Bubble water generating device

Abstract

Reduce contamination and enable efficient generation of higher-concentration UFB water. 【Solution means】A plurality of tanks 10A and 10B that are connected to each other via pipelines 21A, 21B, etc. and temporarily store a solution BW in which a gas for dissolution is dissolved; among the plurality of tanks 10A and 10B, a vacuum pump 90 that sets a predetermined pressure difference between one tank and the other tank; and controls the vacuum pump 90 to alternately switch the pressure in one tank and the pressure in the other tank, and repeat the movement of the solution BW between one tank and the other tank via the pipelines 21A, 21B. When generating bubble water containing a predetermined number of ultra-fine bubbles, control the vacuum pump 90 so that when the movement of the solution BW from one tank to the other tank ends, the gas remaining in one tank is evacuated and sent to the other tank.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bubble water generating device that generates ultrafine bubble (UFB) water, also called nanobubbles.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a device for generating bubble water containing fine bubbles with an extremely small bubble diameter, a fine bubble generation system is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] This fine bubble generation system includes a pump having a liquid suction part for sucking a liquid and a liquid discharge part for discharging the liquid. A bubble mixing part is attached to the liquid suction part side of the pump via a circulation pipe, and a bubble splitting part is attached to the liquid discharge part side via a circulation pipe.

[0004] According to the above fine bubble generation system, even a pump with a small output can generate fine bubbles with an extremely small bubble diameter.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, in the case of the above-described fine bubble generation system, there are problems such as the inability to reduce contamination from inside and outside the pump because gas is sucked from the outside and mixed into the liquid as bubbles, and the liquid containing the bubbles passes through the inside of the pump.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a bubble water generating device capable of reducing contamination and efficiently generating higher-concentration UFB water.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] To achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of tanks connected to each other via a pipeline, temporarily storing a liquid in which the gas is dissolved together with the gas for dissolution; a pressure setting unit that sets a predetermined pressure difference between at least one tank connected via the pipeline and the other tank among the plurality of tanks; and a control unit that controls the pressure setting unit to alternately switch the pressure in the one tank and the pressure in the other tank, and repeatedly move the liquid between the one tank and the other tank via the pipeline to generate bubble water containing a predetermined number of ultra-fine bubbles. The control unit controls the pressure setting unit so as to evacuate the gas remaining in the one tank and send it to the other tank when the movement of the liquid from the one tank to the other tank ends.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a bubble water generating device capable of reducing contamination and efficiently generating higher-concentration UFB water.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6A

Figure 6B

Figure 6C

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of a bubble water generation device and a bubble water generation method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the drawings schematically show the outline of the invention and are different from the actual ones.

[0013] One embodiment FIG. 1 schematically shows, in part in cross section, the basic configuration of a UFB water generation system 1 to which a bubble water generation device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0014] The UFB water generation system 1 according to this embodiment will be described as generating UFB water in which the particle size of bubbles (microbubbles) dissolved in a solution BW, which is raw water for generating bubble water, is at the nano level.

[0015] In FIG. 1, the UFB water generation system 1 of the present embodiment includes a plurality (one or the other) of tanks 10A and 10B in which the solution BW is temporarily stored by movement, and a vacuum pump (pressure setting unit) 90 that controls the internal pressure state of the tanks 10A and 10B. Further, a gas supply unit 80 for filling a gas for dissolution such as ozone gas (O3), hydrogen, oxygen, or medical gas is connected to the tank 10A, for example.

[0016] Pressure gauges (vacuum gauges) 70A and 70B for measuring the internal pressure are respectively provided in the tanks 10A and 10B. Further, the tanks 10A and 10B each include gas-liquid mixing high-concentration dissolved gasification nozzles 50A and 50B for taking in the internal solution BW.

[0017] The gas-liquid mixing high-concentration dissolved gasification nozzles 50A and 50B are UFB nozzles having a vaporization supply port with a gas-liquid mixing function that can dissolve the gas remaining in the tanks 10A and 10B in the solution BW in the tanks 10A and 10B at a high concentration.

[0018] The tanks 10A and 10B are connected to the intake port of the vacuum pump 90 via vacuum valves 30A and 30B. Further, the tanks 10A and 10B are connected to the exhaust port of the vacuum pump 90 via exhaust (pressure increase) valves 40A and 40B, and are connected to the outside (outside air) via an outside air exhaust (ventilation) valve 40E.

[0019] The gas-liquid mixing high-concentration dissolved gasification nozzle 50B of the tank 10B is connected to the piping 21A of the tank 10A via a solution valve 20A. Further, the gas-liquid mixing high-concentration dissolved gasification nozzle 50A of the tank 10A is connected to the piping 21B of the tank 10B via a solution valve 20B.

[0020] And a gas supply unit 80 is connected to the solution valve 20A on the tank 10A side via a gas supply valve 60A. The filling of the gas from the gas supply unit 80 into the tank 10A is performed only at the beginning of the generation of UFB water (after the raw water is injected into the tank 10A).

[0021] In this embodiment, a closed decompression type UFB water generation system 1 capable of generating UFB water in a closed loop state is constituted by tanks 10A and 10B, a vacuum pump 90, gas-liquid mixing high-concentration dissolved gas nozzles 50A and 50B, a gas supply unit 80, and the like.

[0022] That is, in the UFB water generation system 1 according to this embodiment, the pressure of one tank 10A into which raw water for generating UFB is injected is set to the normal pressure state by filling with gas from the gas supply unit 80. Further, the other tank 10B in which no raw water is stored is put into a vacuum (decompression) state by evacuating it with the vacuum pump 90.

[0023] Then, as the solution BW in which gas is dissolved in the raw water is moved from one tank 10A to the other tank 10B through the gas-liquid mixing high-concentration dissolved gas nozzle 50B, UFB is generated in the other tank 10B. Then, as this solution BW moves, the pressures of the tanks 10A and 10B are both brought into a semi-decompression state (an equal state of vacuum pressure + normal pressure).

[0024] In this state, the gas remaining in one tank 10A from which the solution BW has been sent out is evacuated by the vacuum pump 90 and supplied to the other tank 10B into which the solution BW has moved. As a result, the one tank 10A from which the solution BW has been sent out is now put into a vacuum state, and the other tank 10B in which the solution BW has been newly stored is put into a normal pressure state.

[0025] In this way, by repeatedly moving the solution BW between the tanks 10A and 10B while alternately switching the internal pressures of the tanks 10A and 10B, the UFB concentration is gradually increased to a high concentration. Moreover, when generating UFB water, it is possible to generate UFB water with the maximum pressure difference between normal pressure and decompression in a substantially complete closed (closed loop) state from the beginning (injection of raw water and filling of gas) to the end (extraction of the generated UFB water).

[0026] Figure 2 illustrates the main control blocks of the UFB water generation system 1. That is, as shown in FIG. 2 for example, the UFB water generation system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 11, an operation input unit 13 connected to the control unit 11, pressure gauges 70A and 70B, a vacuum pump 90, a valve switcher 15, a storage unit 19, and a gas supply unit 80 (not shown) and the like.

[0027] The operation input unit 13 is, for example, operated by an operator during the generation of UFB water, and is for setting initial states such as the number of movements (set number) of the solution BW, the particle size of the generated bubbles, or the gas concentration of the generated UFB water. Further, instructions such as the operation and stop of the system are input by the operation input unit 13.

[0028] The storage unit 19 is for storing various set values input from the operation input unit 13, and may store in advance the relationship between the number of movements of the solution BW and the bubble content or particle size.

[0029] The control unit 11 controls the start / stop of the gas supply unit 80 and the vacuum pump 90 according to the instructions of the operation input unit 13, and controls the valve switcher 15 based on the outputs of the pressure gauges 70A and 70B.

[0030] The valve switcher 15 switches the on (open) / off (closed) states of the solution valves 20A and 20B, the vacuum valves 30A and 30B, the exhaust valves 40A, 40B, and 40E, and the gas supply valve 60A according to the instructions from the control unit 11.

[0031] The gas supply valve 60A is turned on, for example, at the start of the generation of UFB water, so that the tank 10A filled with raw water is filled with gas from the gas supply unit 80 only once.

[0032] Figure 3 shows the control steps during the generation of UFB water in the UFB water generation system 1. In the case of this embodiment, the step states consist of initial, standby, before generation start, generation step 1, generation step 2, generation step 3, and generation step 4. Depending on the set number of times, the steps from generation 1 to 4 are repeated. Here, the description of the control block shown in Figure 2 is omitted, and the flow of the control steps will be described.

[0033] That is, in Figure 3, when the step is in the initial state, all valves 20A, 20B, 30A, 30B, 40A, 40B, 40E, 60A and the vacuum pump 90 are turned off (OFF), and the pressures inside the tanks 10A and 10B are both at normal pressure (atmospheric pressure). In this initial state, raw water (solution BW) is injected into the tank 10B.

[0034] The standby state is a state where valves 20B, 30A, 30B and the vacuum pump 90 are turned off, and valves 20A, 40A, 40B, 40E, 60A are turned on (opened), and the pressures inside the tanks 10A and 10B are both in a gas replacement state at normal pressure (gas).

[0035] The state before generation start is a state where valves 20A, 20B, 30B, 40A, 40B, 60A are turned off, and valves 30A, 40E and the vacuum pump 90 are turned on, and the pressure inside the tank 10A is in a vacuum state (for example, -0.08 Mpa) drawn from normal pressure to vacuum.

[0036] The generation step 1 state is a UFB generation state of the tank 10A in which the solution BW in the tank 10B is moved to the tank 10A by turning off valves 30A, 40B, 40E and the vacuum pump 90 and turning on the valve 20A. In this generation step 1 state, the pressures inside the tanks 10A and 10B are both in a state of vacuum + normal pressure (for example, -0.04 Mpa). Note that the valves 20B, 30B, 40A, 60A maintain their on / off states as they are.

[0037] The generation 2-step state means that while valve 20A is turned off, valves 30B, 40A and vacuum pump 90 are turned on, the pressure inside tank 10B is reduced to a vacuum state, while the pressure inside tank 10A where solution BW has moved is at normal pressure. Note that valves 20B, 30A, 40B, 40E, 60A maintain their on / off states as they are.

[0038] The generation 3-step state means that valves 30B, 40A and vacuum pump 90 are turned off, while valve 20B is turned on, and it is the UFB generation state of tank 10B caused by the movement of solution BW in tank 10A to tank 10B. In this generation 3-step state, the pressures inside tanks 10A and 10B are both in a vacuum + normal pressure state. Note that valves 20A, 30A, 40B, 40E, 60A maintain their on / off states as they are.

[0039] The generation 4-step state means that while valve 20B is turned off, valves 30A, 40B and vacuum pump 90 are turned on, the pressure inside tank 10A is reduced to a vacuum state, while the pressure inside tank 10B where solution BW has moved is at normal pressure. Note that valves 20A, 30B, 40A, 40E, 60A maintain their on / off states as they are.

[0040] By repeating the step states from generation 1 to generation 4 according to a preset number of times, due to the pressure difference between tanks 10A and 10B, along with the movement of solution BW between tanks 10A and 10B, it becomes possible to generate bubble water containing UFB with a higher dissolved concentration in solution BW.

[0041] Moreover, since gas-liquid mixing high-concentration dissolved gas nozzles 50A and 50B are provided in tanks 10A and 10B respectively, it becomes possible to generate bubble water containing UFB using the gas inside tanks 10A and 10B as raw materials without adding gas.

[0042] Figure 4 is a flowchart for explaining the control operation of the UFB water generation system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0043] In FIG. 4, when generating UFB water by the UFB water generation system 1, first, as an initial state setting, gas and solution (raw water) BW necessary for generating UFB water are introduced into, for example, one of the tanks 10A and 10B in the atmospheric pressure state (step S01). In this state, all valves 20A, 20B, 30A, 30B, 40A, 40B, 40E, 60A and the vacuum pump 90 are turned off.

[0044] After that, valves 20A, 40A, 40B, 40E, 60A are turned on to enter the standby state (step S02).

[0045] For generating UFB water, a predetermined pressure difference between the tanks 10A and 10B is essential. As the predetermined pressure difference, for example, the atmospheric pressure state and the reduced pressure state (vacuum state) are required.

[0046] Therefore, as a state before starting the generation, valves 30A, 40E are turned on and the vacuum pump 90 is started (step S03). Note that valves 20A, 40A, 40B, 60A are turned off. As a result, only the other tank 10A is depressurized to the vacuum state.

[0047] Then, after valves 30A, 40E are turned off and the vacuum pump 90 is stopped, when valve 20A is turned on, the solution BW and gas in tank 10B are moved to tank 10A (step S04). Along with the movement of this solution BW and gas from the atmospheric pressure state to the vacuum state, UFB water is generated in tank 10A (generation 1 step state).

[0048] After UFB water is generated, along with the movement of the solution BW and gas, the internal pressures of tanks 10A and 10B both become the semi-reduced pressure state. In order to generate the desired UFB water, it is necessary to repeat the movement of UFB water (solution BW and gas). However, in the semi-reduced pressure state, the pressure difference is insufficient and sufficient UFB water cannot be generated.

[0049] In order to obtain the necessary pressure difference, for example, for a tank in a normal pressure state, it is conceivable to introduce new gas, and for a tank in a depressurized state, to exhaust (discharge) the remaining gas.

[0050] However, adding new gas or discharging the remaining gas will damage the closed state of the system 1, resulting in risks such as contamination.

[0051] Therefore, in the present embodiment, by forcibly feeding the remaining gas remaining in the original tank from which the solution BW and gas were sent to the tank to which the solution BW and gas have moved, a pressure difference between the normal pressure state and the depressurized state is created.

[0052] That is, after the valve 20A is turned off, the vacuum pump 90 is started, and the valves 30B and 40A are turned on, so that the tank 10A is at normal pressure and the tank 10B is in a two-step state of generating a reduced pressure (step S05).

[0053] Then, after the valves 30B and 40A are turned off and the vacuum pump 90 is stopped, the valve 20B is turned on, whereby the solution BW and gas in the tank 10A are moved to the tank 10B (step S06). Along with the movement of this solution BW and gas from the normal pressure state to the vacuum state, UFB water is generated in the tank 10B (generation three-step state).

[0054] Also, after the valve 20B is turned off, the vacuum pump 90 is started, and the valves 30A and 40B are turned on, so that the tank 10A is in a depressurized state and the tank 10B is in a four-step state of generating a normal pressure (step S07).

[0055] In this way, it is possible to generate UFB water only by changing the state from normal pressure to reduced pressure, without requiring a change in state from semi-reduced pressure to reduced pressure. Therefore, between tanks 10A and 10B, by repeating the transfer of UFB water according to the set number of times (YES in step S08), it is possible to easily generate high-concentration UFB water without causing risks such as contamination.

[0056] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce external contamination and efficiently generate higher-concentration UFB water.

[0057] That is, in the generation of UFB water, it is possible to generate UFB water while maintaining a closed state without performing gas transfer with the outside, such as introducing new gas or discharging residual gas (pressure reduction type UFB generation method). In this case, along with the generation of UFB water, the gas remaining in the source tank is sent to the tank where the solution BW and gas have moved, that is, while reducing the pressure inside the source tank by the intake of the vacuum pump 90, it is possible to forcibly set the pressure inside the destination tank to the normal pressure state by the exhaust of the vacuum pump 90.

[0058] As a result, it becomes easy to create a pressure difference necessary for generating UFB water between tanks 10A and 10B without performing gas transfer with the outside, such as introducing new gas or discharging residual gas.

[0059] Moreover, it is possible to reduce the gas consumption, which is suitable when using precious gases or dangerous gases.

[0060] Therefore, it becomes possible to more safely generate higher-concentration UFB water containing a predetermined number of ultra-fine bubbles while reducing the risk of occurrence of external contamination and the like.

[0061] In particular, since it can be configured with a small number of valves, it is possible to make the control for switching the valves easier while reducing costs.

[0062] In addition, it is useful for applications such as a wafer cleaning liquid generation device in the bio market and semiconductor market where it is desired to avoid the influence of contamination.

[0063] Other embodiments FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a UFB water generation system according to another embodiment of the present invention. The same or similar reference numerals are given to the same parts as in FIG. 1, and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

[0064] As a UFB water generation system according to another embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, it may be configured to include a raw water container 98 for storing raw water and a BW container 99 for storing solution BW, or it may be configured to have at least three tanks 10A, 10B, 10C.

[0065] Specifically, for example, with respect to the UFB water generation system 1 shown in FIG. 1, further, a tank 10C, a solution valve 20C, a pipe line 21C, vacuum valves 30C, 30D, an exhaust valve 40C, a solution drain valve 40D, a gas-liquid mixing high-concentration dissolved gas nozzle 50C, a raw water supply valve 60B, a pressure gauge (vacuum gauge) 70C, a raw water container 98, a BW container 99, etc. are provided.

[0066] In the case of a UFB water generation system having such a configuration, for example, as shown in FIG. 6A, first, after setting the initial state where the tanks 10A, 10B, 10C are in the normal pressure state, the setting of each step state of preliminary steps 1-6 as the standby state and the state before starting generation described above is performed.

[0067] That is, in the initial state setting (step S11), for example, the tanks 10A, 10B, 10C are brought into the normal pressure state. Also, raw water necessary for generating UFB water is introduced into the raw water container 98.

[0068] In this state, in the preliminary step 1 state (step S12), for example, valves 20B, 20C, 30C, and 40E are turned on, and the vacuum pump 90 is started. As a result, all the tanks 10A, 10B, and 10C are temporarily depressurized.

[0069] Next, in the preliminary step 2 state (step S13), for example, all the valves 20A, 20B, 20C, 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D, 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D, 40E, 60A, and 60B are turned off, and the vacuum pump 90 is stopped.

[0070] Next, in the preliminary step 3 state (step S14), for example, only valve 60B is turned on, tank 10C is brought to normal pressure, and raw water is injected from the raw water container 98 into tank 10C.

[0071] Next, in the preliminary step 4 state (step S15), for example, valves 30C and 40E are turned on, and the vacuum pump 90 is started. As a result, tank 10C is depressurized, and the dissolved gas is degassed.

[0072] Next, in the preliminary step 5 state (step S16), for example, valves 40C and 60A are turned on, and the vacuum pump 90 is stopped. Then, the gas supply unit 80 fills the tank 10C, which has been brought to normal pressure, with gas.

[0073] Next, in the preliminary step 6 state (step S17), for example, all the valves 20A, 20B, 20C, 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D, 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D, 40E, 60A, and 60B are turned off.

[0074] After this, for example, as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, the settings for each step state of generation 1-6 for the generation of UFB water are performed.

[0075] That is, in the generation 1 step state (step S18), for example, valve 20A is turned on. As a result, the solution BW and gas in tank 10C are moved to tank 10A, and UFB water is generated in tank 10A.

[0076] Next, in the generation 2 step state (step S19), for example, valves 30C and 40A are turned on and vacuum pump 90 is started. As a result, tank 10A is set to the normal pressure state and tank 10C is set to the reduced pressure state.

[0077] Next, in the generation 3 step state (step S20), for example, valve 20B is turned on. As a result, the solution BW and gas in tank 10A are moved to tank 10B, and UFB water is generated in tank 10B.

[0078] Next, in the generation 4 step state (step S21), for example, valve 40B is turned on and vacuum pump 90 is started. As a result, tank 10A is set to the reduced pressure state and tank 10B is set to the normal pressure state.

[0079] Next, in the generation 5 step state (step S22), for example, valve 20C is turned on. As a result, the solution BW and gas in tank 10B are moved to tank 10C, and UFB water is generated in tank 10C.

[0080] Next, in the generation 6 step state (step S23), for example, valves 30B and 40C are turned on and vacuum pump 90 is started. As a result, tank 10B is set to the reduced pressure state and tank 10C is set to the normal pressure state.

[0081] Then, by repeating these generation 1 - 6 step states until the preset number of times is reached (YES in step S24), it is possible to easily generate high - concentration UFB water in the closed state without causing risks such as contamination.

[0082] Note that the generated high-concentration UFB water is taken out through each step state of discharge 1-3 and end 1-2 as shown in FIG. 6C, for example, and is prepared for the next generation.

[0083] That is, in the discharge 1 step state (step S25), for example, the valve 20A is turned on. Thereby, the generation of UFB water in the tank 10A is performed.

[0084] Next, in the discharge 2 step state (step S26), for example, the valves 30C and 40A are turned on and the vacuum pump 90 is started. As a result, the tank 10C is depressurized and the tank 10A is set to the normal pressure state.

[0085] Next, in the discharge 3 step state (step S27), for example, the valves 30D and 40D are turned on and the solution BW is moved from the tank 10A to the BW container 99, whereby the UFB water is taken out.

[0086] Then, in the end 1 step state (step S28), for example, all valves 20A, 20B, 20C, 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D, 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D, 40E, 60B except the valve 60A are turned on.

[0087] In this way, after the extraction of the UFB water is completed and the inside of the tanks 10A, 10B, and 10C that have been set to the normal pressure state is emptied (YES in step S29), in the end 2 step state (step S30), for example, all valves 20A, 20B, 20C, 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D, 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D, 40E, 60A, 60B are turned off to prepare for the next generation of UFB water.

[0088] Also in the case of this embodiment, while reducing the risk of occurrence of contamination and the like associated with the gas movement with the outside such as the introduction of new gas and the discharge of the remaining gas, higher-concentration UFB water can be generated more safely.

[0089] Further other embodiments FIG. 7 schematically shows a configuration example of a UFB water generation system 100 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. Here, a case will be described in which UFB water BS is generated by utilizing the pressure difference in the pressure increase / decrease state and the dissolved concentration difference due to the pressure increase / decrease state between a plurality (at least two) of pressure increase / decrease tanks 110A and 110B.

[0090] In FIG. 7, the UFB water generation system 100 of the present embodiment includes one or the other of the pressure increase / decrease tanks 110A and 110B in which UFB water BS is temporarily stored by movement, and a pressure increase / decrease pump (pressure setting unit) 190.

[0091] The pressure increase / decrease pump 190 controls the internal pressure state of the pressure increase / decrease tanks 110A and 110B. A decompression pipe 102 is connected to the intake side of the pressure increase / decrease pump 190, and a pressurization pipe 103 is connected to the exhaust side thereof.

[0092] The decompression pipe 102 is connected to the upper parts of the pressure increase / decrease tanks 110A and 110B via decompression valves 130A and 130B, respectively. The pressurization pipe 103 is connected to the upper parts of the pressure increase / decrease tanks 110A and 110B via pressurization valves 140A and 140B, respectively, and is also connected to the outside (atmosphere) via an exhaust valve 140E.

[0093] In addition, gas cylinders 180 filled with, for example, ozone gas (O3), hydrogen, oxygen, or medical gas are connected to the upper parts of the pressure increase / decrease tanks 110A and 110B via gas pipes 101 and gas supply valves 160A and 160B, respectively.

[0094] UFB generation units 150A and 150B for generating UFB water BS are mounted on the pressure increase / decrease tanks 110A and 110B, respectively, downward from the upper parts thereof. The base end sides of the UFB generation units 150A and 150B are connected to each other via UFB generation pipes 104 and UFB generation valves 121.

[0095] The UFB generation units 150A and 150B are high-concentration dissolved gasification nozzles with a gas-liquid mixing function that have vaporization supply ports capable of dissolving the gas remaining in the solutions in the vacuum / pressure tanks 110A and 110B at a high concentration.

[0096] Also, the vacuum / pressure tanks 110A and 110B are each connected to the inter-tank piping 106 at their lower parts. The inter-tank piping 106 is connected to each other via the inter-tank solution stop valve 141 and is also connected to the suction / discharge piping 105 that leads to the BS container 199 for storing the UFB water BS via the solution suction / discharge valve 140D.

[0097] In the case of the UFB water generation system 100 with such a configuration, first, with all the valves 121, 130A, 130B, 140A, 140B, 140D, 140E, 141, 160A, and 160B being off (closed), raw water necessary for generating the UFB water BS is introduced into the BS container 199.

[0098] In this state, the vacuum valve 130A is turned on (opened), and when the vacuum / pressure pump 190 is started, the vacuum / pressure tank 110A is brought into a vacuum state.

[0099] After that, when the vacuum valve 130A is turned off and the solution suction / discharge valve 140D is turned on, due to the pressure difference between the pressure inside the vacuum / pressure tank 110A and the pressure (atmospheric pressure) inside the BS container 199, the raw water in the BS container 199 is taken into the vacuum / pressure tank 110A via the suction / discharge piping 105 and the inter-tank piping 106.

[0100] The raw water taken into the vacuum / pressure tank 110A is stored in the vacuum / pressure tank 110A when the solution suction / discharge valve 140D is turned off and the connection between the suction / discharge piping 105 and the inter-tank piping 106 is disconnected.

[0101] Next, both the pressure reducing valves 130A and 130B provided in the pressure reducing pipe 102 are turned on, and the pressure reducing and pressurizing pump 190 is started, whereby the pressure reducing and pressurizing tanks 110A and 110B are brought into a vacuum state.

[0102] Then, both the gas supply valves 160A and 160B provided in the gas pipe 101 are turned on, whereby the pressure reducing and pressurizing tanks 110A and 110B are filled with the gas from the gas cylinder 180.

[0103] Next, after both the gas supply valves 160A and 160B are turned off, both the pressure reducing valve 130B provided in the pressure reducing pipe 102 and the pressurizing valve 140A provided in the pressurizing pipe 103 are turned on. Then, by starting the pressure reducing and pressurizing pump 190, the inside of the pressure reducing and pressurizing tank 110A is brought into a pressurized state (for example, about 0.1 MPs to 0.02 MPs), and the inside of the pressure reducing and pressurizing tank 110B is brought into a decompressed state (for example, about 0.1 MPs to 0.02 MPs).

[0104] In this state, when the UFB generation valve 121 is turned on, the raw water in the pressure reducing and pressurizing tank 110A is moved to the pressure reducing and pressurizing tank 110B by the UFB generation unit 150B via the UFB generation pipe 104. Along with this movement, due to the pressure difference between the pressurized and decompressed states and the dissolved concentration difference due to the pressurized and decompressed states between the pressure reducing and pressurizing tanks 110A and 110B, UFB water BS in which gas is dissolved in the raw water is generated.

[0105] Then, when the inside of the pressure reducing and pressurizing tanks 110A and 110B becomes substantially the same pressure, the UFB generation valve 121, the pressure reducing valve 130B, and the pressurizing valve 140A are turned off, respectively.

[0106] Next, both the pressure reducing valve 130A provided in the pressure reducing pipe 102 and the pressurizing valve 140B provided in the pressurizing pipe 103 are turned on. Then, by starting the pressure reducing and pressurizing pump 190, this time, the inside of the pressure reducing and pressurizing tank 110B is brought into a pressurized state, and the inside of the pressure reducing and pressurizing tank 110A is brought into a decompressed state.

[0107] In this state, when the UFB generation valve 121 is turned on, the UFB water BS in the pressure-reducing and pressurizing tank 110B is moved to the pressure-reducing and pressurizing tank 110A by the UFB generation unit 150A via the UFB generation pipe 104.

[0108] In this way, by repeating the movement of the UFB water BS between the pressure-reducing and pressurizing tanks 110A and 110B according to the set number of times, compared with the case of using a syringe, it is possible to easily generate a high-concentration UFB water BS without causing risks such as contamination associated with the sliding operation.

[0109] As described above, also according to this embodiment, it becomes possible to more safely generate a higher-concentration UFB water BS containing a predetermined number of ultra-fine bubbles while reducing the occurrence of risks such as contamination.

[0110] Moreover, it is safe even when using a special gas such as ozone in a clean environment, and a large amount of UFB water BS can be efficiently generated as the number of tanks increases.

[0111] As described above, an aspect of the present invention has been described by way of examples of embodiments. However, these are merely examples, and the scope of the invention described in the claims can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0112] 1 UFB water generation system 10A, 10B, 10C tanks 11 control unit 20A, 20B, 20C solution valves 21A, 21B pipelines 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D vacuum valves 40A, 40B, 40C exhaust valves 50A, 50B, 50C gas-liquid mixing high-concentration dissolved gas nozzles 60A gas supply valve 80 gas supply unit 90 Vacuum pump (pressure setting unit) 98 Raw water container 99 BW container 100 UFB water generation system 110A, 110B Vacuum / pressure tank 121 UFB generation valve 130A, 130B Vacuum valve 140A, 140B Pressure valve 140D Solution suction / discharge valve 141 Solution stop valve between tanks 150A, 150B UFB generation unit 160A, 160B Gas supply valve 180 Gas cylinder (gas supply unit) 190 Vacuum / pressure pump (pressure setting unit) 199 BS container BW solution (liquid) BS UFB water

Claims

1. A plurality of tanks that are connected to each other via a pipeline and temporarily store a liquid in which the gas is dissolved, together with the gas for dissolution; A pressure setting unit that sets a predetermined pressure difference between at least one tank and another tank among the plurality of tanks that are connected via the pipeline; A control unit that controls the pressure setting unit to alternately switch the pressure in the one tank and the pressure in the other tank, and repeats the movement of the liquid between the one tank and the other tank via the pipeline, thereby generating bubble water containing a predetermined number of ultra-fine bubbles; Comprising: The control unit controls the pressure setting unit so that, upon completion of the movement of the liquid from the one tank to the other tank, the gas remaining in the one tank is evacuated and sent to the other tank. A bubble water generating device characterized by this.

2. The bubble water generating device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure in the other tank is in a vacuum state, and the pressure in the one tank is in an atmospheric pressure state.

3. The bubble water generating device according to claim 2, wherein the pressure in the one tank is brought into an atmospheric pressure state by introducing the gas for dissolution only once from a gas supply unit.

4. The bubble water generating device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure setting unit is constituted by a vacuum pump.

5. Among the three tanks, any one is the one tank, and any one of the others is the other tank. The bubble water generating device according to claim 1, characterized by this.

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