JP2011208870A - Microwave combined dehumidifier/drier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a microwave combined dehumidifier/drier which efficiently and inexpensively dries a dried object including sugar in a short time while properly keeping appearance and taste.SOLUTION: This microwave combined dehumidifier/drier 1 includes a dehumidifying/drying chamber 5 receiving a dried object A to be dehumidified, and executing finish drying to achieve a target moisture content G2, a moisture absorbing desiccant storage chamber 7 for storing a moisture absorbing desiccant S used in the dehumidifying/drying, an air circulation flow channel 9 communicating the dehumidifying/drying chamber 5 with the moisture absorbing desiccant storage chamber 7, an air blower 11 disposed on the way of the air circulation flow channel 9, and a microwave heating device 13 for regenerating the moisture absorbing desiccant S absorbing moisture, by the action of microwave.

Description

  The present invention relates to a dehumidifying dryer that dries the fruits and the like by adsorbing moisture contained in the fruits and the like having sugar, and in particular, dries while regenerating the moisture absorption capacity of the moisture-absorbing desiccant used for the moisture adsorption. The present invention relates to a microwave dehumidifying dryer.

When drying strawberries and mandarin oranges only with a heating dryer such as a microwave dryer, a good decrease in water content is seen until the specified water content is reached, but then the decrease in water content is slow and jammed. It becomes sticky.
This is due to the sugar contained in strawberries, tangerines and the like. In such a state, drying takes time, and the appearance quality of the material to be dried is greatly impaired.

Therefore, many vacuum freeze dryers that can maintain the appearance quality to some extent are used for the production of dried fruits and the like.
However, in order to introduce a vacuum freeze dryer, an expensive equipment cost is required, and the burden is too large to introduce in a medium / small-scale drying processing factory. In addition, the surface of the object to be dried after the drying treatment is rough, and deformation that deteriorates the appearance quality appears in the appearance shape.

On the other hand, in the field of drying and storage of pharmaceuticals, foods, etc., dehumidifying dryers that perform drying of a material to be dried by adsorbing moisture contained in the material to be dried to a moisture-absorbing desiccant are used.
And the hygroscopic desiccant will decrease its hygroscopic capacity with use, so replace the hygroscopic desiccant with a new one at the right time or restore the hygroscopic capacity by heating and drying the hygroscopic desiccant with reduced hygroscopic capacity. Regeneration processing is required.

However, since the dehumidifying dryer described above cannot be expected to rapidly reduce the amount of water as in the case of a heat dryer, it is difficult to dry an object to be dried having a large initial moisture amount only by the dehumidifying dryer.
In addition, if the dehumidifying dryer is increased in size, the moisture absorption capacity can be expected to be improved to some extent. It is difficult to respond by switching between drying and the regeneration treatment of the hygroscopic desiccant.

  The present invention was made on the basis of such points, and the object of the present invention is to maintain the taste and appearance of a material that can recognize the material to be dried, such as fruits containing a lot of sugar and moisture. An object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost combined microwave dehumidifying dryer that can be efficiently dried in a short time.

  In order to achieve the above object, a microwave combined dehumidifying dryer according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a dehumidifying and drying chamber for storing a material to be dehumidified and performing finish drying until a target moisture content is reached, and dehumidifying drying. A dehumidifying desiccant storage chamber for storing a hygroscopic desiccant for use in the air, an air circulation channel connecting the dehumidification drying chamber and the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber, and the dehumidifying drying provided in the middle of the air circulation channel. A blower for generating a conveying air for conveying the hygroscopic air generated in the chamber toward the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber, and a micro wave that regenerates the hygroscopic desiccant absorbed in the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber by applying a microwave. And a wave heating device.

  Further, the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer according to claim 2 is the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer according to claim 1, wherein the material to be dehumidified is initially dried until the dehumidifying start moisture content is reached by the microwave vacuum dryer. It is a thing to be dried.

  Further, the microwave combined dehumidification dryer according to claim 3 is the microwave combined dehumidification dryer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the microwave heating device is a moisture absorption drying carried out from a carry-out port of the moisture absorption desiccant storage chamber. It is characterized in that it is disposed in the middle of the circulation conveyance path for guiding the agent to the inlet of the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber and introducing it again into the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber.

  Further, the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer according to claim 4 is the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer according to claim 3, wherein a transport device for transporting the moisture-absorbing desiccant present at a low position to a high position is provided. It is characterized by.

  Further, the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer according to claim 5 is the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the passing portion of the microwave heating device in the circulation transport path is polytetrafluoroethylene or polypropylene. It is characterized by being configured by a tube-like or bowl-like member made of a microwave transmissive and non-heat-generating material.

  Moreover, the microwave combined dehumidification dryer according to claim 6 is the microwave combined dehumidification dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the dehumidification drying chamber has a temperature for adjusting the temperature in the dehumidification drying chamber. A control flow path is connected, and a temperature control device for returning the air taken in from the dehumidification drying chamber to an optimum temperature and returning it to the dehumidification drying chamber in the middle of the temperature control flow path, and air in the temperature control flow path And a blower for forming the flow.

  Further, the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer according to claim 7 is the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the dehumidifying drying chamber has a temperature for adjusting the temperature in the dehumidifying drying chamber. A control flow path is connected, and a temperature control apparatus for returning the air taken in from the dehumidification drying chamber to an optimum temperature and returning it to the dehumidification drying chamber in the middle of the temperature control path, and the temperature control flow path And a blower for forming a flow of air.

The following actions can be obtained by the above means. First, by performing dehydration drying until the target moisture content reaches the target moisture content by dehumidification drying using a moisture-absorbing desiccant, even to-be-dried products such as fruits that contain a lot of sugar, It is possible to efficiently dry in a short time while maintaining the taste and appearance shape capable of recognizing the material. Also, the equipment cost can be kept low.
Further, by providing a microwave heating device that regenerates the moisture-absorbing desiccant that has absorbed moisture accompanying dehumidifying drying by applying microwaves, continuous dehumidifying drying using a large amount of the moisture-absorbing desiccant becomes possible.

In addition, when the object to be dehumidified is initially dried until the dehumidification start moisture content is reached by a microwave vacuum dryer, drying from the initial moisture content of the object to be dehydrated to the dehumidification start moisture content is performed. Can be executed efficiently and in a short time.
Note that, until the material to be dried reaches the moisture content at the start of dehumidification, the quality of the material to be dried is maintained as it is because the effect on the appearance and sugar content of the material to be dried is small even if heat drying is applied.

In addition, when a circulation conveyance path is provided to communicate with the microwave heating device and the moisture absorbent desiccant storage chamber, and the microwave heating device is disposed in the middle of the circulation conveyance path, the moisture conveyance desiccant circulation conveyance path When the hygroscopic desiccant is located in the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber, the dehumidifying and drying chamber is in communication with the dehumidifying and drying chamber via the air circulation path. Is done.
On the other hand, in the state where the hygroscopic desiccant is located in the circulation conveyance path of the portion where the microwave heating device is disposed, the microwave irradiated from the microwave generator of the microwave heating device is applied to the hygroscopic desiccant. Regeneration is performed to restore the hygroscopic capacity by acting and heating the hygroscopic desiccant.

In addition, when a transport device for transporting the hygroscopic desiccant existing at a low position to the circulating transport path is provided at a high position, the circulation transport path in the vertical direction using gravity drop of the hygroscopic desiccant Layout becomes possible, and miniaturization or space saving of the microwave combined dehumidification dryer can be achieved.
Further, if gravity drop of the hygroscopic desiccant is used, the maintenance cost can be reduced by reducing the transport power means of the hygroscopic desiccant.

In addition, when the passage part of the microwave heating device in the circulation conveyance path is constituted by a tube-like or bowl-like member made of a microwave transmissive and non-heat-generating material such as polytetrafluoroethylene or polypropylene Heat generation at the passage part due to microwaves is prevented.
In addition, when a temperature control channel is connected to the dehumidifying and drying chamber and a temperature control device and a blower are provided in the middle of the temperature control channel, the hygroscopic desiccant whose temperature has been increased by the microwave heating is the hygroscopic desiccant. Even if the temperature reaches the storage chamber and the temperature in the dehumidifying and drying chamber rises through the air circulation channel, the temperature is adjusted to the optimum temperature by the temperature control device. The bad influence to the thing is prevented.

Moreover, when the said moisture absorption desiccant is comprised with a silica gel, the outstanding moisture absorption capability which a silica gel has is exhibited, and effective dehumidification drying comes to be performed.
Further, since silica gel is relatively inexpensive and is a physical desiccant, it can be regenerated by heating and is economical because it can be used repeatedly.
Furthermore, since silica gel is a physical desiccant, it is a scientifically stable substance, easy to handle, and excellent in safety.

According to the microwave combined dehumidification dryer of the present invention, fruits and tomatoes such as strawberries, mandarin oranges and persimmons, which contain a lot of sugar and moisture, are efficient in a short time while maintaining the taste and appearance shape that can recognize the material. It becomes possible to dry until the target moisture content is achieved.
In addition, the dried material after drying can be used as a raw material for confectionery and flavored tea by performing secondary processing such as pulverization, as well as water as a new sense of dried fruit or as an emergency food or marine food. It becomes possible to eat as it is without returning.
In addition, since no large-scale equipment is required, it is possible to introduce a dryer corresponding to fruits containing sugar at a low cost.

It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention and is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the drying line which uses a microwave combined dehumidification dryer. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a front view which shows a microwave combined use dehumidification dryer. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a right view which shows a microwave combined use dehumidification dryer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a rear view which shows a microwave combined use dehumidification dryer. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a top view which shows a dehumidification dryer combined with a microwave. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention and is a front view which shows a microwave heating apparatus. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a right view which shows a microwave heating apparatus, (b) is sectional drawing which shows the other example of a guide member. It is a figure which shows the drying curve by the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a graph which shows the relationship between the moisture content change of a to-be-dried object, and drying time. It is a figure which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a front view which shows a microwave combined use dehumidification dryer. It is a figure which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a right view which shows a microwave combined use dehumidification dryer. It is a figure which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a rear view which shows a microwave combined use dehumidification dryer. It is a figure which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a top view which shows a microwave combined dehumidification dryer. It is a figure which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is an enlarged view of the A section in FIG. 9 which expands and shows a part of transport apparatus.

Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described taking the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 and the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 to 13 as examples.
First, an outline of a drying line L to which the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer 1 of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, this drying line L is the structure which can apply fruits, such as a strawberry and mandarin orange, tomatoes, etc. which contain much sugar and water | moisture content as the to-be-dried material A.

First, the material A to be dried is arranged on a container B composed of a shallow bottom basket, a breathable tray, and the like, and is dried by heating in the microwave vacuum dryer 3 for about 60 to 90 minutes. .
The drying here is referred to as initial drying. As shown in FIG. 8, the moisture content G of the material to be dried A is about 9.0 (initial moisture content 90.06%) as the initial moisture content G0. It decreases almost linearly, and in the example of FIG. 8, it becomes about 1.5 after 90 minutes of drying time. The reduced moisture content G at this time is defined herein as the dehumidification start moisture content G1.

  After completion of the initial drying, the material to be dried A is taken out from the microwave vacuum dryer 3 and is put into the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer 1 of the present invention, and finish drying is performed toward the target moisture content G2. The target moisture content G2 can be arbitrarily determined according to the type of the material A to be dried and the use after drying. In the example of FIG. 8, the moisture content G is about 0 after a drying time of 210 minutes. 0.1 to 0.2, and the water content G at this time is the target water content G2.

(1) 1st Embodiment (refer FIGS. 1-8)
The microwave combined dehumidification dryer 1 of the present invention contains a dehumidified material A to be dehumidified and performs a dehumidification drying chamber 5 for performing finish drying until the target moisture content G2 is reached, and a hygroscopic desiccant used for dehumidification drying. Hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 7 for storing S, an air circulation path 9 for connecting the dehumidification drying chamber 5 and the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 7, and provided in the middle of the air circulation channel 9, the dehumidification drying chamber Microwave M is applied to a blower 11 that generates a conveying air for conveying the hygroscopic air W generated in 5 toward the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 7, and the hygroscopic desiccant S that absorbs moisture in the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 7. And a microwave heating device 13 that regenerates by acting.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the hygroscopic desiccant S carried out from the carry-out port 15 of the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 7 is guided to the inlet 17 of the hygroscopic desiccant desiccant storage chamber 7 and again into the hygroscopic desiccant desiccant storage chamber 7. A circulating conveyance path 19 is provided, and the microwave heating device 13 and a transport device for transporting the moisture-absorbing desiccant S present at a low position to a high position are provided in the middle of the circulation conveyance path 19. A bucket conveyor 21 is provided.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the dehumidifying / drying chamber 5 is connected to a temperature adjusting channel 23 for adjusting the temperature in the dehumidifying / drying chamber 5, and the temperature adjusting flow In the middle of the path 23, a temperature adjusting device 25 that returns the air H taken from the dehumidifying / drying chamber 5 to an optimum temperature and returns it to the dehumidifying / drying chamber 5, and a flow of air H is formed in the temperature adjusting flow path 23. And a blower 27 for the purpose.

The dehumidifying and drying chamber 5 is a rectangular box-shaped member having an open upper surface, and an openable door 29 is provided on the opened upper surface. In FIG. 4, a first communication chamber 31 is provided on the left side of the dehumidification drying chamber 5, and the dehumidification drying chamber 5 is generated between the dehumidification drying chamber 5 and the first communication chamber 31. A vent 33 for sending the hygroscopic air W toward the first communication chamber 31 is formed.
Furthermore, an intermediate portion of the first transfer duct 35 extending vertically in the vertical direction is connected via a relay duct 45 to the left of the first communication chamber 31 in FIG. A vent 37 for sending the hygroscopic air W toward the first transfer duct 35 is also provided between the first transfer duct 35 and the first transfer duct 35.

Further, a second transport duct 39 extending horizontally toward the front as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 is connected to the upper portion of the first transport duct 35, and the front end of the second transport duct 39 is connected to the front end of the second transport duct 39. As shown in FIG. 3, the 3rd conveyance duct 41 extended perpendicularly | vertically toward the downward direction is connected.
Further, in the middle of the second transfer duct 39, a moisture absorbent desiccant storage chamber 7 is provided as shown in FIG.

In addition, although the inflow of the hygroscopic air W and the outflow of the dry air D are allowed to the front and rear surfaces of the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 7 connected to the second transport duct 39, the passage of the hygroscopic desiccant S described later is allowed. Ventilation structures 59 and 61 for prohibiting the above are provided.
Further, a lower end of the third transfer duct 41 is connected to a fourth transfer duct 43 extending horizontally rearward as shown in FIG. 3, and the rear end of the fourth transfer duct 43 is connected to the first transfer duct 43. It is connected to the lower part of the transport duct 35.

Therefore, the first transport duct 35, the second transport duct 39, the third transport duct 41, and the fourth transport duct 43 are connected in a loop as shown in FIG.
In FIG. 4, a second communication chamber 49 is connected to the lower right side of the first transfer duct 35 via a relay duct 47, and the first transfer duct 35 and the second communication chamber 49 are connected to each other. A ventilation port 51 for sending the dry air D to the second communication chamber 49 side is also provided.

In FIG. 4, a third communication chamber 53 is provided to the right of the second communication chamber 49, and dry air D is passed between the second communication chamber 49 and the third communication chamber 53. A vent hole 55 is formed for sending to the third communication chamber 53 side.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the dehumidifying and drying chamber 5 is located above the third communication chamber 53, and the bottom surface of the dehumidifying and drying chamber 5 is formed by a mesh-like wire net 57 as an example. The dry air D supplied into the third communication chamber 53 is configured to reach the dehumidifying and drying chamber 5 through the mesh of the wire mesh 57.

  The dehumidifying and drying chamber 5, the first communication chamber 31, the relay duct 45, the first transport duct 35, the second transport duct 39, the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 7, and the third transport duct 41 are described above. The fourth transfer duct 43, the relay duct 47, the second communication chamber 49, and the third communication chamber 53 form the air circulation channel 9, and the second communication chamber 49 and the third communication chamber 53 are connected to each other. The blower 11 is provided between the chamber 53 and the chamber 53 so that air flows in a direction indicated by an arrow in FIG.

  The hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 7 has a hood 63 attached to the upper surface opened by a square box-like member as shown in the figure. In addition, ventilation structures 59 and 61 for communicating with the above-described air circulation channel 9 are provided on the front and rear surfaces of the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 7. A carry-out port 15 is formed for carrying out the moisture-absorbing desiccant S absorbed by the moisture-absorbing air W sent from the dehumidifying and drying chamber 5 downward.

In addition, as the hygroscopic desiccant S used in the present embodiment, bead-shaped silica gel widely used as a desiccant for foods and the like that dislike moisture can be applied as an example. Silica gel is a physical desiccant mainly composed of silicon dioxide, and the substance is not changed by a chemical reaction or the like, and dehumidification is performed by adsorbing water vapor into the pores of the silica gel.
Silica gel has excellent moisture absorption ability, is safe, is relatively inexpensive and can be regenerated by heating, and is also economical.

  A screw conveyor 65 extending horizontally in the left-right direction is provided below the moisture-absorbing desiccant storage chamber 7 as shown in FIG. The carry-out port 15 of the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 7 is provided at a position near the right end of the screw conveyor 65 in FIG. 2, and is conveyed by a screw 67 of the screw conveyor 65 to a lower part near the left end of the screw conveyor 65. A discharge port 69 for discharging the moisture-absorbing desiccant S to the lower side is provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, a charging chute 71 of the bucket conveyor 21 that is vertically raised as shown in FIG. 2 faces the discharge port 69, and the moisture-absorbing desiccant S that has been charged into the charging chute 71. Are accommodated in a bucket (not shown) of the bucket conveyor 21 and conveyed upward in the vertical direction.
Further, a discharge chute 73 is provided at the upper part of the bucket conveyor 21, and the moisture absorbent desiccant S conveyed to the upper part of the bucket conveyor 21 is discharged from the discharge chute 73 and passes through an elbow-shaped connecting pipe 75. Then, it is configured so as to be supplied into the downwardly inclined guide member 77 toward the downstream passing through the center of the microwave heating device 13.

Further, the lower end of the guide member 77 is connected to the hood 63 above the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 7 through an elbow-shaped connecting pipe 79. As shown in FIG. 7A, the guide member 77 is configured by a tube-shaped member made of polytetrafluoroethylene, for example. The guide member 77 transmits the microwave irradiated from the microwave heating device 13 and is microscopic. It is made of a material that is not heated when exposed to waves. The guide member 77 is not limited to the tube-shaped member made of polytetrafluoroethylene, and a material made of a microwave transmissive and non-heat generating material such as polypropylene may be used. In addition, the shape is not limited to the tube shape, and may be a bowl-shaped member as shown in FIG. In the case of the bowl-shaped member, the moisture-absorbing desiccant S can be held, and the evaporated water can be released. The material is not necessarily limited to that made of microwave transmissive and non-heat generating material.
And the said moisture absorption desiccant storage chamber 7, the screw conveyor 65, the input chute 71, the bucket conveyor 21, the discharge chute 73, the connection pipe 75, the guide member 77, the connection pipe 79, the hood 63, The circulation transport path 19 for the moisture-absorbing desiccant S is constituted by

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the microwave heating device 13 includes a housing 81 having three cylindrical body portions 80A, 80B, and 80C as an example, and the three peripheral body portions 80A, 80B, and 80C of the housing 81 are provided. As an example, three waveguide mounting seats 83 are provided by shifting the mounting angle in the circumferential direction by 120 °.
Further, the three waveguide mounting seats 83 are disposed with their mounting positions shifted in the transport direction of the moisture absorbent desiccant S as the three peripheral body portions 80A, 80B, 80C are connected in series. Has been. The three microwave generators 85 are attached to these waveguide attachment seats 83 via waveguides (not shown) (see FIG. 2).

In addition, cylindrical connection pipe portions 87A and 87C are provided at the centers of the end surfaces on the carry-in side and the carry-out side of the housing 81 as an example of a diameter smaller than that of the peripheral body portions 80A, 80B, and 80C of the housing 81. In addition, it is configured to be connected to the two connecting pipes 75 and 79 in a sealed state using an appropriate clamp 89 and a mecha ferrule 91 or the like.
Further, the temperature control flow path 23 connected to the dehumidification / drying chamber 5 is provided with a temperature adjustment device 25 for the moisture absorption air W having an increased temperature taken in from the upper portion of the dehumidification / drying chamber 5 as schematically shown in FIG. The temperature control chamber 26 is provided with a supply duct 93, the temperature control chamber 26, and a return duct 95 connecting the temperature control chamber 26 and the lower part of the dehumidifying and drying chamber 5.

Further, as the temperature adjusting device 25, a cooler can be applied as an example, and the hygroscopic air W having risen in temperature taken into the temperature adjusting chamber 26 is cooled to a predetermined temperature and returned to the dehumidifying / drying chamber 5 again.
Further, the blower 27 described above is provided in a compartment 99 formed by partitioning a back space with a partition wall 97 as an example of the dehumidifying and drying chamber 5, and moisture absorption air in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. It is arranged in the direction in which the flow of W is formed.

Next, the flow of finish drying of the material to be dried A executed by using the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer 1 configured as described above will be described. The door 29 is opened and accommodated in the dehumidifying / drying chamber 5 while the object A to be dried which has been initially dried by the microwave vacuum dryer 3 and has reached the dehumidifying start moisture content G1 is accommodated in the container B.
Then, an activation switch (not shown) is pressed to activate the microwave heating device 13, the screw conveyor 65, the bucket conveyor 21, and the blower 11 to perform dehumidification drying of the material A to be dried and regeneration processing of the moisture absorbent desiccant S. Run at the same time.

Among these, dehumidification drying of the to-be-dried object A conveys the hygroscopic air W generated in the dehumidification drying chamber 5 toward the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 7 and absorbs moisture by the hygroscopic desiccant S in the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 7. Remove moisture.
Further, the dry air D from which moisture has been removed passes through the ventilation structure 59 on the front surface of the moisture-absorbing desiccant storage chamber 7, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the third transport duct 41, the fourth transport duct 43, and the second communication It is conveyed in the order of the chamber 49 and the third communication chamber 53 and returns to the dehumidifying and drying chamber 5 again.

Thereafter, the flow of the moisture absorption air W and the drying air D described above is repeated, and the material A to be dried is dehumidified and dried for about 2 hours as shown in FIG. 8 until the target moisture content G2 is reached. The finish drying time is about 2 hours as an example, but is not limited to this, and it may be performed for an appropriate time up to about 24 hours.
Also, in the regeneration process of the moisture absorbent desiccant S that is performed simultaneously with the dehumidification drying of the material to be dried A, the moisture absorbent desiccant S present in the moisture absorbent desiccant storage chamber 7 is discharged onto the screw conveyor 65 from the carry-out port 15. Be started by.

That is, the moisture-absorbing desiccant S carried out on the screw conveyor 65 is transported toward the left in FIG. 2 by the screw 67 and is fed into the feeding chute 71 below from the discharge port 69 at the left end.
Further, the moisture-absorbing desiccant S charged into the charging chute 71 is conveyed upward by the bucket conveyor 21, and reaches the guide member 77 via the connecting pipe 75 from the upper discharge chute 73.

  The hygroscopic desiccant S supplied into the guide member 77 is heated at a set temperature of about 180 ° C. by the microwave heating device 13, and then returns to the hygroscopic desiccant desiccant storage chamber 7 through the connection pipe 79. Similarly, the moisture-absorbing desiccant S is repeatedly circulated and conveyed in the circulatory conveyance path 19 and gradually restored and regenerated so as to have the initial moisture absorption capacity while being heated by the microwave heating device 13 on the way.

For example, a strawberry having an initial mass of 608 g, an initial moisture content of 547.6 g, and an initial moisture content of 90.06% is loaded in a reduced-pressure atmosphere with a nitrogen introduction rate of 3.0 l / min and a pressure of about 3.0 KPa by microwave with an initial output of 360 W. When the initial drying is performed while the table is rotated left at 3 rpm, the target moisture content is reached by reaching the dehumidification start moisture content G1 in about 90 minutes as shown in FIG. 8, and then finishing and drying for about 2 hours. G2 dried strawberries can be obtained.
And the dried strawberry dried in this way is finished in a state where the appearance shape and taste can be recognized by the material, there is no stickiness of the appearance or rustle feeling, and the equipment cost and operation cost can be reduced and in a short time Efficient drying is realized at the same time.

(2) Second embodiment (see FIGS. 9 to 13)
The microwave combined dehumidifying dryer 1A according to the second embodiment basically has the same configuration as the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, here, the description will focus on the configuration unique to the second embodiment, which is different from the first embodiment.
Specifically, in the second embodiment, the spring feeder 101 is employed as the transport device instead of the bucket conveyor 21 employed as the transport device in the first embodiment.

Accordingly, in the second embodiment, the screw conveyor 65 provided in the first embodiment is not provided, and a charging hopper is provided below the carry-out port 15 of the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 7. 103 is directly provided.
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 13, the spring feeder 101 basically includes a transport tube 105, a helical coil 107 accommodated in the transport tube 105, and a motor 109 that rotates the helical coil 107. It is configured. The feeding hopper 103 is connected to the proximal end portion of the spring feeder 101, and the motor 109 and the discharge chute 111 are provided at the distal end portion of the spring feeder 101.

  Further, the hygroscopic desiccant S at the low position is also conveyed to the high position by the rotation of the helical coil 107 in the predetermined direction by the spring feeder 101 and reaches the guide member 77 passing through the center of the microwave heating device 13. Therefore, the same operations and effects as those of the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer 1 according to the first embodiment are also exhibited in the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer 1A according to the second embodiment.

In addition, the microwave combined dehumidification dryer 1 of this invention is not limited to the thing of said embodiment, The design change within the summary of the invention is possible. For example, the transport device is not limited to the bucket conveyor 21 and the spring feeder 101, and various types of devices such as a device that transports the moisture-absorbing desiccant S existing in a low position to a high position by using air pressure. Can be adopted.
Further, the circulation transport path 19 for the hygroscopic desiccant S may be arranged in the horizontal direction in addition to the vertical orientation employed in the above two embodiments, and the hygroscopic desiccant S is transported on a circular locus. It may be one that is reciprocally conveyed on a straight line.

Further, the layout of the air circulation path 9 is not limited to the layout of the above-described embodiment, and various changes can be made according to the installation environment of the microwave combined dehumidifying dryer 1 and the like.
In addition, the initial drying is not limited to that using a microwave vacuum dryer, and may be heat-dried using an air-permeable dryer or the like.
In addition, when the temperature rise in the dehumidifying / drying chamber 5 can be suppressed low by setting the heating temperature in the microwave heating device 13 low, the temperature control flow path 23, the temperature control device 25, and the blower 27 are omitted. Is possible.

  The microwave combined dehumidification dryer of the present invention can be used in a drying processing plant or the like that dries fruits and the like containing sugar, and particularly when it is desired to produce a dried product having a good appearance shape and taste at a low equipment cost. Have the possibility to use.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Microwave combined use dehumidification dryer 3 Microwave decompression dryer 5 Dehumidification drying chamber 7 Hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber 9 Air circulation flow path 11 Blower 13 Microwave heating device 15 Carry-out port 17 Input port 19 Circulation conveyance path 21 Bucket conveyor (transportation) apparatus)
23 Temperature control flow path 25 Temperature control device 26 Temperature control chamber 27 Blower 29 Door 31 First communication chamber 33 Vent 35 First transport duct 37 Vent 39 Second transport duct 41 Third transport duct 43 Fourth transport duct 45 Relay Duct 47 Relay duct 49 Second communication chamber 51 Ventilation port 53 Third communication chamber 55 Ventilation port 57 Wire mesh 59 Ventilation structure 61 Ventilation structure 63 Hood 65 Screw conveyor 67 Screw 69 Discharge port 71 Input chute 73 Discharge chute 75 Connection pipe 77 Guide member 79 Connection pipe 80 Peripheral body part 81 Housing 83 Waveguide mounting seat 85 Microwave generator 87 Connection pipe part 89 Clamp 91 Mekura Ferrule 93 Supply duct 95 Return duct 97 Compartment wall 99 Compartment room 101 Spring feeder (transport device)
103 Input hopper 105 Transport tube 107 Helical coil 109 Motor 111 Discharge chute L Drying line A Dry matter B Container G Moisture content G0 Initial moisture content G1 Dehumidification start moisture content G2 Target moisture content S Hygroscopic desiccant W Hygroscopic air D Dry air M Microwave H Air

Claims (7)

A dehumidifying and drying chamber for storing the material to be dehumidified and performing finish drying until the target moisture content is reached;
A hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber for storing a hygroscopic desiccant used for dehumidification drying;
An air circulation flow path connecting the dehumidifying drying chamber and the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber;
A blower that is provided in the middle of the air circulation flow path and generates a conveying air for conveying the hygroscopic air generated in the dehumidifying drying chamber toward the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber;
A microwave combined dehumidifying dryer, comprising: a microwave heating device that regenerates the moisture-absorbing desiccant that has absorbed moisture in the moisture-absorbing desiccant storage chamber.   2. The microwave combined dehumidification dryer according to claim 1, wherein the object to be dehumidified is an object to be dried initially by a microwave vacuum drier until the moisture content starts to be dehumidified.   The microwave heating device is arranged in the middle of the circulation conveyance path where the hygroscopic desiccant transported from the transport outlet of the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber is led to the inlet of the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber and is again introduced into the hygroscopic desiccant storage chamber. The microwave combined dehumidification dryer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the microwave dehumidification dryer is provided.   4. The microwave combined dehumidification dryer according to claim 3, wherein a transport device for transporting the moisture-absorbing desiccant present in the low position to the high position is provided in the circulation conveyance path.   The passage part of the microwave heating device in the circulation conveyance path is constituted by a tube-like or bowl-like member made of a microwave transmissive and non-heat-generating material such as polytetrafluoroethylene or polypropylene. The microwave combined dehumidification dryer according to claim 3 or 4. The dehumidifying / drying chamber is connected with a temperature control channel for adjusting the temperature in the dehumidifying / drying chamber, and the air taken in from the dehumidifying / drying chamber is set at an optimum temperature in the middle of the temperature control channel. A temperature control device for returning to the drying chamber;
The microwave combined dehumidification dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a blower for forming an air flow in the temperature control flow path.   The hygroscopic desiccant is silica gel, and the microwave combined dehumidification dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images