JPS6058867B2 - Affected area cooling device using cryogenic gas refrigerant - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for cooling an affected area using a cryogenic gas refrigerant, which is suitable for rapidly cooling an affected area of rheumatism or the like for pain relief and treatment.

＼ Traditionally, this type of treatment involves vaporizing liquid nitrogen and spraying it directly onto the affected area to cool the affected area, but in this case, as the treatment continues, the nitrogen concentration in the treatment room will drop. Not only does this increase the risk of oxygen deficiency, but what is even more serious is that when nitrogen gas is injected, the air around the affected area is engulfed, causing moisture in the air to freeze and adhere to the skin. Therefore, there was a risk of frostbite.

For this reason, for the purpose of preventing oxygen deficiency, oxygen gas is mixed with the supplied low-temperature nitrogen gas and injected, or outside air is introduced from outside, and the outside air is used to heat and vaporize liquid nitrogen. There is also a method of squirting it indoors,
In the case of oxygen mixing, which is the former, a complicated mixer is required, and there is also the problem that moisture in the oxygen gas freezes and adheres to the inside of the piping, and operation control is also troublesome.

On the other hand, even with the method of exchanging heat with air, there was the problem of freezing on the line, and to prevent this, attached equipment such as mist separators and dryers were indispensable, and there were also problems such as noise generation. In addition, it is already being considered to use dry ice or cryosurgical probes on the affected area, but in this case, the cooling effect cannot be obtained unless they come into contact with the skin, and there is a risk of frostbite if they come in direct contact. sex'
becomes large.

Therefore, as a result of studies in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional technology, the present invention provides a cooling device for affected areas using a new cryogenic gas refrigerant.The purpose of this invention is to supply liquefied gas such as liquid nitrogen to a heat exchanger This gas refrigerant is injected from the central flow path of a double-walled nozzle, while the oxygen gas is simultaneously injected from the outer circumferential flow path of the nozzle, thereby preventing the risk of oxygen deficiency in treatment rooms, etc. At the same time, the oxygen gas acts as a shield for the gas refrigerant against the outside air, preventing the moisture in the air from freezing, thereby preventing the risk of skin frostbite.Moreover, it does not require large equipment, has a simple structure, and is inexpensive. The goal is to be able to provide this information.

The present invention will be described in detail below based on the illustrated embodiments.
As shown in the figure, a liquid nitrogen line 3 that communicates with a liquid nitrogen cylinder 2 installed at a predetermined location outside is provided inside a container 1 made of metal or the like. Although a supply pipe 5 from a liquid nitrogen cylinder 2 is connected to a liquid nitrogen inlet 4 provided in the container body 1, the cylinder 2 may be installed inside the container body 1 at this time.

The liquid nitrogen line 3 has a heat exchanger 10 interposed between a liquid feed pipe 8 and a pneumatic feed pipe 9 in which flow rate adjustment valves 6 and 7 are interposed, respectively. As a heat source for vaporizing the liquid nitrogen sent from the cylinder 2, in the illustrated example, an electric heater 11 is installed adjacently, and 12 is the heater 11.
The air supply pipe 9 is connected to an external discharge device 13 extending outward from the container body 1. On the other hand, in the illustrated example, the oxygen cylinder 14 is installed inside the container 1, but the cylinder 14 may be installed outside the container 1 like the liquid nitrogen cylinder 2, and 15, 16 in the figure. is the oxygen gas supply distribution. A pressure regulator and a flow rate regulating valve are sequentially disposed in the pipe 17, and the valve 16 is opened by a predetermined opening degree when the gear transmission mechanism 18 is operated by the opening of the flow rate regulating valve 7.

Further, the supply pipe 17 extends from the container body 1 and is connected to the external discharge device 13. Nitrogen gas and oxygen gas supplied to the tool 13 are separately ejected from a nozzle 13'' formed at the tip of the tool 13.

That is, the external discharge device 13 has a double structure over a part or the entire length thereof, and as illustrated in A and B of FIGS. The configuration is such that oxygen gas is injected from the outer peripheral flow path 132 of the gas.

FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the external discharge device, which is formed into a double tube structure over the entire length by a flexible inner tube 13a and an outer tube 13b, and inside the inner tube 13a of the nozzle 13''. A central flow path 13 is opened at , and an outer peripheral flow path 13 is opened between both tubes 13a and 13b.

The supply piping 17 is connected to the proximal end of the outer tube 13b.Therefore, the manner in which gas is ejected from the nozzle 13'' is as shown in FIG. 1
8, nitrogen gas a is injected to the inside, and oxygen gas b is injected to the outside surrounding the nitrogen gas atmosphere.
It will serve as a shield.

In the case of the external discharge device 13 shown in FIG. 4, only the outer tube 13b is used as a single layer, but a short inner tube 13a with a central flow path 131 formed therein is provided only through the nozzle 13'' at the tip. The outer circumferential flow path 13b has an inner end that is closed, and the supply pipe 17 is connected to the outer pipe 13b of the nozzle 13''.

Furthermore, what is shown by A and B in FIGS. 5 and 6 is the tip of the external discharge device 13 formed into a double tube structure with a flexible inner tube 13a and an outer tube 13b, as described above. A header 1 is provided with a central channel 131 at the center and an outer circumferential channel 132 consisting of a plurality of through holes and slits at the outer periphery.
It is formed by connecting 9.

Here, the outer circumferential flow path 132 shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B is formed by drilling a plurality of small holes at approximately equal intervals on the same circumference, while on the other hand, as shown in FIG. In A and B, a plurality of slits are provided on the same circumference at predetermined intervals.

In the nozzle 13'' shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, a spacer spiral wire 20 is interposed between the inner tube 13a and the outer tube 13b at the tip of the external discharge device 13. , the outer circumferential passage 132 is formed between the two tubes 13a and 13b in a concentric circle with the central passage 13 formed by the inner tube 8a.

In the case shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the above-mentioned external discharge device 13 is
By interposing a ring-shaped spacer 21 between the inner tube 13a and the outer tube 13b at the tip thereof, both tubes 1
3a and 13b are arranged concentrically with appropriate spacing,
Notched grooves 21a in the periphery of the spacer 21...
The outer circumferential flow path 132 is opened by providing a plurality of them at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction.

Incidentally, the above-mentioned external discharge device 13 is not limited to the structure shown in the drawings and described above, and may be any other device capable of injecting nitrogen gas to the center and oxygen gas to the outer periphery. However, its configuration is arbitrary.

Therefore, in the illustrated example, if the flow rate adjustment valve 6 is manually operated or electromagnetically opened from the outside, the liquid nitrogen cylinder 2 can be opened.
The liquid nitrogen flowing out from the liquid pipe 8 is transferred to the heat exchanger 10.
The cryogenic nitrogen gas is vaporized by heating by the electric heater 11, and when the flow rate adjustment valve 7 is opened, the cryogenic nitrogen gas is supplied from the pneumatic pipe 9 to the external discharge device 13. The gas emitted from the nozzle 13'' of the outlet 13 can be sprayed onto the affected area while being surrounded by separately supplied oxygen gas. The temperature of the gas is kept constant by controlling the current supplied to the electric heater 11 by the controller 12 to which the temperature sensor 22 provided on the pneumatic pipe 9 is connected.As explained above, According to the affected area cooling device using a cryogenic gas refrigerant for treatment of rheumatism, etc. according to the present invention, liquid nitrogen is turned into a gas refrigerant by the heat exchanger 10 and led out to the outside, and separately, oxygen gas is converted to a gas refrigerant by a pressure regulator. 15 to the outside, and in the nozzle 13'' of the external discharge device 13, the nitrogen gas is introduced from the center flow path 131 to the outer peripheral flow path 132.
Since it is configured to inject oxygen gas from the inside, it not only prevents oxygen deficiency in the treatment room, but also prevents oxygen from being lost in the affected area.
Since the inside is a nitrogen gas atmosphere and the outside is an oxygen gas atmosphere, the oxygen gas shields the nitrogen gas from the outside air, preventing surrounding air from being drawn in and preventing skin frostbite due to freezing of moisture in the air. can eliminate your worries.

In addition, since nitrogen gas and oxygen gas are injected individually from separate flow paths, problems caused by freezing inside the pipes due to a small amount of moisture in the oxygen, which would occur if both gases were injected as a mixture, can be solved. be able to.

Furthermore, since the device has a simple configuration and does not require any accessory equipment, it can be used with extremely easy operation and can be provided at low cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an overall view of an apparatus for cooling an affected area using a cryogenic gas refrigerant according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional side view showing a nozzle of an external discharge device in the apparatus, and Fig. 3 is a nitrogen gas applied to the affected area of the apparatus. and a side explanatory view showing the injection state of oxygen gas, No. 4
The figures are longitudinal sectional side views showing other embodiments of the same nozzle, Fig. 5A,
Bl FIG. 6A, Bl FIG. 7A, Bl FIG. 8A and B are respective plan views and longitudinal cross-sectional side views showing modified examples of the same nozzle. 1... Instrument body, 2... Liquid nitrogen cylinder,
10...Heat exchanger, 13...External discharge device, 13''
... Nozzle, 131 ... Center channel, 132
......Outer circumferential flow path, 14...Oxygen cylinder, 1
5...Pressure regulator, 17...Supply piping.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Liquid nitrogen from a liquid nitrogen cylinder can be vaporized by a heat exchanger installed in the container and freely supplied to an external discharge device,
On the other hand, oxygen gas from the oxygen cylinder is supplied to the external discharge device through the supply piping via a pressure regulator, and by making the external discharge device have a double structure, nitrogen gas is supplied from the central flow path in the nozzle. An apparatus for cooling an affected area using a cryogenic gas refrigerant, characterized in that oxygen gas is injected from the outer peripheral flow path. 2. The affected area cooling device using a cryogenic gas refrigerant according to claim 1, wherein the oxygen gas supply pipe is connected to the base or nozzle portion of the external discharge device.