JP2002372354A - Cooling system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooling system capable of rapidly cooling a commodity and saving on power consumption and costs by simple and inexpensive equipment. SOLUTION: A cycle of a refrigerant supplied from a refrigerating unit 1 comprises an ice storage tank 2 for storing cold by producing ice through heat exchange between the refrigerant and cold water, and a cold water showcase 3 for cooling the commodity through heat exchange between the cold water and the refrigerant. The refrigerant supplied from the refrigerating unit 1 can be supplied to the cold water showcase 3 through the tank 2. The ice storage tank 2 is constituted of a water tank section 20 capable of storing the cold water therein and a coil section 21 permitting the refrigerant to circulate. The cold water showcase 3 comprises a case section 30 capable of housing water and the commodity therein, and a coil section 31 disposed around the circumference of the case section 30 and permitting the refrigerant to circulate.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooling system for cooling articles housed in a showcase or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a food department such as a supermarket or a department store, a showcase connected to a cooling system may be filled with cold water, and food may be displayed in the cold water. Such a cooling system for a showcase normally cools with a refrigerant supplied from a refrigerator. In addition, during the night when the cooling load is reduced and the power rate is reduced, the refrigerator can store the cold in the ice heat storage tank while cooling the showcase with the extra power of the refrigerator, and during the daytime when the cooling rate increases and the power rate increases. Further, a cooling system has been developed in which the cooling energy stored in an ice heat storage tank is used to improve the cooling efficiency of the entire system.

[0003]

In the case where an article to be cooled is heated by the heat applied in the manufacturing process or sterilization, such as a processed food immediately after the manufacturing, a showcase filled with cold water is used. It is necessary to cool it rapidly when arranging it. For example, in the case of tofu, 50-6
In some cases, it is heated to 0 ° C., and it is desirable to cool it down to about 5 to 6 ° C., but this requires about 1 to 2 hours. In order to cope with this, if the cooling capacity of the cooling system by the refrigerant is improved to achieve rapid cooling, the cost required for the equipment increases and the power consumption also increases.

[0004] The present invention has been proposed to solve the problems of the prior art as described above.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling system that can rapidly cool an article with simple and inexpensive equipment and can save power consumption and cost.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a cooling system according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises a cooling medium circulating means constituting a cooling cycle using a cooling medium, a cooling liquid and the cooling medium. A heat storage tank configured to exchange heat with a cooling medium circulating through a circulating unit, a cooling medium circulating through the cooling medium circulating unit, and a cooling liquid supplied from the heat storage tank are configured to exchange heat. And a cooling liquid tank. According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the heat storage tank, the cold storage is performed by exchanging heat between the cooling medium circulating through the cooling medium circulating means and the cooling liquid. By supplying both the cooling medium circulating through the cooling medium circulating means and the cooling liquid stored in the heat storage tank to the cooling liquid tank, the articles contained in the cooling liquid tank can be rapidly cooled. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the cooling system according to the first aspect, a cooling medium supply path for supplying a cooling medium circulating through the cooling medium circulating means to the cooling liquid tank via the heat storage tank is provided. It is characterized by having. According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the cooling medium can be cooled in the heat storage tank before being supplied to the cooling liquid tank, the cooling capacity in the cooling liquid tank is improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the cooling system according to the first or second aspect, the supply of the cooling medium circulating through the cooling medium circulating means is performed by one of the heat storage tank and the cooling liquid tank. Alternatively, a switching means for switching between the two is provided. According to the third aspect of the present invention, during a time period when the power rate is low, the cold storage is performed by supplying the cooling medium only to the heat storage tank. At this time, if cooling in the cooling liquid tank is also necessary, the cooling liquid is supplied from the heat storage tank to the cooling liquid tank. When performing a normal cooling operation, the inside of the cooling liquid tank is cooled by supplying a cooling medium to the cooling liquid tank. At this time, by supplying the cooling medium via the heat storage tank, the cooling capacity can be increased. Further, when performing the rapid cooling operation, the cooling medium is supplied to the cooling liquid tank, and the cooling liquid is supplied from the heat storage tank to the cooling liquid tank. Thus, efficient operation can be performed according to the time zone and season of the day, the required cooling rate, and the like.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the cooling system according to any one of the first to third aspects, a cooling liquid circulating means for circulating a cooling liquid in the cooling liquid tank is provided. . According to the fourth aspect of the present invention,
By circulating the cooling liquid in the cooling liquid tank, the articles contained therein can be cooled uniformly and efficiently.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the cooling system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the cooling liquid tank includes a case portion capable of storing a cooling liquid and an article therein;
And a coil portion disposed around the case portion and capable of circulating the cooling medium. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the article accommodated in the case section can be cooled by the cooling liquid in the case section and the cooling medium circulating in the coil section, so that the article can be rapidly cooled. Become. In addition, since the coil section is arranged around the case section, it is possible to secure a large amount of articles, and it does not hinder the article storage or aesthetic appearance, so the case section can be used as a showcase for displaying articles. Are suitable.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [1. Configuration] FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing a configuration of a cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1
Is a refrigerator, 2 is an ice storage tank, and 3 is a cold water showcase. The refrigerator 1 includes a condenser 10, a liquid receiver 11, an accumulator 12, and a compressor 13, and these constituent devices are sequentially connected via a pipe through which a refrigerant circulates. The ice heat storage tank 2 is configured such that a coil section 21 through which a refrigerant circulates is disposed in a water tank section 20 that can store and circulate cold water. The cold water showcase 3 corresponds to the cooling liquid tank described in the claims, and is provided with a case 30 that can store and circulate cold water and a coil 31 that can circulate a refrigerant around the case 30. .

The refrigerant outflow side of the refrigerator 1 is branched and connected to the refrigerant inflow side of the coil portion 21 in the ice heat storage tank 2 and the refrigerant inflow side of the coil portion 31 in the cold water showcase 3 via piping. Have been. In the refrigerant path between the refrigerant outflow side in the refrigerator 1 and the refrigerant inflow side in the coil part 21, the path of the switching valve 40 and the path in which the solenoid valve 50 and the expansion valve 60 are connected in series are arranged in parallel. It is configured. Refrigerant 1 and refrigerant outflow side in coil section 21
In the refrigerant path between the refrigerant valve and the refrigerant inflow side, a switching valve 41 is provided.
Is provided.

A switching valve 42, a solenoid valve 51, and an expansion valve 61 are provided in the refrigerant path between the refrigerant outflow side of the refrigerator 1 and the refrigerant inflow side of the coil section 31. Further, the refrigerant path on the refrigerant outflow side in the coil part 21 and the refrigerant path on the refrigerant outflow side in the coil part 31 are connected to the refrigerant inflow side of the accumulator 12 in the refrigerator 1. The refrigerant outlet side of the coil section 21 in the ice heat storage tank 2 and the refrigerant inlet side of the coil section 31 in the cold water showcase 3 are connected via a refrigerant path having a check valve 70.

A switching valve 43 and a circulating pump 80 are provided in the cold water path between the cold water outflow side in the water tank section 20 of the ice heat storage tank 2 and the cold water inflow side in the case section 30 of the cold water showcase 3. I have. A circulating pump 81 is provided in a chilled water path between the chilled water outflow side in the case section 30 and the chilled water inflow side in the water tank section 20. Further, the cold water path connected to the bottom of the case section 30 is connected to the switching valve 44.
Is connected to a chilled water path between the switching valve 43 and the circulation pump 80.

[2. Operation] The operation of the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6, the thick line indicates the flow path of the refrigerant, and the dotted line indicates the flow path of the cold water. 2-1. Cold storage operation: FIG. 2 First, a cold storage operation using a time zone in which the electricity rate is low will be described. That is, the solenoid valve 50, the expansion valve 60, and the switching valve 4
The refrigerator 1 is operated by opening only 1. In the refrigerator 1, the refrigerant is compressed by the compressor 13 so as to have a high temperature and a high pressure. When the refrigerant enters the condenser 10, the heat is taken away by the surrounding air sent by the blower and becomes a liquid, and becomes a liquid.
Flows into. Then, the pressure of the refrigerant drops through the expansion valve 60, enters the coil unit 21, takes heat from the cold water in the water tank unit 20, turns into steam, and is sucked into the compressor 13 via the accumulator 12, and thereafter Repeats the same cooling cycle. Ice is formed around the coil portion 21 by such a cooling cycle using the refrigerant, and cold storage is performed using cheap electric power. The amount of ice generated by cold storage is not limited to a specific amount.
Is desirably 50 to 60% of the capacity of the above.

2-2. Cool Storage / Cooling Combination Operation FIG. 3 Next, the case where there is an article to be kept cool in the cold water showcase 3 and the cooling inside the cold water showcase 3 is performed simultaneously with the cold storage operation will be described. That is, while performing the cold storage operation as described above, the switching valve 43 is opened and the circulating pumps 80 and 81 are operated, so that the cold water in the water tank unit 20 cooled by the refrigerant in the ice heat storage tank 2 is cooled. It is supplied and circulated in the case part 30 of the case 3. Thereby, the articles stored in the case 30 are cooled to a desired temperature.

2-3. Refrigerant Cooling Utilizing Cool Storage Operation FIG. 4 An operation in the case where the articles stored in the chilled water showcase 3 are cooled by the refrigerant and supplemented with the stored cold heat will be described. That is, the switching valve 40 and the check valve 7
0, only the solenoid valve 51, the expansion valve 61, and the switching valve 44 are opened, and the refrigerator 1 and the circulation pump 80 are operated. Then, the refrigerant from the refrigerator 1 is first supplied to the coil unit 21 in the ice heat storage tank 2 and is cooled by the stored ice. The thus cooled refrigerant is decompressed through the expansion valve 61 and circulates through the coil 31 around the case 30 of the cold water showcase 3 to take heat from the cold water in the case 30. Therefore, the articles stored in the case 30 are cooled to a desired temperature.

As described above, since the refrigerant is cooled beforehand through the coil portion 21 of the ice heat storage tank 2 and then supplied to the coil portion 31 of the cold water showcase 3, the ability of the refrigerant to evaporate is improved. Cooling capacity increases. For example, when chlorofluorocarbon is used as the refrigerant, the evaporating capacity is 30% when the chlorofluorocarbon at 10 ° C. is depressurized at the expansion valve 61 than when the chlorofluorocarbon at 40 ° C. is depressurized at the expansion valve 61.
~ 40% improvement. The cold water in the case 30 is circulated from the bottom to the top by the circulation pump 80. This applies to the following refrigerant cooling operation and rapid cooling operation.

2-4. Refrigerant Cooling Operation FIG. 5 An operation in the case where the articles stored in the chilled water showcase 3 are cooled by the refrigerant when the stored ice runs out will be described. That is, only the switching valve 42, the solenoid valve 51, the expansion valve 61, and the switching valve 44 are opened, and the refrigerator 1 and the circulation pump 80 are operated. As a result, the refrigerant supplied from the refrigerator 1 circulates around the coil 31 around the case 30, and takes heat from the cold water in the case 30. Therefore, the articles stored in the case 30 are cooled to a desired temperature.

2-5. Rapid Cooling Operation: FIG. 6 Further, an operation when it is desired to rapidly cool a high-temperature article will be described. That is, only the switching valve 40, the check valve 70, the electromagnetic valve 51, the expansion valve 61, and the switching valve 43 are opened, and the refrigerator 1 and the circulation pumps 80 and 81 are operated. Then, the articles stored in the case portion 30 are cooled by the refrigerant from the refrigerator 1 in the same manner as in the above-described cold storage utilizing refrigerant cooling operation. At the same time, the cold water stored in the water tank section 20 of the ice heat storage tank 2 is supplied into the case section 30 of the cold water showcase 3 and circulates, whereby the articles stored in the case section 30 are cooled. . As described above, since cooling with both the refrigerant and the cold water is performed at the same time, the cooling capacity is improved, and even a high-temperature article can be quickly cooled. For example, when chlorofluorocarbon is used as the refrigerant, the cooling capacity is improved by a factor of 2 to 2.5 as compared with a case where the cold water from the ice heat storage tank 2 is not used.

[3. Effect] According to the present embodiment as described above, when it is desired to rapidly cool the articles in the chilled water showcase 3, in addition to cooling by the refrigerant supplied from the refrigerator 1, the structure is relatively simple. Since cooling by cold water supplied from the ice heat storage tank 2 can be used in combination, rapid cooling can be realized with simple and inexpensive equipment, which leads to power consumption and cost saving.

The refrigerant from the refrigerator 1 is supplied to the ice heat storage tank 2.
After being cooled, the water is supplied to the cold water showcase 3, so that more efficient cooling becomes possible. In addition, by switching various valves, it is possible to select and execute the above-described cold storage operation, cold storage / cooling combined operation, cold storage utilizing refrigerant cooling operation, refrigerant cooling operation, and rapid cooling operation. Depending on the required cooling rate, etc.
Appropriate, efficient and cost-saving operation can be realized.

Further, since the chilled water in the case 30 of the chilled water showcase 3 is circulated from the bottom to the top by the circulating pump 80, there is no temperature difference between the upper and lower parts of the case 30, and a large number of articles can be stored. Even if housed, it is cooled uniformly. In addition, since the coil portion 31 in the cold water showcase 3 is disposed around the case portion 30, a large amount of articles can be secured, and it does not hinder the accommodation of the articles or the appearance. Therefore, the structure is suitable for use as the cold water showcase 3 for displaying articles.

[4. Other Embodiments] The cooling system of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the size, application, shape, number,
The arrangement, or each mounting position and method can be appropriately changed. For example, the structure of the cold water showcase is not limited to the structure in which the coil portion is provided on the outer periphery of the case portion. For example, if the coil portion is disposed inside the case portion and the cold water is directly cooled by the coolant, the cooling capacity is further increased, and rapid cooling becomes possible.

The article to be cooled is free.
It is not limited to a specific one. For example, it is suitable for rapid cooling of hot products such as tofu, but it is also used for cooling all food products such as dairy products, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, fruits and vegetables, meat, seafood, livestock products, etc. It can be used not only for foods but also for manufacturing processes and cooling for storage of chemicals and industrial products. There is no limitation on whether the object to be cooled is covered with a container or a package, whether or not a plurality of objects are collectively handled by an instrument or the like. Therefore, the cooling time, cooling temperature, and the like in each step are appropriately changed depending on the type and capacity of the article to be cooled, and are not limited to specific numerical values.

In the above embodiment, an air-cooled refrigerator is used as a device for cooling a cooling medium. However, this may be a water-cooled refrigerator, and may be other than a general refrigerant such as ammonia or chlorofluorocarbon. It is also possible to apply a system using a refrigerant. In particular, the use of a refrigerant other than a general refrigerant can further improve safety. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which cooling is performed by supplying a cooling medium other than a so-called refrigerant to the heat storage tank and the cooling liquid tank. For example, a configuration in which brine cooled by a refrigerator is supplied to a coil of an ice heat storage tank or a coil of a cold water showcase may be employed.

In the above embodiment, water is used as the cooling liquid. However, any liquid that can store cold, such as a mixture of water and other substances, a liquid other than water, or the like, may be used. There may be. In addition, a device for cooling a cooling medium, a heat storage tank,
The number of cooling liquid tanks is not limited to the number shown in the above-described embodiment, and it is free to use any one device or a plurality of devices. Any type and number of pumps and valves can be applied as long as they satisfy the above functions. It is also possible to provide a control device for automatically controlling each part such as a pump and a valve, or to perform control by this control device based on a value of a sensor for detecting a temperature of each part.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooling system in which articles can be rapidly cooled by simple and inexpensive equipment, and power consumption and cost can be saved. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing a configuration of a cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing a state of a cold storage operation in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a system diagram showing a state of combined cold storage and cooling operation in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a system diagram showing a state of a cold storage utilizing refrigerant cooling operation in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a system diagram showing a state of a refrigerant cooling operation in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a system diagram showing a state of a rapid cooling operation in the embodiment of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Refrigerator 2 ... Ice heat storage tank 3 ... Cold water showcase 10 ... Condenser 11 ... Liquid receiver 12 ... Accumulator 13 ... Compressor 20 ... Water tank part 21, 31 ... Coil part 30 ... Case part 40-44 ... Switching valve 50, 51: solenoid valve 60, 61: expansion valve 70: check valve 80, 81: circulation pump

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A cooling medium circulating means constituting a cooling cycle using a cooling medium; a heat storage tank configured to exchange heat between a cooling liquid and a cooling medium circulating in the cooling medium circulating means; A cooling system comprising: a cooling medium that circulates the cooling water; and a cooling liquid tank configured to exchange heat with a cooling liquid supplied from the heat storage tank. 2. The cooling system according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling medium supply path for supplying a cooling medium circulating through the cooling medium circulating means to the cooling liquid tank via the heat storage tank. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising switching means for switching the supply of the cooling medium circulating through the cooling medium circulating means to one or both of the heat storage tank and the cooling liquid tank. 3. The cooling system according to 2. 4. The cooling system according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling liquid circulating means for circulating a cooling liquid in the cooling liquid tank. 5. The cooling liquid tank includes: a case portion capable of storing a cooling liquid and an article therein; and a coil portion disposed around the case portion and capable of circulating the cooling medium. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein the cooling system comprises: