JP7667827B2 - Gas supply system, gas supply method, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a gas supply system, a gas supply method, and a computer program.

Conventionally, there are systems that store seaweed such as nori together with seawater (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In these systems, oxygen is injected into the seawater while it is circulating, and the oxygen concentration is measured, and the seawater is replaced when the concentration decreases.

Patent No. 4691546

However, the seaweed can affect the sensor that measures oxygen concentration, reducing the accuracy of the measurement. This problem is not unique to seaweed, but is common to all systems that supply a specific gas to a liquid in a container that contains a living organism.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and provides a technology that enables more precise control of the gas dissolved in the liquid in a system that supplies a specific gas to a liquid in a container that contains a living organism.

One aspect of the present invention is a gas supply system comprising: a first tank which is a container for storing a liquid and a living organism; a second tank which is a container for storing a liquid obtained by separating the living organism from the liquid in the first tank; a separation device which separates the living organism from the liquid sucked up from the first tank and sends the separated liquid to the second tank; a sensor which measures the concentration of a predetermined gas dissolved in the liquid in the second tank; a gas dissolving device which dissolves the predetermined gas in the liquid and sends the liquid to the first tank; and a control device which controls the gas dissolving device in response to the measurement results of the sensor.

One aspect of the present invention is the gas supply system described above, in which the control device controls the gas dissolving device to dissolve an amount of gas according to one or more threshold values based on the measurement results of the sensor.

One aspect of the present invention is the gas supply system described above, in which the first tank is equipped with an agitator inside the tank.

One aspect of the present invention is a gas supply method comprising a first tank that is a container for storing a liquid and a living organism, a second tank that is a container for storing a liquid obtained by separating the living organism from the liquid in the first tank, a separation device that separates the living organism from the liquid sucked up from the first tank and sends the separated liquid to the second tank, a sensor that measures the concentration of a predetermined gas dissolved in the liquid in the second tank, and a gas dissolving device that dissolves the predetermined gas in the liquid and sends the liquid to the first tank, the method comprising the steps of acquiring a measurement result of the sensor and controlling the gas dissolving device in accordance with the measurement result.

One aspect of the present invention is a computer program that causes a computer provided in a gas supply system that includes a first tank that is a container for storing a liquid and a living organism, a second tank that is a container for storing a liquid obtained by separating the living organism from the liquid in the first tank, a separation device that separates the living organism from the liquid sucked up from the first tank and sends the separated liquid to the second tank, a sensor that measures the concentration of a predetermined gas dissolved in the liquid in the second tank, and a gas dissolution device that dissolves the predetermined gas in the liquid and sends the liquid to the first tank to function as a control device that controls the gas dissolution device in response to the measurement results of the sensors.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and in a system for supplying a specific gas to a liquid in a container containing a living organism, it is possible to more precisely control the gas dissolved in the liquid.

1 is a schematic block diagram showing a system configuration of a gas supply system 100 according to the present invention. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a control device 50. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a specific example of processing by the control device 50. FIG. 1 illustrates a modified example of the gas supply system 100. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a hardware configuration example of an information processing device 90 applied to the present embodiment.

Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the system configuration of the gas supply system 100 of the present invention. In the gas supply system 100 shown in Figure 1, an agitation tank 10 is used as a container equipped with an agitator. A liquid is accumulated in the tank of the agitation tank 10, and a living organism is stored in the liquid. The liquid may be any liquid as long as the stored living organism can survive. The stored living organism may be any living organism. For example, it may be algae (specifically, seaweed, etc.), shellfish, or other living organisms. For example, when seaweed is used as a specific example of a living organism, the liquid accumulated in the agitation tank 10 may be seawater or other liquids. In the gas supply system 100, gas is supplied by dissolving the gas required to maintain the living organism in good condition in the liquid accumulated in the agitation tank 10.

In the following description, the gas supply system 100 in this embodiment uses seawater as the liquid, seaweed as the living organism, and oxygen as the gas to be supplied. The gas supply system 100 includes an agitation tank 10, a cell pump 20, a seaweed raw algae separation device 30, a buffer tank 40, a control device 50, and a high-concentration gas dissolution device 60.

Living organisms (in this embodiment, raw seaweed for Nori (hereinafter simply referred to as "Nori")) are introduced into the mixing tank 10 via a path 801. The path 801 may be configured using, for example, a pipe. For example, the Nori may be introduced from the loading area of a truck carrying Nori toward the mixing tank 10 via the path 801.

Seawater is stored in the agitation tank 10, and seaweed is stored in the seawater. The agitation tank 10 includes an agitator 101 and a punched metal 102. The agitator 101 uses a drive device to rotate an agitation propeller to agitate the liquid in the agitation tank 10. The punched metal 102 is used as one form of a filter. The filter does not need to be limited to the punched metal 102. The filter may have any configuration as long as it can separate the living organisms (seaweed) from the liquid (seawater) to some extent, thereby lowering the density of seaweed in the seawater inside the filter compared to other areas in the agitation tank 10.

The wall surface of the punched metal 102 used in this embodiment has multiple holes. The punched metal 102 is formed in a cylindrical shape. When liquid passes from the outside to the inside of the wall surface of the punched metal 102, the seaweed contained in the liquid gets caught on the wall surface of the punched metal 102, and only the liquid passes through the holes. Therefore, the density of the seaweed inside the punched metal 102 is lower than the density of the seaweed on the outside of the punched metal 102.

A portion of the seawater in the mixing tank 10 is transported to the Nori raw algae separation device 30 by the cell pump 20. The mixing tank 10 and the cell pump 20 are connected by a path 802, and the cell pump 20 and the Nori raw algae separation device 30 are connected by a path 803. Both paths 802 and 803 may be constructed using pipes that can pass seawater. The end of path 802 on the mixing tank 10 side may be inserted, for example, into punching metal 102. By configuring in this way, it is possible to reduce, even if only slightly, the amount of nori contained in the seawater transported to the Nori raw algae separation device 30 via paths 802 and 803.

The Nori raw seaweed separation device 30 separates the seawater and Nori (Nori raw seaweed) that are introduced into the device. The seawater containing Nori is returned to the mixing tank 10 via path 804. Path 804 may be configured using a pipe that can pass seawater. The seawater separated from the Nori is transported to the buffer water tank 40 via path 811.

The buffer tank 40 is constructed using a container capable of storing liquid. Seawater separated from seaweed by the seaweed raw seaweed separation device 30 is poured into the buffer tank 40. The buffer tank 40 is equipped with a dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 501 in the container. The dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 501 measures the oxygen concentration of the seawater in the buffer tank 40. The dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 501 outputs the measurement result to the control device 50. In addition, a path 812 is provided in the buffer tank 40, and the seawater in the buffer tank 40 is supplied to the high concentration gas dissolution device 60 via the path 812. The path 812 may be constructed using a pipe capable of passing seawater.

The control device 50 may be configured as a device such as an ICT buoy in combination with, for example, a dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 501. The control device 50 controls the operation of the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60 according to the measurement results of the dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 501. The concentration of oxygen dissolved in the seawater supplied from the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60 to the stirring tank 10 changes according to the control of the control device 50.

The high concentration gas dissolver 60 operates under the control of the control device 50. The high concentration gas dissolver 60 dissolves a predetermined gas (oxygen in this embodiment) in a liquid (seawater in this embodiment) flowing through the device itself. The high concentration gas dissolver 60 may be controlled so that a constant amount of seawater flows per unit time. The seawater that has flowed through the high concentration gas dissolver 60 is transported to the mixing tank 10 via a path 813. The path 813 may be constructed using a pipe that allows seawater to pass through.

Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the control device 50. The control device 50 is configured using information devices such as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), a personal computer, or a dedicated device. The control device 50 includes an input unit 51, an output unit 52, a memory unit 53, and a control unit 54.

The input unit 51 is an interface that inputs data and signals from other devices to the device itself. The input unit 51 is connected to the dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 501 by a cable, and inputs the signal output from the dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 501.

The output unit 52 is an interface that inputs data and signals to other devices. The output unit 52 is connected to the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60 via a cable, and outputs a control signal to the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60.

The memory unit 53 is configured using a memory device such as a magnetic memory device or a semiconductor memory device. The memory unit 53 functions as a condition information memory unit 531. The condition information memory unit 531 stores information about the control conditions for the operation of the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60. The concentration control unit 541 described below operates according to the control conditions. The control conditions are conditions for determining the control content of the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60 based on the measurement results of the dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 501. When the concentration in the measurement results of the dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 501 is lower than the standard, the control conditions are set so that the concentration meets the standard by dissolving oxygen in seawater in the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60. Several specific examples of the control conditions are described below.

In the first specific example, one threshold value is set as the control condition. In this case, when the measurement result is less than the threshold value, the concentration control unit 541 operates the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60 to execute a process to dissolve oxygen into seawater. When the measurement result is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the concentration control unit 541 does not operate the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60.

In a second specific example, multiple thresholds are defined as control conditions corresponding to the amount of oxygen dissolved by the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60. In this case, the concentration control unit 541 operates the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60 so as to dissolve into seawater the amount of oxygen corresponding to the threshold according to the measurement result. One of the multiple thresholds may be associated with not operating the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60 (not dissolving oxygen).

In the third specific example, a plurality of control conditions are stored in the condition information storage unit 531 in association with the condition parameters. The condition parameters are parameters related to the gas supply system 100. More specifically, the condition parameters indicate the size of the stirring tank 10, the performance of the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60 (for example, the amount of oxygen that can be dissolved in seawater per unit time), the size of the buffer water tank 40, the performance of the seaweed raw seaweed separation device 30, and the like. For each condition parameter, a control condition according to that condition is stored. The control condition itself may be configured as in the first specific example described above, or may be configured as in the second specific example. In this case, the concentration control unit 541 selects suitable condition information from among multiple pieces of condition information based on information about the condition parameters previously set in the device itself, and controls the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60 using the selected condition information.

In a fourth specific example, the condition information includes a relational equation showing the relationship between the oxygen concentration of the seawater in the buffer tank 40 and the oxygen concentration of the seawater in the stirring tank 10. The condition information also has one or more thresholds associated with information related to operating the high-concentration gas dissolution device 60. The concentration control unit 541 estimates the oxygen concentration of the seawater in the stirring tank 10 based on the oxygen concentration of the seawater in the buffer tank 40 (the measurement result of the dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 501) by using the relational equation. The concentration control unit 541 operates the high-concentration gas dissolution device 60 according to information associated with a threshold according to the estimation result.

Four specific examples of condition information have been described above, but the condition information does not need to be limited to the specific examples described above.

The control unit 54 is configured using a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory (main storage device). The control unit 54 functions as a concentration control unit 541 by the processor executing a program. All or part of the functions of the control unit 54 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of computer-readable recording media include portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and semiconductor storage devices (e.g., SSDs: Solid State Drives), and storage devices such as hard disks and semiconductor storage devices built into computer systems. The above program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

The concentration control unit 541 controls the operation of the high-concentration gas dissolution device 60 based on the information stored in the condition information storage unit 531.

Figure 3 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the processing of the control device 50. First, the concentration control unit 541 acquires the oxygen concentration of the seawater in the buffer water tank 40 as the measurement result of the dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 501 (step S101). The concentration control unit 541 determines the control content based on the condition information stored in the condition information storage unit 531 (step S102). The concentration control unit 541 controls the high-concentration gas dissolution device 60 in accordance with the determined control content (step S103). The concentration control unit 541 repeatedly executes this operation at a predetermined timing.

In the gas supply system 100 configured in this manner, the dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 501, which is a sensor that measures the oxygen concentration, is installed in the buffer tank 40 rather than in the stirring tank 10. The buffer tank 40 stores seawater from which seaweed has been separated by the seaweed raw seaweed separation device 30, so the amount (density) of living organisms such as seaweed is relatively small compared to the stirring tank 10. This makes it possible to measure the oxygen concentration of seawater with greater accuracy.

In addition, the buffer tank 40 does not have an agitator 101 installed. By measuring the oxygen concentration of the seawater in such a buffer tank 40, it is possible to measure the oxygen concentration of the seawater more accurately.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a modified example of the gas supply system 100. In the modified example shown in FIG. 4, the control device 50 is communicatively connected to the dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 711 and the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60 via a network. In the modified example shown in FIG. 4, the control device 50 is installed at a location physically separated from the dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 501. Therefore, the control device 50 is not configured as an ICT buoy combined with the dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 501. In this case, the dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 711 is connected to the first communication device 71, and the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60 is connected to the second communication device 72. The first communication device 71 may be configured as a device such as an ICT buoy in combination with the dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 711, for example. The first communication device 71 and the second communication device 72 communicate with the control device 50 via a network. The first communication device 71 transmits the measurement result of the dissolved oxygen concentration sensor 711 to the control device 50 via the network. The second communication device 72 receives data indicating the control content of the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60 from the control device 50 via the network. The second communication device 72 outputs data indicating the received control content to the high-concentration gas dissolving device 60. The high-concentration gas dissolving device 60 operates according to the data acquired from the second communication device 72. In this case, the control device 50 may be configured as a cloud. In this case, the input unit 51 and the output unit 52 of the control device 50 are each configured using a communication device. The input unit 51 and the output unit 52 may be configured as an integrated communication device. The network may be a network using wireless communication or a network using wired communication. The network may be configured using, for example, the Internet or a local area network (LAN). The network may be configured by combining multiple networks.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an outline of a hardware configuration example of an information processing device 90 applied to this embodiment. The information processing device 90 includes a processor 91, a main memory device 92, a communication interface 93, an auxiliary memory device 94, an input/output interface 95, and an internal bus 96. The processor 91, the main memory device 92, the communication interface 93, the auxiliary memory device 94, and the input/output interface 95 are communicably connected to each other via the internal bus 96. The information processing device 90 may be applied to, for example, a control device 50. In this case, for example, the input unit 51 and the output unit 52 may be configured using the communication interface 93, or may be configured using the input/output interface 95. For example, the memory unit 53 may be configured using the auxiliary memory device 94. In addition, the control unit 54 may be configured using the processor 91 and the main memory device 92.

(Modification)
The control device 50 may be implemented using a plurality of information processing devices. For example, the control device 50 may be implemented using a device such as a cloud. For example, in the control device 50, the storage unit 53 and the control unit 54 may be implemented in different information processing devices. For example, the storage unit 53 of the control device 50 may be distributed and implemented in a plurality of information processing devices. For example, the control unit 54 of the control device 50 may be distributed and implemented in a plurality of information processing devices.

The above describes an embodiment of the present invention in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment and includes designs that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

100...gas supply system, 10...mixing tank, 101...mixer, 102...punched metal, 20...cell pump, 30...seaweed raw seaweed separation device, 40...buffer tank, 501, 711...dissolved oxygen concentration sensor, 50...control device, 51...input unit, 52...output unit, 53...storage unit, 531...condition information storage unit, 54...control unit, 541...concentration control unit, 60...high-concentration gas dissolving device

Claims (4)

A mixing tank which is a container for storing a liquid and a living body and has an agitator therein ;
a buffer tank which is a container for storing a liquid obtained by separating the living organism from the liquid in the stirring tank;
A separation device that separates the living organisms from the liquid sucked up from the stirring tank and sends the separated liquid to the buffer water tank ;
a concentration sensor for measuring the concentration of a predetermined gas dissolved in the liquid in the buffer water tank ;
a gas dissolving device that dissolves the predetermined gas in a liquid and delivers the liquid to the stirring tank;
A control device that controls the gas dissolving device in accordance with the measurement result of the concentration sensor;
A gas supply system comprising: The gas supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the control device controls the gas dissolving device so as to dissolve an amount of gas according to one or more threshold values based on a measurement result of the concentration sensor. A mixing tank which is a container for storing a liquid and a living body and has an agitator therein ;
a buffer tank which is a container for storing a liquid obtained by separating the living organism from the liquid in the stirring tank;
A separation device that separates the living organisms from the liquid sucked up from the stirring tank and sends the separated liquid to the buffer water tank ;
a concentration sensor for measuring the concentration of a predetermined gas dissolved in the liquid in the buffer water tank ;
A gas dissolving device that dissolves the predetermined gas in a liquid and delivers the liquid to the stirring tank,
acquiring a measurement result of the concentration sensor;
controlling the gas dissolving device in response to the measurement results;
The gas supply method includes the steps of: A mixing tank which is a container for storing a liquid and a living body and has an agitator therein ;
a buffer tank which is a container for storing a liquid obtained by separating the living organism from the liquid in the stirring tank;
A separation device that separates the living organisms from the liquid sucked up from the stirring tank and sends the separated liquid to the buffer water tank ;
a concentration sensor for measuring the concentration of a predetermined gas dissolved in the liquid in the buffer water tank ;
A gas dissolving device that dissolves the predetermined gas in a liquid and sends the liquid to the stirring tank.
A computer program for causing the gas dissolving device to function as a control device that controls the gas dissolving device in accordance with the measurement results of the concentration sensor.

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