JP6834338B2 - Gas supply device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device for supplying gas into a liquid.

When supplying gas to the liquid stored in the tank, it is common practice to send the gas to the air supply pipe arranged in the tank and eject the gas into the liquid from the air supply pipe. For example, when culturing aquatic organisms such as algae and fish, oxygen and carbon dioxide necessary for the organism are dissolved in the water by so-called aeration, which sends air to the water, and is supplied to the organism as a dissolved gas. I have to.

In recent years, attention has been focused on the technology of culturing algae to fix the carbon content contained as carbon dioxide in the air and using it as a biomass fuel. In culturing this type of algae, carbon dioxide is contained in the culture solution. It is essential to send air as a source. Examples of algae used for producing such biomass fuel include colonial algae having a body length of several μm to several mm, specifically, Euglena, Chlorella, Spirulina, Donariella, Botuliococcus, and Pseudocholis. Examples include chis.

In addition to these microalgae, aerobic microorganisms contained in activated sludge, yeast, bacteria such as transgenic Escherichia coli that produce useful substances, fungi such as mold that produce useful substances such as antibiotics, and fish. Various organisms such as plankton or bentos such as worms that serve as feed are industrially cultivated, and air as an oxygen source or carbon dioxide source is supplied to these organisms by aeration. To. Also, in aquaculture of large animals such as fish and crustaceans, it is widely practiced to send air as an oxygen source into water by aeration.

As a document showing a general technical level regarding an apparatus for supplying gas into such a liquid, for example, the following Patent Document 1 and the like are available.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-239746

Here, in order to allow the organisms in the culture solution to grow and propagate without delay, or to promote a predetermined reaction such as fixation or production of a specific substance, it is necessary to supply a sufficient amount of gas to the culture solution. must not. Further, when culturing a microorganism, its specific gravity is not always equal to that of the culture broth, and it tends to settle or float in the culture broth. Therefore, it is necessary to stir the culture broth, as described above. In addition to supplying dissolved gas, the gas delivery also serves to agitate the culture solution as the bubbles rise and homogenize the distribution of microorganisms in the culture solution.

At this time, in order to eject the gas into the culture solution, the gas is pressurized and sent to the air supply tube, but of course this requires a certain amount of energy. If either or both of the supply of the dissolved gas and the stirring of the culture solution are excessive for the growth and reaction of the organism in the culture solution, the energy related to the delivery of the excess gas is wasted. .. In particular, when cultivating microalgae for the purpose of producing biomass fuel, it is required to make the energy related to the production of biomass fuel as small as possible with respect to the energy obtained from the produced biomass fuel. It is desirable to reduce the energy consumed for sending the biomass as much as possible. Therefore, the amount of gas supplied to the culture medium should be minimized to the extent that the amount required by the organism is satisfied.

One of the measures to reduce the amount of gas supplied is to reduce the amount of gas sent to the air supply pipe. However, in this method, the portion of the ejection port that ejects gas from the air supply pipe is likely to be blocked, and there is a possibility that labor and cost for maintenance will be required separately. It is also possible to reduce the number of air supply tubes arranged in the culture tank, but in this case, the amount of gas supplied and the amount of agitation of the culture solution are uneven depending on the location in the culture tank, and there are some areas where these are insufficient. There is a risk that it will occur in.

In addition, it is not impossible to supply air while moving the air supply tube at the bottom of the culture tank, but frictional force due to sliding is generated between the air supply tube and the bottom surface of the culture tank, which causes the movement of the air supply tube. In addition to requiring a large amount of energy, there is a demerit that the air supply tube is worn or damaged as it moves, and frequent maintenance is required.

In view of such circumstances, the present invention is intended to provide a gas supply device capable of suitably supplying gas to a liquid while suppressing the supply amount of gas.

The present invention comprises a liquid pipe, which is arranged so that at least a part of the liquid stored in the storage tank is located above the liquid level, and which allows the gas delivered from the gas delivery device to flow inside, and the liquid. An intermediate tube that extends from the upper tube into the liquid below and guides the gas in the liquid tube downward, and an intermediate tube that is connected to the intermediate tube in the liquid to allow the gas from the intermediate tube to flow inside and into the liquid. The submersible tube to be discharged is provided, and a traveling body configured to float in the liquid by buoyancy to support the submersible tube above the bottom of the storage tank is provided, and the gas delivered from the gas delivery device is said to be the same. It is applied to a gas supply device configured to allow the traveling body to travel while being discharged from the submersible pipe.

The gas supply device of the present invention may be configured such that a part of the liquid water pipe is located at the height of the liquid level of the liquid, and the traveling body is supported by the liquid by the buoyancy generated in the liquid water pipe. it can.

The gas supply device of the present invention includes a buoyant body that is located at the height of the liquid level of the liquid and is configured to support the traveling body by buoyancy, and raises the liquid pipe to a height above the liquid level of the liquid. Can be arranged.

The gas supply device of the present invention preferably includes a rigid support that connects the buoyant bodies constituting the traveling body and supports the liquid pipe.

According to the gas supply device of the present invention, it is possible to achieve an excellent effect that the gas can be suitably supplied to the liquid while suppressing the supply amount of the gas.

It is a top view which shows the whole structure of the gas supply apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a front sectional view which shows the whole structure of the gas supply apparatus by 1st Example of this invention, and is the figure which corresponds to the arrow II-II of FIG. It is a side sectional view which shows the whole structure of the gas supply apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is the figure corresponding to the arrow III-III of FIG. It is a top view which shows the whole structure by another arrangement of the gas supply device by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the whole structure of the gas supply device by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front sectional view which shows the whole structure of the gas supply device by 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is the VI-VI arrow-viewing equivalent figure of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 3 show a form of a gas supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The gas supply device 1 of the first embodiment is installed in a culture tank 3 as a storage tank for storing a culture solution 2 of microalgae such as Euglena, Chlorella, Spirulina, Donariella, Botuliococcus, Pseudocoristis, etc. as a liquid. And used for the purpose of supplying air A as a gas to the liquid (culture solution) 2, but in addition to this, various organisms as described above, that is, aerobic microorganisms, yeasts, bacteria, algae It can be applied to the culture and culture of various organisms such as plankton and benthos, or fish and shellfish. Further, it can be used not only for culturing and aquaculture of living organisms but also for various facilities that need to send gas into a liquid.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the gas supply device 1 is connected to a gas delivery device 4 that pressurizes and sends out air A via a delivery pipe 5, and is delivered from the gas delivery device 4. A liquid pipe 6 that introduces and circulates the air A inside, and an intermediate pipe 7 that extends from the liquid pipe 6 into the culture solution 2 below and guides the air A in the liquid pipe 6 downward. It is provided near the bottom of the tank 3 and is connected to an intermediate pipe 7, and is provided with a submersible pipe 8 that allows air from the intermediate pipe 7 to flow inside and discharge it into the culture solution 2. The traveling body B described later is composed of the pipe 7 and the submersible pipe 8.

As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid liquid pipe 6 is formed by connecting a plurality of main pipes 6a to each other in the longitudinal direction by a connecting pipe 6b. The main pipe 6a is a soft pipe formed by weaving resin fibers, and is expanded by sending air A into the main pipe 6a. The length of one main pipe 6a is, for example, about 2 m to 10 m, and the ends of the plurality of main pipes 6a are connected to each other by the connecting pipe 6b to form one long liquid pipe 6. The length of one liquid pipe 6 is set to be substantially equal to the size of the culture tank 3 along the longitudinal direction of the liquid pipe 6. In other words, the liquid tube 6 is arranged over substantially the entire width of the culture tank 3. The connecting pipe 6b is, for example, a T-shaped pipe made of vinyl chloride resin, and the left and right ends are arranged along the horizontal direction and are connected to the ends of the main pipe 6a, respectively, and the central end is directed downward to the intermediate pipe 7. Connected to the top.

Of the connecting pipes 6b, at least one connecting pipe (here, the connecting pipe located in the center of the liquid pipe 6 in the longitudinal direction) 6b'is configured as a four-sided T-shaped pipe having four connecting ends. Of these four ends, two ends facing each other are arranged along the horizontal direction and are arranged at the end of the main pipe 6a, and one of the remaining ends is arranged along the horizontal direction and are sent out pipes. At the end of 5, one is directed downwards and connected to the upper end of the intermediate tube 7, respectively. The delivery pipe 5 is a flexible tube made of a flexible material such as rubber or resin, and air A from the gas delivery device 4 is sent into the liquid pipe 6 from the connection pipe 6b'. .. Then, the main pipe 6a is expanded by the air A sent into the inside to obtain buoyancy and floats on the liquid surface of the culture solution 2.

Further, the end connecting pipe 6c is connected to the end of the main pipe 6a which is both ends of the liquid liquid pipe 6 connected by the connecting pipe 6b. The end connecting pipe 6c is, for example, an L-shaped pipe made of vinyl chloride resin, one of the two ends is arranged along the horizontal direction and connected to the end of the main pipe 6a, and the other is connected to the end of the main pipe 6a. It is directed downward and connected to the upper end of the intermediate pipe 7.

The submerged pipe 8 arranged in the culture solution 2 is arranged substantially symmetrically with the liquid pipe 6 arranged above the liquid surface, and the ends of the plurality of main pipes 8a are connected to each other by the connecting pipe 8b. By being connected, one long submersible tube 8 is formed. The main pipe 8a is, for example, a rubber pipe having a large number of holes communicating with the inner surface and the outer surface opened on the side surface, and the length is set to be substantially equal to the main pipe 6a of the liquid pipe 6 at the corresponding position, and the diameter is set. It is set smaller than the main pipe 6a of the liquid pipe 6. The connecting pipe 8b is, for example, a T-shaped pipe made of vinyl chloride resin, and the left and right ends are arranged along the horizontal direction and are connected to the ends of the main pipe 8a, respectively, and the central end is directed upward to the intermediate pipe 7. Connected to the bottom edge. The end connecting pipe 8c is connected to the end of the main pipe 8a corresponding to both ends of the submersible pipe 8. The end connecting pipe 8c is, for example, an L-shaped pipe made of vinyl chloride resin, one of the two ends is arranged along the horizontal direction and connected to the end of the main pipe 8a, and the other is connected to the end of the main pipe 8a. It is directed upward and connected to the lower end of the intermediate pipe 7.

The intermediate tube 7 is a tube arranged in the culture solution 2 along the vertical direction, and is configured as a soft tube in which resin fibers are woven, like the main tube 6a, for example. Then, as described above, the upper end is connected to the connecting pipes 6b, 6b'constituting the liquid pipe 6 and the end portion facing downward of the end connecting pipe 6c, and the lower end is connecting the connecting pipe constituting the submerged pipe 8. It is connected to the upwardly directed ends of 8b and the end connecting tube 8c. In this way, the submersible tube 8 is supported in a form of hanging below the liquid surface of the culture solution 2 via the intermediate tube 7, thereby forming a traveling body B running in the culture solution 2. To. The position where the submersible tube 8 is supported below the traveling body B is slightly above the bottom surface of the culture tank 3.

In this way, at least a part of the liquid pipe 6 of the traveling body B is arranged so as to be located at a height above the liquid level of the culture solution 2, but in the case of the first embodiment, the gas delivery device. When the air A is sent out from 4, the liquid pipe 6 is located at the height of the liquid level of the culture liquid 2, and a part of the liquid pipe 6 is submerged in the culture liquid 2 to generate a buoyancy that supports the entire traveling body B. It has become like.

A tow rope 9 for operating the traveling body B along the direction of the liquid surface is connected to a part of the connecting pipe 6b constituting the liquid surface pipe 6 and the end connecting pipe 6c. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the tow rope 9 is arranged so as to extend in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the direction formed by the liquid pipe 6, and both ends thereof are wounds installed on the edge of the culture tank 3. It is connected to the upper machine 10.

Here, the tow rope 9 may be connected to any of the liquid pipe 6, the intermediate pipe 7, and the submersible pipe 8 constituting the traveling body B, but in the case of the first embodiment, the liquid pipe 6 Of these, the connecting pipe 6b and the end connecting pipe 6c formed of vinyl chloride resin are not easily deformed and are easy to connect, so this is selected as the connecting position of the tow rope 9.

The hoisting machine 10 is installed on the edge of the culture tank 3 as shown in FIG. 3, and the installation position of each hoisting machine 10 on the edge of the culture tank 3 and the culture tank 3 below each hoisting machine 10. A pulley 11a and a pulley 11b are rotatably supported on the wall surface, and the tow rope 9 is wound around the pulleys 11a and 11b and then wound by the hoisting machine 10. In this way, while keeping the towline 9 horizontal between the pulleys 11b and 11b on the wall surfaces of the opposite culture tanks 3, the hoisting machine 10 winds up or sends out the towline 9 along the liquid level of the culture solution 2. Can be done.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, limit switches 12 that operate by contact are provided on the wall surfaces of the culture tank 3 at positions corresponding to both ends of the tow rope 9. The limit switch 12 is arranged at the height of the liquid pipe 6, for example, and is adapted to input a contact signal 12a to the control device 13 when the liquid pipe 6 is contacted.

The control device 13 is a device for controlling each hoisting machine 10 provided at the edge of the culture tank 3, and by inputting a control signal 10a to each hoisting machine 10, the operation / stop of each hoisting machine 10 is performed. , The operation such as winding and feeding of the tow rope 9 is operated.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment described above will be described.

When the gas delivery device 4 is operated, the pressurized air A is sent from the gas delivery device 4 to the liquid pipe 6 via the delivery pipe 5. The main pipe 6a constituting the liquid pipe 6 is a soft pipe formed by weaving resin fibers as described above, and expands by sending air A into the liquid to obtain buoyancy with respect to the culture liquid 2. It floats on the surface and supports the entire traveling body B including the intermediate pipe 7 and the submerged pipe 8 by buoyancy. Further, the delivery pipe 5 also floats on the liquid surface and maintains the connection between the air A outlet of the gas delivery device 4 and the connection pipe 6b'of the liquid liquid pipe 6. As described above, in the gas supply device 1 of the first embodiment, the liquid pipe 6 has both a role as a pipe for circulating the gas A to the traveling body B and a role of supporting the traveling body B by buoyancy. .. With such a structure, the configuration of the entire traveling body B is simplified, and the cost for manufacturing and the like is reduced.

The air A sent into the liquid liquid pipe 6 is partially sent from the connecting pipes 6b and 6b'and the end connecting pipe 6c to the intermediate pipe 7 while inflating the main pipe 6a, and the lower end of the intermediate pipe 7 is sent. It is led from the connecting pipe 8b and the end connecting pipe 8c connected to the submersible pipe 8. The submersible tube 8 sends air A into the culture solution 2 through a large number of holes opened on the side surface of the main tube 8a.

At this time, as described above, the submersible pipe 8 is configured to have a smaller diameter than the upper liquid pipe 6, so that the air A can be evenly sent out from the entire submersible pipe 8. There is. That is, since the volume of the liquid pipe 6 is larger than that of the submerged pipe 8, the air sent from the gas delivery device 4 to the liquid pipe 6 is first filled in the entire area of the liquid pipe 6, and then most of the air is filled. Will stay in the liquid pipe 6 and be partially sent from the connecting pipes 6b and 6b'and the end connecting pipe 6c to the submerged pipe 8 via the intermediate pipe 7. Therefore, the air A is evenly supplied to the connecting pipes 8b and the end connecting pipes 8c of the submersible pipes 8. Here, assuming that the diameter of the main pipe 8a of the submersible pipe 8 is set to be larger than that of the main pipe 6a of the liquid water pipe 6, the air A from the gas delivery device 4 covers the entire area of the liquid water pipe 6. Much will be pumped towards the submersible tube 8 before it is filled. At that time, the amount of air A sent to the submersible pipe 8 increases as the position closer to the connecting pipe 6b'of the liquid water pipe 6 to which the delivery pipe 5 is connected. As a result, more air A is released from the hole opened on the side surface of the main pipe 8a of the submersible pipe 8 as the position is closer to the connecting pipe 6b', and the air from the submersible pipe 8 to the culture solution 2 is released. It is conceivable that the transmission of A will be biased. Further, this is the same even if it is assumed that the delivery pipe 5 is directly connected to the submersible pipe 8 without going through the liquid pipe 6 or the intermediate pipe 7, for example. In the first embodiment, air A from the gas delivery device 4 is sent to the submerged pipe 8 via the liquid pipe 6, and the volume of the liquid pipe 6 is set to be larger than that of the submerged pipe 8. This eliminates the bias in the supply amount of A.

Here, the mechanism for sending out the air A from the submersible pipe 8 may have various configurations other than the holes opened in the side surface of the main pipe 8a as described above. For example, it is also possible to provide a porous delivery portion in a part of the submersible pipe 8 so that the air A is sent out as bubbles from the delivery portion. In addition, the submerged tube 8 may be configured in any way as long as the gas air A can be appropriately sent out to the liquid culture solution 2.

In this way, the air A sent out from the gas delivery device 4 is supplied into the culture solution 2 via the traveling body B composed of the liquid upper pipe 6, the intermediate pipe 7, and the submerged pipe 8. Then, the traveling body B reciprocates in the culture solution 2 in the horizontal direction by the traction cord 9, and supplies the air A as described above.

Each tow rope 9 is wound up or unwound by a hoisting machine 10 provided at the edge of the culture tank 3, so that the traveling body B connected to each tow rope 9 runs in the culture tank 3. In FIG. 1, when it is desired to make the traveling body B travel upward in the drawing, each hoisting machine 10 located in the upper part of the figure winds up the tow rope 9, and each hoisting machine 10 located in the lower part of the figure The operation of feeding out the tow rope 9 is performed. Further, when it is desired to make the traveling body B travel downward in the drawing, each hoisting machine 10 located at the upper part in the drawing pays out the towline 9, and each hoisting machine 10 located at the lower part in the drawing pays out the towing line 9. Performs the operation of winding up. By alternately repeating this operation, the traveling body B reciprocates in the culture tank 3 up and down in the figure.

At this time, the operation is switched when the limit switch 12 provided in the culture tank 3 detects the contact of the liquid water pipe 6. As an example, a case will be described in which the traveling body B is moved upward in FIG. 1 and then the operation is switched to move the traveling body B downward. First, when the traveling body B moves upward and reaches the upper edge of the culture tank 3 in the drawing, the main pipe 6a of the liquid liquid pipe 6 contacts each limit switch 12, and the contact signal 12a is transmitted to the control device 13. To.

When the contact signal 12a is input from the limit switch 12, the control device 13 temporarily stops the operation of the hoisting machine 10 at the position corresponding to the limit switch 12 to which the contact signal 12a is input. For example, in FIG. 1, when the contact signal 12a is input from the limit switch 12 located at the left end of the upper edge of the culture tank 3, the winding located at the left end of the upper edge of the culture tank 3 corresponding to this. The upper machine 10 and the hoisting machine 10 located at the left end of the lower edge of the culture tank 3 facing the upper machine 10 are stopped. This is executed until the contact signal 12a is input from all the limit switches 12 located on the upper side of the culture tank 3. Then, when the contact signal 12a is input from all the limit switches 12 located on the upper side of the culture tank 3, the operation direction of the hoisting machine 10 is switched to the hoisting machine 10 located on the upper edge of the culture tank 3. The operation of feeding out the towline 9 is performed, and the operation of winding up the towline 9 is executed by the hoisting machine 10 located at the lower edge of the culture tank 3, and the traveling body B is moved downward in FIG. Let me.

That is, when the traveling body B is driven by the plurality of tow ropes 9, each part of the liquid pipe 6 is cultured depending on the difference in the operating speed of the hoisting machine 10 that winds or unwinds each tow rope 9 and other conditions. The moving speed with respect to the tank 3 and the distance from the edge may differ depending on the location. Therefore, when the traveling body B reaches one edge of the culture tank 3, the deviation of the position is detected by using the limit switch 12 and corrected.

When the traveling body B reaches the lower edge of the culture tank 3, this is detected by the limit switch 12 located on the lower edge of the culture tank 3, the direction of operation of the hoisting machine 10 is switched, and the traveling body B travels. The body B is moved upward in the figure.

By repeating the above operation and supplying the air A while reciprocating the traveling body B in the culture tank 3, the air A can be evenly supplied to the entire area in the culture tank 3. Since the air A is sent while moving the submerged tube 8 in the culture solution 2, the air A can be evenly supplied to the culture solution 2 even with a small number of tubes. Further, since the number of submersible pipes 8 is smaller than the amount of air A to be sent, air can be sent to the submersible pipes 8 with sufficient pressure even if the supply amount of air A is suppressed, and the air is submerged. It is also possible to reduce the problem that the air outlet of the air A is blocked in the pipe 8.

At this time, the entire traveling body B including the submerged tube 8 is supported in the culture solution 2 by the buoyancy generated in the liquid surface tube 6, and the submerged tube 8 is in a state of floating in the culture solution 2. It runs in the culture tank 3 without contacting the bottom surface of the culture tank 3. Therefore, friction due to sliding does not occur between the submersible tube 8 and the bottom surface of the culture tank 3, the energy required for traveling of the traveling body B can be reduced, and the submerged tube 8 is worn as it travels. Or there is no worry of damage.

Here, as the power of the tow rope 9, instead of the hoisting machine 10 as described above, for example, a motor (not shown) may be provided on the pulley 11b, and the pulley 11b may be driven by the motor. In that case, the tow rope 9 can be wound endlessly between the opposing pulleys 11b and 11b. Alternatively, the tow rope 9 can be pulled by human power. In addition, as long as the towing rope 9 can be towed at an appropriate speed and the traveling body B can be traveled, various configurations can be adopted as a mechanism or method for operating the towing rope 9.

In addition, a brush or the like that reaches the bottom surface of the culture tank 3 is installed under the submerged tube 8 to clean the sediment accumulated at the bottom of the culture tank 3 as the traveling body B travels, or the accumulated microorganisms. It is also possible to configure it to scrape up.

Further, in the above example, the case where the traveling body B composed of the liquid upper pipe 6, the intermediate pipe 7, and the submerged pipe 8 is provided in only one stage with respect to the culture tank 3 is illustrated, but as shown in FIG. A plurality of stages of traveling bodies B may be provided in the direction along the rope 9. In this case, when each traveling body B is moved upward in FIG. 4 and then the traveling direction is switched downward, the traveling body B located at the uppermost position in the drawing is the upper side in the drawing of the culture tank 3. After traveling until all the limit switches 12 located at the edge of the limit switch 12 are touched, the traveling direction is switched downward. Further, when each traveling body B is moved downward in FIG. 4 and then the traveling direction is switched upward, the traveling body B located at the lowermost side in the figure is the lower part in the culture tank 3 in the figure. After traveling until all the limit switches 12 located on the side edge are touched, the traveling direction of each traveling body B is switched upward.

As described above, the gas supply device 1 of the first embodiment is arranged so that at least a part of the gas supply device 1 is located above the liquid level, and the liquid pipe 6 for flowing the gas A inside and the liquid pipe 6 and the above. An intermediate pipe 7 extending from the liquid pipe 6 into the liquid 2 to guide the gas A downward, and a submerged pipe 8 for discharging the gas A from the intermediate pipe 7 into the liquid 2 are provided and float on the liquid 2. A traveling body B configured to support the submersible pipe 8 is provided above the bottom of the storage tank 3, and the traveling body B is configured to travel while discharging gas A from the submerged pipe 8. .. In this way, by supplying the gas A while traveling the traveling body B, the gas A can be evenly and evenly supplied to the entire area in the storage tank 3 with a small number of submersible pipes 8. Further, since the gas A can be sent to the submersible pipe 8 with sufficient pressure, the problem that the ejection port of the gas A is blocked in the submersible pipe 8 can be reduced. Further, since the submersible pipe 8 travels in the storage tank 3 without coming into contact with the bottom surface of the storage tank 3, the energy required for traveling of the traveling body B can be reduced, and wear and breakage of the submersible pipe 8 can be avoided.

Further, in the gas supply device 1 of the first embodiment, the liquid pipe 6 is located at the height of the liquid level of the liquid 2, and the traveling body B becomes the liquid 2 by the buoyancy generated in the liquid pipe 6. Since the liquid pipe 6 is configured to be supported, the liquid pipe 6 serves both as a pipe for circulating the gas A to the traveling body B and as supporting the traveling body B by buoyancy. It is possible to reduce the cost of manufacturing and the like by simplifying.

Therefore, according to the first embodiment, the gas can be suitably supplied to the liquid while suppressing the gas supply amount.

5 and 6 show the form of the gas supply device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment (see FIGS. 1 to 4) described above, but in the case of the gas supply device 14 of the second embodiment, a plurality of buoyant bodies 15 are separated from the liquid pipe 6. It is different from the first embodiment in that each buoyant body 15 is connected by a support 16.

The buoyant body 15 is, for example, a boat-shaped object formed of a lightweight foamed resin, and floats on the liquid surface of the culture solution 2. A plurality of the buoyant bodies 15 are provided at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the liquid pipe 6, and the liquid pipe 6 is supported on the upper surface thereof via the support 16. The installation position of each buoyant body 15 may be appropriately set so as to appropriately support the liquid water pipe 6 and the support 16, but in the example shown here, a part of the connecting pipe 6b of the liquid water pipe 6 is used. , And directly below the end connecting pipe 6c.

The support 16 is a skeleton that connects the buoyant bodies 15 to each other at predetermined intervals and supports the liquid pipe 6 on the support body 16, and in the example shown here, along the longitudinal direction of the liquid pipe 6. A pair of main members 16a to be arranged, a plurality of girders 16b connecting the main members 16a to each other, and a reinforcing member 16c arranged diagonally on a square composed of the main members 16a and the girders 16b in a plan view. It is composed of. Each girder 16b is arranged on the upper surface of each buoyant body 15, and the liquid pipe 6 is placed on the upper surface of each girder 16b. The main material 16a, the girder material 16b, and the reinforcing material 16c constituting the support 16 are formed of a material having sufficient rigidity and strength, such as a metal such as stainless steel. Further, since it is used in an environment where it can come into frequent contact with the culture solution 2, it is preferable that it also has corrosion resistance. The structure of the support 16 is not limited to the structure of the main material 16a, the girder material 16b, and the reinforcing material 16c as shown here. Any configuration may be adopted as long as the buoyant bodies 15 are connected to each other with sufficient rigidity and the liquid pipe 6 is supported.

The liquid pipe 6 is connected to the intermediate pipe 7 by the connecting pipes 6b and 6b'that connect the main pipes 6a to each other and the end connecting pipe 6c, as in the first embodiment described above (see FIGS. 1 to 4). The lower end of the intermediate pipe 7 is connected to the connecting pipe 8b and the end connecting pipe 8c of the submersible pipe 8 to supply the air A from the gas delivery device 4 from the main pipe 8a of the submersible pipe 8 into the culture solution 2. It is designed to do. Then, in the second embodiment, the traveling body C is composed of the buoyant body 15 and the support 16 in addition to the liquid water pipe 6, the intermediate pipe 7, and the submersible pipe 8.

In the case of the traveling body C in the second embodiment, it is the buoyant body 15 that supports the traveling body C by buoyancy, not the liquid pipe 6, and the liquid level of the culture solution 2 is not the liquid pipe 6 but the buoyant body. It is at a height of 15. By doing so, the traveling body C is supported regardless of the liquid pipe 6, and the resistance associated with the traveling of the traveling body C is significantly reduced.

That is, in the above-mentioned first embodiment (see FIGS. 1 to 4), there is a water line at the position of the liquid pipe 6, and the liquid pipe 6 is run along the liquid surface of the culture solution 2. ing. At this time, since the liquid pipe 6 travels in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction while immersing the bottom surface in the liquid surface of the culture solution 2 over the entire longitudinal direction, the resistance received from the culture solution 2 is large, and the hoisting machine 10 A large amount of power was required for the operation of. On the other hand, in the case of the second embodiment, the entire liquid pipe 6 is arranged at a height above the liquid level of the culture solution 2, and when the traveling body C travels, resistance is generated against the culture solution 2. Only the buoyant body 15 located at the height of the liquid level of the culture solution 2 and the portion located below the buoyant body 15 can be allowed to be formed. As described above, in the second embodiment, the resistance received from the culture solution 2 during running is reduced by reducing the volume of the portion of the running body C that is submerged under the liquid surface or the area in the direction orthogonal to the running direction. Is made as small as possible to reduce the energy required for the traveling body C to travel.

Moreover, at this time, since the buoyancy body 15 is formed in a boat shape as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and its axis is arranged along the traveling direction, the resistance due to traveling is further reduced.

The support 16 which is arranged between the liquid pipe 6 and the buoyant body 15 and supports the liquid pipe 6 is not an essential configuration in the present invention, but facilitates the handling of the traveling body C and is contained in the culture solution 2. It fulfills the function of smoothing the running of the traveling body C in the above. That is, since the liquid pipe 6 is supported in a straight line on the rigid support 16, even if the main pipe 6a or the like constituting the liquid pipe 6 is made of a soft material as described above, this is the culture solution during running. The entire traveling body C including the liquid pipe 6 and the submerged pipe 8 can always be kept in a straight line in a plan view without being bent due to the resistance of 2. Therefore, the submersible tube 8 can be reliably run over the entire area of the culture solution 2, and the air A can be uniformly supplied.

There is also an advantage that the number of tow ropes 9 and hoisting machines 10 can be reduced. That is, in the above-mentioned first embodiment (see FIGS. 1 to 4), since there is no structure that supports the shape of the entire liquid pipe 6 including the soft main pipe 6a, other than both ends of the liquid pipe 6. The intermediate portion is also provided with a tow rope 9 at a predetermined interval, and the tow rope 9 is operated at the same time to maintain the shape of the liquid pipe 6 in a substantially linear shape. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, since the shape of the liquid pipe 6 is maintained linearly by the support 16, the resistance of the culture solution 2 as it travels, for example, even if the tow rope 9 is not provided in the intermediate portion. It is possible to avoid a situation in which the intermediate portion of the liquid pipe 6 is bent in response to this. Therefore, in the case of the second embodiment, the tow rope 9 and the hoisting machine 10 and the limit switch 12 installed at the ends thereof need only be at both ends of the liquid pipe 6.

Further, when the delivery of air A from the gas delivery device 4 is stopped at the time of maintenance or the like, the soft main pipe 6a contracts and folds due to its own weight. At this time, the liquid pipe 6 is supported by the support 16. For example, the liquid pipe 6 does not bend, and the traveling body C including the liquid pipe 6 can be easily transported or replaced.

As described above, the gas supply device 14 of the second embodiment includes the buoyant body 15 located at the height of the liquid level of the liquid 2 and supporting the traveling body C by buoyancy. Since the liquid pipe 6 is arranged at a height above the liquid level of the liquid 2, the resistance received from the liquid 2 when the traveling body C travels is reduced, and the energy required for the traveling body C to travel is reduced. be able to.

Further, since the gas supply device 14 of the second embodiment includes the rigid support 16 that connects the buoyant bodies 15 that constitute the traveling body C and supports the liquid pipe 6. The shape of the entire traveling body C can be maintained, and the supply of gas A by the submersible pipe 8 can be made uniform.

Also in the second embodiment described above, the gas can be suitably supplied to the liquid while suppressing the gas supply amount.

It should be noted that the gas supply device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 Gas supply device 2 Liquid (culture solution)
3 Storage tank (culture tank)
4 Gas delivery device 6 Liquid pipe 7 Intermediate pipe 8 Submersible pipe 14 Gas supply device 15 Buoyant body 16 Support A Gas (air)
B traveling body C traveling body

Claims (4)

A liquid pipe that is arranged so that at least a part of the liquid stored in the storage tank is located above the liquid level and allows the gas sent from the gas delivery device to flow inside.
An intermediate pipe that extends from the liquid pipe into the liquid below and guides the gas in the liquid pipe downward.
It is provided with a submersible pipe that is connected to the intermediate pipe in the liquid, allows gas from the intermediate pipe to flow inside and discharges into the liquid, and floats in the liquid by buoyancy and rises above the bottom of the storage tank. A traveling body configured to support the submersible pipe is provided.
A gas supply device configured to run the traveling body while discharging the gas delivered from the gas delivery device from the submersible pipe. The gas supply device according to claim 1, wherein a part of the liquid pipe is located at the height of the liquid level of the liquid, and the traveling body is supported by the liquid by the buoyancy generated in the liquid pipe. .. The first aspect of the present invention, wherein the buoyant body is provided at a height of the liquid level of the liquid and is configured to support the traveling body by buoyancy, and the liquid pipe is arranged at a height above the liquid level of the liquid. Gas supply device. The gas supply device according to claim 3, further comprising a rigid support for connecting the buoyant bodies constituting the traveling body and supporting the liquid pipe.

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