JP4918532B2 - Low temperature slush fluid production equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a slush-like low-temperature fluid (for example, slush hydrogen (solid hydrogen and liquid hydrogen mixed in a sherbet shape, having a higher density than liquid hydrogen and a large amount of cold). The present invention relates to a low temperature slush fluid manufacturing apparatus.

As an apparatus for producing a slush-like cryogenic fluid, for example, an apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known.
JP 2007-333264 A

The slush-like cryogenic fluid produced using the low-temperature slush-like fluid production device is once stored in the bottom of the container from the viewpoint of utilization of latent heat and sensible heat and improvement of storage density, and after the solidification rate is increased, It is taken out (extracted) from the container and used.
However, when the slush-like low-temperature fluid stored in the bottom of the container is left as it is for a long time, the aging phenomenon (solid hydrogen in slush hydrogen partially melts due to intrusion heat from the outside and condenses again. Causing a phenomenon (Liquid-solid mixture of hydrogen near the triple point: Advances in cryogenic engineering Vol.11 P207)), causing a slush-like cryogenic fluid May not be able to be removed.

Therefore, it has been proposed to stir the slush-like low temperature fluid stored in the bottom of the container using a stirrer so that the slush-like low temperature fluid stored in the bottom of the container does not cause an aging phenomenon.
However, in a device that produces a slush-like low-temperature fluid by scraping (scraping off) a low-temperature solid (for example, solid hydrogen) generated on the surface of the heat transfer surface with an auger, it is generated on the surface of the heat transfer surface by stirring. The growth rate of low-temperature solids becomes faster than desired, and the auger lock that prevents the auger from rotating due to the low-temperature solids generated on the surface of the heat transfer surface may occur, making it impossible to produce a slush-like low-temperature fluid. is there.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, can prevent the aging phenomenon of a slush-like low-temperature fluid stored in a container, and is produced by a low-temperature solid generated on the surface of a heat transfer surface. An object of the present invention is to provide a low-temperature slush fluid production apparatus that can prevent an auger lock that prevents an auger from rotating.

The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.
The low-temperature slush fluid production device according to the present invention is arranged in a liquid low-temperature fluid stored in a container, and is generated on the surface of the heat exchanger and a heat exchanger having a heat exchanger surface. A low-temperature slush fluid production device comprising a slush fluid production unit comprising an auger for scraping low-temperature solids and a stirring device for stirring the slush-like low-temperature fluid deposited on the bottom of the container by a stirring blade, The stirring step of stirring the slush-like low-temperature fluid deposited on the bottom of the container by the stirring blade and the manufacturing step of scraping off the low-temperature solid generated on the surface of the heat transfer surface by the auger are alternately performed. The control apparatus which controls is provided.

  According to the low-temperature slush fluid production apparatus according to the present invention, the agitation process and the production process are alternately performed, so that the aging phenomenon of the slush-like low-temperature fluid stored in the container can be prevented. In addition, it is possible to prevent an auger lock that prevents the auger from rotating due to the low-temperature solid generated on the surface of the heat transfer surface.

  In the low temperature slush fluid production apparatus, the stirring blade is made of resin, a slight gap is formed between the lower end of the stirring blade and the bottom surface of the container, and the tip of the stirring blade is rotated on the inner peripheral surface of the container. Is designed and manufactured so that a slight gap is formed between the tip of the container and the inner peripheral surface of the container.

According to such a low-temperature slush fluid production apparatus, the slush cryogenic fluid deposited on the bottom of the container has a slight gap formed between its lower end and the bottom of the container, and rotates to its tip. Is stirred by a stirring blade with a large blade area designed and manufactured so that a slight gap is formed between the tip of the container and the inner peripheral surface of the container. Therefore, the aging phenomenon can be prevented more reliably.
Also, the stirring blade is made of resin, so that the bottom surface of the container will not be damaged even if the lower end of the stirring blade contacts the bottom surface of the container. Since the peripheral surface is not damaged, damage to the container can be prevented.
Furthermore, since the stirring blade is made of resin, and the weight of the stirring blade is reduced, the shaft runout of the drive shaft that transmits the rotation of the drive motor to the stirring blade can be reduced, Contact with the bottom surface of the container and contact between the tip of the container and the inner peripheral surface of the container can be reduced.

  In the low-temperature slush fluid production apparatus, the stirring blade includes a plurality of blades made of resin, and each blade extends in the longitudinal direction due to centrifugal force during rotation, and at the time of rotation, the tip thereof is the inner periphery of the container. It is configured to contract in the longitudinal direction by contacting the surface.

According to such a low-temperature slush fluid production apparatus, the slush-like low-temperature fluid deposited on the bottom of the container is agitated by the agitating blade having a large blade area extending in the longitudinal direction by the centrifugal force during rotation. A wider range of slush-like low-temperature fluid can be stirred, and the aging phenomenon can be prevented more reliably.
Further, each blade of the stirring blade is made of resin, and even if the tip of the blade is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container, the inner peripheral surface of the container is not damaged, so that the container can be prevented from being damaged.
Furthermore, since the stirring blade is made of resin and the weight of the stirring blade is reduced, the shaft runout of the drive shaft that transmits the rotation of the drive motor to the stirring blade can be reduced, Contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container can be reduced.

  In the low-temperature slush fluid production apparatus, it is more preferable that the stirring blade is configured to be driven by a driving motor that is a superconducting motor installed on the bottom surface of the container.

  According to such a low temperature slush fluid production apparatus, the drive motor is installed on the bottom surface of the container, and the drive shaft that transmits the rotation of the drive motor to the stirring blade penetrates the through hole formed in the top of the container. Since this can be avoided, the inner diameter of the through hole can be reduced, and the intrusion heat into the container can be reduced.

  According to the low temperature slush fluid production apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the aging phenomenon of the slush cryogenic fluid stored in the container, and the auger is formed by the low temperature solid generated on the surface of the heat transfer surface. It is possible to prevent an auger lock that does not rotate.

A first embodiment of a low temperature slush fluid manufacturing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “manufacturing apparatus”) according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment.
The production apparatus 1 includes, for example, a slush fluid production unit 2 that produces a slush fluid (for example, slush hydrogen) shown in FIG. 1 and a cryogenic fluid (eg, slush fluid production unit 2). A cryogenic fluid generator (not shown) that generates 13K gaseous helium) is the main element.

The cryogenic fluid generator includes a cryogenic fluid storage tank (not shown) and a flow rate / temperature adjusting device (not shown).
A liquid cryogenic fluid (for example, 4K liquid helium) is stored inside the cryogenic fluid storage tank. The cryogenic fluid storage tank and the heat exchanger 3 of the slush fluid production unit 2 are connected (coupled) via a cryogenic fluid supply pipe 4.
The flow rate / temperature adjusting device is disposed in the middle of the cryogenic fluid supply pipe 4 and heats and gasifies the liquid cryogenic fluid sent (pressurized) from the cryogenic fluid storage tank. A heater (not shown) to be vaporized) and a liquefied cryogenic fluid which is disposed in the cryogenic fluid supply pipe 4 located upstream of the heater and flows into the heater from the cryogenic fluid storage tank The first valve (not shown) for adjusting the flow rate of the heat exchanger 3 and the cryogenic fluid supply pipe 4 located on the downstream side of the heater and the heat exchanger 3 of the slush fluid production unit 2 from the heater And a second valve (not shown) for adjusting the flow rate of the gaseous cryogenic fluid (for example, 13K gaseous helium) flowing into the.

  The slush fluid production unit 2 includes a container 5 that stores a liquid cryogenic fluid (for example, 13.9K liquid hydrogen) L and a slush cryogenic fluid (for example, 13.8K slush hydrogen) S, and the container. 5 is a heat exchanger 3 having a cylindrical heat transfer surface 6 disposed in 5 and an auger (scraping) that scrapes off (cuts off) a low-temperature solid (not shown) generated on the surface of the heat transfer surface 6 (for example, solid hydrogen). Dropping means) 7 and a stirring device 8.

  The container 5 is housed in a heat insulating vacuum container 9 whose inside is evacuated and whose inner surface is provided with a radiation shield plate (not shown) such as a copper plate, for example. Thus, the heat entering from the outside to the inside can be reduced.

  Inside the heat exchanger 3, a cryogenic fluid (fluid having a temperature lower than the liquid cryogenic fluid L stored in the container 5) generated by a cryogenic fluid generator (not shown) is contained in the cryogenic fluid. It is supplied via the supply pipe 4. The cryogenic fluid supplied to the inside of the heat exchanger 3 is subjected to heat exchange with the liquid cryogenic fluid L stored in the container 5 to generate a cryogenic solid on the surface of the heat transfer surface 6. After being stored in a storage tank (not shown) through the cryogenic fluid return pipe 10 and liquefied by a liquefaction device (not shown), it is stored in a cryogenic fluid storage tank (not shown) of the cryogenic fluid generating section. It is supposed to be returned.

The auger 7 is a cylindrical member that is supported by bearings (not shown) at both ends of the rotating shaft (center shaft) 11 and is rotatably accommodated along the heat transfer surface 6. A blade 12 formed in a spiral shape along the longitudinal direction is provided on the outer peripheral surface (that is, the surface facing the heat transfer surface 6).
The rotating shaft 11 and the driving shaft 14 extending downward from the driving motor 13 are connected (coupled) via a universal joint 15, and when the driving motor 13 rotates, the auger 7 is rotated along with the rotation. In the same manner (for example, clockwise when viewed from above in FIG. 1), the low-temperature solid generated on the heat transfer surface 3 is scraped off by the blade 12 of the auger 7 and has a desired size (for example, 1 μm). To 10 μm) particles (for example, solid hydrogen particles) and drops to the bottom of the container 5 to form a slush-like low-temperature fluid S.

  The drive motor 13, the heater of the cryogenic fluid generation unit, the first valve, and the second valve are respectively turned on (operating state) and off (stopped) by an electrically connected control device 19. (For example, if the auger 7 and the drive shaft 14 are rotated for 50 minutes to 55 minutes, the auger 7 and the drive shaft 14 are not rotated for the next 10 minutes to 5 minutes). Thereby, a low-temperature solid will be manufactured intermittently.

The stirring device 8 includes a drive motor 16, a drive shaft 17, and a stirring blade 18.
The drive motor 16 rotates a drive shaft 17 extending from the lower end toward the bottom surface of the container 5, for example, in the clockwise direction when viewed from above in FIG. 1.
One end of the drive shaft 17 (the upper end in FIG. 1) is connected to one end of a rotation shaft (not shown) of the drive motor 16 and the other end of the drive shaft 17 (the lower end in FIG. 1). A stirring blade 18 is attached to the end portion on the side.

  The stirring blade 18 is made of resin (for example, PTFE), a slight gap (for example, a gap of about 5 mm to 10 mm) is formed between the lower end of the stirring blade 18 and the bottom surface of the container 5, and the tip of the stirring blade 18 is rotated. Designed and manufactured so that a slight gap (for example, a gap of about 5 mm to 10 mm) is formed between the tip of the container 5 and the inner peripheral surface of the container 5 when it is closest to the inner peripheral surface of the container 5. .

  Further, the drive motor 16 is repeatedly switched between an ON state (running state) and an OFF state (stopped state) by the electrically connected control device 19 (for example, for 5 minutes to 10 minutes, the drive shaft 17 and When the stirring blade 18 is rotated, control is performed so that the drive shaft 17 and the stirring blade 18 are not rotated for the next 55 to 50 minutes. Thereby, the stirring blade 18 will be rotated intermittently.

According to the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the agitation process and the manufacturing process are alternately performed, so that the aging phenomenon of the slush-like low temperature fluid S stored in the container 5 can be prevented. In addition, by controlling the growth rate of the low-temperature solid generated on the surface of the heat transfer surface 6 within a desired rate, it is possible to prevent an auger lock that prevents the auger 7 from rotating.
In addition, the slush-like low-temperature fluid S deposited on the bottom of the container 5 is formed with a slight gap between its lower end and the bottom surface of the container 5, and rotates so that its tip is on the inner peripheral surface of the container 5. The aging phenomenon is caused when the blade is agitated by the agitating blade 18 having a large blade area that is designed and manufactured so that a slight gap is formed between the tip of the container 5 and the inner peripheral surface of the container 5 when approaching closest. Can be prevented more reliably.
Further, the stirring blade 18 is made of resin, and even if the lower end of the stirring blade 18 contacts the bottom surface of the container 5, the bottom surface of the container 5 is not damaged, and the tip of the stirring blade 18 contacts the inner peripheral surface of the container 5. Since the inner peripheral surface of the container 5 is not damaged, damage to the container 5 can be prevented.
Furthermore, since the stirring blade 18 is made of resin and the weight of the stirring blade 18 is reduced, the shaft runout of the drive shaft 17 can be reduced, and the lower end and the bottom surface of the container 5 are in contact with each other. The contact between the tip and the inner peripheral surface of the container 5 can be reduced.

A manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the behavior of the stirring blade shown in FIG. 2, and is a plan view of the stirring blade as viewed from above.
As shown in FIG. 2, the manufacturing apparatus 21 according to the present embodiment includes the slush fluid manufacturing unit 23 including the stirring blades 22 instead of the stirring blades 18 according to the first embodiment described above. Different from the one. Since other components are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, description of these components is omitted here.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the blades 24 constituting the stirring blade 22 is made of resin (for example, PTFE) and has a nested structure that can expand and contract in the longitudinal direction. That is, each blade 24 of the stirring blade 22 extends in the longitudinal direction due to centrifugal force during rotation, and contracts in the longitudinal direction when the tip abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the container 5 during rotation. Further, at the time of manufacturing (assembling), each blade 24 is stored in the container 5 in a state of being most contracted in the longitudinal direction.

According to the manufacturing apparatus 21 according to the present embodiment, the agitation process and the manufacturing process are performed alternately, so that the aging phenomenon of the slush-like low-temperature fluid S stored in the container 5 can be prevented. In addition, by controlling the growth rate of the low-temperature solid generated on the surface of the heat transfer surface 6 within a desired rate, it is possible to prevent an auger lock that prevents the auger 7 from rotating.
Further, the slush-like cryogenic fluid S deposited on the bottom of the container 5 is agitated by a stirring blade having a large blade area extending in the longitudinal direction due to the centrifugal force during rotation, and thus a wider range of slush-like cryogenic fluid. S can be stirred, and the aging phenomenon can be prevented more reliably.
Further, each blade 24 of the stirring blade 22 is made of resin, and even if the tip of the blade 24 comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container 5, the inner peripheral surface of the container 5 is not damaged. can do.
Furthermore, since the stirring blade 22 is made of resin and the weight of the stirring blade 22 is reduced, the shaft runout of the drive shaft 17 can be reduced, and the tip thereof and the inner peripheral surface of the container 5 can be reduced. Can be reduced.

A manufacturing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 4, the manufacturing apparatus 31 according to this embodiment includes a slush fluid production unit 33 including a stirring device 32 instead of the slush fluid manufacturing unit 2 including the stirring device 8. This is different from the first embodiment described above. Since other components are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, description of these components is omitted here.

The stirring device 32 includes a drive motor 34 formed of a superconducting motor that does not generate heat even when rotated, a drive shaft 35, and a stirring blade 36.
The drive motor 34 rotates a drive shaft 35 extending from its upper end toward the top of the container 5, for example, in the clockwise direction when viewed from above in FIG. 4, and is installed on the bottom surface of the container 5.
One end of the drive shaft 35 (the lower end in FIG. 4) is connected to one end of a rotating shaft (not shown) of the drive motor 34, and the other end of the drive shaft 35 (in FIG. 4). A stirring blade 36 is attached to the upper end portion.

  The stirring blade 36 is made of a resin (for example, PTFE), and when the tip of the stirring blade 36 is rotated closest to the inner peripheral surface of the container 5, a slight gap (for example, the inner peripheral surface of the container 5 (for example, Designed and manufactured so that a gap of about 5 mm to 10 mm is formed.

  Further, the drive motor 34 is repeatedly switched between an ON state (running state) and an OFF state (stopped state) by the electrically connected control device 19 (for example, for 5 minutes to 10 minutes, the drive shaft 35 and When the stirring blade 36 is rotated, control is performed so that the drive shaft 35 and the stirring blade 36 are not rotated for the next 55 to 50 minutes. As a result, the stirring blade 36 is intermittently rotated.

According to the manufacturing apparatus 31 according to the present embodiment, the agitation process and the manufacturing process are alternately performed, so that the aging phenomenon of the slush-like low-temperature fluid S stored in the container 5 can be prevented. In addition, by controlling the growth rate of the low-temperature solid generated on the surface of the heat transfer surface 6 within a desired rate, it is possible to prevent an auger lock that prevents the auger 7 from rotating.
In addition, the slush-like low-temperature fluid S deposited on the bottom of the container 5 is slightly rotated between the tip and the inner peripheral surface of the container 5 when the tip is closest to the inner peripheral surface of the container 5 by rotating. Since the agitating blade 36 is designed and manufactured so as to form a gap and has a large blade area, the aging phenomenon can be prevented more reliably.
Further, the stirring blade 36 is made of resin, and even if the tip of the stirring blade 36 contacts the inner peripheral surface of the container 5, the inner peripheral surface of the container 5 is not damaged, so that the container 5 can be prevented from being damaged. .
Furthermore, since the stirring blade 36 is made of resin and the weight of the stirring blade 36 is reduced, the shaft runout of the drive shaft 35 can be reduced, and the tip thereof and the inner peripheral surface of the container 5 can be reduced. Can be reduced.
Furthermore, the drive motor 34 is installed on the bottom surface of the container 5, and the drive shaft 35 that transmits the rotation of the drive motor 34 to the stirring blade 36 passes through the through hole 37 formed at the top of the container 5. Since it can avoid, the internal diameter of the through-hole 37 can be made small, and the invasion heat | fever into the container 5 which is a factor of an aging phenomenon can be reduced.

It is a schematic block diagram of the low-temperature slush fluid manufacturing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the low temperature slush fluid manufacturing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the behavior of the stirring blade shown in FIG. 2, Comprising: It is the top view which looked at the stirring blade from upper direction. It is a schematic block diagram of the low temperature slush fluid manufacturing apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Low temperature slush fluid production apparatus 2 Slush fluid production part 3 Heat exchanger 5 Container 6 Heat transfer surface 7 Auger 8 Stirrer 18 Stirring blade 19 Control device 21 Slash fluid production apparatus 22 Stirring blade 23 Slush fluid production part 24 Blade 31 Low temperature slush fluid production device 32 Stirrer 33 Slash fluid production unit 34 Drive motor 36 Stir blade L Liquid low temperature fluid S Slush low temperature fluid

Claims (4)

A heat exchanger having a heat transfer surface, disposed in a liquid cryogenic fluid stored inside the vessel, an auger for scraping off the low-temperature solid generated on the surface of the heat transfer surface, and the bottom of the vessel A low-temperature slush fluid production device comprising a slush fluid production section equipped with a stirring device that stirs the slush-like low-temperature fluid accumulated in
The stirring step of stirring the slush-like low-temperature fluid deposited on the bottom of the container by the stirring blade and the manufacturing step of scraping off the low-temperature solid generated on the surface of the heat transfer surface by the auger are alternately performed. A low-temperature slush fluid production apparatus characterized by comprising a control device for controlling as described above.   The stirring blade is made of resin, and a slight gap is formed between the lower end of the stirring blade and the bottom surface of the container, and when the tip of the stirring blade comes closest to the inner peripheral surface of the container, The low-temperature slush fluid manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the low-temperature slush fluid manufacturing apparatus is designed and manufactured so that a slight gap is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the container.   The stirring blade is provided with a plurality of blades made of resin, and each blade extends in the longitudinal direction due to centrifugal force during rotation, and when rotated, the tip thereof contacts the inner peripheral surface of the container in the longitudinal direction. The apparatus for producing a low temperature slush fluid according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to shrink.   The said stirring blade is comprised so that it may drive with the motor for a drive which consists of a superconducting motor installed in the bottom face of the said container, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Low temperature slush fluid production equipment.

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