Stirring device

Abstract

To provide a stirring device excellent in CIP characteristics.SOLUTION: A stirring device is provided, comprising: a stirring container housing stirring material; a stirring arm for stirring the stirring material inside the stirring container; and a scraper connected to the stirring arm and scraping the stirring material adhered to an inner wall surface of the stirring container. The scraper is arranged in a portion facing at least the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring container, and in the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring container, a washing liquid ejection port is arranged which ejects washing liquid to a surface facing the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring container, of a scraper arranged in a portion facing the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a stirring device equipped with a scraper. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional agitator is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1. This agitator comprises a cylindrical agitator vessel that contains an agitating material, such as different liquids or a liquid and a solid powder, an agitator arm (first agitating blade) that agitates the agitating material inside the agitator vessel, and a scraper that is connected to the agitator arm and scrapes off the agitating material adhering to the inner wall surface of the agitator vessel. The agitator vessel is cylindrical. The stirring arm is a horseshoe-shaped anchor blade, and is supported rotatably around the central axis of the stirring vessel. A plurality of stirring blades (second stirring blades) are provided on the inner part of the stirring arm, while a plurality of connecting portions are provided on the outer part of the stirring arm close to the inner wall surface of the stirring vessel as parts for connecting scrapers. The scrapers are thin plate-like members made of synthetic resin or synthetic rubber, and multiple scrapers are arranged between the inner wall surface of the agitator vessel and the outer portion of the agitator arm. Each scraper is provided with a connecting part that can be connected to the connecting part of the agitator arm, and the agitator arm and scraper are connected so that they can swing relatively around the pin as a support shaft by inserting and supporting the shaft of a pin into a circular hole in a plan view provided in these connecting parts.

[0003] According to the above-described stirring device, the material to be stirred contained inside the stirring vessel flows within the stirring vessel as the stirring arm rotates. If the mixture is relatively viscous, the mixture may adhere to the inner wall surface of the mixing vessel. However, since the scraper rotates together with the mixing arm while sliding against the inner wall surface, the mixture adhering to the inner wall surface is scraped off by the scraper.

[0004] Furthermore, in recent years, from the viewpoint of improving the efficiency of cleaning the inside of the container of an agitator, a CIP (Cleaning In Place) technique has been proposed, which automatically cleans the device without disassembling it. For example, the stirring device shown in Patent Document 2 proposes a method of cleaning the inside of a stirring vessel by utilizing a reflux pipe that runs from the bottom of the stirring vessel to the top of the stirring vessel via the outside of the stirring vessel to circulate the cleaning liquid stored in the stirring vessel externally, and by disposing a shower nozzle at the tip of the reflux pipe that is inserted into the stirring vessel and spraying the cleaning liquid from the shower nozzle toward the stirring vessel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-326027 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-198813 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in an agitator equipped with a scraper such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, when attempting to clean the inside of the agitator vessel by CIP cleaning, i.e., by spraying cleaning liquid into the agitator vessel from a shower nozzle or the like at the top of the agitator vessel, the cleaning liquid does not directly hit areas that are in the blind spot of the shower nozzle, such as the sliding surface of the scraper located at the bottom of the agitator vessel, and the residue of the agitated material adhering to these areas cannot be removed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a stirring device comprising a stirring vessel for accommodating a stirring object, a stirring arm for stirring the stirring object inside the stirring vessel, and a scraper connected to the stirring arm for scraping off the stirring object adhering to the inner wall surface of the stirring vessel, wherein the scraper is disposed at least in a portion facing the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel, and a cleaning liquid outlet is disposed on the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel, for discharging a cleaning liquid toward the surface of the scraper, disposed in a portion facing the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel, that faces the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel. and when the cleaning liquid discharge port is located on a sliding path of a scraper that is located in a portion facing the inner wall surface of the bottom of the agitating vessel, the cleaning liquid is directly sprayed toward the surface of the scraper that faces the inner wall surface of the bottom of the agitating vessel. Alternatively, when the cleaning liquid outlet is disposed on the inner wall surface of the bottom of the agitating vessel that is out of the sliding path of the scraper, the cleaning liquid outlet is inclined so that the cleaning liquid is sprayed obliquely, and the cleaning liquid is sprayed directly toward the surface of the scraper that faces the inner wall surface of the bottom of the agitating vessel. (Claim 1). Preferably, the cleaning liquid outlet comprises: The inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel is concentric with the circumferential sliding locus of a scraper disposed in a portion facing the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel. Arranged in a ring shape (Claim 2) 。 [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] As described above, in an agitation device in which a scraper is arranged in a portion facing the inner wall surface of the bottom of the agitation vessel, if a cleaning liquid outlet is arranged on the inner wall surface of the bottom of the agitation vessel, which ejects cleaning liquid toward the surface of the scraper arranged in a portion facing the inner wall surface of the bottom of the agitation vessel that faces the inner wall surface of the bottom of the agitation vessel, the surface of the scraper, which is in a blind spot from the shower nozzle and is not directly hit by the cleaning liquid, can be removed by the cleaning liquid sprayed from the cleaning liquid outlet.

[0009] Furthermore, if the cleaning liquid outlet is arranged in a ring shape on the inner wall surface of the bottom of the agitating vessel, the cleaning liquid sprayed toward the surface of the scraper facing the inner wall surface of the bottom of the agitating vessel can be constantly sprayed toward that surface of the scraper, making it possible to more reliably remove residues of the object to be agitated that are attached to parts that are not directly hit by the cleaning liquid.

[0010] Furthermore, if the cleaning liquid discharge outlet is positioned on the sliding trajectory of a scraper placed on the part of the inner wall surface of the bottom of the agitating vessel that faces the inner wall surface of the bottom of the agitating vessel, the cleaning liquid sprayed toward the surface of the scraper that faces the inner wall surface of the bottom of the agitating vessel can be more reliably sprayed toward that surface of the scraper, making it possible to more reliably remove residues of the object to be agitated that are attached to parts that are not directly hit by the cleaning liquid.

[0011] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a structural diagram showing a stirring device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a structural diagram showing a scraper attached to the stirring device according to the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a top view showing the bottom of the stirring vessel of the stirring device according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a state in which a scraper attached to the agitator according to the present invention is being cleaned. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a top view showing the bottom of the stirring vessel of the stirring device according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a top view showing the bottom of the stirring vessel of the stirring device according to a modified example of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a state in which a scraper attached to a stirring device according to a modified example of the present invention is being cleaned. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a top view showing the bottom of the agitation vessel of the agitation device according to another modified example of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a top view showing the bottom of the agitation vessel of the agitation device according to another modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a stirring device 1 according to the present invention. The agitator 1 of this embodiment is for mixing and agitating raw materials such as food, medicine, cosmetics, etc. The agitated materials are, for example, a combination of different types of liquids or powder and liquid. The agitator 1 includes an agitator vessel 2, a drive mechanism 3A, a drive mechanism 3B, an agitator arm 4, a lower agitator blade 10, and a plurality of scrapers 6.

[0014] The stirring vessel 2 is a cylindrical vessel with a bottom. The stirring vessel 2 has an upper opening 1A and a cylindrical inner wall surface 1B. Inside the stirring vessel 2, an object to be stirred is accommodated.

[0015] An upper drive mechanism 3A is mounted on the upper center of the agitator 1. The upper drive mechanism 3A includes a drive motor, a reducer (not shown), and a support member. The drive motor is connected to a drive shaft 7A, which rotates around the central axis of the stirring vessel 2 as the drive motor operates.

[0016] The stirring arm 4 is a rod-shaped member bent in an approximately U-shape when viewed from the front, and has a base 4A that is close to the inner bottom surface of the stirring vessel 2, a pair of arm portions 4B that extend upward from both ends of the base 4A along the central axis and are close to the inner wall surface 2A with a predetermined gap between them, and a plurality of stirring blades 30 supported by the arm portions 4B. The middle part of the base 4A is fixed to the lower end of the drive shaft 7A. A plurality of stirring blades 8 are supported on the inner side of the arm portion 4B on the central axis side, and are aligned at predetermined intervals in the direction of the central axis. A plurality of bracket members 6B are fixed to the outer portion of the arm portion 4B, arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of the central axis, as connecting portions for connecting the scraper 6. Such an agitating arm 4 rotates integrally with the drive shaft 7A around the central axis, thereby enabling the agitating material contained inside the agitating vessel 2 to be efficiently agitated to form a homogeneous mixture.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, a lower drive mechanism 3B is mounted on the lower center of the agitator 1. The lower drive mechanism 3B includes a drive motor, a reducer (not shown), and a support member. The drive motor is connected to a drive shaft 7B, which rotates around the central axis of the stirring vessel 2 as the drive motor operates.

[0018] A lower stirring tank 9 is disposed below the stirring vessel 2, and a lower stirring blade 10 is housed therein. The stirring vessel 2 and the lower stirring tank 9 are in communication with each other through a communication port 11 . The lower stirring blade 10 is fixed to the lower end of the drive shaft 7A and rotates integrally with the drive shaft 7A around the central axis, drawing the stirred material contained inside the stirring vessel 2 into the lower stirring tank 9 and applying shear force to the stirred material. The lower stirring tank 9 and the lower stirring blade 10 also have a pump function, and the stirred material that has been drawn into the lower stirring tank 9 and subjected to shear force is returned to the inside of the stirring vessel 2 from the upper outlet 13 of the stirring vessel 2 via an external circulation path 12 connected to the lower stirring tank 9.

[0019] The lower stirring tank 9, the lower stirring blade 10 and the external circulation path 12 can also be used for cleaning the inside of the stirring vessel 2 (CIP cleaning). That is, the external circulation path 12 branches off from the path leading to the upper discharge outlet 13, extends to above the agitator 2, and its tip passes through the lid 2B of the agitator 2 and reaches the inside of the agitator 2, and a shower nozzle 14 is attached to the tip of the external circulation path 12 inside the agitator 2. As a result, the cleaning liquid stored in the agitator vessel 2 is sent to the shower nozzle 14 via the external circulation path 12, and the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the shower nozzle 14 toward the entire interior of the agitator vessel 2, removing any residue of the agitated material adhering to the inner walls of the agitator vessel 2, etc. The cleaning liquid includes not only detergents such as surfactants but also water.

[0020] Figure 2 shows a scraper 6 used in the agitator 1 according to the present invention. Figure 2(a) is a perspective view, and Figure 2(b) is a side view. As shown in Figure 2, the scraper 6 is used to scrape off the agitated material adhering to the inner wall surface 2A, and is connected to the outer part of the arm portion 4B via a bracket member 6B and a pin 6C, with the pin 6C swingably connected to a support shaft, and multiple scrapers 6 are arranged between the arm portion 4B and the inner wall surface 2A. The scraper 6 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, synthetic rubber, or fluorine-coated engineering plastic that has excellent abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance, and has a thin plate-shaped blade portion 6D that contacts the inner wall surface 2A, and a connecting portion 6E that is integrally formed with the blade portion 6D and is connected to the bracket member 6B. The blade portion 6D is disposed so that the front side in the direction of travel, which moves relative to the inner wall surface 2A, comes closer to or abuts against the inner wall surface 2A. When the blade portion 6D scrapes off the agitated material adhering to the inner wall surface 2A, the scraped agitated material acts as resistance, causing the blade portion 6D to swing backward in the direction of travel, and the tip 6F of the blade portion 6D on the front side in the direction of travel comes into contact with the inner wall surface 2A. This allows the blade portion 6D to efficiently scrape off the stirring material adhering to the inner wall surface 2A while sliding against the inner wall surface 2A. The connecting portions 6E form a pair that can be fitted to the bracket member 6B, and protrude from the side opposite to the side facing the inner wall surface 2A of the blade portion 6D. The connecting portion 6E and the bracket member 6B each have a hole 6G for inserting and supporting the pin 6C when they are fitted together. The connecting portion 6E of the scraper 6 is swingably connected to a bracket member 6B fixed to the outer portion of the arm portion 4B, with a pin 6C inserted into a hole 6G as a support axis, and the blade portion 6D is brought close to the inner wall surface 2A while maintaining a fixed distance therebetween. When the agitating arm 4 rotates, the scraper 6 is supported in a stable position, and the material to be agitated adhering to the inner wall surface 2A is scraped off by the tip 6F of the blade portion 6D.

[0021] A recess 6K is formed in the center of the opposing surface 6H of the blade portion 6D of the scraper 6, which faces the inner wall surface 2A of the stirring vessel 2, along a direction parallel to the support axis of the scraper 6, from one end surface 6I to the other end surface 6J of the scraper 6. As a result, a predetermined distance is maintained by the recess 6K between the inner wall surface 2A of the stirring vessel 2 and the surface of the blade portion 6D facing the inner wall surface 2A of the stirring vessel 2, except for the tip 6F of the blade portion 6D that contacts the inner wall surface 2A of the stirring vessel 2. The recess 6K may be formed as needed, but is not necessarily required.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, a cleaning liquid outlet 15 for spraying the cleaning liquid toward the inside of the agitation vessel 2 is arranged at the bottom 2C of the agitation vessel 2. The cleaning liquid outlet 15 is connected to a path branching off from the external circulation path 12 , and the cleaning liquid supplied to the cleaning liquid outlet 15 is supplied from the lower stirring tank 9 by the action of the lower stirring blade 10 . The route for supplying the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid outlet 15 may be a route for supplying the cleaning liquid directly from the lower stirring tank 9 without passing through the external circulation route 12 . The cleaning liquid outlet 15 may be not only one that is completely open, but also one that is open in a mesh pattern or one that has a collection of small holes.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a top view showing the inner bottom of the stirring vessel 2. As shown in FIG. As shown in Figure 3, the cleaning liquid outlet 15 is located to the side of the communication port 11 opening in the bottom 2C of the agitator vessel 2, and is located within the sliding trajectory of the scraper 6, which is located in a portion facing the inner wall surface 2A of the bottom 2C of the agitator vessel 2, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 3. As a result, each time the scraper 6 passes over the cleaning liquid outlet 15, as shown in Figure 4, the cleaning liquid sprayed from the cleaning liquid outlet 15 hits directly against the opposing surface 6H of the blade portion 6D of the scraper 6 that faces the inner wall surface 2A of the stirring vessel 2, and the stirred material adhering to the opposing surface 6H is removed. In FIG. 4, the scraper 6 is shown in a cross section taken along the center of the end faces 6I and 6J, and the opposing face 6H is represented by the area surrounded by a dotted line in the figure. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, it is preferable to provide a plurality of cleaning liquid outlets 15, since this increases the frequency with which the scraper 6 passes over the cleaning liquid outlets 15, thereby increasing the cleaning effect of the scraper 6 on the opposing surface 6H. In the above-described examples, the number of cleaning liquid outlets 15 is one or four, but the number is not limited to these and can be increased or decreased as needed.

[0024] FIG. 6 is a top view showing the bottom 2C of the stirring vessel 2 of the first modified example. As shown in Figure 6, the cleaning liquid discharge outlet 15 of variant example 1 is located to the side of the communication port 11 opening in the bottom 2C of the agitator vessel 2, at a position away from the sliding trajectory of the scraper 6 which is located in the portion facing the inner wall surface 2A of the bottom 2C of the agitator vessel 2 as shown by the dotted line in Figure 6, and is located between the communication port 11 and the sliding trajectory of the scraper 6. This configuration has the advantage that the tip 6F of the blade portion 6D, which comes into contact with the inner wall surface 2A of the stirring vessel 2, can be prevented from being worn down due to contact with the cleaning liquid outlet 15. As shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning liquid outlet 15 of the first modification is inclined so that the cleaning liquid is sprayed obliquely. The angle of inclination of the cleaning liquid outlet 15 is set so that the cleaning liquid jetted from the cleaning liquid outlet 15 directly hits the inner wall surface 2A of the stirring vessel of the scraper 6 and the opposing surface 6H of the blade portion 6D. As a result, every time the scraper 6 passes beside the cleaning liquid outlet 15, as shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning liquid is sprayed directly onto the opposing surface 6H of the blade portion 6D, and the agitated matter adhering to the opposing surface 6H is removed. 7, the scraper 6 is shown in a cross section taken along the center of the end faces 6I and 6J, and the opposing face 6H is indicated by the area enclosed by the dotted line in the figure. Also in this modified example, providing multiple cleaning liquid outlets 15 is preferable because it increases the frequency with which the scraper 6 passes by the side of the cleaning liquid outlets 15, thereby increasing the cleaning effect of the scraper 6 on the opposing surface 6H.

[0025] FIG. 8 is a top view showing the bottom 2C of the stirring vessel 2 of the second modified example. As shown in FIG. 8, the cleaning liquid discharge port 15 of the second modification is annular and concentric with the communication port 11 that opens in the bottom 2C of the stirring vessel 2, and is disposed to the side of the communication port 11. The term "annular" does not only mean a structure with a continuous opening, but also includes a structure that is annular as a whole but is partially closed, as shown in FIG. The cleaning liquid outlet 15 is disposed within the sliding path of the scraper 6 (not shown). This allows the cleaning liquid jetted from the cleaning liquid outlet 15 to be constantly sprayed directly onto the opposing surface 6H of the scraper 6, thereby particularly enhancing the effect of removing the agitated matter adhering to the opposing surface 6H. In this modified example, the cleaning liquid outlet 15 is positioned within the sliding path of the scraper 6, but the cleaning liquid outlet 15 may also be positioned at a position outside the sliding path of the scraper 6. In this case, there is an advantage that the tip 6F of the blade portion 6D that comes into contact with the inner wall surface 2A of the stirring vessel 2 can be prevented from being worn down due to contact with the cleaning liquid outlet 15. Furthermore, in this modified example, an example in which the number of cleaning liquid outlets 15 is one is shown, but the number is not limited to this and can be increased as necessary.

[0026] The stirring device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the specific configuration of each part of the stirring device according to the present invention can be freely designed and modified in various ways. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 1 Stirring device 2 Stirring vessel 2A Inner wall 2B Lid 2C bottom 3A, 3B drive mechanism 4 stirring arms 4A base 4B Arm section 6 scraper 6B Bracket member 6C pin 6D blade section 6E Connection part 6F tip 6G hole 6H opposing surface 6I, 6J end face 6K recess 7A, 7B drive shaft 8 stirring blade 9 Lower stirring tank 10 Lower stirring blade 11 Connecting port 12 External circulation route 13 Upper outlet 14 shower nozzle 15 Cleaning liquid outlet 16 Drain 17 Jacket 18. Warm refrigerant supply pipe 19 Raw material input port 20 Vent

Claims

1. A stirring device comprising: a stirring vessel for accommodating a stirring material; a stirring arm for stirring the stirring material inside the stirring vessel; and a scraper connected to the stirring arm for scraping off the stirring material adhering to an inner wall surface of the stirring vessel, the scraper is disposed at least at a portion of the bottom of the stirring vessel facing an inner wall surface, a cleaning liquid discharge port is disposed on the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel, the cleaning liquid being discharged toward a surface of a scraper disposed in a portion facing the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel, the scraper facing the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel; When the cleaning liquid outlet is located on a sliding path of a scraper that is located in a portion facing the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel, the cleaning liquid is directly sprayed toward the surface of the scraper that faces the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel. or When the cleaning liquid discharge port is disposed on the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel that is deviated from the sliding locus of the scraper, the cleaning liquid discharge port is inclined so that the cleaning liquid is sprayed obliquely, and the cleaning liquid is sprayed directly toward the surface of the scraper that faces the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel. A stirring device characterized by:

2. The stirring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cleaning liquid discharge port is arranged in a ring shape concentric with a circumferential sliding path of a scraper arranged on the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel, in a portion facing the inner wall surface of the bottom of the stirring vessel.

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