JP2921326B2 - Drying equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a small and simple apparatus for drying foods containing carbohydrates and proteins such as kitchen garbage and food vegetables.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, a drying treatment for preventing spoilage has been widely performed as a method for preserving food. For example, there are infrared drying, hot air drying, microwave drying, reduced pressure drying, spray drying and the like. All of them are suitable for large-sized devices, and are often difficult to apply technically to the small-sized device which is the object of the present invention.

The smallest and most practical one is a clothes dryer that dries clothes using electricity. In this method, clothes are put into a drum rotating about a horizontal axis and dried with hot air. Since clothing tends to be thermally degraded, the temperature of hot air must be 70 ° C. or lower. However, water does not boil at this temperature, so it is necessary to dry hot air. For this reason, outside air is taken in by a blower, and the clothes are dried by air heated by a heater to reduce the relative humidity. The air containing the evaporated water vapor is discharged out of the device.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, there is a problem that a lump-like substance such as food or garbage cannot be dried quickly. The present invention solves the problem of such a conventional device.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has the following constitution. A bottomed evaporating section for containing the material to be dried, a condensing section provided around the evaporating section, a communicating section between the evaporating section and the condensing section formed above the evaporating section, and steam formed below the condensing section. , A discharge hole for condensed water, a heat insulating layer formed between the evaporating section and the condensing section, hot air generating means including a heater and a fan provided above the evaporating section, and an intermittent stirring of the material to be dried. Means.

[0006] As an agitating means, an inclined rotating evaporator for containing the object to be dried, a condenser for accommodating the evaporator, a heat insulating layer formed around the evaporator, and a heater for heating the object to be dried. It is conceivable to have a configuration including a unit, a crushing unit rotatably provided at the center of the bottom of the evaporating unit, and an engaging portion of the crushing unit provided on the inner wall of the evaporating unit.

[0007] Further, as an arrangement which makes the apparatus of the present invention convenient, an evaporating section for containing the object to be dried, a condensing section for detachably storing the evaporating section, and a heat insulating layer formed around the evaporating section. A heating device provided above the evaporating section for heating the object to be dried and a drying device provided with a water container detachably below the evaporating section are conceivable.

[0008]

In order to rapidly evaporate the liquid inside the dried material under the atmospheric pressure, it is necessary to heat at a temperature higher than the boiling point.
Since the steam generated when heated above the boiling point exits the evaporator due to the vapor pressure, a blower such as a clothes dryer becomes unnecessary. In addition, since the vapor pressure is high, the vapor is easily condensed. Therefore, if the condensing part is provided, the vapor becomes liquid and the vapor containing the odor is not discharged to the outside. In the present invention, the object to be dried is placed in a container and dried from above with steam hot air of 100 ° C. or higher, but the lower part of the surface of the object to be dried is less likely to be dried. For this reason, a means for stirring the material to be dried is provided. When stirring continuously while heating,
Foods are sticky and curl up. This is because, when food is heated, some of the adhesiveness increases, such as pregelatinization of starch. Further, when the water content is in the range of 75 to 40%, the concentration of the solid content increases, and especially the adhesive strength increases.
Therefore, the stirring operation is performed after the upper layer surface of the object to be dried is dried to a water content of 40% or less to reduce the adhesiveness without stirring. The surface-dried material enters the material to be dried having a high water content at the bottom, but is hardly formed into a mass due to low adhesive strength. It repeats drying the wet upper layer while stopping stirring again.

When a mixture of various shapes and weights is mixed and stirred, a material having a large weight and a small shape is likely to be a lower layer, and a light and large one is likely to be an upper layer. In the case of rotational mixing, heavy objects to be dried are easily moved in a direction far from the rotation axis by centrifugal force. For this reason, there is a tendency that the drying is slow although it is heavy. If strong stirring is provided, such a phenomenon can be reduced, but strong stirring has the opposite effect on drying by forming dumplings as described above. It is easy to understand if you imagine a mochi or mashed potato.

[0010] In such a state, when the temperature of the lower portion and the side surface of the evaporating section is lowered, the drying of the heavy material to be easily accessed there, in many cases, the material to be dried having a high moisture content is further slowed down. That is, the material to be dried on the upper portion becomes lighter, and the material to be dried on the lower portion which is not accessible by hot air becomes more and more heavy. As a result, even with stirring, a light dried material tends to always float on the upper portion, which makes mixing difficult. According to the present invention, together with intermittent stirring, the side and bottom surfaces of the evaporating section are insulated to prevent the temperature of a heavy material to be dried which frequently exists at the place from being lowered. Even heavy objects to be dried are sometimes carried to the upper part and dried, but if they are not cooled, an extreme decrease in drying can be prevented. By this means, the incompatibility due to the difference in the density of the objects to be dried is improved, and the incompatibility is improved even with weak intermittent stirring. The fact that the evaporator is surrounded by the condenser also prevents the temperature of the side surface of the evaporator from lowering. This is because the evaporating section is kept warm by the heat of condensation without directly touching the outside air. Such means for preventing the temperature of the side and bottom surfaces of the evaporating section from lowering not only enhances the agitation properties as described above, but also has the effect of not deteriorating the dryness of the material to be dried remaining sticking to the wall surface of this portion. is there.

Also, in the apparatus having a crushing means rotatably provided at the center of the bottom of the evaporating part which rotates in an inclined manner and a locking part of the crushing means provided on the inner wall of the evaporating part, the dry matter floating on the upper part in the evaporating part is provided. The drying time is faster because the material is finely sunk and submerged at the bottom.

[0012]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a first embodiment according to the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes an evaporating unit into which a hydrated material 2 is placed.
The evaporating section 1 has a heat insulating section 3 around it. The heat insulating portion 3 can be made of a heat insulating material made of a heat-resistant (foamed) plastic material, a ceramic material, or a composite material thereof, and a metal, but vacuum heat insulating is most preferable in terms of heat insulating properties and compactness. The evaporator 1 communicates with the condenser 4 at the upper part. A lid 5 for taking in and out the article 2 to be dried 2 is provided on the upper part of the condenser section 4. The steam guide portion 6 at the center of the lid 5 has a cylindrical shape having a concave portion in a direction opposite to the evaporating portion 1. A steam fan 8 that is rotated by a motor 7 located above the steam guide section 6 is provided. Steam guide section 6
A heater 9 for heating the steam temperature to at least 100 ° C. is provided in a space between the rotary fan and the outer circumference of the steam fan 8. The temperature of the steam is detected by the temperature detection unit 10 and the amount of electricity supplied to the heater 9 is controlled to a predetermined temperature.

A heat insulating layer 11 is provided in the steam guide section 6, a refuse preventive plate 12 having a plurality of openings below the steam fan 8 and the heater 9, and a stirring plate for the dried object 2 below the evaporating section 1. A cooling fan 15 for the condensing unit 4 is provided near the condensing unit 4. Also, the condensing part 4
A drain pipe 16 for condensed water and a drain receptacle 17 below the drain pipe 16 are provided at the lower part of. Further, a catalyst section 19 is provided in the exhaust pipe 18 downstream of the condensing section 4, and a catalyst for oxidation, for example, a catalyst 20 in which a platinum group metal catalyst is supported on a honeycomb-shaped ceramic is provided in the catalyst section 19. I have.
The heater 21 penetrates through the catalyst 20 to heat the catalyst 20 to an activation temperature of 300 ° C. or higher. A suction / discharge port 22 is provided at the end of the catalyst section 19.

Next, the operation will be described. First, the lid 5 is opened, and the material to be dried 2 is put therein, and the lid 5 is closed. Hereinafter, the heating operation is started. The heater 9 and the steam fan 8 are energized to generate hot air and start heating the object 2 to be dried. Dry matter 2
Is heated from the top and steam begins to evolve. If the temperature detecting unit 10 exceeds 100 ° C., the inside of the evaporating unit 1 is filled with water vapor.
The temperature of 0 must be 100 ° C. or higher, for example, 130 ° C., and the steam must be dried to a steam state. The dried steam is agitated by the steam fan 8 to effectively dry the object 2 to be dried.

When the upper portion of the object to be dried 2 is dried, the inside of the dried portion has a high heat insulating property, so that the internal heating is slowed down.
The generation of water vapor is reduced. Here, the operation of the drive unit 14 also starts. In the case of fresh food, the water content is usually around 80%. Until this reaches an average moisture content of 75%, stirring is unnecessary because the surface also has sufficient moisture. The driving unit 14 stirs the material 2 to be dried with the stirring plate 13,
The stirring means may be rotating wings such as a mixer, or may be vibrations. Since the dried object 2 newly appearing on the upper side has a large amount of water, it starts to emit steam again. Drying of the surface is extremely rapid, with the drying rate decreasing in about 30 seconds to 2 minutes. The object to be dried 2 is agitated for 1 to 10 rotations at this interval.
When the amount of stirring is small, the drying is delayed. When the amount of stirring is too large, the wet substance 2 to be dried is in a dumpling shape, and the inside of the dumpling cannot be dried. An object to be dried having a dry surface has no tackiness. In addition, even if it becomes a dumpling-like dried material containing this,
It is easily broken and dispersed in the dry part by stirring. The stirring time cannot be set longer than the stirring stop time. This is because the surface drying time is insufficient and the surface is dried. In addition, the material to be dried 2 becomes lighter as the drying is completed,
It will be easy to fly. The dust-repelling plate 12 removes this dust, but if the fan 12 is stopped during stirring, scattering of dust is reduced, and the fan 8 and the heater 9 are not stained.

The steam generated by the heating flows out of the condensing section 4 from above the evaporating section 1 and flows down the condensing section 4 while being condensed. Steam vaporized at about 100 ° C. contains an odor component vaporized at the same temperature. Therefore, when the steam is cooled to room temperature, the ratio of the odor component contained in the condensed water is the same as the ratio of the odor component contained in the steam. That is, almost all the generated odor can flow out of the apparatus from the drain pipe 16 together with the condensed water.

When the drying proceeds and the average water content reaches 40%, the fresh foods lose their mutual adhesiveness, and the drying speed is increased by continuous stirring. That is, stirring is stopped up to 75%, intermittent up to 75% to 40%, and continuous up to 40% or less.

The heat of condensation in the condenser 4 has the function of keeping the evaporator 1 warm from the outside. The steam at the upper part of the condensing part 4 is a dry steam of 130 ° C.
, And becomes a mist-like saturated steam of 40 ° C. in the lower part. On the other hand, since the temperature of the object 2 to be dried is from 100 ° C. to 105 ° C. even if it contains salts, the steam keeps the temperature of the object 2 to be dried at least up to the center. Further, the heat insulating portion 3 enhances this heat retaining effect. The material to be dried 2 having a large amount of moisture is heavy at the bottom of the evaporating section 1, but is kept at a temperature so that the temperature does not easily decrease, and maintains a temperature at which the substance can be evaporated when it is stirred and appears at the top. . Further, since the temperature of the dried object 2 stuck to the wall surface of the evaporating section 1 is high, the dried object 2 of 130 ° C. stirred from above is kept in a state where it is easily dried by touching the dried object 2.

A small amount of water vapor and odor components not completely condensed in the condensing section 4 are sent to a deodorizing section 19 through an exhaust pipe 18, where they are exhausted to the outside after deodorizing. Become. Since the catalyst 20 of the deodorizing section 19 is heated to the reaction start temperature by the heater 21, the organic components are made odorless. Since the amount of steam passing through the deodorizing section 19 is small, even when activated carbon or an oxidation catalyst is used, water poisoning does not occur, and the deodorizing performance is improved.

Next, a second embodiment according to claims 5 and 6 will be described with reference to FIG. A hammer 24 is rotatably provided at the upper end of a shaft 23 erected at the bottom of the evaporating unit 1 that rotates in an inclined manner. The tip of the hammer 24 is lifted and rotated by the locking portion 25 serving also as a stirring plate. When the hammer 24 rotates 180 degrees and the tip becomes the upper part,
Rotate 0 degrees. The tip of the hammer 24 is preferably heavy metal. At this time, the stirring plate 13 on the opposite side to the locking portion 25 is below the evaporating portion 1, but the hammer 24 that rotates and falls vigorously rotates above the stirring plate 13 and is sandwiched between the stirring plates 13. The dried product 2 is pulverized. Further, while the evaporator 1 is rotated by 180 degrees, the hammer 24 remains hanging under its own weight. Again, when the locking portion 25 comes down, the hammer 24 starts to be lifted. In this way, a light and bulky material to be dried is made to easily sink to the bottom so as not to hinder drying.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the temperature of the condenser 4 is kept constant by the temperature detector 26 located inside the condenser 4. In other words, when the cooling fan 15 is stopped at the beginning of heating or when the outside air temperature is low, excessive cooling of the condenser 4 and accompanying cooling of the evaporator 1 can be prevented. Claims 5 and 6
When the heat source of the first aspect is a heater and a fan, the above-described effect of improving the drying speed can be obtained. However, when the heat source is a microwave, another effect is remarkable. The hammer reduces the volume of the material to be dried and reduces the volume. The control of the cooling fan 15 improves the thermal efficiency and reduces the temperature of the condensing section 4 below the freezing point.
Avoid freezing.

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment according to the seventh aspect. The lower part of the condenser 4 is a water container 27. The water container 27 is provided with a drain valve 28.
With such a configuration, wastewater treatment is easy. Alternatively, a separate water tank may be put in and out of the water container 27 through the lid 5.

[0023]

According to the present invention, it is possible to dry garbage and food uniformly and quickly with a very simple structure as described above. In addition, it is possible to provide a small-sized drying apparatus which generates less odor during processing and has excellent thermal efficiency.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a drying apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a drying apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Evaporation part 2 Dry material 3 Heat insulation layer 4 Condensing part 8 Steam fan 9 Heater 13 Stir plate 14 Drive part 24 Hammer 25 Lock part 27 Water tank

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Jiro Suzuki 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Kazuma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-5-277461 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int) .Cl. ⁶ , DB name) F26B 11/10 B65F 5/00

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] An evaporating section having a bottom for containing a substance to be dried, a condensing section provided around the evaporating section, a communicating section between the evaporating section and the condensing section formed above the evaporating section, A discharge hole for condensed water formed below the condensing section, a heat insulating layer formed between the evaporating section and the condensing section, and a hot air generating means comprising a heater and a fan provided above the evaporating section; A drying apparatus having means for intermittently stirring the object to be dried. 2. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stirring stop time of the stirring means is set longer than the stirring operation time. 3. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hot air generating means is stopped when the stirring means is operating, and the hot air generating means is operated when the stirring means is stopped. 4. The stirring means is stopped at an early stage of the drying process.
2. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stirring means is continuous at the end of the drying process, and only the intermediate process is intermittent. 5. A rotating bottomed evaporator for receiving an object to be dried, a condenser for accommodating the evaporator, a heat insulating layer formed around the evaporator, and means for heating the object to be dried. A hammer rotatably supported at the center of the bottom of the evaporating portion, a locking portion of the hammer provided on an inner wall of the evaporating portion, and a hammer provided in a direction opposite to the locking portion. Drying device with unshaking plate. And evaporating unit to put 6. material to be dried, and a condensing portion for accommodating the evaporation portion, and the heat insulating layer formed around the evaporation portion, a heating means of the material to be dried, of the condensing unit A drying device, comprising: a cooling unit; and a temperature detecting unit positioned inside the condensing unit , wherein the cooling unit operates when the temperature of the temperature detecting unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined value . 7. An evaporating section for containing an object to be dried, and said evaporating section .
A condensing section to be housed, a heat insulating layer located in the condensing section and formed around the evaporating section, and provided above the evaporating section.
A hot air generating means comprising a heater and a fan , and a drying device having a water container below the condensing section.