JP2020128830A - Flake ice manufacturing device and method of manufacturing spiral refrigerant channel - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a flake ice manufacturing device and a flake ice manufacturing method, which can be easily manufactured, and are downsized.SOLUTION: A flake ice manufacturing device 101 includes: a spiral refrigerant channel 121 made of a tubular member 180; a wiper 140 that moves along a surface of the refrigerant channel 121 without contacting with the surface of the refrigerant channel 121; a nozzle 130 that injects a brine toward the surface of the refrigerant channel 121 cooled by a refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant channel 121; and a peeling portion (for example, a scraper 141) that is disposed on the wiper 140, and in which the brine injected from the nozzle 130 toward the surface of the refrigerant channel 121 peels ice freezed and generated on the surface of the refrigerant channel 121 to manufacture flake ice. The brine injected from the nozzle 130 toward the surface of the refrigerant channel 121 peels the ice freezed and generated on the surface of the refrigerant channel 121, thereby manufacturing flake ice.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a flake ice manufacturing device and a method for manufacturing a spiral refrigerant flow path.

Flake ice, which is obtained by processing ice into flakes, is used to maintain the freshness of foods and to cool the regenerator. Therefore, various apparatuses for producing flake ice have been proposed.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a vertical inner cylinder and an outer cylinder that are coaxially arranged, a shaft that is arranged around the central axis of the inner cylinder and that rotates, and a shaft that is attached to the shaft with a gap in the axial direction. A sherbet ice making device including a plurality of plate-shaped scrapers is described. In this sherbet ice making device, a raw water flow path is provided between the inner cylinder and the shaft. In this sherbet ice making device, a refrigerant flow path is provided between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder.

In this sherbet ice making device, the raw water supplied to the raw water channel is cooled by the refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant channel to generate ice on the inner surface of the inner cylinder. In this sherbet ice making device, the scraper rotates as the shaft rotates. This sherbet ice manufacturing device manufactures flake ice by scraping the ice generated on the inner surface of the inner cylinder with a rotating scraper.

Registered utility model No. 3208296 gazette

The sherbet ice production device disclosed in Patent Document 1 can produce uniform flake ice because the clearance between the inner cylinder and the plate-shaped scraper is constant. For that purpose, the inner cylinder must be formed in a perfect circle. However, it is difficult to manufacture a perfect circular inner cylinder. Further, since the inner cylinder has an internal space enough to rotate the plate-shaped scraper, the sherbet ice manufacturing apparatus becomes large in size.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a flake ice making device having a structure that can be downsized and can be easily manufactured.

The flake ice making device according to the present invention,
A refrigerant flow path including a spiral refrigerant flow path made of a tubular member,
A wiper that moves along the surface of the coolant channel without touching the surface of the coolant channel,
A nozzle that injects brine toward the surface of the coolant channel cooled by the coolant circulating through the coolant channel,
A peeling unit disposed on the wiper, and a brine sprayed from the nozzle toward the surface of the refrigerant flow channel to peel off ice generated by freezing on the surface of the refrigerant flow channel to produce flake ice,
Equipped with.

In one aspect of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention,
A spiral refrigerant flow path made of a tubular member,
A metal plate provided on the surface of the refrigerant channel,
A wiper that moves along the surface of the metal plate without touching the surface of the metal plate,
A nozzle that injects a brine toward the surface of the metal plate that is cooled by a refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant channel,
A peeling unit disposed on the wiper, and a brine sprayed from the nozzle toward the surface of the metal plate freezes on the surface of the metal plate to peel off the generated ice to produce flake ice,
Can also be provided.

One aspect of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is
In the refrigerant channel, the surfaces of the tubular members adjacent to each other are fixed so as to come into contact with each other.

In one aspect of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the cross-sectional shape of the tubular member is substantially rectangular, racetrack-shaped, or elliptical.

In one aspect of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the peeling section may be an air spray.

In one aspect of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the peeling unit may be a scraper fixed to a rotating shaft and rotating.

The refrigerant flow path of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention may be made of copper or a copper alloy.

A method for manufacturing a spiral refrigerant flow path of a flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention includes a tubular member preparing step of preparing a linear tubular member,
A step of fixing one end portion and spirally winding the tubular member around the one end portion.

The method for manufacturing the spiral refrigerant flow path of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention may further include a tubular member bending step of bending both ends of the tubular member.

In the method for manufacturing a spiral refrigerant flow path of a flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the tubular member has a circular cross-sectional shape, and in the swirling step, the tubular member has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, a racetrack shape, or Transform it into an elliptical shape.

The method for manufacturing the spiral refrigerant flow path of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention further comprises a tubular member fixing step of fixing adjacent portions of the spirally wound tubular member.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can manufacture easily and can provide the miniaturized flake ice manufacturing apparatus and the manufacturing method of a spiral refrigerant flow path.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG. 2, showing an embodiment of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a side view showing one embodiment of the flake ice manufacturing device concerning the present invention. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2, which is an embodiment of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a front view showing one embodiment containing a scraper with which a flake ice manufacturing device concerning the present invention was equipped. It is a figure which shows the refrigerant flow path with which the flake ice manufacturing apparatus which concerns on this invention was equipped. It is sectional drawing of the refrigerant flow path with which the flake ice manufacturing apparatus which concerns on this invention was equipped. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing method of the refrigerant flow path with which the flake ice manufacturing apparatus which concerns on this invention was equipped.

The flake ice production apparatus of the present embodiment is an apparatus for producing flake ice in which ice generated from an aqueous solution containing solute (also called brine) is processed into flakes (flakes). However, the ice produced here is ice solidified so that the concentration of the solute contained in the brine becomes substantially uniform, and the ice satisfying at least the following conditions (a) and (b) (hereinafter Also referred to as "ice slurry").
(A) The temperature at the completion of melting is less than 0°C.
(B) The change rate of the solute concentration of the aqueous solution (brine) in which the ice is melted in the melting process is within 30%.

Here, "brine" means an aqueous solution containing one or more solutes and having a low freezing point. Specific examples of the brine include sodium chloride aqueous solution (salt water), calcium chloride aqueous solution, magnesium chloride aqueous solution, ethylene glycol aqueous solution, and the like.

The thermal conductivity of brine (salt water) containing salt as a solute is about 0.58 W/mK, while the thermal conductivity of flake ice frozen with brine containing solute of salt is about 2.2 W/mK.
That is, since the flake ice (solid) has a higher thermal conductivity than the brine (liquid), the flake ice (solid) can cool the article to be cooled earlier.

Even if such brine is simply stored in a container and externally cooled, it is not possible to produce ice having the same properties as ice slurry. This is considered to be due to insufficient cooling rate.

However, in the flake ice production apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the solute-containing brine is sprayed to form a mist, which is cooled in advance to a temperature below the freezing point of the brine. It can be frozen by being brought into contact with the surface of the channel, and can be directly attached to the surface of the refrigerant channel. This makes it possible to generate ice (ice slurry) having a high cooling capacity that satisfies the above conditions (a) and (b).

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a side view showing an embodiment of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101. FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 1 and is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 includes a rotary shaft 110, a refrigerant flow channel 121, a nozzle 130, and a scraper 141 as a peeling section. The flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 further includes a positioner 150, a cover 160, and a refrigerant cooler 170.

The rotary shaft 110 includes a drive shaft 111 in a horizontal posture and a motor (for example, an inverter motor) 112 fixed to one end of the drive shaft 111, and rotates at an arbitrary rotation speed. A cover 160 covers the motor 112 and the drive shaft 111 excluding one end of the drive shaft 111 to which the motor 112 is fixed, the coolant passage 121, the nozzle 130, and the scraper 141. The lower surface side of the cover 160 is opened and serves as a flake ice discharge port 161. The cover 160 is made of FRP having a heat insulating property so that the inside of the cover 160 is not affected by the outside air. Below the flake ice discharge port 161, a flake ice storage tank (not shown) is placed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the coolant channel 121 is a disk-shaped plate member. The coolant channel 121 has a coolant channel side surface 121c. The coolant channel 121 is manufactured by a manufacturing method described later. The coolant channel 121 is a plate-shaped member obtained by deforming a linear tubular member (for example, a copper pipe) into a spiral shape by a manufacturing method described later. The refrigerant is adapted to flow through the machined tubular member. A through hole 122 through which the drive shaft 111 (hereinafter, referred to as the rotating shaft 110) penetrates is formed at the center of the coolant flow channel 121. The plurality of refrigerant channels 121 (two in FIG. 1) in a standing posture are arranged in parallel facing each other. The coolant flow passage 121 is fixed so as not to rotate even if the rotating shaft 110 rotates.

Copper or a copper alloy having a high thermal conductivity is adopted as a member forming the coolant flow channel 121. However, the coolant channel 121 may be made of stainless steel or the like. The surface of the coolant channel 121 is plated with a wear-resistant metal such as chromium. The coolant flow channel 121 is not limited to a disc shape, and may have a polygonal shape such as a square. In any case, the coolant channel 121 is a plate-shaped body having a front surface and a back surface parallel to each other (the plate thickness is, for example, 25 mm), and is formed by a manufacturing method described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, the coolant channel 121 is formed in a spiral shape, for example, surrounding a through hole 122 (see FIG. 2) at the center. The refrigerant flow channel 121 includes an inlet 121a extending from one side to the through hole 122 and an outlet 121b extending from the side of the through hole 122 to the other side.

The coolant channel 121 is formed, for example, by processing a tubular member 180 (for example, a copper pipe) having a linear shape into a spiral shape from a linear shape, so that the coolant channel 121 can be easily manufactured. it can. The method of processing the tubular member 180 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7 described later.

Each refrigerant channel 121 is connected to the cooler 170 by first and second pipes 171 and 172. The refrigerant cooled by the cooler 170 flows so as to circulate in the order of one pipe 171→refrigerant flow passage 121→the other pipe 172. Freon (HCFC22) or hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) having a boiling temperature of −60° C. is used as the refrigerant. Further, other than the above-mentioned refrigerant, it is not particularly limited as long as it is a refrigerant for producing brine in ice.

As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle 130 injects the brine toward the one refrigerant flow passage side surface 121 c of the refrigerant flow passage 121. It jets toward one side (the left side and the right side in FIG. 2). As will be described later in detail, since the refrigerant flows in the refrigerant passage 121 and is cooled, the brine attached to the refrigerant passage side surface 121c is rapidly frozen to become ice. That is, the refrigerant flow path side surface 121c functions as an ice making surface.

A large number of nozzles 130 are formed in the pipe 131 arranged at a slight distance from the coolant flow channel 121. Further, the pipe 131 has a nozzle 130 disposed between the two refrigerant flow passages 121 so that the brine can be jetted toward the refrigerant flow passage side surfaces 121c of both the refrigerant flow passages 121 facing each other. Then, it may be formed in two directions.

The scraper 141 is a rod-shaped blade portion for scraping off the ice adhering to the coolant channel side surface 121c of the coolant channel 121, and is disposed on the wiper 140. The scraper 141 rotates between the refrigerant flow path side surface 121c of the refrigerant flow path 121 and the pipe 131. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, two scrapers 141 are linearly arranged in opposite directions. The wiper 140 includes an annular ring 142 whose diameter is the length of the scrapers 141 arranged in a straight line. The positioner 150 (see FIG. 4) in which the ring 142 is fixed to the refrigerant flow path 121 maintains the shape of the scraper 141 so as not to bend. The scraper 141 and the ring 142 are collectively called a wiper (not numbered).

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a modified example of the wiper 140. Three wipers 140 shown in FIG. 4 are arranged at equal intervals of 120° from the center. Although not shown, a plurality of wipers 140 may be arranged at equal intervals, such as four wipers 140 arranged at equal intervals of 90°.

In any case, the scraper 141 has a corrugated rod shape in which the tip portions 141a and the concave curved portions 141b are alternately formed. The pointed portion 141a interrupts the ice and causes the ice to flow into the concave curved portion 141b, so that the ice can be easily scraped off. Although the scraper 141 shown in FIG. 1 is not drawn in a wavy shape, it is naturally preferable that the scraper 141 is formed in a wavy shape.

It is preferable that the scraper 141 does not contact the refrigerant passage side surface 121c of the refrigerant passage 121. The scraper 141 is separated from the coolant channel side surface 121c of the coolant channel 121 with a clearance of, for example, about 0.2 mm. The flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 is provided with a positioner 150 so as to maintain this clearance. The flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 does not damage the scraper 141 and the refrigerant flow path side surface 121c of the refrigerant flow path 121 because the scraper 141 and the refrigerant flow path side surface 121c of the refrigerant flow path 121 are not in contact with each other, and a metal piece or the like becomes flaky ice. Since it does not mix, safe and high quality flake ice can be produced.

Here, a method of manufacturing flake ice by the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 will be described.

By flowing the coolant into the coolant flow channel 121, the coolant flow channel side surface 121c of the coolant flow channel 121 in the upright posture is cooled. The refrigerant flows from the first pipe 171 through the suction port 121a of the refrigerant flow path 121 toward the through hole 122, the traveling direction is reversed at the folded portion, and flows from the discharge port 121b to the second pipe 172. Since the coolant channel 121 is formed in a spiral shape, the flow resistance is small and the coolant flows smoothly. When the coolant temperature is -60°C, the coolant flow channel 121 is made of copper or a copper alloy having high thermal conductivity, so that the coolant flow channel 121 and the coolant flow channel side surface 121c are also cooled to -60°C. Since the refrigerant flow channel 121 is covered with the cover 160, it is maintained at -60°C without being affected by the outside air.

Then, the brine is supplied into the pipe 131, and is ejected from the nozzle 130 toward the coolant channel side surface 121c of the coolant channel 121. The freezing point of saline solution (saturated state) is -21°C, and the freezing point of aqueous magnesium chloride solution (saturated state) is -26.7°C. Therefore, when brine or magnesium aqueous solution is used as the brine, when the brine adheres to the refrigerant flow passage side surface 121c of the refrigerant flow passage 121, it is rapidly frozen and an ice film forms on the refrigerant flow passage side surface 121c of the refrigerant flow passage 121. Is generated. Moreover, the coolant flow passage side surface 121c of the coolant flow passage 121 is covered with the cover 160 and is not affected by the outside air, and thus maintains a cooled state.

Here, the operation of the wiper 140 including the scraper 141 (hereinafter, referred to as “scraper 141”) will be described. When the scraper 141 is of the two types shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, when the refrigerant flow path side surface 121c of the refrigerant flow path 121 is regarded as a coordinate plane as shown in FIG. The first area A, the second quadrant are called the second area B, the third quadrant is called the third area C, and the fourth quadrant is called the fourth area D.

Immediately before the scraper 141 is placed in the vertical posture as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, brine is discharged from the nozzles 130 toward the coolant channel side surface 121c of the coolant channel 121 in the first region A and the third region C. It is injected momentarily. In a state where the brine is instantaneously frozen and ice having a uniform thickness is generated, the scraper 141 rotates in one direction (clockwise in the drawing) to enter the first area A and the third area C, and Scrape off. In this way, while the scraper 141 is rotating in the first region A and the third region C, the second region B and the fourth region D are directed from the nozzle 130 to the refrigerant passage side surface 121c of the refrigerant passage 121. The brine is injected instantaneously. In the state where the brine is instantaneously frozen and ice having a uniform thickness is generated, the scraper 141 rotates in one direction (clockwise in the drawing) and enters the second area B and the fourth area D to remove the ice. Scrape.

In this way, the scraper 141 continuously rotates in one direction, and the brine is jetted from the nozzle 130 to the regions A, B, C, and D where the ice generated on the refrigerant passage side surface 121c of the refrigerant passage 121 is scraped off. Then, the operation in which the scraper 141 scrapes off the ice generated by the instant freezing is repeated. However, the scraper 141 may be stopped every time it rotates 90°.

When the scraper 141 is of the three types shown in FIG. 4, six non-numbered areas are provided. Even with the three scrapers 141, stop and rotation are repeated in the same manner as the two scrapers 141, and the scrapers 141 scrape off the ice generated on the refrigerant channel side surface 121c.

The flake ice thus generated by being scraped off from the refrigerant flow channel side surface 121c of the refrigerant flow channel 121 by the scraper 141 drops downward from the flake ice discharge port 161 on the lower surface side of the cover 160 to store the flake ice. It is stored in the tank. In summary, in the state where the scraper 141 is stopped, the brine is jetted from the nozzle 130 to the coolant channel 121 in the standing posture that is being cooled, and the ice film is evenly formed on the coolant channel side surface 121c of the coolant channel 121. After being molded to a thickness, the scraper 141 rotates and the operation of scraping ice is repeated, whereby flake ice is successively stored in the flake ice storage tank.

As an alternative to the scraper 141, air spray (without numbering) may be used.
Although not shown in FIG. 4, the air spray may rotate between the refrigerant flow path side surface 121c of the refrigerant flow path 121 and the pipe 131, like the scraper 141, for example.
Specifically, for example, a rotating arm is provided instead of the scraper 141, and an air spray outlet is provided in the rotating arm. Brine can be blown onto the refrigerant flow passage side surface 121c of the refrigerant flow passage 121 for quick freezing, and scrapes can be sequentially scraped off with an air spray.

The shape of the refrigerant channel 121 provided in the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 according to the present invention will be described in detail.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a refrigerant flow channel 121 provided in the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 according to the present invention.
The refrigerant channel 121 shown in FIG. 5A is a tubular member 180 in a spiral shape in a plan view. A through hole 122 for inserting the rotating shaft 110 is formed in the center of the coolant channel 121.
Although the coolant flow channel 121 has a vortex shape in which a vortex is swirled counterclockwise in FIG. 5A, it is not particularly limited. That is, as the vortex shape, the shape of the refrigerant flow channel 121 may be a shape in which a vortex is swirled clockwise.

The refrigerant flow channel 121 shown in FIG. 5B is a straight tubular member 180 in a side view, which is formed into a spiral shape. The coolant channel 121 includes a coolant channel side surface 121c, the other coolant channel side surface 121d, a suction port 121a, and a discharge port 121b.

The refrigerant flow path side surface 121c is a surface for injecting brine to freeze the brine and generate ice slurry.
The other refrigerant flow channel side surface 121d is located on the back surface of the refrigerant flow channel side surface 121c. As shown in FIG. 2, although the brine is not jetted to the other side 121 d of the coolant channel, the brine is jetted to cause the side 121 d of the coolant channel to function as an ice making surface to freeze the brine to freeze the ice slurry. May be generated.
As shown in FIG. 5, the coolant channel 121 includes a spiral coolant channel side surface 121c.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerant channel 121 provided in the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 according to the present invention.
In the cross section of the coolant channel 121, the tubular members 180 are present in contact with each other.
As shown in FIG. 6(A), when the tubular member 180 is processed by applying pressure, pressure is applied in the up and down arrow directions, so that the tubular member 180 has a cross-section of a circle, a substantially rectangular shape, a racetrack shape, Or it becomes an elliptical shape. Due to the above-mentioned pressure, in each of the tubular members 180, the adjacent tubular members 180 have no gaps between the tubular members 180 and the irregularities are small, and the surface of the refrigerant flow channel 121 (the refrigerant flow channel side surface 121c and the other refrigerant flow channel). The road side surface 121d) is smooth enough to prevent brine from accumulating in the gap.

Here, a method for manufacturing the refrigerant flow channel 121 provided in the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 according to the present invention will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing the refrigerant flow channel 121 provided in the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 according to the present invention.
7(A) to 7(D) show steps for processing the tubular member 180 to form the coolant channel 121.
Here, the processing is, for example, metal processing, and is processing for deforming the tubular member 180 having a linear shape into a spiral shape.

7(A) and 7(B) show a tubular member preparing step of preparing a linear tubular member having a bent portion in which one end 181a is bent. That is, as shown in FIG. 7B, the linear tubular member 180 shown in FIG. 7A is processed to bend one end 181a.
The tubular member 180 is a metal pipe used to create the spiral refrigerant flow path 121. The tubular member 180 is a pipe made of copper or a pipe having a thermal conductivity similar to that of copper and having a flexible circular cross section. As the tubular member 180, for example, a commercially available metal pipe (copper pipe) may be used without using a pipe having a special cross-sectional shape. In this respect, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
As shown in FIG. 7(A), the linear tubular member 180 has a cylindrical shape and a circular cross section. The tubular member 180 includes one end portion 181a, the other end portion 181b, and a side surface portion 182.
As shown in FIG. 7A, the end portion 181a and the end portion 181b are one end of the tubular member 180, and the tubular member 180 has a circular cross section. The side surface portion 182 is a side surface of the tubular member 180.
As shown in FIG. 7B, the end portion 181a is processed so as to be bent in the vertical direction with respect to the side surface portion 182.

7(C) and 7(D) show a spiral winding step of fixing the bent portion and spirally winding the tubular member around the bent portion.
That is, as shown in FIG. 7C, processing is performed so as to have a spiral shape around the bent end 181a of the tubular member 180. Specifically, for example, the bent end 181a is fixed to the column 300. The cylinder 300 is a jig for processing the tubular member 180. The diameter of the cylinder 300 is the same as that of the rotating shaft 110. By rotating the cylinder 300, the shape of the linear tubular member 180 is transformed into a spiral shape. That is, the tubular member 180 is also processed so as to swirl so that the tubular member 180 also rotates due to the rotation of the columnar 300, and the side surface portions 182 of the tubular member 180 in a spiral shape come into contact with each other.
Further, as shown in FIG. 7D, the above-described process is performed until the tubular member 180 has a spiral shape of a certain size. When the tubular member 180 has a spiral shape of a certain size, the end portion 181b is processed so as to be bent in the vertical direction with respect to the side surface portion 182 similarly to the end portion 181a. By pulling out the cylinder 300 from the coolant channel 121, a through hole 122 for providing the rotation channel 110 in the coolant channel 121 is created.
By performing the steps shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D, the linear tubular member 180 can be processed into the spiral refrigerant flow channel 121.
As another method of manufacturing the refrigerant flow channel, a manufacturing method by casting can be considered.
However, in the refrigerant flow path created by casting, pressure loss that occurs at a burr or an acute-angled (substantially right-angled) bent portion of the flow path junction in the refrigerant flow path 121 in which the refrigerant from the cooler 170 flows causes the refrigerant to circulate. This hindered the freezing efficiency. However, this problem is solved in the refrigerant flow channel 121 manufactured by the manufacturing method described above.
Here, there is no particular limitation on the processing angle of the end portion 181a and the end portion 181b described above.
Specifically, for example, it is preferable that the joint portion of the passage through which the refrigerant from the cooler 170 is bent is processed so that the pressure loss is small.

As shown in FIG. 7(C) and FIG. 7(D), in the method for producing a spiral refrigerant flow channel of the flake ice production apparatus according to the present invention, the tubular member has a circular cross-sectional shape, and The cross-sectional shape of the tubular member is transformed into a substantially rectangular shape, racetrack shape, or elliptical shape.
That is, the manufacturing method described above can include a step of changing the cross-sectional shape of the tubular member 180 from a circle to a substantially rectangular shape, a racetrack shape, or an elliptical shape by the processing pressure.
As a result, in the refrigerant flow channel 121 formed in a spiral shape from the linear tubular member 180, the gap between the side surface portions 182 of the tubular member 180 in contact with each other is crushed and the unevenness is reduced, and the refrigerant flow channel side surface of the refrigerant flow channel 121 is formed. 121c is smooth enough to prevent salt ice from accumulating in the gap.

As shown in FIG. 7(C) and FIG. 7(D), in the method for manufacturing the spiral refrigerant flow path of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, adjacent portions of the spirally wound tubular member are fixed. The method further comprises a tubular member fixing step.
That is, the above-described manufacturing method can include a step of fixing to a portion where the side surface portions 182 of the tubular member 180 are in contact with each other by various methods such as brazing and welding.
Thereby, the refrigerant flow channel 121 can be fixed in a spiral shape.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments, and is considered within the scope of the matters described in the claims. It also includes other possible embodiments and modifications. Further, various modifications and combinations of the above-described embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiments, brine is exemplified by salt water (sodium chloride aqueous solution) or magnesium chloride aqueous solution in the above-described embodiments, but is not particularly limited. Specifically, for example, a calcium chloride aqueous solution, ethylene glycol or the like can be adopted. This makes it possible to prepare a plurality of types of brine having different freezing points depending on the difference in solute or concentration.

Further, the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 is provided with a nozzle 130 for injecting brine to the coolant channel side surface 121c of the coolant channel 121 in the pipe 131. The nozzle 130 may be provided so as to follow the scraper 141 and rotate instead of the pipe 131, and may include a wiper (not shown) integrated with the scraper 141. Since the nozzle 130 is provided so as to follow the scraper 141, the brine is jetted from the nozzle 130 after the scraper 141 scrapes off the ice, and the next scraper 141 is instantaneously frozen until the ice is cooled and the ice is cooled. Film is produced.

Such a nozzle 130 may rotate before the scraper 141 instead of following the scraper 141 so that the brine is sprayed toward the rear of the scraper 141.
The same applies to the case where an air spray is used instead of the scraper 141.
Further, the above-mentioned air spray may be one that ejects air intermittently at high speed.

Although the wiper 140 is moved so that the scraper 141 rotates in the above-described embodiment, the wiper 140 is not limited to the rotary type, and the wiper 140 may move in parallel or move in a fan shape, for example. That is, in the above-described embodiment, it is described that the scraper 141 rotates in the order of the regions A, B, C, and D around the rotation shaft 110, but the scraper 141 has a rotation shaft other than the rotation shaft. It may be provided. The axis for rotation described above other than the center of the coolant channel 121, for example, the axis for rotation described above may be outside the coolant channel 121 in order to move the wiper 140 in a fan shape. Further, since the above-mentioned rotating shaft moves the wiper 140 in parallel, the shaft itself may be omitted.

In the above-described embodiment, the coolant channel 121 is formed by spirally winding the tubular member 180, but the surface of the coolant channel 121 formed by spirally winding the tubular member 180 is a smooth metal plate. 200 may be provided. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6(B), the surface of the metal plate 200 provided on the surface of the coolant channel functions as an ice making surface.

In the above-described embodiment, the flake ice manufacturing device 101 injects the brine onto the coolant channel side surface 121c of the coolant channel 121, but the invention is not limited to this. The flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 can generate the flake ice by injecting brine onto the metal plate 200 not only on the refrigerant flow path side surface 121c of the refrigerant flow path 121 but also on the metal plate 200 described above as an ice making surface.

In the above-described embodiment, the coolant passage 121 has the through hole 122 formed therein, but it may be a cut instead of the through hole 122, and may be further divided into upper and lower two sheets. Although the plurality of refrigerant flow channels 121 are provided, the number thereof may be one. Although it has been stated that the coolant flow passage 121 is plated with wear-resistant metal, it may be plated within a range in which the scraper 141 rotates.
Further, the coolant flow channel 121 may not have the through hole 122. That is, the coolant channel 121 does not have a hole through which the rotating shaft 110 penetrates, and the coolant channel 121 may be fixed by a separate method. In this case, the surface area of the coolant channel side surface 121c is larger than that of the coolant channel 121 having the through hole 122, and more flake ice can be generated. The metal plate 200 described above may also be plated.

The layout of the refrigerant flow channels 121 and the pipes 131 in the above-described embodiment is only an example, and the layout can be arbitrarily changed.

In the above-described embodiment, the processing is the metal processing, and the processing for deforming the tubular member 180 having the linear shape into the spiral shape has been described. Not limited.
That is, the metal processing is not particularly limited as long as the tubular member 180 can be deformed from a linear shape to a spiral shape. Specifically, for example, the metal working may include plastic working, bending, and the like, and other metal working may include cutting for adjusting the tubular member 180 to an arbitrary length.

In the above-described embodiment, it is described that the shape of the linear tubular member 180 is deformed into the spiral shape by rotating the cylinder, but the present invention is not limited to this.
That is, the linear tubular member 180 may be processed into the spiral refrigerant flow path 121 without using the cylinder.
Specifically, for example, the linear tubular member 180 can be processed into the spiral refrigerant flow channel 121 by rotating the end 181a itself without fixing the end 181a bent into a cylinder. Further, in this case, the coolant passage 121 may or may not have the through hole 122 for providing the rotating shaft 110.

Further, in FIG. 7, after the tubular member 180 is spirally wound, processing for flattening the surface may be performed. The process for flattening the surface may be a process of pressing a smooth hard metal plate 200 (for example, an iron surface plate), a process of scraping the surface with a file, a process of polishing the surface with a wire buff or the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the surface of the coolant channel 121 is described as being plated with a wear-resistant metal such as chromium, but the plating process is not particularly limited.
That is, in the plating process, for example, the tubular member 180 may be plated in advance, or the tubular member 180 may be processed into a spiral shape and then plated.

In summary, the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 to which the present invention is applied may have various configurations as long as it has the following configuration.

That is, the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 to which the present invention is applied,
A vortex-shaped coolant flow path 121 made of a tubular member 180,
A wiper 140 that moves along the surface of the coolant channel 121 without touching the surface of the coolant channel 121;
A nozzle 130 that injects brine toward the surface of the coolant channel 121 that is cooled by the coolant circulating in the coolant channel 121;
Brine, which is disposed on the wiper 140 and is sprayed from the nozzle 130 toward the surface of the coolant channel 121, freezes on the surface of the coolant channel 121 and removes the generated ice to produce flake ice. Part (for example, scraper 141),
Equipped with.

According to this flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101, since the refrigerant flow passage 121 has a spiral shape, the flow resistance in the refrigerant flow passage 121 becomes small, and the refrigerant smoothly flows in the refrigerant flow passage 121, 121 can be cooled efficiently.

In the flake ice making device 101 to which the present invention is applied,
A vortex-shaped coolant flow path 121 made of a tubular member 180,
A metal plate 200 provided on the surface of the coolant channel 121;
A wiper 140 that moves along the surface of the metal plate 200 without touching the surface of the metal plate 200;
A nozzle 130 that injects brine toward the surface of the metal plate 200 that is cooled by a coolant circulating in the coolant channel 121,
A peeling unit disposed on the wiper 140 and peeling off ice generated by the brine sprayed from the nozzle 130 toward the surface of the metal plate 200 to freeze on the surface of the metal plate 200 to produce flake ice ( For example, scraper 141),
Can be provided.
According to this flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101, the surface of the metal plate 200 can serve as the surface of the coolant channel 121.

In the flake ice making device 101 to which the present invention is applied,
In the refrigerant channel 121, the surfaces of the tubular members 180 adjacent to each other are fixed so as to contact each other.
According to this flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101, the refrigerant flow passage 121 can be fixed in a spiral shape by fixing the portion where the side surface portions 182 of the tubular member 180 contact each other.

In the flake ice making device 101 to which the present invention is applied,
The cross-sectional shape of the tubular member is substantially rectangular, racetrack-shaped, or elliptical.
According to this flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101, the adjacent tubular member 180 is under pressure, and the cross-sectional shape of the refrigerant flow channel 121 is substantially rectangular, racetrack-shaped, or elliptical. Then, in the tubular member 180, the gap between the adjacent tubular members 180 is eliminated, and the coolant channel side surface 121c of the coolant channel 121 becomes flat.

In the flake ice making device 101 to which the present invention is applied,
The peeling portion may be an air spray. In this case, the peeling unit may be a scraper 141 that is fixed to the rotating shaft 110 and rotates.
According to these flake ice manufacturing apparatuses 101, the flake ice can be generated by peeling off the ice generated on the refrigerant flow passage side surface 121c of the refrigerant flow passage 121 with an air spray or scraping it with the scraper 141. it can.

In the flake ice making device 101 to which the present invention is applied,
The refrigerant flow channel 121 of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention may be made of copper or copper alloy.
According to this flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101, the refrigerant flowing through the pipes 171 and 172 of the refrigerant passage 121 can efficiently cool the refrigerant passage 121.

The method for manufacturing the spiral refrigerant flow channel 121 of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 to which the present invention is applied is
A tubular member preparing step of preparing a linear tubular member 180,
A spirally winding step of fixing one end 181a and spirally winding the tubular member 180 around the one end 181a.
According to the method for manufacturing the refrigerant channel 121, the refrigerant channel 121 can be easily manufactured by bending one end of the linear member and winding the member in a spiral shape.

The method for manufacturing the spiral refrigerant flow channel 121 of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 to which the present invention is applied is
A tubular member bending step of bending both ends 181a (181b) of the tubular member 180 may be further added.
According to the method of manufacturing the coolant channel 121, a step of bending both ends 181a and 181b of the tubular member 180 can be included.

The method for manufacturing a spiral refrigerant flow path of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 to which the present invention is applied,
The tubular member 180 has a circular cross-sectional shape, and in the swirling step, the tubular member 180 is deformed into a substantially rectangular shape, a racetrack shape, or an elliptical shape.
According to the method of manufacturing the refrigerant flow channel 121, the tubular member 180 is brought into contact with the side surface portions 182 when pressure is applied, and the cross-sectional shape easily becomes a substantially rectangular shape, a racetrack shape, or an elliptical shape.

The method for manufacturing the spiral refrigerant flow channel 121 of the flake ice manufacturing apparatus 101 to which the present invention is applied is
The method further comprises a tubular member fixing step of fixing adjacent portions of the spirally wound tubular member 180.
According to the method for manufacturing the refrigerant flow channel 121, by fixing the adjacent portions in the manufacturing process of processing the refrigerant flow channel 121 into the spiral shape, the spiral refrigerant flow channel 121 can be easily fixed in the spiral shape. Steps can be included.

Reference numeral 101: flake ice manufacturing apparatus, 110: rotating shaft, 121: refrigerant channel, 121a: inlet, 121b: outlet, 121c: refrigerant channel side surface, 121d: refrigerant channel side surface, 130: nozzle, 131: pipe, 140: wiper, 141: scraper, 150: positioner, 160: cover, 170: cooler, 180: tubular member, 200: metal plate

Claims (11)

A spiral refrigerant flow path made of a tubular member,
A wiper that moves along the surface of the coolant channel without touching the surface of the coolant channel,
A nozzle that injects brine toward the surface of the coolant channel cooled by the coolant circulating through the coolant channel,
A peeling unit arranged on the wiper, and a brine sprayed from the nozzle toward the surface of the refrigerant flow path to peel off ice generated by freezing on the surface of the refrigerant flow path to produce flake ice,
Flake ice making device equipped with. A spiral refrigerant flow path made of a tubular member,
A metal plate provided on the surface of the refrigerant channel,
A wiper that moves along the surface of the metal plate without touching the surface of the metal plate,
A nozzle that injects a brine toward the surface of the metal plate that is cooled by a refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant channel,
A peeling unit disposed on the wiper, and a brine sprayed from the nozzle toward the surface of the metal plate freezes on the surface of the metal plate to peel off the generated ice to produce flake ice,
Flake ice making device equipped with. In the refrigerant channel, the surfaces of the tubular members adjacent to each other are fixed so as to contact each other,
The flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The cross-sectional shape of the tubular member is substantially rectangular, racetrack-shaped, or elliptical.
The flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The peeling portion is an air spray,
The flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The peeling section is a scraper that is fixed to a rotating shaft and rotates.
The flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The refrigerant channel is made of copper or copper alloy,
The flake ice manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A tubular member preparing step of preparing a linear tubular member,
With one end fixed, a spirally winding step of spirally winding the tubular member around the one end,
A method for manufacturing a spiral refrigerant flow path comprising: The tubular member bending step of bending both ends of the tubular member is added,
The method for manufacturing the spiral refrigerant passage according to claim 8. The tubular member has a circular cross-sectional shape,
In the swirling step, the cross-sectional shape of the tubular member is transformed into a substantially rectangular shape, a racetrack shape, or an elliptical shape,
The method for manufacturing the spiral refrigerant channel according to claim 8 or 9. Further comprising a tubular member fixing step of fixing adjacent portions of the spirally wound tubular member.
The method for manufacturing a spiral refrigerant channel according to claim 8.

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