Key Points of High-pressure Homogenizer
High-pressure homogenizer HPH is an online dispersion machine with excellent efficiency, energy savings, and continuous ultrafine emulsion generation. In contrast to other IKA in-line equipment, the HPH's dispersing action is not based on the rotor/stator principle. Self-decompression of the liquid from up to 2000 bar to ambient pressure improves homogenization in the homogenizer.
Drawell high-pressure homogenizer HPH uses the same amount of energy as standard gear ring dispersers while producing more acceptable emulsions. High-pressure homogenizers are advised for disintegration down to the nanoscale; nevertheless, these homogenizers achieve lower flow rates than traditional dispersions.
How to Use a High Pressure Homogenizer?
1. Installation
Install the high-pressure homogenizer on a flat and sturdy desktop, then one by one install the high-pressure pump, homogenizer valve, pressure gauge, check valve, sample tank, and other components (each component is relatively independent and can be disassembled and installed independently).
Prepare an air compressor or nitrogen tank and circulate cooling water at the same time. The air compressor or nitrogen tank is used to supply the minimum pressure (5-10bar) required by the dynamic homogenization valve, as well as the pressure when the pipeline is flushed and the circulation cooling. When the sample is chilled, water is employed as a cold supply to guarantee that the sample maintains a low temperature during the homogenization process, avoiding sample denaturation and inactivation.
2. Cleaning and Disinfection
Before beginning the machine, inspect the complete sample path to confirm that the tubing is clean. Remove all components from the entire sample channel, then rinse with pure water, then 0.5M NaOH for a short period, and finally warm water.
After cleaning, each component can be sterilized with hot steam, and the pipeline can be sanitized for about 10 minutes after installation using a hot steam cycle.
3. Operation
Before starting the homogenizer, inspect the homogenized liquid to ensure that it is free of contaminants. Impurity particles, particularly metal particles, will harm the pipeline and the homogenizing valve, reducing the homogenizer's service life.
Examine the high-pressure homogenizer's pipeline to confirm that all components are correctly mounted and sealed, and that all bolts are securely fastened. Check the air supply (compressor or nitrogen tank, for example) to ensure that the needed pressure is available; Check the cooling water to ensure that the cooling circulation water was produced ahead of time in accordance with the process requirements, and that the cooling water pipeline was connected.
The small amount of liquid remaining in the pipeline is entirely drained before the HPH of the high-pressure homogenizer begins to work, and the sample is placed into the sample tank and pre-homogenized twice under air pressure.
Then, depending on the job needs, increase the homogenization pressure and begin homogenization. Following the completion of the homogenization, the pressure is decreased to zero and the substance liquid is discharged.
4. Maintenance
Immediately after homogenization, rinse with warm water and 0.5M NaOH in a cycle, followed by a rinse with clean water. It can be adequately aerated and pressured during this operation to speed up the cycle and rinse the pipeline more quickly and thoroughly. To finish the cleaning process, rinse 1-2 times with 50% alcohol.
Fill the sample tank and tubing with 70% alcohol solution for the next use after cleaning. If the entire pipeline needs to be sterilized, a hot steam cycle for around 10 minutes is used after the cleaning is finished.
Finally, switch off the power, turn off the air source and cooling water, and so on.
Precautions for Using High Pressure Homogenizer
1. Homogenizing pressure
The homogenization pressure of the high-pressure homogenizer is determined by the material and liquid properties. To minimize unexpected pressure changes, the pressure should be progressively increased during the process of increasing the pressure.
The material homogenization pressure should normally not exceed 2000bar during the homogenization process. To a certain extent, the high-pressure homogenizer allows for overload operation. For a limited period of time, the equipment can operate at 20% overpressure. The control box circuit will then immediately activate the cut-off protection mechanism, which will stop the machine from running. It can be turned back on and work after 30 seconds.
If the pressure cannot rise during the homogenization process, it means that the upper one-way valve is blocked, just use a thin iron wire to pass the ball valve.
2. What Should You Do If the Sample in the High-Pressure Homogenizer Has Air Bubbles?
A high-pressure homogenizer equipped with a dynamic homogenization valve enables the sample to contain air bubbles or to be emptied.
When the sample contains air bubbles or is empty, the homogenizing valve stem and valve seat will clash to some amount during the homogenization process, causing significant wear on the valve stem and valve seat, especially for the manually adjusted homogenizing valve, not only during the homogenization process but also thereafter. It is simple to wear down the homogenizing valve and even directly lead to its fragmentation, rendering it inoperable. Furthermore, it will generate a lot of noise during the homogenization process.
The dynamic homogenizer valve will reduce its damage and noise better, but it is generally recommended to avoid the long-term use of samples containing a large number of air bubbles and the occurrence of empty samples in the pipeline, which can effectively prolong the service life of the homogenizer valve.
3. What Should You Do If Liquid Leaks From the High-Pressure Homogenizer?
There are no o-rings or gaskets in the high-pressure homogenizer's whole sample route, and all face seals are precision-machined metal-to-metal or metal-to-ceramic seals that do not leak liquids.
However, if it is installed incorrectly, if the sample tank and one-way valve are not entirely buckled, or if a component is not properly installed after disassembly, liquid leakage will occur. At this point, all that remains is to inspect the pipeline and install each component appropriately in accordance with the installation manual's specifications.
If the sample is poisonous and harmful, it will endanger and pollute the operating environment and operators. In this case, the above phenomenon can be avoided by simply tightening the sample tank and then flushing the sample passage with air and pressure.
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