Method and device for producing ice containing hydrogen gas

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing ice sealed with hydrogen gas, and to provide ice sealed with hydrogen gas.SOLUTION: A manufacturing method includes forming granular ice stored in a cylinder whose one end is closed by a stopper member to three-dimensional ice by injecting (or injecting and subsequently) hydrogen gas into the cylinder from a hydrogen gas introduction passage formed in the stopper member, and also compressing from the other end of the cylinder to one end by a piston having a gas releasing passage. A manufacturing apparatus has the hydrogen gas introduction passage formed in the stopper member, and the hydrogen gas releasing passage formed in the piston, and is fitted with a filter for covering a gas inflow port of the gas releasing passage. The void of the ice formed in a three-dimensional shape by compressing the granular ice is sealed with hydrogen gas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing ice in which hydrogen gas is sealed, and ice in which hydrogen gas is sealed. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been growing interest in taking in hydrogen gas to maintain and improve health. Inhaling hydrogen gas into the body is said to remove active oxygen species such as hydroxyl radicals, which are deeply involved in many diseases such as aging, cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure, and it is being incorporated into advanced medical treatments.

[0003] In order to take in hydrogen gas into the body, hydrogen water, which is made by dissolving hydrogen gas in water, is taken in as a drink, and is expected to have effects such as anti-aging, beauty effects, and fatigue recovery, and has been sold commercially as health water. Hydrogen water is also known for its use as cleaning water for semiconductor devices.

[0004] Methods for producing hydrogen water include supplying pressurized hydrogen gas to water and dissolving it, electrolyzing water, and reacting metals such as Ca and Mg or metal hydrides with water. However, at room temperature and pressure (20°C, 1 atmosphere), the amount of hydrogen gas that dissolves in water is, at best, about 1.8 ml per 100 ml of water. Moreover, hydrogen gas escapes quickly, and as time passes, it dissipates into the atmosphere, and the amount of hydrogen gas dissolved in water decreases rapidly.

[0005] Therefore, as a method for retaining hydrogen gas, an invention has been proposed in which water containing hydrogen gas is frozen to seal the hydrogen gas (Patent Document 1). As mentioned above, hydrogen gas has low solubility in water, and furthermore, its diffusivity is very high. Therefore, the amount of hydrogen gas remaining in the ice from which hydrogen gas is extracted from water during cooling is significantly reduced. Therefore, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, raw hydrogen water containing supersaturated fine-bubble hydrogen gas is brought into contact with liquid nitrogen and flash-frozen to produce ice.

[0006] Here, "fine-bubble hydrogen gas" refers to minute hydrogen gas bubbles with diameters on the micron order (1 to 100 μm) or nanon order (1 μm or less). Supersaturation refers to a state in which more gas is present in a liquid than its theoretical solubility. It is considered preferable to remove gas species other than hydrogen contained in the raw water, especially dissolved oxygen, in order to increase the amount of hydrogen gas contained in the water.

[0007] According to an example of the invention described in Patent Document 1, the amount of residual hydrogen in the water after thawing raw hydrogen water that has been frozen and supplied to an aluminum pouch with a volume of 200 to 400 mL is 1.2 ppm (Patent Document 1, paragraph

[0059] ). To obtain the benefits of anti-aging, beauty, and fatigue recovery, it is recommended that you take in about 40 mL of hydrogen gas per day. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6982869 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] In view of these circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a method and apparatus for producing ice that traps a larger amount of hydrogen gas than conventional ice, and also to provide ice that traps a larger amount of hydrogen gas than conventional ice. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following means. [1] A method for producing ice containing hydrogen gas, comprising: injecting hydrogen gas into a cylinder containing powdered ice, one end of which is sealed with a stopper member, through a hydrogen gas inlet passage formed in the stopper member; Penetrates the center from top to bottom A method for producing ice containing hydrogen gas, characterized by compressing the ice from one end of a cylinder to the other end using a piston having a gas release passage to form ice into a three-dimensional shape. [2] A method for producing ice containing hydrogen gas, comprising: injecting hydrogen gas into a cylinder containing powdered ice, one end of which is sealed with a stopper member, through a hydrogen gas inlet passage formed in the stopper member; and then Penetrates the center from top to bottom A method for producing ice containing hydrogen gas, characterized in that it is compressed from one end of a cylinder to the other end by a piston having a gas release passage, and formed into a three-dimensional shape. [3] A device for producing ice containing hydrogen gas, comprising a cylinder for storing granular ice, a stopper member inserted into one end of the cylinder to close said end, a piston inserted from the other end of the cylinder and driven toward said end, and a hydrogen gas supply source, wherein the stopper member is formed with a hydrogen gas inlet passage through which hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas supply source is introduced, and the piston has Penetrates the center from top to bottom The device for producing ice containing hydrogen gas is characterized in that a gas release passage is formed and a filter is attached to cover the gas inlet of the gas release passage, and the device compresses powdered ice and forms it into a three-dimensional shape. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] In the method and apparatus for producing ice containing hydrogen gas of the present invention, powdered ice contained in a cylinder is compressed by a piston having a gas release passage formed therein to form three-dimensional ice. This makes it easy to produce three-dimensional ice containing hydrogen gas, and also makes it possible to seal a relatively large amount of hydrogen gas in the three-dimensional ice. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a cylinder containing granular ice. [Figure 2] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a cylinder in which the contained granular ice is being compressed into a piston. [Figure 3] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the cylinder after the piston has completed compacting the contained granular ice. [Figure 4] 10 is a cross-sectional view of the cylinder in a state where the compressed ice has been pushed out from the bottom end by the piston. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The ice containing hydrogen gas of the present invention is basically produced by supplying hydrogen gas to granular ice contained in a cylinder, then compressing the granular ice to form a three-dimensional shape, and then sealing hydrogen gas (molecular hydrogen) in the voids formed inside the ice that has been formed into the three-dimensional shape.

[0014] Granular ice refers to ice in the form of particles or powder with a diameter of 1 mm or less, and also includes ice that has been shaved or crushed into a cotton-like or powdery form, such as that used in shaved ice, a type of frozen dessert topped with syrup. In addition, powdered ice includes not only ice produced from water, but also frozen beverages such as frozen fruit juice, milk, coffee, tea, and black tea, which are primarily made from water, as well as frozen fruit and frozen pudding.

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a method and apparatus for producing ice containing hydrogen gas will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show the process for producing three-dimensional ice containing hydrogen gas, along with the manufacturing apparatus. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 to 4, the cylinder is installed perpendicular to the installation surface (i.e., the axis of the cylinder is vertical), but it may also be installed lying on its side (i.e., the axis of the cylinder is horizontal) or at an angle.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows the main body of the manufacturing apparatus, and the main body is equipped with a cylinder 1 and a stopper member 2 that is attached to the bottom, which is one end of the cylinder 1, and closes the bottom of the cylinder 1. The stopper member 2 functions as a stopper (stop plug) and is made up of a base portion 3 and a stopper portion 4. The base portion 3 supports the end face of the cylinder bottom, which is one end of the cylinder 1, and the stopper portion 4 is a portion that fits into the bottom of the cylinder 1. The base portion 3 and the stopper portion 4 integrally form the stopper member 2, but the stopper portion 4 may also be fixed to the base portion 3. Powdered ice is poured into the other end, the upper end, of the cylinder 1, and powdered ice 100 is stored inside the cylinder 1. When the cylinder 1 is placed on its side or at an angle, the powdered ice fed into the other end of the cylinder 1 can be collected and stored at one end of the cylinder 1 using a means such as a pusher or a screw conveyor.

[0017] A hydrogen gas introduction passage 5 is formed inside the stopper member 2 so that hydrogen gas can be introduced into the cylinder 1. One end of the hydrogen gas introduction path 5 is the hydrogen gas introduction port 6, which in this embodiment is located on the side surface of the base portion 3 of the stopper member, but is not limited to the side surface. A short pipe (no drawing number) is attached to the hydrogen gas introduction port 6, and this pipe connects to a hydrogen gas supply source (not shown), such as a hydrogen gas cylinder, so that hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas supply source is sent to the hydrogen gas introduction path 5 via the hydrogen gas introduction port 6. The other end of the hydrogen gas introduction path 5 is the hydrogen gas outlet 7, and hydrogen gas is supplied into the cylinder 1 from this outlet 7. The supplied hydrogen gas permeates into the gaps between the granular ice 100 stored in the cylinder 1. In order to supply sufficient hydrogen gas to the granular ice stored in the cylinder 1, it is desirable to pressurize the hydrogen gas, preferably to about 2 to 10 atmospheres.

[0018] As shown in Figure 2, powdered ice 100 contained in cylinder 1 is inserted from the top end, which is the other end of cylinder 1, and compressed by piston 8, which is driven toward the bottom end, which is one end of cylinder 1. A push rod 9 that can be driven up and down is connected to the center of the top surface of piston 8, and by pushing push rod 9 downward, powdered ice 100 is compressed by piston 8 and formed into a three-dimensional shape. When installing the cylinder 1 lying on its side or at an angle, one end of the cylinder 1 is supported by a stopper member 2 that abuts against the installation surface such as a vertical wall or an inclined wall, and with the cylinder 1 fixed horizontally or at an angle, the piston 8 is inserted from the other end of the cylinder 1, the push rod 9 is pushed horizontally or at an angle, and the piston 8, which is driven horizontally or at an angle toward one end of the cylinder 1, compresses the powdered ice 100 and forms it into a three-dimensional shape.

[0019] The timing for compressing the powdered ice contained in the cylinder 1 with the piston 8 may be such that hydrogen gas is injected into the cylinder 1 and the piston 8 is compressed at the same time, i.e., compression of the piston 8 is started while hydrogen gas is being injected into the cylinder 1, or hydrogen gas may be injected into the cylinder 1 and then compression of the piston 8 may be started, i.e., compression of the piston 8 is started after hydrogen gas has been injected into the cylinder 1.

[0020] The granular ice 100 contained in the cylinder 1 is compressed by the piston 8 to about 1 / 10 to 3 / 10 of its volume (about 3 / 20 in the figure), but it cannot be compressed unless some of the gases, such as air and hydrogen gas, contained in the gaps between the granular ice 100 are released. For this reason, a gas release passage 10 is required to release this gas during compression molding. An adjustment valve may be provided in the gas release passage 10 to adjust the pressure or amount of gas being released.

[0021] 1 to 4, as shown in FIG. 2, a hole is formed vertically penetrating the center of the piston 8, and a hole communicating with this hole is further formed in the lower end of the push rod 9 to form a gas release passage 10, with a portion of the gas release passage 10 provided in the push rod 9. A gas inlet 11 of this gas release passage 10 is provided in the center of the underside of the piston 8. The portion of the gas release passage 10 formed in the push rod 9 is formed at the axial center of the lower end of the push rod 9, but is bent laterally near the upper end of the gas release passage 10, and this gas outlet 12 is provided on the side of the push rod 9. The gas release passage 10 formed in the push rod 9 may be formed along the axial center of the push rod 9 without being bent laterally, and the gas outlet 12 may be provided at the upper end of the push rod 9. Alternatively, the gas release passage 10 may be provided only in the piston 8, and the gas outlet 12 may be provided not on the push rod 9 but on the top surface of the piston 8 at a location where the push rod 9 is not present.

[0022] The gas inlet 11 of the gas relief passage 10 of the piston 8 is covered with a filter 13. This prevents powdered ice from entering the gas inlet 11 and clogging the gas relief passage 10 when the piston 8 is compressed. Therefore, the filter 13 must be one that allows gas to pass through but does not allow powdered ice to pass through. A filter 13 with a filtration accuracy of several microns is preferred. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the filter 13 covers the entire underside of the piston 8 as shown in FIG. 2, but it does not have to cover the entire underside. The filter 13 can be attached to the underside of the piston 8 by screwing or adhesive. A sintered metal filter can be used as such a filter 13. Sintered metal filters are commercially available and come in a wide range of filtering grades with filtering accuracy of 0.1 μm to 200 μm.

[0023] When hydrogen gas is supplied to granular ice 100 contained in cylinder 1 and compressed by piston 8 as shown in Figure 2, granular ice 100 is compressed, its volume decreases, and it becomes compressed granular ice 150. When compressed further, the volume further decreases, and the compressed granular ice 150 becomes ice 200 formed into a three-dimensional shape. During this process, numerous (plural) voids are formed inside the compressed, three-dimensional ice 200, and hydrogen gas is trapped in these voids. The voids formed inside the three-dimensional ice 200 are thought to be surrounded by ice walls, and the hydrogen gas trapped in the three-dimensional ice will not immediately dissipate unless the ice melts.

[0024] After the compression by the piston 8 is complete, as shown in Figure 4, when the cylinder 1 and piston 8 are pulled up, the three-dimensional ice 14 formed by compression separates from the stopper portion 3 of the stopper member 2 and is pulled up together with the piston 8 while adhering to the filter 13. Next, the stopper member 2 is removed from the end of the cylinder 1, and the piston 8 is lowered to expose it slightly from the bottom, which is one end of the cylinder 1, and the three-dimensional ice 200 formed is separated from the filter 13, yielding ice containing trapped hydrogen gas.

[0025] The compressed, three-dimensional ice 200 can be stored in a household freezer that can be set to a freezing temperature of approximately -16°C to -20°C, and it has been confirmed that even if the ice is frozen for approximately half a year in a freezer set to this temperature range, the amount of hydrogen gas released from the compressed, three-dimensional ice 200 hardly decreases, even when compared to the three-dimensional ice 200 immediately after being compressed and molded.

[0026] The mechanism by which hydrogen gas is trapped in the three-dimensional ice 200 formed by compression by the piston 8 is not clear, but it is thought that when hydrogen gas penetrates the gaps between the granular ice contained in the cylinder 1 and pressure is applied by the piston 8, numerous voids surrounded by walls of ice are formed, and at the same time, hydrogen gas is trapped in these numerous voids.

[0027] The dimensions of the cylinder 1 of the device for producing ice containing hydrogen gas described above are not particularly limited as long as the driving force of the push rod 9 is sufficiently large and the piston can compress the granular ice contained in the cylinder 1, and it is possible to scale up the inner diameter of the cylinder 1 and the diameter of the piston 8. The cross-sectional shapes of the cylinder 1 and the piston 8 are not limited to circular, but may be square or rectangular. It is also possible to produce a relatively large, compressed, three-dimensional piece of ice 200 and then shred this ice 200 into multiple smaller three-dimensional pieces of ice. During this process, some hydrogen gas escapes, but as long as the shredded ice has a certain volume, the loss can be kept to a relatively small percentage.

[0028] When hydrogen, which is said to be good for your health, is ingested through methods such as hydrogen water, the hydrogen gas concentration is so small, around 1 to 1.6 ppm, that no effect can be expected. However, with the ice formed into a three-dimensional shape of the present invention, it has been confirmed that hydrogen gas can be trapped at a ratio of 10 to 20 mL per 100 mL of ice, meaning that hydrogen gas can be trapped at a ratio of at least 10 mL per 100 mL of ice. If the specific gravity of ice is 0.92 and the density of hydrogen is 0.0899 g / L, thawing 100 mL of ice will produce 92 g of water, so 10 mL of hydrogen gas per 100 mL of ice is equivalent to 9.7 ppm (10 × 10 -3 ×0.0899 / 92=9.7×10 -6 =9.7 ppm). In this way, it is possible to seal in at least 10 times as much hydrogen gas as in the conventional method of sealing in hydrogen gas by freezing water containing hydrogen gas. High concentrations of hydrogen gas are dangerous, and generally, when the concentration exceeds 4% by volume in the air, it is prone to explosion or fire, making it unrealistic to inhale it. However, the ice formed into the three-dimensional shape of the present invention slowly melts, releasing hydrogen gas in small amounts, eliminating this risk.

[0029] The ice formed into a three-dimensional shape according to the present invention can be stored for a long period of time in the freezer compartment of a home refrigerator, and can be cut into suitable sizes, crushed, and consumed directly in the mouth or added to drinking water, milk, juice, coffee, tea, whiskey, shochu, liqueur, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1: Cylinder 2: Stopper component 3: Base part (of stopper component) 4: Stopper part (of stopper member) 5: Hydrogen gas inlet 6: Hydrogen gas inlet 7: Hydrogen gas outlet 8: Piston 9: Push stick 10: Gas release passage 11: Gas inlet (of gas relief passage) 12: Gas outlet (of gas relief passage) 13: Filter ... 100: Powdered ice 150: Compressed granular ice 200: Compressed, three-dimensional ice

Claims

1. A method for producing ice containing hydrogen gas, comprising: A method for producing ice containing trapped hydrogen gas, characterized in that granular ice contained in a cylinder, one end of which is blocked by a stopper member, is filled with hydrogen gas at 2 to 10 atmospheres through a hydrogen gas inlet passage formed in the stopper member, and the ice is compressed from the other end of the cylinder toward one end by a piston having a gas release passage that passes vertically through the center, thereby forming the ice into a three-dimensional shape.

2. A method for producing ice containing hydrogen gas, comprising: A method for producing ice containing trapped hydrogen gas, characterized in that granular ice contained in a cylinder, one end of which is blocked by a stopper member, is placed in the cylinder and hydrogen gas at 2 to 10 atmospheres is injected into the cylinder through a hydrogen gas inlet passage formed in the stopper member, and then the cylinder is compressed from the other end toward one end by a piston having a gas release passage that passes vertically through the center, thereby forming the ice into a three-dimensional shape.

3. An apparatus for producing ice containing hydrogen gas, The device comprises a cylinder for storing powdered ice, a stopper member inserted into one end of the cylinder to close the end, a piston inserted from the other end of the cylinder and driven toward the one end of the cylinder, and a hydrogen gas supply source; The stopper member is formed with a hydrogen gas inlet passage through which hydrogen gas at 2 to 10 atmospheres is introduced from a hydrogen gas supply source; The piston has a gas release passage that passes through the center from top to bottom, and a filter that covers the gas inlet of the gas release passage is attached. This device produces ice containing hydrogen gas by compressing powdered ice and forming it into a three-dimensional shape.

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