JP3053545B2 - Continuous freezing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for continuously freezing fresh foods and processed foods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional continuous freezing apparatus having a structure shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 has a lower housing 22 of a freezing apparatus 21 covered with a heat insulating panel. Conveyor 2 for transporting 24
5 and the upper housing 26 is provided with air coolers 27, 27.

[0003] The cool air discharged from the air coolers 27, 27 is conveyed to a lower portion of the upper housing 26 through a gap between a large number of partitioning bodies 28, 28 which are stretched in a direction perpendicular to the running direction of the endless conveyor. It is sprayed on the upper frozen object, flows through the lower housing 22, is sucked into the air coolers 27, 27 again, and circulates in the housing.

A partition 28 used in a conventional continuous freezing apparatus has a shape in which the left and right sides of a rectangular metal plate are bent downward by sheet metal processing to form an airflow guide surface 28a, and the upper surface is horizontal. It is composed of things.

[0005] Washing nozzles 29, 29 to which washing water is supplied from the outside are arranged at appropriate places on the ceiling of the upper housing 26. When washing the inside of the apparatus, water or a cleaning agent is sprayed from the nozzle to spray the inside of the apparatus. I try to keep my hygiene.

[0006]

In the conventional freezing apparatus, the structure of the partition 28 has the following problems. The bottom surface (back surface) of the partition body was concave, and the washing water sprayed from the cleaning nozzles 29 of the upper housing 26 did not splash on the bottom surface of the partition body.

Further, since the upper surface of the partition body is formed horizontally, drainage of the upper surface of the partition body is poor, and the residual washing water acts as a cooling load during the freezing operation, and increases the amount of frost formed on the air cooler. As a result, the cooling efficiency decreases. Further, since the partition body must be formed by sheet metal processing, the manufacturing cost is increased accordingly.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a continuous freezing apparatus according to the present invention includes an air cooler above an endless conveyor that moves horizontally in the apparatus and conveys an object to be frozen. Cold air from the air cooler is blown onto the frozen object on the conveyor from the gaps between the many partitions that are spread at a required interval across the width of the device so as to be perpendicular to the traveling direction of the conveyor. The partition body of the continuous freezing device configured to be constituted by a pillar, this partition body,
It is provided such that the longitudinal direction is horizontal, and both upper and lower surfaces are not horizontal.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the continuous freezing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS. In the lower housing 2 of the freezing device 1 covered with the heat insulating panel, an endless conveyor 4 stretched between the front and rear rollers 3, 3 is driven in the direction of the arrow P in which the frozen objects 5, 5 are conveyed. It is provided so that. The endless conveyor 4 is constituted by a net, a steel belt, or the like according to the type of the object to be frozen.

In an upper housing 6 covered with a heat insulating panel above the endless conveyor 4, air coolers 9, 9 each having a cooling coil 7 and a blower 8 are provided with air inlets 9a, 9a.
9a are provided facing each other.

Under the upper housing 6, partition members 10, 10 formed of cylindrical pipes for partitioning the upper housing 6 and the lower housing 2, are provided at required intervals so as to be perpendicular to the traveling direction of the conveyor 4. Then, the cool air cooled by the air coolers 9 and 9 and discharged from the outlets 9b and 9b flows from the upper housing 6 to the frozen objects 5 and 5 on the conveyor 4 through the gap between the partitions 10 and 10. Sprayed,
The air flows through the lower housing 2 and is again sucked into the intake ports 9a, 9a of the coolers 9, 9 to circulate.

Cleaning nozzles 12, 12 to which water or a cleaning agent is supplied from outside through a pipe 11 are provided at appropriate places on the lower surface of the ceiling 6a of the upper housing 6, and when cleaning the inside of the apparatus, Water and cleaning agents are sprayed.

In the continuous freezing apparatus according to the present invention, the partition members 10 and 10 are constituted by cylindrical tubes whose surfaces are subjected to water repellent and dustproof processing. The water-repellent and dust-proof processing includes, for example, a method of forming a polytetrafluoroethylene resin layer on the surface of the partition.

Next, the operation of the continuous freezing apparatus according to the present invention will be described. During the cooling operation, the air cooler 9 is connected to the air inlet 9a.
The air that has entered inside is cooled by the cooling coil 7, discharged from the outlet 9 b by the blower 8, and sprayed from the upper housing 6 onto the frozen object 5 that moves on the conveyor 4 through the gap between the partitions 10 and 10. Can be

At this time, the object to be frozen on the conveyor is the partition 1
Cold air is blown every time it comes just below the gap between 0 and 10. That is, the object to be frozen is intermittently blown with cold air to be frozen.

The cold air blown to the frozen object flows through the lower housing 2 and is sucked into the air coolers 9 again to circulate.

When cleaning the inside of the apparatus, the air cooler 9
The operation of the endless conveyor 9 and the endless conveyor 4 is stopped, and water or cleaning agent water is supplied from outside via the pipe 11 to the cleaning nozzles 12 and 1.
Sprinkle from 2

The sprayed washing water is in the upper housing 6,
The inside of the partitions 10, 10, the endless conveyor 4, and the lower housing 2 are washed and discharged from a drain pipe (not shown) provided at the lower part of the apparatus.

In the apparatus of the present invention, since the partition 10 is formed of a cylindrical tube, the upper and lower surfaces are curved and not horizontal. It also cleans the lower side of the partition body along the side, and flows down from the lower end of the partition body.

At this time, the upper surface of the partition body 10 is a curved surface,
Moreover, since the surface of the partition is water-repellent, there is almost no adhesion or residue of cleaning water on the upper surface of the partition.

In the above-described embodiment, the partition body is constituted by a cylindrical tube. However, the partition body may have any shape so that no washing water remains. For example, as shown in FIGS. The projection 13 may be composed of a rhombus 13 or an ellipse 14. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the partition body 10 is formed as a hollow pillar, but a real pillar body may be used.

[0022]

Since the continuous freezing apparatus according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, the following effects can be obtained. Since the partition body is provided so that no horizontal surface appears on the upper surface of the partition body, the water on the upper surface of the partition body after cleaning is good and there is almost no residual water. This prevents frost formation on the cooler, thereby improving the cooling efficiency.

Further, since the partition body is a pillar body and is provided so that the lower surface thereof is not horizontal, the washing water is also transmitted to the lower surface of the partition body to be washed, thereby improving the hygiene in the apparatus.

Further, since a commercially available columnar pipe such as a round pipe or a square pipe can be used as the partition body, it is not necessary to perform sheet metal processing like a conventional partition body, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view of a continuous freezing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional front view of a main part of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional front view of a main part showing another embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional front view of a main part showing still another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional front view showing an example of a conventional continuous freezing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical sectional front view of a main part of FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Continuous freezing apparatus 2 Lower housing 3 Roller 4 Endless conveyor 5 To-be-frozen thing 6 Upper housing 7 Cooling coil 8 Blower 9 Air cooler 9a Inlet 9b Inlet 9b Outlet 10 Partition 11 Piping 12 Sprinkling nozzle 13, 14 Partition

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An air cooler is provided above an endless conveyor that moves horizontally in the apparatus and conveys a frozen object,
The cold air from the air cooler is blown onto the frozen object on the conveyor from the gaps of a large number of partition bodies that are spread across the width of the device at a required interval so as to be perpendicular to the traveling direction of the conveyor. A continuous freezing apparatus in which the partition body of the continuous freezing apparatus configured as described above is constituted by a column, and the partition body is provided so that the longitudinal direction is horizontal, and both upper and lower surfaces are not horizontal. .