Device for counter collision treatment including nozzle adjustment means

Abstract

A device and method for counter collision treatment. The device includes: first and second nozzles oppositely disposed so as to inject jets of a highly pressurized fluid into a body protective ring; the injection directions of the first and second nozzles are determined so as to intersect with an angle at one point located in front of the nozzle orifices thereof. Further, the jets from the first and second nozzles are caused to collide with each other to thereby effect homogenization of the fluid by impact-fragmentation. Yet further, one of the first and second nozzles is provided with a turning mechanism for enabling the nozzle to turn around the fixed injection direction as the axis of the turn while keeping the injection direction unchanged.

Claims

1. A device for counter collision treatment comprising: a body protective ring; and a first nozzle and a second nozzle that are disposed on opposite sides of a central axis of the body protective ring, so as to inject jets of a highly pressurized fluid into the body protective ring; and are disposed to have injection directions of said first nozzle and said second nozzle intersect at an oblique angle at one point located in front of respective nozzle orifices thereof; wherein at least one of said first nozzle and said second nozzle is provided with a turning mechanism for enabling the at least one of said first nozzle and said second nozzle to rotate about an axis of rotation while keeping the respective injection direction of the at least one of said first nozzle and said second nozzle unchanged; wherein the jets of the highly pressurized fluid injected from said first nozzle and said second nozzle are caused to collide with each other to thereby effect homogenization of the highly pressured fluid such that emulsification of the highly pressurized fluid, and/or dispersion of minute particles in the highly pressured fluid, and/or atomization of particles in the highly pressurized fluid is carried out by impact-fragmentation including fragmentation.

2. The device for counter collision treatment according to claim 1, wherein said at least one of said first nozzle and said second nozzle, which is provided with the turning mechanism, is disposed eccentrically apart from a position at which the highly pressurized fluid is jetted toward the one point located in front of respective nozzle orifices, the one point being substantially on the central axis of said body protective ring.

3. The device for counter collision treatment according to claim 1, wherein said body protective ring is provided with through holes respectively disposed to extend in the injection directions of said first nozzle and said second nozzle.

4. The device for counter collision treatment according to claim 1, wherein the body protective ring is provided with pressure sensors disposed respectively downstream from the injection directions of said first nozzle and said second nozzle or at positions downstream of through holes formed in the protective ring, the through holes respectively disposed to extend in the injection directions of said first nozzle and said second nozzle.

5. A method for counter collision treatment which comprises: arranging a first nozzle and a second nozzle, such that the first nozzle and the second nozzle are disposed on opposite sides of a central axis of a body protective ring, so as to inject jets of a highly pressurized fluid into the body protective ring; determining injection directions of said first nozzle and said second nozzle so that the jets therefrom intersect at one point located in front of respective nozzle orifices thereof and form an oblique angle; and causing the jets of the highly pressurized fluid injected from said first nozzle and said second nozzle to collide with each other; wherein one of said first nozzle and said second nozzle is fixedly disposed and the other of said first nozzle and said second nozzle is rotatable about an axis of rotation while keeping the injection direction of the other of said first nozzle and said second nozzle unchanged, thereby allowing for a determination of the location of a collision point between the jets from said first nozzle and said second nozzle.

6. The method for counter collision treatment according to claim 5, wherein the other of said first nozzle and said second nozzle, which is rotatable about the axis of rotation, is disposed eccentrically apart from a position at which the highly pressurized fluid is jetted toward the one point located in front of the respective nozzle orifices, the one point being substantially on the central axis of said body protective ring.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1(a) is a sectional view of an embodiment of the device for counter collision treatment according to the present invention;

(2) FIG. 1(b) is a side view of the embodiment of the device for counter collision treatment shown in FIG. 1(a);

(3) FIG. 2 is an illustrative view showing a manner of operation of the embodiment of the device for counter collision treatment shown in FIG. 1(a);

(4) FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) are illustrative views of another embodiment of the device for counter collision treatment according to the present invention. FIG. 3(a) shows general configuration, and FIG. 3(b) shows an enlarged view of a portion in FIG. 3(a); and

(5) FIG. 4 is a diagram for illustrating a conventional method.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(6) In the following, an embodiment of the device for counter collision treatment will be described.

(7) As shown in FIG. 1(a), the device for counter collision treatment 1 according to this embodiment comprises a casing 2, a body protective ring 3 in a chamber fixedly disposed in the casing 2, a first nozzle means 4 so disposed as to be capable of supplying a polysaccharide slurry to the body protective ring 3, and a second nozzle means 5, likewise, so disposed as to be capable of supplying a polysaccharide slurry to the body protective ring 3.

(8) In an opening at one end of the casing 2, a pre-treatment fluid supplying tube 6a having an inlet for the pre-treatment fluid, i.e., fluid to be treated which is supplied from a tank (not shown) is screw-fitted via a plug 6b. In an opening at the other end of the casing 2, a post-treatment fluid discharging tube 7a defining an outlet for the post-treatment fluid, i.e., treated fluid which contains minutely fragmented particles resulting from atomization by counter collision in the body protective ring 3 is screw-fitted via a plug 7b. In the casing 2, nozzle holders 8a and 8b are respectively attached to the first nozzle means 4 and the second nozzle means 5, and commercially available nozzle tips 9a and 9b are respectively attached to the nozzle holders 8a and 8b. The nozzle holders 8a and 8b are fixedly attached to the casing 2 each via a nozzle cap 15, respectively with screws 10a . . . , 10b . . . .

(9) In the casing 2, flow paths 11a and 11b are formed for respectively connecting the nozzle tips 9a and 9b to the inlet for the pre-treatment fluid of the pre-treatment fluid supplying tube Ga.

(10) The body protective ring 3 is a cylindrical member with a circular section which is detachably attached to the casing 2 and provided with a pair of injection holes 12a and 12b passing through the wall of the body protective ring 3 from the outside to the inside. The first nozzle means 4 and the second nozzle means 5 are attached to the casing in such a manner that the injection orifices of the nozzle tip 9a and 9b are in communication with the pair of injection holes 12a and 12b, respectively.

(11) The nozzle tips 9a and 9b are fixedly attached to the first nozzle means 4 and the second nozzle means 5, respectively, in such a manner that each of the nozzle tips 9a and 9b has an injection angle directed obliquely downward from the horizontal direction at an angle of about 15° and that trajectories of jets from the nozzle tips intersect with each other with an angle at a point in the immediate vicinity of the central axis A of the cylindrical body protective ring 3. Injection angles of the nozzle tips 9a and 9b are so determined as to be capable of minimizing loss in hydrodynamic force when the two jets are caused to collide at the intersection, and the injection directions are fixed and unchanged. The angle (between the injection directions) which satisfies such requirements may be determined in conformity with the constitution of the device. In this manner, the jets of highly pressurized fluid jetted from the nozzle tips 9a and 9b are caused to collide with each other to thereby effect homogenization of the fluid such as emulsification of the fluid or dispersion of minute particles in the fluid and/or atomization of particles in the fluid by impact-fragmentation.

(12) The first nozzle means 4 as one of the first nozzle means 4 and the second nozzle means 5 is fixed relative to the body protective ring 3 and the injection direction X (see FIG. 2). The second nozzle means 5 as the other has a nozzle cap 15 as a turning mechanism for enabling the nozzle tip 9b to turn around the fixed injection direction Y as the axis of the turn while keeping the injection direction Y unchanged (see FIG. 2).

(13) In the wall of the body protective ring 3, through holes 13a and 13b are formed which are located opposite to the injection orifices of the nozzle tips 9a and 9b, respectively. In communication respectively with the through holes 13a and 13b, discharge ducts 18a and 18b each of which is made using a ceramic pipe are externally attached to the body protective ring 3. On end portions of the discharge ducts 18a and 18b, pressure sensors 19a and 19b are respectively mounted.

(14) In the device for counter collision treatment according to the above-described embodiment, the highly pressurized fluid introduced from the pre-treatment fluid supplying tube 6a reaches the nozzle tips 9a and 9b respectively through the flow paths 11a and 11b provided in the casing 2 and is jetted from the nozzle tips toward one point substantially on the central axis A of the body protective ring 3. Consequently, at the one point substantially on the central axis A of the body protective ring 3, jets of the highly pressurized fluid jetted from the nozzle tips 9a and 9b are caused to collide with each other to thereby lead to homogenization of the fluid such as emulsification of the fluid or dispersion of minute particles in the fluid and/or atomization of particles in the fluid by impct-fragmentation.

(15) Depending on assembly accuracy or the like, however, it is nearly impossible to ensure that the jets from the nozzle tips 9a and 9b certainly intersect with each other at the one point substantially on the central axis A in the directions capable of obtaining optimum efficiency due to processing accuracy or the like. In general, the nozzle tips are likely to be incorporated out of the intersectional directions capable of obtaining the optimum efficiency.

(16) To cope with this, tests of jetting from the nozzle tips 9a and 9b are carried out in which the screw 17 for the nozzle cap 15 is loosened and the nozzle holder 8b is turned by means of a flathead screwdriver or the like to thereby turn the nozzle tip 9b around the injection direction Y as the axis of the turn while keeping the injection direction Y constant and unchanged. Consequently, as shown in FIG. 2, it is found that intersectional point Z, at which injection directions intersect each other with an angle, certainly exists in the immediate vicinity of the central axis A of the cylindrical body protective ring 3, and when the intersectional point Z is found out, the turning is terminated and the nozzle holder 8b is fixed by means of the screw 17 at the position.

(17) The intersectional point Z is specifically found out in the following manner.

(18) Into the discharge ducts 18a and 18b externally attached to the body protective ring 3 in communication with the through holes 13a and 13b formed in the wall of the body protective ring 3 and located respectively opposite to the injection orifices of the nozzle tips 9a and 9b, portions of the jets from the nozzle tips 9a and 9b which reach the discharge ducts without counter-colliding with each other are introduced. Then, the pressure sensors 19a and 19b mounted on the end portions of the discharge ducts 18a and 18b detect the time point at which detected pressures are lowest, in other words, the amount of the portions of the jets from the nozzle tips 9a and 9b that reach the discharge ducts without counter-colliding with each other is smallest. At this timing, the turning of the nozzle holder 8b is terminated. In this manner, the intersectional point Z can be digitally detected based on the numerical values of the detected data by means of the pressure sensors 19a and 19b.

(19) FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) are conceptual representations of another embodiment of the device for counter collision treatment according to the present invention.

(20) As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), in this embodiment, the nozzle tip 9b in the second nozzle means 5 is disposed intentionally in such an eccentric manner as shown by the dashed line that it is spaced a minute distance apart from the position shown by the solid line which is intended to direct the jet toward the one point substantially on the axis A of the body protective ring 3 in the above-described embodiment.

(21) Likewise the above-described embodiment, also in the device for counter collision treatment according to this embodiment, tests of jetting from the nozzle tips 9a and 9b are carried out in which the screw 17 for the nozzle cap 15 is loosened and the nozzle holder 8b is turned by means of a tool such as a flathead screwdriver or the like to thereby turn the nozzle tip 9b around the injection direction Y as the axis of the turn while keeping the injection direction Y constant and unchanged. Consequently, as shown in FIG. 2, it is found that intersectional point Z, at which injection directions intersect each other with an angle, certainly exists in the immediate vicinity of the central axis A of the cylindrical body protective ring 3, and the screw 17 is tightened to terminate the turning of the nozzle holder 8b when the intersectional point Z is found out. In this manner, the jets from the injection orifices of the nozzle tips 9a and 9b are caused to collide with each other at the maximum efficiency

(22) With respect to eccentricity of the second nozzle means 5, through operations

NOTE ON REFERENCE NUMBERS

(23) 1 . . . device for counter collision treatment 2 . . . casing 3 . . . body protective ring 4 . . . first nozzle means 5 . . . second nozzle means 9a, 9b . . . nozzle tip 12a, 12b . . . injection hole 13a, 13b . . . through hole A . . . central axis of body protective ring X, Y . . . injection direction 15 . . . nozzle cap 17 . . . screw 18a, 18b . . . discharge duct 19a, 19b . . . pressure sensor