JPH09192473A - High pressure treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably measure the temp. or the change of physical property of a material to be treated without generating the pressure leakage in the case of high pressure by forming a projecting part projecting in a housing part and providing a non-through hole for inserting a temperature measuring and heating element or a sensor in the inside of the projecting part. SOLUTION: The projecting part 15 projecting in the housing in the housing part 4 is formed on the under surface of a cap 6 and the hole for inserting the sensor S is provided in the inside of the projecting part 15. The lower side of the hole 16 is plugged, the upper side of the hole 16 is communicated with a passage 17 running up and down through the center of the cap 6 and the upper end of the passage 17 is opened at the upper surface of the cap 6. The sensor S is enabled to be inserted in the hole 16 through the passage 17 from the opening part an any time (even under pressure or under atmospheric pressure). By filling a filler having high heat conductivity in the hole 16 in the state that the sensor S is inserted to the hole 16 of the projecting part 15 to prevent the generation of a gap between the inner surface of the hole 16 and the surface of the sensor S, the heat transferring ability is improved and the measuring accuracy of the change of physical property is secured.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a high-pressure processing apparatus for applying a high pressure to an object to be processed such as gas, liquid, powder or the like to perform structural change, sterilization, processing and the like.
The high-pressure processing apparatus of the present invention is particularly suitable for processing foods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, treatments using high pressure have been researched and developed in fields such as sterilization, processing and manufacturing of foods, and the results are being put to practical use. Typical examples are processing and production of dairy products, sterilization of fruit juice, and production of jams. Then, as an apparatus for performing high-pressure processing, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-2
1191 and JP-A-6-113806 are known.

That is, the "hot isostatic pressurizing device" of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-21191 prevents the influence of moisture and impurities in the pressurizing treatment of ceramics and the like, and also improves the operability of taking out the object to be treated. This is an improved configuration, in which a storage unit is provided in the high-pressure container and the pressurizing medium is inserted into the storage unit. The feature of the present invention is that the medium gas for pressurization is introduced into the storage section separately arranged in the high-pressure container through the communication passage, so that the object to be processed is purely pressurized in the storage section free from impurities. The point is that it can be processed. When gas is used as the pressurizing medium as in the present invention, the upper limit of pressurization is practically at most several hundreds of atmospheric pressure.

The "high-pressure processing apparatus" of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-113806 relates to a device for sterilizing, processing, and controlling reaction of an object to be processed such as food at a low temperature. This apparatus has a structure in which a high-pressure container and a supply system of a pressurized medium are heat-insulated and surrounded to cool the entire system.

In these high-pressure processing apparatuses, the inside of the storage unit is made high in pressure by a compressor or a pressurizer, and high pressure is applied to the processing target housed in the storage unit, so that the processing target is evenly applied. It has the merit in processing that it can be compressed. And, for example, in food processing, it is possible to sterilize by destroying the bacterial cell membrane in the object to be treated by pressure treatment without causing denaturation by heat, and structural denaturation without heat denaturation of the composition, heat treatment High-pressure treatment can also be used for enzyme deactivation control and the like that does not involve. Also, for example, in the processing of sintered metal or ceramics by hot pressure molding, high-pressure processing allows metal or ceramics to be molded in the powder state instead of melt-bonding. It can be used in a wide range of fields such as manufacturing bodies.

[0006]

In the high-pressure processing apparatus as described above, it is important for processing control to measure changes in temperature and physical properties of the object to be processed during processing. By measuring the temperature and physical properties during the treatment process and directly grasping the state of the object to be treated in the storage portion in real time, for example, it becomes possible for the first time to accurately sterilize and process foods and the like. Here, as a sensor for measuring a change in physical properties of food or the like, for example, the applicant of the present invention has previously proposed Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-74790.
There is known a sensor using an electric heating method as disclosed in No. This sensor self-heats by passing an electric current through a thin metal wire and measures the temperature of the sensor itself and the object to be processed around the sensor from its resistance value, and changes in the physical properties of the object to be processed from their temperature behavior. It is configured to measure. By using such a self-heating and self-temperature measuring sensor, it is possible to directly measure in real time the physical property change of the object to be processed during processing, and to accurately control the sterilization and processing of food etc. It will be possible.

However, if a hole is formed in the wall of the housing of the high-pressure processing apparatus and the sensor is inserted into the housing of the object to be processed through the hole, the pressure leakage from the hole can be prevented. A special structure is required, and the overall structure of the high-pressure processing apparatus becomes complicated and expensive. In addition, in order to prevent pressure leakage, it is not possible to raise the pressure inside the storage unit to a very high pressure, and especially 1000 to 5000 atmospheres.
This is an adverse effect when processing is performed using ultrahigh pressure above atmospheric pressure. Further, when the sensor itself is directly placed under high pressure, the electric resistance value of the heating element with the built-in sensor changes, and the temperature measurement becomes unstable. Further, the high pressure increases the frequency of deformation and breakage of the sensor itself, which impairs its practicality.

An object of the present invention is to stably measure changes in the temperature and physical properties of an object to be processed without causing pressure leakage even when the inside of the housing is set to a considerably high pressure, and
It is an object of the present invention to provide a high-pressure processing device in which the measurement sensor can be easily attached, detached and held.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a high-pressure processing apparatus for applying a high pressure to an object to be processed housed in a storage part for processing, and forming a convex part projecting into the storage part, It is characterized in that a non-through hole for inserting a heating element / temperature measuring element, a sensor and the like is provided inside the convex portion.

In the invention of claim 1, as described in claim 2, in the housing portion for the object to be processed, one end side of the tubular body having both ends opened is closed by the movable piston, and the other end side is covered. The protrusion can be formed on the side of the lid that comes into contact with the object to be processed. In this case, an appropriate stopper or the like for restricting the movement of the movable piston may be provided so that the movable piston does not excessively move and collide with the convex portion. This makes it possible to prevent damage to the convex portion formed on the lid.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the high-pressure processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, a sensor capable of self-heating and self-measuring temperature is inserted into the hole, and the sensor inserted into the hole. The heat of the object to be processed stored in the storage section can be conducted, and the heat of the processing object stored in the storage section can be detected by a sensor inserted in the hole. Is.

In these high-pressure processing apparatuses, the non-through hole into which the sensor is inserted is filled with a liquid having a large heat transfer coefficient and / or a powder having a large heat transfer coefficient. Therefore, it is desirable to improve the heat transfer ability between the sensor and the object to be processed housed in the housing section.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view for illustrating the internal structure of a high-pressure processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

A container 4 surrounded by a container wall 3 is provided at the center of the inside of the pressure-resistant container main body 2 having a cylindrical shape.
An object to be processed such as food is housed in the housing section 4 to perform high-pressure processing. The container wall 3 has a cylindrical shape with open upper and lower ends, and the lower end side of the container wall 3 is closed by a movable piston 5 and the upper end side is closed by a lid body 6, so that the storage part 4 has a cylindrical shape as a whole. It is a closed space. In addition, by enclosing the circumference of the container wall 3 with the pressure resistant container main body 2, when the inside of the storage section 4 is set to a high pressure,
The high pressure prevents the container wall 3 from expanding in the radial direction. Sealing members 7 and 8 such as O-rings are provided between the lid 6 and the inner surface of the pressure-resistant container body 2 and between the lid 6 and the inner surface of the container wall 3, respectively. An annular step portion 10 is formed around the lid body 6, and the step portion 10 is pushed upward by the lower surface of the fixing member 11 screwed from the upper surface of the pressure resistant container body 2 to the upper side of the lid body 6. Restrain the movement of. Further, on the lower surface of the lid body 6, a convex portion 15 that projects into the storage portion 4 is formed. In the illustrated example, the convex portion 15 has a substantially columnar shape and is arranged on the central axis of the storage unit 4. It is desirable that the convex portion 15 be formed of a material having a relatively high thermal conductivity such as a metal such as gold, silver or copper.
However, it is also possible to form the convex portion 15 with the same material as the pressure resistant container main body 2. As shown in the enlarged view of FIG.
A hole 16 for inserting the sensor S is provided inside the device 5. The lower part of this hole 16 is closed, and the storage section 4
The atmosphere inside and the atmosphere inside the hole 16 are in a state of being shut off from each other with respect to the pressurizing pressure. The upper portion of the hole 16 communicates with a passage 17 that passes through the center of the lid body 6 in the vertical direction, and the upper end of the passage 17 is open on the upper surface of the lid body 6. Therefore, the sensor S can be inserted into the hole 16 from the opening through the passage 17 at any time (whether under pressure or under normal pressure). Further, an annular protrusion 18 is provided on the inner surface of the container wall 3, and by contacting the protrusion 18 to restrict the upward movement of the movable piston 5, the upper surface of the movable piston 5 becomes the lower end of the convex portion 15. It is configured not to collide with. Instead of the protrusion 18, for example, a hollow cylindrical ring may be attached to the inner surface of the container wall 3, or a skirt portion may be formed on the lower surface of the lid body 6.

As shown in FIG. 3, the sensor S is an electric tube having a positive or negative temperature coefficient of resistance below the inside of a protective tube 20 made of a hollow cylindrical or flat metal tube having excellent thermal conductivity. The electric resistance element 21 made of a resistance material is incorporated. The electric resistance element 21 is made of, for example, a cylindrical platinum fine wire whose surface is electrically insulated. As shown in FIG. 2, when the sensor S is inserted into the hole 16 of the convex portion 15, the electric resistor 21 is located sufficiently below the lower surface of the lid body 6 (the upper surface of the housing portion 4). As shown in FIG. 3, lead wires 22a, 22
The lead wire bundle 22 including b, 22c, and 22d is drawn out. In the illustrated example, of the lead wire bundle 22, the lead wires 22a and 22d are connected to the lower end of the electric resistor 21, and the lead wires 22b and 22c are connected to the upper end of the electric resistor 21. Therefore, for example, the lead wires 22a and 22
The electric resistor 21 can be made to generate heat by supplying a current through b, and the lead wires 22c and 22d can be heated.
By measuring the voltage using, the electric resistance value of the electric resistance body 21 can be detected by utilizing the four-terminal method, and the temperature of the electric resistance body 21 can be measured from the electric resistance value.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the hole 1 of the convex portion 15
6 with the sensor S inserted therein, the filler 25
To prevent a gap from being formed between the inner surface of the hole 16 and the surface of the sensor S, and improve the heat transfer ability to ensure the measurement accuracy of changes in physical properties. As the filler 25, a liquid or powder having high thermal conductivity, or a mixture thereof is used. Specifically, for example, it is preferable to use a single or mixed metal powder of gold, silver, copper or the like, mercury or the like, but in addition, liquid such as ceramic powder or alcohol, resin,
A soft material such as resin or clay, propylene glycol, or the like can also be used as the filler 25. However, when mercury or the like is used as the filler 25, it is desirable to completely seal the opening at the upper end of the passage 17 in order to prevent leakage from the inside of the hole 16.

In this way, the convex portion 15 is formed of a material having excellent thermal conductivity such as metal, and the hole 16 is formed.
By filling the inside with a filler 25 having a high thermal conductivity, such as metal powder, electric current is supplied to the electric resistor 21 of the sensor S inserted in the hole 16 through the lead wires 22a and 22b to generate heat. In that case, the heat can be smoothly transferred to the object to be processed stored in the storage section 4. Further, by measuring the voltage between the lead wires 22c and 22d, the electric resistance value of the electric resistance body 21 is detected by using the four-terminal method, and the electric resistance body 21 is detected from the electric resistance value.
It can measure its own temperature.

A seal member 30 such as an O-ring is arranged between the peripheral surface of the movable piston 5 closing the lower end of the container wall 3 and the inner surface of the container wall 3. A circuit 31 for supplying a high-pressure fluid for pressurization created by a compressor, a pressurizer, or the like (not shown) is provided below the movable piston 5 so as to penetrate from the lower surface of the pressure-resistant container body 2 toward the storage section 4. Has been. Through this circuit 31, the movable piston 5
A high pressure fluid such as mineral oil or air, which is hard to be hardened even by pressurization, is supplied to the lower surface of the movable body 5 and the movable piston 5 is pushed upward to reduce the volume of the storage portion 4 to generate a high pressure.

A jacket 35 for temperature control is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the pressure-resistant container body 2. By circulating and supplying a temperature-controlled liquid such as hot and cold water to the outer peripheral surface of the pressure vessel main body 2 through the inlets and outlets 36 and 37 formed in the jacket 35, the temperature of the high-pressure processing apparatus 1 as a whole is set to a desired temperature, and by extension, The temperature of an object to be processed such as food stored in the storage section 4 can be controlled to a desired temperature.

Now, in the high-pressure processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, first, the fixing member 11 is removed and the lid 6 is pulled out above the pressure-resistant container main body 2 to store it. Open 4. And the storage part 4
After accommodating an object to be treated such as food, the lid 6 is inserted again from above the pressure-resistant container body 2, and the stepped portion 10 is pressed by the lower surface of the fixing member 11 screwed from the upper surface of the pressure-resistant container body 2. Thus, the upper end side of the storage section 4 is closed by the lid body 6. Further, the sensor S is inserted from the upper surface of the lid body 6 into the hole 16 via the passage 17. As a result, the electric resistance body 21 of the sensor S is positioned sufficiently below the lower surface of the lid body 6 (the upper surface of the housing portion 4). In addition, the filling material 25 is filled in the hole 16 so that no void is generated between the inner surface of the hole 16 and the surface of the sensor S.

Next, a high-pressure fluid such as mineral oil is supplied to the lower surface of the movable piston 5 through a circuit 31 provided on the lower surface of the pressure-resistant container main body 2, and the movable piston 5 is pushed upward to increase the volume of the storage section 4. By making the size smaller, the inside of the storage unit 4 has a higher pressure. As a result, the high pressure processing of the object to be processed stored in the storage section 4 is started. If necessary, the temperature-adjusted liquid is supplied to the jacket 35 mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the pressure-resistant container body 2 to control the temperature of the object to be processed in the storage section 4 to a desired temperature. As a result, it becomes possible to perform the sterilization, processing and the like on the object to be processed in the storage section 4 at a desired temperature and under a high pressure.

On the other hand, while performing high-pressure treatment in this way,
The electric resistor 21 of the sensor S inserted in the hole 16 of the lid 6
Is supplied with current through the lead wires 22a and 22b to generate heat. Then, the heat is transferred to the object to be processed stored in the storage section 4. In this case, as described above, the convex portion 15 is formed of a material having excellent thermal conductivity, and the hole 16 is filled with the filler 25 having high thermal conductivity. The generated heat of the electric resistor 21 can be smoothly transferred to the object to be processed stored in the storage section 4. In addition, the electric resistance 21 is intermittently heated, and when no heat is generated, the voltage is measured using the lead wires 22c and 22d, and the electric resistance value (R) of the electric resistance 21 is detected by the four-terminal method. The temperature of the electric resistor 21 is measured from the resistance value (R) to obtain the temperature of the object to be processed. Similarly, when heat is generated, the electric resistance body 21 is also made to generate heat, the voltage is measured using the lead wires 22c and 22d, and the electric resistance value (R) of the electric resistance body 21 is detected by the four-terminal method. The temperature of the electric resistor 21 is measured from (R), and the temperature of the electric resistor 21 when heat is generated is obtained. By using the temperature of the electric resistor 21 at the time of heat generation and the temperature of the object to be processed in the storage portion 4 when no heat is generated in this way, for example, a change in the viscosity coefficient of the object to be processed is calculated to obtain It is possible to measure changes in state.

In this way, while processing the object to be processed in the storage section 4, the change of the state of the object to be processed is measured continuously or at appropriate time intervals by the sensor S, and the processing such as sterilization and processing can be performed. When the completion is detected, the supply of high-pressure fluid from the circuit 31 on the lower surface of the pressure-resistant container body 2 is stopped, and the high-pressure processing is completed. Then, the fixing member 11 is removed, and the lid 6 is pulled out above the pressure-resistant container main body 2 to open the storage portion 4, and the object to be processed after the high-pressure treatment is taken out from the storage portion 4. Thus, it becomes possible to obtain an object to be processed which has been subjected to the necessary and sufficient high pressure processing.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this and can be appropriately modified. For example, the lid 6 may be arranged below the storage portion 4 and the movable piston 5 may be arranged above the lid 4.
Both or one of the movable piston 5 and the movable piston 5 may be arranged on the left and right. However, in order to ensure smooth heat transfer, it is preferable that the objects to be processed in the storage part 4 and the filler 25 filled in the holes 16 are arranged so as not to be biased by their own weight. Further, for example, the lid 6 and the fixing member 11 can be integrally formed. Further, the radial thickness of the pressure resistant container body 2 can be made thicker or thinner depending on the pressure resistant design value. Further, the sensor S has been described by taking the Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-74790 disclosed by the applicant as an example.
The configuration itself of the sensor S is not limited to this,
Any sensor may be used as long as it can generate heat and measure temperature, and the heating element and the temperature measuring element may be separately incorporated. Then, before the sensor S is inserted into the hole 16, the filler 25 may be filled in advance, and then the sensor S may be inserted.

Further, the high pressure processing apparatus is composed of a pressure resistant container main body 2,
The lid 6 and the fixing member 11 are integrally molded, and the movable piston 5
The object to be processed may be taken in and out from the side. In this case, the sensor S is inserted into the holes 16 and 17 provided on the surface opposite to the side where the object to be processed is taken in and out. Further, a plurality of convex portions 15 may be provided, holes 16 may be provided in each of them, and a temperature measuring element of the object to be processed, a heat generating element and other necessary elements may be arranged in each hole 16.

[0026]

According to the present invention, when performing high-pressure processing, it is possible to detect the state change of the object to be processed by using a sensor capable of generating heat and measuring temperature, so that the processing can be accurately controlled. Becomes In the present invention, it is possible to smoothly transfer heat between the sensor and the object to be processed, and in particular, to provide a high-pressure processing apparatus which is optimal for high-pressure sterilization of milk or beverages, processing, etc. be able to. In particular, in high-pressure processing of gelled products that undergo structural changes due to operations such as heating and cooling, the heating and cooling operations can be controlled while measuring changes in gelation, and products with the target structure can be reliably repeated. You will be able to get it. Further, since the high-pressure processing apparatus of the present invention does not have a hole or the like for inserting a sensor in the wall surface of the storage portion, there is no fear of pressure leakage and it is possible to perform ultra-high pressure processing. is there. Furthermore, since the sensor itself is placed under normal pressure, stable measurement can be performed and damage to the sensor can be prevented.
Even if the convex portion is deformed, if the lid structure is used, the replacement work is inexpensive and easy, and the sensor can be replaced at any time even under pressure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing an internal structure of a high-pressure processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing a convex portion formed on the lower surface of the lid body.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a sensor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 S sensor 1 high-pressure processing device 3 container wall 4 storage part 5 movable piston 6 lid 15 convex part 16 hole

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A high-pressure processing apparatus for applying a high pressure to an object to be processed stored in a storage part for processing, wherein a protruding part is formed in the storage part, and the inside of the protruding part also serves as a heating element and a temperature sensor. A high-pressure processing apparatus having a non-through hole for inserting an element, a sensor, or the like. 2. The storage part for the object to be processed is configured such that one end side of a tubular body with both ends opened is closed by a movable piston and the other end side is closed by a lid, and the object to be treated of the lid is processed. The high-pressure processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a convex portion is formed on the side in contact with the body. 3. A sensor capable of self-heating and self-measuring temperature is inserted into the hole, and the heat of the sensor inserted into the hole can be conducted to an object to be processed housed in the housing section. At the same time, the high-pressure processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heat of the object to be processed stored in the storage section can be detected by a sensor inserted in the hole. 4. A non-through hole into which the sensor is inserted is filled with a liquid and / or powder to improve the heat transfer ability between the sensor and the object to be processed stored in the storage section. The high-pressure processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.