JP2010091234A - Steam generator and steam cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steam generator and a steam cooker including the same, capable of improving steam generation efficiency, and preventing the burnout of a steam generation heater even when the input voltage of the steam generation heater generating steam is increased. <P>SOLUTION: The steam generator 2 includes a container 6, a heat insulating water supply section 7, a non-heat insulating lower water-holding heat diffusing section 8, and the steam generation heater 9. The water supply section 7 contacts with the water in the container 6, and absorbs the water. The lower water water-holding heat diffusing section 8 contacts with the water supply section 7, absorbs the water from the water supply section 7, and holds the water. Further since the lower water-holding heat diffusing section 8 diffuses heat, the heat of the part contacting with the steam generation heater 9 of the lower water-holding heat diffusing section 8 is diffused, and the temperature of the part excluding the part contacting with the heater rises. Accordingly, since the steam can be generated at the part contacting with the steam generation heater 9 and the part excluding the contact part, in the lower water-holding heat diffusing section 8, the steam generation efficiency can be improved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a steam generator and a steam cooker.

  Conventionally, what was disclosed by patent document 1 (Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2007-248042) is known as a steam generator.

  This steam generator includes a container for containing water, a porous body whose lower part is immersed in the water in the container, and a coiled heating element for heating the porous body.

  The porous body is made of ceramic and has a cylindrical hollow portion. The hollow portion extends from one side surface of the porous body to the front of the other side surface of the porous body.

  The coiled heating element is inserted into the hollow portion and is in contact with the inner wall of the hollow portion. Thereby, in the inner wall of the said hollow part, the water which the porous body sucked up is heated and vaporized by the coil-shaped heat generating body.

  However, in the conventional steam generator, since the porous body is made of ceramic and has a low thermal diffusivity, only the portion of the inner wall of the hollow portion that contacts the coiled heating element becomes hot.

  Therefore, steam is generated only from a portion where the coiled heating element is in contact with the inner wall of the hollow portion, and there is a problem in that steam generation efficiency is low.

In addition, in the inner wall of the hollow portion, the heat at the portion where the coiled heating element is in contact is difficult to diffuse. Therefore, when the input voltage of the coiled heating element is increased, the coiled heating element becomes excessively hot and burns out. There's a problem.
JP 2007-248042 A

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a steam generator that can increase the efficiency of steam generation and can prevent burn-out of the steam generating heater even when the input voltage of the steam generating heater that generates steam is increased. And it is providing the steam cooker provided with this.

In order to solve the above problems, the steam generator according to the present invention comprises:
A container for water,
Insulating water supply part that contacts the water in the container and absorbs the water;
In contact with the water supply unit, absorb water from the water supply unit, hold the water, and diffuse heat,
A steam generation heater is provided that is in contact with the water retention heat diffusion portion and generates steam by heating the water retention heat diffusion portion.

  According to the steam generator configured as described above, the water retaining heat diffusing unit is in contact with the water supply unit, receives water from the water supply unit, and holds the water. Further, the water held in the water retaining heat diffusing section is heated by a steam generating heater to become steam. At this time, since the water retaining heat diffusing portion is non-insulating and diffuses heat, the heat of the portion in contact with the steam generating heater diffuses in the water retaining heat diffusing portion, and the temperature of the portion other than that portion increases.

  Therefore, since steam can be generated from the portion in contact with the steam generating heater in the water retention heat diffusing portion and the portion other than this portion, the efficiency of generating steam can be increased.

  In addition, since the heat of the portion in contact with the steam generation heater diffuses in the water retention heat diffusion section, even if the input voltage of the steam generation heater is increased, the temperature of the steam generation heater does not become too high, and the steam generation heater burns out. Can be prevented.

  Moreover, since the said water supply part is heat insulation, the heat of a water retention heat diffusion part cannot escape easily to a water supply part, and a water retention heat diffusion part can be heated efficiently.

In the steam generator of one embodiment,
The water supply unit has a honeycomb structure including a plurality of capillaries whose one end is in contact with water in the container and whose other end is in contact with the water retention heat diffusion unit.

  According to the steam generator of the embodiment, the water supply unit has a honeycomb structure including a plurality of capillaries. One end of the capillary tube is in contact with the water in the container, and the other end is in contact with the water retention heat diffusion unit. Thereby, since the water in a container can always be sent to the said water retention heat | fever diffusion part by a capillarity phenomenon, it is possible to prevent the water retention heat diffusion part from running out of water.

  Further, since the honeycomb structure is less likely to be clogged than the three-dimensional network structure, the water supply capacity of the water supply unit can be maintained high over a long period of time.

In the steam generator of one embodiment,
The water retention heat diffusion part is
A first water-retaining heat diffusing unit disposed on the water supply unit side of the steam generating heater and in contact with the steam generating heater and having pores;
A second water retaining heat diffusing portion that is disposed on the opposite side of the water supply portion of the steam generating heater and is in contact with the steam generating heater and has pores larger in diameter than the pores of the first water retaining heat diffusing portion. And have.

  According to the steam generator of the above embodiment, the first water retention heat diffusion portion is disposed on the water supply portion side of the steam generation heater, and the second water retention heat diffusion portion is opposite to the water supply portion side of the steam generation heater. Therefore, it is possible to prevent water droplets from scattering from the steam generating heater and the vicinity thereof.

  Further, since the pore diameter of the second water retention heat diffusion portion is larger than the pore diameter of the first water retention heat diffusion portion, the pressure loss of the steam released from the second water retention heat diffusion portion is reduced, and the generation of steam It is possible to prevent the steam generated by the heater from returning to the water supply unit.

The steam cooker of the present invention is
A steam generator of the present invention;
A steam heating device having a steam heater for heating the steam generated by the steam generating heater of the steam generating device to generate superheated steam;
A heating chamber for heating an object to be cooked with superheated steam from the steam heating device is provided.

  According to the steam cooker having the above configuration, by providing the steam generating device, it is possible to increase the efficiency of generating steam, so that the efficiency of generating superheated steam is also increased, and the food to be cooked in the heating chamber is efficiently processed. I can cook.

  According to the steam generator of the present invention, the water retention heat diffusion part is non-adiabatic and diffuses heat, so in the water retention heat diffusion part, the heat of the part in contact with the steam generation heater is diffused, and the part other than that part is diffused. The temperature goes up.

  Therefore, since steam can be generated from the portion in contact with the steam generating heater in the water retention heat diffusing portion and the portion other than this portion, the efficiency of generating steam can be increased.

  In addition, since the heat of the portion in contact with the steam generating heater diffuses in the water retention heat diffusion section, even if the input voltage of the steam generating heater is increased, the steam generating heater does not become excessively hot and the steam generating heater is burned out. Can be prevented.

  Moreover, since the said water supply part is heat insulation, the heat of a water retention heat diffusion part cannot escape easily to a water supply part, and a water retention heat diffusion part can be heated efficiently.

  According to the steam cooker of the present invention, since the steam generation efficiency can be increased by providing the steam generation device, the generation efficiency of superheated steam is also increased, and the food to be cooked in the heating chamber can be efficiently processed. I can cook.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the steam cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a casing 1, a steam generator 2, a steam heating device 3, and a heating chamber 4.

  The lower end of the casing 1 is an open end, and water enters the casing 1 from the lower end. On the other hand, the upper end of the casing 1 is provided with a jet outlet 15 for jetting superheated steam at 300 ° C. to 400 ° C., which will be described later.

  The steam generator 2 includes a container 6 for containing water, a heat-insulating water supply part 7 in contact with the water in the container 6, and a non-insulating lower water retention heat diffusion part 8 disposed on the water supply part 7. And a steam generating heater 9 disposed on the lower water retaining heat diffusing section 8 and a non-adiabatic upper water retaining heat diffusing section 10 disposed on the steam generating heater 9. In addition, the lower water retention heat diffusion part 8 is an example of a 1st water retention heat diffusion part, and the upper water retention heat diffusion part 10 is an example of a 2nd water retention heat diffusion part.

  The water supply unit 7 is made of porous ceramic and has a honeycomb structure including a plurality of capillaries 14 as shown in FIG. Each capillary 14 is formed so as to extend in the vertical direction. One end of each capillary 14 is in contact with water in the container 6, while the other end of each capillary 14 is in contact with the lower water retention heat diffusion unit 8.

  Therefore, the water supply part 7 can suck up the water in the container 6 and supply it to the lower water retention heat diffusion part 8 by a capillary phenomenon.

  The lower water retaining heat diffusing section 8 is made of a porous metal body, for example, foam metal, and is in contact with the upper surface of the water supply section 7. Moreover, the lower water retention heat diffusion part 8 absorbs water from the water supply part 7, holds the water, and diffuses heat.

  The upper water retaining heat diffusing portion 10 is made of a porous metal body, for example, a foamed metal, like the lower water retaining heat diffusing portion 8, but has a pore diameter (capillary tube) of the lower water retaining heat diffusing portion 8. 14). Although not shown in FIG. 1, the upper water retention heat diffusion portion 10 is in contact with the lower water retention heat diffusion portion 8 at both sides of the portion in contact with the steam generating heater 9. Similarly to the lower water retention heat diffusion unit 8, the upper water retention heat diffusion unit 10 also has a function of absorbing water, a function of retaining water, and a function of diffusing heat.

  Therefore, the upper water retention heat diffusion unit 10 can receive water supplied from the water supply unit 7 via the lower water retention heat diffusion unit 8 and can retain the water.

  The steam generating heater 9 is a ceramic heater such as an alumina heater or a silicon nitride heater. As shown in FIG. 1, the steam generating heater 9 includes a heater body 9 a and a terminal 9 b, and the terminal 9 b is located outside the casing 1. The heater body 9 a is located inside the casing 1 and is in contact with both the lower water retention heat diffusion portion 8 and the upper water retention heat diffusion portion 10.

  Therefore, the steam generating heater 9 heats the lower water retention heat diffusion portion 8 and the upper water retention heat diffusion portion 10 to vaporize the water held by the lower water retention heat diffusion portion 8 and the upper water retention heat diffusion portion 10. Can do. That is, steam can be generated from the lower water retention heat diffusion unit 8 and the upper water retention heat diffusion unit 10.

  The steam heating device 3 includes a steam heater 11, a lower heat exchange plate 12 disposed at a predetermined interval below the steam heater 11, and a predetermined interval above the steam heater 11. It is comprised with the upper side heat exchange plate 13 arrange | positioned at intervals.

  The steam heater 11 is a ceramic heater, for example, an alumina heater, a silicon nitride heater, or the like, and generates a superheated steam of 300 ° C. to 400 ° C. by heating the surrounding steam. The temperature of the steam heater 11 is 900 ° C. to 1100 ° C. when superheated steam is generated. The steam heater 11 includes a heater body 11a and a terminal 11b, and the terminal 11b is located outside the casing 1.

  Both the lower heat exchange plate 12 and the upper heat exchange plate 13 are formed of a metal mesh, and are heated by radiation of the steam heater 11 to 400 ° C. to 650 ° C.

  Therefore, since the steam from the steam generator 2 is heated by the steam heater 11 after the temperature is raised by the lower heat exchange plate 12 and the upper heat exchange plate 13, steam overheating unevenness is suppressed, and 300 It is possible to reliably generate superheated steam at a temperature of from 400C to 400C.

  Further, since the lower heat exchange plate 12 and the upper heat exchange plate 13 have a predetermined gap with the steam heater 11, corrosion by the steam heater 11 can be prevented.

  If the lower heat exchange plate 12 and the upper heat exchange plate 13 are brought into contact with the steam heater 11, the steam heater 11 reaches 900 ° C. to 1100 ° C. Therefore, the lower heat exchange plate 12 and the upper heat The exchange plate 13 is corroded.

  The superheated steam at 300 ° C. to 400 ° C. generated by the steam heater 11 is blown out from the jet outlet 15 at the top of the casing 1 as shown by the thick arrow in FIG. The superheated steam blown out from the jet outlet 15 is sucked by, for example, a fan or an ejector (not shown) and supplied to the heating chamber 4 through a passage (not shown). Thereby, the to-be-cooked object 5 in the said heating chamber 4 is cooked with superheated steam.

  The steam generating heater 9 and the steam heater 11 have positive temperature-resistance characteristics. That is, the steam generating heater 9 and the steam heater 11 have a characteristic that, for example, a resistance value at 200 ° C. is higher than a resistance value at 1000 ° C., for example.

  Therefore, feedback is automatically and automatically applied to the steam generating heater 9 and the steam heating heater 11 so that they do not run away thermally.

  In the steam cooker having such a configuration, when a predetermined voltage is applied to the steam generating heater 9, portions of the lower water retention heat diffusion portion 8 and the upper water retention heat diffusion portion 10 that are in contact with the steam generation heater 9 are heated. . At this time, since the lower water retaining heat diffusing portion 8 and the upper water retaining heat diffusing portion 10 are non-adiabatic, the heat of the portion in contact with the steam generating heater 9 is diffused to other portions. That is, in the lower water retaining heat diffusing portion 8 and the upper water retaining heat diffusing portion 10, the temperature of the portion in contact with the steam generating heater 9 increases and the temperature of the portion not in contact with the steam generating heater 9 also increases.

  Accordingly, water is vaporized and steam is generated in a wide range of the lower water retaining heat diffusing section 8 and the upper water retaining heat diffusing section 10, and the steam generation efficiency can be increased.

  Further, since water is vaporized in a wide range of the lower water retaining heat diffusing portion 8 and the upper water retaining heat diffusing portion 10, it is not necessary to enlarge the water supply portion 7 or increase the porosity of the water supply portion 7. The maximum steam generation amount of the steam generator 2 can be increased.

  Therefore, an increase in the size of the steam generator 2 and a decrease in the strength of the water supply unit 7 can be avoided.

  On the other hand, when the coiled heating element is brought into contact with the porous body made of ceramic as in the steam generating apparatus of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-248042, the maximum steam generation amount is the structure of the porous body. In order to increase the maximum evaporation amount, it is necessary to enlarge the porous body or increase the porosity of the porous body.

  However, increasing the size of the porous body increases the size of the steam generator, while increasing the porosity of the porous body not only weakens the strength of the porous body, but also the generated vapor passes through the porous body. May flow backward to the water supply side.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, since the heat | fever of the part which contact | connects the steam generation heater 9 in the lower side water retention heat diffusion part 8 and the upper side water retention heat diffusion part 10 diffuses, even if the input voltage of the steam generation heater 9 is increased, steam generation occurs. The heater 9 is unlikely to reach an abnormally high temperature, and the steam generating heater 9 can be prevented from being burned out.

  Moreover, since the water supply part 7 is heat insulating, the loss of heat conduction to the water supply part 7 side can be reduced, and the lower water retention heat diffusion part 8 and the upper water retention heat diffusion part 10 can be efficiently heated. Can do.

  Moreover, since the main part of the steam generator 2 and the steam heating device 3 is accommodated in the casing 1 and the distance between the steam generator 2 and the steam heating device 3 is shortened, the steam cooker can be reduced in size. Can be

  Moreover, since the water supply unit 7 can always send the water in the container 6 to the lower water retention heat diffusion unit 8 and the upper water retention heat diffusion unit 10 due to a capillary phenomenon, the lower water retention heat diffusion unit 8 and the upper water retention heat diffusion unit. Ten water outages can be prevented.

  Further, since the water supply section 7 has a honeycomb structure including a plurality of capillaries 14, clogging is less likely to occur and the water supply capacity can be maintained high over a long period of time compared to a water supply section having a three-dimensional network structure.

  Moreover, since the clogging of the water supply unit 7 is unlikely to occur, the maintenance interval of the water supply unit 7 can be increased to reduce the running cost.

  Further, since the lower water retaining heat diffusing portion 8 and the upper water retaining heat diffusing portion 10 are arranged so as to sandwich the steam generating heater 9 in the vertical direction, water droplets are scattered from the steam generating heater 9 and the vicinity thereof. Can be prevented.

  Further, since the pore diameter of the upper water retention heat diffusion portion 10 is larger than the pore diameter of the lower water retention heat diffusion portion 8, steam generated by the heat of the steam generation heater 9 cannot pass through the upper water retention heat diffusion portion 10. It is possible to avoid a situation where the water flows backward to the water supply unit 7 side.

  If the steam cannot pass through the upper water retaining heat diffusing section 10, the water in the capillary tube 14 is pushed down by the steam pressure, causing water breakage in the lower water retaining heat diffusing section 8 and the upper water retaining heat diffusing section 10, and turn into.

  Furthermore, the steam heating device 3 of the steam cooker can efficiently generate superheated steam since the steam is efficiently supplied from the steam generating device 2.

  Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time required for cooking the cooking object 5 in the heating chamber 4 or reduce the electric power required for the cooking.

  In the above embodiment, the ceramic water supply unit 7 is installed under the lower water retention heat diffusion unit 8. However, instead of the water supply unit 7, for example, a resin water supply unit may be installed. Further, in place of the water supply unit 7, a water supply unit having a three-dimensional network structure may be installed under the lower water retention heat diffusion unit 8.

  In short, as long as it is made of a heat insulating material and can absorb the water in the container 6 and send it to the lower water retaining heat diffusing unit 8, it may be used as the water supply unit 7 of one embodiment of the present invention.

  Further, the positions and shapes of the water supply unit, the water retention heat diffusion unit, and the steam generation heater of the steam generation device of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the steam generating apparatus of the present invention may include a heat insulating water supply unit 107, a non-insulating water retaining heat diffusing unit 108, and a steam generating heater 109 as shown in FIG.

  The water supply unit 107 has a honeycomb structure of the water supply unit 7 or a three-dimensional network structure, and comes into contact with water in a container (not shown) to absorb the water.

  The water retention heat diffusion unit 108 is in contact with the water supply unit 107 on both sides of the steam generation heater 109 so as to absorb water from the water supply unit 107 and hold the water. In addition, the water retention heat diffusion unit 108 can also diffuse heat similarly to the lower water retention heat diffusion unit 8 and the upper water retention heat diffusion unit 10.

  The steam generating heater 109 can be in contact with the water retention heat diffusion unit 108 and heat the water retention heat diffusion unit 108.

  Even a steam generator including such a water supply unit 107, a water retention heat diffusion unit 108, and a steam generation heater 109 has the same effects as the steam generation device 2 of the above embodiment.

  In addition, the pore diameter of the water retention heat diffusion unit 108 is set to the same size as the upper water retention heat diffusion unit 10 from the viewpoint of allowing steam to pass through the water retention heat diffusion unit 108.

  In the above embodiment, the upper water retention heat diffusion unit 10 is disposed on the upper side of the steam generation heater 9 and the lower water retention heat diffusion unit 8 is disposed on the lower side of the steam generation heater 9. The lower water retaining heat diffusing portion 8 may be disposed below the steam generating heater 9 without arranging the upper water retaining heat diffusing portion 10 on the upper side.

  In the above-described embodiment, the steam heater 3, the lower heat exchange plate 12, and the upper heat exchange plate 13 constitute the steam heating device 3. For example, a substantially cylindrical hood and most of the hood are included in the hood. The steam heating device 3 may be configured by the steam heater 11 inserted, or the steam heating device 3 may be configured by only the steam heater 11.

  In the above embodiment, the steam generating heater 9 and the steam heater 11 may have the same dimensions, the same shape, and the same physical characteristics, or different in at least one of the dimensions, shapes, and physical characteristics. It may be.

  In the said embodiment, although the ceramic heater was used as the steam generation heater 9 and the steam heater 11, not only a ceramic heater but a metal heater may be used, for example.

  In the above embodiment, the water in the container 6 may be supplied by a pump, or the container 6 may be detachable from the steam cooker, and the user may put water into the container 6. .

  The configuration of the steam heating device and the heating chamber of the steam cooker according to the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 8-49854 and 2006-38313. It may be.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a steam cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the water supply unit and the lower water retention heat diffusion unit. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a modified example of the steam generator.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Steam generator 3 Steam heating device 4 Heating chamber 5 To-be-cooked object 7,107 Water supply part 8 Lower water retention heat diffusion part 9,109 Steam generation heater 10 Upper water retention heat diffusion part 11 Steam heater 14 Capillary tube 108 Water retention heat diffusion part

Claims (4)

A container for water,
Insulating water supply part that contacts the water in the container and absorbs the water;
In contact with the water supply unit, absorb water from the water supply unit, hold the water, and diffuse heat,
A steam generation apparatus comprising: a steam generation heater that is in contact with the water retention heat diffusion unit and that generates steam by heating the water retention heat diffusion unit. The steam generator according to claim 1,
The water supply unit has a honeycomb structure including a plurality of capillaries whose one end is in contact with water in the container and whose other end is in contact with the water retention heat diffusion unit. The steam generator according to claim 1 or 2,
The water retention heat diffusion part is
A first water-retaining heat diffusing unit disposed on the water supply unit side of the steam generating heater and in contact with the steam generating heater and having pores;
A second water retaining heat diffusing portion that is disposed on the opposite side of the water supply portion of the steam generating heater and is in contact with the steam generating heater and has pores larger in diameter than the pores of the first water retaining heat diffusing portion. A steam generator characterized by comprising: The steam generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A steam heating device having a steam heater for heating the steam generated by the steam generating heater of the steam generating device to generate superheated steam;
A steam cooker comprising a heating chamber for heating an object to be cooked with superheated steam from the steam heating device.

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