Pulse electric field processing equipment

Abstract

This pulsed electric field processing apparatus comprises: a pulsed power supply which generates pulsed voltage; a pair of electrodes which, upon application of the pulsed voltage thereto, generates a pulsed electric field; a processing chamber which is disposed between said electrodes and in which the pulsed electric field is generated in a space where a liquid processing object flows; a temperature calculation unit (42) which calculates a processing temperature which is the temperature of the processing object within the processing chamber, on the basis of a preset calibration value and a resistance value acquired from the pulsed voltage and pulsed current that flows through the processing object within the processing chamber when the pulsed voltage is applied; and a power supply control unit (41) which controls the pulsed power supply on the basis of the processing temperature and a preset target temperature.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a pulsed electric field processing apparatus that generates a pulsed electric field. [Background technology]

[0002] Pulse electric field processing technology is a technology that can process objects such as food and beverages at temperatures lower than those used in heat treatment.

[0003] The liquid material sterilization device described in Patent Document 1 calculates a required pulse value, which is the value required to bring the voltage applied to the sterilization treatment unit to the destruction reference value, based on the diameter and shape coefficient of the bacterial cells to be sterilized, the distance between electrodes in the sterilization treatment unit, and a destruction reference value, which is the value required to destroy the bacterial cells for the voltage applied to the bacterial cells, which is the voltage applied to the bacterial cells in the sterilization treatment unit by pulse voltage, and then adjusts the pulse voltage output from the pulse power supply based on the calculation result and the measurement result of the pulse voltage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-114943 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In Patent Document 1, the pulsed power supply is controlled using the resistivity of the liquid before it flows into the sterilization treatment unit, as measured by a resistivity measuring device located upstream of the sterilization treatment unit. This results in a difference between the resistivity measured by the resistivity measuring device and the resistivity of the sterilization treatment unit, making it impossible to accurately control the temperature of the liquid, and resulting in a decrease in the sterilization quality of the liquid.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a pulse electric field processing apparatus that can accurately control the temperature of an object to be processed and improve the processing quality of the object to be processed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the pulsed electric field processing apparatus of the present disclosure is characterized by comprising: a pulsed power supply that generates a pulsed voltage; a pair of first electrodes to which the pulsed voltage is applied to generate a pulsed electric field; a first processing chamber disposed between the pair of first electrodes in a space through which a liquid processing object flows and in which a pulsed electric field is generated; a temperature calculation unit that calculates a first processing temperature, which is the temperature of the processing object in the first processing chamber, based on a resistance value obtained from the pulsed voltage and the pulsed current that flows through the processing object in the first processing chamber when the pulsed voltage is applied, and a preset calibration value; and a power supply control unit that controls the pulsed power supply based on the first processing temperature and a preset target temperature. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to the present disclosure provides the effect of accurately controlling the temperature of an object to be processed and improving the processing quality of the object to be processed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a pulse electric field processing apparatus according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a processing unit of a pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to a first embodiment; [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the processing unit of the pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; [Figure 4] 1 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration example of a pulse power supply of a pulse electric field processing apparatus according to a first embodiment; [Figure 5] 1 is a time chart showing an example of a waveform of a pulse voltage and a waveform of a pulse current of a pulse power supply of a pulse electric field processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1; [Figure 6]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system for a pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to a first embodiment; [Figure 7] 1 is a time chart showing the time change of the processing temperature calculated in the pulse electric field processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the configuration of a pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; [Figure 9] Schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a pulse electric field processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] Schematic diagram showing an example of temperature distribution in a pulse electric field processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for implementing a control system according to the first and second embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, a pulse electric field processing apparatus according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. The pulsed electric field processing apparatus includes a pulsed power supply 10, a control device 40, a processing device 50, an upstream pipe 70, and a downstream pipe 71. The pulsed electric field processing apparatus performs processing, including sterilization, on a processing object. The pulsed power supply 10 outputs a pulsed voltage having a voltage of 1 kV or more and a pulse width of 100 microseconds or less. The upstream pipe 70 is connected to the processing device 50, and the processing device 50 is also connected to the downstream pipe 71. A liquid processing object flows through the upstream pipe 70, the processing device 50, and the downstream pipe 71 in this order. The processing object is, for example, a liquid such as fruit juice or milk. The processing device 50 is electrically connected to the pulsed power supply 10 and has the function of repeatedly applying a pulsed electric field to the processing object flowing through the processing device 50 using the pulsed voltage output by the pulsed power supply 10. The control device 40 controls the pulsed power supply 10.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a processing unit 50 of a pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Processing unit 50 includes electrode 51 as a first electrode, insulating material 54, and processing chamber 55. Electrode 51 has a pair of high-voltage electrode 52 and low-voltage electrode 53. A pulse voltage is applied to high-voltage electrode 52, and low-voltage electrode 53 is maintained at ground potential. Electrode 51 is made of titanium, platinum, stainless steel, or the like to suppress wear due to the pulse voltage. High-voltage electrode 52 and low-voltage electrode 53 are flat plates and are arranged opposite each other with the object to be processed sandwiched between them. That is, high-voltage electrode 52 and low-voltage electrode 53 are arranged so as to generate an electric field that is approximately perpendicular to the flow direction W of the object to be processed.

[0013] The processing chamber 55 is a space in the processing unit 50 where an electric field is generated by the electrode 51 and through which the object to be processed passes. Therefore, when the high-voltage electrode 52 and the low-voltage electrode 53 are flat and arranged facing each other, the processing chamber 55 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The high-voltage electrode 52 is electrically insulated from the upstream and downstream pipes 70 and 71, which are made of metal pipes, via an insulating material 54. The low-voltage electrode 53 may be connected to the upstream and downstream pipes 70 and 71 via the insulating material 54, or may be integral with the upstream and downstream pipes 70 and 71 without the insulating material 54. The former has the effect of reducing electrical noise generated by the pulse voltage, while the latter has the advantage of allowing the processing unit 50 to be made more compact. The insulating material 54 can be made of a fluorine-containing resin or ceramic, providing high heat resistance and voltage resistance.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the configuration of processing section 50 of the pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to embodiment 1. In FIG. 3, electrode 51, serving as a first electrode and including high-voltage electrode 52 and low-voltage electrode 53, has a ring-shaped structure with its axis aligned with flow direction W of the object to be processed. Arranged in this order from the upstream side of the object to be processed are upstream piping 70, insulating material 54, low-voltage electrode 53, insulating material 54, high-voltage electrode 52, insulating material 54, low-voltage electrode 53, insulating material 54, and downstream piping 71. Because an electric field is generated in a direction generally along the flow direction of the object to be processed, if high-voltage electrode 52, low-voltage electrode 53, and insulating material 54 are all ring-shaped with the same inner diameter, processing chamber 55 will have a cylindrical or ring shape. Furthermore, because low-voltage electrodes 53 are arranged in two locations on either side of high-voltage electrode 52 with respect to flow direction W of the object to be processed, the current path flowing from high-voltage electrode 52 to low-voltage electrode 53 is divided into two. The insulating material 54 between the low-voltage electrode 53 and the upstream pipe 70, and the insulating material 54 between the low-voltage electrode 53 and the downstream pipe 71 are not necessarily provided. If provided, it has the effect of reducing electrical noise, and if not provided, it has the advantage of enabling the device to be made smaller.

[0015] When high-voltage electrode 52 and low-voltage electrode 53 are arranged opposite each other as shown in Fig. 2, the electric field generated in processing chamber 55 can be made spatially uniform, which has the effect of reducing uneven processing. When high-voltage electrode 52 and low-voltage electrode 53 are arranged along the flow direction W of the object to be processed as shown in Fig. 3, processing chamber 55 can be made cylindrical, and the object to be processed can be flowed smoothly from upstream piping 70 to downstream piping 71 with low pressure loss.

[0016] 4 is a circuit diagram showing an example of the configuration of a pulsed power supply 10 of the pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. In the pulsed power supply 10, a switch 13, a capacitor 11, a switch 14, and a capacitor 12 are connected in series in this order from the ground side. A high-voltage electrode 52 of a processing unit 50 is connected to the capacitor 12 by a cable or the like. In the capacitor 11, the terminal on the switch 13 side is a charging terminal, and the terminal on the switch 14 side is a ground terminal. In addition, in the capacitor 12, the terminal on the switch 14 side is a charging terminal, and the terminal on the high-voltage electrode 52 side is a ground terminal.

[0017] DC power supply 15 generates a DC voltage that charges capacitor 11 and capacitor 12. DC power supply 15 is connected to the charging terminals of capacitor 11 and capacitor 12 via at least one current limiter 16. At least one current limiter 16 is also provided between the charging terminals of capacitor 11 and capacitor 12. Similarly, the grounding terminals of capacitor 11 and capacitor 12 are also grounded via at least one current limiter 16, and at least one current limiter 16 is provided between the grounding terminals of both.

[0018] The pulsed power supply 10 outputs a pulsed voltage in two steps, including a charging step and a discharging step. In the charging step, the capacitors 11 and 12 are charged by the DC power supply 15. In the discharging step, the switches 13 and 14 are turned ON almost simultaneously, thereby superimposing and outputting the charging voltages of the capacitors 11 and 12. After the charging voltage is output, the switches 13 and 14 are turned OFF, thereby terminating the discharging step. In other words, the period during which the switches 13 and 14 are ON is the discharging step period, which corresponds to the pulse width Tp of the pulsed voltage output from the pulsed power supply 10. The switching control of the switches 13 and 14 is performed by the control device 40.

[0019] Semiconductor switches such as MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors) or IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) are used for switches 13 and 14. A resistor or a reactor is used for current limiter 16. Using a resistor has the advantage of being able to charge capacitors 11 and 12 with a stable voltage, while using a reactor can reduce power consumption.

[0020] 4, two capacitors and two switches are used, but three or more of each may be used with a similar configuration. The greater the number of capacitors and switches, the higher the pulse voltage that can be obtained.

[0021] 5 is a time chart showing an example of the waveforms of the pulse voltage Vp and the pulse current Ip of the pulsed power supply 10 of the pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to embodiment 1. In the upper diagram of Fig. 5, the pulse voltage Vp is a voltage output from the pulsed power supply 10 to the high-voltage electrode 52 during the discharge step, and has a pulse width Tp. In the lower diagram of Fig. 5, the pulse current Ip is a current flowing through the processing chamber 55 in response to the pulse voltage Vp.

[0022] 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control system of the pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. The pulsed power supply 10 has a pulse voltage meter 22 that measures a pulse voltage Vp and a pulse current meter 23 that measures a pulse current Ip. The pulse current meter 23 measures the pulse current that flows through the object to be processed in the processing chamber 55 when the pulse voltage Vp is applied to the electrode 51. The pulse voltage meter 22 and the pulse current meter 23 repeatedly measure the pulse voltage Vp and the pulse current Ip at a period shorter than the pulse width Tp, and calculate the pulse voltage Vp and the pulse current Ip using the obtained multiple measurements. Alternatively, a measurement capacitor may be provided and the pulse voltage Vp and the pulse current Ip may be estimated using values ​​integrated over the pulse width Tp. The former has the advantage of enabling accurate measurements, while the latter allows for a more compact apparatus.

[0023] To further simplify the device, the pulse voltage Vp and the pulse current Ip may be estimated from the internal voltage or current of the pulse power supply 10. The pulse voltage Vp can be calculated using the voltage charged to the capacitor 11 or the capacitor 12. The pulse current Ip can be calculated from the pulse voltage Vp, the pulse width Tp, and the current flowing through the capacitor 11 or the capacitor 12 after the discharge step. Because the pulse power supply 10 has the function of arbitrarily setting the output voltage and pulse width Tp of the DC power supply 15, the pulse voltage Vp and the pulse current Ip can be estimated by measuring only the current flowing through the capacitor 11 or the capacitor 12.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 6 , the control device 40 includes a power supply control unit 41, a temperature calculation unit 42, a first anomaly detection unit 43, and a second anomaly detection unit 44. The temperature calculation unit 42 calculates a resistance value Rw (not shown) of the object to be processed present in the processing chamber 55 using the pulse voltage Vp measured by the pulse voltage measurement device 22 and the pulse current Ip measured by the pulse current measurement device 23. The temperature calculation unit 42 also calculates a processing temperature tw, which is the temperature of the object to be processed in the processing chamber 55 and serves as a first processing temperature, using a preset calibration value and the calculated resistance value Rw. The calibration value is a value based on the temperature dependence of the conductivity of the object to be processed, and a value appropriate for the type of object to be processed is used. The temperature calculation unit 42 also has a function of calculating the processing temperature tw at a first period Tc and storing the calculated processing temperature tw. The calculation of the processing temperature tw may be performed each time the pulse voltage Vp is output, or may be performed two or more times after the pulse voltage Vp is output. In the former case, the calculation cycle is short, which has the effect of improving responsiveness, and in the latter case, the calculation load is reduced, which has the effect of making the device smaller.

[0025] The power supply control unit 41 controls the ON / OFF of the switches 13 and 14 based on the processing temperature tw calculated by the temperature calculation unit 42 and a preset target temperature, thereby controlling the output of the pulsed power supply 10. Specifically, at least one upper and lower limit for the processing temperature tw is preset as the target temperature, and if the processing temperature tw exceeds the upper limit, the output of the pulsed power supply 10 is controlled to decrease, and if it falls below the lower limit, the output of the pulsed power supply 10 is controlled to increase. If the processing temperature tw is too high, problems such as loss of flavor and nutrients in the object to be processed may occur. Conversely, if it is too low, the effects of sterilization, etc. may be reduced. Therefore, by performing the above control, the object to be processed can be maintained at an appropriate temperature, thereby improving the quality of the object to be processed.

[0026] The output control of the pulsed power supply 10 is adjusted by changing at least one of the pulse voltage Vp, pulse width Tp, and pulse frequency fp (not shown). Changing the pulse voltage Vp requires controlling the DC power supply 15, which results in low responsiveness. Therefore, high responsiveness can be achieved by controlling the ON / OFF of the switches 13 and 14 to change at least one of the pulse width Tp and pulse frequency fp without changing the pulse voltage Vp.

[0027] The first anomaly detection unit 43 outputs a first anomaly signal when the processing temperature tw calculated in the first period Tc exceeds a normal temperature range set by a preset value, or when a difference that exceeds a set value Δtmx occurs with respect to the average value of past processing temperatures tw stored in the temperature calculation unit 42. FIG. 7 is a time chart showing the change over time in the processing temperature tw calculated by the pulse electric field processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. The black dots indicate the processing temperatures tw calculated for each first period Tc. The average value tav is the average value of multiple past processing temperatures tw. When the difference Δta between the currently calculated processing temperature tw and the average value tav exceeds the set value Δtmx, the first anomaly detection unit 43 outputs a first anomaly signal.

[0028] The temperature calculation unit 42 can calculate the temperature rise Δt of the processing object during its passage through the processing unit 50. In other words, the temperature calculation unit 42 can calculate the temperature rise Δt, which is the difference between the temperature of the processing object before passing through the processing unit 50 and the temperature of the processing object after passing through the processing unit 50. That is, the temperature calculation unit 42 can calculate the temperature rise Δt of the processing object during its passage through the processing unit 50 based on the relationship between the flow rate and physical properties of the processing object and the power output by the pulsed power supply 10. The processing temperature tw calculated by the temperature calculation unit 42 represents the average temperature of the spatial temperature distribution in the processing chamber 55, so the temperature twd of the processing object downstream of the processing unit 50 can be estimated by adding approximately half of the temperature rise Δt to the processing temperature tw. The temperature calculation unit 42 transmits the estimated temperature twd of the processing object downstream of the processing unit 50 to the second anomaly detection unit 44.

[0029] Furthermore, a temperature measuring device 24 for measuring the temperature of the object to be processed is provided downstream of the processing device 50. The temperature measuring device 24 is, for example, a thermocouple.

[0030] The second anomaly detection unit 44 periodically compares the temperature twd of the object to be processed downstream of the processing unit 50 estimated by the temperature calculation unit 42 with the temperature of the object to be processed downstream of the processing unit 50 measured by the temperature measuring device 24. If a difference between the two compared temperatures exceeds a set value, the second anomaly detection unit 44 outputs a second anomaly signal. The provision of the second anomaly detection unit 44 has the advantage of being able to constantly monitor whether the processing temperature tw calculated by the temperature calculation unit 42 is correct, and to detect any abnormalities that may occur.

[0031] Alternatively, the temperature measuring device 24 may be provided upstream of the processing device 50, and the second abnormal signal may be output based on a comparison between the measurement value of the temperature measuring device 24 provided upstream of the processing device 50 and the temperature of the object to be processed upstream of the processing device 50 estimated by the temperature calculation unit 42. Furthermore, the second abnormal signal may be output based on a comparison between the measurement values ​​of the temperature measuring devices 24 provided downstream and upstream of the processing device 50 and the temperatures of the object to be processed downstream and upstream of the processing device 50 estimated by the temperature calculation unit 42.

[0032] The pulsed electric field processing apparatus of the first embodiment includes a state observation unit 90 and a machine learning unit 91. The state observation unit 90 has a function of observing the charging voltage or charging current of the capacitor 11 or 12 as a state variable. The machine learning unit 91 learns the normal value of the charging voltage or charging current in accordance with a training data set created based on the state variables and the physical property values ​​of the object to be processed. Creating the training data set makes it possible to take into account wear of the electrode 51 due to aging deterioration with respect to the normal value of the charging voltage or charging current. Furthermore, the machine learning unit 91 has a function of notifying the control device 40 of an abnormality when the normal value of the charging voltage or charging current deviates from the normal value.

[0033] Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the configuration of the pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. In Fig. 8, a heating section 72 having a function of raising the temperature of the object to be processed is provided upstream of the processing section 50. By applying the pulsed voltage Vp to the object to be processed at a higher temperature, a higher processing effect can be obtained. By using the pulsed power supply 10 and the heating section 72 together, the pulsed power supply 10 can be made smaller, which is expected to lead to a smaller and less costly pulsed electric field processing apparatus.

[0034] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the temperature calculation unit 42 calculates the processing temperature tw, which is the temperature of the object to be processed in the processing chamber 55, based on the resistance value Rw obtained from the pulse voltage Vp and the pulse current Ip that flows through the object to be processed in the processing chamber 55 when the pulse voltage Vp is applied, and a preset calibration value, and the power supply control unit 41 controls the pulsed power supply 10 based on the processing temperature tw and a preset target temperature. Therefore, the temperature of the object to be processed is accurately controlled, and the processing quality of the object to be processed can be improved.

[0035] Embodiment 2 9 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to embodiment 2. In embodiment 2, a processing section 80 serving as a second processing section is added downstream of the processing section 50 of the pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to embodiment 1. Note that components that perform the same functions as those in embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0036] The processing unit 80 has a configuration similar to that of the processing unit 50. Specifically, the processing unit 80 includes an electrode (not shown) serving as a second electrode having a configuration similar to that of the electrode 51, an insulating material (not shown) having a configuration similar to that of the insulating material 54, and a processing chamber (not shown) serving as a second processing chamber having a configuration similar to that of the processing chamber 55. A second pulse voltage output from the pulse power supply 10 is applied to the high-voltage side of the second electrode, and a second pulse current flows through the second processing chamber in accordance with the second pulse voltage and the resistance of the object to be processed inside the second processing chamber. The temperature calculation unit 42 calculates a second processing temperature tw2, which is the temperature of the object to be processed inside the second processing chamber, based on a resistance value obtained from the second pulse voltage and the second pulse current flowing through the object to be processed inside the second processing chamber when the second pulse voltage is applied, and a preset calibration value. The power supply control unit 41 adjusts the output of the pulse power supply 10 based on at least two of the processing temperature tw of the object to be processed in the processing unit 50, the second processing temperature tw2, and a target temperature set downstream of the processing unit 80.

[0037] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the temperature distribution in the pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to embodiment 2. The horizontal axis of Fig. 10 represents the processing temperature, and the vertical axis represents the position in the flow direction of the object to be processed. The processing temperature of the object to be processed increases while passing through processing section 50, and the processing temperature of the object to be processed further increases while passing through processing section 80.

[0038] The power supply control unit 41 adjusts the output of the pulsed power supply 10 based on the difference between the processing temperature tw and the second processing temperature tw2. By doubling the difference, the temperature rise of the object passing through the processing unit 50 and the processing unit 80 can be calculated, allowing the output of the pulsed power supply 10 to be adjusted to achieve the desired temperature rise. Alternatively, a target temperature may be set downstream of the processing unit 80, and the output of the pulsed power supply 10 may be adjusted by comparing the target temperature with the second processing temperature tw2 plus half the power consumed in the processing unit 80. Therefore, by using at least two of the processing temperature tw, the second processing temperature tw2, and the target temperature set downstream of the processing unit 80, the output of the pulsed power supply 10 can be controlled for either the upper temperature limit or the temperature rise value of the object to be processed. The pulsed power supply 10 outputs different voltage waveforms to both the processing unit 50 and the processing unit 80 based on independent control. This control allows the second processing temperature tw2 to approach the target temperature more accurately. Alternatively, the same voltage waveform may be output to both the processing unit 50 and the processing unit 80. This has the advantage of simplifying the pulsed power supply 10.

[0039] Thus, according to embodiment 2, processing unit 80 is added downstream of processing unit 50, and the temperature of the object to be processed is controlled using at least two of the processing temperature tw, the second processing temperature tw2, and the target temperature set downstream of processing unit 80, thereby further improving the accuracy of temperature control for the object to be processed and further improving the processing quality of the object to be processed.

[0040] 11 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for realizing the control system of Embodiments 1 and 2. The components of control device 40, state observing unit 90, and machine learning unit 91 shown in FIG.

[0041] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are examples of the contents of the present disclosure, and may be combined with other known technologies, and parts of the configurations may be omitted or modified within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 10 Pulse power supply, 11, 12 Capacitor, 13, 14 Switch, 15 DC power supply, 16 Current limiter, 22 Pulse voltage meter, 23 Pulse current meter, 24 Temperature measuring device, 40 Control device, 41 Power supply control unit, 42 Temperature calculation unit, 43 First abnormality detection unit, 44 Second abnormality detection unit, 50, 80 Processing unit, 51 Electrode, 52 High-voltage electrode, 53 Low-voltage electrode, 54 Insulating material, 55 Processing chamber, 70 Upstream piping, 71 Downstream piping, 72 Heating unit, 90 State observation unit, 91 Machine learning unit, 92 Memory, 93 Processor.

Claims

1. a pulse power supply that generates a pulse voltage; a pair of first electrodes to which the pulse voltage is applied to generate a pulse electric field; a first treatment chamber disposed between the pair of first electrodes, in which the pulsed electric field is generated in a space through which a liquid treatment object flows; a temperature calculation unit that calculates a first processing temperature, which is the temperature of the object to be processed in the first processing chamber, based on a resistance value obtained from the pulse voltage and a pulse current flowing through the object to be processed in the first processing chamber when the pulse voltage is applied, and a preset calibration value; a power supply control unit that controls the pulse power supply based on the first processing temperature and a preset target temperature; A pulsed electric field processing apparatus comprising:

2. a first abnormality detection unit that outputs a first abnormality signal based on a comparison between the first processing temperature calculated by the temperature calculation unit and a preset value or an average value of past first processing temperatures; The pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. The power supply control unit Control is performed to change at least one of the pulse frequency and the pulse width of the pulse voltage without changing the voltage value of the pulse voltage.

2. The pulse electric field processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The pulse power supply a circuit including a capacitor and a switch connected in series, discharging a charged voltage of the capacitor to apply a pulse voltage to the pair of first electrodes; The temperature calculation unit calculates the pulse current based on the charging current of the capacitor.

2. The pulse electric field processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. a state observation unit that observes the charging voltage and charging current of the capacitor as state variables; a machine learning device that learns the normal charging voltage or the normal charging current according to a training data set created based on the state variables and the physical property values ​​of the object to be processed; 5. The pulse electric field processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

6. a temperature measuring device for measuring the temperature of the object to be treated, located at least either upstream or downstream of the first treatment chamber; a second abnormality detection unit that outputs a second abnormality signal based on a comparison between the temperature measured by the temperature measuring device and the temperature calculated by the temperature calculation unit at least one of the upstream and downstream temperatures of the first processing chamber; The pulsed electric field processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

7. a heating unit for heating the object to be processed, provided upstream of the first processing chamber; 2. The pulse electric field processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. a second electrode disposed downstream of the first electrode, to which the pulse voltage of the pulse power supply is applied to generate a pulsed electric field; a second processing chamber disposed between the pair of second electrodes, in which the pulsed electric field is generated in a space through which the object to be processed flows; Equipped with The temperature calculation unit calculating a second processing temperature, which is the temperature of the object to be processed in the second processing chamber, based on a resistance value obtained from the pulse voltage and a pulse current flowing through the object to be processed in the second processing chamber when the pulse voltage is applied, and a preset calibration value; The power supply control unit controls the pulse power supply based on at least two of the first processing temperature, the second processing temperature, and a target temperature set for the downstream of the second processing chamber.

7. The pulse electric field processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pulse electric field processing apparatus is a pulse electric field processing apparatus.

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