Four Main Components of Ultrasonic Liquid Processing Equipment
Ultrasonic liquid processor consists of four main components: ultrasonic generator, ultrasonic transducer, tool head, and reaction chamber.
Ultrasonic Generator
The ultrasonic generator is the brain and heart of the ultrasonic liquid processor. It converts 115 V or 240 V AC line power into a signal with a frequency close to 20 kHz to drive piezoelectric transducers. Use automatic frequency tracking and adjustment to ensure optimal resonance operation. The generator can output any electrical power that does not exceed its rated value. The power will automatically adjust based on acoustic load conditions, such as ultrasonic amplitude settings, liquid viscosity and pressure, tool head immersion depth, etc. The cruise control of the car also adopts a similar principle, and the engine power output will automatically increase when going uphill.
Piezoelectric Transducer
Ultrasonic transducer (also known as "ultrasonic transducer" and "piezoelectric transducer") is an electromechanical component that converts electrical energy from an ultrasonic generator into mechanical energy in the form of ultrasonic vibration, with a maximum amplitude of approximately 20-25 micrometers. Then, these mechanical vibrations are transmitted to the tool head for amplification and delivered to the processed liquid. These devices are sealed from the external environment, suitable for high humidity conditions and handling flammable materials such as fuels and organic solvents.
Tool Head
A tool head (also known as an ultrasonic horn or ultrasonic probe) is a component that amplifies the amplitude of ultrasonic vibrations from a transducer and transmits them to the liquid being treated with ultrasound. Traditional ultrasonic processors use tool heads that can only provide high ultrasonic amplitude when their output tip diameter is small, making them suitable for laboratory research but not for industrial scale applications. The process amplification requires switching to a tool head with a larger output tip diameter, which can output ultrasonic energy into a large amount of working fluid while still maintaining high amplitude. The design of the tool head is to achieve this.
Reaction Room
By using a reaction chamber (flow-through cell), the ultrasonic system can be configured to perform continuous liquid treatment in a "flow-through" mode. When dealing with large amounts of materials, this arrangement is superior to the "batch" mode because it produces higher processing capacity, improved ultrasound exposure uniformity, and better temperature stability.
The reaction chamber may include a water-cooled jacket to help maintain the temperature of the working fluid at the desired level. In the continuous ultrasonic treatment process, the use of appropriately designed reaction chambers ensures that all working fluids are guided through the active cavitation zone generated by the integrated tool head (the area where the liquid is "treated"), thereby achieving uniform treatment and high-quality products.
