JP2025030086A - Evaporation device and evaporation system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an evaporator which has a multistage form, and can achieve excellent evaporation efficiency to raw material liquid, and an evaporation system using the same.SOLUTION: An evaporator includes: a first stirring tank which includes a first storage part for storing first raw material liquid, and is sealable and heatable; a second stirring tank which includes a second storage part for storing second raw material liquid, and is sealable and heatable; a single rotation shaft which is arranged in a direction vertical to each of the first stirring tank and the second stirring tank; a first liquid spraying part which is mounted on the rotation shaft in the first stirring tank, and sprays the first raw material liquid into the first stirring tank; and a second liquid spraying part which is mounted on the rotation shaft in the second stirring tank, and sprays the second raw material liquid into the second spraying tank. The first stirring tank is arranged above the second stirring tank in an overlapped manner, the first storage part in the first stirring tank and the second stirring tank are communicated with each other through a raw material liquid circulation pipe having a control valve, and inner pressures of the first stirring tank and the second stirring tank are different each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an evaporation device and an evaporation system using the same, and more specifically to an evaporation device and an evaporation system using the same that can efficiently recover and concentrate a solvent from a liquid.

In the food and chemical industries, evaporators known as "falling film evaporators" are used to recover or concentrate solvents from liquids containing contaminants or impurities.

In this falling thin film evaporator, the raw material liquid is sprayed from above into the mixing vessel toward the inner wall of the mixing vessel and flows down, while rollers or wipers move along the inner wall inside the mixing vessel to form a thin film of the raw material liquid. The volatile components in the thin film are then evaporated by heat previously applied to the inner wall, and are discharged outside the mixing vessel.

However, it has been pointed out that in such falling film evaporators, the raw material liquid supplied passes through the inner wall (heat transfer surface) of the mixing vessel in a single "single pass," resulting in insufficient evaporation efficiency. It has also been pointed out that the rollers and wipers used in this equipment are prone to wear.

In response to this, an evaporation device has been provided that, instead of rollers or wipers, is equipped with a trough-shaped member that can tilt and rotate within the stirring tank (Patent Document 1). In this evaporation device, the trough-shaped member and the inner wall of the stirring tank are kept out of contact, so there is no particular need to replace the trough-shaped member due to wear.

More recently, multi-stage evaporators have been proposed in which the trough-shaped members are arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction (Patent Documents 2 to 4). In a multi-stage evaporator, multiple inclined and rotatable trough-shaped members are arranged vertically side by side in one connected stirring tank, and the lower ends of each trough-shaped member are arranged in storage sections that are provided vertically separately in the stirring tank and that store the raw material liquid. This makes it possible to evaporate the volatile components contained in the raw material liquid more efficiently by using multiple stages and multiple trough-shaped members.

However, there is a demand for further improvements in the evaporation efficiency of such multi-stage evaporation devices.

International Publication No. 2003/022389 International Publication No. 2016/143776 International Publication No. 2017/043368 JP 2019-217450 A

The present invention aims to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to provide an evaporation device that has a multi-stage configuration and can achieve excellent evaporation efficiency for the raw material liquid, and an evaporation system using the same.

The present invention provides an evaporation device, comprising:
a first stirring tank that is sealable and heatable and that includes a first storage portion that contains a first raw material liquid;
a second stirring tank that is sealable and heatable and that includes a second storage portion that contains a second raw material liquid;
a rotating shaft disposed vertically relative to each of the first stirred tank and the second stirred tank;
a first liquid dispersion unit that is attached to the rotating shaft in the first stirred tank and that disperses the first raw material liquid into the first stirred tank;
a second liquid dispersion unit that is attached to the rotating shaft in the second stirred tank and that disperses the second raw material liquid into the second stirred tank;
Equipped with
The first stirred tank is disposed above the second stirred tank in a stacked manner;
the first storage section in the first stirred tank and the second stirred tank are in communication with each other via a raw material liquid flow pipe having a control valve;
The internal pressure of the first stirred tank is different from that of the second stirred tank,
The first dispensing unit includes at least one first dispensing device having a first flow path that absorbs the first raw material liquid contained in the first storage unit from a first lower end and discharges the first raw material liquid from a first upper end as the rotating shaft rotates;
The evaporation apparatus is provided with at least one second liquid-spraying device, the second liquid-spraying section having a second flow path that absorbs the second raw material liquid contained in the second storage section from a second lower end and discharges it from a second upper end as the rotating shaft rotates.

In one embodiment, the first stirred tank can be heated by a first temperature-regulating jacket provided on the outer periphery, and the second stirred tank can be heated by a second temperature-regulating jacket provided on the outer periphery.

In one embodiment, the first stirring tank is provided with a volatile component outlet, and the volatile component outlet is connected to a second temperature control jacket provided in the second stirring tank via a first volatile component flow pipe.

In a further embodiment, the internal pressure of the second stirred tank is set lower than the internal pressure of the first stirred tank.

In one embodiment, the second stirring tank is provided with a volatile component outlet, and the volatile component outlet is connected to a first temperature control jacket provided in the first stirring tank via a second volatile component flow pipe.

In a further embodiment, the internal pressure of the first stirred tank is set lower than the internal pressure of the second stirred tank.

In yet another embodiment, a liquid delivery pump is disposed in the raw material liquid flow pipe.

The present invention also provides a method for producing a liquid feedstock, comprising:
the evaporation device for treating the raw material liquid supplied from the raw material tank;
a condenser for condensing the volatile components discharged from a volatile component outlet of the evaporator;
An evaporation system comprising:

According to the present invention, the energy required for operation can be used efficiently, and the evaporation efficiency of the raw material liquid can be increased. In addition, since the stirring tanks of the evaporation device of the present invention are individually separated, maintenance or cleaning of the inside of each stirring tank can be efficiently performed individually.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an evaporation device of the present invention. 2 is a perspective view of a cylindrical first sprinkling device constituting a first sprinkling section of the evaporation apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a trough-shaped first sprinkling device that can constitute the first sprinkling section of the evaporation apparatus shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic diagram of another example of an evaporation device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an evaporation system of the present invention including the evaporation device shown in FIG. 1.

The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that components with the same reference numbers in all the following drawings are the same as those shown in the other drawings.

1. Evaporation Apparatus Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates an example of the evaporation apparatus of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the evaporation device 100 of the present invention includes a first stirring tank 110, a second stirring tank 160, a rotating shaft 140, a first dispersion section 130, and a second dispersion section 170. In the evaporation device 100 of the present invention, the first stirring tank 110 is disposed above the second stirring tank 160.

(1) First and second stirring tanks The first stirring tank 110 and the second stirring tank 160 are sealable tanks into which the first raw material liquid 108a and the second raw material liquid 108b are respectively supplied. The first stirring tank 110 and the second stirring tank 160 can store and stir various liquids such as aqueous solutions and slurries as the first raw material liquid 108a and the second raw material liquid 108b, respectively.

The first stirred tank 110 has a volatile component outlet 106 at the top, and the volatile components evaporated from the first raw material liquid 108a in the first stirred tank 110 can be discharged to the outside of the first stirred tank 110 through this volatile component outlet 106. Furthermore, the first stirred tank 110 may be provided with a first raw material liquid supply port 117, for example, near the lower first storage section 116. The first raw material liquid 108a can be continuously or intermittently supplied into the first stirred tank 110 through this first raw material liquid supply port 117.

Around the first stirring tank 110, a first temperature control jacket 145 is provided to adjust the temperature inside the first stirring tank 110, specifically the temperature of the first inner wall 111 that constitutes the inside of the first stirring tank 110. The first temperature control jacket 145 is arranged to cover the entire outer side surface of the first stirring tank 110 continuously or intermittently, for example, to make the entire surface of the first inner wall 111 heatable. The first temperature control jacket 145 is not particularly limited in type and shape as long as it can heat the raw material liquid flowing down the surface of the first inner wall 111 to a temperature that can volatilize the volatile components. For such a first temperature control jacket 145, a heating means known to those skilled in the art (for example, a heating medium that can introduce steam or a heat medium into the inside, a cable heater, and a combination thereof) can be adopted. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the first temperature control jacket 145 is provided with a heating medium inlet pipe 143 for introducing a heating medium such as steam into the first temperature control jacket 145, and a heating medium outlet pipe 144 for discharging the heating medium to the outside of the first temperature control jacket 145.

The bottom of the first mixing tank 110 is provided with a first storage section 116 that contains the first raw material liquid 108a.

In the present invention, the first storage section 116 of the first agitation tank 110 and the second agitation tank 160 described later are connected via a raw material liquid flow pipe 154 equipped with a control valve 152. In FIG. 1, a level indicator 156 is connected to the first storage section 116, and when the first raw material liquid 108a contained in the first storage section 116 reaches a predetermined liquid amount (i.e., a liquid level of a predetermined height), the control valve 152 is opened by a signal from the level indicator 156, and the first raw material liquid 108a contained in the first storage section 116 of the first agitation tank 110 flows into the second agitation tank 160 via the raw material liquid flow pipe 154. Then, when the first raw material liquid 108a contained in the first storage section 116 falls below the above or a separately set liquid amount (i.e., the above or a separately set liquid level), the control valve 152 is closed by a signal from the level indicator 156, and the first raw material liquid 108a contained in the first storage section 116 of the first mixing tank 110 stops flowing to the second mixing tank 160 via the raw material liquid flow pipe 154.

The second stirring tank 160 has a bottom 164 provided with a raw material liquid discharge pipe 162 whose flow can be controlled by an openable and closable valve (not shown). The second stirring tank 160 is provided with a second raw material liquid supply port 166 that introduces the raw material liquid (referred to as the second raw material liquid 108b) flowing from the first stirring tank 140 into the inside through the raw material liquid flow pipe 154. The second raw material liquid 108b can be continuously or intermittently supplied into the second stirring tank 160 through this second raw material liquid supply port 166. The second raw material liquid 108b supplied into the second stirring tank 160 through the second raw material liquid supply port 166 is stored in a second storage section 166 located below the second stirring tank 160.

A second temperature control jacket 180 is provided around the second stirring tank 160 to control the temperature inside the second stirring tank 160, specifically the temperature of the second inner wall 161 that constitutes the inside of the second stirring tank 160. The second temperature control jacket 180 can be arranged to cover the entire outer side surface of the second stirring tank 160 continuously or intermittently, for example, so that the entire surface of the second inner wall 161 can be heated. Alternatively, the second temperature control jacket 180 can be arranged to cover the outer bottom surface and the entire outer side surface of the second stirring tank 180. The second temperature control jacket 180 is not particularly limited in type and shape as long as it can be heated to a temperature that can volatilize the volatile components in the raw material liquid flowing down the surface of the second inner wall 161.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, such a second temperature control jacket 180 is connected via a first volatile component flow pipe 182 provided in the volatile component outlet 106 of the first stirring tank 110. The first raw material liquid 108a discharged from the volatile component outlet 106 of the first stirring tank 110 is supplied directly into the second temperature control jacket 180, and the second inner wall 161 of the second stirring tank 160 is heated. After the second inner wall 162 is heated, the volatile components in the second temperature control jacket 180 are discharged to the outside via an exhaust pipe 194.

Here, the evaporation device 100 of the present invention is set so that the first stirred tank 110 and the second stirred tank 160 have different internal pressures. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the second stirred tank 160 is connected to a condenser (not shown) via a tube 192, and the internal pressure of the second stirred tank 160 is set to be lower than the internal pressure of the first stirred tank 110.

As a result, the volatile components of the first raw material liquid 108a introduced into the second temperature-controlled jacket 180 via the first volatile component flow pipe 182 can heat the second inner wall 162 of the second stirring tank 160 through that temperature. This heating causes the volatile components of the second raw material liquid 108b present in the second stirring tank 160 to evaporate on the second inner wall 161, and can be discharged to the outside through the pipe 192.

The size (capacity) of each of the first stirring tank 110 and the second stirring tank 160 can be set appropriately depending on the application of the evaporation device 100 (the type of raw material liquid to be supplied) and the processing amounts of the first raw material liquid 108a and the second processing liquid 108b, and is not necessarily limited, but is, for example, 0.1 liters to 100,000 liters each.

(2) Rotating Shaft In the evaporation apparatus 100 of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, the rotating shaft 140 is a single shaft disposed along the vertical direction relative to each of the first stirred tank 110 and the second stirred tank 160.

The rotating shaft 140 is made of a rigid material and has, for example, a cylindrical or columnar shape. The thickness of the rotating shaft 140 is not necessarily limited, but is, for example, 8 mm to 200 mm. The length of the rotating shaft 140 varies depending on the size of the first stirring tank 110 and the second stirring tank 160 used, and an appropriate length can be selected by a person skilled in the art.

The upper part of the rotating shaft 140 is connected to a rotating means such as a motor 142 arranged on the first stirred tank 110. The lower part of the rotating shaft 140 may or may not be in contact with the inner surface of the bottom 164 of the second stirred tank 160. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the lower part of the rotating shaft 140 may be arranged at a position spaced a certain distance from the inner surface of the bottom 164 of the second stirred tank 160.

The rotation speed of the rotating shaft 140 varies depending on the viscosity of the first raw material liquid 108a and the second raw material liquid 108b used, the size of the first stirring tank 110 and the second stirring tank 160, the amount of the first raw material liquid 108a contained in the first storage section 116 of the first stirring tank 110, the amount of the second raw material liquid 108b contained in the second storage section 166 of the second stirring tank 160, etc., so is not necessarily limited, but is, for example, 30 rpm to 500 rpm.

(3) First and second dispersion sections The first dispersion section 130 shown in FIG. 1 can spray the first raw material liquid 108a contained in the first storage section 116 into the first stirring tank 110, and is attached to the rotating shaft 140, for example, via mounting fixtures 151a and 153a.

The first dispersing section 130 comprises at least one first dispersing device 132 having a first lower end 134, a first upper end 136, and a first flow path 138.

The first liquid dispersion device 132 can absorb the first raw material liquid 108a stored in the first storage section 116 from the first lower end 134 as the rotating shaft 140 rotates, and discharge it from the first upper end 136 through the first flow path 138. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the first liquid dispersion device 132 is designed to have a length such that the first upper end 136 is disposed near the first inner wall 111 of the first stirring tank 110 by attachment to the rotating shaft 140. As a result, the first raw material liquid 108a absorbed from the first lower end 134 through the rotation of the rotating shaft 140 is discharged toward the first inner wall 111 of the first stirring tank 110, and can collide with the first inner wall 111. After that, the first raw material liquid 108a that has collided with the first inner wall 111 continues to flow down the first inner wall 111, during which the heat emitted from the first inner wall 111 can effectively evaporate the volatile components in the first raw material liquid 108a. Meanwhile, the first raw material liquid 108a after the volatile components have evaporated continues to flow down the first inner wall 111 and is again stored in the first storage section 116.

In the first sprinkling section 130 (first sprinkling device 132) shown in FIG. 1, the first lower end 134 of the first sprinkling device 132 is inclined relative to the axis of the rotating shaft 140 so that it is closer to the first upper end 136. In other words, in the first sprinkling section 130, the first sprinkling device 132 is inclined relative to the rotating shaft 140 so that the shortest distance between the first lower end 134 of the first sprinkling device 132 and the axis of the rotating shaft 140 is shorter than the shortest distance between the first upper end 136 and the axis of the rotating shaft 140.

1, the first sprinkling device 132 is attached at a predetermined angle (also called the mounting inclination angle) θ ₁ with respect to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 140. The mounting inclination angle θ ₁ can be set to any angle by a person skilled in the art, and is, for example, 10° to 45°, preferably 15° to 25°.

In FIG. 1, two first sprinkling devices 132 are provided facing each other through the axis of the rotating shaft 140. Here, the number of first sprinkling devices 132 that can be provided in the evaporation apparatus 100 of the present invention is not necessarily limited, but is, for example, at least one, preferably two to eight, and more preferably two to six. When multiple first sprinkling devices 132 are used, the first sprinkling devices 132 may be provided facing each other through the axis of the rotating shaft. Also, when multiple first sprinkling devices 132 are used, they are preferably attached at approximately equal angles around the axis of the rotating shaft 140.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the first dispersing device 132 that constitutes the dispersing section 130 of the evaporation device 100 shown in Figure 1.

In FIG. 2, the first dispersing device 132 may be, for example, processed into a cylindrical shape (e.g., a cylindrical, elliptical, or angular cylinder) as a whole, or the first lower end 134 and the second upper end 136 may have a so-called trough shape such as a semi-cylindrical, semi-angular, or V-shaped shape, and the intermediate portion therebetween may be processed into a cylindrical shape (e.g., a cylindrical, elliptical, or angular cylinder), or only the second lower end 134 may have such a trough shape, and the remaining portions may be processed into a cylindrical shape (e.g., a cylindrical, elliptical, or angular cylinder).

The size of the first sprinkling device 132 is not particularly limited, but for example, when the first sprinkling device 132 is an entirely cylindrical member as shown in FIG. 2, the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion is, for example, 2 mm to 200 mm. The length from the first lower end 134 to the first upper end 136 (i.e., the length of the first flow path 138) is not necessarily limited, and an appropriate length can be selected by a person skilled in the art depending on, for example, the length selected for the first sprinkling device 132, the size of the first stirring tank 110 to be incorporated, the size of the mounting inclination angle θ ₁ , etc. In addition, in FIG. 2, the inner diameter of the first lower end 134, the inner diameter of the first flow path 138, and the inner diameter of the first upper end 136 are described as if they were approximately the same size, but the present invention is not limited to only such a form. For example, the inner diameter of the first sprinkling device 132 (the inner diameter of the first flow path 138) may be gradually or stepwise reduced in diameter from the first lower end 134 to the first upper end 136, or the inner diameter of the first sprinkling device 132 (the inner diameter of the first flow path 138) may be gradually or stepwise increased in diameter from the first lower end 134 to the first upper end 136.

In FIG. 2, the overall cylindrical sprinkler device 132 is described, but the sprinkler device 132 may also have a gutter-like shape as shown in FIG. 3.

In FIG. 2, the first sprinkling device 132 is composed of a first lower end 134', a first upper end 136', and a first flow path 138' between them. The first flow path 138' may have a so-called half-pipe shape, such as a semi-cylindrical shape, a half-square tube shape, or a V-shape. The length from the first lower end 134' to the first upper end 134' (i.e., the length of the first flow path 138') is not necessarily limited, and an appropriate length can be selected by a person skilled in the art depending on, for example, the length selected for the first sprinkling device 132, the size of the stirring tank to be incorporated, the size of the mounting inclination angle θ ₁ , and the like.

When the trough-shaped sprinkler device 132 shown in FIG. 3 is used in the evaporation device of the present invention, the first flow path 138' of the sprinkler device 132 is attached in the forward direction along the rotational direction of the rotating shaft.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the second dispersing section 170 shown in FIG. 1 can disperse the second raw material liquid 108b contained in the second storage section 166 into the second mixing tank 160, and is attached to the rotating shaft 140 via, for example, mounting fixtures 151b and 153b.

The second dispersing section 170 comprises at least one second dispersing device 172 having a second lower end 174, a second upper end 176, and a second flow path 178.

The second liquid dispersion device 172 can absorb the second raw material liquid 108b stored in the second storage section 166 from the second lower end 174 as the rotating shaft 140 rotates, and discharge it from the second upper end 176 through the second flow path 178. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the second liquid dispersion device 172 is designed to have a length such that the second upper end 176 is disposed near the second inner wall 161 of the second stirring tank 160 by attachment to the rotating shaft 140. As a result, the second raw material liquid 108b absorbed from the second lower end 174 through the rotation of the rotating shaft 140 is discharged toward the second inner wall 161 of the second stirring tank 160, and can collide with the second inner wall 161. Thereafter, the second raw material liquid 108b that has collided with the second inner wall 161 continues to flow down the second inner wall 161, during which the heat emitted from the second inner wall 161 can effectively evaporate the volatile components in the second raw material liquid 108b. Meanwhile, the second raw material liquid 108b after the volatile components have evaporated continues to flow down the second inner wall 161 and is again stored in the second storage section 166.

In the second dispersing section 170 (first dispersing device 172) shown in FIG. 1, the second lower end 174 of the second dispersing device 172 is inclined relative to the axis of the rotating shaft 140 so that it is closer to the axis of the rotating shaft 140 than the second upper end 176. In other words, in the second dispersing section 170, the second dispersing device 172 is inclined relative to the rotating shaft 140 so that the shortest distance between the second lower end 174 of the second dispersing device 172 and the axis of the rotating shaft 140 is shorter than the shortest distance between the second upper end 176 and the axis of the rotating shaft 140.

1, the second sprinkling device 172 is attached at a predetermined angle (also called the mounting inclination angle) θ ₂ with respect to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 140. The mounting inclination angle θ ₂ can be set to any angle by a person skilled in the art, and is, for example, 10° to 45°, preferably 15° to 25°.

In FIG. 1, two second sprinkling devices 172 are provided facing each other through the axis of the rotating shaft 140. Here, the number of second sprinkling devices 172 that can be provided in the evaporation device 100 of the present invention is not necessarily limited, but is, for example, at least one, preferably two to eight, and more preferably two to six. When a plurality of second sprinkling devices 172 are used, the second sprinkling devices 172 may be provided facing each other through the axis of the rotating shaft. In addition, when a plurality of second sprinkling devices 172 are used, they are preferably mounted at approximately equal angles around the axis of the rotating shaft 140. The number of second sprinkling devices 132 constituting the second sprinkling section 170 may be the same as or different from the number of first sprinkling devices 132 constituting the first sprinkling section 130.

The shape of the second sprinkler device 172 may be the same as the cylindrical first sprinkler device 132 as shown in FIG. 2 above, or may be the same as the trough-shaped first sprinkler device 132 as shown in FIG. 2 above.

(4) Constituent material of the evaporator The materials constituting the first stirring tank 110, the second stirring tank 160, the rotating shaft 140, the first liquid dispersion unit 130 (first liquid dispersion device 132) and the second liquid dispersion unit 170 (second liquid dispersion device 172) are not particularly limited, but examples thereof include metals such as iron, stainless steel, titanium, Hastelloy or copper; synthetic resins such as polylactic acid, polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, acrylate resin, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) resin, epoxy resin, urea resin, Teflon (registered trademark), and combinations thereof. Furthermore, among these components, coatings known in the art such as Teflon (registered trademark) or rubber lining may be applied to the parts that may come into contact with the first raw material liquid 108a and/or the second raw material liquid 108b in particular in order to enhance chemical resistance.

(5) Separation of Volatile Components from the Raw Material Liquid Using the evaporation apparatus 100 of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to separate volatile components from the raw material liquid as follows.

First, the raw material liquid supplied from a raw material tank (not shown) attached to the outside of the first mixing tank 110 is continuously or intermittently supplied from the raw material liquid supply port 117 into the first storage section 116 of the first mixing tank 110, and the first raw material liquid 108a is stored in the first storage section 116. Here, the first raw material liquid 108a is supplied until its liquid level is located above the first lower end 134 of the first sprinkling device constituting the first sprinkling section 130. As a result, in the stationary state (state before the rotation of the rotating shaft 140), the first lower end 134 of the first sprinkling device 132 is immersed in the first raw material liquid 108a in the first storage section 116.

Then, when the motor 142 is rotated, the first dispersing device 132 constituting the first dispersing section 130 rotates around the axis of the rotating shaft 140 in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating shaft 140.

Here, in the first dispersing device 132, the first lower end 134 rotates horizontally within the first storage section 116, and the first raw material liquid 108a contained in the first storage section 116 is scooped up from the first lower end 134. Next, the first raw material liquid 108a scooped up from the first lower end 134 moves from the bottom to the top within the first flow path 138 by the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the first dispersing device 132, and is discharged from the first upper end 136 toward the first inner wall 111 of the first stirring tank 110. Thereafter, as described above, the first raw material liquid 108a flows down the first inner wall 111, and as it flows down, the volatile components in the first raw material liquid 108a evaporate through the first inner wall 111 heated by the first temperature control jacket 145, and are discharged from the first stirring tank 110 through the volatile component outlet 106 provided above. Meanwhile, the first raw material liquid 108a from which the volatile components have been removed further flows down the first inner wall 111 and is again stored in the first storage section 116.

Furthermore, as the supply of the raw material liquid from the raw material liquid supply port 117 continues, the liquid level of the first raw material liquid 108a contained in the first storage section 116 rises, and when it reaches a predetermined liquid amount, the control valve 152 is opened by a signal from the level indicator 156, and the first raw material liquid 108a contained in the first storage section 116 of the first stirring tank 110 flows into the second stirring tank 160 through the raw material liquid flow pipe 154. Here, in the evaporation device 100 shown in FIG. 1, the internal pressure of the second stirring tank 160 is set to be lower than the internal pressure of the first stirring tank 110, so that the flow of the first raw material liquid 108a through the raw material liquid flow pipe 154 is performed smoothly.

As a result, the raw material liquid that has entered the second mixing tank 160 is stored as the second raw material liquid 108b in the second storage section 116 located below the second mixing tank 160.

In the second storage section 166 of the second mixing tank 160, when the amount of the second raw material liquid 108b stored therein increases and the liquid level rises above the second lower end 174 of the second dispersion device 172 constituting the second dispersion section 170, the second lower end 174 rotates horizontally within the second storage section 166 due to the rotation of the rotating shaft 140, and the second raw material liquid 108b stored in the second storage section 166 is scooped up from the second lower end 174. Next, the second raw material liquid 108b scooped up from the second lower end 174 moves from the bottom to the top in the second flow path 178 due to the centrifugal force associated with the rotation of the second dispersion device 172, and is discharged from the second upper end 176 toward the second inner wall 161 of the second mixing tank 160. Then, as described above, the second raw material liquid 108b flows down the second inner wall 161.

Meanwhile, the volatile components evaporated from the first raw material liquid 108a pass through the first volatile component flow pipe 182 from the volatile component outlet 106 of the first mixing tank 110 while still at a high temperature, and are supplied into the second temperature control jacket 180. The thermal energy of the volatile components is then transferred to the second mixing tank 160, heating the second inner wall 161. The volatile components are then discharged to the outside through the discharge pipe 194 provided in the second temperature control jacket 180.

In this state, the volatile components remaining in the second raw material liquid 108b flowing down the second inner wall 161 evaporate on the second inner wall 161 due to the low internal pressure of the second stirring tank 160, and are discharged from the second stirring tank 160 to the outside via the pipe 192. The components that do not evaporate as they flow down the second inner wall 161 continue to flow down the second inner wall 161 and are stored again in the second storage section 166.

The volatile components discharged from exhaust pipe 194 and pipe 192 are collected together as necessary and condensed and recovered by a condenser (not shown).

The second raw material liquid 108b, which is again contained in the second storage section 166 of the second mixing tank 160, is finally discharged to the outside of the second mixing tank 160 via the raw material liquid discharge pipe 162.

In this way, the evaporation device 100 of the present invention can be used to easily separate volatile components from the raw material liquid.

(6) Other Embodiments FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a schematic diagram of another example of the evaporation device of the present invention.

The evaporation device 200 shown in FIG. 4 includes a first stirring tank 210, a second stirring tank 260, a rotating shaft 140, a first dispersion section 130, and a second dispersion section 170. In the evaporation device 200 of the present invention, the first stirring tank 210 is arranged above the second stirring tank 260.

Here, the rotating shaft 140, the first dispersing section 130, and the second dispersing section 170 constituting the evaporation device 200 shown in FIG. 4 are the same as those described in the evaporation device 100 shown in FIG. 1 above.

In the evaporation device 200 of FIG. 4, the first stirred tank 210 is connected to a condenser (not shown) via a pipe 292, and the internal pressure of the first stirred tank 210 is set to be lower than the internal pressure of the second stirred tank 260. This condenser is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown).

A first temperature control jacket 245 is arranged around the outer periphery of the first stirring tank 210, and the first inner wall 211 of the first stirring tank 210 can be heated by the volatile components evaporated from the second raw material liquid 208b that flows in through a second volatile component flow pipe 282 described below. The volatile components that have heated the first inner wall 211 are discharged to the outside through a discharge pipe 294.

The first mixing tank 210 has a first storage section 216 at the bottom that stores the first raw material liquid 208a, and the first raw material liquid 208a is stored in the first storage section 216 so that its liquid level is located above the first lower end 134 of the first dispersing device 132 that constitutes the first dispersing section 130 when the liquid is left stationary.

A level indicator 156 is connected to the first storage section 216, and when the first raw liquid 208a contained in the first storage section 216 reaches a predetermined liquid volume (i.e., a predetermined liquid level), a signal from the level indicator 156 opens the control valve 152 and operates the pump 255 with a pressure reducing check valve, so that the first raw liquid 208a contained in the first storage section 216 of the first mixing tank 210 flows into the second mixing tank 260 via the raw liquid flow pipe 154. Then, when the first raw material liquid 208a contained in the first storage section 216 falls below the above or a separately set liquid amount (i.e., the above or a separately set liquid level), a signal from the level indicator 156 closes the control valve 152 and stops the pump 255 with a pressure reducing check valve, and the first raw material liquid 208a contained in the first storage section 216 of the first stirring tank 210 stops flowing to the second stirring tank 260 via the raw material liquid flow pipe 154.

Meanwhile, in the second mixing tank 260, the raw material liquid is introduced through the raw material liquid flow pipe 154 and stored as the second raw material liquid 208b in the second reservoir 266 provided below.

Around the second stirring tank 260, a second temperature control jacket 280 is provided to control the temperature inside the second stirring tank 260, specifically the temperature of the second inner wall 261 that constitutes the inside of the second stirring tank 260. The second temperature control jacket 280 can be arranged to cover the entire outer side surface of the second stirring tank 260 continuously or intermittently, for example, to make the entire surface of the second inner wall 261 heatable. Alternatively, the second temperature control jacket 280 can be arranged to cover the outer bottom surface and the entire outer side surface of the second stirring tank 280. The second temperature control jacket 280 is provided with a heating medium inlet pipe 243 for introducing a heating medium such as steam into the inside, and a heating medium outlet pipe 244 for discharging the heating medium to the outside of the second temperature control jacket 280.

The first stirring tank 210 and the second stirring tank 260 are made of the same materials and have the same size as the first stirring tank 110 and the second stirring tank 160 that constitute the evaporation device 100 shown in Figure 1 above.

Using the evaporation device 200 of the present invention shown in Figure 4, volatile components can be separated from the raw material liquid as follows.

First, the raw material liquid supplied from a raw material tank (not shown) attached to the outside of the first mixing tank 210 is continuously or intermittently supplied from the raw material liquid supply port 117 into the first storage section 216 of the first mixing tank 210, and the first raw material liquid 208a is stored in the first storage section 216. Here, the first raw material liquid 208a is supplied until its liquid level is located above the first lower end 134 of the first sprinkling device constituting the first sprinkling section 130. As a result, in a stationary state (a state before the rotation of the rotating shaft 140), the first lower end 134 of the first sprinkling device 132 is immersed in the first raw material liquid 208a in the first storage section 116.

Then, when the motor 142 is rotated, the first dispersing device 132 constituting the first dispersing section 130 rotates around the axis of the rotating shaft 140 in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating shaft 140.

Here, in the first dispersing device 132, the first raw material liquid 208a contained in the first storage section 216 is scooped up from the first lower end 134. Next, the first raw material liquid 108a scooped up from the first lower end 134 moves from the bottom to the top in the first flow path 138 by the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the first dispersing device 132, and is discharged from the first upper end 136 toward the first inner wall 211 of the first mixing tank 210.

Then, as described above, the first raw material liquid 208a flows down the second inner wall 211, and as it flows down, the volatile components in the first raw material liquid 208a evaporate through the first inner wall 111 heated by the first temperature control jacket 245, and are discharged outside the first mixing tank 210 through the tube 292 provided above. Meanwhile, the first raw material liquid 208a from which the volatile components have been removed further flows down the first inner wall 211, and is again stored in the first storage section 216.

Furthermore, when the supply of the raw material liquid from the raw material liquid supply port 117 continues, the liquid level of the first raw material liquid 208a contained in the first storage section 216 rises, and when it reaches a predetermined liquid amount, the control valve 152 is opened by a signal from the level indicator 156, and the pump 255 with a pressure reducing check valve is operated. After that, the first raw material liquid 208a contained in the first storage section 216 of the first stirring tank 210 flows into the second stirring tank 260 through the raw material liquid flow pipe 154. Here, in the evaporation device 200 shown in FIG. 4, the internal pressure of the first stirring tank 210 is set to be lower than the internal pressure of the second stirring tank 260 as described above, but the first raw material liquid 208a passing through the raw material liquid flow pipe 154 moves toward the second stirring tank 260 by the pump 255 with a pressure reducing check valve.

As a result, the raw material liquid that has entered the second mixing tank 160 is stored as the second raw material liquid 108b in the second storage section 116 located below the second mixing tank 160.

In the second storage section 266 of the second mixing tank 260, when the amount of the second raw material liquid 208b stored therein increases and the liquid level rises above the second lower end 174 of the second dispersion device 172 constituting the second dispersion section 170, the second lower end 174 rotates horizontally within the second storage section 266 due to the rotation of the rotating shaft 140, and the second raw material liquid 208b stored in the second storage section 266 is scooped up from the second lower end 174. Next, the second raw material liquid 208b scooped up from the second lower end 174 moves from the bottom to the top in the second flow path 178 due to the centrifugal force associated with the rotation of the second dispersion device 172, and is discharged from the second upper end 176 toward the second inner wall 261 of the second mixing tank 160. The second raw material liquid 208b then flows down the second inner wall 261 as described above.

In this state, the volatile components remaining in the second raw material liquid 208b flowing down the second inner wall 261 evaporate on the second inner wall 261, and are supplied from the second stirring tank 260 to the first temperature control jacket 245 through the second volatile component flow pipe 282 while retaining high thermal energy. The components that do not evaporate as they flow down the second inner wall 261 continue to flow down the second inner wall 261, and are stored again in the second storage section 266.

The volatile components discharged from exhaust pipe 294 and pipe 292 are collected together as necessary and condensed and recovered by a condenser (not shown).

The second raw material liquid 208b, which is again contained in the second storage section 266 of the second mixing tank 260, is finally discharged to the outside of the second mixing tank 260 via the raw material liquid discharge pipe 162.

In this way, the evaporation device 200 of the present invention can be used to easily separate volatile components from the raw material liquid.

2. Evaporation device

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an example of an evaporation system equipped with an evaporation device of the present invention.

The evaporation system 900 of the present invention includes a raw material tank 910 containing the raw material liquid, the evaporation device 100, and a condenser 930.

The raw material liquid is fed from the raw material tank 910 to the evaporation apparatus 100 through the pipes 904a and 904b by driving the pump 902. In the distillation apparatus 100, the inner wall of the first stirring tank 110 is heated through the first temperature control jacket 145 by steam (STM) supplied from the pipe 143, for example. The volatile components evaporated from the raw material liquid in the first stirring tank 110 are introduced into the second temperature control jacket 180 through the first volatile component flow pipe 182, heat the inner wall of the second stirring tank 160, and then pass through the pipe 905 to be stored in the receiving tank 920.

Meanwhile, the volatile components evaporated from the raw material liquid in the second stirring tank 160 pass through the pipe 192 and are supplied to the condenser 930 sucked by the vacuum pump 940, where they are cooled and liquefied. Meanwhile, the residue (concentrate of the raw material liquid) in the second stirring tank 160 of the evaporation device 100 is discharged to the outside through the pipe 908 as necessary.

The evaporation device of the present invention is useful, for example, in purifying and concentrating liquids containing impurities, such as methyl esters, lactic acid, fish oil, fats and oils, and glycerin; in removing water, ethanol, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), hexane, toluene, acetone, ethylene glycol, and the like contained in chemical products such as inks, paints, and chemicals; and in removing volatile impurities from monomers and polymers used in the fields of paint and resin manufacturing.

100, 200 Evaporation device 106 Volatile component outlet 108a, 208a First raw material liquid 108b, 208b Second raw material liquid 110, 210 First stirring tank 111, 211 First inner wall 116, 216 First storage section 117 First raw material liquid supply port 130 First liquid spray section 132 First liquid spray device 134, 134' First lower end 136, 136' First upper end 138, 138' First flow path 140 Rotating shaft 142 Motor 143, 243 Heating medium introduction pipe 144, 244 Heating medium discharge pipe 145, 245 First temperature control jacket 152 Control valve 154 Raw material liquid flow pipe 156 Level indicator 160, 260 Second stirring tank 161, 261 Second inner wall 162 Raw material liquid discharge pipe 164 Bottom 166 Second raw material liquid supply port 170 Second dispersion section 172 Second dispersion device 174 Second lower end 176 Second upper end 178 Second flow path 180, 280 Second temperature control jacket 182 First volatile component flow pipe 192, 292 Pipe 194, 294 Discharge pipe 255 Pump with pressure reducing check valve 282 Second volatile component flow pipe 900 Evaporation system 902 Pump 910 Raw material tank 920 Receiving tank 930 Condenser 940 Vacuum pump

Claims (8)

1. An evaporation device comprising:
a first stirring tank that is sealable and heatable and that includes a first storage portion that contains a first raw material liquid;
a second stirring tank that is sealable and heatable and that includes a second storage portion that contains a second raw material liquid;
a rotating shaft disposed vertically relative to each of the first stirred tank and the second stirred tank;
a first liquid dispersion unit that is attached to the rotating shaft in the first stirred tank and that disperses the first raw material liquid into the first stirred tank;
a second liquid dispersion unit that is attached to the rotating shaft in the second stirred tank and that disperses the second raw material liquid into the second stirred tank;
Equipped with
The first stirred tank is disposed above the second stirred tank in a stacked manner;
the first storage section in the first stirred tank and the second stirred tank are in communication with each other via a raw material liquid flow pipe having a control valve;
The internal pressure of the first stirred tank is different from that of the second stirred tank,
The first dispensing unit includes at least one first dispensing device having a first flow path that absorbs the first raw material liquid contained in the first storage unit from a first lower end and discharges the first raw material liquid from a first upper end as the rotating shaft rotates;
The evaporation apparatus includes at least one second liquid-spraying device, the second liquid-spraying section having a second flow path that absorbs the second raw material liquid stored in the second storage section from a second lower end and discharges it from a second upper end as the rotating shaft rotates. The evaporation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first stirred tank is heatable by a first temperature-regulating jacket provided on the outer periphery, and the second stirred tank is heatable by a second temperature-regulating jacket provided on the outer periphery. The evaporation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first stirring tank is provided with a volatile component outlet, and the volatile component outlet is connected to a second temperature control jacket provided on the second stirring tank via a first volatile component flow pipe. The evaporation device according to claim 3, wherein the internal pressure of the second stirred tank is set lower than the internal pressure of the first stirred tank. The evaporation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second stirring tank is provided with a volatile component outlet, and the volatile component outlet is connected to a first temperature control jacket provided on the first stirring tank via a second volatile component flow pipe. The evaporation device according to claim 5, wherein the internal pressure of the first stirred tank is set lower than the internal pressure of the second stirred tank. The evaporation device according to claim 6, wherein a liquid delivery pump is disposed in the raw material liquid flow pipe. A raw material tank containing a raw material liquid;
an evaporation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which treats the raw material liquid supplied from the raw material tank;
a condenser for condensing the volatile components discharged from a volatile component outlet of the evaporator;
An evaporation system comprising:

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