Ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus and ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11673101-B2
Application number	US-202017084920-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2020
Priority date	Oct 31, 2019
Publication date	Jun 13, 2023
Grant date	Jun 13, 2023

Abstract

The present invention provides an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus capable of reducing the possibility of intermitting supply of a UFB-containing liquid. An ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus includes producing units that produce an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid containing ultrafine bubbles by using a liquid supplied from a liquid introducing unit and deliver the produced ultrafine bubble-containing liquid to a liquid delivering unit. The producing units include a plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units capable of operating independently. Each of the plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units is provided to be capable of independently switching between communicating with and being disconnected from the liquid introducing unit and the liquid delivering unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus comprising a producing unit that produces an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid containing ultrafine bubbles by using a liquid supplied from a liquid introducing unit and delivers the ultrafine bubble-containing liquid that is produced to a liquid delivering unit,
wherein:
the producing unit includes a plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units capable of operating independently;
each of the plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units is capable of independently switching between communicating with and being disconnected from the liquid introducing unit and the liquid delivering unit;
the producing unit further includes at least one gas dissolving unit that dissolves a gas into the liquid supplied from the liquid introducing unit to produce a resultant liquid and supplies the resultant liquid to the plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units; and
the at least one gas dissolving unit is capable of switching between communicating with and being disconnected from the liquid introducing unit and the liquid delivering unit.

2. The ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a controller that controls operation of the producing unit.

3. The ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein in a case where one of the plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units malfunctions, the controller increases an operation ratio of a non-malfunctioning ultrafine bubble generating unit.

4. The ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the controller sets a different operation start timing for each of the plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units.

5. The ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the producing unit includes a plurality of gas dissolving units capable of operating independently; and
each of the plurality of gas dissolving units is capable of independently switching between communicating with and being disconnected from the liquid introducing unit and the liquid delivering unit.

6. The ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a controller that controls operation of the producing unit,
wherein in a case where one of the plurality of gas dissolving units malfunctions, the controller increases an operation ratio of a non-malfunctioning gas dissolving unit.

7. The ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a controller that controls operation of the producing unit,
wherein the controller sets a different operation start timing for each of the plurality of gas dissolving units.

8. The ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a buffer tank that stores ultrafine bubble-containing liquids delivered from the plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units and delivers the stored liquids to the liquid delivering unit.

9. An ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus comprising a producing unit that produces an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid containing ultrafine bubbles by using a liquid supplied from a liquid introducing unit and delivers the ultrafine bubble-containing liquid that is produced to a liquid delivering unit,
wherein the producing unit includes:
a plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units capable of operating independently, each of the plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units being capable of independently switching between communicating with and being disconnected from the liquid introducing unit and the liquid delivering unit; and
at least one circulating pump that is capable of operating independently and returns ultrafine bubble-containing liquids produced by the plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units to a gas dissolving unit to circulate the ultrafine bubble-containing liquids, the at least one circulating pump being capable of switching between communicating with and being disconnected from the liquid introducing unit and the liquid delivering unit.

10. The ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein:
the producing unit includes a plurality of circulating pumps capable of operating independently; and
each of the plurality of circulating pumps is capable of independently switching between communicating with and being disconnected from the liquid introducing unit and the liquid delivering unit.

11. The ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising a controller that controls operation of the producing unit,
wherein in a case where one of the plurality of circulating pumps malfunctions, the controller increases an operation ratio of a non-malfunctioning circulating pump.

12. The ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising a controller that controls operation of the producing unit,
wherein the controller sets a different operation start timing for each of the plurality of circulating pumps.

13. The ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the producing unit further includes:
a plurality of gas dissolving units that are capable of operating independently and dissolve a gas into the liquid supplied from the liquid introducing unit to produce a resultant liquid and supplies the resultant liquid to the plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units; and
a plurality of circulating pumps that are capable of operating independently and returning ultrafine bubble-containing liquids produced by the ultrafine bubble generating units to the gas dissolving unit to circulate the ultrafine bubble-containing liquids,
wherein each of the plurality of gas dissolving units and each of the plurality of circulating pumps are capable of independently switching between communicating with and being disconnected from the liquid introducing unit and the liquid delivering unit, and
wherein the controller controls operation of the plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units, the plurality of gas dissolving units, and the plurality of circulating pumps such that replacement periods for the plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units, the plurality of gas dissolving units, and the plurality of circulating pumps based on lives thereof do not overlap one another.

14. An ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus comprising a producing unit that produces an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid containing ultrafine bubbles by using a liquid supplied from a liquid introducing unit and delivers the ultrafine bubble-containing liquid that is produced to a liquid delivering unit,
wherein:
the producing unit includes a plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units capable of operating independently,
each of the plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units is capable of independently switching between communicating with and being disconnected from the liquid introducing unit and the liquid delivering unit; and
each of the plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units generates ultrafine bubbles in the liquid with a heating element that causes film boiling in the liquid.

15. An ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing method comprising:
supplying a liquid to each of a plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units that are capable of independently switching between communicating with and being disconnected from a liquid introducing unit and a liquid de

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Yamada Akitoshi
• Kubota Masahiko
• Yamamoto Akira
• Imanaka Yoshiyuki
• Yanai Yumi
• Ishinaga Hiroyuki
• Ozaki Teruo
• Kashino Toshio

Classifications

• B01F23/703 Primary

  Degassing or de-aerating materials; Replacing one gas within the materials by another gas · CPC title

• B01F23/811

  Heating the mixture · CPC title

• B01F23/2323 Primary

  by circulating the flow in guiding constructions or conduits · CPC title

• B01F35/22161

  duration of the mixing process or parts of it · CPC title

• B01F23/235

  for making foam · CPC title