Emulsification/dispersion system using multistage depressurization module and method for producing emulsified/dispersed liquid

A multistage emulsification/dispersion system comprising:

• a supplier for pressurizing a liquid material to be emulsified/dispersed, and supplying said pressurized liquid material;
• a multistage emulsification/dispersion module including an inlet portion having an orifice, an outlet portion, a plurality of absorption cells interposed in a passage extending from said inlet and outlet portions and connected with each other in a multistage manner through a connection member;
• a communication passage connected to an outlet portion of said multistage emulsification/dispersion module;
• and
• a multistage depressurization module including an inlet passage connected to the downstream of said communication passage;
• an outlet passage opened to atmosphere, a plurality of depressurization members located between said inlet and outlet passages and connected with each other in a multistage manner through a connection member, said depressurization members being composed of at least one first depressurization member having a first inner diameter d1, at least one second depressurization member having a second inner diameter d2 and at least one third depressurization member having a third inner diameter d3, which are arranged in this order from the upstream side, wherein said first to third inner diameters d1, d2, and d3 are designed to satisfy the following relationship:
• d0>d3>d1 and d2>d3>d1, wherein d0 is the passage diameter of said outlet passage.

A multistage emulsification/dispersion system comprising:

• a supplier for pressurizing a liquid material to be emulsified/dispersed, and supplying said pressurized liquid material;
• a multistage emulsification/dispersion module including an inlet portion having an orifice, and outlet portion, a plurality of absorption cells interposed in a passage extending from said inlet and outlet portions and connected with each other in a multistage manner through a connection member;
• a communication passage connected to an outlet portion of said multistage emulsification/dispersion module;
• and
• a multistage depressurization module including an inlet passage connected to the downstream of said communication passage, an outlet passage opened to atmosphere, a plurality of depressurization members located between said inlet and outlet passages and connected with each other in a multistage manner through a connection member,
• wherein, provided said respective absorption cells, said communication passage and said respective depressurization members are defined as individual passage units each having a given passage diameter, the respective passage diameters of said passage units are determined according to the following rules:
• (1) each of said passage units has either one of at least three different passage diameters DS, DM, DB (DS>DM>DB), wherein when the passage unit with the passage diameter DM is connected to the downstream of the passage unit with the passage diameter DS, the passage unit with the passage diameter DB is connected between said two passage units;
• and
• (2) said rule (1) is not essentially applied when any of said passage units is connected to the upstream side of the passage unit with the smallest passage diameter.