JP2009063250A - Cooling apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a door from getting not to open when water accumulating at the base in a treatment tank by vacuum cooling is refrigerated in a subsequent cold air cooling. <P>SOLUTION: A treatment tank 3 of this cooling apparatus 1 is provided with a substantially rectangular and hollow box-shape treatment tank body 12 opened to the front side, and a door 13 for opening/closing the opening part of the treatment tank body 12. A packing 14 is provided surrounding the opening part of the treatment tank 12. The door 13 has a heater 4 along the lower side of the opening part of the treatment tank body 12. When a cooler 6 is functioned to cool a cooling object 2 to a chilled range or a refrigerated range, a heater 4 is actuated. This constitution can prevent the refrigeration of the water accumulated at the base of the treatment tank 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling device for cooling various objects to be cooled such as foods or foods after heating.

  As disclosed in the following patent documents, a cooling device that can perform vacuum cooling and cold air cooling of food in one processing tank has been proposed.

  Vacuum cooling sucks and discharges the gas in the processing tank to the outside and depressurizes the processing tank to promote moisture evaporation from the food in the processing tank and to cool the food by its vaporization latent heat. is there. Vacuum cooling can cool uniformly to the inside of the food, and the cooling rate is fast, but in order to allow cooling to the chilled region (around 3 to 0 ° C.), the gas in the processing tank is sucked and discharged to the outside. The construction of the decompression means becomes large, and the cost increases.

  On the other hand, in the cold air cooling, a cooler and a fan are provided in the treatment tank, and the food is cooled by the cold air. Although the cold air cooling can usually be cooled to a chilled region, it is difficult to cool the central portion of the food because it is cooled by applying cold air to the surface of the food, and it takes time for cooling, and temperature unevenness is likely to occur. Moreover, since cold air cooling requires time for cooling, the time during which the food is exposed to the germ growth temperature range is relatively long, leaving room for improvement in terms of hygiene.

  In the cooling device disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, either one of vacuum cooling and cold air cooling is selected and executed. Moreover, in the cooling device disclosed in Patent Document 2 below, vacuum cooling is performed after first cooling with cold air. In this case, since cool air cooling is performed in a high temperature region, it takes time for cooling and temperature unevenness tends to increase. In addition, in the configuration in which vacuum cooling is performed thereafter, the configuration of the decompression means becomes large for cooling to a low temperature.

Therefore, the applicant has previously proposed a cooling device that performs cold air cooling after vacuum cooling as a device that compensates for the disadvantages of vacuum cooling and cold air cooling, and has already filed a patent application (patent application). 2006-10880). According to this cooling device, after the food is vacuum-cooled and then cooled with cold air, it can be cooled to a low temperature in a short time and without unevenness with a simple configuration. In addition, since the time during which the food material is exposed to the bacteria propagation temperature range is small, sanitary cooling can be achieved.
JP-A-4-198681 JP 2002-318051 A

  In a cooling device that cools the food after vacuum cooling, the food is finally cooled down to a chilled region or a freezing region. For this reason, the condensed water of the steam generated by the front-stage vacuum cooling process may be frozen at the bottom of the processing tank and the door may not be opened by the subsequent-stage cool air cooling process. In order to eliminate such inconvenience, it can be considered that after the vacuum cooling step, the inside of the treatment tank is restored to atmospheric pressure and the condensed water is discharged to the outside. However, it is not easy to completely discharge the condensed water from the inside of the treatment tank, and there is a possibility that the condensed water may remain in the gap between the door of the treatment tank and the packing. Therefore, when cooling with cold air, the remaining condensed water may be frozen and the door of the treatment tank may not be opened.

  Furthermore, as long as the cold air cooling process is included regardless of the presence or absence of the vacuum cooling process, steam is generated from the food during the cold air cooling process, so that condensed water may accumulate at the bottom of the treatment tank and freeze. And there exists a possibility that the door of a processing tank may not open by freezing of condensed water.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to prevent water accumulated at the bottom of the treatment tank from freezing during cooling with cold air.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the invention according to claim 1 is a substantially rectangular hollow box-shaped processing tank body that opens to the front, and opens and closes the opening of the processing tank body. A treatment tank provided in a position surrounding the opening of the treatment tank main body, and a seal that seals a gap between the door and the door when the door is closed, and is provided in the treatment tank. And a cooling device for cooling the inside of the processing tank, and a heater provided on the processing tank main body or the door and provided along the lower side of the opening of the processing tank main body. .

  According to invention of Claim 1, a heater is provided in a processing tank main body or a door so that the opening part lower side of a processing tank main body may be followed. Therefore, even if the inside of the processing tank is cooled by the cooler, the condensed water at the bottom of the processing tank is prevented from freezing and the door of the processing tank is prevented from being opened.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the heater is provided on the door at a position facing the lower side of the substantially rectangular opening and / or the lower side of the packing having a substantially rectangular frame shape. The cooling device according to claim 1.

  According to invention of Claim 2, a heater is provided in the lower part of a door instead of a processing tank main body. Accordingly, the heater can be easily adjusted in position with the packing, so that the condensed water can be reliably prevented from freezing.

  The invention described in claim 3 is the cooling device according to claim 2, wherein the heater is built in the door.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, by incorporating the heater in the door, it becomes easy to seal the gap between the treatment tank main body and the door, and it is also possible to prevent damage to the heater.

  In the invention according to claim 4, the heater is energized when the temperature in the processing tank is lower than the set lower limit temperature, while the set time elapses from the start of energization and the temperature in the process tank exceeds the set upper limit temperature. It is controlled so that electricity supply may be interrupted | blocked, It is a cooling device of any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the heater is operated without interfering with cooling in the processing tank. Furthermore, hunting due to the presence or absence of power to the heater is prevented.

  Furthermore, the invention according to claim 5 introduces outside air into the decompressed processing tank, and decompression means for decompressing the inside of the processing tank by sucking and discharging the gas in the processing tank to the outside. A pressure-reducing unit that re-pressures the inside of the processing tank; and a fan that is provided in the processing tank and supplies cold air to an object to be cooled via the cooler, and the pressure in the processing tank is reduced by the pressure-reducing means. A vacuum cooling step including a step, a return pressure step of returning the inside of the processing tank by the return pressure means, and a cool air cooling step of causing the cooler and the fan to function, and in the return pressure step or Immediately after the pressure-reducing step, the condensed water is drained from the bottom in the treatment tank, and in the cold air cooling step, the condensed water remaining in the gap between the door and the packing is prevented from freezing by the heater. Any of claims 1 to 4 A cooling device according to item 1.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the water accumulated at the bottom in the treatment tank by the vacuum cooling process is drained from the bottom in the treatment tank during the pressure-reduction process or immediately after the pressure-reduction process. Then, energization control to the heater is performed in the subsequent cold air cooling process. This prevents condensate water from remaining in the gap between the door and packing, and even if steam generated during the cold air cooling process accumulates at the bottom of the treatment tank as condensed water, it is prevented from freezing in the cold air cooling process. Is done.

  According to the cooling device of the present invention, water accumulated at the bottom of the treatment tank is prevented from freezing during cooling with cold air. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the processing tank door from being opened.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The cooling device according to the present embodiment is a device that includes a cooler configured by an evaporator of a refrigerator or the like in a processing tank and that cools an object to be cooled that is accommodated in the processing tank. The type of the object to be cooled by this cooling device is not particularly limited, but is typically a food or food after cooking.

  Since the cooling device according to the present embodiment includes the cooler as described above, the cooling device is normally configured to be capable of performing cold air cooling of an object to be cooled. And preferably, it is comprised so that vacuum cooling and cold air cooling of a to-be-cooled object can be performed. In this case, the cool air cooling is preferably performed after the vacuum cooling, but the cooling may be performed after the cool air cooling, or only the vacuum cooling or only the cool air cooling may be performed. In other words, it is preferable that vacuum cooling and cold air cooling be freely switched so that only one of them or a combination of both can be executed.

  The cooling device includes a sealable processing tank in which an object to be cooled is accommodated, a cooler provided in the processing tank for cooling the inside of the processing tank, and a heater provided in a lower portion of the processing tank. And when comprised so that cold air cooling can be performed, it further has the fan which raise | generates a wind in a process tank and blows the cold air via a cooler to a to-be-cooled object. Further, in the case where the vacuum cooling and the cold air cooling can be performed, in addition to the fan, a decompression unit that sucks and discharges the gas in the processing tank to the outside and decompresses the inside of the processing tank, and the decompressed processing It further includes a return pressure means for introducing outside air into the tank and returning the pressure in the processing tank.

  The treatment tank is formed in a substantially rectangular hollow box shape and can accommodate an object to be cooled. Typically, it is a metal can. A processing tank is comprised from the processing tank main body in which a to-be-cooled object is accommodated, and the door which opens and closes the opening part of this processing tank main body. The processing tank body is formed in a substantially rectangular hollow box shape that opens to the front surface, and the opening of the processing tank body can be opened and closed by a substantially rectangular plate-shaped door. In the state where the door is closed, the gap between the processing tank main body and the door is sealed by the packing provided so as to surround the opening of the processing tank main body.

  The cooler is a heat exchanger that cools the inside of the treatment tank. The cooler is preferably a heat exchanger that can be cooled to a low temperature (for example, −10 ° C. or lower) that can cool an object to be cooled to a chilled region by cold air cooling. The cooler is typically composed of a refrigerator evaporator. In this embodiment, it is comprised from the evaporator which evaporates the liquefied refrigerant | coolant supplied from the condensing unit of a refrigerator, and cools the gas in a processing tank. However, a cooler is good also as a heat exchanger which uses the brine supplied from a Blinchler as a refrigerant.

  The heater is provided on the processing tank main body or the door so as to be along the lower side of the opening of the processing tank main body. When provided in the processing tank main body, the heater is disposed along the left-right direction at the front end of the bottom of the processing tank main body. On the other hand, when providing in a door, a heater is arrange | positioned along the left-right direction in the lower part of a door. At this time, the heater is preferably arranged so as to face the lower side of the opening of the processing tank body and / or the lower side of the packing. The heater is preferably incorporated in the lower part of the door.

  The decompression means is means for decompressing the inside of the processing tank by sucking and discharging the gas in the processing tank to the outside. The decompression means includes a vacuum pump or a steam ejector or a water ejector instead of or in addition to the vacuum pump. The decompression means is connected to the treatment tank via the exhaust path. By the way, it is preferable to provide a vacuum valve in the exhaust passage so that it can be opened and closed. In this case, the inside of the processing tank can be sealed by closing the vacuum valve.

  The decompression means may further include a heat exchanger in the exhaust path. This heat exchanger is provided on the upstream side of the vacuum pump when a vacuum pump is provided as the pressure reducing means, and is provided on the downstream side of the steam ejector when provided with a steam ejector as the pressure reducing means. The heat exchanger cools and condenses the steam in the exhaust passage. In order to perform this cooling and condensation action, cooling water is supplied to the heat exchanger to cool the exhaust passage. By condensing the steam in the exhaust passage in advance with a heat exchanger, the load on the subsequent vacuum pump can be reduced and the decompression capability can be increased.

  However, it is easy to configure the decompression means by simply connecting only the vacuum pump to the treatment tank via the exhaust path provided with a vacuum valve. Even without a steam ejector or water ejector, and a heat exchanger, as will be described later, a first vacuum cooling step using a vacuum pump, a second vacuum cooling step using a cooler and a fan, and a cooler and a fan Cooling to the chilled region is also possible by the cold air cooling process using.

  The return pressure means is means for introducing outside air into the treatment tank decompressed by the decompression means and restoring the pressure in the treatment tank. By introducing the outside air into the treatment tank by this pressure-reducing means, the inside of the treatment tank can be restored to atmospheric pressure. It is desirable to introduce outside air into the treatment tank through a filter in consideration of hygiene. The clean air that has passed through the filter is supplied into the treatment tank via the air supply path. By opening and closing a vacuum release valve provided in the middle of the air supply path, the presence or absence of outside air introduction into the processing tank can be switched.

  In order to achieve vacuum cooling of the object to be cooled, the gas in the processing tank may be sucked and discharged to the outside using a decompression means in a state where the processing tank is sealed. By depressurizing the inside of the treatment tank, water evaporation from the object to be cooled is promoted, and the object to be cooled can be cooled by the latent heat of vaporization (first vacuum cooling step). After reducing the pressure in the processing tank to the capacity limit of the pressure reducing means, stop the operation of the pressure reducing means and seal the inside of the processing tank, and rotate the fan while the cooler is functioning to further reduce the pressure in the processing tank. It may be shown (second vacuum cooling step). In this case, in the second half of the first vacuum cooling step, it is preferable to supply steam and / or hot water into the treatment tank and fill the treatment tank with steam. In any case, after the vacuum cooling step, the pressure inside the processing tank may be returned to atmospheric pressure using the return pressure means (return pressure step).

  On the other hand, in order to cool the object to be cooled, the fan may be rotated with the cooler functioning. Thus, the air sucked into the fan or the air discharged from the fan is blown to the object to be cooled as cold air through the cooler, so that the object to be cooled can be cooled with the cold air (cold air cooling step). By cooling with cold air after vacuum cooling, the object to be cooled can be easily cooled to a chilled region or a freezing region.

  By the way, in a vacuum cooling process, the vapor | steam produced from the to-be-cooled object condenses and accumulates in the bottom part in a processing tank. Further, as described above, when steam and / or hot water is supplied into the treatment tank in the latter half of the first vacuum cooling step, in addition to the condensed water of the object to be cooled, the condensed water of the supplied steam and / or Or warm water collects in the bottom part in a processing tank.

  Therefore, when cooling with cold air after vacuum cooling, it is preferable to drain water from the bottom in the treatment tank to the outside during the pressure-reducing step or immediately after the pressure-reducing step. Thereby, it is possible to prevent water accumulated at the bottom of the treatment tank from becoming a cold air cooling load and to prevent freezing when cooling to a chilled region or a freezing region. However, it is difficult to drain completely, and even after drainage treatment, water may remain particularly along the lower end side of the packing that seals the gap with the door. Further, in the subsequent cold air cooling step, the vapor generated from the object to be cooled may condense and accumulate at the bottom in the treatment tank.

  There is a risk that the water accumulated at the bottom of the treatment tank freezes and does not open the door in the cold air cooling step. In order to prevent this, the heater may be operated during the cold air cooling process. The heater prevents freezing of water accumulated along the lower end side of the packing that seals the gap with the door. At this time, the heater is energized when the temperature in the treatment tank falls below the set lower limit temperature, while the set time has elapsed since the start of energization, and the set tank temperature is set to a preset upper limit temperature obtained by adding a predetermined temperature to the set lower limit temperature. When it exceeds, it is controlled to cut off the energization. Thereby, the freezing of the water which accumulates in the clearance gap between a door and packing can be prevented reliably, without preventing cold air cooling of a to-be-cooled object. Moreover, hunting due to the presence or absence of energization of the heater can be prevented. However, instead of or in addition to such on / off control, the power supplied to the heater may be adjusted.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 are schematic views showing Embodiment 1 of the cooling device of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the door of the treatment tank is opened about half, and FIG. It is a front view of the use condition which shows and shows a part in cross section. FIG. 3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a mounting state of the heater of the cooling device of the present embodiment, and a part thereof is omitted.

  The cooling device 1 of the present embodiment has both functions of vacuum cooling and cold air cooling, and is operated by switching freely so that either one of vacuum cooling or cold air cooling is executed or both are It is an apparatus that is executed sequentially to cool the object 2 to be cooled.

  The cooling device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a processing tank 3 in which an object to be cooled 2 is accommodated, a heater 4 provided at a lower portion of the processing tank 3, a fan 5 that generates air in the processing tank 3, and a processing tank 3. A cooler 6 that cools the inside and cools the wind by the fan 5 in particular, a decompression means 7 that sucks and discharges the fluid in the treatment tank 3 to the outside, and a return pressure that decompresses the inside of the treatment tank 3 decompressed by the decompression means 7 Means 8, steam supply means 9 for supplying steam and / or hot water into the processing tank 3, and control means (not shown) for controlling them are provided. Further, the processing tank 3 includes a pressure sensor (not shown) for detecting the pressure in the processing tank 3, a temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature in the processing tank 3, and the temperature of the object 2 to be cooled. And a product temperature sensor (not shown).

  Although the to-be-cooled object 2 does not ask | require especially, it is the foodstuffs or foodstuffs after heat cooking typically. The object to be cooled 2 can be taken in and out of the treatment tank 3 via the carriage 10. In the present embodiment, a carriage 10 having a plurality of shelf frames at the top and bottom is used, and a container (for example, a hotel pan) 11 that accommodates an object to be cooled 2 is held on each shelf frame.

  The processing tank 3 is a metal can body formed in a substantially rectangular hollow box shape. The processing tank 3 includes a processing tank main body 12 that opens to the front surface and has a hollow portion, and a door 13 that opens and closes the opening of the processing tank main body 12.

  The processing tank body 12 is formed with a substantially rectangular hollow portion opened to the front surface, and a packing 14 is continuously provided along the outer periphery of the substantially rectangular opening portion. Specifically, the packing 14 is provided on the front surface of the flange portion 15 (FIG. 3) extending outward in a rectangular frame shape at a position close to the front opening portion of the outer peripheral surface of the processing tank body 12. Further, a heat insulating material 16 (FIG. 3) is provided on the outer surface of the processing tank main body 12 behind the brim portion 15.

  A rail 17 is provided at the upper front portion of the processing tank body 12 and extends in the left-right direction and extends to the right side of the processing tank body 12. A door 13 is suspended from the rail 17 so as to be slidable left and right along the rail 17. Specifically, rollers 18 and 18 (FIG. 2) are provided at two locations on the left and right sides of the upper portion of the substantially rectangular plate-like door 13, and the rollers 18 are held by the rail 17. Therefore, the door 13 can slide to the left and right with respect to the processing tank body 12 while the roller 18 rotates along the rail 17.

  The position where the door 13 faces the opening of the processing tank body 12 is a fully closed position, and the position where the opening of the processing tank body 12 is completely exposed is a fully open position. In the fully closed position, the door 13 is attracted and fixed to the processing tank body 12 by engaging the hooks 20 provided on the left and right sides of the processing tank body 12 with the fasteners 19 provided on the left and right sides of the door 13. Can do. Thereby, the clearance gap between the processing tank main body 12 and the door 13 is reliably sealed by the packing 14.

  A substantially rectangular plate-like heater 4 is provided at the lower part of the door 13 along the left-right direction. The length in the left-right direction of the heater 4 of this embodiment is approximately the same as the length of the door 13 in the left-right direction. In the present embodiment, the heater 4 is built in the lower portion of the door 13 with its plate surface disposed parallel to the door surface. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the heater 4 is attached to the lower part of the front surface of the back plate 21 constituting the door body, and the heat insulating material 22 is provided so as to cover the front surface of the back plate 21. Thus, it is built in the lower part of the door 13. Accordingly, the rear surface of the door 13 can be maintained as a smooth surface, and in the fully closed position of the door 13, the gap between the treatment tank main body 12 and the back plate 21 of the door 13 can be easily sealed, and the door 13 can be sealed. It is also possible to prevent the heater 4 from being damaged due to opening / closing of the heater.

  The heater 4 is provided at the lower part of the door 13 so as to face the packing 14 on the lower side of the opening of the processing tank body 12. Specifically, the heater 4 is provided so that the central portion in the vertical direction faces the packing 14 on the lower side of the opening, extends upward from the bottom plate 23 of the processing tank main body 12, and has a packing on the lower side of the opening. It extends below 14 and is provided.

  One or a plurality of fans 5 are provided on the right side wall of the processing tank 3. In this embodiment, three fans 5 are provided at regular intervals in the vertical direction. Each fan 5 is rotated by a motor 24 disposed outside the processing tank 3.

  A rectangular parallelepiped cooler 6 is provided in the processing tank 3 slightly to the right of the central portion in the left-right direction. The cooler 6 is placed on a horizontal pedestal 25 and is installed in a state of being floated from the bottom surface in the processing tank 3. The cooler 6 is composed of an evaporator of the refrigerator 26 having a known configuration. Specifically, the cooler 6 is connected to the condensing unit 28 via the refrigerant path 27. The liquefied refrigerant from the condensing unit 28 is supplied to the evaporator (cooler 6) through the liquid electromagnetic valve 29 and the expansion valve 30, and is completely evaporated by this evaporator. At this time, since the refrigerant absorbs heat from the surroundings in the evaporator, the evaporator functions as the cooler 6.

  When the fan 5 is operated in a state where the refrigerator 26 is operated, the air sucked into the fan 5 is cooled by the cooler 6, and then is passed through a gap with the treatment tank 3 before and after the cooler 6. It is supplied to the accommodation space for the cooling object 2 and sucked into the fan 5 again through the cooler 6. In this manner, a cold air circulation flow can be formed in the treatment tank 3. Moreover, although the upper part of the cooler 6 in the present embodiment is configured to provide the baffle plate 31 so that the wind of the fan 5 does not flow above the cooler 6, as shown in FIG. However, the baffle plate 31 may not be provided when the air of the fan 5 is allowed to flow from above the cooler 6.

  The processing tank 3 is connected to a decompression means 7 that sucks and discharges the fluid in the processing tank 3 to the outside. In this embodiment, the decompression means 7 is constituted by a water ring vacuum pump 32. As is well known, the water-sealed vacuum pump 32 is supplied with water called sealed water and operates. Therefore, water can be supplied to the vacuum pump 32 via the sealed water passage 33. A seal valve 34 is provided in the middle of the seal channel 33, and the seal valve 34 is opened when the vacuum pump 32 is operated.

  The vacuum pump 32 is connected to the processing tank 3 through the exhaust path 35 and the drain path 36. The exhaust path 35 and the drain path 36 are a common path 37 on the vacuum pump 32 side, and a check valve 38 is provided in the common path 37. The exhaust path 35 is connected to the right side of the processing tank 3, while the drainage path 36 is connected to the bottom of the processing tank 3. A vacuum valve 39 is provided in the middle of the exhaust path 35, and a drain valve 40 is provided in the middle of the drain path 36. Thereby, the gas in the processing tank 3 can be sucked into the vacuum pump 32 via the vacuum valve 39 and the check valve 38. Further, the water accumulated at the bottom in the treatment tank 3 can be sucked into the vacuum pump 32 via the drain valve 40 and the check valve 38. An exhaust separator 41 is connected to the exhaust port of the vacuum pump 32. As a result, the fluid from the vacuum pump 32 is separated into air and water by the exhaust separator 41 and then exhausted and drained.

  Further, the treatment tank 3 is connected to a decompression means 8 for decompressing after being decompressed by the decompression means 7. The return pressure means 8 of the present embodiment is provided with an air supply path 42 connected to the processing tank 3 so as to be able to communicate with outside air via an air filter 43. When the air supply path 42 is connected to the upper part of the processing tank 3, the air supply path 42 is connected to the fan 5 or the cooler so that air flowing into the processing tank 3 does not directly hit the object to be cooled 2 when the pressure is restored. It is preferable to connect to the processing tank 3 in the upper part on the side where 6 is installed. A vacuum release valve 44 is provided in the middle of the air supply path 42. The vacuum release valve 44 is a valve that switches whether or not the outside air is introduced into the processing tank 3. By opening the vacuum release valve 44, the inside of the processing tank 3 can be opened to atmospheric pressure.

  Steaming means 9 for supplying steam and / or hot water into the processing tank 3 is connected to the processing tank 3. Although this steam supply means 9 may be comprised from a boiler, it is easy to comprise by the hot water tank 45. FIG. Water can be supplied to the hot water tank 45 through a water supply passage 46. A water supply valve 47 is provided in the middle of the water supply path 46. This water supply valve 47 is a valve for switching the presence or absence of water supply to the hot water tank 45. A set amount of water is stored in the hot water tank 45, and the water in the hot water tank 45 is held at a set temperature (for example, 80 ° C.) by the heater 48.

  The hot water tank 45 having such a configuration is connected to the treatment tank 3 via the steam supply path 49. In the present embodiment, the steam supply path 49 is connected to the upper part of the processing tank 3. At this time, the steam and hot water from the hot water tank 45 are connected to the upper part on the side where the fan 5 and the cooler 6 are installed so that the object to be cooled 2 does not directly hit. A steam supply valve 50 is provided in the middle of the steam supply path 49. The steam supply valve 50 is a valve for switching the presence or absence of supply of steam or hot water into the treatment tank 3.

  By opening the steam supply valve 50 in a reduced pressure state in the processing tank 3, the steam in the hot water tank 45 is naturally supplied into the processing tank 3 along with the hot water due to the differential pressure. Concentration of water can be prevented by supplying warm water into the treatment tank 3 as well. The hot water supplied into the treatment tank 3 is further evaporated under reduced pressure to fill the treatment tank 3 with steam. Therefore, by operating the decompression means 7, it is possible to effectively remove air from the processing tank 3 through the exhaust path 35.

  The heater 4, the fan 5, the cooler 6, the decompression means 7, the decompression means 8, and the steam supply means 9 are controlled by a control means (not shown). This control means is a controller which controls each said structure based on the elapsed time which it grasps, the detection signal from each said sensor, etc. Specifically, the heater 4, the motor 24 of the fan 5, the condensing unit 28 and the liquid electromagnetic valve 29 of the refrigerator 26, the vacuum pump 32 and the sealing valve 34, the vacuum valve 39, the drain valve 40, the vacuum release valve 44, In addition to the heater 48, the water supply valve 47, and the steam supply valve 50 of the hot water tank 45, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a product temperature sensor, and the like are connected to a controller. And a controller performs the cooling process of the to-be-cooled object 2 in the processing tank 3 according to a predetermined | prescribed procedure (program).

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a typical example of the cooling process by the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment. Basically, after the object to be cooled 2 is vacuum-cooled, the cooling air is cooled. However, when the temperature of the object to be cooled 2 is relatively high, it is preferable to first perform the rough heat removal step S1. This rough heat removal process S1 is a process of cooling the object to be cooled 2 with cold air or air cooling.

  In order to cool air, the refrigerator 26 and the fan 5 are operated in a state where the inside of the treatment tank 3 is sealed, and cooling is performed by blowing cool air to the object 2 to be cooled. On the other hand, for air cooling, the vacuum pump 32 may be operated with the vacuum release valve 44 and the vacuum valve 39 open. Further, the fan 5 may be operated to apply wind to the object 2 to be cooled. Thereby, the to-be-cooled object 2 is cooled by discharging | emitting while introduce | transducing outside air in the processing tank 3. FIG. At the time of air cooling, the refrigerator 26 is stopped, the steam supply valve 50 is closed, and the drain valve 40 is closed or opened.

  In this way, when the temperature of the object to be cooled 2 is changed from 90 ° C. to 70 ° C., for example, the process proceeds to the next vacuum cooling step. In the present embodiment, the vacuum cooling process is executed by being divided into a first vacuum cooling process S2 and a second vacuum cooling process S3.

  In the first vacuum cooling step S2, with the processing tank 3 sealed, the vacuum valve 39 and the sealing valve 34 are opened to operate the vacuum pump 32, and the air in the processing tank 3 is sucked and discharged to the outside. The inside of the tank 3 is depressurized. Thereby, the evaporation of moisture from the object to be cooled 2 is promoted, and the object to be cooled 2 is cooled by the latent heat of vaporization.

  In the second half of the first vacuum cooling step S2, the steam supply valve 50 is temporarily opened while the decompression means 7 is in operation, and steam is supplied into the processing tank 3 with hot water. As a result, the treatment tank 3 is filled with steam, and the steam and air are replaced, so that air can be more reliably removed from the treatment tank 3. In this way, the inside of the processing tank 3 is depressurized to the capacity limit of the vacuum pump 32. By this first vacuum cooling step S2, the temperature of the object to be cooled 2 is rapidly cooled to about 40 ° C., for example.

  In the subsequent second vacuum cooling step S3, the vacuum valve 39 and the sealing valve 34 are closed and the vacuum pump 32 is stopped. And the fan 5 and the refrigerator 26 are drive | operated in the state which sealed the inside of the processing tank 3. FIG. Thereby, the vapor | steam in the processing tank 3 is condensed with the cooler 6, and the condensation of vapor | steam is promoted by stirring the gas in the processing tank 3 by the action | operation of the fan 5, and the inside of the processing tank 3 is further pressure-reduced. The to-be-cooled object 2 can be vacuum-cooled. In this way, the temperature of the object to be cooled 2 is cooled to 10 ° C., for example. When the second vacuum cooling step S3 is completed, the operation of the refrigerator 26 is stopped.

  In the vacuum cooling process, the vapor generated from the object to be cooled 2 condenses and accumulates at the bottom in the treatment tank 3. Further, in the latter half of the first vacuum cooling step S2, steam is supplied into the treatment tank 3 with hot water, so that the condensed water of steam, the condensed water of the vaporized warm water and the warm water itself are contained in the treatment tank 3. Accumulate at the bottom.

  In the subsequent pressure-reducing step S4, the vacuum release valve 44 is opened, and the pressure in the processing tank 3 is restored to atmospheric pressure. That is, in the return pressure step S4, the outside pressure is introduced into the processing tank 3 by opening the vacuum release valve 44 while the vacuum valve 39 is closed, and the return pressure in the processing tank 3 is achieved. During this pressure-reducing step S4 or immediately after the pressure-reducing step S4, the drain valve 40 is opened while the vacuum pump 32 is operated, and drainage from the bottom in the processing tank 3 is achieved.

  In the subsequent cold air cooling step S5, the refrigerator 26 and the fan 5 are operated with the inside of the treatment tank 3 sealed again. By this cold air cooling step S5, the object to be cooled 2 is cooled to the chilled region or the freezing region. In this case, as described above, even if drainage is attempted at the time of return pressure, water remaining in the vicinity between the door 13 and the packing 14 at the lower side of the opening may freeze and the door 13 may not be opened. Therefore, in the cold air cooling step S5, the heater 4 built in the door 13 is preferably operated. In the present embodiment, the heater 4 is provided so as to face the packing 14 on the lower side of the opening, and prevents freezing of residual water by heat transfer to the back plate 21 of the door 13. Thereby, when taking out the to-be-cooled object 2 from the processing tank 3 after completion | finish of the cold wind cooling process S5, it can prevent that the door 13 stops opening.

  Specifically, the heater 4 is controlled based on the temperature in the processing tank 3 detected by the temperature sensor and the elapsed time. For example, when the temperature in the processing tank falls below a set lower limit temperature (for example, 3 ° C.), the heater 4 is energized. On the other hand, a set time (for example, 10 minutes) elapses from the start of energization, When the temperature exceeds (for example, 5 ° C.), the power supply to the heater 4 is controlled to be cut off. It is preferable that the set temperature and / or set time can be changed. At that time, both the set upper limit temperature and the set lower limit temperature may be set, or the other may be automatically determined when either one (and possibly the differential) is set.

  By such control, in the cold air cooling step S5, the heater 4 is operated within a range that does not hinder the cooling of the object 2 to be cooled, and freezing of residual water can be prevented. Moreover, since it is controlled not only by the temperature in the processing tank 3 but also by the elapsed time, hunting due to the presence or absence of energization of the heater 4 can be prevented.

  By the way, the vacuum cooling process does not necessarily need to be performed separately for the first vacuum cooling process S2 and the second vacuum cooling process S3, and may be only the first vacuum cooling process S2. When not performing 2nd vacuum cooling process S3, it is not necessary to supply a vapor | steam and / or warm water into the processing tank 3 in the second half of 1st vacuum cooling process S2.

  Further, the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment is preferably configured to operate only by either vacuum cooling or cold air cooling, in addition to the configuration of cooling with cold air after vacuum cooling. Furthermore, in addition to the structure of cooling with cold air after vacuum cooling, it can also be configured to cool with vacuum after cooling of cold air. The vacuum cooling process and the cold air cooling process in these cases are the same processes as those described above. However, the vacuum cooling step refers to at least the first vacuum cooling step S2 in the first vacuum cooling step S2 and the subsequent second vacuum cooling step S3.

  Thus, the cooling apparatus 1 can change the process to perform and its order suitably. At this time, the heater 4 can be similarly operated based on the temperature in the processing tank so that water near the gap between the door 13 and the packing 14 on the lower side of the opening can be prevented.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a mounting state of the heater 4 to the treatment tank 3 in the second embodiment of the cooling device 1 of the present invention, and a part thereof is omitted. The cooling device 1 of the second embodiment is basically the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following description, differences between the two will be mainly described, and corresponding portions will be described with the same reference numerals.

  In the first embodiment, the heater 4 is provided on the door 13, but in the second embodiment, the heater 4 is provided on the treatment tank main body 12. The substantially rectangular plate-like heater 4 is arranged with its plate surface parallel to the bottom plate 23 of the processing tank body 12. Specifically, the heater 4 is attached to the lower surface of the bottom plate 23 immediately after the flange portion 15 and is provided in the processing tank main body 12. Therefore, freezing of residual water can be prevented by heat transfer to the bottom plate 23 of the treatment tank 3. Further, as described above, the heater 4 is not exposed to the outside by providing the heat insulating material 16 so as to cover the lower surface of the bottom plate 23.

  The cooling device 1 of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of each of the embodiments described above, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the number and shape of the heaters 4 can be changed as appropriate. Moreover, in each said Example, although the heater 4 was controlled based on the process tank internal temperature and elapsed time, it is not limited to this. For example, the heater 4 may be operated for a set time immediately before the end of the cold air cooling step S5. In each of the above embodiments, the heater 4 is controlled based on the temperature in the processing tank detected by the temperature sensor. However, the heater 4 may be controlled based on the pressure in the processing tank detected by the pressure sensor.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the vacuum cooling and the cold air cooling can be performed. However, the present invention only needs to be able to perform at least the cold air cooling. In that case, installation of the decompression means 7 and the decompression means 8 can be omitted in each of the embodiments.

It is a schematic perspective view which shows Example 1 of the cooling device of this invention, and has shown the state which opened the door of the processing tank about half. It is a schematic front view of the use condition which shows the specific structure of the cooling device of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the attachment state of the heater to the processing tank of the cooling device of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the typical example of the cooling process by the cooling device of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the attachment state of the heater to the processing tank in Example 2 of the cooling device of this invention, and one part is abbreviate | omitted and shown.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cooling device 2 Object to be cooled 3 Processing tank 4 Heater 5 Fan 6 Cooler 7 Depressurization means 8 Recompression means 12 Processing tank body 13 Door 14 Packing S2 First vacuum cooling process S3 Second vacuum cooling process S4 Recompression pressure process S5 Cold air Cooling process

Claims (5)

A packing box for sealing a gap with the door in a state in which the door is closed, provided with a substantially rectangular hollow box-shaped processing tank body that opens to the front surface and a door that opens and closes the opening of the processing tank body. A treatment tank provided at a position surrounding the opening of the treatment tank body;
A cooler that is provided in the treatment tank and cools the inside of the treatment tank;
A cooling device comprising: a heater provided on the processing tank main body or the door and provided along a lower side of the opening of the processing tank main body. 2. The cooling according to claim 1, wherein the heater is provided on the door at a position facing a lower side of the opening having a substantially rectangular shape and / or a lower side of the packing having a substantially rectangular frame shape. apparatus. The cooling device according to claim 2, wherein the heater is built in the door. The heater is energized when the temperature in the treatment tank falls below the set lower limit temperature, while the set time elapses from the start of energization, and the heater is controlled to be cut off when the temperature in the treatment tank exceeds the set upper limit temperature. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Vacuuming means for sucking and discharging the gas in the processing tank to the outside, and reducing the pressure in the processing tank;
A return pressure means for introducing outside air into the reduced processing tank and returning the pressure in the processing tank;
A fan provided in the treatment tank and supplying cold air to the object to be cooled through the cooler;
A vacuum cooling step including a step of reducing the pressure inside the processing tank by the pressure reducing means, a pressure reducing step for returning the pressure inside the processing tank by the pressure-reducing means, and a cold air cooling step for causing the cooler and the fan to function. And performing condensate drainage from the bottom of the treatment tank immediately after the decompression step or immediately after the decompression step, and in the cold air cooling step, the condensed water remaining in the gap between the door and the packing Freezing is prevented by the heater. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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