JP7190703B2 - Continuous sterilizer and continuous sterilization method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a continuous sterilization apparatus and a continuous sterilization method for heat-treating and inactivating waste fluid containing bacteria, genetically modified microorganisms, viruses, etc. discharged from hospitals, laboratories, vaccine manufacturing facilities, etc. .

In hospitals, research laboratories, vaccine manufacturing facilities, etc., it is required to prevent infection within the facility by bacteria, genetically modified microorganisms, viruses, etc., and to inactivate the drainage discharged outside the facility. Therefore, in medical facilities, sterilization, sterilization, and disinfection of waste fluid are required in accordance with, for example, the "Waste Disposal and Cleaning Law" and the "Law Concerning Prevention of Infectious Diseases and Medical Care for Patients with Infectious Diseases." It is necessary to perform appropriate processing such as Here, the treatment of sterilization, sterilization, disinfection, etc. for the waste liquid includes, for example, waste liquid at a temperature above the temperature suitable for sterilizing bacteria, genetically modified microorganisms, and viruses in the waste liquid, and after heat sterilization. The number of bacteria, genetically modified microorganisms, and viruses contained in the sample is reduced to a predetermined number or less by heating for a period of time.

As an apparatus for performing the above-described treatment, there is an apparatus that inactivates the waste liquid by allowing the waste liquid heated to the sterilization temperature (or the sterilization temperature) to remain in the hold tube for a required period of time. In such a device, after heating the waste liquid with a heat exchanger, the waste liquid is retained in a hold tube for a certain period of time to be inactivated, and the waste liquid (treated liquid) after inactivation is devised by a cooler (see Patent Document 1). In addition, after the waste liquid is heated by a heat exchanger using heating steam, the waste liquid is retained in a hold tube for a certain period of time to be inactivated, and heat exchange is performed between the processing liquid and the waste liquid. An apparatus for preheating the waste liquid and cooling the processing liquid has also been devised (see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 2958365 JP-A-4-354579

For example, in the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the heating of the waste liquid and the cooling of the waste liquid after the deactivation treatment are independent, and the heat of the processing liquid is used to preheat the waste liquid. The thermal efficiency is poor compared to the other equipment, and more utilities such as steam and cooling water are required.

In addition, since the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 uses a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the processing liquid and the waste liquid, the waste liquid disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the inline heater in the middle of the clean water Compared to a heat exchanger that exchanges heat with hot water that has been heated by receiving steam supplied by Easy to adhere. Therefore, in the device disclosed in Patent Document 2, compared with the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the heat transfer performance of the heat exchanger is likely to deteriorate. Further, in the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, since heat is exchanged between the waste liquid and the processing liquid, if the heat exchanger is damaged, there is a possibility that the processing liquid will be contaminated with the waste liquid. high. Therefore, in the device disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to frequently clean the contaminants adhering to the heat transfer surface of the heat exchanger.

The present invention reduces the amount of utility for inactivation, i.e., the amount of steam used for inactivation and the subsequent cold heat source for cooling such as cooling water, and also prevents the contamination of the inside of the device by the waste liquid. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technology that can surely prevent this.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the continuous sterilization apparatus of the present invention includes a first tank to which the liquid to be treated is supplied from a waste liquid tank storing the liquid to be treated, and the liquid to be treated from the first tank. to a sterilization temperature; holding means for holding the liquid to be treated heated by the heater for at least a preset sterilization time; A cooler that cools the liquid to be treated sent from and sends it to a wastewater tank, and a cooler that is arranged upstream of the heater and heat exchange between the heat exchange medium and the heat exchange medium before heating by the heater. a preheater for preheating the liquid to be treated; a first pipeline for feeding the heat exchange medium heated by the cooler toward the preheater; and a heat exchange medium cooled by the preheater. a second conduit feeding towards a cooler and comprising a heat exchange medium pump for circulating the heat exchange medium between the preheater and the cooler; a third pipeline for delivering the liquid to the cooler; a fourth pipeline for returning the liquid to be processed delivered from the holding means to the first tank; and a first switching means for switching between the channel and the fourth pipeline.

temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the liquid to be treated sent out from the holding means; and controlling the first switching means to deliver the liquid to be treated to the fourth pipeline, and controlling the first switching means in response to the fact that the temperature of the liquid to be treated has reached the set temperature. and a control means for sending the liquid to be treated to the third pipeline.

Further, a driving source for sending the liquid to be treated sent from the first tank toward the preheater, and a flow rate measuring means for measuring the flow rate of the liquid to be treated sent by the driving source, The control means controls the flow rate of the liquid to be treated sent by the driving source so that the flow rate of the liquid to be treated measured by the flow rate measuring means approaches a predetermined flow rate without exceeding a predetermined flow rate. do.

a drive source for sending the liquid to be treated sent from the first tank toward the preheater; a flow rate measuring means for measuring a flow rate of the liquid to be treated sent by the drive source; when the flow rate of the liquid to be treated detected by the means exceeds a predetermined flow rate, the first switching means is controlled to deliver the liquid to be treated to the fourth pipeline, and the liquid to be treated is and a control means for controlling the first switching means to deliver the liquid to be treated to the third pipeline in response to the fact that the flow rate of the liquid has fallen below the predetermined flow rate.

The predetermined flow rate is preferably set such that the holding time of the liquid to be treated in the holding means is a preset sterilization time.

The cooler primarily cools the liquid to be treated by heat exchange between the heat exchange medium and the liquid to be treated, and cools the primarily cooled liquid to be treated that has left the cooler with another refrigerant. A second cooler for secondary cooling is provided on the downstream side of the cooler.

Further, between the second tank storing the cleaning liquid and the fifth pipeline returning the flow path from the cooler or the second cooler to the second tank and the sixth pipeline to the drain tank It further comprises second switching means for switching, and third switching means for switching a flow path to the preheater between a flow path from the first tank and a flow path from the second tank. and

In this case, during cleaning using the cleaning liquid, the third switching means switches the flow path to the preheater to the flow path from the second tank, and the second switching means switches the flow path from the cooler. is switched to a fifth conduit returning the liquid to the second tank, and the first switching means preferably switches the flow path from the holding means to the third conduit.

Further, the continuous sterilization method of the present invention comprises the steps of: supplying a liquid to be treated from a waste liquid tank to a first tank; a preheating step of preheating in a vessel, a heating step of feeding the liquid to be treated preheated in the preheating step to a heater and heating it to a sterilization temperature in the heater, and a heating step of heating the liquid to be treated heated by the heater. a holding step of feeding the liquid into holding means and holding the liquid in the holding means for at least a preset sterilization time; a cooling step of cooling a liquid; a step of circulating a heat exchange medium between the cooler and the preheater; and returning to the first tank without sending to the cooler.

Further, a temperature detecting step of detecting the temperature of the liquid to be treated sent out from the holding means is provided, and the step of returning the liquid to be treated to the first tank is performed when the temperature of the liquid to be treated detected by the temperature detecting step is sterilized. It is characterized in that it is carried out when the temperature has not been reached.

In addition, there is a flow rate measuring step of measuring the flow rate of the liquid to be treated sent from the first tank to the preheater, and the step of returning the liquid to be treated to the first tank is performed by measuring the liquid to be treated detected by the flow rate measuring step. This may be performed when the flow rate of the treatment liquid exceeds a predetermined flow rate.

The predetermined flow rate is preferably set such that the holding time of the liquid to be treated in the holding means is a preset sterilization time.

The method further comprises a step of circulating the cleaning liquid stored in the second tank in the order of the preheater, the heater, the holding means, and the cooler, and then returning the cleaning liquid to the second tank. and

According to the present invention, while reducing the amount of steam required for deactivation and the amount of utilities for deactivation, such as the subsequent cold heat source for cooling such as cooling water, Contamination can be reliably prevented.

It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the sterilization equipment of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the continuous sterilization apparatus provided in sterilization equipment. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of steps related to inactivation treatment of waste fluid in the continuous sterilizer. It is a figure which shows the flow of the city water in an air removal process. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the flow of waste liquid when the temperature of the waste liquid has not reached the set temperature. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the flow of the waste liquid when the temperature of the waste liquid reaches the set temperature; It is a figure which shows the flow of the city water in a cooling stop process. 1 is a flow chart showing an example of a cleaning process for a continuous sterilizer; It is a figure which shows the flow of the washing|cleaning liquid in a washing|cleaning process. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the flow of cleaning liquid in the rinsing process;

The sterilization equipment of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The sterilization equipment 10 of the present embodiment is installed, for example, in hospitals, research institutes, vaccine manufacturing facilities, etc., and heat-treats and inactivates discharged fluid containing bacteria, genetically modified microorganisms, viruses, and the like. be. Hereinafter, the treatment of heat-treating and sterilizing waste fluid containing bacteria, genetically modified microorganisms, viruses, etc. is referred to as inactivation treatment. In the drawings below, pipelines are indicated by solid lines.

The sterilization facility 10 includes a drainage tank 15, a balance tank (corresponding to the first tank in the claims) 16, a cleaning tank (corresponding to the second tank in the claims) 17, two continuous sterilizers 18, and a control unit 20 . Hereinafter, the two continuous sterilizers 18 will be referred to as a first continuous sterilizer 18a and a second continuous sterilizer 18b. In this embodiment, the sterilization facility 10 provided with two continuous sterilization apparatuses 18 is taken as an example, but the number of continuous sterilization apparatuses 18 installed as the sterilization facility 10 is not limited to two. There may be one continuous sterilizer 18, or three or more continuous sterilizers 18.

The drain tank 15 is connected to the balance tank 16 via a conduit 25 . The drainage tank 15 stores the drainage. The pipeline 25 has an on-off valve 26 . The opening/closing valve 26 is controlled to be opened/closed by the control unit 20 . By opening the on-off valve 26 , the waste liquid stored in the waste liquid tank 15 is supplied from the waste liquid tank 15 to the balance tank 16 .

The balance tank 16 stores either the waste liquid supplied from the waste liquid tank 15 or city water. When the continuous sterilization apparatus 18 described above performs inactivation treatment of the waste liquid, the balance tank 16 stores the waste liquid supplied from the waste liquid tank 15 . Further, when air is removed from the continuous sterilizer 18 or when SIP (Sterilizing In Place) cleaning is performed, the balance tank 16 stores city water supplied through the pipeline 27a.

The balance tank 16 has a liquid level gauge 16a that detects the liquid level of the liquid stored in the balance tank 16 . A signal detected by the liquid level meter 16 a is output to the control unit 20 . Reference numeral 28 denotes an opening/closing valve that is controlled to open/close by the control unit 20, and is controlled to open/close by the timing set in the control unit 20 or an output signal calculated from the signal from the liquid level gauge 16a.

The liquid stored in the balance tank 16 is sent out to each of the first continuous sterilizer 18a and the second continuous sterilizer 18b through a pipe line 29 connected to the balance tank 16. The pipeline 29 is branched into two pipelines 29a and 29b on the downstream side and connected to three-way valves (corresponding to third switching means in the claims) 32 and 33, respectively. Reference numeral 34 denotes an on-off valve that is controlled to open and close by the control unit 20 .

The cleaning tank 17 stores a cleaning liquid such as an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. A chemical solution and city water are supplied to the cleaning tank 17 . The chemical solution is alkali or acid, and commonly used are sodium hydroxide, citric acid, and the like. In the following description, for example, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) for dissolving cell membranes and city water are supplied to the washing tank 17 for biological contamination. Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) and city water are mixed inside the cleaning tank 17 to adjust the concentration to a predetermined level to produce an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. The cleaning tank 17 is equipped with a liquid level gauge 17a. Reference numeral 37 denotes an on-off valve that is controlled to open and close by the control unit 20 .

Here, reference numeral 27b in FIG. 1 denotes a pipeline for discharging city water, and reference numeral 36 denotes a pipeline for discharging sodium hydroxide. The pipeline 27a and the pipeline 27b for sending city water are pipes branched from the pipeline 27. As shown in FIG. An on-off valve (not shown) is provided in the pipeline 36 for supplying sodium hydroxide (caustic soda). Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) and city water are supplied so that the concentration can be adjusted, and the liquid level is controlled by the set liquid level of the liquid level gauge 17a for the total amount of the two liquids. This is done by sending a signal to the valve.

The cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank 17 is sent to each of the first continuous sterilizer 18a and the second continuous sterilizer 18b through a pipeline 38 connected to the cleaning tank 17. As shown in FIG. In addition, the pipeline 38 is branched into two pipelines 38a and 38b on the downstream side, and then connected to the three-way valves 32 and 33, respectively. Reference numeral 39 denotes an on-off valve whose opening and closing is controlled by the control unit 20. FIG.

The three-way valve 32 connects the pipelines 29a and 38a on the input side, and connects the pipeline 41 on the output side. The three-way valve 32 switches between the input-side pipelines 29 a and 38 a connected to the output-side pipeline 41 . Note that the three-way valve 32 is controlled by the control unit 20 .

The conduit 41 is connected to the input side of a pump (corresponding to a drive source recited in claims) 42 . The pump 42 is drive-controlled (ON/OFF control and flow rate control) by the control unit 20 . The drive control of the pump 42 is based on the flow rate value (measured value) obtained by a flow meter (corresponding to a flow rate measuring means in the claims) 44 provided in a pipe line 43 connected to the output side of the pump 42. be implemented.

The three-way valve 33 connects the pipelines 29b and 38b on the input side, and connects the pipeline 46 on the output side. The three-way valve 33 switches between the input-side pipelines 29b and 38b connected to the output-side pipeline 46 . Note that the three-way valve 33 is controlled by the control unit 20 .

The conduit 46 is connected to the input side of a pump (corresponding to a drive source described in claims) 47 . The pump 47 is drive-controlled (ON/OFF control and flow rate control) by the control unit 20 . The drive control of the pump 47 is based on the flow rate value (measured value) obtained by a flow meter (corresponding to the flow rate measuring means described in the claims) 49 provided in the pipe line 48 connected to the output side of the pump 47. be implemented.

The pump described above is driven, for example, so that the flow rate of the discharged liquid sent out from the pump becomes a flow rate that allows the liquid to stay inside the hold tube 72 described later for a preset time or longer.

The first continuous sterilization device 18a and the second continuous sterilization device 18b are devices for heat-treating and inactivating the waste liquid sent in with the flow rates adjusted by the pumps 42 and 47. As shown in FIG. The waste liquid (hereinafter referred to as treatment liquid) inactivated by the first continuous sterilization apparatus 18a and the second continuous sterilization apparatus 18b is sent to a drainage tank (not shown) that receives the treatment liquid. In addition, the reference numeral 50 in FIG. This is a conduit through which the treatment liquid inactivated by the sterilizer 18b is discharged.

Here, reference numeral 52 shown in FIG. 1 is a conduit for sending well water to each of the first continuous sterilization device 18a and the second continuous sterilization device 18b. Pipe line 52 branches into pipe lines 52a, 52b, 52c, and 52d on the downstream side. Of these pipelines 52a, 52b, 52c, and 52d, the pipeline 52a is connected to a second cooler 74 of the first continuous sterilization apparatus 18a in one pass as a cold heat source, and the pipeline 52b is connected to a first continuous system described later. It is connected to a pipe line 78 forming a circulation line of the sterilizer 18a as a refilling supply water flow line during maintenance. In addition, the conduit 52c is connected to the second cooler 74 of the second continuous sterilizer 18b in one pass as a cold heat source, and the conduit 52d is connected to the conduit 78 that constitutes the circulation path of the second continuous sterilizer 18b. It is connected as a refilling make-up water flow path during maintenance. Although the cold heat source to the second cooler is one-pass well water, it may be circulating water that is circulated by another pump via a cooling tower that replenishes fresh water such as well water or city water. The well water is used as a fresh water refrigerant for extracting cold heat from the ground, and instead of this, circulating water from another pump is used as a circulating fresh water refrigerant for extracting atmospheric cold heat in the cooling tower.

Further, reference numerals 55, 56, 57 and 58 denote on-off valves provided in each of the pipe lines 52a, 52b, 52c and 52d. These on-off valves 55, 56, 57, and 58 are controlled to open and close by the control unit 20, and the on-off valves 55 and 57 may be capable of flow control.

Furthermore, reference numeral 60 in FIG. 1 denotes a pipeline for delivering steam to each of the first continuous sterilizer 18a and the second continuous sterilizer 18b. The pipeline 60 is branched into pipelines 60a and 60b on the downstream side and connected to the heaters 71 of the first continuous sterilizer 18a and the second continuous sterilizer 18b, respectively. Reference numeral 61 denotes an on-off valve provided in the pipeline 60a, and reference numeral 62 denotes an on-off valve provided in the pipeline 60b. These on-off valves 61 and 62 are controlled by the control unit 20 . Each of the on-off valves 61 and 62 is provided with a flow control valve (not shown), which is also controlled by the control unit 20 .

The control unit 20 performs ON/OFF control or proportional control of each part of the sterilization equipment 10 of this embodiment. The control unit 20 has a control section 63 , an operation panel 64 and a display section 65 .

The control unit 63 receives operation signals from the operation panel 64, detection signals from the liquid level gauge 16a of the balance tank 16 and the liquid level gauge 17a of the cleaning tank 17, and the temperatures of the first continuous sterilizer 18a and the second continuous sterilizer 18b. Based on the detection signals of the sensor 84 and the flowmeters 44 and 49, for example, drive control of the pumps 42 and 47, opening/closing control of each on-off valve, switching control of the three-way valve, and the like are performed. The operation panel 64 is operated when performing various settings in the sterilization equipment 10 and when starting and stopping the driving of the sterilization equipment 10 . The display unit 65 displays the state of the sterilization equipment 10 and displays screens for input operations using the operation panel 64 .

Next, the configuration of the first continuous sterilization device 18a and the second continuous sterilization device 18b will be described. Since the configuration of the first continuous sterilization apparatus 18a and the configuration of the second continuous sterilization apparatus 18b are the same, only the configuration of the first continuous sterilization apparatus 18a will be described below, and the second continuous sterilization apparatus 18b will be described. Description of the configuration of 18b is omitted. Therefore, in FIG. 2, piping branching from the balance tank 16 and the cleaning tank 17 to the second continuous sterilizer 18b is omitted. Also, the reference numerals shown in parentheses in FIG. 2 are the reference numerals for the second continuous sterilization apparatus 18b.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first continuous sterilizer 18a includes a preheater 70, a heater 71, a hold tube (corresponding to holding means described in the claims) 72, a first cooler (the cooler described in the claims). ) 73 and a second cooler 74 .

The preheater 70 has an input side connected to the pipeline 43 and an output side connected to the pipeline 75 . The preheater 70 has a heat transfer surface (not shown) (a simple shell-and-tube system is shown in the figure), and the liquid (waste liquid, market liquid) sent from the pump 42 to the inside of the preheater 70 (for example, the inside of the tube). water or sodium hydroxide aqueous solution) and a heat exchange medium (for example, the shell side is flowed) in which well water circulated alone in the first continuous sterilizer 18a is confined in a closed piping system. I do. That is, the preheater 70 preheats the liquid sent from the pump 42 into the preheater 70 using the heat exchange medium that is circulated solely within the first continuous sterilizer 18a. Due to heat exchange between the liquid sent from the pump 42 into the preheater 70 and the heat exchange medium, the temperature of the liquid sent from the pump 42 is, for example, 25°C to 48°C. On the other hand, the heat exchange medium is, for example, 70°C to 47°C.

By the way, the heat exchange medium is circulated between the preheater 70 and the first cooler 73 in the first continuous sterilizer 18a. Here, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 76 denotes a heat exchange medium pump for circulating the heat exchange medium. Further, reference numeral 77 denotes a pipeline from the first cooler 73 to the preheater 70 (corresponding to the first pipeline described in the claims), and reference numeral 78 denotes a pipeline from the preheater 70 to the heat exchange medium pump 76. , reference numeral 79 denotes a pipeline from the heat exchange medium pump 76 to the first cooler 73 . Incidentally, the pipes 77, 78, and 79 form a circulation path for the heat exchange medium. Here, the pipeline 78 and the pipeline 79 correspond to the second pipeline described in the claims.

The heater 71 is, for example, a shell-and-tube heat exchanger, and has a tube input side connected to a pipeline 75 and a tube output side connected to a pipeline 81 . Heater 71 heats the preheated liquid using steam that is fed into, for example, the shell side of heater 71 . By heating the liquid, the vapor becomes low temperature and liquefies (becomes drain water). Drain water is delivered to the wastewater tank through a pipe line 82 connected to the lower shell of the heater 71 through a steam trap. In addition, the temperature of the liquid is, for example, 48°C to 95°C.

Here, as the heater 71, the waste liquid is heated using the supplied steam, but it is also possible to use the heater 71 that heats the waste liquid using an electric heater or microwaves.

The hold tube 72 connects the pipeline 81 to the input side and connects the pipeline 83 to the output side. The hold tube 72 has a length for holding the liquid heated by the heater 71 for a preset sterilization time or more while keeping the liquid warm so that the liquid can be kept at a predetermined temperature or higher. When the flow rate is less than the predetermined flow rate, the sterilization time is automatically maintained.

Here, the sterilization time is set, for example, so that the survival ratio (N/N ₀ ) of the number of viable bacteria after sterilization to the initial number of viable bacteria N ₀ is 10 ⁻⁶ or less. The sterilization time is set to a different value depending on the type of target bacteria (virus) and the temperature of the waste liquid to be heated.

A temperature sensor 84 (corresponding to temperature detection means in the claims) is arranged in the pipeline 83 . A temperature sensor 84 detects the temperature of the liquid delivered from the hold tube 72 . This is because, if the temperature is measured at the outlet of the hold tube 72 where there is heat loss, it is guaranteed that the liquid temperature is equal to or higher than the detected temperature upstream. A temperature detected by the temperature sensor 84 is output to the control unit 20 .

The conduit 83 is connected to a three-way valve (corresponding to first switching means recited in the claims) 85 . The three-way valve 85 has the pipeline 83 as the input side and the pipelines 86 and 87 as the output side, and switches the pipeline connected to the pipeline 83 between the pipeline 86 and the pipeline 87 . Three-way valve 85 is controlled by control unit 20 .

The first cooler 73, which is a cooler, is, for example, a shell-and-tube heat exchanger, and has a pipe line 86 connected to the tube input side and a pipe line 88 connected to the tube output side. The first cooler 73 exchanges heat between the liquid sent from the hold tube 72 and the heat exchange medium flowing on the shell side circulated in the heat exchange medium circulation path described above. primary cooling of the liquid delivered from Note that the temperature of the liquid changes from 95° C. to 71.5° C., for example, due to heat exchange between the liquid and the heat exchange medium. On the other hand, the heat exchange medium is, for example, 47°C to 70°C.

The second cooler 74 is, for example, a shell-and-tube type heat exchanger, and has a pipe line 88 connected to the tube input side and a pipe line 89 connected to the tube output side. The second cooler 74 supplies the liquid cooled by the first cooler 73 to the shell side with well water branched from the pipe line 52 to the pipe line 52a for heat exchange and secondary cooling. The second cooler 74 reduces the temperature of the liquid from 71.5°C to 35°C, for example. On the other hand, well water is, for example, 15°C to 35°C. The well water sent out from the second cooler 74 is discharged out of the sterilization equipment system through the pipeline 90 .

The pipe line 89 is connected to a three-way valve (corresponding to second switching means recited in the claims) 91 . The three-way valve 91 has a pipeline 89 as an input side, a pipeline 92 and a pipeline (corresponding to a fifth pipeline in the claims) 93 as an output side, and a pipeline connected to the pipeline 89 as a pipeline 92 . or switch between lines 93; The three-way valve 91 is controlled by the control unit 20 .

Line 92 is connected to three-way valve 94 . The three-way valve 94 switches the pipeline connected to the pipeline 92 between the pipeline 50 and the pipeline 95, with the pipeline 92 as the input side and the pipelines 50 and 95 as the output side. Three-way valve 94 is controlled by control unit 20 .

A conduit 95 is connected to a three-way valve 96 . The three-way valve 96 has the pipelines 95 and 87 as the input side and the pipeline 97 as the output side, and switches the pipeline connected to the pipeline 97 between the pipeline 95 and the pipeline 87 . Three-way valve 96 is controlled by control unit 20 .

An example of the procedure for inactivating the waste liquid using the sterilization facility 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described below with reference to the flow chart of FIG. In the following description, only the control of the first continuous sterilizer 18a will be described. When the operation of the sterilization facility 10 is stopped, the balance tank 16 and the cleaning tank 17 are in a state where no liquid is stored.

Step S101 is a process of setting an inactivation condition. The operator operates the operation panel 64 of the control unit 20 to input the conditions for inactivating the waste liquid stored in the waste liquid tank 15 . When the operation panel 64 is operated, an operation signal is output from the operation panel 64 to the control section 63 . Therefore, based on the operation signal from the operation panel 64, the control unit 63 sets the conditions related to the inactivation of the waste liquid (the temperature of the waste liquid heated by the heater 71, the waste liquid sent by the pumps 42 and 47). flow rate, duration of each processing operation, etc.).

Step S102 is a process of determining whether or not to start automatic driving. If the operation signal input based on the operation of the operation panel 64 by the operator is a signal indicating the start of automatic operation, the control unit 63 determines Yes as a result of the determination processing in step S102. In this case, the process proceeds to step S103. On the other hand, when the operation signal is not a signal indicating the start of automatic operation, the control unit 63 determines No as a result of the determination processing in step S102. In this case, the control unit 63 repeatedly executes the determination process of step S102 until the result of the determination process of step S102 becomes Yes.

Step S103 is a process for starting the air bleeding process. As shown in FIG. 4 , the controller 63 opens the on-off valve 28 . City water is supplied to the balance tank 16 by opening the on-off valve 28 . The amount of city water stored in the balance tank 16 is detected by a liquid level meter 16a. A detection signal from the liquid level meter 16 a is output to the control unit 20 . The control unit 20 determines whether the amount of water stored in the balance tank 16 has reached a predetermined amount. Then, when the controller 63 determines that the amount of water stored in the balance tank 16 has reached a predetermined amount, the on-off valve 28 is closed. As a result, the supply of city water to the balance tank 16 is stopped.

The controller 63 opens the on-off valve 34 . Furthermore, the control unit 63 controls the three-way valve 32 to connect the pipeline 29 a and the pipeline 41 . At the same time, the controller 63 drives the pump 42 . As a result, the city water sent into the balance tank 16 is drawn by the pump 42 and delivered to the first continuous sterilizer 18a. In addition, the control unit 63 controls the three-way valve 85 to connect the pipeline 83 and the pipeline 86 so that the pipeline 83, the pipeline 86, the pipeline 88 and the pipeline 89 are communicated. At the same time, the controller 63 controls the three-way valve 91 to connect the pipeline 89 and the pipeline 92 . Furthermore, the control unit 63 controls the three-way valve 94 to connect the pipeline 92 and the pipeline 95 . The control unit 63 then controls the three-way valve 96 to connect the pipeline 95 and the pipeline 97 . As a result, the city water sent out by driving the pump 42 is returned to the balance tank 16 after flowing through the preheater 70 , the heater 71 , the hold tube 72 , the first cooler 73 and the second cooler 74 in this order. When the liquid level in the balance tank 16 drops below a predetermined liquid level as a result of the increase in the amount of water fed into each pipeline after each pipeline is connected, the on-off valve 28 is opened again to indicate the upper limit of the liquid level indicator 16a during feeding. City water may be replenished through the balance tank 16 by a predetermined amount as long as it does not exceed . Thus, the city water sent out by driving the pump 42 flows through the preheater 70, the heater 71, the hold tube 72, the first cooler 73, and the second cooler 74 in this order, and then returns to the balance tank 16 by circulation. , the air in the pipeline and heat exchanger is sent along with the flow of city water toward the balance tank 16 in the open portion, and the air is removed from the pipeline system when it falls from the pipeline to the balance tank 16. It is. In this way, the elements of the preheater 70, the heater 71, the hold tube 72, the first cooler 73 and the second cooler 74 from the balance tank 16 and the pipelines therebetween are filled with city water, and the lack of flow due to stagnation, cavitation, etc. Bleeding is completed to eliminate the air in the pipe that serves as a hiding place for microorganisms.

Step S104 is a process of determining whether or not to stop the automatic operation. When the operation signal input based on the operation of the operation panel 64 by the operator is a signal indicating to stop the automatic operation, the control unit 63 determines Yes as a result of the determination processing in step S104. In this case, the process proceeds to step S111. On the other hand, when the operation signal is not a signal indicating the start of automatic operation, the control unit 63 determines No as a result of the determination processing in step S104. In this case, the controller 63 proceeds to step S105.

Step S105 is a process of determining whether or not a predetermined time has passed. The control unit 63 uses a timer (not shown) to measure the elapsed time after the start of the automatic operation. When the elapsed time by the timer reaches the predetermined time set in advance, the control unit 63 determines Yes as a result of the determination processing in step S105. In this case, the process proceeds to step S106. On the other hand, when the elapsed time by the timer has not reached the predetermined time set in advance, the control unit 63 determines No as a result of the determination processing in step S105. In this case, the process returns to step S104. Here, the predetermined period of time means that the city water that is returned to the balance tank 16 in the process in which the city water stored in the balance tank 16 is circulated between the balance tank 16 and the first continuous sterilizer 18a This is the time until residual air (gas) is no longer mixed.

Step S106 is a process for ending the air bleeding process. The control unit 63 closes the on-off valve 28 when city water is being supplied.

Step S107 is a process for starting the heat sterilization process. The control unit 63 opens the on-off valve 26 and supplies the waste liquid stored in the waste liquid tank 15 to the balance tank 16 . The drain is supplied to the balance tank 16 by opening the on-off valve 26 . The amount of waste liquid stored in the balance tank 16 is detected by a liquid level meter 16a. A detection signal from the liquid level meter 16 a is output to the control unit 20 . The control unit 20 determines whether or not the amount of liquid flowing out to a drainage tank (not shown) is low and the amount of water stored in the balance tank 16 as a buffer has reached a predetermined amount. Then, when the controller 63 determines that the amount of water stored in the balance tank 16 has reached a predetermined amount, the on-off valve 26 is closed. As a result, the supply of the waste liquid to the balance tank 16 is temporarily stopped, and when it is detected that the amount of stored liquid has decreased from the lower level of the liquid level gauge 16a, the control section 63 opens the on-off valve 26 again.

Also, the control unit 63 opens the on-off valves 55 and 61 . As a result, well water is sent to the second cooler 74 and steam is sent to the heater 71 .

Therefore, the waste liquid sent to the first continuous sterilizer 18 a by driving the pump 42 is preheated by the preheater 70 and then heated by the heater 71 . The heated effluent is then fed into hold tube 72 . The temperature of the liquid discharged from the hold tube 72 is detected by a temperature sensor 84 provided in the pipeline 83 , and a detection signal from the temperature sensor 84 is sent to the control unit 20 . The control unit 20 determines whether or not the temperature of the waste liquid obtained from the detection signal from the temperature sensor 84 has reached the set temperature. For example, when the temperature of the waste liquid has not reached the set temperature, the control unit 63 controls the three-way valve 85 to connect the pipeline 83 and the pipeline 87 . At the same time, the controller 63 controls the three-way valve 96 to connect the pipeline 87 and the pipeline 97 (see FIG. 5).

In other words, if the temperature of the waste liquid delivered from the hold tube 72 has not reached the set temperature, the waste liquid is not properly inactivated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, when the temperature of the waste liquid delivered from the hold tube 72 has not reached the set temperature, the temperature of the waste liquid delivered from the hold tube 72 reaches the set temperature. It is circulated through the balance tank 16, the preheater 70, the heater 71, and the hold tube 72 until it is reached. With this operation, a system for retaining the city water for air removal for a certain period of time from the time when the city water for air removal and the waste liquid that has started to be introduced begins to be mixed is quickly established.

On the other hand, when the temperature of the waste liquid has reached or has reached the set temperature, the control unit 63 switches the three-way valve 94 from the connection between the pipeline 92 and the pipeline 95 to replace the pipeline 95. is connected to the conduit 50. The control unit 63 also controls the three-way valve 85 to connect the pipeline 83 and the pipeline 86 . The control unit 63 controls the three-way valve 91 to connect the pipeline 89 and the pipeline 92 (see FIG. 6). As a result, the liquid in the balance tank 16 flows in one way to a drainage tank (not shown).

In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the waste liquid is sent to the first cooler 73 . The effluent is cooled by a heat exchange medium sent inside the first cooler 73 . The effluent is then sent to the second cooler 74 . The waste liquid sent to the second cooler 74 is cooled by the well water sent into the second cooler 74 .

In addition, the waste liquid cooled by the second cooler 74 is sent to the wastewater tank. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, when the temperature of the waste liquid sent from the hold tube 72 reaches the set temperature, the waste liquid sent from the balance tank 16 passes through the preheater 70, the heater 71, and the hold tube. 72, the first cooler 73, and the second cooler 74 in that order, and sent out to the wastewater tank. When it is determined that the waste liquid is inactivated, there is no waste liquid returning from the first continuous sterilizer 18a to the balance tank 16, so the amount of waste liquid stored in the balance tank 16 is reduced. . Therefore, the control unit 63 opens the on-off valve 26 and supplies the waste liquid from the waste liquid tank 15 to the balance tank 16 every time the amount of water from the liquid level gauge 16 a reaches the lower limit. Then, when the amount of waste liquid stored in the balance tank 16 reaches the upper limit value, the controller 63 closes the on-off valve 26 .

Step S108 is a process of determining whether or not to stop the automatic operation. The control unit 63 detects when the operator performs an operation to stop the automatic operation, when the temperature based on the detection signal from the temperature sensor 84 exceeds the upper limit of the dangerous set temperature, or when the flowmeter 44 detects When the flow rate of the discharged liquid based on the signal exceeds the upper limit value, it is determined to stop the automatic operation. In this case, the control unit 63 determines Yes as a result of the determination process in step S108, and proceeds to step S109. On the other hand, if the above conditions are not met, the control unit 63 determines that automatic operation should be continued. In this case, the control unit 63 determines No as a result of the determination process in step S108. In this case, the determination process of step S108 is repeatedly executed.

Step S109 is a process of stopping the heat sterilization process. The control unit 63 switches the three-way valve 85 to connect the pipeline 83 to the pipeline 87 and switches the three-way valve 96 to connect the pipeline 87 and the pipeline 97 . The controller 63 closes the on-off valve 26 to stop the introduction of the waste liquid from the waste liquid tank 15 . After that, as shown in FIG. While circulating back to the balance tank 16 in the order of the line 83, the line 87, and the line 97, until the entire amount of the retained liquid in this circulation line whose introduction of the liquid is stopped flows through the hold tube 72 for a predetermined time. Continue to drive the drive source 42 . Here, although not shown, when the heated liquid is returned from the pipeline 97 to the balance tank 16, it is sprayed via a shower ball that is switched at the end of the pipeline 97 and sprays the liquid evenly onto the inner surface of the balance tank 17. return while As a result, the inner wall surface of the tank is also sterilized by heating with the liquid, leaving no bacteria in the system. That is, heating is performed as SIP cleaning. Even during the process of stopping the heat sterilization process, the operation of the heat exchange medium pump 76 and the supply of the coolant to the second cooler 74 from the conduit 52a are continued. After that, the controller 63 closes the on-off valve 34 after a certain period of time has passed, and stops the supply of waste water from the balance tank 16 to the first continuous sterilizer 18a.

Step S110 is a cooling stop step. As shown in FIG. 7 , the control unit 63 controls the three-way valve 85 to switch the pipeline connected to the pipeline 83 from the pipeline 87 to the pipeline 86 . The control unit 63 controls the three-way valve 91 to connect the pipeline 89 and the pipeline 92 . Further, the control unit 63 controls the three-way valve 94 to switch the pipeline connected to the pipeline 92 from the pipeline 95 to the pipeline 50 . Pump 42 continues to run. The pump 42 thus draws in the fully inerted effluent stored in the balance tank 16 and pumps it towards the preheater 70 . As a result, the waste liquid sent out from the pump 42 flows through the preheater 70 , the heater 71 , the hold tube 72 , the first cooler 73 and the second cooler 74 in this order. At the same time that the pipeline connected to the pipeline 92 is switched from the pipeline 95 to the pipeline 50 , the controller 63 stops the supply of steam to the heater 71 . Meanwhile, the heat exchange medium continues to circulate between the preheater 70 and the first cooler 73 . Also, the well water is continuously supplied to the second cooler 74 . Therefore, the waste liquid is extruded without being heated in the preheater 70, cooled in the first cooler 73 and the second cooler 74, and then extruded into the wastewater tank. Thus, the heat-sterilized waste liquid stored in the balance tank 16 is sent to the waste water tank in one pass by driving the pump 42 . In addition, since the waste liquid is heat sterilized for a predetermined time, contamination does not occur.

On the other hand, as the pump 42 is driven to draw in the drained liquid, the liquid level in the balance tank 16 gradually drops (the amount of drained liquid in the balance tank gradually decreases). When the liquid level in the balance tank 16 reaches the lower limit liquid level, the control section 63 opens the valve 28 and supplies city water to the balance tank 16 until the liquid level in the balance tank 16 reaches the upper limit liquid level. Each time the liquid level in the balance tank 16 reaches the lower limit liquid level, the control unit 63 opens the valve 28 to supply city water to the balance tank 16 . As a result of this supply of city water being repeated while the pump 42 is being driven, the concentration of the waste liquid drawn into the pump 42 from the balance tank 16 decreases and finally becomes city water. Then, city water drawn from the balance tank 16 into the pump 42 flows through the preheater 70, the heater 71, the hold tube 72, the first cooler 73 and the second cooler 74 in this order, rinsing each member and discharging the water. sent to the water tank. Therefore, the waste liquid is prevented from remaining in the system.

In the above operation, when a predetermined set time has elapsed since the temperature of the waste liquid sent from the hold tube 72 became below the temperature at which it is determined that it has been cooled, the control unit 63 closes the on-off valve 34 and the pump 42 stop driving. At the same time, the control unit 63 stops the operation of the heat exchange medium pump 76 , closes the on-off valve 55 , and stops the supply of well water to the second cooler 74 .

If Yes in step S104 described above, that is, if the control unit 63 determines that the automatic operation is to be stopped, the process proceeds to step S111.

Step S111 is a process of stopping the air bleeding process. It should be noted that once the process of step S111 is performed, the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 ends.

In this manner, by detecting the temperature of the waste liquid sent out from the hold tube 72, it is determined whether or not the waste liquid is inactivated, and the flow path of the waste liquid is switched based on the determination result. As a result, the effluent is delivered to the downstream side of the first continuous sterilizer 18a as a treatment liquid only when it is inactivated. As a result, uninerted effluent is prevented from being pumped downstream of the first continuous sterilizer 18a.

In addition, by circulating the heat exchange medium between the preheater 70 and the first cooler 73, which is a cooler, even if waste liquid leaks into the heat exchange medium in the preheater 70, the first cooler 73 is an indirect heat exchanger in which the processing liquid is isolated from the heat exchange medium, so there is no possibility that waste liquid will mix with the processing liquid that has undergone the deactivation treatment. Therefore, contamination of the processing liquid can be prevented. Further, by circulating the heat exchange medium between the preheater 70 and the first cooler 73, the heat transfer surfaces of the preheater 70 and the first cooler 73 are less dirty, so the number of cleanings of the heat transfer surfaces can be reduced. can be reduced.

The second continuous sterilizer 18b is also controlled in the same manner as the first continuous sterilizer 18a. Therefore, in the second continuous sterilizer 18b as well, it is possible to send out the waste liquid to the downstream side of the second continuous sterilizer 18b as the treatment liquid only when it is inactivated.

Next, cleaning of the first continuous sterilization device 18a and the second continuous sterilization device 18b will be described based on the flow chart of FIG. A case of cleaning the first continuous sterilizer 18a will be described below. The cleaning of the first continuous sterilizer 18a is performed when the first continuous sterilizer 18a is not inactivating the waste liquid.

Step S201 is a process of selecting a cleaning pattern. The operator operates the operation panel 64 to select a cleaning pattern. Note that if the cleaning pattern cannot be selected, the process of step S201 is omitted.

Step S202 is a process of determining whether or not to start automatic driving. If the operation signal input based on the operation of the operation panel 64 by the operator is a signal indicating the start of automatic operation, the control unit 63 determines Yes as a result of the determination processing in step S202. In this case, the process proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, when the operation signal is not a signal indicating the start of automatic operation, the control unit 63 determines No as a result of the determination processing in step S202. In this case, the control unit 63 repeatedly executes the determination process of step S202 until the result of the determination process of step S202 becomes Yes.

Step S203 is a cleaning step. Note that the cleaning process is performed by CIP cleaning. As shown in FIG. 9 , the controller 63 opens the on-off valve 37 to supply city water to the cleaning tank 17 . At the same time, the controller 63 supplies sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) to the cleaning tank 17 . The control unit 63 can control the on-off valve 37 and the flow control valve (not shown) provided in the conduit 36 to adjust the aqueous solution to a predetermined concentration. As a result, the cleaning tank 17 stores an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution that functions as a cleaning liquid. The control unit 63 controls the three-way valve 85 to connect the pipeline 83 and the pipeline 86 . At the same time, the controller 63 controls the three-way valve 91 to connect the pipeline 89 and the pipeline 93 . Also, the control unit 63 opens the on-off valve 61 and feeds steam into the heater 71 . The control unit 63 opens the on-off valve 55 and feeds the well water to the second cooler 74 . The control unit 63 drives the heat exchange medium pump 76 to circulate the heat exchange medium supplemented with well water in the circulation path.

The controller 63 opens the on-off valve 39 . At the same time, the control unit 63 controls the three-way valve 32 to connect the pipeline 38 a and the pipeline 41 . Also, the control unit 63 drives the pump 42 . This causes the cleaning liquid to be sent through the pump 42 to the first continuous sterilizer 18a.

The cleaning liquid fed into the first continuous sterilizer 18 a flows through the preheater 70 , the heater 71 , the hold tube 72 , the first cooler 73 and the second cooler 74 in this order, and is returned to the cleaning tank 17 . Therefore, dirt and the like adhering to each part are removed.

Step S204 is a process of determining whether or not the cleaning time has reached the set time. The control unit 63 determines whether or not the cleaning process time (cleaning time) in step S203 has been performed for a set time. For example, if the cleaning time has reached the set time, the control unit 63 determines Yes as a result of the determination processing in step S204. In this case, the process proceeds to step S205. On the other hand, when the number of times of cleaning is less than the set time, the control unit 63 determines No as a result of the determination processing in step S204. In this case, the process returns to step S203. The cleaning time described above is counted by the timer of the controller 63 . Therefore, the processing of step S204 is performed until the cleaning time reaches the set time.

Step S205 is a step of discharging the cleaning liquid. As shown in FIG. 10 , the control unit 63 controls the three-way valve 91 to switch the pipeline connected to the pipeline 89 from the pipeline 93 to the pipeline 92 . The control unit 63 also controls the three-way valve 94 to connect the pipeline 92 and the pipeline 50 . Pump 42 continues to run. Therefore, the pump 42 draws in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank 17 and sends it toward the preheater 70 . As a result, the cleaning liquid sent from the pump 42 flows through the preheater 70 , the heater 71 , the hold tube 72 , the first cooler 73 and the second cooler 74 in this order. At the same time as performing switching control of the three-way valves 91 and 94, the control unit 63 stops the supply of steam to the heater 71. FIG. Meanwhile, the heat exchange medium continues to circulate between the preheater 70 and the first cooler 73 . Also, the well water is continuously supplied to the second cooler 74 . Therefore, the cleaning liquid is cooled by the first cooler 73 and the second cooler 74 without being heated by the preheater 70, and then pushed out to the drain tank. Thus, the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank 17 is sent out to the drainage tank in one pass by driving the pump 42 . The process of step S205 is performed until the liquid level in the cleaning tank 17 gradually drops (the amount of drained liquid in the balance tank gradually decreases) and the liquid level in the balance tank 16 reaches the lower limit liquid level. .

Step S206 is a rinsing step. The control unit 63 opens the valve 37 and supplies city water to the cleaning tank 17 until the liquid level in the cleaning tank 17 reaches the upper limit liquid level. Pump 42 continues to run. Therefore, the pump 42 draws in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank 17 and sends it toward the preheater 70 . Each time the liquid level in the cleaning tank 17 reaches the lower limit liquid level, the control unit 63 opens the valve 28 to supply city water to the cleaning tank 17 . By repeating this operation, the concentration of the cleaning liquid drawn into the pump 42 decreases, and finally becomes city water. The city water drawn into the pump 42 rinses each member in the process of sequentially flowing through the preheater 70, the heater 71, the hold tube 72, the first cooler 73 and the second cooler 74, and is sent to the wastewater tank. Therefore, the cleaning liquid is prevented from remaining in the system.

In this embodiment, the temperature of the waste liquid sent from the hold tube 72 in the heat sterilization process is detected, and the waste liquid is returned to the balance tank 16 when the detected temperature is less than the set temperature. The waste liquid may be returned to the balance tank 16 when the flow rate of the waste liquid detected by the flow meters 44, 49 exceeds the set flow rate.

In the present embodiment, the shell-and-tube type heat exchanger is used as an example of the heat exchanger of each element, but the heat exchanger is not limited to this, and may be a plate type or spiral type heat exchanger. In addition, well water is used as the heat exchange medium and the supply to the second cooler.

In this embodiment, the heating by the heater 71 is less than 100 ° C., which does not boil at the atmospheric pressure on the waste liquid side. In order to make the system up to the sensor 84, the first cooler 73 and the second cooler 74 a pressurized high-temperature water system, the three-way valve 85 and the three-way valve 96 are deleted and a back pressure valve is provided at the position of the pipe line 89, Of course, it is also possible to maintain the temperature of the waste liquid at 100° C. or higher in the liquid phase with the heater 71 and the hold tube 72, and to perform strict autoclave sterilization. In that case, the waste liquid cannot be returned to the balance tank 16 by the waste liquid flow path (pipe line 87) shown in FIG. and through the conduit 95) to cool the waste liquid in the state of high-pressure water and then return it to the balance tank 16 to prevent bumping.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Sterilization equipment, 15... Drain tank, 16... Balance tank, 16a, 17a... Level gauge, 17... Cleaning tank, 18... Continuous sterilization apparatus, 18a... First continuous sterilization apparatus, 18b... Second continuous sterilization Device, 26, 28, 34, 37, 39, 55, 56, 57, 58, 61, 62... on-off valve, 32, 33, 85, 91, 94, 96... three-way valve, 42, 47, 76... pump, 70... Preheater, 44, 49... Flow meter, 71... Heater, 72... Hold tube, 73... First cooler, 74... Second cooler, 84... Temperature sensor

Claims (13)

a first tank to which the liquid to be treated is supplied from a waste liquid tank storing the liquid to be treated;
a heater for heating the liquid to be treated from the first tank to a sterilization temperature;
holding means for holding the liquid to be treated heated by the heater for at least a preset sterilization time;
a cooler that cools the liquid to be treated sent from the holding means by heat exchange with a heat exchange medium and sends the liquid to a wastewater tank;
a preheater arranged upstream of the heater and preheating the liquid to be treated before being heated by the heater by heat exchange with the heat exchange medium;
A first pipeline that feeds the heat exchange medium heated by the cooler toward the preheater, and a second pipeline that feeds the heat exchange medium cooled by the preheater toward the cooler. a circuit comprising a heat exchange medium pump for circulating the heat exchange medium between the preheater and the cooler;
a third pipeline for delivering the liquid to be processed delivered from the holding means to the cooler;
a fourth conduit returning the liquid to be treated sent out from the holding means to the first tank;
a first switching means for switching a flow path from the holding means between the third pipeline and the fourth pipeline;
A continuous sterilizer comprising: The continuous sterilizer according to claim 1,
a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the liquid to be treated sent out from the holding means;
When the temperature of the liquid to be treated detected by the temperature detecting means has not reached a preset set temperature, the first switching means is controlled to deliver the liquid to be treated to the fourth pipeline. a control means for controlling the first switching means to deliver the liquid to be processed to the third pipeline in response to the fact that the temperature of the liquid to be processed has reached the set temperature;
A continuous sterilizer comprising: The continuous sterilizer according to claim 2,
a drive source for sending the liquid to be treated sent from the first tank toward the preheater;
flow rate measuring means for measuring the flow rate of the liquid to be treated sent out by the driving source;
with
The control means controls the flow rate of the liquid to be treated sent by the driving source so that the flow rate of the liquid to be treated measured by the flow rate measuring means approaches a predetermined flow rate without exceeding a predetermined flow rate. continuous sterilizer. The continuous sterilizer according to claim 1,
a drive source for sending the liquid to be treated sent from the first tank toward the preheater;
flow rate measuring means for measuring the flow rate of the liquid to be treated sent out by the driving source;
when the flow rate of the liquid to be treated detected by the flow rate measuring means exceeds a predetermined flow rate, controlling the first switching means to deliver the liquid to be treated to the fourth pipeline; a control means for controlling the first switching means to deliver the liquid to be treated to the third pipeline in response to the fact that the flow rate of the liquid to be treated has fallen below the predetermined flow rate;
A continuous sterilizer comprising: In the continuous sterilization apparatus according to claim 3 or claim 4,
The continuous sterilization apparatus, wherein the predetermined flow rate is set such that the holding time of the liquid to be treated in the holding means is a preset sterilization time. In the continuous sterilization apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The cooler primarily cools the liquid to be treated by heat exchange between the heat exchange medium and the liquid to be treated,
A continuous sterilization apparatus comprising a second cooler for secondary cooling of the liquid to be treated that has exited the cooler and has been primarily cooled with another refrigerant, on the downstream side of the cooler. The continuous sterilizer according to claim 6,
a second tank that stores the cleaning liquid;
a second switching means for switching a flow path from the cooler or the second cooler between a fifth pipeline returning to the second tank and a sixth pipeline to the wastewater tank;
third switching means for switching a flow path to the preheater between a flow path from the first tank and a flow path from the second tank;
A continuous sterilizer, further comprising: The continuous sterilizer according to claim 7,
During cleaning using the cleaning liquid,
The third switching means switches the flow path to the preheater to the flow path from the second tank,
the second switching means switches a flow path from the cooler to a fifth pipeline returning to the second tank;
The continuous sterilizer, wherein the first switching means switches the flow path from the holding means to the third pipeline. a step of supplying the liquid to be treated from the waste liquid tank to the first tank;
a preheating step of feeding the liquid to be treated from the first tank into a preheater by driving a drive source and preheating the liquid in the preheater;
a heating step of feeding the liquid to be treated preheated in the preheating step to a heater and heating it to a sterilization temperature in the heater;
a holding step of feeding the liquid to be treated heated by the heater into holding means and holding the liquid in the holding means for at least a preset sterilization time;
a cooling step of feeding the liquid to be treated, which has undergone the holding step, into a cooler and cooling the liquid to be treated in the cooler;
circulating a heat exchange medium between the cooler and the preheater;
a step of returning the liquid to be treated, which has been subjected to the holding step, to the first tank without sending it to the cooler when a predetermined condition is not satisfied;
A continuous sterilization method characterized by having In the continuous sterilization method according to claim 9,
a temperature detection step of detecting the temperature of the liquid to be treated sent out from the holding means;
The continuous sterilization method, wherein the step of returning to the first tank is performed when the temperature of the liquid to be treated detected by the temperature detection step does not reach the sterilization temperature. In the continuous sterilization method according to claim 9,
a flow rate measuring step of measuring the flow rate of the liquid to be treated sent from the first tank to the preheater;
The continuous sterilization method, wherein the step of returning to the first tank is performed when the flow rate of the liquid to be treated detected by the flow rate measuring step exceeds a predetermined flow rate. In the continuous sterilization method according to claim 11,
The continuous sterilization method, wherein the predetermined flow rate is set such that the holding time of the liquid to be treated in the holding means is a preset sterilization time. In the continuous sterilization method according to any one of claims 9 to 12,
A step of circulating the cleaning liquid stored in the second tank in the order of the preheater, the heater, the holding means and the cooler, and then returning the cleaning liquid to the second tank;
A continuous sterilization method, further comprising:

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