Method and apparatus for freeze-drying of foods, medicaments, etc.

• US 20020050072A1
• Filed: 03/05/2001
• Published: 05/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyowa Vacuum Engineering, Ltd. (Nissei Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kyowa Vacuum Engineering, Ltd. (Nissei Limited)
• Inventors: Akimoto, Hiromiti, Sunama, Ryouji
• Granted Patent: US 6,470,592 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/92
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 5/06 the process involving freezing
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 5/065 the product to be freeze-dried being sprayed, dispersed or pulverised

Abstract

There is provided a method for obtaining powder product by freeze-drying of liquid material, through various process steps, which comprises: adjusting starting materials into a liquid form; distributively feeding the thus adjusted liquid material for its freeze-drying; desiccating the liquid material by means of a freeze-drying device; pulverizing the thus desiccated liquid material into fine powder product by a pulverizing and comminuting device. In this freeze-drying means, the connection or joining point between the adjacent process steps, where the maintenance of the sterilized condition and the prevention of risk of contamination are complicated and troublesome, is isolated from the external atmosphere, while maintaining the whole system in the state of the continuous operations being made possible between the adjacent process steps, thereby enabling the maintenance of the sterilized conditions and the prevention of risk of contamination to be effectively realized.

The freeze-dried powder product is obtained by the process steps of preparing a liquid material from starting materials and a solvent through a starting material adjusting apparatus A, comprising: a plurality of material blending tanks a, a, . . . ; a material adjusting tank b; and so forth. The liquid material is then introduced, through a pipeline c, into a shell 60 constituting a desiccating chamber of a shell-tube type freeze-drying device f The liquid material is then distributively fed into a plurality of tubes 61, 61, . . . which are uprightly provided within the shell 60 in a juxtaposed relationship, thereby freeze-drying the liquid material into a tubular frozen layer form. After the freeze-drying of the liquid material by the freeze-drying device, the desiccated product in tubular form, dropping from the tubes 61, 61, . . . within the shell 60, is comminuted by means of a pulverizing device g to be made into the final powder product.

Claims

1. A method for freeze-drying of foodstuffs, medicaments, etc., which comprises steps of:

adjusting starting materials and a solvent therefor into a liquid material, by means of a starting materials adjusting apparatus A constituted with material blending tanks, a, a, . . . , a materials adjusting tank b, and so forth;

introducing, through a pipeline c, said liquid material into a shell 60 constituting a desiccating chamber of a shell-tube type freeze-drying device f to immediately and distributively feed said liquid material into a plurality of tubes 61, 61, . . . juxtaposed each other in the upright position within said shell 60 to cause said liquid material to freeze in a tubular layer; and

, after said liquid material is freeze-dried by said freeze-drying device, subjecting the thus desiccated product in the tubular form, dropping from said tubes 61, 61, . . . in said shell 60, to crushing and comminuting treatment by a comminuting device g to thereby obtain the ultimate powder product.

2. A method for freeze-drying of foodstuffs, medicaments, etc., which comprises steps of:

adjusting starting materials and a solvent therefor into a liquid material by means of a material adjusting device A constituted with blending tanks a, a, . . . , an adjusting tank b, and so forth;

introducing, through a pipeline c, said liquid material into a shell 60 constituting a desiccating chamber of a shell-tube type freeze-drying device f to immediately and distributively feed said liquid material into a plurality of tubes 61, 61, . . . juxtaposed each other in the upright position within said shell 60 to cause said material to freeze in a tubular layer; and

, after said liquid material is freeze-dried by said freeze-drying apparatus, subjecting the thus desiccated product in the tubular form, dropping from said tubes 61, 61, . . . within said shell 60, to crushing and comminuting treatment by a crushing device w disposed in a desiccated product receptacle disposed below said shell 60 in continuation to said shell 60 and maintained in the vacuum condition, followed by transporting said crushed product into a comminuting device g connected to the bottom surface side of said desiccated product receptacle 72 for the comminuting treatment to render the same to be the ultimate powder product.

3. A freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth, which comprises:

a distributor 80 for distributively feeding liquid material into a plurality of tubes 61, 61, . . . above a shell 60 constituting a desiccating chamber of a shell-tube type freeze-drying device f, said tubes being juxtaposed each other in the upright position within said shell 60; and

a pipeline c to guide said liquid material from the adjusting tank b of the material adjusting apparatus A, the downstream side of which is connected to said distributor 80 directly or through an atomizing nozzle.

4. A freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth, which comprises:

an atomizing nozzle pipe 110, 110, . . . disposed at the axial center position within the inner bore of each of a plurality of tubes, 61, 61, . . . juxtaposed each other in the upright position within said shell 60 constituting a desiccating chamber of a shell-tube type freeze-drying device f; and

a multitude of atomizing holes 111, 111, . . . perforated in the cylindrical wall of said tubes, 61, 61, . . . ; and

the downstream side of said pipeline c to guide the liquid material from the starting material adjusting tank b of the material adjusting apparatus A being connected to the upper end side of said atomizing nozzle pipes 110, 110, . . . directly or through an atomizing nozzle.

5. A freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth, which comprises:

a plurality of supporting rods 120, 120, . . . disposed at the axial center position within the inner bore of each of a plurality of tubes 61, 61, . . . juxtaposed each other in the upright position within said shell 60 constituting a desiccating chamber of a shell-tube type freeze-drying device f;

small-sized holding racks 70b, 70b formed in an opening-and-closing butterfly valve shape and held at the lower end part of each of said supporting rods 120, 120, . . . , to hold the lower end side of the frozen layer of the liquid material which has been freeze-dried in the tubular form in said each tube 61; and

an actuating wire or a pneumatically operated actuator connected to said holding racks individually, said holding racks rotating to open and close said holding racks 70b, 70b, . . . .

6. A freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth, which comprises:

a liquid material feeding tube 65 disposed below the lower surface side of the shell 60 constituting the desiccating chamber of the shell-tube type freeze-drying apparatus f, to be communicatively connected to each of the lower end of a plurality of tubes 61, 61, . . . positioned each other in the upright position within said shell 60 constituting the desiccating chamber of the shell-tube type freeze-drying device f, the upstream side of said liquid material feeding tube 60 being connected and joined directly or through an atomizing nozzle, at the end part of the downstream side of the pipeline c which introduces the liquid material from the adjusting tank b of the starting material adjusting apparatus A.

7. A freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth, which comprises:

a desiccated product receptacle 72 for receiving therein the desiccated product from the liquid material as dried by freezing said liquid material onto the wall surface of a plurality of tubes 61, 61, . . . juxtaposed each other in the upright position within said shell 60 constituting the desiccating chamber of the shell-tube type freeze-drying device, said desiccated product receptacle 72 being disposed below said shell 60 constituting the desiccating chamber of the shell-tube type freeze-drying apparatus f, in continuation to said shell 60 in a manner to be connected to said shell 60 and maintained in the vacuum condition; and

a crushing device w for crushing the desiccated product falling into said desiccated product receptacle 72 from said tubes 61, 61, . . . within the shell 60.

8. A freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth, which comprises:

a desiccated product receptacle 72 for receiving therein the desiccated product from the liquid material as dried by freezing said liquid material onto the wall surface of a plurality of tubes 61, 61, . . . juxtaposed each other in the upright position within said shell 60, said desiccated product receptacle 72 being disposed below said shell 60 constituting the desiccating chamber of the shell-tube type freeze-drying device f, in continuation to said shell 60 in a manner to be connected to said shell 60 and maintained in the vacuum condition; and

a crushing device w for crushing and comminuting the desiccated product dropping into said desiccated product receptacle 72 from said tubes 61, 61, . . . within said shell 60, the bottom surface side of said desiccated product receptacle 72 being air-tightly connected to the hopper 50 of said grinding apparatus g through a special valve 83 provided with a material forwarding apparatus.