JPS6033534B2 - Capsule manufacturing device with controllable reaction time - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a capsule containing a stable fluid whose reaction time can be controlled.

(Prior art) In manufacturing a capsule body containing a stable fluid, gelatin, agar, etc., which constitute the core of the capsule body, must be In addition to the method of producing a gel-like film by contacting a mixture of a fluid with a polyvalent metal salt with a solution of alginate, low methoxyl vectin, or a mixture thereof, various proposals have been made. Although it has been done,
There are few proposals for equipment for manufacturing this.

And the proposal itself is, for example,
Publication No. 51-76, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 51-81
As seen in Publication No. 76, Special Publication No. 52-117282, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-110352, etc., the invention relates to improvements in nozzles and coagulation liquid circulation devices,
No practical device that can be mass-produced has been proposed.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) Therefore, looking at the process adopted in the above-mentioned device, first of all, the fluid material forming the core is dropped into the coagulating liquid from the nozzle in the form of particles, Next, the droplets are immersed and moved in the coagulation liquid for a predetermined period of time, and a gel-like film is formed on the surface of the droplets by a chemical reaction in the coagulation liquid.

Thereafter, the coagulation liquid and the capsule body on which the gel-like film has been formed are separated and taken out, which consists of the above three steps.

When these processes are examined from the viewpoint of designing a functional device, the first problem is that the productivity is low.

In other words, the droplets dropped from the nozzle sink in the coagulating liquid due to the circulating flow of the coagulating liquid and their own weight, and solidification progresses, but in the initial stage of dropping, droplets tend to stick to each other.
In addition, only the number of nozzles that can be used is proportional to the surface area of the reaction tank, and the flow rate of the circulating liquid cannot be made too fast due to the relationship with the solidification time.As a result, the number of nozzles that can be used is limited, which increases productivity. There are limits to that.

Next, when taking out the capsule body that has been immersed in the coagulation liquid for a predetermined period of time to form a film, it is difficult to keep the coagulation liquid in a static state. Since solid-liquid separation is performed using a solid-liquid system, dynamic changes are applied to the coagulated liquid, making it easy for air to be trapped in the coagulated liquid. The dynamic change referred to here refers to the use of a silk-like separation plate in a capsule body as shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-8875, Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-8876, and Tsubaki Seki No. 51-8176. When separating the coagulated liquid from the coagulated liquid, air is trapped while the coagulated liquid is being separated by a separating plate and dripping, or at the time when these droplets are dripping onto the liquid surface of the coagulated liquid recovery tank.

Furthermore, a static state refers to a state in which the coagulated liquid is divided by a separating plate or the like and does not enclose air. Entrainment of air in the coagulation liquid leads to an increase in the apparent viscosity of the coagulation liquid, which further reduces the amount of circulation of the coagulation liquid, making it impossible to operate the apparatus.

In addition, there are complications such as having to replace the coagulating liquid when restarting operation. (Means for solving the problem) The present invention was invented to solve the above problems. A device that has the function of stabilizing the circulation amount regardless of the viscosity of the coagulating liquid and forming a liquid flow that prevents particles from adhering to each other in the initial stage of droplets being dropped into the coagulating liquid. The purpose is to provide the following.

In other words, a reaction tank that forms a gel film on the surface of the droplet by a chemical reaction in the coagulation liquid, and a recovery tank that separates the capsule formed in the reaction tank from the coagulation liquid are connected to a liquid sending pipe and a liquid return pipe. In a capsule manufacturing device in which the liquid is connected to each other to form a circulation path, a head difference is formed in the pipes between the reaction tank and the recovery tank depending on the amount of liquid sent by a pump installed in the return liquid pipe, and the circulation flow rate is adjusted. The reaction time is controlled by controlling the reaction time, and at the same height as the discharge pipe that passes through the overflow pipe at the top of the reaction tank, the return liquid pipe is symmetrically tangentially connected to the discharge pipe. It is characterized by being attached to the tank.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, it is possible to create a head difference in the liquid level between the reaction tank and the recovery tank, and thereby the circulation flow rate can be controlled depending on the degree of coagulation of the liquid, and the capsule body The residence time in the coagulation liquid, that is, the reaction time, can be adjusted and controlled, and the reaction liquid return pipe is symmetrically tangentially connected to the discharge pipe at the same height as the discharge pipe that passes through the overflow pipe at the top of the reaction tank. Because it is attached to the tank, a circulating flow is generated in the upper part of the reaction tank, and the droplets do not stick to each other in the initial stage when they are dropped into the coagulation liquid, and the residence time becomes longer.This, in combination with the control by the flow rate, increases the strength of the capsule body. It has the characteristic that it can be adjusted according to physical properties such as permeability.

(Example) The embodiments shown in the drawings will be described below.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 consists of a reaction tank and a recovery tank, and the reaction tank 2 is composed of an inverted cone-shaped reaction tower, and the liquid level of the coagulated liquid in this is arranged in an annular shape on the outer periphery of the upper part of the reaction tank 2. Pump 4 from overflow pipe 3 connected to receiving gutter 2a arranged in
The liquid is kept constant by returning the liquid to the premises from a discharge pipe 5 installed in the tangential direction of the reaction tank 2 through the tube. At the top of the reaction tank 2 is a core liquid tank 1.
is arranged so that the fluid drips from the perforated plate 6 provided on the bottom surface toward the surface of the coagulated liquid in the reaction chamber 2.

An outlet pipe 7 is provided at the center of the reaction tank 2, and forms a double pipe together with a bottomed cladding pipe 8 covering the closed part, forming a bent circuit of a liquid flow path.

The outlet pipe 7 is connected to a perforated cylinder 101 via a liquid sending pipe 9,
It has a U-shape as a whole, and a recovery tank 11 is wisely installed in the upper part of the perforated cylinder 10 to form a kind of recovery tower.

A screw conveyor 12 is installed inside the perforated cylinder 1, and countless holes 10a are formed in the upper part of the perforated cylinder 10 corresponding to the screw conveyor 12.
At the opening of 0, a power pump outlet gutter 13 is provided obliquely downward, and the lower end of the ejector gutter 13 faces the product tank 14.

In the illustrated example, the end of the screw portion of the screw conveyor 12 projects upward from the take-out gutter 13 and is driven by a motor 15.

Further, the reaction tank 2 and the recovery tank 11 are connected through a return liquid pipe 16, and the coagulated liquid in the recovery tank 11 is returned to the reaction tank 2 by the pump 17.

The return liquid pipe 16 is installed symmetrically and tangentially to the discharge pipe 5 of the reaction tank 2 at the same height as the discharge pipe 5, so as to generate a circular flow in the direction of the hour hand as shown by the arrow in FIG. There is. Due to the presence of this return liquid pipe 16, a head difference (head pressure) is formed between the liquid levels of the reaction tank 2 and the recovery tank 11.

The head difference is determined by the amount of liquid fed by the pump 17, and the circulation flow rate between the reaction tank and the recovery tank 11 is determined by this head difference. Although not shown, the pump 4 also serves to replenish new coagulation fluid. Now, the fluid that is the core substance is dropped from the perforated plate 6 of the core liquid tank 1 toward the surface of the solidified liquid in the reaction tank 2.

The droplets made of the dropped fluid immediately react with the coagulation liquid, become spherical, fall in the reaction tank 2, and while reacting, become capsule bodies and enter the circulation flow from the double spaces 7 and 8 due to the head difference. and transported to the collection tank 11. Then, the capsule body is moved up by the screw conveyor 12 of the perforated cylinder 10;
It is lifted up from the container and jumps out onto the power psel extraction gutter 13.

The coagulating liquid sent to the perforated cylinder 10 is recovered into the recovery tank 11 through the hole 10a, and is returned to the reaction tank 2 via the return liquid gap 16. The perforated cylinder 10 is a cylinder with holes for transferring the rising coagulated liquid to the recovery tank 11, and the ratio of the total area of the holes in the perforated cylinder, that is, the closing ratio, determines the flow rate of the circulating flow. , it is advantageous for the open □ ratio to be as large as possible. The recovery tank 11 collects the liquid coming out from the hole of the perforated cylinder 10, and the reaction tank 2 plays the role of a holding tank for returning the liquid. The depth at which the hole cylinder is immersed in liquid is determined.

At that depth, it turns into a woman. Here, r: radius of the perforated cylinder, k: aperture ratio.

In addition, it is necessary to set the opening degree so that there is not much difference between the liquid level of the coagulated liquid rising in the perforated cylinder and the liquid level in the collection tank. The coagulating liquid transferred to the tank flows down along the outer wall surface of the perforated cylinder, making it possible to eliminate air entrapment in this transition area.

If the grass is small and the condition lasts for a long time, there will be no liquid to return to the reaction tank.

Note that the double tubes 7 and 8 in the reaction tank 2 form a detour and are useful for lengthening the reaction time, but as shown in FIG. 3, they may be omitted. In addition, as shown in Fig. 4, the perforated cylinder 1
The liquid feeding pipe 9, which is slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of 0, is bent and a bypass pipe 18 is provided, and switching valves 19, 20,
It is also possible to control the reaction time by providing switching valves 21 and 22 and opening and closing the switching valves. If configured, the path of the reaction system can be lengthened as necessary without changing the entire device. In any case, the present invention is capable of creating a head difference in the liquid level between the reaction tank and the recovery tank by using a pump installed in the return liquid pipe. Therefore, it can be adjusted according to the reaction time (residence time) of the capsule body and its physical properties, and the effect can be further enhanced in conjunction with the circulation phenomenon in the upper part of the reaction tank.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the main part of the same, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention according to a modified embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a connecting pipe section. It is an explanatory view concerning a modification example. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Core liquid tank, 2... Reaction tank, 5... Discharge pipe, 9... Liquid feeding pipe, 10... Perforated cylinder, 11... Recovery tank, 13... Power psel extraction gutter, 16...return liquid pipe, 17...pump. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A reaction tank that forms a gel film on the surface of the droplet by a chemical reaction in the coagulation liquid and a recovery tank that separates the capsule body formed in the reaction tank from the coagulation liquid are connected to each other by a liquid sending pipe and a return liquid pipe. In a capsule manufacturing device that is connected to form a circulation path, the circulation flow rate is controlled by creating a head difference between the reaction tank and the recovery tank by the amount of liquid sent by a pump installed in the return liquid pipe. In addition, a return liquid pipe is installed in the reaction tank symmetrically and tangentially to the discharge pipe at the same height as the discharge pipe communicating with the overflow pipe at the top of the reaction tank. Features: Capsule manufacturing device that allows control of reaction time.