JPH07106328B2 - Continuous centrifuge - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a centrifugal centrifuge for continuously flowing and centrifuging a sample.

[Background of the Invention]

As a conventional continuous centrifuge using a cylindrical rotor, for example, there is a continuous centrifuge using a rotor in which the sample is not cut off from the outside air as shown in JP-B-44-19670. Since this centrifuge does not have a sealing mechanism that shuts off the sample flow path and the outside air, it is possible that contaminants floating in the outside air may be mixed into the sample or components in the sample may diffuse into the atmosphere. . Therefore, there is a drawback that it cannot be used in the production of pharmaceuticals or the like in which it is difficult to mix various bacteria in the outside air into the sample and when the sample contains a virus or the like that causes a disease. Further, in the sealed centrifuge shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 48-28863, it is practically impossible to heat the sample flow path to about 130 ° C. Because high-strength aluminum alloy is used as a member, the nitrile rubber for sample sealing does not withstand 130 °, and the high-strength aluminum alloy used as the core material exceeds the heat treatment temperature and its strength deteriorates. Cause Recently, plastic is used as the core material, and the coefficient of thermal expansion is one digit larger than that of a metal rotor. When the temperature is raised to 130 ° C, the size of the plastic core becomes larger than that of the rotor. May cause damage. So in this kind of centrifuge,
As a sterilization method, a chemical solution sterilization method using ethanol or formalin is used. For this reason, some chemicals do not have a sterilizing effect against certain kinds of bacteria and viruses, so that it is necessary to be careful, which is a drawback.

[Object of the Invention]

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, to enable general and effective steam sterilization as a sterilization method with the rotor attached to the centrifuge, and without exposing the sample to the outside air. An object is to provide a hermetic centrifuge that can be separated.

[Outline of Invention]

Generally, a centrifuge is used to separate particles that do not settle or are unlikely to settle in a normal gravitational field, and viruses and microbial cells are also included in the separation target. Many viruses and fungi are harmful to normal humans,
It is an essential raw material for the manufacture of medicines and vaccines. Therefore, in these manufacturing processes, a centrifuge is often used as equipment for separating and refining these raw materials. At this time, a problem is contamination by the above-mentioned miscellaneous bacteria and contamination due to diffusion from the sample to the outside air. To prevent this, the sample and the outside air are blocked and sealed, and the centrifuge is sterilized at the same time. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention provides a centrifuge having a seal for sealing, which is the most general and effective steam sterilization method as a sterilization method. The effectiveness of steam sterilization is known to be aseptic if held at 121 ° C. for 30 minutes, and in the present invention, it is necessary to have a heat resistance of 130 ° C. to satisfy this condition. There is.

Example of Invention

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention. This centrifuge is mainly composed of frame 1, drive unit 5, rotor body 21,
A rotor 32 including a core 22, a rotary lid 23, and an O ring 24
And a lower bearing portion 31. The frame 1 is composed of an upper plate 2, a bottom plate 3, a protective cylinder 4 provided so as to cover the periphery of the rotor, and the like. The drive unit 5 is fixed to the upper plate 2 with screws or the like, and a driving force is generated by the motor stator 7 and the motor rotor 8 fixed to the motor housing 6.
The motor rotor 8 has a through hole formed in the shaft center, the shaft 11 is engaged with the upper part, and the rotary seal holder 12 is screwed and fixed to the motor rotor 8. Shaft 11
Also, the rotary seal holder 12 has a sample passage hole 19 penetrating the central portion thereof. The rotary seal holder 12 and the shaft 11 use an O-ring or the like for liquid sealing of the sample passage hole 19 at the mating portion thereof. The rotary seal holder 12 accommodates the rotary seal 13 in the upper part, and these are also liquid-sealed by an O-ring or the like. The upper surface of the rotary seal 13 is in contact with the fixed seal 14, and the contact pressure is the fixed seal.
It is provided by a spring (A) 15 provided between the stopper 14 and the stopper 16, and this contact pressure causes a sample passage hole.
Seal the sample flowing through 19.

Among the constituent parts of the drive unit 5, the material through which the sample comes in contact is the shaft 11, the rotary seal holder 12 is made of stainless steel, and the rotary seal 13 is made of polyimide resin or Teflon resin containing carbon. Use the one with the highest properties.

The fixed seal 14 is made of stainless steel, and the contact surface of the rotary seal is hard chrome plated or welded with superhard metal. Further, for the liquid seal between the rotary seal 13 and the rotary seal holder 12 and the liquid seal between the shaft 11 and the rotary seal holder 12,
Fluorine rubber O-ring with heat resistance of 180 ℃ is used. The rotor 32 includes a rotor body 21, a rotary lid 23 fixed to a lower end portion with a screw, a rotor body 21 and an O ring 24 that hermetically seals the rotary lid 23, and a core 22 provided in the rotor body 21. Rotor body 21, core 2
2. The rotary lid 23 is made of stainless steel or titanium alloy, and the O-ring 24 is made of fluororubber.
The core 22 provided in the rotor 32 is for introducing the sample into the high centrifugal force field and is necessary for improving the separation performance. The rotary lid 23 has a shaft-shaped extension portion having a sample passage hole 19 in the lower portion, and engages with the lower ball bearing portions 27 and 28 of the lower bearing portion 31. The lower end has a structure into which the rotary seal 13 can be inserted. These rotors 32 are connected and fixed to the shaft 11 by the rotor fixing nut 20 at their upper ends, and are liquid-sealed by the O-ring 33 (B). Lower bearing part
31 is fixed to the bottom plate 3 and has an adapter 27 that supports the lower part of the rotor on its upper part, a lower ball bearing 28 into which the adapter is press-fitted, and a thrust washer for applying a preload to the outer race of the lower ball bearing 28.
29, a spring (B) 30, etc. are arranged to form a bearing portion. A mechanical seal portion, which is provided symmetrically to the upper mechanical seal portion of the drive unit 5, is provided below the lower bearing portion 31, and its operation and material are as described above.

In the continuous centrifuge having such a configuration, the sample is injected from the upper or lower end of the fixed seal 14 and introduced into the rotor through the rotary seal, and then introduced into the high centrifugal force field by the core in the rotor. The precipitate and the supernatant are separated, and the supernatant is discharged from the other sample passage hole of the rotor through the mechanical seal. When performing steam sterilization with such a continuous centrifuge, introduce steam from the fixed seal at the top,
A valve may be provided at the other fixed seal outlet to adjust the internal pressure. When steam sterilization was performed with such a configuration, it was possible to perform treatment at 121 ° C. for 30 minutes without any problem, and the sterilization effect was sufficient.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the present invention, in the continuous centrifuge, the sample flow path has a sealed structure, and the member serving as the sample passage is made of a material that can withstand 130 ° C. and can be steam sterilized. In addition, it is possible to prevent the particles in the sample, for example, viruses and bacteria that are harmful to the human body from diffusing into the outside air, and to sterilize the sample passage in the centrifuge.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a continuous centrifugal separator according to the present invention. 1 is a frame, 2 is an upper plate, 3 is a bottom plate, 4 is a protective cylinder, 5 is a drive unit,
6 is a motor housing, 7 is a motor stator, 8 is a motor rotor, 9 is a ball bearing, 11 is a shaft, 12 is a rotary seal holder, 13 is a rotary seal, 14 is a fixed seal,
15 is a spring (A), 16 is a stopper, 17 is a fixed seal holder, 18 is a fixed seal part support, 19 is a sample passage hole, 20
Is a rotor fixing nut, 21 is a rotor body, 22 is a core, 23
Is a rotary lid, 24 is an O-ring, 25 is a lower bearing support,
26 is a stopper (B), 27 is an adapter, 28 is a lower ball bearing, 29 is a thrust washer, 30 is a spring (B), 31 is a lower bearing portion, 32 is a rotor, and 33 is an O-ring (B).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A liquid sample in which particles to be separated are mixed is continuously injected into a rotating rotor for separation, and the separated supernatant of the liquid sample is continuously discharged to the outside of the rotor. A continuous centrifuge, a drive unit for driving a rotor,
A cylindrical shape having a sample passage hole in the lower part and a shaft fixed to the drive part and having a sample passage hole in the axial center part, and an annular cavity connected to one end of the shaft for separating the sample in the center part A separated sample comprising a rotor and a bearing portion for supporting a lower shaft-shaped extension of the rotor, and further comprising a rotary seal and a fixed seal at the free end of the shaft and the end of the lower shaft-shaped extension of the rotor. In a continuous centrifuge equipped with a mechanical seal that seals, the material of the parts through which the liquid sample passes and contacts is composed of a material that can withstand at least 130 ° C, and when the temperature is raised to 130 ° C, each member heats up. A continuous centrifuge characterized by being prevented from being deformed or damaged due to the difference in expansion coefficient, thereby deteriorating the sample sealing performance or causing abnormal rotation.