Freeze-Drying Shelf Vibration for Uniform Particle Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing freeze-drying methods face inefficiencies in drying frozen particles, which affect the quality and productivity of the final particle products.
Innovation Solution
A freeze-drying apparatus incorporating a vacuum chamber, an injection mechanism, a shelf, and a diffusion mechanism that vibrates the raw material on the shelf to enhance drying efficiency, combined with a thermal process mechanism for heating and cooling to promote freezing and drying actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a resistive-heating-type heater is provided in the drying chamber to promote the drying process, then the drying efficiency of frozen fine particles is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frozen fine particles themselves serve as the heating element through resistive heating. By applying voltage directly to the conductive frozen particles on the shelf, they generate heat internally to promote their own drying process, eliminating the need for separate heater components in the drying chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical resistive-heating-type heater is replaced with an electrical field application system. Instead of using a physical heating device, the system applies voltage to the frozen particles to generate heat through their electrical resistance, substituting a mechanical heating system with an electrical field-based approach.
2Loss of time
If the raw material is injected and frozen in the vacuum chamber without pre-freezing, then the process time is reduced, but the drying efficiency of the resulting particles is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary freezing of the raw material fluid before injection by cooling the injection mechanism and the raw material fluid itself. This pre-freezing action creates frozen particles upon injection that have better drying characteristics, eliminating the need for separate pre-freezing equipment while maintaining drying efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the temperature parameter of the raw material fluid and injection mechanism to sub-zero temperatures before injection. By controlling the temperature parameter during the injection process, the system achieves efficient freezing and drying without extending the overall process time.
3Productivity
If the raw material is pre-cooled before injection to efficiently freeze it in the vacuum chamber, then the freezing efficiency is improved, but the device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The injection mechanism itself serves as the cooling device by incorporating cooling channels and refrigerant circulation systems directly within the injection assembly. The raw material fluid is cooled and frozen during the injection process itself, eliminating the need for separate pre-cooling equipment and reducing overall energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling function and injection function are merged into a single integrated injection mechanism. The cooling channels, refrigerant circulation system, and injection nozzle are combined in one assembly, allowing the system to perform both cooling and injection operations simultaneously without requiring separate pre-cooling equipment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly increases the drying efficiency and quality of the particle products by evenly distributing and efficiently drying the frozen particles on the shelf, improving productivity.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum chamber (60), capable of being exhausted by a vacuum pump (1)
Implementation Method 2
an injection mechanism (25) for injecting a raw material fluid (F) including a raw material into the vacuum chamber (60) exhausted
Implementation Method 3
the solvent takes heat from the raw material due to latent heat of vaporization thereof, and thus the raw material is frozen
Implementation Method 4
the raw material is heated by a resistive-heating-type heater provided to the collector
Implementation Method 5
The diffusion mechanism at least diffuses the raw material on the shelf by a vibration
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3(A)~3(B)
AI summary
[Object] To provide a freeze-drying apparatus and a freeze-drying method, which are capable of increasing a drying efficiency of frozen particles. [Solving Means] The freeze-drying apparatus 100 includes a freezing chamber 10 into which a raw material fluid F is injected. During the injection of the raw material fluid F, after the injection of the raw material fluid F, or for a time period covering the start to the termination of the injection of the raw material fluid F, a shelf 16 is vibrated in a horizontal direction due to an actuation of vibration generators 31. With this, the frozen particles deposited on the shelf 16 are evenly diffused on the shelf 16 in such a manner that a deposition thickness thereof becomes smaller or a single layer thereof is formed. With this, a freezing efficiency and the drying efficiency of individual particles are promoted.