An ultrafine bubble generating apparatus generates thermal-ultrafine bubbles by bringing a liquid into film boiling while using a heater provided to a substrate. The ultrafine bubble generating apparatus includes a control unit which inputs energy to the heater such that a value of a ratio of energy to be inputted to the heater relative to energy with which the heater generates film boiling falls below 1.17 under a condition that the energy to be inputted to the heater is larger than the energy with which the heater generates film boiling.

In order to efficiently produce a liquid containing ultrafine bubbles of a desired gas, an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus includes a gas dissolving unit that dissolves a predetermined gas into a liquid, and a UFB generating unit that generates ultrafine bubbles in the liquid in which the predetermined gas is dissolved. A CPU performs control under a first condition in a case of causing the gas dissolving unit to operate in a circulation route passing through the dissolving unit. The CPU performs control under a second condition different from the first condition in a case of causing the UFB generating unit to operate in a circulation route passing through the UFB generating unit.

The present invention provides an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus capable of reducing the possibility of intermitting supply of a UFB-containing liquid. An ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus includes producing units that produce an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid containing ultrafine bubbles by using a liquid supplied from a liquid introducing unit and deliver the produced ultrafine bubble-containing liquid to a liquid delivering unit. The producing units include a plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units capable of operating independently. Each of the plurality of ultrafine bubble generating units is provided to be capable of independently switching between communicating with and being disconnected from the liquid introducing unit and the liquid delivering unit.

The apparatus includes: a producing unit that generates ultrafine bubbles in a liquid supplied from a liquid introducing unit to produce an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid containing the ultrafine bubbles, and delivers the ultrafine bubble-containing liquid; a liquid delivering unit that delivers the ultrafine bubble-containing liquid to an outside; a buffer tank that receives the liquid delivered from the producing unit and delivers the liquid to the liquid delivering unit; and a controller that controls the delivery of the ultrafine bubble-containing liquid from the buffer tank to the liquid delivering unit such that, if the producing unit stops operating, an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid accumulated in the buffer tank is delivered to the liquid delivering unit to enable the liquid delivering unit to deliver the ultrafine bubble-containing liquid to the outside.

A method for producing a sealant includes a weighing and mixing step, a kneading step, a stirring and defoaming step, and a filling step. In the weighing and mixing step, a main component and a curing agent are weighed and mixed together. In the kneading step, the mixture mixed in the weighing and mixing step is kneaded. In the stirring and defoaming step, the kneaded product kneaded in the kneading step is stirred and defoamed. In the filling step, the kneaded product defoamed in the stirring and defoaming step is filled into a container. In the stirring and defoaming step, the kneaded product is stirred under a condition wherein a stirring rotational speed at which the kneaded product is stirred and a stirring time for which the kneaded product is stirred are within a range from a product lower limit value to a product upper limit value.

A method of producing a carbonated beverage comprising a blend of water and syrup having a predetermined final carbonation level. The method includes the steps of: introducing CO.sub.2 into a flowing stream of a product blend comprising water, syrup and dissolved oxygen, such that CO.sub.2 is dissolved in the product blend; deaerating the CO.sub.2-containing product blend by introducing the blend into a vented atmospheric vessel, the interior of which is at ambient pressure with a headspace maintained above the surface of the liquid within the vessel, whereby dissolved oxygen is released from the product blend and vented from the vessel; pumping the deaerated product blend from the vessel, wherein the deaerated blend includes dissolved CO.sub.2 at an intermediate carbonation level less than the final carbonation level; and carbonating the deaerated product blend to the final carbonation level downstream of the vented vessel to produce a carbonated beverage for subsequent packaging. A system for performing the method is also provided, as well as a method of producing a beverage using nitrogen deaeration.

An ultrafine bubble generating apparatus and an ultrafine bubble generating method capable of efficiently generating an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid with high purity are provided. In order to this, a heating element provided in a liquid is caused to generate heat, and film boiling is made on an interface between the liquid and the heating element. A film boiling bubble is generated by the film boiling, and ultrafine bubbles are thus generated near the film boiling bubble.

An ultrafine bubble generating apparatus that generates ultrafine bubbles by causing a heating element to generate film boiling in a liquid includes: an element substrate including a heating part provided with multiple heating elements, in which the element substrate is configured to suppress variation of energies inputted to the heating elements in the heating part.

Provided is an UFB generating apparatus and an UFB generating method capable of efficiently generating an UFB-containing liquid with high purity. The ultrafine bubble generating apparatus includes a generating unit that generates ultrafine bubbles in a liquid and a post-processing unit that performs predetermined post-processing on the ultrafine bubble-containing liquid generated by the generating unit. The generating unit generates the ultrafine bubbles by causing a heating element, which is provided in the liquid on which the pre-processing is performed, to generate heat to generate film boiling on an interface between the liquid and the heating element.

Provided is an UFB generating apparatus and an UFB generating method capable of efficiently generating an UFB-containing liquid with high purity. To this end, the ultrafine bubble generating apparatus includes a pre-processing unit that performs predetermined pre-processing on a liquid W and a generating unit that generates ultrafine bubbles in the liquid on which the pre-processing is performed. The generating unit generates the ultrafine bubbles by causing a heating element, which is provided in the liquid on which the pre-processing is performed, to generate heat to generate film boiling on an interface between the liquid and the heating element.