Vacuum freeze-drying apparatus and frozen particle manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9759485-B2
Application number	US-201313871215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2013
Priority date	Oct 29, 2010
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A technology for protecting a valve seat inside a collection tank from the adherence of frozen particles in a vacuum freeze-drying apparatus and a frozen particle manufacturing method. The inside of a vacuum tank and a collection tank are vacuum evacuated; a raw material liquid is injected into the vacuum tank to produce frozen particles; and the frozen particles are piled up on a surface of a heating/cooling shelf. When the frozen particles on the heating/cooling shelf are transferred into the collection tank through the inside of an auxiliary pipe, the frozen particles do not adhere to a valve seat which surrounds an opening of a main pipe inside the collection tank.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vacuum freeze-drying apparatus, comprising:
a vacuum tank;
a collection tank disposed below the vacuum tank;
a main pipe having a first opening and a second opening respectively at one end and the other end, the first opening being exposed inside the collection tank and the second opening being exposed inside the vacuum tank;
a valve element which blocks the first opening by adhering to the one end of the main pipe and opens the first opening by separating from the one end of the main pipe, and thereby switches between blocking and opening the first opening;
a vacuum evacuation unit which vacuum evacuates the inside of the vacuum tank and the inside of the collection tank;
an injector which injects a raw material liquid into the vacuum evacuated vacuum tank so as to produce frozen particles; and
a heating/cooling shelf disposed inside the vacuum tank on which the produced frozen particles are piled up on the surface of the heating/cooling shelf,
wherein after the first opening is opened and the frozen particles on the heating/cooling shelf are transferred into the collection tank through the inside of the main pipe, the first opening is blocked and the frozen particles are carried out from the inside of the collection tank;
the vacuum freeze-drying apparatus, further comprising:
an auxiliary pipe inserted into the main pipe, one end thereof being disposed inside the vacuum tank and the other end thereof being positioned inside the main pipe when the first opening is blocked;
a moving device that reciprocates the auxiliary pipe along the longitudinal direction of the main pipe;
a ring-shaped valve seat which is closely adhered to and fixed onto the one end of the main pipe so as to surround the first opening; and
a first and a second bellows having cylindrical shape which can extend in the longitudinal direction,
wherein when the first opening is opened, the auxiliary pipe can reciprocate between a position where the other end protrudes to the outside of the main pipe through the first opening and a position where the other end enter the inside of the main pipe through the first opening,
wherein the vacuum tank and the collection tank are connected to the vacuum evacuation unit respectively, and are constituted so as to be vacuum evacuated separately,
wherein when the first opening is blocked, a surface of the valve element is pressed against the valve seat in such a manner that the valve element is in close contact with the valve seat in a ring shape,
wherein when the first opening is opened, the surface of the valve element is turned toward the outside of the first opening, the frozen particles are discharged from the other end of the auxiliary pipe to the collection tank so as to avoid adhering on the surface of the valve element,
wherein the collection tank is vacuum evacuated to be a pressure so as to avoid moving the released frozen particle higher than the bottom end of the auxiliary pipe,
wherein the frozen particles on the heating/cooling shelf are transferred into the collection tank through the inside of the auxiliary pipe while maintaining vacuum atmospheres of the vacuum tank and the collection tank,
wherein the auxiliary pipe is inserted into the first and the second bellows,
wherein the one end of the first and the second bellows is connected to the main pipe, and the other end of the first and second bellows is connected to the auxiliary pipe, a sliding space formed between the first bellows and the second bellows is blocked from the inside space of the vacuum tank and the inside space of the collection tank.

2. The vacuum freeze-drying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a convex and concave portion is provided on an inner circumferential surface of the auxiliary pipe.

3. A frozen particle manufacturing method, comprising the steps of:
vacuum evacuating the inside of a vacuum tank and the inside of a collection tank;
injecting a raw material liquid into the vacuum tank made to be vacuum atmosphere and producing frozen particles;
piling up the frozen particles on a surface of a heating/cooling shelf disposed inside the vacuum tank;
opening a first opening by separating a valve element from a ring-shaped valve seat which is closely adhered to and fixed onto the one end of a main pipe so as to surround the first opening,
wherein a main pipe has the first opening and a second opening at one end and the other end, respectively, wherein the first opening being exposed inside the collection tank and the second opening being exposed inside the vacuum tank;
transferring the frozen particles on the heating/cooling shelf in the vacuum tank made to be vacuum atmosphere to the collection tank made to be vacuum atmosphere through the inside of the main pipe,
blocking the first opening by adhering the valve element to the one end of the main pipe, and
carrying out the frozen particles from the inside of the collection tank,
the method being characterized in that:
wherein when the first opening is blocked, a surface of the valve element is pressed against the valve seat in such a manner that the valve element is in close contact with the valve seat in a ring shape,
wherein when the first opening is opened, the surface of the valve element is turned toward the outside of the first opening, the frozen particles are discharged from the other end of the auxiliary pipe to the collection tank so as to avoid adhering on the surface of the valve element, and
wherein the collection tank is vacuum evacuated to be a pressure so as to avoid moving the released frozen particle higher than the bottom end of the auxiliary pipe,
after piling up the frozen particles on the surface of the heating/cooling shelf and opening the first opening of the main pipe while vacuum evacuating the inside of the vacuum tank and the inside of the collection tank separately, moving an auxiliary pipe which is inserted in the main pipe and which has one end being disposed inside the vacuum tank and the other end being positioned inside the main pipe to a position where the other end of the auxiliary pipe protrudes to the outside of the main pipe through the first opening;
transferring the frozen particles on the heating/cooling shelf into the collection tank through the inside of the auxiliary pipe;
wherein the auxiliary pipe is inserted into a first and a second bellows having cylindrical shape which can extend in the longitudinal direction,
blocking a sliding space formed between the inside of the vacuum tank and the inside of the collection tank by connecting the one end of the first and second bellows to the main pipe, and by connecting the other end of the first and second bellows to the auxiliary pipe;
moving the auxiliary pipe to a position where the other end enters the inside of the main pipe through the first opening;
blocking the first opening; and
carrying out the frozen particles from the inside of the collection tank.

4. The vacuum freeze-drying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising;
a sliding part provided in the sliding space,
wherein the sliding space is fixed to either one end of the main pipe or the auxiliary pipe, and the sliding space is in contact with either the other end the main pipe or the auxiliary pipe, and the auxiliary pipe is supported by the main pipe.

5. The vacuum freeze-drying apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein an inner circumferential surface of the main pipe and the outer circumferential surface of the auxiliary pipe, which are exposed in the sliding space, are oiled surfaces on which a lubricating oil are applied.

6. The frozen particle manufacturing method according to claim 3 , further comprising the steps of:
providing a sliding part in the sliding space,
wherein the sliding space i

Assignees

• Ulvac Inc

Inventors

• Ito Masaki
• Oohinata Youichi
• Ito Katsuhiko
• Hanamoto Takashi
• Kinoshita Takao

Classifications

• F26B5/06

  the process involving freezing · CPC title

• F26B5/065

  the product to be freeze-dried being sprayed, dispersed or pulverised · CPC title

• B01D1/18 Primary

  to obtain dry solids (B01D1/24 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B01J2/04

  in a gaseous medium {(if combined with suspending the material in a gas, e.g. fluidised beds B01J2/16)} · CPC title

• F26B5/12 Primary

  by suction · CPC title