JP6895060B2 - Liquid measuring device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring the density and concentration of microorganisms and the like present in a liquid.

In recent years, attention has been focused on a technique for culturing algae to fix carbon contained as carbon dioxide in the air and using it as a biomass fuel. 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, Botryococcus, 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, and fungi such as mold that produce useful substances such as antibiotics. Various organisms such as plankton, which is a feed for fish, are industrially cultivated. Documents describing techniques related to such a culture device include, for example, the following Patent Document 1 and the like.

In the above-mentioned culture apparatus, the target organism is propagated in the culture solution stored in the culture tank, and separated and recovered from the culture solution. Separation and recovery should be performed when the number of target organisms has increased to some extent in the culture solution. That is, in order to carry out separation and recovery at an appropriate timing, it is necessary to grasp the amount of the target organism present in the culture solution. Further, grasping the amount of organisms is useful not only at the time of separation and recovery, but also for the purpose of, for example, observing fluctuations in the amount of organisms over time and searching for the optimum conditions for culturing.

Documents describing techniques for measuring the amount of organisms in a liquid include, for example, the following Patent Document 2. Patent Document 2 describes a technique of irradiating a sample solution with light and quantifying the concentration of microorganisms from the absorbance. A similar technique for measuring based on Lambert-Beer's law has been widely applied in various fields, and can be used for measuring inanimate objects in addition to the above-mentioned organisms. In addition to the amount of granular objects such as microorganisms, the concentration of colloids and solutes dissolved in the liquid can also be measured.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-82910 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-112761

However, if an attempt is made to apply the above-mentioned technique to the measurement of an object existing in a large amount of liquid, a large amount of capital investment and a great deal of labor for measurement are likely to occur. This is because the concentration of the target substance fluctuates greatly spatially and temporally in a large amount of liquid.

There are several possible specific methods for measurement. As the first method, there is a method in which sensors for measuring the absorbance are installed at a plurality of points in the liquid and the measurement is performed at each measurement point. By grasping the amount of the target object spatially and temporally, the amount of the target object can be finally estimated. As a sensor to be used, a device called a turbidity meter or the like is sold, and there is also a type of device that measures by throwing it into a liquid, which is convenient. However, this method is costly because it requires a large number of sensors, and it is troublesome because the measurement must be performed periodically at each measurement point.

Therefore, as a second method, a method of circulating the liquid to promote contact between the sensor and the liquid can be considered. The liquid containing the target object may be brought into contact with each sensor while circulating at regular intervals, and the measured values may be integrated to calculate the amount of the target object. In this way, it is possible to measure the liquid in a certain area for each sensor while reducing the number of sensors to be installed. However, in this method, it is necessary to install a pump having a large power for circulation of the liquid, and the installation and driving of the pump are costly. Moreover, since a large amount of liquid is targeted, it is difficult to uniformly mix the entire liquid. In particular, it is difficult to measure precipitated substances.

As a third method, samples are taken from different places in the liquid and mixed to form one sample, and the amount of the target substance in the sample is taken as the average value of the amount of the target substance in the whole liquid. A method of estimating the total amount can be mentioned. In this case, in addition to the measurement based on the absorbance as described above, for example, the sample can be dried and the dry weight per volume of the sample can be measured. However, in this third method, the collection and mixing of the sample depends on human power, and the work related to the measurement becomes complicated.

Further, as a fourth method, there is also a method of taking an aerial photograph of the liquid from the sky and estimating the amount of the target substance from the color of the liquid surface. This method is possible when the target object can be optically detected by its color, and is adopted when a red tide occurs in the sea. However, although this method is effective for grasping the target object floating near the liquid surface, it is difficult to apply it to the target object whose distribution in the vertical direction is unknown, such as activated sludge and microalgae.

In view of such circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a liquid substance measuring device capable of easily grasping the amount of a target substance in a large amount of liquid.

The present invention includes a support that extends in the liquid in the vertical direction, and a detection unit that is arranged along the support and is configured to optically detect the amount of substances in the liquid. Is configured to run in the liquid, and is arranged so that at least a part of the liquid is located above the liquid level of the liquid stored in the storage tank, and the gas delivered from the gas delivery device is circulated inside. A liquid pipe, an intermediate pipe that extends from the liquid pipe into the liquid below and guides the gas in the liquid pipe downward, and an intermediate pipe that is connected to the intermediate pipe in the liquid and contains gas from the intermediate pipe. It is provided with a submersible tube that circulates in the liquid and discharges into the liquid, floats in the liquid by buoyancy, supports the submerged tube above the bottom of the storage tank, and transfers the gas delivered from the gas delivery device. It is applied to a liquid substance measuring device in which the measuring unit is attached to a traveling body configured to travel while being discharged from a submerged tube.

In the liquid substance measuring device of the present invention, the support may be a rope or a wire having at least one end attached to the traveling body.

In the liquid substance measuring apparatus of the present invention, the detection unit detects the detection light radiated upward from the irradiation unit by the light receiving unit arranged above the irradiation unit, so that the liquid is based on the absorbance. It may be configured so that the amount of contents can be measured.

In the liquid substance measuring device of the present invention, a plurality of the light receiving units arranged above the irradiation unit may be provided with respect to the measuring unit.

According to the liquid substance measuring apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to obtain an excellent effect that the amount of the target substance in a large amount of liquid can be easily grasped.

It is a top view which shows the embodiment of 1st Example of this invention. It is a front view which shows the embodiment of the 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 embodiment of 1st Example of this invention, and is the figure corresponding to the arrow III-III of FIG. It is a top view which shows another arrangement example of 1st Example of this invention. It is a side view which shows the embodiment of the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a side view which shows the embodiment of the 3rd Example of this invention. It is a side view which shows the embodiment of the 4th Example of this invention. It is a side view which shows the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the 6th Embodiment of this invention.

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

1 to 3 show an example of the form of the liquid substance measuring apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The liquid substance measuring device 1 is installed in a storage tank 3 for storing a liquid 2 which is a culture solution of microalgae such as Euglena, Chlorella, Spirulina, Donariella, Botryococcus, Pseudocoristis, etc. Used to measure the density of algae. In addition to this, various organisms such as aerobic microorganisms, yeasts, bacteria, fungi, plankton and benthos as described above can be mentioned as objects of measurement by the liquid substance measuring device 1. In addition to these cultured organisms, the liquid substance measuring device 1 can be used for measuring the density and concentration of various organisms and substances such as colloids and inanimate objects in the liquid. Hereinafter, in the present specification, such organisms and substances that are in the liquid and can be measured by the liquid substance measuring device 1 are collectively referred to as “liquid substances”.

The liquid substance measuring device 1 of the first embodiment is a gas supply device having a function of sending a gas (air) A for culturing microalgae into the liquid 2, and the liquid substance (microalgae) in the liquid 2 is supplied. ) Is a device with an added configuration for measuring the concentration. Here, as the liquid 2, various liquids other than water can be assumed. Further, as the gas A, various gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide can be assumed in addition to air.

The configuration of the liquid substance measuring device 1 as a gas supply device will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the liquid substance measuring device 1 is connected to a gas delivery device 4 that pressurizes and sends out air A via a delivery pipe 5, and is connected to the gas delivery device 4 from the gas delivery device 4. A liquid pipe 6 that introduces and circulates the air A to be sent out to the inside, and an intermediate pipe 7 that extends from the liquid pipe 6 into the liquid 2 below and guides the air A in the liquid pipe 6 downward. It is provided near the bottom of the storage tank 3 and is connected to an intermediate pipe 7, and includes a submerged pipe 8 that allows air A from the intermediate pipe 7 to flow inside and is discharged into the liquid 2. The liquid pipe 6, the intermediate pipe 7, and the submerged pipe 8 constitute a traveling body B described later.

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 dimension of the storage tank 3 along the longitudinal direction of the liquid pipe 6. In other words, the liquid pipe 6 is arranged over substantially the entire width of the storage 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 at the center in the longitudinal direction of the liquid pipe 6) 6b'is configured as a four-way T-shaped pipe having four connecting ends. Of the four ends of the connecting pipe 6b', two ends facing each other are arranged along the horizontal direction and connected to the end of the main pipe 6a. Of the remaining ends, one is arranged horizontally and connected to the end of the delivery tube 5, and one is directed downwards and connected to the upper end of the intermediate tube 7. 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 expands by the air A sent into the inside to obtain buoyancy and floats on the liquid surface of the liquid 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. Of the two ends of the end connecting pipe 6c, one is arranged along the horizontal direction and connected to the end of the main pipe 6a, and the other is directed downward and connected to the upper end of the intermediate pipe 7.

The submersible pipe 8 arranged in the liquid 2 has a substantially symmetrical arrangement with the liquid water 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 doing so, one long submersible tube 8 is configured. The main pipe 8a is, for example, a rubber pipe, 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 to be 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.

At least a part of the main pipe 8a has a large number of holes communicating inside and outside on the side surface, and the air A flowing through the main pipe 8a is sent out from the holes into the liquid 2. In the case of the first embodiment, the hole is opened in half of the main pipe 8a constituting the submersible pipe 8, and the stirrer 9 is attached to the other half of the submersible pipe 8 having no hole. .. The agitator 9 is a machine having a mechanism in which a pump is operated by a motor, for example, to suck in the surrounding liquid 2 and send it upward. The electric power required for the operation of the agitator 9 may be supplied from the outside through a cable provided along the traveling body B or the tow rope 10, or may be provided by incorporating a power supply device such as a battery in the agitator 9. good.

The intermediate pipe 7 is a pipe arranged in the liquid 2 along the vertical direction, and is configured as a soft pipe woven with resin fibers, like the main pipe 6a, for example. As described above, the upper end of each intermediate pipe 7 is connected to the connecting pipes 6b, 6b'constituting the liquid pipe 6 or the end portion facing downward of the end connecting pipe 6c, respectively. The lower end of each intermediate pipe 7 is connected to the upper end of the connecting pipe 8b and the end connecting pipe 8c constituting the submersible pipe 8. In this way, the submerged pipe 8 is supported in a form of hanging below the liquid surface of the liquid 2 via the intermediate pipe 7, thereby forming a traveling body B traveling in the liquid 2. The position where the submersible pipe 8 is supported below the traveling body B is slightly above the bottom surface of the storage tank 3.

In this way, in the traveling body B, at least a part of the liquid surface pipe 6 is arranged so as to be located at a height above the liquid level of the liquid 2. In the case of the first embodiment, when the air A is sent out from the gas delivery device 4, the liquid pipe 6 is located at the height of the liquid level of the liquid 2, and a part of the liquid pipe 6 is submerged in the liquid 2 and the traveling body. It is designed to generate buoyancy that supports the entire B. In addition to this, the traveling body B is provided with a buoyant body made of a material having a specific gravity smaller than that of the liquid 2, such as foamed resin, in addition to the liquid pipe 6, and the traveling body B is held in the liquid 2 by the buoyant body. It can also be configured to do so. In that case, if the liquid surface tube 6 is arranged on the buoyant body, the entire liquid surface tube 6 is located above the liquid surface.

A tow rope 10 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 10 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 storage tank 3. It is connected to the upper machine 11.

Here, the tow rope 10 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 10.

The hoisting machine 11 is installed on the edge of the storage tank 3 as shown in FIG. Pulleys 12a and 12b are rotatably supported on the installation position of each hoisting machine 11 at the edge of the storage tank 3 and on the wall surface of the storage tank 3 below each hoisting machine 11, and the tow rope 10 is The pulleys 12a and 12b are once wound around the pulleys 12a and 12b, and then wound around the hoisting machine 11. In this way, the towline 10 can be wound up or sent out along the liquid level of the liquid 2 by the hoisting machine 11 while keeping the towline 10 horizontal between the pulleys 12b and 12b on the wall surfaces of the storage tanks 3 facing each other. You can do it.

The liquid substance measuring device 1 of the first embodiment is characterized in that a measuring unit 13 for measuring an object is attached to a traveling body B that supplies the gas A.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the measuring unit 13 is configured by arranging a detecting unit for measuring an object in the liquid along a support 13a extending in the vertical direction in the liquid 2. In the case of the first embodiment, the detection unit is composed of an irradiation unit 13b that irradiates the detection light and a light receiving unit 13c that receives the detection light emitted from the irradiation unit 13b. The lower end of the support 13a is moored to the submersible pipe 8 of the traveling body B, and the upper end is attached with a float 13d having a lighter specific gravity than the liquid 2. As a result, the support 13a is maintained in a vertically extending posture in the liquid 2.

Here, the fact that the support 13a "extends in the vertical direction" does not mean that the angle of the support 13a maintains a strict vertical direction. It suffices if the support 13a is arranged vertically in the liquid 2 and the detection unit can be arranged vertically above and below the liquid 2, and the angle formed by the support 13a may be oblique with respect to the vertical direction.

The irradiation unit 13b is provided at the lower end of the support 13a so as to irradiate the detection light upward. The light receiving unit 13c is installed at a position above the irradiation unit 13b on the support 13a, and receives the light emitted from the irradiation unit 13b through the light receiving window facing downward. In this way, the amount of the substance in the liquid existing between the irradiation unit 13b and the light receiving unit 13c can be measured based on the absorbance between the irradiation unit 13b and the light receiving unit 13c. As the detection light, in addition to visible light, light of various wavelengths suitable for measurement can be used depending on the properties of the liquid 2 and the liquid substance to be measured, such as infrared rays and ultraviolet rays.

In the first embodiment, one measuring unit 13 is provided with three light receiving units 13c along the support 13a, but the measuring unit 13 is provided depending on the depth of the storage tank 3 and other conditions. The number of light receiving units 13c can be increased or decreased as appropriate. In addition, the number of irradiation units 13b installed and the installation position on the support 13a may be changed as appropriate. In particular, when the concentration of the target liquid substance is high and the detection light is suddenly weakened between the irradiation unit 13b and the light receiving unit 13c, the irradiation unit 13b is added, for example, the support 13a. The irradiation unit 13b may also be provided in the middle portion of the above. Further, when the concentration of the substance in the liquid is high, it can be dealt with by increasing the intensity of the detected light.

As shown in FIG. 3, the light receiving unit 13c inputs the intensity of the received detected light to the control device 14 as a measurement signal 13e. The measurement signal 13e is input to the control device 14 by wire, for example, by a cable provided along the traveling body B or the tow line 10. This is because the radio signal is difficult to propagate in the liquid 2. Further, the electric power required for the operation of the irradiation unit 13b and the light receiving unit 13c may be supplied from the outside through a cable provided along the traveling body B and the tow line 10, and the irradiation unit 13b and the light receiving unit 13c may be supplied with a battery or the like. It may be covered by incorporating the power supply device of.

The control device 14 is a device that controls the operation of the entire liquid substance measuring device 1, and controls, for example, the on / off and output of the gas delivery device 4, the operation of the hoisting machine 11, and the like. Further, the control device 14 calculates the amount of the substance in the liquid, which will be described later, based on the measurement signal 13e input from each light receiving unit 13c of the measuring unit 13.

The support 13a may be, for example, a rope or a wire, or may be a rod-shaped object. Anything may be used as long as the irradiation unit 13b and the light receiving unit 13c as detection units can be arranged in the liquid 2 along the vertical direction. However, if the support 13a is a rope or a wire, the strength and durability required for the measuring unit 13 can be provided at low cost, and the support 13a is particularly suitable for maintaining the measurement accuracy. This is because a rope or wire has a small diameter, and therefore, it is possible to suppress the influence on the measurement accuracy due to the detection light emitted from the irradiation unit 13b being reflected by the support 13a and incident on the light receiving unit 13c.

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 liquid pipe 6 expands by sending air A into the liquid to obtain buoyancy, and supports the entire traveling body B including the intermediate pipe 7 and the submerged pipe 8 with the liquid 2 by the buoyancy. Further, while the delivery pipe 5 also floats on the liquid surface, the connection between the air A delivery port of the gas delivery device 4 and the connection pipe 6b'of the liquid liquid pipe 6 is maintained.

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. The connection pipe 8b and the end connection pipe 8c connected to the submersible pipe 8 are guided to the submersible pipe 8. The submersible pipe 8 sends air A into the liquid 2 through a large number of holes opened on the side surface of the main pipe 8a.

At this time, as described above, the submersible pipe 8 has 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 A 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 becomes large. While the portion stays in the liquid pipe 6, it is 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 liquid pipe 6, the air A from the gas delivery device 4 covers the entire area of the liquid liquid 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 discharged 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 A from the submersible pipe 8 to the liquid 2 is released. It is conceivable that there will be a bias in the transmission of. In the first embodiment, the 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.

The air A sent out into the liquid 2 plays a role of supplying the substance necessary for culturing to the liquid 2 in the form of a dissolved gas, and at the same time, plays a role of stirring the liquid 2. However, if these two roles are to be performed solely by the supply of air A, either or both of the dissolved gas supply and the agitation may exceed the required amount. More specifically, for example, in culturing microalgae, if the required amount of stirring is to be satisfied only by supplying air A, the amount of dissolved gas supplied tends to exceed the required amount. That is, the energy used for supplying the air A is wasted for the surplus that exceeds the required amount. In order to send the air A into the liquid 2, it is necessary to apply a certain pressure or more to the air A, and a large amount of energy is required. Therefore, it is particularly desirable to suppress the energy consumption here as much as possible.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, as described above, only half of the main pipes 8a constituting the submersible pipe 8 are provided with holes for supplying air A. Therefore, the pressure required for supplying the air A can be maintained with a small amount of energy while reducing the supply amount of the air A as compared with the case where all the main pipes 8a are similarly provided with the holes. In this way, the amount of agitation by the air A also decreases, but in the first embodiment, the amount of agitation is supplemented by operating the agitator 9 provided in the main pipe 8a having no holes. I am trying to do it. The stirrer 9 stirs the liquid 2 by sending the liquid 2 upward as described above, but the stirrer 9 can perform the agitation with less energy than the agitation by supplying the air A.

In this way, the air A sent out from the gas delivery device 4 is supplied into the liquid 2 via the traveling body B including the liquid upper pipe 6, the intermediate pipe 7, and the submerged pipe 8. Then, the traveling body B reciprocates in the liquid 2 in the horizontal direction by the tow rope 10 while supplying the air A as described above.

Each tow rope 10 is wound up or unwound by a hoisting machine 11 provided at the edge of the storage tank 3, so that the traveling body B connected to each tow rope 10 travels in the storage tank 3. In FIG. 1, when it is desired to make the traveling body B travel upward in the figure, each hoisting machine 11 located in the upper part of the figure winds up the tow rope 10, and each hoisting machine 11 located in the lower part of the figure winds up. The operation of feeding out the tow rope 10 is performed. Further, when it is desired to make the traveling body B travel downward in the drawing, each hoisting machine 11 located in the upper part of the drawing pays out the towline 10, and each hoisting machine 11 located in the lower part of the drawing draws out the towline 10. Performs the operation of winding up. By alternately repeating this operation, the traveling body B reciprocates in the storage tank 3 up and down in the drawing.

At this time, the operation can be switched, for example, by providing a limit switch that operates by contact with the traveling body B on the wall surface of the storage tank 3 and interlocking the limit switch with the switching of the operation in the hoisting machine 11. .. Further, for example, the tow rope 10 may be wound or wound manually. In addition, various configurations may be adopted for the operation of the tow rope 10 and its switching.

Then, while the traveling body B is traveling, the measuring unit 13 measures the liquid matter (see FIG. 3). The irradiation unit 13b located below the support 13a irradiates the detection light upward, and the detection light advances while attenuating in the liquid 2 to each light receiving unit 13c arranged above the irradiation unit 13b. Is detected. The detection light is weakened according to the distance between the irradiation unit 13b and each light receiving unit 13c, and is also absorbed and weakened by the liquid substance existing in the liquid 2 between the irradiation unit 13b and each light receiving unit 13c. .. Each light receiving unit 13c inputs the intensity of the received detection light to the control device 14 as a measurement signal 13e. In the control device 14, the irradiation unit 13b and each light receiving unit are determined from the intensity of the detection light emitted from the irradiation unit 13b, the intensity of the detection light received by each light receiving unit 13c, and the distance between the irradiation unit 13b and each light receiving unit 13c. The amount of the liquid substance existing between 13c and 13c is calculated.

At this time, since a plurality of light receiving units 13c are provided in the vertical direction for one measuring unit 13, the amount of liquid matter between the light receiving units 13c can be measured between the light receiving units 13c and the irradiation unit 13b. It can be calculated as the difference in the amount of substances in the liquid. That is, it is possible to grasp the vertical distribution of the liquid substance in the region where the measuring unit 13 is installed.

Further, since the measurement is performed while the traveling body B to which the measuring unit 13 is attached is traveling, the control device 14 determines the position of the traveling body B in the storage tank 3 by the feeding amount of the tow rope 10 in each hoisting machine 11. I can grasp it. Therefore, in the control device 14, it is possible to grasp the distribution of the liquid matter in the traveling direction of the traveling body B by executing the measurement by the measuring unit 13 in association with the position of the traveling body B. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the distribution in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the traveling body B can be dealt with by attaching a plurality of measuring units 13 to the traveling body B along the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction. it can.

Furthermore, if the measurement is performed over time, it is possible to grasp the change in the distribution amount of the liquid substance along the time axis. The measurement may be continuously executed moment by moment while the traveling body B is traveling, or may be repeatedly executed after a certain period of time.

Here, in the first embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the detection light is irradiated from the irradiation unit 13b located near the bottom of the storage tank 3 toward the light receiving unit 13c located above. This is to avoid the influence of sunlight as much as possible during the measurement. If the detection light is emitted downward from the irradiation unit 13b located near the liquid surface and detected by the light receiving unit 13c located below the irradiation unit 13b, sunlight incident from above is similarly incident. Is detected by the light receiving unit 13c, which may affect the measurement accuracy.

In addition, as a measure for suppressing the influence of the input light from the surrounding environment, for example, a method of modulating the detected light to distinguish it from other light can be considered. Alternatively, the measurement can be performed at night to minimize noise input from the surrounding environment.

Further, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the support 13a of the measuring unit 13 is attached to a portion of the main pipe 8a constituting the submersible pipe 8 that does not have a hole for releasing air A. ing. This is a configuration that takes into consideration the influence of bubbles on the measurement. If the bubbles emitted from the main tube 8a are located near the light receiving unit 13c, the detection light emitted from the irradiation unit 13b is reflected by the bubbles and input to the light receiving unit 13c, which affects the detection accuracy. there is a possibility. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the measuring unit 13 is installed at a position away from the place where the air A is discharged to minimize the influence of air bubbles during the measurement.

In addition, for example, the influence of air bubbles can be avoided by stopping the supply of air A only while performing the measurement. In this case, if the measurement is performed immediately after the supply of the air A is stopped, the liquid 2 in the vicinity of the measurement point is agitated by the air A, so that the measurement can be performed in a state where the bias of the liquid substance is suppressed.

The irradiation unit 13b and the light receiving unit 13c constituting the detection unit may be arranged along the intermediate tube 7 of the traveling body B, and in this case, the intermediate tube 7 serves as a support. In this way, the detection light reflected by the intermediate tube 7 may be input to the light receiving unit 13c, but the cost for installing the measuring unit 13 can be reduced because the support 13a and the float 13d are not required. can do.

Further, in the first embodiment, the case where the measuring unit 13 for detecting the amount of the substance in the liquid by the absorbance is provided has been illustrated, but the method for measuring the substance in the liquid is not limited to this, and other optical methods are used. The method can also be adopted. For example, if a device such as a CCD camera is installed in the measuring unit 13, there is a possibility that information such as color and particle size distribution can be obtained in addition to the density or concentration of the substance in the liquid. However, the absorbance-type measuring method is the most suitable in that it is possible to easily measure the substance in the liquid using an inexpensive sensor.

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 storage tank 3 is illustrated. A plurality of stages of traveling bodies B may be provided in the direction along the rope 10. In this case, if the positions of the measuring units 13 attached to the plurality of traveling bodies B are shifted from each other with respect to the directions orthogonal to the traveling direction, the liquid 2 is measured when measuring the distribution amount of the liquid substance. The influence of bias in the inside can be suppressed.

In this way, the liquid substance measuring device 1 of the first embodiment can easily grasp the change in the amount of the liquid substance in the liquid 2 in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and further along the time axis. .. Since the measuring unit 13 is attached to the traveling body B traveling in the liquid 2, the number of installed irradiation units 13b and light receiving units 13c as sensors can be minimized, and capital investment can be suppressed. Further, since the measurement is performed while the traveling body B is automatically moved in the storage tank 3, it is not necessary to manually collect a sample from a plurality of locations in the storage tank 3 or perform the measurement. Since the measurement unit 13 side provided with the sensor performs the measurement while moving in the liquid 2, it is not necessary to circulate the entire liquid 2 for the measurement. Further, since the liquid 2 is agitated by the air A ejected from the submersible pipe 8 and the stirrer 9 at the lower part of the traveling body B, the liquid matter settled at the bottom of the storage tank 3 is also wound up and detected by the measuring unit 13. It is possible.

As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the support 13a extending in the vertical direction in the liquid 2 and the support 13a arranged along the support 13a, the amount of the substance in the liquid in the liquid 2 is optically measured. Since the measurement unit 13 including the detection units 13b and 13c configured for detection is configured to run in the liquid 2, the irradiation unit 13b installed as the detection unit and the irradiation unit 13b are installed when measuring the liquid substance. The number of light receiving units 13c can be minimized, and capital investment can be suppressed. In addition, there is no need to manually collect or measure samples from a plurality of locations in the storage tank 3.

The liquid substance measuring device of the present invention is arranged so that at least a part of the liquid is located above the liquid level of the liquid 2 stored in the storage tank 3, and contains the gas A delivered from the gas delivery device 4. A liquid pipe 6 is provided, an intermediate pipe 7 extending from the liquid pipe 6 into the liquid 2 below, and a liquid pipe 8 for discharging the gas A from the intermediate pipe 7 into the liquid 2. The measurement is performed on a traveling body B configured to float in the liquid 2 by buoyancy, support the submersible tube 8 above the bottom of the storage tank 3, and travel while discharging gas A from the submersible tube 8. Since the unit 13 is attached to the structure, the liquid substance can be easily measured by attaching the measuring unit 13 to the traveling body B that supplies the gas A into the liquid 2.

In the liquid substance measuring device of the present invention, since the support 13a is a rope or wire having at least one end attached to the traveling body B, the measuring unit 13 is provided with the strength and durability required for the measuring unit 13 at low cost. Can be done.

In the liquid substance measuring device of the present invention, the detection unit 13c detects the detection light emitted upward from the irradiation unit 13b by the light receiving unit 13c arranged above the irradiation unit 13b. Since the amount of the substance in the liquid can be measured based on the absorbance, the substance in the liquid can be easily measured using an inexpensive sensor. In addition, the influence of sunlight can be avoided as much as possible during the measurement.

In the liquid substance measuring device of the present invention, since a plurality of the light receiving sections 13c arranged above the irradiation section 13b are provided with respect to the measuring section 13, the liquid substance in the liquid 2 is along the vertical direction. The distribution can be grasped.

Therefore, according to the first embodiment, the amount of the target substance in a large amount of liquid can be easily grasped.

5 to 9 show the second to sixth embodiments of the present invention. In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5, instead of attaching the lower end of the support 13a to the submersible pipe 8 of the traveling body B as in the first embodiment (see FIGS. 2 and 3), the upper end of the support 13a is attached. It is attached to the liquid pipe 6. On the other hand, a weight 13f having a specific gravity larger than that of the liquid 2 is attached to the lower end of the support 13a, whereby the support 13a is arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction in the liquid 2. When the main pipe 6a of the liquid pipe 6 is made of a flexible material, the mounting position of the support 13a on the liquid pipe 6 may be, for example, the connecting pipe 6b (see FIG. 2). This is to prevent the material of the main pipe 6a from being bent due to the attachment of the measuring unit 13.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6 as a third embodiment, the upper end portion of the support 13a may be attached to the liquid pipe 6 and the lower end portion may be attached to the submersible pipe 8. In this case, the float 13d (see FIG. 3), the weight 13f (see FIG. 5), and the like are not required to maintain the posture of the support 13a.

In the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a case where the measuring unit 13 is installed separately from the traveling body B (see FIGS. 1 to 3) is illustrated. The measuring unit 13 of the fourth embodiment is provided with a float 13d at the upper end of the support 13a and a weight 13f at the lower end to maintain the posture of the support 13a along the vertical direction. Further, by attaching the float 13d to the tow rope 10, the entire measuring unit 13 travels in the liquid 2 according to the operation of the tow rope 10.

As shown in the first to fourth embodiments, the irradiation unit 13b and the light receiving unit 13c as the detection unit can be arranged at appropriate positions in the liquid 2, and the irradiation unit 13b and the light receiving unit 13c can be run. As long as the measurement unit 13 is limited, various configurations and arrangements can be adopted.

In the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the measurement light is emitted from the irradiation unit 13b provided in the measurement unit 13 along the horizontal direction, and the measurement light is detected by the light receiving unit 13c provided in the other measurement unit 13. There is. In this way, the horizontal distribution of the liquid substance among the plurality of measuring units 13 can be measured. Further, if a plurality of irradiation units 13b and light receiving units 13c are installed along the vertical direction of each measurement unit 13, the distribution of liquid substances in the vertical direction can be grasped.

In the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the irradiation unit is not provided, and the detection unit is composed of the light receiving unit 13c. The light receiving portion 13c arranged along the support 13a faces the light receiving window upward and detects light from above. That is, it is configured to use sunlight as detection light. Since the irradiation unit is not required, the cost for installing the measurement unit 13 can be suppressed. It is applicable when the liquid 2 is sufficiently shallow, the concentration of the target liquid substance is sufficiently low, and the sunlight contains light having a wavelength suitable for detecting the liquid substance.

Since other configurations and actions and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment, they will be omitted, but the amount of the target substance in a large amount of liquid can be easily grasped also in the second to sixth embodiments.

The liquid substance measuring 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 Liquid substance measuring device 2 Liquid 3 Storage tank 4 Gas delivery device 6 Liquid upper pipe 7 Intermediate pipe 8 Liquid pipe 13 Measuring part 13a Support 13b Detection part (irradiating part)
13c Detection unit (light receiving unit)
A gas (air)
B running body

Claims (4)

A support that extends vertically in the liquid,
A measuring unit, which is arranged along the support and includes a detecting unit configured to optically detect the amount of a substance in the liquid in the liquid, is configured to run in the liquid .
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.
A submersible tube that is connected to the intermediate tube in the liquid and allows gas from the intermediate tube to flow inside and is discharged into the liquid.
It is configured to float in the liquid by buoyancy, support the submersible pipe above the bottom of the storage tank, and travel while discharging the gas delivered from the gas delivery device from the submersible pipe. An in-liquid substance measuring device having the measuring unit attached to the body. The liquid substance measuring device according to claim 1 , wherein the support is a rope or a wire having at least one end attached to the traveling body. The detection unit is configured to be able to measure the amount of substances in the liquid based on the absorbance by detecting the detection light emitted upward from the irradiation unit by the light receiving unit arranged above the irradiation unit. The liquid substance measuring apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The liquid substance measuring device according to claim 3 , wherein a plurality of the light receiving units arranged above the irradiation unit are provided with respect to the measuring unit.

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