JP2018132209A - Dissolved gas-containing ice maker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase concentration of dissolved gas in dissolved gas-containing ices, in a dissolved gas-containing ice maker.SOLUTION: A dissolved gas-containing ice maker includes: a dissolved gas-containing water supply unit configured to cause a fine bubble generator to bubble predetermined gas to raw water to generate dissolved gas-containing water, and then supply dissolved gas-containing water; and an ice-making machine having a plurality of ice-making plates, and configured to freeze the dissolved gas-containing water with heat exchange between dissolved gas-containing water flowing to the outside of each ice-making plate and refrigerant flowing to the inside of each ice-making plate. The refrigerant flows into the ice-making plates in a liquid-phase state, part of the refrigerant is evaporated inside the ice-making plates, and thereby the refrigerant flows out from the ice-making plates in a gas-liquid mixed state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing dissolved gas-containing ice by freezing water in which a predetermined gas is dissolved. Specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus for producing dissolved gas-containing ice containing a predetermined gas at a high concentration.

  Conventionally, as technology for producing ice containing dissolved gas, technology for producing ice containing hydrogen, technology for producing ice containing nitrogen (for example, Patent Document 1 below), and ice containing ozone are produced. A technique (for example, Patent Document 2 below) is known. In various conventional technologies, dissolved gas-containing ice is produced by bubbling a predetermined gas to raw water to generate dissolved gas-containing water, and freezing the dissolved gas-containing water on the surface of an ice making plate. In cooling an ice making plate, a cooling mode in which a liquid phase refrigerant is supplied to a refrigerant passage formed inside the ice making plate and the refrigerant that has become a gas phase by heat exchange with the ice making plate is recovered, or a liquid phase is provided in the refrigerant passage. A cooling mode is adopted in which a liquid phase refrigerant whose temperature has been raised by heat exchange with the ice making plate is recovered. In such a cooling mode, the cooling medium is circulated in order to return the single-phase (gas phase or liquid phase) refrigerant after heat exchange with the ice making plate to the liquid refrigerant at a predetermined temperature. The mechanism can be simplified.

JP 2012-163212 A JP 2007-170714 A

  In the production of conventional dissolved gas-containing ice, although the circulation of the refrigerant can be realized with a simple configuration, the efficiency of heat exchange between the ice making plate and the refrigerant is low, so the ice making speed is slowed. It was easy to escape during the ice making process, and there was room for further improvement regarding the concentration of gas contained in the dissolved gas-containing ice.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of producing dissolved gas-containing ice containing a desired gas at a high concentration.

In order to solve the above problems, the dissolved gas-containing ice production apparatus according to the present invention is:
A predetermined gas is bubbled into raw water by a fine bubble generator to generate dissolved gas-containing water, and a dissolved gas-containing water supply unit that supplies the dissolved gas-containing water;
An ice making machine having a plurality of ice making plates and freezing the dissolved gas containing water by heat exchange between the dissolved gas containing water flowing outside the ice making plates and a refrigerant flowing inside the ice making plates; ,
A dissolved gas-containing ice production apparatus comprising:
The refrigerant flows into the ice making plate in a liquid state, and partly evaporates inside the ice making plate to flow out from the ice making plate in a gas-liquid mixed state.
It is characterized by that.

  In the dissolved gas-containing ice production device according to the present invention, since only a part of the refrigerant is configured to be vaporized by heat exchange with the ice making plate, any of the refrigerant on the path of the refrigerant inside the ice making plate can be obtained. Even in this place, the liquid phase refrigerant can be contacted and vaporization of the refrigerant occurs, so that the heat exchange between the ice making plate and the refrigerant can be performed efficiently. As a result, ice can be made at a higher speed compared to the case where all of the refrigerant is vaporized by heat exchange with the ice making plate as in the conventional case or when the refrigerant is not vaporized by heat exchange with the ice making plate. The escape of gas can be suppressed. Therefore, dissolved gas-containing ice containing a predetermined gas at a high concentration can be manufactured with high production efficiency.

The conceptual diagram which represents typically the structure of the harvest type ice making apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. Conceptual diagram schematically showing another example of the structure of the harvest type ice making device The conceptual diagram which represents typically the structure of the harvest type ice making apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG.

  The dissolved gas-containing ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention will be described. In addition, after demonstrating the conceptual structure of the dissolved gas containing ice manufacturing apparatus, a specific structure is demonstrated.

The dissolved gas-containing ice production apparatus according to the present invention is
A predetermined gas is bubbled into raw water by a fine bubble generator to generate dissolved gas-containing water, and a dissolved gas-containing water supply unit that supplies the dissolved gas-containing water;
An ice making machine having a plurality of ice making plates and freezing the dissolved gas containing water by heat exchange between the dissolved gas containing water flowing outside the ice making plates and a refrigerant flowing inside the ice making plates; ,
A dissolved gas-containing ice production apparatus comprising:
The refrigerant flows into the ice making plate in a liquid state, and partly evaporates inside the ice making plate to flow out from the ice making plate in a gas-liquid mixed state.
This is a feature (hereinafter referred to as “feature configuration A”).

  In the above, “predetermined gas” refers to a gas having a specific function, for example, hydrogen having an action of suppressing the action of active oxygen, oxygen having an action of maintaining life, ozone having an antibacterial action, and suppressing oxidation. Nitrogen having the action of

  The “fine bubble generator” is a device that generates bubbles having a sphere equivalent diameter of 100 μm or less. “Fine bubble” implies “micro bubble” which is a bubble having a sphere equivalent diameter of 1 to 100 μm and “ultra fine bubble” which is a bubble having a sphere equivalent diameter of 1 μm or less. In addition, as a method for generating a dissolved gas-containing water by dissolving a predetermined gas in water, any known technique such as a micro-nano bubble manufacturing method may be employed.

  In the above, “raw water” means a liquid mainly composed of water, and “raw water” is not limited to mere water, and a predetermined substance is dissolved or mixed in water. Implications are also implied.

  In the dissolved gas-containing ice production apparatus having the above-described characteristic configuration A, since only part of the refrigerant is configured to be vaporized by heat exchange with the ice making plate, any location on the refrigerant travel path In this case, the ice making plate and the liquid phase refrigerant can come into contact with each other, and the vaporization of the refrigerant occurs, and when the entire refrigerant evaporates due to heat exchange with the ice making plate as in the past, or when the refrigerant heats up with the ice making plate. Heat exchange between the ice making plate and the refrigerant can be performed more efficiently than in the case where vaporization is not performed in the exchange. Thereby, the time required for ice making can be shortened, and as a result, it is possible to suppress the escape of dissolved gas during the ice making process. Therefore, dissolved gas-containing ice that maintains a high concentration close to the maximum dissolved concentration can be produced with high production efficiency.

  In addition, since a bubbling method using a fine bubble generator is applied when dissolving a predetermined gas in the raw water, the fine bubbles of the predetermined gas are confined in the dissolved gas-containing ice in addition to the hydrogen gas dissolved in the raw water. You can also. Furthermore, since the time required for ice making can be shortened compared to the case where the refrigerant is circulated as in the conventional case, the amount of fine bubbles that escape during the ice making process can be suppressed, and a predetermined gas can be dissolved in a large amount even in the fine bubble state. Gas-containing ice can be produced. In particular, if the bubbling method using ultra fine bubbles is applied, ultra fine bubbles have the property that they hardly float and exist stably in water for a relatively long time. it can.

  In addition, as described above, the ice-making plate and the liquid-phase refrigerant can come into contact with each other at any location on the refrigerant travel path, and the refrigerant is vaporized. Compared with the case of making it, the uniformity of the temperature distribution in an ice-making board can also be improved. As a result, the uniformity of the ice making speed on the entire surface of the ice making plate is improved, and the uniformity of the concentration of a predetermined gas in the dissolved gas-containing ice is also improved.

  In addition, since the heat exchange between the ice making plate and the refrigerant can be performed efficiently as described above, the temperature of the refrigerant that can be adopted during ice making is set high so as to be close to the freezing point of the water containing the dissolved gas. The flow rate of the refrigerant that can be adopted when making the gas-containing water is reduced, and the energy efficiency related to the circulation of the refrigerant can be increased.

In the dissolved gas-containing ice production apparatus having the characteristic configuration A described above,
The ice making machine
A gas-liquid separation unit that guides the refrigerant in the gas-liquid mixed state flowing out of the ice making plate and separates the refrigerant into a gas phase and a liquid phase;
A gas phase refrigerant in the gas-liquid separation unit is changed to a liquid phase through a compressor and a condenser, and a liquefaction unit that returns the liquid phase refrigerant to the gas-liquid separation unit;
A refrigerant supply unit for supplying liquid-phase refrigerant in the gas-liquid separation unit to the ice making plate by a pump;
including,
A configuration (hereinafter referred to as “characteristic configuration B”) is preferable.

  If the dissolved gas-containing ice production apparatus having the above-described characteristic configuration B, even if the refrigerant that has passed through the ice making plate is in a gas-liquid mixed state, once the refrigerant is separated into a gas phase and a liquid phase, Only the gas phase refrigerant can be returned to the liquid refrigerant at the desired temperature through the compressor and condenser. Thus, the refrigerant can be circulated suitably without greatly complicating the configuration for circulating the refrigerant. Moreover, it can suppress suitably that a liquid phase refrigerant | coolant will be guided to a compressor.

In the dissolved gas-containing ice production apparatus having the above-described characteristic configurations A to B,
The ice making machine
A high-temperature refrigerant that supplies a refrigerant having a higher temperature than that supplied from the gas-liquid separation unit to the ice making plate, and causes the dissolved gas-containing ice formed by freezing the dissolved gas-containing water on the ice making plate to be separated from the ice making plate. A supply section;
The dissolved gas-containing ice separated from the ice making plate, and the reservoir that receives the dissolved water that is the dissolved gas-containing water and has not been frozen on the ice making plate or the dissolved gas-containing ice is melted,
A return section for returning the molten water in the storage section as the raw water;
including,
A configuration (hereinafter referred to as “characteristic configuration C”) is preferable.

  If it is the dissolved gas containing ice manufacturing apparatus which has said characteristic structure C, since the molten water in a storage part originates in the dissolved gas containing water which became low temperature through the ice-making board, the temperature is dissolved gas containing water. When the molten water is returned to the raw water, the temperature of the raw water also decreases. Since the dissolved amount of gas increases if the temperature of the raw water is low, the dissolved gas-containing water can be generated at a high concentration. Furthermore, since the melted water in the reservoir originates from dissolved gas-containing water, the concentration is lower than when it is supplied to the ice making plate, but the prescribed gas is dissolved or in a fine bubble state. Since it is contained, dissolved gas-containing water can be generated efficiently.

In the dissolved gas-containing ice production apparatus having the above-described characteristic configurations A to C,
In the returning part, in the process of returning the molten water as the raw water, heat exchange is performed between the molten water and the dissolved gas-containing water before being introduced into the ice making plate.
A configuration (hereinafter referred to as “characteristic configuration D”) is preferable.

  In the case of the dissolved gas-containing ice production apparatus having the above-described characteristic configuration D, the molten water returned as the raw water originates from the dissolved gas-containing water that has become low temperature through the ice making plate. The temperature required for ice making can be reduced by suppressing the temperature rise of the dissolved gas-containing water flowing to the ice making plate by heat exchange with the molten water. Can be further shortened. Thereby, the dissolved concentration of the gas contained in the dissolved gas-containing ice and the content of fine bubbles can be increased. In addition, since the melted water is at a low temperature close to the freezing point of the dissolved gas-containing water, it does not fall below the freezing point. Can be made. Also, in order to use low-temperature molten water close to the freezing point in the process of returning to raw water, the temperature of the dissolved gas-containing water that is flowed to the ice making plate is suitably adjusted without complicating the structure by newly providing a cooling device or the like. Can be adjusted.

In the dissolved gas-containing ice production apparatus having the above-described characteristic configurations A to D,
The dissolved gas-containing water supply unit generates a plurality of types of gases as the predetermined gas from one type of raw material, and also bubbles the plurality of types of gases into the individual raw water using a fine bubble generator. Generate multiple types of dissolved gas-containing water with different types of gas,
Dividing the plurality of ice making plates according to the number of types of the dissolved gas-containing water, and supplying different types of dissolved gas-containing water for each divided ice making plate,
A configuration (hereinafter referred to as “characteristic configuration E”) is preferable.

  If it is the dissolved gas containing ice manufacturing apparatus which has said characteristic structure E, using the different kind of gas produced | generated from one kind of raw material, the several types of dissolved gas containing water which dissolved different kinds of gas simultaneously Can be generated. Thus, finally, a plurality of types of dissolved gas-containing ice can be simultaneously produced.

  It should be noted that the types of dissolved gas only need to be partially different in each type of dissolved gas-containing water. For example, when the first type gas and the second type gas are generated from the raw material, "Dissolved gas-containing water" includes not only a combination of dissolved gas-containing water in which the first type of gas is dissolved and dissolved gas-containing water in which the second gas is dissolved, but also the first type of dissolved gas and the second type. It also implies the case of a combination of dissolved gas-containing water in which one of the dissolved gases is dissolved and dissolved gas-containing water in which both the first type of dissolved gas and the second type of dissolved gas are dissolved.

In the dissolved gas-containing ice production apparatus having the above-described characteristic configurations A to E,
The predetermined gas includes at least one selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and ozone.
A configuration (hereinafter referred to as “characteristic configuration F”) is preferable.

  If it is the dissolved gas containing ice manufacturing apparatus which has said characteristic structure F, a functional drink, a functional food, a functional cooler, etc. can be manufactured. Specifically, hydrogen containing ice can store hydrogen water so that hydrogen does not escape, and ice containing oxygen, ozone, or nitrogen suppresses deterioration of freshness. Fresh food can be preserved.

In the dissolved gas-containing ice production apparatus having the characteristic configuration E described above,
The raw material is water, and the plurality of types of gases are hydrogen and oxygen generated by electrolysis of water,
A configuration (hereinafter referred to as “characteristic configuration G”) is preferable.

  If it is the dissolved gas containing ice manufacturing apparatus which has said characteristic structure G, hydrogen water and oxygen water can be produced | generated simultaneously using the hydrogen and oxygen which are produced | generated simultaneously from water. Moreover, since water as raw material and water as raw water can be made common, a part of the structure for supplying them is made common, and the structure of the dissolved gas-containing ice production device is made different between raw material and raw water. It can be simplified than the case.

  Below, the specific structure of the dissolved gas containing ice manufacturing apparatus is demonstrated.

Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing the structure of a harvest type ice making device 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the harvest type ice making device 1 is based on water supplied from a water source 11 (corresponding to “raw water” in a conceptual configuration) and hydrogen supplied from a hydrogen source 12. Hydrogen water 13 in which hydrogen is dissolved (corresponding to “dissolved gas-containing water” in the conceptual configuration) is generated and supplied to the hydrogen water supply unit 20 (contains dissolved gas content in the conceptual configuration) A water supply unit ”), an ice making unit 30 for freezing the hydrogen water 13 supplied from the hydrogen water supply unit 20 (corresponding to a part of the“ ice maker ”in the conceptual configuration), an ice making unit 30 and heat A refrigerant circulation unit 50 (which corresponds to a part of an “ice maker” in a conceptual configuration) that circulates the refrigerant 51 to be replaced is provided.

  As water supplied from the water source 11, fresh water is used, and as hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen source 12, hydrogen supplied from a hydrogen cylinder is used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the hydrogen water supply unit 20 includes a pipe 21 for supplying water, a pipe 22 for supplying hydrogen, and a pump 23 (part of a “fine bubble generator” in a conceptual configuration). Equivalent), a discharger 24 (corresponding to a part of the “fine bubble generator” in the conceptual configuration), and a storage tank 25. The pipe 21 and the pipe 22 are connected on the upstream side of the pump 23 so that hydrogen can be merged with water, and water and hydrogen are mixed by suction by the pump 23 and discharged from the pump 23 by the discharger 24. Hydrogen contained in hydrogen water is made into fine bubbles to generate hydrogen water 13 in which hydrogen is dissolved. When the bubbling method of bubbling hydrogen gas into the raw water is applied in this way, the hydrogen water 13 can contain not only dissolved hydrogen but also hydrogen in a fine bubble state. The generated hydrogen water 13 is stored in the storage tank 25. The hydrogen water supply unit 20 connects the pump 26 that sends the hydrogen water stored in the storage tank 25 to the ice making unit 30, the pipe 27 that connects the storage tank 25, the pump 41, and the ice making unit 30. The pipe 28 is provided, and the supply of the hydrogen water 13 to the ice making unit 30 can be controlled by controlling the operation of the pump 41.

  Further, the hydrogen water supply unit 20 includes a pipe 29 that returns the hydrogen that has escaped from the hydrogen water 13 in the storage tank 25 to the pipe 22 in order to reuse the hydrogen water 13 for generation.

  The ice making unit 30 includes a plurality of ice making plates 31 (four solidified plates are shown in FIG. 1) suspended from a housing (not shown) and hydrogen water 13 supplied from the hydrogen water supply unit 20. And a plurality of nozzles 32 that are sprayed to the outside of each ice making plate 31. The hydrogen water 13 sprayed from the nozzle 32 flows down along the ice making plate 31. Each ice making plate 31 is manufactured by extruding an aluminum alloy having a high thermal conductivity. Inside each ice making plate 31, a plurality of refrigerant passages 33 (one in each ice making plate 31 in FIG. 1) extend vertically. Are formed). Each refrigerant passage 33 is not a simple cylindrical cavity, but is a cavity having a large number of projections and depressions protruding toward the center of the refrigerant passage 33 and extending in the vertical direction, and the refrigerant flowing through the ice making plate 31 and the refrigerant passage 33. The contact area with 51 is increased.

  The refrigerant circulation unit 50 includes a flash tank 52 (corresponding to a “gas-liquid separation unit” in a conceptual configuration) that separates and stores the refrigerant 51 into a liquid phase and a gas phase, and a liquid stored in the flash tank 52. A pump 53 (which corresponds to a “refrigerant supply unit” in a conceptual configuration) for circulating the refrigerant 51 of the phase through each ice making plate 31, and the flow of the refrigerant 51 from the flash tank 52 to each ice making plate 31 is controlled. A drive valve 54A, a drive valve 54B for controlling the flow of the refrigerant 51 from each ice making plate 31 to the flash tank 52, and various pipes 81 to 85 for connecting them are provided. The refrigerant circulation unit 50 includes a compressor 55 (corresponding to a part of the “liquefaction unit” in the conceptual configuration) that adiabatically compresses the gas-phase refrigerant 51 stored in the flash tank 52 to high temperature and pressure. , A condenser 56 for condensing the gas-phase refrigerant 51 reformed by the compressor 55 (corresponding to a part of the “liquefaction section” in the conceptual configuration), and a gas-phase refrigerant reformed by the condenser 56 When the 51 is returned to the flash tank 52, it is adiabatically expanded to change into a low-temperature and low-pressure gas-phase refrigerant 51 and a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant 51 (one of the “liquefaction section” in the conceptual configuration). And various pipes 86 to 89 for connecting them. The liquid phase refrigerant 51 stored in the flash tank 52 is supplied to each ice making plate 31 through the pipe 81, the pipe 82 and the pipe 83, and the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant passage 33 of each ice making plate 31 is passed through the pipe 84 and the pipe 85. When returning to the flash tank 52, the ice making plate 31 can be maintained at a predetermined temperature below the freezing point of the hydrogen water 13.

  The refrigerant circulation unit 50 also includes a pipe 91 and a pipe 92 for guiding the gas-phase refrigerant 51 reformed by the compressor 55 to the refrigerant passage 33 of each ice making plate 31 (“high-temperature refrigerant circulation in a conceptual configuration”). ) And a drive valve 58A (a conceptual configuration “a”) that controls the flow of the refrigerant in the gas phase from the compressor 56 to the ice making plate 31. Corresponding to a part of the “high-temperature refrigerant circulation section”) and various pipes 93, 94, 95 for guiding the gas-phase refrigerant 51 from each ice-making plate 31 to the flash tank 52 (the “high-temperature refrigerant circulation” in the conceptual configuration). And a drive valve 59 for controlling the flow of the gas-phase refrigerant from each ice-making plate 31 to the flash tank 52 (corresponding to a part of the “high-temperature refrigerant circulation part” in the conceptual configuration). And return the gas-phase refrigerant to the flash tank 52. And an expansion valve 60 (corresponding to a part of the “high-temperature refrigerant circulation section” in the conceptual configuration) that is changed into a low-temperature and low-pressure gas-phase refrigerant 51 and a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant 51. ing. The pipe 91 is connected so as to branch from the pipe 87, the pipe 92 is connected so as to merge with the pipe 84, and the pipe 93 is connected so as to branch from the pipe 83, and the refrigerant path of each ice making plate 31. The refrigerant 51 flowing to 33 can be changed by controlling the various drive valves 54A, 54B, 58A, 58B. The gas phase refrigerant 51 discharged from the compressor 56 is supplied to the ice making plate 31 through the pipe 91, the pipe 92, and the pipe 84, and the refrigerant 51 that has passed through the refrigerant passage 33 of the ice making plate 31 is supplied to the pipe 83, the pipe 93, and the pipe 94. In the case of returning to the flash tank 52 through the pipe 95, each ice making plate 31 can be raised to a predetermined temperature exceeding the freezing point of water. The refrigerant circulation unit 50 includes a thickness measuring device (not shown) that measures the thickness of hydrogen ice grown on the surface of each ice making plate 31.

  Further, the harvest type ice making device 1 is further provided below the plurality of ice making plates 31 and receives the hydrogen ice separated from the ice making plate 31 and temporarily stores it (“storage” in the conceptual configuration). Part)). The hydrogen ice stored in the storage tank 61 is moved to a storage location (not shown) at a predetermined timing.

  In the storage tank 61, not only hydrogen ice but also a liquid originating from the hydrogen water 13 (corresponding to “molten water” in a conceptual configuration) is stored. This is because a part of the hydrogen water 13 sprayed from the nozzle 32 is dripped into the storage tank 61 without being frozen even when operating in the ice making mode, or a part of the hydrogen ice is operating during the operation in the deicing mode. This is because it melts and drops into the storage tank 61, or a part of the hydrogen ice melts in the storage tank 61.

  In addition, the harvest type ice making device 1 has a water circulation unit 70 (conceptual) that returns the liquid stored in the storage tank 61 to the pipe 21 that supplies water in order to reuse the liquid as water for generating the hydrogen water 13. Specifically, a pump 71 that transfers the liquid stored in the storage tank 61, a pipe 72 that connects the pump 71 and the storage tank 61, and A pipe 73 connecting the pump 71 and the pipe 21 is provided.

  Here, the operation of the harvest type ice making device 1 will be described. The harvest type ice making device 1 lowers the ice making plate 31 to a temperature below the freezing point of the hydrogen water 13, freezes the hydrogen water 13 sprayed from the nozzles 32, and grows ice with ice, and the ice making plate 31 with the hydrogen. The temperature of the water 13 is raised to a temperature equal to or higher than the freezing point, and hydrogen ice is produced by repeating a deicing mode in which a part of the hydrogen ice is melted and the hydrogen ice is separated from the surface of the ice making plate 31. Hereinafter, the operation in the ice making mode and the operation in the deicing mode will be sequentially described. Regardless of the ice making mode and the deicing mode, the hydrogen water 13 is always generated in the hydrogen water supply unit 20 and is always sprayed through the nozzle 32 in the ice making unit 30.

(Ice making mode)
In the ice making mode of each ice making plate 31, the drive valve 54 </ b> A and the drive valve 54 </ b> B are in the open state, while the drive valve 58 </ b> A and the drive valve 58 </ b> B are in the closed state, and the liquid-phase refrigerant 51 stored in the flash tank 52. Flows into the refrigerant passage 33 of the ice making plate 31. Since the temperature of the refrigerant 51 discharged from the flash tank 52 is about −5 ° C., the ice making plate 31 is cooled to about −5 ° C. which is substantially the same temperature as the temperature of the refrigerant 51. . The refrigerant 51 is set to flow from the lower side (lower side in the direction of gravity) to the upper side (upper side in the direction of gravity) in the refrigerant passage 33, and only a part of the refrigerant 51 is vaporized in the middle of the refrigerant passage 33. Thus, the refrigerant 51 that has passed through the refrigerant passage 33 is in a gas-liquid mixed state in which the liquid phase and the gas phase are mixed. By being set in this way, the ice making plate 31 and the liquid refrigerant 51 can be in contact with each other even in the upper part of the refrigerant passage 33, and suitable heat exchange can be performed on substantially the entire wall surface of the refrigerant passage 33.

  Unlike the harvest-type ice making device 1, if the liquid refrigerant that passes through the refrigerant passage 33 is completely vaporized, heat cannot be exchanged appropriately in the upper portion of the refrigerant passage 33, so the temperature of the refrigerant 51 is reduced. It is necessary to lower the temperature to about −25 ° C., the energy efficiency for circulating the refrigerant 51 is reduced, and the uniformity of the temperature distribution in the ice making plate 31 (particularly the temperature distribution along the traveling direction of the refrigerant) is also reduced.

  The gas-liquid mixed refrigerant 51 that has passed through the refrigerant passage 33 is returned to the flash tank 52 and separated into a liquid-phase refrigerant 51 and a gas-phase refrigerant 51. The gas phase refrigerant 51 passes through the compressor 55, the condenser 56 and the expansion valve 57, is returned to the liquid phase refrigerant 51 at about −5 ° C., and is repeatedly sent toward the ice making plate 31.

  In the ice making plate 31, the hydrogen water 13 sprayed from the nozzle 32 is frozen on the surface of the ice making plate 31, and the hydrogen ice is grown until it reaches a predetermined thickness. The thickness of the hydrogen ice is appropriately monitored by a thickness measuring device, and when it is detected that the thickness measuring device has a predetermined thickness, switching from the ice making mode to the deicing mode is automatically performed. . Specifically, the drive valve 54A and the drive valve 54B are changed from the open state to the closed state, while the drive valve 58A and the drive valve 58B are changed from the closed state to the open state.

(Deicing mode)
In the deicing mode of each ice making plate 31, the drive valve 58A and the drive valve 58B are in the open state, while the drive valve 54A and the drive valve 54B are in the closed state, so that the high-temperature and high-pressure discharged from the condenser 55 is high. The gas phase refrigerant flows into the refrigerant passage 33 of the ice making plate 31. As a result, the ice making plate 31 is warmed, the hydrogen ice in the vicinity of the surface of the ice making plate 31 is melted, and the hydrogen ice falls into the storage tank 61 by its own weight. In order to melt hydrogen ice in the vicinity of the surface of each ice making plate 31, the temperature of each ice making plate 31 must be 0 ° C. or more. However, since the temperature of the ice making plate 31 in the ice making mode is about −5 ° C. The temperature may be increased by about 5 ° C., and the time from when switching to the deicing mode to when dropping the hydrogen ice is short.

  Note that, as described above, unlike the harvest type ice making device 1, the minimum temperature of the ice making plate in the ice making mode is about −25 ° C. if all the refrigerant 51 passing through the refrigerant passage 33 is vaporized. In addition, in order to drop the hydrogen ice, the temperature of the ice making plate 31 must be raised by 25 degrees, and the time from when the ice ice mode is switched to when the ice ice is dropped is significantly increased.

  Even in the deicing mode, the thickness measuring device monitors the thickness of the hydrogen ice, and when detecting that the thickness becomes “0” due to the falling of the hydrogen ice, the thickness measuring device switches from the deicing mode to the ice making mode. Switching is done automatically. Specifically, the drive valve 58A and the drive valve 58B are changed from the open state to the closed state, while the drive valve 54A and the drive valve 54B are changed from the closed state to the open state.

  In the above description, the switching between the ice making mode and the deicing mode for one ice making plate 31 has been described. However, not all ice making plates 31 are switched at the same time, but some ice making plates 31 (in this embodiment, one ice making plate is used). Only 31) is controlled to be in the deicing mode, and the ice making plate 31 that is in the deicing mode is sequentially changed. This is because the balance between the gas-phase refrigerant 51 and the liquid-phase refrigerant 51 in the flash tank 52 is preferably maintained.

  In the harvest type ice making device 1, since only a part of the refrigerant 51 is vaporized by heat exchange with the ice making plate 31, the ice making plate 31 and any part on the refrigerant passage 33 The liquid-phase refrigerant 51 can come into contact with the liquid-phase refrigerant 51 and vaporization of the liquid-phase refrigerant 51 occurs, and unlike the harvest-type ice making device 1, all of the refrigerant is vaporized by heat exchange with the ice-making plate, or the refrigerant is the ice-making plate. Heat exchange between the ice making plate 31 and the refrigerant 51 can be performed more efficiently than in the case where vaporization is not performed in the heat exchange with. Thereby, the time required for ice making can be shortened, and as a result, it is possible to suppress the escape of dissolved gas during the ice making process. Therefore, dissolved gas-containing ice that maintains a high concentration close to the maximum dissolved concentration can be produced with high production efficiency.

  In addition, since the bubbling method is applied when hydrogen is dissolved in water, fine bubbles of hydrogen gas can be confined in hydrogen ice in addition to dissolved hydrogen gas. Furthermore, since the time required for ice making can be shortened compared with the case where the refrigerant 51 is circulated in a mode different from the harvest type ice making device 1, the amount of fine bubbles of hydrogen gas that escapes during the ice making process can be suppressed, and the hydrogen gas can be reduced. Even in a fine bubble state, dissolved gas-containing ice containing a large amount can be produced.

  Further, in any part on the refrigerant passage 33, the ice making plate 31 and the liquid phase refrigerant 51 can come into contact with each other and vaporization of the refrigerant 51 occurs. Therefore, the ice making plate 31 is different from the harvest type ice making device 1. Compared with the case where the refrigerant 51 is circulated, the uniformity of the temperature distribution in the ice making plate 31 can be improved. As a result, the uniformity of the ice making speed on the entire surface of the ice making plate 31 is improved, and the uniformity of the dissolved concentration and fine bubble content in the hydrogen ice is also improved.

  In addition, as described above, the heat exchange between the ice making plate 31 and the refrigerant 51 can be performed efficiently, so that the temperature of the refrigerant 51 that can be adopted during ice making is set high so as to be close to the freezing point of hydrogen water, The flow rate of the refrigerant that can be adopted when making the dissolved gas-containing water is made small, and the energy efficiency related to the circulation of the refrigerant 51 can be increased.

  In the case of the harvest type ice making device 1, even if the refrigerant 51 that has passed through the ice making plate 31 is in a gas-liquid mixed state, the gas-liquid mixed state refrigerant is separated into a gas phase and a liquid phase, thereby Only the phase refrigerant 51 can be returned to the liquid refrigerant 51 at the desired temperature through the compressor and condenser. Accordingly, the refrigerant 51 can be suitably circulated through the ice making plate 31 without complicating the configuration for circulating the refrigerant 51. Further, the liquid phase refrigerant 51 can be suitably prevented from being guided to the compressor 55.

  Further, in the case of the harvest type ice making device 1, the liquid stored in the storage unit 61 originates from the hydrogen water that has passed through the ice making plate 31, so that the temperature is close to the freezing point of the hydrogen water. When the liquid is reused as water for generating hydrogen water, the temperature of the water when bubbling hydrogen gas is lowered. Thus, if the temperature of water when bubbling hydrogen gas is low, the dissolved amount of hydrogen increases, so that dissolved gas-containing water can be generated at a high concentration. Furthermore, since the liquid stored in the storage unit 61 originates from hydrogen water, even if the concentration is lower than when supplied to the ice making plate 31, the hydrogen gas is dissolved or in a fine bubble state. Therefore, hydrogen water can be generated efficiently.

  Further, when the liquid to be stored in the storage tank 61 is circulated, if the temperature of the hydrogen water 13 in the pipe 43 is lowered using the water, the dissolved concentration of hydrogen gas or the inclusion of fine bubbles is further increased. High rate hydrogen ice can be produced.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 2, when circulating the liquid which will be stored in the storage tank 61, the structure which reduces the temperature of the hydrogen water 13 in the piping 28 using the said liquid is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 2, the harvest type ice making device 2 is provided with a storage tank 74 for temporarily storing the liquid stored in the storage tank 61 before returning it to the pipe 21, and at least a part of the pipe 43 is provided. In this configuration, the water is stored in the storage tank 74. The liquid stored in the storage tank 74 is returned to the pipe 21 through the pipe 75 by the pump 75.

  In the case of the harvest type ice making device 2, since the liquid stored in the storage unit 61 originates from the hydrogen water 13 that has passed through the ice making plate 31, the temperature thereof is close to the freezing point of the hydrogen water 13. When heat is exchanged between the liquid and the hydrogen water 13 before being supplied to the ice making plate 31 in the process of reusing the liquid as water for generating the hydrogen water 13, the ice making plate 31 is subjected to heat exchange. The temperature of the sprayed hydrogen water 13 can be lowered, and the time required for ice making can be further shortened. Thereby, the dissolved concentration of the gas contained in the hydrogen ice and the content of fine bubbles can be increased. Further, since the liquid is at a low temperature close to the freezing point of the hydrogen water 13 but does not fall below the freezing point, the temperature of the hydrogen water 13 flowing through the ice making plate 31 is lowered in a range that does not fall below the freezing in a self-aligned manner. Therefore, the temperature of the hydrogen water 13 flowing through the ice making plate 31 can be suitably adjusted without complicating the structure by newly providing a cooling device or the like.

  In the above, the liquid transferred from the storage unit 61 is stored in the storage tank 74, and by immersing a part of the pipe 43 in the storage tank 74, heat exchange between the liquid and the hydrogen water 13 is performed. The structure which performs heat exchange with the said liquid and the hydrogen water 13 in another aspect may be sufficient.

[Embodiment 2]
The harvest type ice making device 3 according to the second embodiment can simultaneously produce hydrogen ice containing fine bubbles made of hydrogen and oxygen ice containing fine bubbles made of oxygen. Below, only a different part from said harvest type ice making apparatus 1 is demonstrated in detail. It should be noted that substantially the same configuration as the above-described hydrogen ice production apparatus 1 is denoted by the same reference numeral.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the harvest type ice making device 3 further includes an electrolytic cell 12 ′ that generates hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing water. Further, an oxygen water supply unit 20 ′ having the same configuration as that of the hydrogen water supply unit 20 is further provided. The oxygen water supply unit 20 ′ includes a pipe 21 ′ for supplying water, a pipe 22 ′ for supplying oxygen, a pump 23 ′, a discharger 24 ′, and a storage tank 25 ′. Further, similarly to the storage tank 61, a storage tank 61 'for storing oxygen ice is provided.

  The hydrogen water 13 generated by the hydrogen water supply unit 20 is dispersed on a part of the plurality of ice making plates 31 (two on the left side in FIG. 3), and the oxygen water generated by the oxygen water supply unit 20 ′ is Sprinkled on a part of the plurality of ice making plates 31 (two on the right side in FIG. 3), hydrogen ice and oxygen ice are generated simultaneously. Since the freezing point of the hydrogen water 13 and the freezing point of the oxygen water 13 ′ are substantially the same, the temperature adjustment of each ice making plate 31 is made common in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments. ing.

  The harvest type ice making device 3 can produce hydrogen ice and oxygen ice without wasting both hydrogen and oxygen generated simultaneously by electrolysis of water. Moreover, since the temperature control of each ice making plate 31 can be made common, the apparatus configuration can be simplified.

  In the above, ice containing hydrogen and oxygen separately produced by electrolysis of water was produced. However, hydrogen ice containing hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water and oxygen produced simultaneously with hydrogen were converted into ozone. It can also be set as the structure which manufactures simultaneously the ozone ice containing the ozone produced | generated by a chemical conversion process.

  In the above description, the case where hydrogen and oxygen generated by electrolysis of water are used has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to electrolysis, and may be configured to use substances generated substantially simultaneously from the same material. .

  It can be used for the production of a cryogen, a functional beverage, a functional food and the like.

1, 2, 3: Harvest type ice making device 11: Water source 12: Hydrogen source 12 ′: Electrolysis tank 13: Hydrogen water 20: Hydrogen water supply unit 20 ′: Oxygen water supply unit 23: Pump 24: Ejector 25: Reservoir 26: Pump 30: Ice making part 31: Ice making plate 32: Nozzle 33: Refrigerant passage 50: Refrigerant circulation part 51: Refrigerant 52: Flash tank 53: Pump 54A, 54B: Drive valve 55: Compressor 56: Condenser 57: Expansion Valves 58A and 58B: Drive valve 59: Expansion valves 61 and 61 ': Storage tank 71: Pump 74: Storage tank

Claims (7)

A predetermined gas is bubbled into raw water by a fine bubble generator to generate dissolved gas-containing water, and a dissolved gas-containing water supply unit that supplies the dissolved gas-containing water;
An ice making machine having a plurality of ice making plates and freezing the dissolved gas containing water by heat exchange between the dissolved gas containing water flowing outside the ice making plates and a refrigerant flowing inside the ice making plates; ,
A dissolved gas-containing ice production apparatus comprising:
The refrigerant flows into the ice making plate in a liquid state, and partly evaporates inside the ice making plate to flow out from the ice making plate in a gas-liquid mixed state.
An apparatus for producing ice containing dissolved gas. The ice making machine
A gas-liquid separation unit that guides the refrigerant in the gas-liquid mixed state flowing out of the ice making plate and separates the refrigerant into a gas phase and a liquid phase;
A gas phase refrigerant in the gas-liquid separation unit is changed to a liquid phase through a compressor and a condenser, and a liquefaction unit that returns the liquid phase refrigerant to the gas-liquid separation unit;
A refrigerant supply unit for supplying liquid-phase refrigerant in the gas-liquid separation unit to the ice making plate by a pump;
including,
The dissolved gas-containing ice manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1. The ice making machine
A high-temperature refrigerant that supplies a refrigerant having a higher temperature than that supplied from the gas-liquid separation unit to the ice making plate, and causes the dissolved gas-containing ice formed by freezing the dissolved gas-containing water on the ice making plate to be separated from the ice making plate. A supply section;
The dissolved gas-containing ice separated from the ice making plate, and the reservoir that receives the dissolved water that is the dissolved gas-containing water and has not been frozen on the ice making plate or the dissolved gas-containing ice is melted,
A return section for returning the molten water in the storage section as the raw water;
including,
The dissolved gas containing ice manufacturing apparatus of Claim 1 or 2. In the returning part, in the process of returning the molten water as the raw water, heat exchange is performed between the molten water and the dissolved gas-containing water before being released to the ice making plate.
The dissolved gas-containing ice manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3. The dissolved gas-containing water supply unit generates a plurality of types of gases as the predetermined gas from one type of raw material, and also bubbles the plurality of types of gases into the individual raw water using a fine bubble generator. Generate multiple types of dissolved gas-containing water with different types of gas,
Dividing the plurality of ice making plates according to the number of types of the dissolved gas-containing water, and supplying different types of dissolved gas-containing water for each divided ice making plate,
The dissolved gas containing ice manufacturing apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-4. The predetermined gas includes at least one selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and ozone.
The dissolved gas containing ice manufacturing apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-5. The raw material is water, and the plurality of types of gases are hydrogen and oxygen generated by electrolysis of water,
The dissolved gas-containing ice manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5.

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