초록 ▼

This invention provides a concentrator capable of drawing out a concentrate of a constant concentration. The concentrator includes a heater having a heating medium that has been heated to a temperature not less than the boiling point of a solution fed to the concentrator?whereby said heater heats th

This invention provides a concentrator capable of drawing out a concentrate of a constant concentration. The concentrator includes a heater having a heating medium that has been heated to a temperature not less than the boiling point of a solution fed to the concentrator?whereby said heater heats the solution to evaporate the solvent to a vapor to make a mixture of the vapor and a liquid?and a gas-liquid separator for dividing the mixture into the liquid and the vapor. The concentrator provides for returning the liquid separated in the gas-liquid separator to the heater, for drawing out a portion of the liquid separated in the gas-liquid separator, for detecting the concentration of an intended component in the drawn out liquid, and for controlling the liquid draw-out so that when the concentration is above a predetermined threshold, liquid draw-out commences, and when the concentration is below the threshold, liquid draw-out stops.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A concentrator which comprises:a heater having a heating medium that has been heated to a temperature not less than the boiling point of a solution fed to the concentrator, whereby said heater heats the solution to evaporate the solvent to a gas to make a mixture of the gas and a liquid; a gas-li

1. A concentrator which comprises:a heater having a heating medium that has been heated to a temperature not less than the boiling point of a solution fed to the concentrator, whereby said heater heats the solution to evaporate the solvent to a gas to make a mixture of the gas and a liquid; a gas-liquid separator for dividing the mixture into the liquid and the gas; returning means for returning the liquid separated in the gas-liquid separator to the heater; concentration detecting means for detecting the concentration of an intending component in the separated liquid, said concentration detecting means communicating with said returning means; a flow-regulating valve connected to said concentration detecting means and placed downstream thereof; liquid draw-out means for drawing out a portion of the liquid separated in the gas-liquid separator, said liquid draw-out means comprising a flow path through which said portion of the liquid is drawn and a cross valve having an inlet, a first outlet, and a second outlet and placed downstream of said flow-regulating valve, wherein said inlet is connected to said flow-regulating valve, said first outlet communicates with said returning means, and said second outlet is connected to said flow path; and control means for controlling said flow-regulating valve and said cross valve so that: when the concentration detected with said concentration detecting means is above a predetermined threshold, said inlet of said cross valve communicates with said second outlet thereof; when the concentration is below the threshold, said inlet of said cross valve communicates with said first outlet thereof; and the amount of the drawn out liquid is controlled through the operation of said flow-regulating valve depending on the concentration. 2. The concentrator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the concentration detecting means comprises physical property detecting means for detecting at least one physical property associated with the concentration of the intended component, and calculating means for calculating the concentration from the detected physical property.3. The concentrator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the physical property detecting means is a detector selected from the group consisting of a mass flowmeter, a gamma radiographic densimeter, and a viscometer measuring the viscosity of the drawn-out liquid.4. The concentrator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the liquid draw-out means further comprises transporting means for transporting the liquid from the gas-liquid separator to subject the liquid to crystallization.5. The concentrator as claimed in claim 4, wherein:the liquid draw-out means is connected with plural storage means through transporting means; the transporting means includes flow path-changing means for changing flow paths through which the liquid flows so as to send the liquid to one of the storage means; and the controlling means is capable of controlling the flow path-changing means so that when the amount of the intended component in a selecting one of the storage means reaches a predetermined amount, sending the liquid to the selecting storage is stopped and sending the liquid to another storage is started. 6. The concentrator as claimed in claim 5, wherein the amount of the intended component is represented by a valve of time quadrature that is calculated by the controlling means through multiplication of the flow rate of the liquid by the concentration of the intended component in the liquid.7. The concentrator as claimed in claim 5, wherein the amount of the intended component is represented by a valve that is calculated by the controlling means through multiplication of the volume of the liquid stored in the storage means by an average concentration of the intended component in the liquid.8. The concentrator as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid returning means comprises a pipe through which the liquid obtained in said gas-liquid separator is returned to said heater, a pump placed in said pipe, and a bypass connected with said pipe at a point downstream of said pump, wherein a part of the liquid flowing in said pipe is drawn through said bypass and the drawn part of the liquid is returned to said pipe; said concentrator detecting means comprises a mass flowmeter; and said concentrator detecting means, said flow-regulating valve, and said cross valve are placed in said bypass in the specified order in the direction of liquid flow. 9. The concentrator as claimed in claim 8, wherein the liquid draw-out means further comprises transporting means for transporting the liquid from the gas-liquid separator to subject the liquid to crystallization.10. The concentrator as claimed in claim 9, wherein:the liquid draw-out means is connected with plural storage means through transporting means; the transporting means including flow path-changing means for changing flow paths through which the liquid flows so as to send the liquid to one of the storage means; and the controlling means is capable of controlling the flow path-changing means so that when the amount of the intended component in a selected one of the storage means reaches a predetermined amount, sending the liquid to the selected storage is stopped and sending the liquid to another storage is started. 11. The concentrator as claimed in claim 10, wherein the amount of the intended component is represented by a valve of time quadrature that is calculated by the controlling means through multiplication of the flow rate of the liquid by the concentration of the intended component in the liquid.12. The concentrator as claimed in claim 10, wherein the amount of the intended component is represented by a valve that is calculated by the controlling means through multiplication of the volume of the liquid stored in the storage means by an average concentration of the intended component in the liquid.13. The concentrator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the liquid draw-out means further comprises transporting means for transporting the liquid from the gas-liquid separator to subject the liquid to crystallization.14. The concentrator as claimed in claim 13, wherein:the liquid draw-out means is connected with plural storage means through transporting means; the transporting means includes flow path-changing means for changing flow paths through which the liquid flows so as to send the liquid to one of the storage means; and the controlling means is capable of controlling the flow path-changing means so that when the amount of the intended component in a selected one of the storage means reaches a predetermined amount, sending the liquid to the selected storage in stopped and sending the liquid to another storage is started. 15. The concentrator as claimed in claim 14, wherein the amount of the intended component is represented by a valve of time quadrature that is calculated by the controlling means through multiplication of the flow rate of the liquid by the concentration of the intended component in the liquid.16. The concentrator as claimed in claim 14, wherein the amount of the intended component is represented by a valve that is calculated by the controlling means through multiplication of the volume of the liquid stored in the storage means by an average concentration of the intended component in the liquid.