EP-4741048-A1 - ULTRAFINE BUBBLE PRODUCTION DEVICE

Abstract

To improve the performance of an ultrafine bubble production device. An ultrafine bubble production device includes: a storage part in which a storage space configured to store a liquid and a gas is formed, the storage part having one end to be closed; a drive part configured to generate energy used for compressing the storage space and pressurizing and dissolving the gas in the liquid; and a plunger part configured to close the one end of the storage part, slide through an interior of the storage part by using the energy to compress the storage space, and after compressing the storage space, decompress the storage space to generate ultrafine bubbles.

Inventors

• KAWAI, TSUYOSHI

Assignees

• Daicel Corporation

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20240604

Claims (8)

1. An ultrafine bubble production device comprising: a storage part in which a storage space configured to store a liquid and a gas is formed, the storage part having one end to be closed; a drive part configured to generate energy used for compressing the storage space and pressurizing and dissolving the gas in the liquid; and a plunger part configured to close the one end of the storage part, slide through an interior of the storage part by using the energy to compress the storage space, and after compressing the storage space, decompress the storage space to generate ultrafine bubbles.
2. The ultrafine bubble production device according to claim 1, wherein the plunger part includes a decompression valve that is opened by an inertia force when the plunger part slides through the interior of the storage part.
3. The ultrafine bubble production device according to claim 2, wherein the decompression valve includes a sealing part, a valve body, and an elastic member, the sealing part being configured to close the one end of the storage part and including a through hole forming a ventilation path when the decompression valve is operated, the valve body being configured to close the through hole, the elastic member being configured to urge the valve body to cause the valve body to close the through hole.
4. The ultrafine bubble production device according to claim 3, wherein the valve body is displaced by causing the elastic member to deform by the inertia force, and causes the through hole to open.
5. The ultrafine bubble production device according to claim 2, wherein the decompression valve includes a sealing part and a valve body, the sealing part being configured to close the one end of the storage part, and including a through hole forming a ventilation path when the decompression valve is operated, the valve body being configured to close the through hole and detach from the sealing part when the decompression valve is operated.
6. The ultrafine bubble production device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein a diameter of the valve body decreases in a direction in which the plunger part slides by using the energy.
7. The ultrafine bubble production device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the ultrafine bubble production device includes a gap between the storage part and the drive part, the gap forming a portion of the ventilation path when the decompression valve is operated, and the ventilation path allows the storage space to communicate with outside air.
8. The ultrafine bubble production device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the drive part includes an ignition part and a piston, the ignition part including an ignition agent that is ignited by an ignition current from outside, the piston being configured to push the plunger part into the storage part, the drive part being configured to apply combustion energy of the ignition agent to the piston.

Description

Technical Field The present disclosure relates to an ultrafine bubble production device. Background Art In recent years, the applied technology of fine bubbles has attracted attention. The technology has been put into practical use in cleaning, fishing, and agriculture since around 2004, and its fields have become diverse, including food and medical care. Under such circumstances, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry determined to support and promote international standardization activities related to fine bubbles in 2012 in response to demand from the industry. The Technical Committee on Fine Bubble Technologies was established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2013, and has discussed various definitions and standards related to "fine bubbles". As one of the outcomes, a unified classification of bubbles, which were not clearly distinguished by their size in the related art, has been established with the progress of academic research and technology. Specifically, bubbles having a diameter of less than 100 µm are classified as fine bubbles to distinguish them from other bubbles. Furthermore, bubbles having a diameter of less than 1 µm are referred to as ultrafine bubbles (Non-Patent Literature 1 and Non-Patent Literature 2). In the related art, a production device has been proposed that is an ultrafine bubble production device including a storage part storing a liquid and a gas, and a drive part used for pressurization of the storage part, in which, in the pressurization, the time required for the pressure to reach the maximum pressure from a start of the pressurization is 2.0 milliseconds or less, and the maximum pressure is 4.00 MPa or more (Patent Document 1). Citation List Patent Document Patent Document 1: WO 2021/090833 Non-Patent Literature Non-Patent Literature 1: Ultrafine bubbles, the Journal of the Acoustical Society of Japan, Vol. 73, No. 7 (2017)Non-Patent Literature 2: What is fine bubble?, [online], the Union of Fine Bubble Scientists and Engineers, [searched on April 10, 2023], Internet <http://www.fb-union.org/about.html> Summary of Invention Technical Problem An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique that improves the performance of an ultrafine bubble production device. Solution to Problem An ultrafine bubble production device according to the present disclosure can be implemented by the following aspects. That is, the gist of the technique according to the present disclosure is described below. [1] An ultrafine bubble production device includes: a storage part in which a storage space configured to store a liquid and a gas is formed, the storage part having one end to be closed;a drive part configured to generate energy used for compressing the storage space and pressurizing and dissolving the gas in the liquid; anda plunger part configured to close the one end of the storage part, slide through an interior of the storage part by using the energy to compress the storage space, and after compressing the storage space, decompress the storage space to generate ultrafine bubbles.[2] The ultrafine bubble production device described in [1], in which the plunger part includes a decompression valve that is opened by an inertia force when the plunger part slides through the interior of the storage part.[3] The ultrafine bubble production device described in [2], in which the decompression valve includes a sealing part, a valve body, and an elastic member, the sealing part being configured to close the one end of the storage part, and including a through hole forming a ventilation path when the decompression valve is operated, the valve body being configured to close the through hole, the elastic member being configured to urge the valve body to cause the valve body to close the through hole.[4] The ultrafine bubble production device described in [3], in which the valve body is displaced by causing the elastic member to deform by the inertia force, and causes the through hole to open.[5] The ultrafine bubble production device described in [2], in which the decompression valve includes a sealing part and a valve body, the sealing part being configured to close the one end of the storage part, and including a through hole forming a ventilation path when the decompression valve is operated, the valve body being configured to close the through hole and detach from the sealing part when the decompression valve is operated.[6] The ultrafine bubble production device described in any one of [3] to [5], in which a diameter of the valve body decreases in a direction in which the plunger part slides by using the energy.[7] The ultrafine bubble production device described in any one of [3] to [6], in which the ultrafine bubble production device includes a gap between the storage part and the drive part, the gap forming a portion of the ventilation path when the decompression valve is operated, and the ventilation path allows the storage space to communica