JP2002295945A - Low temperature warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a low temperature warehouse in which the inner space of the warehouse can be held in a low temperature high humidity condition using ice through a simple arrangement. SOLUTION: Cooling pipes are arranged in the warehouse and a bag-like water keeping member having moisture permeability is provided in contact with a cooling plate disposed in thermal communication with the cooling pipes. Water in the water keeping member is frozen by flowing cooling fluid of 0 deg.C or below through the cooling pipes. A low temperature high humidity condition is held in the warehouse by the heat of fusion of ice made in the water keeping member and the moisture permeation effect of fused water.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a low-temperature warehouse in which the interior space is kept at low temperature and high humidity using ice.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, it is effective to store fresh foods such as vegetables, fish and shellfish, meat and the like at a low temperature near 0 ° C. and high humidity in order to keep freshness for a long time. A low-temperature warehouse as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-173731 has been proposed.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration diagram of such a conventional apparatus. 1 is a low-temperature warehouse, 2 is a refrigerator, and has a refrigerant circulation path including a compressor 3, a condenser 4, a flow control valve 5, and an evaporator 6. 7 is a circulation pump, 8 is a cooling pipe, 9 is a cooling water pipe provided so as to be able to exchange heat with the evaporator 6, and 10 is a plurality of ice making tanks for storing water arranged in multiple stages on the inner wall surface of the warehouse 1. , And the cooling pipe 8.

Next, the operation of the low-temperature warehouse will be described. After supplying water to each ice maker 10, the cooling water cooled to a temperature of 0 ° C. or less by the evaporator 6 by the operation of the refrigerator 2 is
When the inside of the cooling pipe 8 is flown by the circulation pump 7, the ice making
Since the cooling plate connected to the cooling pipe 8 is disposed in the space 0, the water stored therein is cooled to become ice. The flow of the cooling water at the time of ice making is controlled by detecting the temperature inside the ice by a temperature sensor inserted inside the ice of the ice making box 10. The interior space of the warehouse is kept in a high humidity state by the melting action of ice, and the interior space of the warehouse is kept in a low temperature state by the latent heat of melting ice.

[0005] Therefore, according to such a conventional low-temperature warehouse, it is necessary to produce more ice in order to maintain a relatively large space in the warehouse at a predetermined humidity and a low temperature state. There is a problem that a bulge is required, the structure becomes complicated, and the equipment cost increases. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a low-temperature warehouse having a simple structure and a low cost.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A low-temperature warehouse according to the present invention is configured such that the inside of a refrigerator is kept at low temperature and high humidity by using ice, and a cooling pipe and a cooling pipe are provided in the refrigerator. A bag-like water retention member having moisture permeability is provided in contact with a cooling plate provided in a heat conductive manner, and a cooling fluid of 0 ° C. or less is flowed into the cooling pipe to freeze water in the water retention member. It was done.

The low-temperature warehouse according to the present invention controls the ice making operation and the water supply operation by detecting the water level in the water retaining member.

Further, the low-temperature warehouse according to the present invention controls the ice making operation and the water supply operation by detecting a temperature change of a cooling pipe or a cooling fluid flowing in the cooling pipe.

Still further, the low-temperature warehouse according to the present invention is configured such that the inside of the refrigerator is kept at a low temperature and high humidity by using ice. A water retention member is provided around the periphery of the cooling pipe.
A cooling fluid having a temperature of not more than ° C. is supplied to freeze the water in the water retention member.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a low-temperature warehouse according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The same parts as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. The different parts from FIG.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a cooling plate provided along the height direction of the inner wall surface of the low-temperature warehouse, which is heat conductively attached to the cooling pipe 8. Reference numeral 21 denotes a bag-shaped moisture-permeable member having both moisture permeability and water retention such that water does not leak outside. The bag-like moisture-permeable member 21 is provided between the cooling plate 20 and the perforated plate 22 provided in parallel with the cooling plate.
0. 23 is a moisture permeable member 21
Are three water level detection sensors that are located above and are spaced apart in the height direction, for example, a float sensor. 24 and 25 are a water supply valve and a water supply pipe of a water supply device for supplying water into the moisture permeable member 21.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. 0 ° C. or less (e.g., −10 ° C.) in the evaporator 6 of the refrigerator 2
C) cooled to, for example, an antifreeze such as ethylene glycol, flows into the cooling pipe 8 from the cooling water pipe 9 by the circulation pump 7, and contacts the cooling plate 20 in heat conductive contact.
And returns to the evaporator 6 again. As a result, the water inside the moisture permeable member 21 is cooled to 0 ° C. or less and becomes ice. When the ice making progresses continuously, the volume of the water increases as the water becomes ice, so that the water inside the moisture permeable member 21 rises, and the water level detecting sensor 22 provided above the moisture permeable member 22 is provided.
However, it gradually submerges from the lower liquid level sensor. Then, when the uppermost water level detection sensor A detects that the water is submerged, a signal is output from the sensor, the circulation pump 7 and the refrigerator 2 stop operating, and the ice making operation ends.

Accordingly, the interior of the warehouse is cooled by the heat of melting of the ice formed in the moisture permeable member 22, and at the same time is maintained at an appropriate humidity by the molten water permeable to the moisture permeable member 21. And
As the ice melts, the water level in the moisture permeable member 21 decreases, and when the water level detection sensor B disposed at an intermediate position is exposed from the water surface, a signal is output from this sensor, and the circulation pump 7 and the refrigerator 2 operate. Is resumed, and the ice making operation of the water in the moisture permeable member 21 is started.

When the water inside the moisture permeable member 21 decreases due to evaporation and the water level detection sensor C disposed at the lowermost position is exposed from the water surface, the sensor C outputs a signal and opens the water supply valve 24 to open the water supply valve 24. Water is supplied from the water supply pipe 25 into the moisture permeable member 21. As described above, the interior of the refrigerator can be maintained at a desired low temperature and high humidity state by the heat of melting of ice obtained by cooling the water inside the moisture permeable member 21 and the moisture permeability of the molten water. In a large low-temperature warehouse, the cooling pipe 8, the cooling plate 20, and the moisture permeable member 22 are used.
By providing the required number of combinations with the desired low temperature,
A low humidity condition can be obtained.

Embodiment 2 FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a low-temperature warehouse showing a second embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. explain. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 30 denotes a water retention member provided around the cooling pipe 8 arranged in a meandering manner along the inner wall surface of the warehouse, for example, a high-molecular polymer used for a disposable diaper or the like is used. Is done.
31 is a cooling water outlet temperature sensor provided at the outlet of the cooling pipe 8 connected to the cooling water pipe 9, and 32 is a drain pipe provided at the bottom of the warehouse. FIG. 3 schematically shows a change in the temperature of the cooling water outlet during ice-making, and shows temperature characteristics depending on the amount of water retained in the water retaining member 30.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described. When the cooling water outlet temperature sensor 31 provided on the surface of the cooling pipe 8 detects 2 ° C., it is determined that all the ice has melted, and the ice making operation is started. Thereby, the refrigerator 2 is operated to cool the cooling water to 0 ° C. or less by the evaporator 6, and the cooled cooling water is caused to flow through the cooling pipe 8, thereby cooling the water retaining member 30 provided therearound. Then, the water previously contained in the water retaining member 30 is cooled to make ice.

The ice making operation is completed when the cooling water outlet temperature sensor 31 detects a predetermined temperature of the cooling water. FIG.
As shown in (2), when the ice making operation is continued, the heat exchange amount of the ice decreases because the heat conduction of the ice is lower than that of the water, even if the water temperature on the inlet side of the cooling water is constant. Therefore, as the ice making operation progresses, the outlet temperature of the cooling water decreases. When all of the water in the water retaining member 30 becomes ice, the heat exchange amount sharply decreases, so that the outlet temperature of the cooling water also sharply decreases. From this, the ice making operation is terminated when the cooling water outlet temperature changes more than a predetermined value (a temperature decrease amount in a predetermined time).

Further, the water supply valve 24 is opened, and the water supply from the water supply pipe 25 to the water retaining member 30 can be performed during the ice making operation continuation time. When the water retention amount is reduced due to the evaporation of water from the water retention member 30, the time until the ice making is completed is shortened, so that it can be determined by setting the ice making operation continuation time required for water supply in advance, Water supply time can also be determined. As described above, since the water retention member 30 is provided around the cooling pipe 8, a container for storing water for ice making is not required, and the ice making and water supply operation can be performed automatically. The effect of reducing costs and labor costs can be expected.

[0019]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in a low-temperature warehouse configured to cool the inside of the refrigerator by using ice and maintain high humidity, a cooling pipe and a cooling pipe are provided in the refrigerator. A moisture-permeable bag-shaped water retention member is provided so as to be in contact with the pipe and the cooling plate provided in a thermally conductive manner, and a cooling fluid of 0 ° C. or less flows through the cooling pipe to freeze the water in the water retention member. Therefore, the inside of the refrigerator can be maintained at a low temperature and high humidity with a simple configuration.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the ice making operation and the water supply operation can be automatically performed by checking the change in the water level of the water retaining member, and the effect of reducing the equipment cost and the operation cost can be obtained. is there.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the ice making operation and the water supply operation can be automatically performed by detecting the outlet temperature of the cooling water flowing through the cooling pipe. This has the effect of reducing costs and operating costs.

Further, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the inside of the refrigerator is configured to have a low temperature and a high humidity by using ice. A water retention member is provided around the periphery, and a cooling fluid of 0 ° C or less is passed through the cooling pipe to freeze the water in the water retention member, so that the warehouse can be kept at low temperature and high humidity with a simple configuration. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a low-temperature warehouse according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a low-temperature warehouse according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram of a cooling water outlet temperature during ice making according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a conventional low-temperature warehouse.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 low-temperature warehouse, 2 refrigerator, 3 compressor, 4 condenser,
5 flow control valve, 6 evaporator, 8 cooling pipe, 9 cooling water pipe, 20 cooling plate, 21 moisture permeable member, 22 porous plate,
23 water level detection sensor, 24 water supply valve, 25 water supply pipe, 30 water retention member, 31 cooling water outlet temperature sensor,
32 drainage pipe

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3L044 AA01 AA04 BA01 CA11 DC01 DD07 EA04 HA01 JA01 KA01 KA05 3L045 AA02 AA04 BA01 CA07 DA02 LA05 MA01 PA01 PA05

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerator, wherein the inside of a refrigerator is made to have a low temperature and high humidity by using ice, and a cooling pipe in the refrigerator is contacted with a cooling plate provided in heat conduction with the cooling pipe. A low-temperature warehouse, wherein a water-permeable bag-shaped water retention member is provided, and a cooling fluid of 0 ° C. or less is flowed through the cooling pipe to freeze water in the water retention member. 2. The low-temperature warehouse according to claim 1, wherein a water level in the water retaining member is detected to control an ice making operation and a water supply operation. 3. The low-temperature warehouse according to claim 1, wherein a temperature change of the cooling pipe or a cooling fluid flowing in the cooling pipe is detected to control an ice making operation and a water supply operation. 4. A cooling system in which the inside of a refrigerator is made to have a low temperature and high humidity by using ice, a cooling pipe is arranged in the refrigerator, and a water retention member is provided around the cooling pipe. A low-temperature warehouse, wherein a cooling fluid having a temperature of 0 ° C. or less is flowed in a pipe to freeze water in the water retention member.