JP2010274243A - Microbubble generator and microbubble generation method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a microbubble generator capable of realizing improvement in straightness of discharged liquid in addition to simplification and cost reduction of an apparatus configuration.
In a microbubble generator 1, a cylindrical case 2 having an inlet H1 into which a liquid flows, a venturi tube 3 provided in the case 2, and a liquid flowing into the venturi tube 3 are provided. It has a plurality of through holes K1 for straightening the flow straight, and a straightening member 4 provided on the liquid inflow side of the venturi tube 3.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a microbubble generating apparatus and a microbubble generating method for generating microbubbles in a liquid.

  As microbubble generators, household micro / nano bubble generators and pet cleaners are commercially available, and the substrate processing apparatus that performs cleaning, resist stripping, etc. includes a large number of microbubbles (microbubbles) as a processing solution. A liquid supply apparatus for supplying a liquid has also been developed.

  For example, as a microbubble generator used in a substrate processing apparatus, nitrogen gas supplied through a pipe from a nitrogen gas supply unit and pure water supplied through a pipe from a pure water supply source are mixed, A microbubble generator that generates bubble water has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-288134 A

  However, the above-described microbubble generator requires a nitrogen gas supply unit, gas supply piping, and the like, which complicates the device configuration and increases the price. Moreover, when bubble water is discharged from the microbubble generator, the discharge liquid usually spreads.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a microbubble generator and microbubble generator capable of realizing improvement in straightness of discharged liquid in addition to simplification and cost reduction of the apparatus configuration. Is to provide a method.

  A first feature according to an embodiment of the present invention is that, in the microbubble generator, a cylindrical case having an inflow port through which liquid flows, a venturi pipe provided in the case, and a liquid flowing into the venturi pipe A plurality of through holes for straightening the flow of the water straight, and a straightening member provided on the liquid inflow side of the venturi tube.

  The second feature according to the embodiment of the present invention is that in the method of generating microbubbles, the liquid is rectified by a rectifying member provided on the liquid inflow side of the venturi tube, and straightly flows into the venturi tube to pass therethrough. .

  According to the present invention, in addition to simplification of the apparatus configuration and cost reduction, it is possible to improve the straightness of the discharge liquid.

It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the microbubble generator which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the baffle member with which the microbubble generator shown in FIG. 1 is provided.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a microbubble generator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a case 2 serving as a housing, a venturi tube 3 and a rectifying member 4 provided in the case 2, and a pipe connection. This is a bubble generating structure including the connecting member 5 and the adjusting member 6 that adjusts the amount of liquid passing through the venturi tube 3.

  The case 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is a plastic (synthetic resin) or metal case in which the venturi tube 3 and the rectifying member 4 are built. The case 2 has an inlet H1 through which the supplied liquid flows. The venturi tube 3 and the rectifying member 4 are also made of plastic (synthetic resin) or a metal material.

  The venturi tube 3 is provided in the case 2 so that the outer peripheral surface thereof is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the case 2, and is arranged so that a part of the venturi tube 3 protrudes from the opening of the case 2. The flow path 3a in the venturi tube 3 is gradually narrowed from the liquid inflow side toward the inside of the tube so as to generate microbubbles (throttle portion), and gradually expands from the middle of the tube toward the liquid outflow side. ing. The minimum gap of the flow path 3a is set to about 3 mm, for example. Such a Venturi tube 3 depressurizes and vaporizes dissolved gas in the liquid passing through the flow path 3a therein (cavitation), and generates micro bubbles such as micro-nano bubbles in the liquid.

  The flow regulating member 4 is attached to the liquid inflow side of the venturi tube 3 by being adhered. As shown in FIG. 2, the rectifying member 4 has a plurality of (for example, four) through holes K1 that straightly rectify the flow of the liquid flowing into the venturi 3. These through-holes K1 are holes having a diameter of, for example, about 3 mm, and are formed so as to penetrate at almost right angles to the surface of the rectifying member 4 (surface to be processed), and are substantially parallel to each other at equal intervals. . As a result, the liquid passes through each through-hole K <b> 1 of the rectifying member 4 and flows straight into the venturi 3.

  The connection member 5 can be connected to a pipe such as a hose and is formed to be connectable to the inflow port H <b> 1 of the case 2. The connecting member 5 is provided by being fitted to the inlet H1 of the case 2. The connecting member 5 is formed of, for example, plastic (synthetic resin) or a metal material.

  The adjustment member 6 is an adjustment valve that adjusts the amount of liquid that passes through the venturi 3 by changing the amount of liquid that passes through the case 2. The adjusting member 6 is attached to the case 2 and is operated by an operator to change the diameter of the flow path in the case 2 and adjust the amount of liquid passing through the flow path. The adjustment member 6 is made of, for example, plastic (synthetic resin) or a metal material.

  Next, the microbubble generation operation (microbubble generation method) by the microbubble generator 1 will be described.

  Tap water (or hot water, for example, hot water having a constant temperature in the range of about 30 ° C. to 45 ° C.) is supplied from the hose connected to the connection member 5 of the micro bubble generator 1 through the inlet H1 to the micro bubble generator 1. When supplied to the inside, the liquid flows in the case 2 to reach the rectifying member 4 and passes through the through holes K1 of the rectifying member 4. The liquid that has passed through is substantially parallel to each through-hole K1, that is, the flow of the liquid is straightened in the straight direction (the direction in which the flow path 3a of the venturi tube 3 extends) and flows into the venturi tube 3 and travels straight through the venturi tube 3. And will pass through.

  The dissolved gas in the liquid passing through the venturi tube 3 is depressurized by the throttle portion of the venturi tube 3 and is vaporized by releasing the pressure, and many micro bubbles such as micro-nano bubbles and nano bubbles are generated in the liquid. Thereafter, the liquid (micro / nano bubble water) containing a large number of microbubbles is discharged from the discharge port H2 of the venturi tube 3.

  In addition, although the flow velocity of the liquid rises at the throttle portion of the venturi tube 3 and pressure is reduced, pressurization occurs after passing through it. As a result, a jet water flow is generated from the rectified water. Accordingly, a jet water flow containing a large number of microbubbles is discharged from the discharge port H2 of the venturi tube 3.

  Thus, the flow of the liquid flowing into the venturi tube 3 is rectified in the straight direction by the rectifying member 4, and the liquid passes through the venturi tube 3. A large number of micro bubbles such as micro-nano bubbles and nano bubbles are generated in the liquid by the venturi tube 3, and a liquid containing the large number of micro bubbles is discharged from the discharge port H <b> 2 as a jet water flow.

  Therefore, by straightening the liquid flow straightly before supplying the liquid to the venturi tube 3, the straightness of the discharge liquid discharged from the discharge port H2 of the venturi tube 3 can be improved. In particular, by straightly rectifying the liquid immediately before the venturi pipe, a high-pressure straight water stream can be generated as the discharge liquid.

  Further, by providing the through holes K1 called orifices in a circumferential arrangement, cavities (gas components) are uniformly generated, and the gas-liquid mixed liquid is gathered in the throttle part (contracted part) of the venturi tube 3, and the throttle part By releasing the vacuum after the passage, uniform bubble dispersion is possible.

  Note that the effect of using such a liquid containing a large number of microbubbles (water, hot water, etc.) is that in a substrate processing apparatus, particles (impurities such as dust and dust) adhering to the substrate and a resist film on the substrate It can be reliably removed. In addition, the stubbornly stuck dirt can be easily removed by the high-pressure straight water flow, and the dirt can be surely removed by the synergistic effect of the high permeability of the micro-nano bubbles and the high-pressure water flow. For example, it is possible to cleanly remove fine dirt on the concrete block surface. It also has a degreasing effect and can be applied to cleaning after machining.

  Here, the microbubbles are microbubbles including concepts such as microbubbles (MB), micronanobubbles (MNB), and nanobubbles (NB). For example, microbubbles are bubbles having a diameter of 10 μm to several tens of μm, micronano bubbles are bubbles having a diameter of several hundred nm to 10 μm, and nanobubbles are bubbles having a diameter of several hundred nm or less.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the liquid is rectified by the rectifying member 4 and is allowed to flow straight into the venturi tube 3 to be passed through the throttle portion of the venturi tube 3. A large number of such microbubbles are generated in the liquid, and the liquid containing the many microbubbles goes straight and is discharged from the discharge port H2 of the venturi tube 3.

  Therefore, a large number of microbubbles are generated in the liquid just by passing the liquid inside the microbubble generator 1 which is a bubble generating structure, and a nitrogen gas supply unit, gas supply pipes, electric supply The complicated structure and structure such as are no longer necessary. As a result, a large number of microbubbles such as micro-nano bubbles and nano bubbles can be generated with a simple configuration and structure, so that the apparatus configuration can be simplified and the price can be reduced. Further, by straightly rectifying the liquid immediately before the venturi tube 3, it becomes possible to make the discharge liquid discharged from the discharge port H2 of the venturi pipe 3 into a straight water flow, thereby improving the straightness of the discharge liquid. Can do.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the above-described embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine the component covering different embodiment suitably. Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although various numerical values are mentioned, those numerical values are illustrations and are not limited.

  In the above-described embodiment, four through holes K1 of the rectifying member 4 are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, two or six may be provided, and the number is not limited. However, considering the balance such as excessive flow velocity reduction and straightness improvement due to the rectifying member 4, the number of through holes K1 is preferably four.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Microbubble generator 2 Case 3 Venturi pipe 4 Rectification member 6 Adjustment member K1 Through-hole

Claims (3)

A cylindrical case having an inlet through which liquid flows, and
A venturi provided in the case;
A plurality of through holes that straightly rectify the flow of the liquid flowing into the venturi pipe, and a rectifying member provided on the liquid inflow side of the venturi pipe;
A microbubble generator characterized by comprising:   The microbubble generator according to claim 1, further comprising an adjusting member that is provided in the case and adjusts the amount of the liquid passing through the venturi tube.   A method of generating microbubbles, characterized in that a liquid is rectified by a rectifying member provided on a liquid inflow side of a venturi pipe and is allowed to flow straight into the venturi pipe to pass therethrough.

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