Microbubble determination device, microbubble determination method, and microbubble determination system

Abstract

To provide a device, a method and a system for determining fine bubbles, which can determine the presence or absence of fine bubbles inexpensively and enable even a person without specialized knowledge to easily determine the presence or absence of fine bubbles by visual inspection. [Solution] The system comprises a transparent first cell container 2A containing reference water w1, a second cell container 2B containing test water w2 which is water of the same quality as the reference water w1 but containing fine bubbles, and a laser light source 4 which irradiates laser light L having a predetermined wavelength and traveling in a straight line through the water onto the first cell container 2A and the second cell container 2B.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method, an apparatus, and a system for determining whether or not fine bubbles (nanobubbles or ultrafine bubbles, hereinafter the same) are contained in a liquid. [Background technology]

[0002] Microbubbles, which are bubbles with a diameter of approximately 1 μm to 100 μm, have been known until now, but in recent years, attention has been focused on even finer bubbles with a diameter of 1 μm or less. These fine bubbles are called ultrafine bubbles (UFB) or nanobubbles, and are used in a variety of fields, including cleaning, agriculture, fisheries, and medicine.

[0003] Such microbubbles are used by dispersing microbubbles generated in a nanobubble generator in a liquid, for example. However, since it is extremely difficult to visually determine the presence of microbubbles in a liquid, there is a demand for the development of a method and device for determining whether microbubbles are being generated.

[0004] As such prior art, a method and device for determining the presence of microbubbles is known, which includes a container for storing a test liquid, a laser oscillator (expansion wave generator, compression wave generator, heating device) placed outside the container and irradiating the test liquid in the container with laser light, a video camera (bubble detector, photographing device) placed outside the container, and a pressure detector whose detection end is inserted into the container; if the test liquid contains nanobubbles, when a compression wave generated in the test liquid by the laser oscillator is reflected by the liquid surface, the nanobubbles expand due to the action of negative pressure in the expansion wave passage area and become expanded bubbles of a detectable size; and the state of these expanded bubbles is photographed with the video camera for determination (see Patent Document 1).

[0005] Also known is a device for determining the presence or absence of microbubbles, which compares the microparticles (microbubbles) contained in a liquid before passing through a porous body with the microparticles contained in the liquid after passing through the porous body, and determines that the microparticles contained in the liquid before passing through the porous body were microbubbles if the liquid before passing through the porous body contains microparticles but the liquid after passing through the porous body does not contain the microparticles (see Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-059785 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-067313 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in addition to the container and the laser device, both of the above determination devices require a high-precision video camera with a high-speed function or a short-time exposure mechanism and a pressure detection device that detects the pressure of the test liquid in the container, while the determination device described in Patent Document 2 requires a measurement unit equipped with a CCD camera that captures the laser (scattered light) reflected by the particles contained in the pure water in order to measure the number of particles contained in the pure water using the nanotracking method (NTA method). As such, both of the above determination devices tend to be expensive in terms of cost due to the complex configuration of the entire device.

[0008] Furthermore, the determination device described in Patent Document 1 requires the output of the laser device to be adjusted each time to achieve the appropriate pressure, and the determination device described in Patent Document 2 requires the liquid containing the fine particles to be passed through a porous body. Therefore, neither of these devices is suitable for daily monitoring or determination of fine bubbles in various work sites, and furthermore, they are not easily operable and can be used for determination by persons without specialized knowledge.

[0009] The present invention aims to solve the problems of the prior art described above by creating a microbubble detection device, a microbubble detection method, and a microbubble detection system that can inexpensively determine the presence or absence of microbubbles and that allows even those without specialized knowledge to easily determine the presence or absence of microbubbles by visual inspection. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] Among the means for solving the above problems, the first means of the present invention is: a step of first irradiating a laser beam onto one of a first cell container containing reference water and a second cell container containing test water, and then irradiating the laser beam that has passed through one of the cell containers onto the other cell container; and acquiring a pre-adjustment current value before the current supplied to the laser light source is reduced and a post-adjustment current value when the current supplied to the laser light source is reduced so that the laser light traveling through the reference water becomes unrecognizable, and determining that the test water contains microbubbles if the difference between the two currents is greater than 0. , that's what it is.

[0011] The second aspect of the present invention is a laser light source that first irradiates a laser beam onto one of a first cell container containing reference water and a second cell container containing test water, and then irradiates the laser beam that has passed through one of the cell containers onto the other cell container; and an adjusting means for adjusting a laser output by adjusting a current value supplied to the laser light source, The device obtains the pre-adjustment current value before the current supplied to the laser light source is reduced, and the post-adjustment current value when the current supplied to the laser light source is reduced so that the laser light traveling through the reference water can no longer be seen, and if the difference between the two currents is greater than 0, it determines that the test water contains microbubbles.

[0012] The third aspect of the present invention is The second means includes a display means for displaying a current value. This is an additional measure.

[0013] The fourth aspect of the present invention is The second means is further provided with a photographing means for photographing the first cell container and the second cell container to generate still image data.

[0014] The fifth aspect of the present invention is This method is one in which the range of the predetermined wavelength is 51.5 to 55.0% of the maximum particle size of the microbubbles, is added to any one of the second to fourth methods.

[0015] The sixth aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned Fourth Measure The apparatus for determining fine bubbles according to the present invention And, before The present invention includes software for performing color luminance analysis of the laser light scattered in the first cell container and the second cell container from the still image data, and a computer for executing the software. A microbubble determination system having: The computer analyzes the difference between the color luminance value of the laser light scattered in the reference water and the color luminance value of the laser light scattered in the test water using the software, and determines whether or not the test water contains microbubbles. Ru, and That is what I say.

[0016] The seventh means of the present invention is the above means plus a means in which a storage means is connected to the computer for storing data relating to the current value supplied to the laser light source, still image data, color brightness values, and judgment results. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] The present invention can provide an inexpensive device and system for determining the presence or absence of microbubbles. Furthermore, even those without specialized knowledge can easily monitor the presence of microbubbles on a daily basis and determine whether or not microbubbles are present. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of a microbubble detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective plan view of a microbubble detection device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective front view of the microbubble detection device. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] (a) is still image data showing an example (before adjustment) of the scattering state of the laser light traveling inside the two cell containers, and (b) is the current value supplied to the laser light source at this time. [Figure 6] (a) is still image data showing an example (after adjustment) of the scattering state of the laser light traveling inside the two cell containers, and (b) is the current value supplied to the laser light source at this time. [Figure 7] 10 shows data illustrating an example of an analysis result using software for luminance analysis. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of a microbubble detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective plan view of the microbubble detection device, FIG. 3 is a perspective front view of the microbubble detection device, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cell container. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the microbubble judgment device 1 of the present invention is composed of two cell containers 2, namely, a first cell container 2A containing reference water w1 and a second cell container 2B containing test water w2, a laser light source 4 capable of outputting laser light, a power supply 5 for driving the laser light source 4, an adjustment means 6 for adjusting the current value supplied from the power supply 5 to the laser light source 4, a display means 7 for displaying the current value, a switch 8 for turning the laser output on and off, an imaging means 9 that can be operated by a timer or remotely controlled from the outside, and a box-shaped case 10 for housing these components.

[0020] The two cell containers 2 (first cell container 2A and second cell container 2B) are both thin, rectangular containers made of transparent quartz glass, with an opening 2a formed on the top surface, through which reference water w1 or test water w2 can be freely injected into or discharged from each cell container 2. Laser light L can enter or exit from both left and right side surfaces 2b of the first cell container 2A and second cell container 2B.

[0021] The laser light source 4 is preferably capable of emitting laser light L in the visible light range (400-700 nm) that can be visually confirmed, and more preferably capable of oscillating laser light L having a wavelength of 515-550 nm, which corresponds to 51.5-55.0% of the maximum particle size of 1 μm of microbubbles. In this embodiment, a green laser module with a wavelength of 520 nm is used.

[0022] The power supply 5 is an AC / DC power supply that outputs a predetermined voltage (for example, DC 5V) and is connected to an external outlet via a cable (not shown). It is preferable that the power supply 5 be capable of supplying a maximum output current of 2A.

[0023] The adjustment means 6 is composed of a variable resistor that adjusts the value of the current supplied from the power supply 5 to the laser light source 4. The adjustment means 6 may be of a rotary type or a sliding type as long as it is possible to arbitrarily adjust the current value by arbitrarily varying the resistance value.

[0024] The display means 7 is preferably a digital panel meter that can display the current value that changes by operating the adjustment means 6 in real time, but it can also be configured with various types of displays.

[0025] The photographing means 9 may be a digital camera that can take photographs by timer operation or remote control, and for example, a camera attached to a smartphone may be used.

[0026] The test water w2 is the liquid after microbubbles have been injected into the reference water w1, whereas the reference water w1 is the liquid before the microbubbles have been injected. Although pure water containing almost no impurities can of course be used as the reference water w1, in the present invention, tap water, groundwater, purified water, or the like that is less pure than pure water may also be used, and liquids containing impurity particles other than microbubbles (for example, nano-level contaminants) may also be used.

[0027] The first cell container 2A, the second cell container 2B, the laser light source 4, the power supply 5 and the photographing means 9 are housed inside the case 10, and the adjustment means 6, the display means 7, the switch 8, etc. are arranged in an exposed state on the outer surface of the case 10.

[0028] The case 10 has the adjustment means 6 and the display means 7 arranged on the front side, a lid 21 connected to the top surface 12 via a hinge so that it can be opened and closed, and a switch 8 and a power cable (not shown) arranged on one side surface 13. Also, a camera mounting part 22 for fixing the image capturing means 9 is provided on the inner surface of the case 10. Furthermore, on the bottom wall 14 of the case 10, there are provided a rectangular installation base 31 on which the first cell container 2A and the second cell container 2B can be detachably set side by side, and a fixing base 33 for fixing the laser light source 4. The fixing base 33 is fixed on an extension line of the installation base 31 and at a position separated from the installation base 31.

[0029] Next, a method for determining microbubbles using the microbubble determination device 1 configured as described above will be described. When the microbubble detection device 1 is connected to an external outlet via a power cable (not shown), power is supplied to the laser light source 4 via the power supply 5. Next, the lid 21 of the case 10 is opened, and the first cell container 2A filled with the reference water w1 and the second cell container 2B filled with the test water w2 are set side by side in predetermined positions on the installation stand 31. When the lid 21 is closed and the switch 8 is turned on, the laser light source 4 is driven and laser light L is emitted from the laser light source 4 mounted on the fixed base 33. With the lid 21 closed, the inside of the case 10 becomes a dark room, so that the scattering state of the laser light can be photographed more clearly by the photographing means 9.

[0030] The laser light L emitted from the laser light source 4 can be irradiated successively to the first cell container 2A and the second cell container 2B set on the installation stand 31 in this order. That is, the laser light L enters the first cell container 2A from one side surface 2b thereof, travels through the reference water w1 contained in the first cell container 2A, and is emitted to the outside from the other side surface 2b of the first cell container 2A. Subsequently, the laser light L enters the second cell container 2B from one side surface 2b thereof, travels through the test water w2 contained in the second cell container 2B, and is emitted to the outside from the other side surface 2b of the second cell container 2B.

[0031] If nano-level impurities or microscopic bubbles are present in the reference water w1 and the test water w2, scattering occurs in the laser light L traveling through the reference water w1 and the test water w2 (during measurement before adjustment).The state of the inside of the case 10 photographed using the photographing means 9 is shown as the still image data before adjustment in Figure 5(a).

[0032] In this example, the reference water w1 was tap water, and the test water w2 was tap water with microbubbles injected. As shown in Figure 5(a), it is possible to visually confirm that the scattering intensity of the test water w2 was greater than that of the reference water w1. While the scattering in the reference water w1 is due to impurities contained in the tap water, the scattering in the test water w2 is thought to be due to impurities and microbubbles contained in the tap water. Based on the difference in scattering intensity, it is easy to determine that the test water w2 contains microbubbles. In this example, the current value displayed on the display means 7 during the pre-adjustment measurement (pre-adjustment current value) was 0.1004 A (see Figure 5(b)).

[0033] Next, the adjustment means 6 is operated to change the current value, thereby varying the laser output of the laser light source 4. Figure 6(a) shows still image data after adjustment, in which the current value is reduced to gradually decrease the laser output, and the laser light L traveling through the reference water w1 and its scattering become invisible in the first cell container 2A. At this time, in the second cell container 2B, the laser light L traveling through the test water w2 and its scattering can be easily seen, and the adjusted current value displayed on the display means 7 was 0.0489 A (see Figure 6(b)).

[0034] Here, the difference in current between before and after adjustment is (current value before adjustment - current value after adjustment) = 0.1004 A - 0.0489 A = 0.0515 A. A current difference greater than 0 A means that the test water w2, from which impurities have been substantially removed, contains microbubbles, which enables accurate determination.

[0035] In this way, in the present invention, the state of microbubbles contained in the test water w2 can be grasped by digitized data using the current value, and furthermore, more accurate judgment can be made by using still image data at the time of scattering captured by the imaging means 9. Furthermore, such test data (current value and still image data) can be recorded and saved together with the judgment results in a recording means connected to a computer, and can be accumulated as daily data.

[0036] As described above, in the present invention, all that is required is to drive the laser light source 4 while the first cell container 2A filled with reference water w1 and the second cell container 2B filled with test water w2 are set in the case 10, then operate the adjustment means 6 to measure and compare the current values ​​before and after adjustment, and operate the photographing means 9 to photograph (acquire) still image data, so that even those without specialized knowledge can easily monitor microbubbles on a daily basis and determine whether or not they are present.

[0037] Furthermore, the state of the microbubbles can also be quantified using dedicated analysis software. FIG. 7 shows data showing an example of the analysis results obtained using software for luminance analysis. In this method, the still image data before the adjustment (see Figure 5(a)) is input into a computer, and the scattering state of the laser light is analyzed from the still image data using brightness analysis software.The analysis results in this case were that the brightness value of the reference water w1 was 5533, while the brightness value of the test water w2 was 7301. In this way, if the brightness value of the test water w2 is greater than the brightness value of the reference water w1, it can be easily determined that the test water w2 contains microbubbles. Furthermore, since the difference in brightness (7301-5533=1768) is a value sufficiently greater than 0, it can be determined that the test water w2, from which impurities have been substantially removed, contains microbubbles, just as in the case of the above current value.

[0038] The still image data acquired above, the current value, and the brightness value analyzed by the brightness analysis software are stored as part of the data indicating the test results in a storage means connected to the computer, thereby enabling daily management of the state of the microbubbles contained in the test water w2. The storage means may be an optical disk such as a CD or DVD, a hard disk drive built into or external to the computer, or even an external cloud storage connected via an internet line.

[0039] In addition, since the present invention can simultaneously measure the reference water w1 and the test water w2, it is possible to determine whether the reference water w1 is contaminated with impurity particles, etc. This makes it possible to determine the condition of the reference water w1 when using microbubbles and to use this as an indicator when maintaining the reference water generating device.

[0040] The configuration and effects of the present invention have been described above in accordance with the examples, but the present invention is not limited to the above examples. For example, in the above embodiment, the laser light L is first irradiated onto the reference water w1 contained in the first cell container 2A, and then onto the test water w2 contained in the second cell container 2B. However, it is also possible to first irradiate the test water w2 contained in the second cell container 2B, and then irradiate the reference water w1 contained in the first cell container 2A.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the still image data shown in Figures 4 and 5 was image data showing the front of the cell container 2, but it may also be image data showing the open portion 2a on the top side of the cell container 2. [Industrial Applicability]

[0042] The present invention can be used in a wider range of fields in which it is necessary to determine whether or not microbubbles are present in a liquid. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1: Judgment device 2: Cell container 2A: First cell container 2B: Second cell container 2a:Open part 2b: Side 4: Laser light source 5: Power supply 6:Adjustment means 7:Display means 8: Switch 9: Shooting method 10: Case 12: Top 13: Side 14: Bottom wall 21: Lid 22: Camera mounting part 31: Installation stand 33:Fixed stand L: Laser light w1 :Reference water w2: Test water

Claims

1. A process of first irradiating laser light (L) onto one of the cell containers (2), either a first cell container (2A) containing reference water (w1) or a second cell container (2B) containing test water (w2), and then irradiating the laser light (L) that has passed through one of the cell containers (2) onto the other cell container (2); A method for determining microbubbles, comprising the steps of: acquiring a pre-adjustment current value before the current supplied to the laser light source (4) is reduced; and an adjusted current value when the current supplied to the laser light source (4) is reduced so that the laser light (L) traveling through the reference water (w1) can no longer be seen; and determining that microbubbles are contained in the test water (w2) if the difference between the two currents is greater than 0.

2. A laser light source (4) that first irradiates laser light (L) onto one of the cell containers (2), either a first cell container (2A) containing reference water (w1) or a second cell container (2B) containing test water (w2), and then irradiates the laser light (L) that has passed through one of the cell containers (2) onto the other cell container (2); and an adjusting means (6) for adjusting a laser output by adjusting a current value supplied to the laser light source (4), This microbubble determination device is characterized by obtaining a pre-adjustment current value before the current supplied to the laser light source (4) is reduced, and a post-adjustment current value when the current supplied to the laser light source (4) is reduced so that the laser light (L) traveling through the reference water (w1) can no longer be seen, and determining that microbubbles are contained in the test water (w2) if the difference between the two currents is greater than 0.

3. A device for determining fine bubbles as described in claim 2, which is provided with a display means (7) for displaying the current value.

4. A device for determining fine bubbles as described in claim 2, which is provided with an imaging means (9) for photographing the first cell container (2A) and the second cell container (2B) to generate still image data.

5. 5. The device for determining microbubbles according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined wavelength range is 51.5 to 55.0% of the maximum particle size of the microbubbles.

6. A system for determining microbubbles, comprising the microbubble determination device according to claim 4, software for performing color luminance analysis of the laser light (L) scattered in the first cell container (2A) and the second cell container (2B) from still image data, and a computer for executing the software, A microbubble determination system characterized by using the software to determine whether or not microbubbles are contained in the test water (w2) based on the difference between the color brightness value of laser light (L) scattered in the reference water (w1) and the color brightness value of laser light (L) scattered in the test water (w2), analyzed by the computer.

7. 7. The microbubble determination system according to claim 6, wherein the computer is connected to a storage means for storing data relating to the current value supplied to the laser light source (4), still image data, color brightness values, and determination results.

Images