JPS6181769A - Cooling of food - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To keep the operation efficiency of a cooling apparatus always at a high level, and to cool a food in high efficiency, by keeping the rate of air flow circulating between the refrigerator and the cooling apparatus always at a definite level, and cooling exclusively the air subjected to the heat- exchange. CONSTITUTION:The suction chamber 5 is inserted between the refrigerator 1 and the cooling apparatus 2, and the air in the refrigerator 1 is sucked through the suction chamber 5 into the cooling apparatus 2. The cooling apparatus is furnished with a heat-exchanger 3 and a blower 4, and the sucked air cooled by the heat-exchanger 3 is blasted to the refrigerator 1 with the blower 4 through the duct 6 placed in the refrigerator 1. The air is circulated between the refrigerator 1 and the cooling temperature 2. The boxed foods to be cooled are stacked in contact with a side wall of the suction chamber 5 attached to the suction side of the cooling apparatus 2, to enable the suction of only the air passed through the foods in the refrigerator 1.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Field of Application The present invention is used to cool objects to be cooled in the cooling of foods such as fruits and vegetables, and only air that has been heat exchanged and heated is used to cool the object to be cooled. A method of cooling food by sucking it up, recooling it, returning it to the refrigerator, and cooling it at night in a stable and efficient manner by controlling it to a constant flow rate regardless of political situations or trends. It is related to.

Conventional techniques and their problems It is desirable to rapidly cool fruits and vegetables to a predetermined temperature in order to prevent deterioration in quality such as freshness and flavor. For this reason, immediately after harvesting, fruits and vegetables are placed in fully perforated cardboard boxes, etc., and stacked in large numbers in a differential pressure cooling room (refrigerator), and the air in this cooling room is removed. The method used is to cool the fruits and vegetables evenly within a short period of time by forcing cold air into the inside of the fruits and vegetables in the packaging box. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, there are two ways to achieve this, such as an integrated type or a separate type.In the case shown in (1) of each figure, the object to be cooled is cooled by natural convection, and in fb), it is forced by a suction blower. Target
ζIt is designed to allow ventilation to reach the inside of the object to be cooled.

In any of these methods, the air sucked into the cooling device 2 flows through the object to be cooled and exchanges heat with the air T 2 "C heated by the thermal energy of the object to be cooled and the cooling device. The cooled air T I that is cooled in the refrigerator l
'C is mixed in the space inside the refrigerator, and then again in the cooling device 2.
is sucked into and cooled. The temperature of this cooling air is Tl″C
becomes. In this way, some of the air is re-sucked into the cooling device without completely cooling the object to be cooled, that is, without undergoing heat exchange. The total temperature at that time is T8'
C, and the amount of air at each temperature of T 1 'C and T 2 'C is in:rn, then the actual temperature T8° C. of the air drawn into the cooling device is T I <T a <T 2 . Therefore, if the air cooled by the cooling device is 11'eG, the actual heat exchange amount of the cooling device is (Ta-T1)G
Kca//h, the heat exchange amount is less than the heat exchange amount (T2-Tl)G when only the air heated by the object to be cooled is cooled, and the capacity of the cooling bag is as shown in Figure 4. It varies greatly depending on the air temperature. For this reason, the cooling time is long, and the cooling time is completely hidden, resulting in a decrease in the freshness and quality of things necessary to maintain freshness, such as strawberries and corn. It becomes something that happens.

In addition, the operation time of the cooling device becomes longer due to cooling, which is uneconomical.

Means for Solving Problems In the present invention, in order to improve the conventional drawbacks, the object to be cooled is completely cooled,
Only the air heated by heat exchange, i.e. the amount of heat (Tz-T1)G? This was developed based on the idea that recooling the refrigerator allows the cooling device to operate at full efficiency and shortens the cooling time.Items to be cooled stored in the refrigerator are placed in close contact with one side of the chamber provided on the suction side of the cooling device. By stacking the refrigerator in such a way that only the air inside the refrigerator is sucked in after cooling the items to be cooled, does the amount of air sucked into the cooling device increase or decrease depending on the resistance of the items to be cooled? The number of revolutions or suction resistance of the blower is fully controlled to automatically adjust the amount of air discharged into the refrigerator to always keep it constant.

Example The present invention will be explained below based on fully illustrated embodiments.

In the figure, l is a refrigerator that communicates the required internal volume, and 2 is a cooling device installed adjacent to or inside the refrigerator l that communicates the required cooling capacity. A suction chamber 6 is arranged between the devices, and the air inside the refrigerator is drawn through the suction chamber into the cooling device.

The cooling device 2 includes a heat exchanger 3 and a blower 4, and sucks air cooled by the heat exchanger 8. Air is blown from the blower 4 through a duct 6 disposed inside the refrigerator into the refrigerator, thereby circulating air between the inside of the refrigerator and the inside of the cooling device. One side 1cf of the suction chamber 6 provided on the suction side of the cooling device 2 so that only the air that has passed through the objects to be cooled stored in the refrigerator is sucked into the cooling device side at this time.
The objects to be cooled packed in fl are stacked in close contact with each other. Is the suction chamber using a perforated plate to circulate the required amount of air, or is it a damper grill? The area of the flow j1 can be adjusted in accordance with the size of the object to be cooled and the stacking shape (shape of the surface in contact with the suction chamber). Also, in the case of a damper set, what about its opening? Make it adjustable.

In the above example, it is suitable for all objects to be cooled with the same properties, same size, and quantity to be stacked and cooled many times. If the shape of the object changes every time, 1 of the cooling air passing through the object to be cooled.
1. Wind resistance is different. For this reason, when the blower is operated at a constant rotation speed, the amount of circulating air between the refrigerator and the cooling system increases or decreases, causing unstable operation of the cooling system or even malfunctions. It may bring something. In order to completely prevent this, that is, when the objects to be cooled vary each time, the refrigerator and the cooling bag should be operated so that the circulating air volume is always constant.

As an example, there is an embodiment shown in FIG.

In Fig. 2, all speed sensors 78 are installed on the blowing side or the suction chamber side of the blower, and the speed sensors 78 are installed on both sides, and the wind speed on the suction side or the blowing side of this cooling device is measured, and the value is used for normal operation of the cooling device. The inverter 9 controls the rotation speed to be set at the airflow rate of 4 by comparing it with the airflow value at It can be sucked up and blown out into the refrigerator.
Another method that will allow the cooling system to operate efficiently at all times is to install a damper 10 in the suction chamber 6 instead of the inverter 9, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, automatic opening/closing adjustment may be performed using a damper (not shown) provided in the discharge duct portion, a driving source 11 such as a full electric motor or a cylinder. This is connected to a calculation circuit 12 for all speed sensors 7 or 8, and this circuit controls a drive source (control motor) 11. This allows the blower to operate so that the air volume reaches a predetermined value in all rooms. This allows the cycle to be operated efficiently and in the best condition at all times.

Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, the circulating air volume is always controlled to be constant regardless of fluctuations in the objects to be cooled stored in the refrigerator, and the air is heated by passing through the entire object to be cooled and thoroughly exchanged. Since only the air is completely recooled, the cooling device can be operated efficiently and has the advantage that the desired amount of cooling can be achieved in a short period of time.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the entire first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the entire first embodiment. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of different embodiments, FIG. 4 is a graph diagram,
6 and 6 are diagrams of known examples. 1 is the refrigerator! is a cooling device, 8 is a heat exchanger, 4 is a blower, 6 is a suction chamber, 6 is a duct,
1.8 is a speed sensor, 9 is an inverter, 10 is a damper, 11 is a driving source, l! + indicates the applicant for the arithmetic circuit patent, and one person outside of Hitachi Cooling and Housing Equipment Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] The items to be cooled stored in the refrigerator are placed in close contact with the suction chamber of the cooling device, and the opening of the blower or damper is adjusted so that the air circulating through the refrigerator and the cooling device always has a constant air volume regardless of fluctuations in the items to be cooled. A food cooling method characterized by adjusting and controlling and cooling only the air that has been circulated within the object to be cooled and heat exchanged therewith.