CA2568317A1

CA2568317A1 - Rapid chilling apparatus

Info

Publication number: CA2568317A1
Application number: CA 2568317
Authority: CA
Inventors: Markus Hess; Peeter Nielander; Sam Chiusolo
Original assignee: Icefloe Technologies Inc
Current assignee: Icefloe Technologies Inc
Priority date: 2006-11-16
Filing date: 2006-11-16
Publication date: 2008-05-16

Abstract

The invention provides a chamber into which one or more glasses may be inserted. An airflow path is provided from an inlet plenum fluidly communicating with a first face of the chamber and an outlet plenum for air to exit the chamber. A fan is provided to maintain fluid flow from the inlet plenum through the chamber into the outlet plenum and back into the inlet plenum. A
cooling coil (evaporator coil) is located in the airflow path between the inlet and outlet plenums to cool the air as it maintains its recalculating path. A combination of adequate airflow with the use of a appropriately sized and positioned jet(s) and continuing recirculation provides for very rapid chilling at a given air temperature.

Description

TITLE: RAPID CHILLING APPARATUS
Field of the Invention [0001] This invention generally relates to refrigeration equipment. More particularly, this invention relates to apparatus for quickly chilling items placed therein.

Backp-round of the Invention [0002] Chilled glasses are popular with many drinkers of cool beverages.
Chilled glasses enable a beverage to stay cool particularly with beverages such as beer in which the use of ice to keep the beverage cool is generally considered undesirable as it melts thereby diluting the beverage.

[0003] In establishments, which serve chilled beverages, the usual way of chilling glasses is to put them in a refrigerator or a freezer. A typical refrigerator or freezer unit will take in the order of twenty minutes to chill a glass. Accordingly, a large refrigerator unit is required in order to have a suitable number of chilled glasses available. Furthermore, a significant inventory of glasses is required in order to allow enough residence time in the refrigerator unit to chill the glasses.

[0004] It is an object of this invention to provide a refrigeration unit, which is compact, compared to traditional refrigerator or freezer units and which have a significantly higher throughput rate than such previous units.

Summary of the Invention [0005] The invention provides a chamber into which one or more glasses may be inserted. An airflow path is provided from an inlet plenum fluidly communicating with a first face of the chamber and an outlet plenum for air to exit the chamber. A fan is provided to maintain fluid flow from the inlet plenum through the chamber into the outlet plenum and back into the inlet plenum. A cooling coil (evaporator coil) is located in the airflow path between the inlet and outlet plenums to cool the air as it maintains its recalculating path. A combination of adequate airflow with the use of a appropriately sized and positioned jet(s) and continuing recirculation provides for very rapid chilling at a given air temperature.

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[0006] One or more further chambers may be provided to either maintain already chilled items cold or to chill a further batch of items.

[0007] The items to be chilled may be beverage glasses.

[0008] The items may be placed into the chamber in a tray as a batch.

[0009] Alternatively, at least one of the cooling chambers may be provided with conveying means, such as a turnstile for presenting an item for use and receiving a further item in exchange and moving it into the chamber.

[0010] The refrigeration system may include a compressor unit and a condenser coil which fluidly communicate with the evaporator coil. The refrigeration unit may be either remotely mounted, or preferably, mounted within a further chamber in the chilling apparatus.
Descrintion of Drawinp-s [0011] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying illustration in which:

[0012] Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a rapid chilling apparatus according to the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rapid chilling device shown in Figure 1 incorporating a dispensing carrousel.

[0014] Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of a jet located above a beverage glass Descriation of Preferred Embodiments [0015] A rapid chilling apparatus according to the present invention is generally illustrated by reference 10. The rapid chilling apparatus 10 has a housing 12.
The housing 12 has a chilling chamber 14, a holding chamber 16 (optional), an inlet plenum 18, an outlet plenum 20, door 81 for access to the chilling chamber, door 82 for access to the holding chamber and a refrigeration unit chamber 22.

[0016] The chilling chamber 14 has inlet passages 24 for admitting chilled fluid such as air into the chilling chamber 14. Preferably each of the inlet passages 24 coincides with an item 26 in the chilling chamber 14 so as to direct chilled fluid directly at the item 26. The items 26 illustrated are beverage glasses in a tray 17. Other items 26 may be utilized instead. Outlet passages 28 are provided which fluidly communicate between the outlet plenum 20 and the chilling chamber 14 to receive the chilled fluid after it has passed through the chilling chamber 14. Preferably the inlet passages 24 and outlet passages 28 will be placed on opposite faces of the chilling chamber 14 to ensure that the chilled fluid passes all the way through the chilling chamber 12 rather than short circuiting directly between the inlet passages 24 and outlet passages 28.

[0017] The inlet plenum and outlet plenum fluidly communicate both through the chilling chamber 14 and through an evaporator coil 30 in the fluid flow path illustrated by arrows 32. Fluid flow direction is maintained by a fan 34 in the fluid flow path as illustrated by arrows 32. It will be appreciated from the above description and the illustration that fluid flow is in a continual circuit from an outlet side 36 of the evaporator coil 2 and inlet side 38 of the evaporator coil 2. This in combination with an appropriate fan speed and placement of the items 26 directly in the fluid flow path produces exceptionally quick chilling.
Typically a room temperature beverage glass may be chilled to about 4 degrees C in 2 to 3 minutes. Lower temperatures are also feasible.

[0018] A refrigeration unit 39 mounted in the refrigeration unit chamber 22 supplies refrigerant to evaporator coil 30 and maintains the air temperature within the circuit with controller 42. The refrigeration unit may be located remotely and the refrigerant piped to the evaporator coil in insulated tubes so that noise or heat from the refrigeration unit does not disturb bar patrons.

[0019] The refrigeration unit 39 may chill a coolant such a glycol/water mixture. The coolant is pumped into coil 30 to chill a fluid such as air as it passes through the coil 30.

[0020] An optional holding chamber 16 is located above the air circuit to store glasses that have been previously chilled in chilling chamber 14. Inlets 42 are provided in the lower face of chamber 16 to allow for an appropriate amount chilled air to flow over the beverage glasses in I I

this chamber and maintain their temperature. Outlets 43 are provided to allow for the air in the holding chamber to return to the inlet plenum 18.

[0021] Figure 2 shows a longitudinal view of a rapid chilling apparatus according to the present invention incorporating a dispensing carrousel 59 divided radially into pie shaped wedge sections by dividers 47. The rotary actuator 41 will rotate carrouse159 by one section bringing a chilled beverage glass to door 81 of the rapid chilling apparatus. Chilled beverage glasses are dispensed one at a time from door 81. Each time a chilled glass is dispensed, it is replaced by a warm glass, which allows for continuous dispensation of chilled glasses.

[0022] Controller 42 controls the temperature inside the chilling chamber to a pre-determined temperature. It may also be used to control the rate of airflow 32.
The flow rate may be increased during the time that the glasses are being chilled to the desired temperature. Once the glasses have been chilled to the desired temperature, the rate of air flow can be decreased as less flow is needed to maintain the glasses at that temperature.

[0023] The controller may also measure the rate of airflow 32 through many different accepted means to determine if the coil 30 has frosted over and initiate a defrost cycle. The defrost cycle may also be initiated on a timed basis where it turns on for a predetermined length of time at a preset frequency.

[0024] The jets 24 that direct airflow onto each glass individually are typically 15 to 20 percent smaller in diameter than the diameter base of the glass and located approximately 1/2 of a jet diameter away from the base of the glass. As shown in Figure 3, the airflow impinges upon the base of the glass and separates at the edge of the base as it begins to travel down the sides.
As it travels down the sides of the glass, the air re-attaches to the side, which increases convective heat transfer.

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[0025] Representative performance specifications of a rapid chilling apparatus are shown in Table 1.

Table 1 ITEM UNITS QUANTITY
fans total cfm 1000 Cooling BTU per Hour 4000 compressor size HP 1/2 Pressure drop in circuit Inches H20 0.75 to 1.25 Height Inches 30 depth Inches 32 Width Inches 24 Insulation inch 1 tray size Inches H20 20 x 20 x 5 Voltage Volts 220 Frequency Hertz 50 Evap Coil Temp F 5 to 10 Internal Air Temp Range F 15 to 32 Glass Weight Lb. 1 lb.
Specific heat of glass BTU per LB. deg. F 0.2 Defrost or other Heat trace surface of coil Drainage Drain line to Bar Drain

Claims

I claim:

1. A rapid chilling apparatus comprising:

a chamber into which one or more glasses may be inserted and through which an airflow path is provided between an inlet plenum and an outlet plenum fluidly communicating with an interior of the chamber;

a fan for maintaining fluid flow from the inlet plenum through the chamber into the outlet plenum and back into the inlet plenum; and a cooling coil (evaporator coil) located in the airflow path between the inlet and outlet plenums to cool the air as it maintains its recirculating path, wherein a combination of adequate airflow with the use of a appropriately sized and positioned jet(s) and continuing recirculation provides for very rapid chilling at a given air temperature.