Patent Application
20210138410
The present invention relates to a microbubble generation device used for a shower used in bathrooms, washrooms, etc., transportation and farming of aquatic organisms, purification of tap water, river water, ponds, lakes, dams, etc., resuscitation of the water environment, oil separation, etc. The present invention also relates to a microbubble generation method, and a shower apparatus and an oil-water separation apparatus having the microbubble generation device.
When hot water or water is discharged, the head and body are washed by creating a gentle flow from a shower head with a small hole using a shower in baths and bathrooms. It is known that cleaning with bubbles can improve the cleaning effect more than that without bubbles. When cleaning with the bubbles generated by the shower, it is expected that a cleaning efficiency will be increased, and that the skin massage effect and blood circulation will be improved. Air as well as hot water need to be taken in to generate bubbles. It is known that bubbles are generated by a method such as a venturi, and that showers with a venturi nozzle entering air from the side of a pipe are sold. A method of generating bubbles using a swirling flow generated by swirl holes is also applied to shower apparatus.
In addition, air floatation using a microbubble generation device has been well known as a method for transporting and farming aquatic organisms, purifying water quality such as tap water, river water, ponds, lakes, and dams, and reviving the water environment. Various methods different from those applied in the shower apparatus have been proposed as the microbubble generation device. For example, Patent Documents 1 to 4 disclose microbubble methods using a gas-liquid swirling flow.
The swirling microbubble generation device disclosed in Patent Document 1 comprises; a container having a conical or bottle-shaped space: a liquid inlet opened in a tangential direction on a part of the inner wall circumferential surface of the space: a gas introduction hole opened at the bottom of the space: and a swirling gas-liquid outlet opened at the top of the space. In this microbubble generation device, a swirling flow is generated inside and a negative pressure portion is formed on the conical tube axis by pumping a pressurized flow into the conical or bottle-shaped space from the liquid inlet. Microbubbles are obtained based on this mechanism.
Patent Document 2 discloses a microbubble generation device comprising; a container having a space in which a swirl flow can occur; a pressurized liquid inlet; a gas inlet; a liquid inlet; and a gas-liquid mixture outlet. The pressurized liquid inlet is arranged on a side surface of the container, so that the pressurized liquid that generates a swirling flow into the space is guided into the container.
Patent Document 3 proposes a gas-liquid mixer in which a swirling flow of water is formed by introducing water from a water conduit in the tangential direction of the liquid chamber of the mixing cylinder, microbubbles are generated by sucking a gas from an air supply pipe provided on the back surface and mixing the gas with the swirling flow of water, and the microbubbles are changed into ultrafine bubbles with a filter member which is provided outside the opening to perform bubble miniaturization.
Patent Document 4 discloses a swirling microbubble generation device comprising: a preliminary swirling unit that rectifies a gas-liquid mixture swirled by a liquid introduced from a liquid outlet in order to suppress the occurrence of severe cavitation erosion in the gas-liquid swirling chamber; and a main swirling section that contacts a gas introduced from a gas inlet with the liquid rectified in the preliminary swirling unit.
On the other hand, an application of the fine bubble generation device to an oil-water separation apparatus using a floating separation method has been studied. For example, Patent Documents 5 to 7 have proposed various configurations and structures.
In these oil-water separation apparatus according to the prior arts, unlike the swirling microbubble generator, a microbubble generation device that refines bubbles from an air blower with an impeller or a propeller blade (Patent Document 5), a microbubble generating device that treats dissolved air under a reduced pressure in a remover of large bubbles to obtain microbubbles (Patent Document 6), and a microbubble generation device that moves by pressurization and depressurization (Patent Document 7) are used, respectively.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-447
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-111616
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-195393
[Patent Document 4] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-142300
[Patent Document 5] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 03-229696
[Patent Document 6] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-125167
[Patent Document 7] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-151318
As a microbubble generation device that can be used for applications such as a shower used in bathrooms and washrooms, transport and storage of aquatic organisms, water purification and water environment resuscitation, and oil-water separation, it is traditionally required that bubbles can be miniaturized, that a large amount of fine bubbles can be generated efficiently, and that the generation of fine bubbles can be maintained even during a long time operation. Furthermore, a simple and compact configuration and structure thereof are strongly desired from the viewpoints of operability, durability, maintainability, and manufacturing cost reduction.
The venturi system in which the gas is put from a hole formed in the side of the tube when mixing a liquid and the gas, may cause water to enter the gas inlet when handling the shower by hand, thereby preventing the inflow of gas to the gas inlet. Therefore, the venturi-type shower has a problem that its operability and handling ability are inferior.
Further, the swirl type fine bubble generator described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 can generate fine bubbles with a simple mechanism of generating a swirl flow using a pressurized liquid. Because the swirl type fine bubble generator employed a method of pumping the pressurized liquid from an inlet formed in the tangential direction or side surface of the container, it is required to increase the pressure of the liquid introduced under pressure in order to generate a large amount of microbubbles. However, when the pressure of the liquid to be introduced under pressure is increased, a cavitation erosion occurs, resulting in a problem that the apparatus is worn and broken in a short period of time. This problem has been also pointed out in Patent Document 4.
Furthermore, in the microbubble generation devices described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, various devices are installed on the discharge port side of the gas-liquid mixture in order to generate microbubbles having a small diameter. However, these microbubble generation devices hardly generate a large amount of fine bubbles, and in the case of generating a large amount, the configuration and structure on the discharge port side of the gas-liquid mixture are complicated. For example, the invention described in Patent Document 1 adopts a method of reducing the cross section of a space from a pressurized liquid inlet to a swirling gas-liquid outlet, and a method of directing a swirling flow from four central outlets to four side outlets, respectively. However, the former has a limit in generating a large amount of fine bubbles, and the latter requires a rather large apparatus due to its complicated structure. In addition, the invention described in Patent Document 2 discloses a method of providing a plurality of gas-liquid mixture discharge ports, or a method of discharging a gas-liquid mixture through a gap from the side by providing with another donut-type bottom surface arranged with the gap from the end of the side surface of the container, respectively. However, in the former having a configuration in which the gas-liquid mixture is only discharged from the swirling tangential direction, the bubbles of the discharged gas-liquid mixture tend to have a larger particle diameter. The latter has a complicated apparatus and structure. Furthermore, the invention described in Patent Document 3 hardly generate a large amount of fine bubbles due to a resistance easily received from a filter member used as the bubble refining means when discharging a gas-liquid mixture. Therefore, from the standpoints of installation and handling, a device that is simpler and excellent in versatility is required as a device capable of generating a large amount of microbubbles having a small particle size.
The microbubble generation device described in Patent Document 4 has been proposed to suppress the cavitation erosion. However, it is necessary to increase the length of a casing by a portion corresponding to the preliminary swirling unit, since the microbubble generation device has the gas-liquid swirling chamber comprising the preliminary swirling unit and the main swirling unit. Furthermore, a gas inlet for introducing gas into the gas-liquid swirl chamber is provided extending to near the boundary between the preliminary swirl portion and the main swirl portion. This causes the microbubble generation device to have a rather complicated configuration and structure. Furthermore, the microbubble generation device comprises a through-hole with a small diameter as a gas-liquid discharge port transferred to the center of the edge part wall surface of a casing, but this structure hardly generates a large amount of fine bubbles and there is a limitation in doing so.
On the other hand, the oil-water separation apparatus described in Patent Documents 5 to 7 need to have parts and devices specially designed to produce a large amount of microbubbles and improve durability thereof, such as an impeller, a large bubble remover, and a pressure and decompression type fine bubble generator. However, it was not satisfactory in terms of handling and operability, since the configuration thereof was somewhat complicated. Therefore, there is a strong demand for an oil-water separation apparatus having a highly versatile microbubble generation device that can be handled more easily and has an excellent operability and durability.
The present inventions have been made in view of the above-described conventional problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a compact microbubble generation device which can generate a large amount of microbubbles by a simple mechanism of generating a swirling flow created by injecting a pressurized liquid in order to obtain the device which is excellent in handling, operability and durability by adopting a simpler configuration and structure, as compared with the conventional devices, and a method for generating a large amount of microbubbles by such the microbubble generation device. Another object of the present inventions is to provide with a shower apparatus and an oil and water separation apparatus having an excellent operability and durability, and a high versatility by using the swirling type microbubble generation device having such characteristics.
In microbubble generation devices using gas-liquid swirling flow, the present invention has been achieved with the discovery that the above-described challenge can be solved by adopting a new structure on a discharge side of a gas-liquid mixture to generate a large amount of microbubbles with a smaller particle size, and furthermore by adopting a structure of an inner cylinder comprising: through-slits or a through-holes formed so that a pressurized liquid is injected from the outside to the inside of the inner cylinder to generate a gas-liquid swirling flow; an inlet for introducing a gas into the inner cylinder; and an opening end portion capable of acting as a gas-liquid discharge outlet through which a gas-liquid discharges from a gas-liquid swirling chamber, as well as a structure of the inner cylinder comprising: the gas-liquid swirling chamber; and an outer cylinder container which forms a double cylinder structure by inserting the inner cylinder inside, differing from the swirling type microbubble generation device described in Patent Document 4.
That is, the configuration of the present invention is as follows.
[1] The present invention provides a microbubble generation device comprising: a cylindrical or conical cylinder having a gas-liquid swirling chamber therein for creating a space where a gas-liquid can swirl;
a gas-liquid discharge outlet formed on one side of the cylindrical or conical cylinder for discharging a gas-liquid mixture obtained by mixing a gas and a liquid in the gas-liquid swirling chamber; a liquid supply cylinder having a liquid inlet for introducing the liquid into the gas-liquid swirling chamber; and the gas supply cylinder having a gas inlet for introducing the gas into the gas-liquid swirling chamber,
wherein the gas-liquid discharge outlet has a plurality of through-holes or small recessed parts for branching and changing a large swirling vortex formed by the gas-liquid swirling chamber into smaller swirling vortexes on a liquid discharge side of the cylindrical or conical cylinder having a gas-liquid swirling chamber therein,
wherein the through-holes have a cylindrical shape and a small cross sectional circle diameter, being formed as the gas-liquid discharge outlet on an end wall surface closed on one side of the cylindrical or conical cylinder having the gas-liquid swirling chamber therein,
wherein the small recessed parts have a circular cross section and a circumferential length of a semicircle or more, being formed from the gas-liquid discharge outlet to the middle along a longitudinal direction of the inner wall of the cylindrical or conical cylinder toward the inside of the cylindrical or conical cylinder on the circumferential surface of the end inner wall opened at one side of the cylindrical or conical cylinder having the gas-liquid swirling chamber.
[2] The present invention provides the microbubble generation device according to the preceding [1],
wherein a circular diameter of a circular cross-sectional shape of the cylindrical through-holes or the small recessed parts is less than a half of the inner wall cross-sectional diameter of the cylindrical or conical cylinder having the gas-liquid swirling chamber therein, and has 10 mm or less as the absolute value.
[3] The present invention provides the microbubble generation device according to the preceding [1] or [2],
wherein each of the plurality of cylindrical through-holes has the same diameter in the circular cross-sectional shape, and is formed point-symmetrically with respect to a center of an end wall surface that is closed on one side of the cylindrical or conical cylinder having the gas-liquid swirling chamber therein.
[4] The present invention provides the microbubble generation device according to the preceding [1] or [2],
wherein each of the plurality of small recessed parts has the same diameter in the circular cross sectional shape, and is formed continuously in the state adjacent to each other on the circumferential surface of the inner wall of one end of the cylindrical or conical cylinder having the gas-liquid swirling chamber therein.
[5] The present invention provides the microbubble generation device according to any of the preceding [1] to [4], the device comprising:
an inner cylinder composed of the cylindrical or conical cylinder having the gas-liquid swirling chamber therein for creating the space where the gas-liquid can swirl; a cylindrical or conical outer cylinder container that forms a double cylindrical structure together with the inner cylinder inserted therein; and the liquid supply cylinder having the liquid inlet for introducing the liquid into the outer cylinder container,
wherein the inner cylinder comprises: an end closed at the liquid supply cylinder side; an end opposite to the liquid supply cylinder side, which has an opening for introducing the gas, provided as the gas inlet for introducing gas into the gas-liquid swirling chamber, and the plurality of cylindrical through-holes or the plurality of small recessed parts with a circular cross section and a circumferential length of a semicircle or more, provided as the gas-liquid discharge outlet for discharging the gas-liquid from the gas-liquid swirling chamber, wherein the small recessed parts are formed up to the middle along the longitudinal direction of the inner wall of the cylindrical or conical cylinder from the gas-liquid discharge outlet toward the inside of the cylindrical or conical cylinder on the circumferential surface of the end inner wall opened at one side opposite to the liquid supply cylinder side; and one or more through-slits or through-holes that are formed from one end on the liquid supply cylinder side to the middle along a longitudinal direction of the inner cylinder,
wherein the inner cylinder is integrated with the outer cylinder container in such a way that a gap for introducing the liquid is formed between the inner cylinder outer wall of the part where the through-slits or the through-holes are formed and the inner wall of the outer cylinder container, and
wherein microbubbles are generated using the gas-liquid swirling flow created by injecting and introducing the liquid which is supplied through the through-slits or through-holes from the liquid introduction inlet of the liquid supply cylinder into the gas-liquid swirling chamber equipped inside the inner cylinder.
[6] The present invention provides the microbubble generation device according to any of the preceding [1] to [4], the device comprising:
an inner cylinder composed of the cylindrical or conical cylinder having the gas-liquid swirling chamber therein for creating the space where the gas-liquid can swirl; the cylindrical or conical outer cylinder container that forms a double cylindrical structure together with the inner cylinder inserted therein; and the liquid supply cylinder having the liquid inlet for introducing liquid into the outer cylinder container,
wherein the inner cylinder comprises: an opening end connected to the gas supply cylinder having a gas inlet on the liquid supply cylinder side, provided as the gas inlet for introducing gas into the gas-liquid swirling chamber; an end opposite to the liquid supply cylinder side, which has a plurality of cylindrical through-holes on the circumferential surface of the end inner wall closed thereat, or a plurality of small recessed parts with a circular cross section and a circumferential length of a semicircle or more on the circumferential surface of the end inner wall opened thereat, provided as the gas-liquid discharge outlet for discharging gas-liquid from the gas-liquid swirling chamber, wherein the small recessed parts are formed up to the middle along the longitudinal direction of the inner wall of the cylinder from the gas-liquid discharge outlet toward the inside of the cylindrical or conical cylinder; and one or more through-slits or through-holes that are formed from one end on the liquid supply cylinder side to the middle along a longitudinal direction of the inner cylinder,
wherein the inner cylinder is integrated with the outer cylinder container in such a way that a gap for introducing the liquid is formed between the inner cylinder outer wall of the part where the through-slits or through-holes are formed and the inner wall of the outer cylinder container, and
wherein microbubbles are generated using the gas-liquid swirling flow created by injecting and introducing the liquid which is supplied through the through-slits or the through-holes from the liquid introduction inlet of the liquid supply cylinder into the gas-liquid swirling chamber equipped inside the inner cylinder.
[7] The present invention provides the microbubble generation device according to any of the preceding [1] to [4], the device comprising:
an inner cylinder composed of the cylindrical or conical cylinder having the gas-liquid swirling chamber therein for creating the space where the gas-liquid can swirl; a cylindrical or conical outer cylinder container that forms a double cylindrical structure together with the inner cylinder inserted therein; and the liquid supply cylinder having the liquid inlet for introducing liquid into the outer cylinder container,
wherein the inner cylinder comprises: an opening end connected to the gas supply cylinder having a gas inlet on the liquid supply cylinder side, provided as the gas inlet for introducing gas into the gas-liquid swirling chamber; an end opposite to the liquid supply cylinder side, which has a plurality of cylindrical through-holes on the circumferential surface of the end inner wall closed thereat, or a plurality of small recessed parts with a circular cross section and a circumferential length of a semicircle or more on the circumferential surface of the end inner wall opened thereat, provided as the gas-liquid discharge outlet for discharging the gas-liquid from the gas-liquid swirling chamber, wherein the small recessed parts are formed up to the middle along the longitudinal direction of the inner wall of the cylinder from the gas-liquid discharge outlet toward the inside of the cylindrical or conical cylinder; and one or more through-slits or through-holes that are formed from one end on the liquid supply cylinder side to the middle along a longitudinal direction of the inner cylinder,
wherein the inner cylinder is integrated with the outer cylinder container in such a way that a gap for introducing the liquid is formed between the inner cylinder outer wall of the part where the through-slits or the through-holes are formed and the inner wall of the outer cylinder container, and
wherein microbubbles are generated using the gas-liquid swirling flow created by injecting and introducing the liquid which is supplied through the through-slits or through-holes from the liquid introduction inlet of the liquid supply cylinder into the gas-liquid swirling chamber equipped inside the inner cylinder.
[8] The present invention provides the microbubble generation device, according to any of the preceding [5] to [7],
wherein the through-slits or the through-holes have an opening passage adjusting a jetting direction so that a position of P is included in a distance range of r/2 or less toward the center from the inner wall of the inner cylinder section on the vertical line, when an inner wall circular radius of the inner cylinder cross section is r, and a position of the inner wall section of the inner cylinder cross section where the injected liquid collides is P, wherein P is the position projected onto a line drawn with respect to the tangent line of the inner wall circle parallel to the liquid injection direction.
[9] The present invention provides the microbubble generation device according to any of the preceding [5] to [8],
wherein the through-holes are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the inner cylinder, and
wherein L is larger than W, when a length of the through-slits or a distance between the centers of the through-holes positioned at both ends, arranged in the longitudinal direction of the inner cylinder, is L, and a width of the through-slits in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the inner cylinder, or a diameter or a length of the through-holes is W.
[10] The present invention provides the microbubble generation device according to any of the preceding [5] or [9],
wherein the plurality of through-slits or through-holes are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the inner cylinder cross-section.
[11] The present invention provides the microbubble generation device according to any of the preceding [5] or [7],
wherein the microbubble generation device has a cylindrical tube for introducing the gas into the inner cylinder having the gas-liquid swirling chamber, being configured one end of the cylindrical tube to be the gas inlet.
[12] The present invention provides a microbubble generation method using the microbubble generation device defined in any of the preceding [5] to [11], the method comprising:
injecting and introducing a pressurized liquid supplied through the through-slits or through-holes formed in the inner cylinder from the liquid inlet of the liquid supply cylinder into the gas-liquid swirling chamber inside the cylinder by supplying a pressurized liquid from the liquid inlet of the liquid supply cylinder;
mixing the gas sucked from the gas inlet under a negative pressure generated at the center of the swirling flow of the liquid that is formed by a centrifugal force created when the liquid jet is introduced into the gas-liquid swirling chamber, with the liquid injected from a liquid injection port of the through-slits or the through-holes at the liquid injection port and in the vicinity thereof; and
discharging the gas-liquid swirling flow obtained by mixing of the liquid and the gas through the inner wall surface of the inner cylinder from the gas-liquid discharge outlet.
[13] The present invention provides the microbubble generation method in a state of immersing the microbubble generation device defined in the preceding [11] into a liquid, the method comprising:
injecting and introducing a pressurized liquid supplied through the through-slits or the through-holes formed in the inner cylinder from the liquid inlet of the liquid supply cylinder into the gas-liquid swirling chamber equipped inside the inner cylinder;
introducing the gas through the cylindrical tube from the outside into the gas-liquid swirling chamber equipped inside the inner cylinder; mixing the gas sucked from the cylindrical tube under a negative pressure generated at the center of the swirling flow of the liquid that is formed by a centrifugal force created when the liquid jet is introduced into the gas-liquid swirling chamber, with the liquid ejected from a liquid injection port of the through-slits or the through-holes at the liquid injection port and in the vicinity thereof; and
discharging the gas-liquid swirling flow obtained by mixing of the liquid through the inner wall surface of the inner cylinder from the gas-liquid discharge outlet.
[14] The present invention provides the microbubble generation method in a state of immersing the microbubble generation device defined in the preceding [11] into a liquid, the method comprising:
injecting and introducing a pressurized liquid supplied from the liquid inlet of the liquid supply cylinder through the through-slits or through-holes formed in the inner cylinder into the gas-liquid swirling chamber inside the cylinder tube;
introducing a warm air with a higher temperature or a cool air with a lower temperature than the liquid before immersion of the microbubble generating device through the cylindrical tube from the outside into the gas-liquid swirling chamber equipped inside the inner cylinder;
mixing the gas sucked from the cylindrical tube under a negative pressure generated at the center of the swirling flow of the liquid that is formed by a centrifugal force created when the liquid jet is introduced into the gas-liquid swirling chamber, with the liquid ejected from a liquid injection port of the through slits or the through holes at the liquid injection port and in the vicinity thereof; and
discharging the gas-liquid swirling flow obtained by mixing of the liquid through the inner wall surface of the inner cylinder from the gas-liquid discharge outlet,
wherein a temperature in the liquid having the microbubble generation device immersed therein is adjusted by the warm air or the cool air.
[15] The present invention provides a shower apparatus comprising the microbubble generating device defined in any of the preceding [1] to [11],
wherein a water or a hot water is supplied from an opening located on the side opposite to the liquid introduction inlet in the liquid supply cylinder, and sprayed from the gas-liquid discharging outlet of the microbubble generation device in a state of containing microbubbles.
[16] The present invention provides an oil-water separation apparatus comprising:
the microbubble generating device defined in claim 11 arranged at a bottom of the oil-water separator;
an oil and water mixture separation tank for injecting an oil and water mixture; and
a pump for supplying or circulating a part of the oil and water mixture injected into the oil and water mixture separation tank to the liquid supply cylinder equipped in the microbubble generation device.
The microbubble generation device according to the present invention can miniaturize the bubbles, generate a large amount of fine bubbles efficiently, and maintain the generation of the fine bubbles even during long-time operation by not only generating microbubbles by a simple mechanism of generating a swirling flow by the injection of pressurized liquid, but also having the gas-liquid discharge outlet in which a plurality of through-holes or small recessed parts having a small vortex branching function for changing a large swirl vortex into small vortexes are formed on the gas-liquid discharge side of the cylindrical or conical cylinder having a gas-liquid swirling chamber inside. In addition, the microbubble generation device is excellent in handling, operability and durability, and can construct a compact device, due to its simpler configuration and structure than the conventional microbubble generation device utilizing the swirling flow.
Unlike the venturi system, the microbubble generation device according to the present invention does not have a gas injection tube etc. on the side surface of the outer cylinder container and has a simple structure, resulting in an excellent operability and handling. Furthermore, by using the microbubble generation device according to the present invention, it is possible to establish the microbubble generation method by which a large amount of stable microbubbles can be generated efficiently over a long period of time. Therefore, not only a high cleaning efficiency but also an effect of improving the skin massaging effect and the blood circulation can be obtained, when the microbubble generation device according to the present invention is applied to the shower apparatus. In addition, the microbubbles generation device according to the present invention contributes greatly to the maintenance and growth of living organisms and environmental conservation, when applied to the transportation and farming of living organisms, water purification, tap water, river water, ponds, lakes, dams, etc. for water quality purification and resuscitation of the water environment,.
On the other hand, when the swirl flow microbubble generation device of the present invention is applied as the component of the oil and water separation apparatus, the configuration and structure thereof become simple, resulting in an excellent operability and durability and high versatility. In addition, it is possible to reduce costs for manufacturing, installation, and maintenance as compared with conventional oil-water separation apparatus, since an efficient oil-water separation performance is maintained over a long period of time.
The microbubble generation device according to embodiments of the present invention uses a simple mechanism of generating a swirling flow by injection of a pressurized liquid to generate microbubbles, the microbubble generation device comprising basically; a cylindrical or conical cylinder having a gas-liquid swirling chamber therein for forming a space where the gas-liquid can swirl: a gas-liquid discharge outlet arranged on one side of the cylindrical or conical cylinder for discharging the gas-liquid mixture in which the gas and the liquid are mixed in the gas-liquid swirling chamber; a liquid supply cylinder having a liquid introduction inlet for introducing the liquid into the gas-liquid swirling chamber; and a gas supply cylinder having a gas introduction port for introducing a gas into the gas-liquid swirling chamber.
Furthermore, in order to generate a large amount of microbubbles having a smaller particle diameter from the gas-liquid discharge outlet, a plurality of cylindrical through-holes having at least a small cross-sectional circle diameter are formed as the gas-liquid discharge outlet on one side end of a cylindrical or conical cylinder having the gas-liquid swirling chamber therein, or a plurality of small recessed parts having a circular cross-section and a circumference length equal to or larger than a half circle are formed as the gas-liquid discharge outlet from the gas-liquid discharge outlet to the middle along the longitudinal direction of the inner wall of the cylindrical or conical cylinder toward the inside thereof, on a circumferential surface of an inner wall of an end portion opened on one side of the cylindrical or conical cylinder.
Thus, the microbubble generation device according to the present invention is characterized by having the gas- liquid discharge outlet 10 in which the plenty of cylindrical through-holes 9 or recessed parts 13 are formed to demonstrate a small vortex branch function for changing the large turning vortex flow of the gas-liquid swirling flow 8 formed in the gas-liquid swirling chamber 4 into a small turning vortex flow 11, as shown in
The through-holes 9 shown in
Here, the smaller the cross-sectional diameter of the through-holes 9 or the recessed parts 13, the higher the effect of reducing the diameter of the bubbles. The through-holes 9 or the recessed parts 13 are circular in the cross-section so that the small vortexes passing through the portions can maintain swirling flows. Furthermore the recessed parts 13 are required to have a circumferential length equal to or larger than a half circle of the circle cross-section. In the circular cross-sectional shape of the cylindrical through-holes 9 or the small recessed parts13, it is preferable that the circular diameter is less than ½ of the inner wall cross sectional diameter of the cylindrical or conical cylinder 5 having the gas-liquid swirling chamber 4 and the absolute value thereof is 10 mm or less so as to suppress an occurrence of turbulence in the swirling flows of the small vortexes and perform a stable formation of the swirling flow. When the diameter of the circular cross section of the through-holes 9 or the small recessed parts 13 is ½ or more of the inner wall cross-sectional diameter of the cylinder 5, a rate of changing from the large vortex to the small vortexes becomes small, thereby the effect of reducing the size of the microbubbles cannot be sufficiently obtained. When the cross sectional circular diameter of the through-holes 9 or the small recessed parts 13 is less than ½ of the inner wall cross sectional diameter of the cylinder 5, but the absolute value thereof exceeds 10 mm, the pressure change becomes small when discharging the small vortex flows to the outside from the gas-liquid discharge outlet, and the effect of reducing the size of the air bubble cannot be sufficiently obtained. In the present invention, it is practical from the viewpoint of including a workability point that the through-holes 9 or the recessed parts 13 have the circular cross section diameter of 1 to 10 mm as the absolute value, and more preferably 3 to 6 mm.
As described above, it is essential that that present invention have the through holes 9 or the recessed parts 13 as the gas-liquid discharge outlet to reduce the diameter of the microbubbles contained in the gas-liquid mixture to be discharged. This problem does not solve a fundamental problem even if the pressure of the liquid introduced from the liquid inlet is increased. Conversely, a large load is applied to the device, and abnormal noise may be generated during operation of the device. In addition, as disclosed in the invention described in Patent Document 2, the installation of another bottom surface of the donut type on the gas-liquid discharging outlet side, or the method of using the filter described in Patent Document 3, not only makes the structure of the device complicated, but also requires the technological skill and effort in adjusting the device when a large amount of microbubbles are to be produced. In addition, the life of the device tends to be shortened, and the device needs to be frequently maintained.
On the other hand, by providing a plurality of through holes 9 or small recessed parts 13 as the gas-liquid discharge port in the present invention, the particle diameter of the fine bubbles can be reduced without complicating the configuration and structure of the device. In addition, since a large amount of microbubbles can be generated by using multiple gas-liquid outlets, a synergistic effect can be obtained. Furthermore, since the configuration and structure of the device can be simplified, the device life can be extended without frequent maintenance.
In the microbubble generation device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of through holes 9 have the same diameter in the circular cross section, and are provided point-symmetrically with respect to the center of the end wall surface closed on one side of the cylindrical or conical cylinder having the gas-liquid swirling chamber therein (see
In the present invention, for example, using the microbubble generation device having a double cylindrical structure, which will be described later, it is also possible to generate a large amount of microbubbles having a range of 1 to 30 nm by adopting a structure in which the small recessed parts having the semicircular cross section with the same diameter are continuously provided as the gas-liquid discharging outlet in an adjacent state to each other on the inner wall circumferential surface of one opened end portion of the cylindrical or conical cylinder, and by introducing the liquid at a pressure of 10 MPa or more from the liquid inlet. Here, the average particle diameter of the nano-bubbles can be measured with a cryo-transmission electron microscope using an ice embedded method as described in JP2016-095183 A1, for example. In addition, a measurement by a dynamic light scattering method (photon correlation method) is possible.
Compared to the conventional swirling flow microbubble generator, the microbubble generation device according to the present invention can generate smaller microbubbles and achieve an efficient mass generation of the microbubbles with a simpler configuration and structure by adopting not only a new structure on the discharge outlet side of the gas-liquid mixture to generate a large amount of microbubbles having a smaller diameter, but also a double cylinder structure comprising; an inner cylinder having the gas-liquid swirl chamber inside: and an outer cylinder container which the inner cylinder is inserted into, as mentioned above. In addition, it is possible not only to sustain the generation of microbubbles even during long-time operation, but also to have a compact device that is excellent in handling, operability and durability.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the microbubble generation device having the double cylindrical structure according to the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.
The pressurized liquid 15a supplied from one end opening of the liquid supply cylinder 15 is introduced into the outer cylinder container 16 from the liquid inlet 19 of the liquid supply cylinder 15. As shown by the flows 15b of the liquid, this pressurized liquid enters the gap 24 formed between the outer wall of the inner cylinder 18 and the inner wall of the outer cylinder container 16 and passes through the through-slits 23 (or it may be the through-holes) and is injected so as to rotate around the inner circumference of the inner cylinder 18. The gap 24 needs to be formed at least up to the portion where the through-slots 23 (the through-holes) are formed in the inner cylinder 18, since the pressurized liquid introduced from the liquid inlet 19 is uniformly ejected from the inner periphery of the inner cylinder 18 through the through-slits 23 (or the through-holes).
The pressurized liquid thus ejected starts to rotate while the liquid is pressed against the inner wall surface by a centrifugal force in the gas-liquid swirl chamber 22 inside the inner cylinder 18. Since the liquid that has started to rotate has a lower pressure at the center of the swirling vortex, a gas 25 existing at the end of the open end portion 21 of the inner cylinder 18 in the atmospheric pressure state is sucked. At this time the gas 25 is light, so the gas 25 is sucked toward the center of the gas-liquid swirling chamber 22, moves toward the end 20 closed on the liquid supply cylinder 15 side as indicated by 25a, is mixed with the pressurized liquid in the inner wall surface of the inner cylinder 18, and is mixed as bubbles contained inside the pressurized liquid in an apparently cloudy state while swirling together in the gas-liquid swirl chamber 22. The gas-liquid swirling flow generated in the gas-liquid swirling chamber 22 gradually goes to the open end 21 of the inner cylinder 18, and then the liquid containing microbubbles is injected by being discharged from the circular outer periphery of the end 21. Thus, the open end 21 of the inner cylinder 18 functions as a gas inlet 26 for introducing the gas into the gas-liquid swirling chamber 22 and the gas-liquid discharge outlet 17 from which the gas-liquid discharges from the gas-liquid swirl chamber 22. Therefore, these different functions can be obtained at different locations in one opening, that is, at the central portion (portion that functions as the gas inlet 26) and the peripheral portion (portion that functions as the gas-liquid discharge outlet 17).
As described above, the liquid rotates by being pressed against the inner wall surface of the inner cylinder 18 of the microbubble generating device 14 by the centrifugal force. By forming the small vortex branch wall on the shower nozzle surface in contact with the liquid, the liquid and the gas can be mixed more smoothly. Thereby, not only the bubbles can be made finer, but also a large amount of microbubbles can be generated.
Since the pressurized liquid forms a vortex while rotating as shown in
As can be seen from the flow of liquid and the generation state of vortexes shown in
As described above, using the microbubble generation device 14 according to this embodiment, a microbubble generation method comprises: supplying the pressurized liquid 15a from the liquid inlet 19 of the liquid supply cylinder 15, injecting and introducing a pressurized liquid 15a through the through-slits 23 (or the through-holes) formed in the inner cylinder 18 into the gas-liquid swirling chamber 22 inside the inner cylinder 18; mixing the gas 25 sucked from the gas inlet 26 under a negative pressure generated at the center of the swirling flow of the liquid that is formed by the centrifugal force created when the liquid jet is injected and introduced into the gas-liquid swirling chamber, with the liquid injected from a liquid injection port of the through-slits 23 (or the through-holes) at the liquid injection port and in the vicinity thereof; and discharging the gas-liquid swirling flow obtained by mixing of the liquid and the gas 25a through the inner wall surface of the inner cylinder 18 from the gas-liquid discharge outlet 17.
Next, the shape (length and width) of the through slit 23 formed in the inner cylinder 18 of the microbubble generation device 14 according to the present embodiment will be explained.
The through slit 23 is preferably such that L is greater than W and more L is twice W, where L is the length in the longitudinal direction of the inner cylinder 18 and W is the width in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The through-slit formed in a rectangular shape having a long side in the longitudinal direction of the inner cylinder 18 (or the through-holes formed in an elliptical shape having a long axis) is effective for generating a high-speed gas-liquid swirling flow. On the other hand, the length of the depth is determined by the thickness of the inner cylinder 18.
Furthermore, the width (W) of the through-slits 23 shown in
The speed of the liquid ejected from the through-slits 23 is influenced not only by the absolute value of the width of the through-slits 23 but also by the internal volume of the inner cylinder 18 due to the pressure difference. Therefore, the width of the through slit 23 provided for obtaining the effect of the present invention is preferably defined by the ratio to the inner diameter of the inner cylinder 18.
Moreover, as shown in
When the through-slits 23 are provided in the tangential direction of the inner cylinder 18 as shown in this embodiment, there are the following two formation methods. One is a method of forming the through-slits on the closed end side by using an inner cylinder that has been molded in advance so as to have one end closed and the other open end. The other is a method of integrating by covering an end opening on the side where the through-slits are formed, after forming the through-slits in the tangential direction of the inner wall circumference of any one of the ends using a cylinder having ends open at both ends. Here, as a method of attaching the lid, any one of pressure welding molding, caulking molding, adhesion, and joining can be employed. In addition, as the inner cylinder or cylinder used in the both forming methods, the small vortex branch wall 28 made of a semicircular recessed parts 27, which is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the end opposite to the end forming the through slits, may be used.
In the present embodiment, the latter of the two formation methods is preferable because the through-slits 23 are easily formed and the width and length of the through-slits 23 can be formed with high accuracy. That is, the closed end portion located on the liquid supply cylinder 2 side comprises an open cylindrical end portion and a lid that closes the opening of the cylindrical end portion. What is closed with the lid by any of methods of fastening, bonding, and joining is used as the inner cylinder 18. In addition, as will be described later, when the through-slits 23 are not provided in the tangential direction of the inner cylinder 18, there is almost no difference between superiority and inferiority in the two formation methods. In that case, either method can be employed depending on the situation of the simplified manufacturing process and the cost reduction, etc..
Next, the shapes of the inner cylinder 18 and the outer cylinder container 16 forming a double cylinder structure formed in the microbubble generation device according to the present embodiment will be explained. The shapes of the inner cylinder 18 and the outer cylinder container 16 shown in
As described above, unlike the venturi system, the microbubble generation device according to the present embodiment does not need to form a gas injection tube or the like on the side surface of the outer cylinder container. Furthermore, unlike the microbubble generation device described in Patent Document 4, it is not necessary to provide a preliminary swirl portion, and to arrange a gas supply cylinder for introducing the gas into the gas-liquid swirling chamber in the center of a lower end wall surface of the liquid supply cylinder. Thus, the microbubble generation device according to the present invention has an excellent handling and operability, a high reliability and an improved durability, due to its superior feature in the configuration and structure of the inner cylinder 18, differing from those of the conventional microbubble generation device.
The fine bubble generation device 14 according to the present embodiment has a simple device configuration and can generate the rotating vortexes of the small liquid containing bubbles, and thus can be applied to, for example, a shower apparatus. Specifically, the microbubble generation device 14 is used as a shower nozzle for supplying water or hot water from one end opening located on the opposite side of the liquid inlet 19 in the liquid supply cylinder 15. This microbubble generation device is equipped in a shower apparatus that injects from a gas-liquid discharge outlet 17 of the microbubble generating device 14 to a desired portion (for example, skin) of the human body in a state where bubbles are contained in the water or the hot water. When hot water is used as the pressurized liquid, the gas-liquid mixed with liquid and air hits the skin as it is sprayed while rotating, so the addition of a stimulation caused by the bursting of bubbles, a massaging power by the rotating hot water, and a water pressure of the shower can synergistically promote a blood circulation. Thereby, the effect of an efficient cleaning and massaging can be obtained. Moreover, this shower apparatus can create the cleaning effect of the new sense which is not in the past, since this shower apparatus discharges the water in a polka dot state from the exit of a shower nozzle.
As shown in
The pressurized liquid 37 supplied from the opening at one end of the liquid supply cylinder 31 is introduced into the outer cylinder container 32 from the liquid inlet 38 of the liquid supply cylinder 31. As indicated by the liquid flow 37a, the pressurized liquid 37 enters the gap 43 provided between the outer wall of the inner cylinder 36 and the inner wall of the outer cylinder container 32, and is injected the through slits 42 formed in the inner cylinder 36 (or may be one or the plurality of through-holes arranged in a vertical array) so as to rotate on the inner periphery of the inner cylinder 36. The gap 43 needs to be formed at least up to a portion where the through slits 42 (or one or a plurality of vertically arranged through holes) are formed in the inner cylinder 36, so that the pressurized liquid introduced from the liquid inlet 38 is uniformly injected through the through-slits 42 (or one or the plurality of through-holes arranged in a vertical array) from the inner circumference of the inner cylinder 36.
The pressurized liquid injected in this manner starts to rotate while being pressed against the inner wall surface by a centrifugal force in the gas-liquid swirling chamber 40 arranged inside the inner cylinder 36. Since the pressure of the liquid that has started to rotate becomes lower toward the center of the swirl vortex, the gas 44 in the atmospheric state is sucked through the gas inlet 39 and the vent 41 of the air holder 33 from the gas supply cylinder 34 into the gas-liquid swirling chamber 40. Here, the gas 44 is not limited to atmospheric air, and may be sent as the pressurized air. The gas 44 fed in the gas supply cylinder 34 is mixed as bubbles in the pressurized liquid in an apparently clouded state while swirling together inside the gas-liquid swirling chamber 40 by mixing with the pressurized liquid 37 introduced from the liquid inlet 38. The gas-liquid swirling flow generated in the gas-liquid swirling chamber 40 gradually goes to the opening (the gas-liquid discharge outlet 35) between the inner wall of the inner cylinder 36 and the air holder 33. After that, the liquid containing microbubbles is ejected in a discharged from the gas-liquid discharge outlet 35.
As shown in
As described above, the microbubble generation device 30 shown in
As shown in
The pressurized liquid 52 supplied from the liquid supply cylinder 47 changes direction and is introduced into the outer cylinder container 48. The pressurized liquid 52a enters the gap 57 formed between the inner wall of the outer cylinder container 48 and the outer wall of the inner cylinder 51, and are injected to rotate around the inner cylinder 51 after passing through the through-holes 56 (or the through-slits) formed in the inner cylinder 51.
The pressurized liquid injected in this way starts to rotate while being pressed against the inner wall surface by a centrifugal force in the gas-liquid swirling chamber 55 formed inside the inner cylinder 51. Since the liquid starting the rotation has a lower pressure at the center of the swirling vortex, a gas in the atmospheric state is sucked in from two directions. One of the sucked gas is an air 58 introduced through the gas introduction port 54 from the gas supply cylinder 49, and the other is an air 59 introduced from the end of the inner cylinder 51 which is opened on the gas-liquid discharge outlet 50 side. Here, the air 58 introduced through the gas introduction port 54 can optimize a gas flow rate by using the valve 60 for controlling the introduction amount of the gas. This improves the usability of the device.
As described above, the present embodiment has a configuration different from those of the first and second embodiments in that the gas is introduced from the two front and rear directions of the microbubble generation device. Here, the airs 58 and 59 are not limited to air in the atmospheric state, and may be sent as a pressurized air.
The fed gases 58 and 59 are mixed with the pressurized liquid 52 introduced from the liquid supply cylinder 47, and are swirled together in the gas-liquid swirl chamber 55. The mixing of the fed gases takes place as gas bubbles while appearing cloudy in the pressurized liquid. A gas-liquid swirling flow generated in the gas-liquid swirling chamber 55 gradually goes to the open end of the inner cylinder 51, and the liquid containing microbubbles is discharged in a form discharged from the gas-liquid discharge outlet 50.
As shown in
Thus, the microbubble generation device 46 shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The pressurized liquid 68 supplied from the liquid inlet 63 is introduced into a passage 72a formed in the inner cylinder 67 which is integrated with the outer cylinder container 64. The pressurized liquid 68a passing through the passage 72a enters a passage 72b close to the through hole 71 (or the through slit) formed in the inner cylinder 67, and is injected through the through-holes 71 (or the through-slits) so as to rotate around the inner periphery of the inner cylinder 67. Here, the passage 72b close to the through-hole 71 (or the through-slit) corresponds to a gap formed between the inner wall of the outer cylinder container and the outer wall of the inner cylinder in the first to third embodiments. The inner cylinder 67 is integrated with the outer cylinder container 64 via a sealing O-ring 73 in order to improve airtightness so that liquid does not leak from the passage 72b.
The pressurized liquid thus ejected starts to rotate while being pressed against the inner wall surface by a centrifugal force in the gas-liquid swirling chamber 70 inside the inner cylinder 67. Since the liquid starting to rotate has a lower pressure at the center of a swirling vortex, a gas in the atmospheric state is sucked in from two directions. One of the sucked gas is an air 75 introduced from a gas inlet 65 provided perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the microbubble generation device 62, and the other is an air 74 existing at the tip of an end opened on the gas-liquid discharge outlet 66 side in the inner cylinder 67. In the former case, that is, the air 75 introduced from the gas inlet 65 is divided into two directions and opened at the center of the inner cylinder 67 as shown in the cross sectional view J-J and is introduced into the gas-liquid swirling chamber 70 through a small hole 76 opened at the center of the inner cylinder 67. Here, at least one of the airs 75 and 74 introduced from the gas inlet 65 and the gas-liquid discharge outlet 66 is not limited to atmospheric air, and may be sent as pressurized air.
The introduced airs 75 and 74 are mixed with the pressurized liquid 68 introduced from the liquid inlet 63, and are swirled together in the gas-liquid swirling chamber 70. The mixing of the fed gases takes place as gas bubbles while appearing cloudy in the pressurized liquid. The gas-liquid swirling flow generated in the gas-liquid swirling chamber 70 gradually goes to the open end of the inner cylinder 67, and the liquid containing microbubbles is ejected in a form discharged from the gas-liquid discharge outlet 66.
As shown in
The microbubble generation device 62 shown in
As described above, the microbubble generation device 62 shown in
The microbubble generation device 62 shown in
In the first embodiment, the example of the microbubble generation device in which the through-slits 23 are formed in the tangential direction of the inner cylinder 18 has been described. However, in the present invention, the position where the through slits are provided is limited to the tangential direction of the inner cylinder.
As shown in
As shown in
By incorporating the internal cylinder 78 provided with two through-slits 79 at a distance of r/4 from the inner wall of the cross section toward the center into the microbubble generation device shown in
The position of P in the present embodiment can be defined within the same range even when the through-slits 23 are provided in the tangential direction as in the inner cylinder 18 used in the first embodiment. That is, in the first embodiment, the position of P defined in the present embodiment is a position where the position of the inner cylinder 18 is 0 (zero) from the inner wall of the cross section of the inner cylinder 18 to the center, being included in the range of a distance of r/2 or less. Accordingly, as a modified example of the inner cylinder used in this embodiment, the inner cylinder which has penetration slits in any of positions of a tangential direction and any of different positions from a tangential direction simultaneously may be used, as shown in the cross-sectional view of
In the present embodiment, the through-slits 79, 86, and 87 formed in the inner cylinders 78 and 85 shown in
As shown in
By incorporating the inner cylinder according to the present embodiment and the fifth embodiment into the microbubble generating device, it can be applied as a nozzle of the shower device in the same manner as the fine bubble generation device according to the first embodiment. Therefore, an efficient cleaning and massaging effect can be obtained from the shower apparatus.
Each of the microbubble generation devices according to the first to sixth embodiments can be used mainly as a shower nozzle. These microbubble generating devices can be modified or enlarged to be used for transporting and farming aquatic organisms, purification of water quality, resuscitation of water environment, and the like. That is, a large amount of gas bubbles such as air generated by the bubble generation device can be put into dirty water that is contained in a water tank, a lake and so on.
As shown in
The operation when the microbubble generation device shown in
As shown in
Furthermore, a liquid 102 is forcedly pushed from the opening of the liquid supply cylinder 94 by using a pump or the like to create the vortex as described above, and the gas 101 is sucked in from the opening at the tip of the cylindrical tube 96 with a negative pressure. Or the nozzle of the microbubble generation device 93 may be set at a deep water depth in a state of pressing the gas 101 in advance. Thereby, bubbles can be generated. Underwater such as an aquarium or a lake can be agitated by the action of relatively large bubbles using this. This action can be realized by, for example, the configuration of the microbubble generation device shown in
The microbubble generation device 93 shown in
In a microbubble generation device 107 shown in
As shown in
As described above, the method for generating microbubbles in the state of being immersed in the liquid using the microbubble generation device according to the present embodiment, fundamentally comprises; for example, as shown in
In addition, the microbubble generation device according to this embodiment can adjust the temperature of the liquid in which the microbubble generation device is immersed by the following method. Specifically, the method for generating microbubbles fundamentally comprises: injecting and introducing the pressurized liquid into the gas-liquid swirling chamber 99 inside the inner cylinder 97 through the through-slits 103 (or the through- holes) formed in the inner cylinder 97 by supplying the pressurized liquid from the liquid inlet of the liquid supply cylinder 94 in
According to this method, for example, by introducing the warm air from an air conditioner or the hot air from a heater through cylindrical tube, the warm gas is sent into the liquid in which the microbubble generation device according to the present invention is immersed. Thereby the temperature of the entire liquid can be raised without using a heater for heating. Moreover, when the temperature rises too much, it can respond easily only by stopping the operation of a microbubble generation device. When it is conversely desired to lower the temperature of the liquid, the temperature of the entire liquid can be lowered without cooling the entire room by introducing the cool air from an air conditioner or outside air. This method can easily adjust the temperature of the liquid by generating bubbles from the inside thereof, when the temperature of a large amount of water or liquid stored in a large-capacity container, such as aquaculture water or food liquid, is adjusted appropriately. Therefore, an unprecedented energy saving effect can be obtained.
Moreover, the oil-water separation apparatus 121 according to this embodiment may be equipped with a water storage tank 127 for storing the pure water containing no oil separately from an oil-water mixture liquid. The pure water is supplied from the water storage tank 127 to the liquid supply cylinder 124, and the pure water is introduced from the bottom of the oil and water mixture separation tank 123 together with the bubbles generated by the microbubble generation device 122, thereby the oil-water separation can be accelerated than the method for circulating only the oil and water mixture. This is because the introduction of the pure water increases the ratio of water in the oil and water mixture present at the bottom of the oil and water mixture separation tank 123 and in the lower prat thereof, and thereby promotes separation of the oil phase and the water phase. When the water storage tank 127 is also equipped, a pump 128 and regulating valves 129 for supplying the pure water are arranged as 129a and 129b between the water storage tank 127 and the liquid supply cylinder 124, respectively.
An operation principle of the oil-water separation apparatus shown in
The microbubble generation device 122 used in the oil-water separation apparatus 121 according to the present embodiment has an effect that a large amount of microbubbles can be generated. Therefore, the microbubble generation device122 is very effective for efficiently performing the oil and water separation. Furthermore, the fine bubble generation device 122 operates based on a simple mechanism in which bubbles are generated using formation of vortexes due to the generation of the swirling flow. In addition, the introduction of gas from outside can be performed only by attaching the cylindrical tube 130, so that it is not necessary to use a high-pressure air pump for sending the gas necessary for generating bubbles. If the gas is sent out by a high-pressure air pump, the high-pressure air pump must always be operated to prevent backflow even when the apparatus is stopped, resulting in a poor handling and maintenance.
Thus, since the oil-water separator 121 of this embodiment has a simple structure, it is excellent in a handling property and an operability, resulting in an improved durability. In addition, even if a situation occurs in which the device is replaced due to a malfunction or a natural disaster, the replacement work is easy and the maintainability is excellent.
Examples of the means for individually collecting the oil phase 131 include a vacuum car and a vacuum suction device for sucking and collecting the oil phase 131, or an oil adsorbing material conventionally used. As the oil adsorbent, a naturally derived oil adsorbent having a known flaky or granular shape can be used. As other methods, for example, the oil phase 131 may be individually collected by a method as shown in
A method for individually collecting the oil phase 131 will be described using
As described above, using the oil-water separation apparatus 132 according to this embodiment, only the oil phase 131 can be easily taken out from the tank 123 to the outside by moving the liquid level of the oil and water mixture separated in the oil and water mixture separation tank 123 up and down. Therefore, compared with the case where a vacuum car, a vacuum suction device, an oil adsorbing material, or the like is used, the oil phase 131 can be easily collected, resulting in a reduction of the processing cost.
As described above, the microbubble generation device according to the present invention uses the simple mechanism of generating the swirl flow, and has the simpler configuration and structure than conventional swirl flow microbubble generation devices. Thereby, a large amount of microbubbles can be generated over a long period of time, resulting in excellent properties in handling, operability and durability. Therefore, when the microbubble generation device according to the present invention is applied to the shower apparatus, not only high cleaning efficiency but also an effect of improving the skin massaging effect and blood circulation can be obtained. In addition, when applied to the transportation and farming of living organisms, water purification, tap water, river water, ponds, lakes, dams, etc. for water quality purification and resuscitation of the water environment, the microbubble generation device according to the present invention greatly contributes to the maintenance and growth of living organisms and environmental conservation. Furthermore, when the swirl flow microbubble generation device according to the present invention is applied as the component of the oil-water separation apparatus, not only the efficient oil and water separation performance is maintained for a long period of time, but also the oil-water separation apparatus having excellent operability and durability, and high versatility can be obtained due to the simple structure and configuration.
The microbubble generator according to the present invention has an extremely high usefulness, because the device can be applied to various uses such as the shower apparatus, the air inflation device for water purification and water environment resuscitation, and the oil and water separation apparatus.
1,12,14,30,46,62,93,105,107,122 . . . Microbubble generation device
2,15,34,49 ... Gas supply cylinder
3, 26, 39, 54, 65 . . . Gas inlet
4, 22, 40, 55, 70, 99, 114 . . . Gas-liquid swirling chamber
5 . . . Cylindrical or conical cylinder
6, 31, 47, 94, 117, 124 . . . Liquid supply cylinder
7, 19, 38, 53, 63, 118 . . . Liquid inlet
8 . . . Gas-liquid swirling flow
9, 61 . . . Cylindrical through-hole
10, 17, 35, 50, 66, 119 . . . Gas-liquid discharge outlet
11 . . . Small swirling vortex
13, 27, 45, 77, 80 . . . Recessed part
16, 32, 48, 64, 95, 108 . . . Outer cylinder container
18, 36, 51, 67, 78, 85, 88, 97, 109 . . . inner cylinder
20, 83, 90, 100, 110 . . . closed end
28, 81, 120 . . . Small vortex branch wall
29, 84, 92 . . . vortex
33 . . . Air holder
37, 52, 68, 102, 116 . . . liquid
76 . . . Small hole
96, 111, 130 . . . Cylindrical tube
106 . . . Gas flow rate adjusting valve
112 . . . Gas introduction through-hole
121,132 . . . Oil-water separation apparatus
123 . . . Oil and water mixture separation tank
126, 129, 135 . . . Regulating valve
127 . . . Water storage tank
131 . . . Oil phase
133 . . . discharge outlet
134 . . . Oil storage tank
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2017/027970 | 8/2/2017 | WO | 00 |
