Fig. 16A and Fig. 16B as model diagrams of the test impeller seen from above. Here, Fig. 16A is a model diagram when the test impeller is stationary, and the arrows indicate the blade radius direction of the test impeller (rightward arrow in the figure) and the direction perpendicular to the blade surface (upward arrow in the figure), with the upper side of the figure being the back side of the test impeller and the lower side of the figure being the front side of the test impeller. Also, Fig. 16B is a model diagram when the test impeller is in operation (when the rotation axis of the test impeller rotates in the clockwise direction shown in the figure). In this Fig. 16B, for example, the test impeller receives drag forces F1 and F2 of the solution fluid in the direction perpendicular to the rotating surface in the gate impeller, and on the left side of the rotation axis of the test impeller, a compressive force is generated on the front side of the test impeller and a tensile force is generated on the back side of the test impeller due to the deformation of the test impeller. It should be noted that on the right side of the rotation shaft of the test impeller, forces are generated on the front and back sides, which are opposite to those generated on the left side of the rotation shaft of the test impeller.

[0072] Next, the results of an analysis using the above model will be explained using Figures 17A and 17B. Figure 17A shows the analysis results for the strain of the test impeller, plotted as a curve with the horizontal axis being the fiber coordinate (unit: m) and the vertical axis being the fiber strain (unit: με), when the measurement conditions were a solution viscosity of 5,800 mPa s and a test impeller rotation speed of 40 rpm. Here, the curve shown by the solid line is the strain on the front surface of the test impeller, and the curve shown by the dotted line is the strain on the back surface of the test impeller. Figure 17B is a schematic diagram showing the front of the test impeller, where the black curves indicate the installation positions of the fibers, and the symbols P, Q, R, and S in the figure indicate the positions within the test impeller that correspond to the fiber coordinates shown by the symbols P, Q, R, and S in Figure 17A, respectively.

[0073] As shown in the dotted line graph in Figure 17A (see the dotted curve), the analysis results generally show the same changes as the strain curves shown in Figure 15 above. Moreover, the curves of the front surface strain shown by the solid line and the back surface strain shown by the dotted line generally show shapes inverted with respect to the position of the fiber coordinates of point S, and it can be seen that they reflect the deformation of the test impeller shown in the model of Figure 16B above. In other words, it can be seen that bending deformation occurs in the test impeller with point S as the center position.

[0074] Next, an example of measuring the solution temperature will be described with reference to FIG. 18. FIG. 18 shows an example of measuring the solution temperature using two detection methods. FIG. 18 shows the time change of the temperature detected by a thermocouple (see the solid curve in the figure) and the time change of the temperature of a CMC solution (Carboxymethyl Cellulose solution) measured by a FIMT fiber (see the dotted curve in the figure). The FIMT fiber is configured by inserting an optical fiber strand into a small-diameter stainless steel tube, for example, and sealing the gap with oil to protect it. It has sufficient strength when stirring a highly viscous solution, and can be said to be a practical optical fiber. The temperature measurement results were taken as values ​​at point Q (see FIG. 17) where the distortion was large.

[0075] The measurement results in Figure 18 show that the solution temperature rises in a stepwise manner. In other words, the temperature change of the solution follows a pattern in which a constant temperature region and a region where the temperature rises by about 10 K in 20 minutes are repeated alternately. Note that this figure shows the temperature change of the solution when the initial viscosity of the CMC aqueous solution is 50,000 mPa s and the rotation speed of the test impeller is 30 rpm.

[0076] In addition, as shown in the figure, it was found that the temperature detected by the thermocouple and the temperature measured by the FIMT fiber were almost in agreement. Although not shown in the figure, the temperatures detected by the thermocouple and the temperatures measured by the FIMT fiber also showed good agreement at measurement points other than point Q.

[0077] From the above results, it is expected that the solution temperature can be measured with sufficient accuracy using the FIMT fiber even in cases where the thermal response is poor, such as when the solution temperature changes transiently under stirring conditions of high viscosity or low rotation speed.

[0078] Furthermore, an example in which the relationship between the distortion and the viscosity of the solution and the rotation speed of the test impeller is examined will be described with reference to Figs. 19A and 19B. Figures 19A and 19B show the optical fiber strain distribution with respect to the optical fiber coordinate. In these figures, the horizontal axis indicates the position from the reference point of the fiber as the fiber coordinate. The vertical axis indicates the strain corresponding to this fiber coordinate. The coordinate positions on the fiber corresponding to Figure 17A are indicated with the symbols P, Q, R, and S. The measurement conditions for each case are shown in the upper right corner of each figure. Figure 19A shows the change in strain distribution when the rotation speed of the impeller is changed under constant conditions of a solution temperature of 30°C and an (initial) viscosity of 5,800 mPa s. It can be seen from this figure that the values ​​of the areas with large strain at points Q and R on the periphery of the impeller shown in Figure 17 above increase (their absolute values) as the rotation speed increases. On the other hand, Figure 19B shows the measurement results when the viscosity of the CMC solution was increased under the constant conditions of a solution temperature of 30°C and an impeller rotation speed of 40 rpm. From this figure, it can be seen that at points Q and R on the periphery of the impeller, the strain (absolute value) also shows an increasing tendency with increasing viscosity.

[0079] From the results shown in Figures 19A and 19B, it can be seen that the strain is a function of the rotation speed and viscosity, and that the viscosity can be identified by obtaining a calibration curve for these parameters for the solution in the target mixing system in advance. Therefore, it is possible to measure the viscosity of a solution by attaching an optical fiber to the mixing blade and measuring the strain distribution.

[0080] As described above, in the intelligent mixing system of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 20, a mixing blade model is created based on data acquired by a DFOS measurement system (see the inner frame of the dotted square frame in the figure) such as an optical fiber sensor installed on a mixing blade in a mixing tank, or data acquired from analysis, and a database of the mixing blade characteristics can be constructed using the created mixing blade model to determine the deformation of the mixing blade from the physical properties of the mixing blade, the shape of the mixing blade, and various forces acting on the mixing blade. In addition, in this system, a model calibration function may be added as necessary. Then, using the database of the mixing blade characteristics constructed, the temperature distribution or viscosity distribution of the equipment or solution in the mixing tank (both distributions can be obtained for each of the above zones in the mixing tank) is obtained from the online optical fiber measurement results, and the heating and cooling of the IH heater, the solution concentration, and the rotation speed of the mixing blade are controlled based on the obtained information, making it possible to manufacture chemical substances of the highest quality under optimal mixing conditions.

[0081] As explained above, the intelligent mixing system of the first embodiment is equipped with an active mixing blade that employs an internal heating / cooling method, and has a smaller heat capacity than a mixing tank, so that the solution temperature can be kept more uniform than with the external heating in the current batch method, and the thermal response to changes in the external environment such as temperature changes is also excellent.In addition, since it is equipped with an optical fiber sensor, it is possible to perform multivariate, simultaneous, spatiotemporal distribution measurement of solution temperature, blade temperature, solution concentration, rheological properties (viscosity, stress, etc.), and detection of adhesion of foreign matter.

[0082] Specifically, for example, by using AI learning based on fuzzy logic of measurement data from an optical fiber sensor to extract or set the heating, heating amount in multiple zones, and cooling amount for the agitator blade, it becomes possible to perform distribution control using an active heat control type agitator blade that takes into account the time and spatial distribution data obtained by the optical fiber sensor (distribution control obtained as a result of learning using AI fuzzy control).

[0083] In addition, based on the operating data, it becomes possible to perform self-diagnosis of deterioration of the mixing vessel or autonomously correct deterioration of the optical fiber sensor. Specifically, the AI ​​learning is performed using an AI controller 53 shown in Fig. 13. This AI controller 53 has, for example, three main components described below. That is, the three components are a database 60 that stores and holds physical quantity data such as temperature or viscosity obtained by the optical fiber sensor and target data set for each zone when the control target area is divided into multiple zones, an AI learning unit 61 that performs AI learning based on these data, and an automatic control quantity determination unit 62 that uses the data learned by the AI ​​learning unit 61 to automatically determine physical quantities for controlling the IH agitating impeller, such as the heating amount and cooling amount in multiple zones, regarding the IH agitating impeller. With the features described above, this system can contribute to higher profitability and higher quality in the production of chemical substances.

[0084] In addition, the optical fiber signal analyzer 50, the operation panel 51, the controller 52, and the AI ​​controller 53, which are the main components provided in this system, include a processor 200 and a storage device 201, as shown in FIG. 21, which shows an example of the hardware of each component. Although not shown, the storage device includes a volatile storage device such as a random access memory and a non-volatile auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory. Also, instead of the flash memory, a hard disk auxiliary storage device may be included. The processor 200 executes a program input from the storage device 201. In this case, the program is input from the auxiliary storage device to the processor 200 via the volatile storage device. Also, the processor 200 may output data such as a calculation result to the volatile storage device of the storage device 201, or may store the data in the auxiliary storage device via the volatile storage device.

[0085] Although exemplary embodiments are described herein, the various features, aspects, and functions described in the embodiments are not limited to application to a particular embodiment, but may be applied to the embodiments alone or in various combinations. Therefore, countless variations not illustrated are expected within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present specification, including, for example, modifying, adding, or omitting at least one component. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1, 1a, 1b stirring blade, 2 induction heating coil (IH heater), 3 non-contact power supply system, 4a power supply coil, 4b receiving coil, 5, 6 inverter, 7 motor, 8, 8a joint (rotary joint), 9, 9a, 9b, 9c optical fiber sensor, 10, 10a, 10b stirring tank, 11 bearing, 12 rotating shaft, 13 transmission belt, 14 motor power line, 15 stirring blade drive unit, 16 IH power line, 17, 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, 17f, 17g, 17h thermocouple, 18 baffle plate, 19 draft tube, 20 stand, 30 solution, 21 foreign object, 30 solution, 31 temperature measurement line, 32 temperature measurement surface, 40 refrigerant tank, 50 optical fiber signal analyzer, 51 operation panel, 52 Controller, 53 AI controller, 100 Intelligent mixing system, Ps Measuring unit for detecting the position of foreign matter adhesion, Pt Temperature and viscosity measuring unit

Claims

1. an inverter capable of controlling the amount of power supply and supplying a predetermined amount of power to the motor and the wireless power supply system, respectively; a stirring tank having therein a solution stored therein, an induction heating coil powered by the non-contact power supply system, an optical fiber sensor that measures the distribution of temperature and viscosity of the solution which is an object to be controlled, and a stirring blade that is heated in a non-contact manner by the induction heating coil and stirs the solution, wherein paths of the induction heating coil and the optical fiber sensor disposed in the solution are individually determined, thereby making it possible to set the temperature and viscosity of the solution by dividing the solution into a plurality of zones and controlling the heating and cooling of the induction heating coil or the rotation speed of the stirring blade; a fiber optic signal analyzer for receiving and analyzing a signal from the fiber optic sensor taken out through a joint; an operation panel connected to the optical fiber signal analyzer, for setting and storing control information for each divided zone based on an output signal from the optical fiber signal analyzer; a controller connected to the motor, the inverter, and the operation panel, and configured to transmit control information for each of the divided zones from the operation panel to the motor and the inverter; Equipped with An intelligent mixing system characterized in that the amount of heating and cooling to be applied to each divided zone can be set based on the control information for each zone transmitted from the controller.

2. The intelligent stirring system described in claim 1, characterized in that the operation panel has a stirring blade model that analyzes the deformation of the stirring blade based on the output signal of the optical fiber signal analyzer to determine the viscosity distribution of the solution.

3. The joint is a rotary joint, a refrigerant tank for storing a refrigerant outside the stirring tank; and a second rotary joint different from the joint; Further equipped with the induction heating coil is a hollow tube that is a hollow coil made of copper, and the refrigerant in the refrigerant tank is supplied to the hollow tube via the second rotary joint; 3. The intelligent stirring system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. An intelligent mixing system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a portion of the optical fiber sensor is coated with a polymeric material and fixedly supported inside the mixing blade in close contact with the mixing blade.

5. 4. The intelligent stirring system according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the optical fiber sensor is supported by being closely adhered to an outer surface of the stirring blade with an adhesive.

6. An intelligent stirring system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a portion of the optical fiber sensor has a portion coated with a polymeric material and supported inside the stirring blade in close contact with the stirring blade, and a portion supported by being adhered tightly to the outside of the stirring blade with an adhesive.

7. An intelligent mixing system as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the control amount of the zone set by the operation panel is a control amount obtained as a result of learning by AI fuzzy control based on the output signal of the optical fiber signal analyzer.

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