Back to results
US 11,364,474 B2Granted
Ultrafine bubble generating method and ultrafine bubble generating apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsHiroyuki Ishinaga, Masahiko Kubota, Akira Yamamoto, Akitoshi Yamada, Yoshiyuki Imanaka, Yumi Yanai, Teruo Ozaki, Toshio Kashino
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Provided is an ultrafine bubble generating method and an ultrafine bubble generating apparatus capable of efficiently generating a UFB-containing liquid with high purity. To this end, a flow passage inner volume is varied by using a flow passage inner volume varying element, the liquid is pressurized such that the liquid passes through a narrow portion at high speed and flows into a depressurizing area.
Claims6
A method of generating ultrafine bubbles, comprising:
- a liquid supplying step where a liquid is supplied to a flow passage that allows the liquid to flow;
- a flow passage inner volume varying step where an inner volume of the flow passage to which the liquid is supplied is varied by varying a part of the flow passage;
- a pressurizing step where, due to operation of the flow passage inner volume varying step, the liquid that has an amplified flow rate and is pressurized is caused to pass through a narrow portion, which narrows a part of the flow passage such that a flow passage area that is an area of a plane crossing a direction of the flow of the liquid in the flow passage is gradually reduced from upstream to downstream of the flow passage;
- and
- a depressurizing step where the liquid that is pressurized in the pressurizing step is depressurized in a depressurizing area having a flow passage area greater than the narrow portion,
- wherein in the flow passage inner volume varying step, the inner volume of the flow passage is decreased due to operation of film boiling by a heating element.
3 more elements
A method of generating ultrafine bubbles, comprising:
- a liquid supplying step where a liquid is supplied to a flow passage that allows the liquid to flow;
- a flow passage inner volume varying step where an inner volume of the flow passage to which the liquid is supplied is varied by varying a part of the flow passage;
- a pressurizing step where, due to operation of the flow passage inner volume varying step, the liquid that has an amplified flow rate and is pressurized is caused to pass through a narrow portion, which narrows a part of the flow passage such that a flow passage area that is an area of a plane crossing a direction of the flow of the liquid in the flow passage is gradually reduced from upstream to downstream of the flow passage;
- a depressurizing step where the liquid that is pressurized in the pressurizing step is depressurized;
- and
- a gas supplying step where a first gas and a second gas that is thermally affected more than the first gas are supplied to the liquid supplied to the flow passage,
- wherein in the flow passage inner volume varying step, the inner volume of the flow passage is decreased due to the operation of film boiling generated by heating of a heating element in a first dissolved liquid in which the first gas is dissolved but no second gas is dissolved, and
- wherein in the gas supplying step, ultrafine bubbles are generated by supplying the first gas and the second gas.
5 more elements
An ultrafine bubble generating apparatus, comprising:
- a liquid supplying unit that supplies a liquid to a flow passage that allows the liquid to flow;
- a flow passage inner volume varying unit that varies an inner volume of the flow passage to which the liquid is supplied by varying a part of the flow passage;
- a liquid flow rate amplifying unit that narrows a part of the flow passage into a narrow portion such that a flow passage area that is an area of a plane crossing a direction of the flow of the liquid in the flow passage is gradually reduced from upstream to downstream of the flow passage;
- and
- a depressurizing unit that depressurizes the liquid that passes through the liquid flow rate amplifying unit in a depressurizing area having a flow passage area greater than the narrow portion,
- wherein the inner volume of the flow passage is decreased due to operation of film boiling by a heating element, and
- wherein the liquid, which has an amplified flow rate and is pressurized due to operations of the flow passage inner volume varying unit and the liquid flow rate amplifying unit, is caused to pass through the liquid flow rate amplifying unit, and thus ultrafine bubbles are generated.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.