Reactor provided with fluidized chamber

• US 4,965,051 A
• Filed: 03/06/1989
• Issued: 10/23/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snow Brand Milk Products Co. Ltd. (Megmilk Snow Brand Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: R&D Association For Bioreactor System
• Inventors: Nakamura, Tetsuo, Shukunobe, Yukitaka, Doki, Ryoichi, Shimoda, Kouzou, Kuwazuru, Mamoru, Yoshida, Tomoe
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Snay, Jeffrey R.
• Application Number:
  US07/319,246
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 422/219, 422/232, 422/233, 422/140, 422/143, 422/145, 422/292, 422/24, 134/25.1, 134/166 R, 134/169 R, 134/177, 134/186, 250/431, 250/432 R, 250/433, 250/434, 250/435
• US Class Current: 422/145
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 23/34 Internal compartments or partitions
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 25/20 Fluidized bed in chemical or physical processes B01J8/18
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 33/22 Settling tanks; Sedimentation by gravity settling tanks per se B01D21/02
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 39/00 Means for cleaning the apparatus or avoiding unwanted deposits of microorganisms apparatus for cleaning laboratory receptacles or instruments B01L13/02; cleaning in general B08B

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of disinfecting immobilized biocatalysts in which the extinguishing of microbes adhering to carriers without lowering the activity of immobilized biocatalysts by irradiating ultraviolet light to immobilized biocatalysts at the illuminating power of less than 0.5mW/cm², and to a reactor provided with fluidized chamber wherein a column chamber with outflow-preventing net is connected with an end of fluidized chamber, and an inner tube with an outflow-preventing net at the head opening and at the same time movable in the fluidized chamber is connected with a column chamber, and at the other side of the fluidized chamber a washing gateway with an outflow-preventing net is connected so as to be able to be washing, disinfecting, adsorbing and eluting of reaction continuously.

Claims

1. A reactor for containing a bed of reactive solids and provided with a fluidized chamber for periodic treatment of the reactive solids, comprising:

(1) a generally vertically-disposed column chamber for containing the reactive solids;

(2) a first screen disposed near a lower end of the column chamber for supporting and containing the reactive solids;

(3) a fluidized chamber of greater volume than said column chamber and being disposed generally above and in fluid communication with said column chamber at a fluid communication juncture therebetween;

(4) a straight hollow interior inner tube extending from an upper portion of the fluidized chamber to near said juncture and terminating in a head portion, and wherein the head portion is contactable with the juncture to fluidly seal the column chamber from the fluidized chamber;

(5) a head opening in said head portion in fluid communication with the hollow interior of said inner tube;

(6) a second screen disposed over said head opening so that the reactive solids are containable in said column chamber between vertical inner walls of the column chamber and said first and second screens;

(7) means for allowing movement of said inner tube vertically upwardly until said head portion is contactable with an inner wall of the upper portion of said fluidized chamber at a contact point, so as to fluidly seal the upper portion of the fluidized chamber from a lower portion of the fluidized chamber;

(8) a first fluid gateway disposed in said fluidized chamber and in a portion thereof above said contact point;

(9) a third screen disposed between said contact point and said first fluid gateway;

(10) means for introducing a washing fluid or the like into a bottom portion of the column chamber such as to move the reactive solids disposed therein from said column chamber and fluidize the solids in the fluidized chamber; and

wherein said fluidized chamber has a configuration such that when said washing fluid is discontinued, the reactive solids settle into said column chamber and are again retainable therein by movement of said head portion to said juncture; and

(11) means for introducing a washing liquid through the first gateway and passing the washing liquid out of a second gateway disposed in said fluidized chamber and having a screen thereon when said head portion is disposed at said juncture;

whereby, the reactive solids may be washed in said fluidized chamber while the column chamber is being simultaneously washed with separate wash water or the fluidized chamber may be washed while reactive solids in the column chamber are reacting with a reactable solution.

2. A reactor provided with fluidized chamber according to claim 1, wherein the second fluid gateway is disposed near said juncture.

3. A reactor provided with a fluidized chamber according to claim 1, wherein an ultraviolet light source is disposable in the fluidized chamber for disinfecting the reactive solids while the reactive solids are disposed in the fluidized chamber during washing of the reactive solids.