Patent Publication Number: US-2022234011-A1

Title: Intensifier and atomizer using intensifier

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-009316, filed on Jan. 25, 2021, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to an intensifier and an atomizer using an intensifier. 
     2. Description of the Background 
     Conventionally, an intensifier has been widely used as a device for pressurizing fluid or raw material. By pressurizing the fluid such as water to 100 to 250 MPa by using the intensifier, high-pressure water is used in various applications such as cleaning, cutting, breaking, etc. In addition, high value-added materials have been developed by using the intensifier to pressurize raw materials such as pharmaceutical materials, semiconductor materials, electronic materials, or chemical materials, or by forming fine particles by colliding high-pressure fluids of the pressurized raw materials, thereby changing physical properties and the like. 
     A development of the intensifier for the cleaning the apparatus or inside the system, or for preventing contamination of the raw materials has been required in the case where a high degree of cleanliness is required, or in the case where the apparatus is used for various pressurized raw materials. 
     To solve such problems, the intensifier including a primary cylinder for pressurizing the raw material, and a secondary cylinder for performing cleaning and discharging when the raw material leaks from the primary cylinder has been disclosed to prevent contamination of the processing liquid contained in the secondary cylinder (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication H06-207585). 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     The conventional intensifier includes the secondary cylinders arranged at both ends of the primary cylinder. Thus, the apparatus is upsized to cause problems in terms of space and cost. 
     Further, the conventional intensifier has a difficulty in cleaning inside the primary cylinder or the components constituting the intensifier, while preventing leakage of the pressurized raw material and allowing to perform high cleanliness processing. 
     Further, the raw material having high adhesiveness or abrasiveness could enter the inside of the intensifier from a slight gap during sliding of the plunger. If not cleaned properly in such a case, the pressurized raw material adhered to the surface of the plunger could apply extra load during sliding of the plunger to cause damage to the inner surface of the packing or the bottom adapter. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide an intensifier and an atomizer using the intensifier that allow to clean a portion to which a pressurized raw material adheres without disassembling the inside. 
     One or more aspects of the present invention provides an intensifier configured to pressurize raw material using medium supplied from a driving pump, the intensifier including: 
     a low-pressure cylinder to which the medium is supplied; 
     a high-pressure cylinder fixed to the low-pressure cylinder; 
     a piston configured to slide inside the low-pressure cylinder and the high-pressure cylinder by the medium supplied to the low-pressure cylinder; 
     a bottom adapter configured to pivotally support the piston; and 
     a resin portion disposed on an inner periphery of the bottom adapter. 
     The intensifier and the atomizer using the intensifier according to the present invention allow to clean the portion to which the pressurizing raw material adheres without disassembling the inside. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a configuration diagram of an atomizer according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of an intensifier according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a bottom adapter according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the bottom adapter showing a flow path of cleaning liquid according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the bottom adapter according to the present embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings as appropriate. 
     Configuration of Atomizer 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , an atomizer  100  according to the embodiment includes a raw material tank  101 , a liquid supply pump  102 , an intensifier  1 , an ultra-high pressure filter  103 , and an ejection chamber  104 . The raw material tank  101  stores raw material M (slurry). The liquid supply pump  102  pumps the raw material M in the raw material tank  101 . The intensifier  1  pressurizes the raw material M supplied from the liquid supply pump  102 . The ultra-high pressure filter  103  filters the pressurized raw material M. The ejection chamber  104  performs atomization processing. 
     Structure of Intensifier 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the intensifier  1  of the present embodiment includes a piston  2 , a low-pressure cylinder  3 , and a high-pressure cylinder  4 . The high-pressure cylinder  4  has a hole  4   c . When a driving pump P (hydraulic pump) supplies the medium O into the low-pressure cylinder  3 , the piston  2  slides toward the high-pressure side to pressurize the raw material M supplied from the liquid supply pump  102  into the high-pressure cylinder  4  through the hole  4   c  to 100 to 245 MPa. The piston  2  includes a piston body  2   a  and a plunger  2   b.  The piston body  2   a  slides inside the low-pressure cylinder  3 . The plunger  2   b  slides inside the high-pressure cylinder  4 . In particular, as the plunger  2   b  contacts the raw material M at the distal end and repeatedly slides in a pressurized state, the plunger  2   b  is made of material having pressure resistance, heat resistance, and impact resistance. 
     The low-pressure cylinder  3  and the high-pressure cylinder  4  each have a cylindrical shape. The low-pressure cylinder  3  and the high-pressure cylinder  4  are pressure-resistant cylinders for pressurizing the raw material M to 100 to 245 MPa. The hole  4   c  is a passage for supplying the raw material M from the liquid supply pump  102 . The hole  4   c  is smaller than an inner diameter of the high-pressure cylinder  4 . 
     The high-pressure cylinder  4  includes an inner high-pressure cylinder  4   a  and an outer high-pressure cylinder  4   b.  The inner high-pressure cylinder  4   a  has a space for pressurizing the raw material. The outer high-pressure cylinder  4   b  is disposed around the inner high-pressure cylinder  4   a.  The inner high-pressure cylinder  4   a  has high pressure resistance, and strong surface resistance against the raw material M or the like. The outer high-pressure cylinder  4   b  is made of a material to strongly fix members together. Providing separate characteristics to the inner high-pressure cylinder  4   a  and the outer high-pressure cylinder  4   b  improves the function of the high-pressure cylinder  4 . 
     Reliably fixing the low-pressure cylinder  3  and the high-pressure cylinder  4  forms a single cylinder. A cylinder support  5  is disposed between the low-pressure cylinder  3  and the high-pressure cylinder  4  to suppress load applied to each of the low-pressure cylinder  3  and the high-pressure cylinder  4 . The cylinder support  5 , which has a cylindrical shape, fixes the low-pressure cylinder  3  and the high-pressure cylinder  4 . 
     The low-pressure cylinder  3  and the high-pressure cylinder  4  are sealed, respectively. Thus, the medium O in the low-pressure cylinder  3  and the raw material M in the high-pressure cylinder  4  are not mixed. 
     Here, simply by partitioning the cylinder (the low-pressure cylinder  3 , the high-pressure cylinder  4 ), the medium O or raw material M could enter due to the positional shift or sliding when the piston  2  slides. Thus, a bottom adapter  6  and a fixing portion  7  are disposed to the high-pressure cylinder  4  to improve the device stability. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 to 5 , the bottom adapter  6  pivotally supports the piston  2 . The plunger  2   b  passes through the bottom adapter  6 . The fixing portion  7  stably fixes the bottom adapter  6  to the inside of the high-pressure cylinder  4 . The fixing portion  7  is held between the high-pressure cylinder  4  and the bottom adapter  6 . 
     The surface of the bottom adapter  6  may wear due to the sliding of the piston  2  for a long time. A resin portion  10  is disposed on an inner periphery of the bottom adapter  6  to reduce the sliding load of the bottom adapter  6  and the piston  2 . The resin portion  10  is detachably attached inside the bottom adapter  6 . Thus, the resin portion  10  is replaceable when the resin portion  10  is worn due to the sliding of the piston  2 . This eliminates replacing a large element such as the bottom adapter  6  to reduce the maintenance cost. 
     The material of the resin portion  10  preferably has high pressure resistance, heat resistance, and impact resistance. The material of the resin portion  10  is, for example, a thermoplastic resin. Further, a chemical load may be applied on the surface of the inner high-pressure cylinder  4   a  or the plunger  2   b  when processing is performed using a solvent with respect to the raw material M. In such a case, using a material of the resin portion  10  suitable for various solvents (acid resistance, alkali resistance, or the like) allows to improve the lifetime of the resin portion  10   
     Arranging the various sealing members in addition to the bottom adapter  6  that pivotally supports the piston  2  improves the sealing property. As shown in  FIG. 2 , a low-pressure side seal portion  8  and a high-pressure side seal portion  9  are disposed at a portion or both ends of the bottom adapter  6 . The low-pressure side seal portion  8  and the high-pressure side seal portion  9  are, for example, elastic members or packings. Further, arranging a spacer  11  on the low-pressure side of the bottom adapter  6  reliably seals the entering of the raw material M into the low-pressure side or the flowing inside the cleaning liquid L. The spacer  11  is disposed in a state in which the plunger  2   b  is slidable. The spacer  11  closes the low-pressure side end of the bottom adapter  6 . The spacer  11  has a distal end that presses the end of the bottom adapter  6  so as not to block a cleaning liquid discharge port  15  and a resin groove  10   a.  The distal end of the spacer  11  has a thickness equivalent to the thickness of the resin portion  10 . This appropriately fixes and seals the bottom adapter  6  and the spacer  11 . 
     Structure of Cleaning Flow Path 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , a cleaning flow path in the intensifier  1  according to the present embodiment includes a cleaning liquid supply port  14  formed in the bottom adapter  6 , a cleaning liquid discharge port  15 , a resin groove  10   a  of the resin portion  10 , and a cleaning flow path  16 . 
     The cleaning liquid supply port  14  is a flow path formed on the high-pressure side of the bottom adapter  6 . Cleaning liquid L is supplied from a cleaning liquid supply source Q to the cleaning liquid supply port  14 . When the bottom adapter  6  is fixed by the fixing portion  7 , the high-pressure cylinder  4 , or the cylinder support  5  or the like, a cleaning inlet  12  is formed as a flow path for communicating the components. The cleaning liquid L is supplied from the cleaning inlet  12  to the cleaning liquid supply port  14   
     The cleaning liquid discharge port  15  is a flow path formed on the low-pressure side of the bottom adapter  6 . The cleaning liquid L is discharged to the outside through the cleaning liquid discharge port  15 . When the bottom adapter  6  is fixed by the fixing portion  7 , the high-pressure cylinder  4 , or the cylinder support  5  or the like, a cleaning outlet  13  is formed as a flow path for communicating the components. The cleaning liquid L is discharged to the outside from the cleaning outlet  13  via the cleaning flow path  16 . 
     A plurality of the cleaning liquid supply ports  14  and a plurality of the cleaning liquid discharge ports  15  are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction of the bottom adapter  6 . This washes the raw material M entering the periphery of the bottom adapter  6  with the cleaning liquid L. 
     The cleaning outlet  13  is disposed at a position coaxially or slightly shifted with the cleaning inlet  12 .  FIGS. 2 to 4  show the case where the cleaning outlet  13  is arranged at a position slightly shifted from the cleaning inlet  12 . The cleaning outlet  13  discharges the cleaning liquid L from the cleaning liquid discharge port  15  through the cleaning flow path  16  without communicating with the cleaning liquid supply port  14 . 
     The cleaning flow path  16  is a flow path for discharging the cleaning liquid L from the cleaning liquid discharge port  15  to the outside. In a state where the bottom adapter  6  and the fixing portion  7  is fixed, the cleaning flow path  16  is formed on the outer periphery of the bottom portion and the inner periphery of the fixing portion  7 . The flow path that is too large also adversely affects the fixing state of the bottom adapter  6  and the fixing portion  7 , thus the flow path is constituted by the necessary minimum space. 
     The cleaning liquid L supplied to the cleaning inlet  12  passes through the cleaning liquid supply port  14  to lead to the gap between the high-pressure side of the inner periphery of the bottom adapter  6  and the plunger  2   b.  The cleaning liquid L then passes through the resin groove  10   a,  the cleaning liquid discharge port  15 , and the cleaning flow path  16  to be discharged from the cleaning outlet  13 . The cleaning liquid L circulated around the outer periphery of the bottom adapter  6  before discharged cleans the entire periphery of the bottom adapter  6 . 
     The resin groove  10   a  is formed on the outer periphery of the resin portion  10 . The gap between the inner peripheral surface of the bottom adapter  6  and the resin groove  10   a  becomes a part of the cleaning flow path for the cleaning liquid L supplied from the cleaning liquid supply port  14  to pass through during internal cleaning. The plurality of the resin grooves  10   a  are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction. This cleans the raw material M entering the inside of the bottom adapter  6  with the cleaning liquid L. The resin groove  10   a  may have any shape such as a polygonal shape or an arc shape as long as the width allows the raw material M to be discharged with the cleaning liquid L. Further, any number (four, six, eight or the like) of the resin grooves  10   a  may be formed as long as the resin grooves  10   a  are disposed evenly in the circumferential direction. 
     Further, the atomizer  100  having the intensifier  1  according to the present embodiment simultaneously performs cleaning and cooling during pressurizing the raw material M without stopping the atomizer  100 , which reduces the working time. Further, the atomizer  100  is applicable as a cooling mechanism before, during, or after pressurizing the raw material M. 
     Hereinafter, a processing procedure of the atomizer  100  according to the present embodiment will be described. 
     First, the raw material M to be processed is put into the raw material tank  101  to be adjusted into a slurry state. Next, the raw material M in the raw material tank  101  is supplied to the intensifier  1  by the liquid supply pump  102 . The supplied raw material M is pressurized by the intensifier  1 . Then, the pressurized raw material M supplied to the ejection chamber  104  after passing through the ultra-high pressure filter  103  is ejected. This process may be repeated multiple times, not only once. 
     Here, the procedure of the cleaning process in the intensifier  1  will be described in detail. 
     First, the cleaning liquid L is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply source Q to the cleaning liquid supply port  14  during the pressurizing process of the raw material M. When the bottom adapter  6  is fixed by the fixing portion  7  or the cylinder support  5 , the cleaning liquid L is supplied from the cleaning inlet  12  to the cleaning liquid supply port  14 . A plurality of the cleaning liquid supply ports  14  are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction. Thus, the cleaning liquid L flows the gap of the outer periphery of the high-pressure side of the bottom adapter  6  and the inner periphery of the fixing portion  7  over the entire circumference to clean the outer periphery of the high-pressure side of the bottom adapter  6 . 
     Next, the cleaning liquid L passes from a plurality of the cleaning liquid supply port  14  uniformly disposed in the circumferential direction through a portion of the inner periphery of the low-pressure side of the bottom adapter  6  and the inner periphery of the plunger  2   b  to clean the resin groove  10   a.    
     Further, the cleaning liquid L is discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge port  15  When the bottom adapter  6  is fixed by the fixing portion  7  or the cylinder support  5 , the cleaning liquid L is discharged from the cleaning outlet  13  communicating with the cleaning liquid discharge port  15 . 
     Placing the position of the cleaning outlet  13  in a position coaxially or shifted with the cleaning inlet  12 , and forming the cleaning flow path  16  that is a gap between the bottom adapter  6  and the fixing portion  7  allow to clean the outer periphery of the bottom adapter  6 . In this case, the cleaning liquid L discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge port  15  passes through the cleaning flow path  16  to clean the section to the cleaning outlet  13 . 
     This series of internal cleaning cleans the raw material M entering the inner periphery and the outer periphery of the bottom adapter  6 . 
     In the specification, the contents for cleaning are described, but the present invention can also be applied to a cooling mechanism before, during, or after pressurizing the raw material M. Further, during pressurizing the raw material M, simultaneously performing cleaning and cooling without stopping the atomizer  100  reduces the working time. 
     As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit thereof. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
     
         
           1  Intensifier 
           2  Piston 
           2   a  Piston body 
           2   b  Plunger 
           3  Low-pressure cylinder 
           4  High-pressure cylinder 
           4   a  Inner high-pressure cylinder 
           4   b  Outer high-pressure cylinder 
           4   c  Hole 
           5  Cylinder support 
           6  Bottom adapter 
           7  Fixing portion 
           8  Low-pressure side seal portion 
           9  High-pressure side seal portion 
           10  Resin portion 
           10   a  Resin groove 
           11  Spacer 
           12  Cleaning inlet 
           13  Clean outlet 
           14  Cleaning liquid supply port 
           15  Cleaning liquid discharge port 
           16  Cleaning flow path 
           100  Atomizer 
           101  Raw material tank 
           102  Liquid supply pump 
           103  Ultra-high pressure filter 
           104  Ejection chamber 
         P Driving pump (hydraulic pump) 
         Q Cleaning liquid supply source 
         M Raw materials 
         O Medium 
         L Cleaning liquid