JP4781983B2 - Tunnel steamer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tunnel-type steamer used when steaming food such as steamed buns.

  When steaming many steamed buns at the same time in food factories, etc., batch-type steamers are usually used, and the dough material of the steamed buns is placed in the steamer's steaming chamber, the door is closed, Steam is supplied into the steaming chamber, or steam is generated in the steaming chamber, and the steaming bun is steamed.

  However, the batch-type steamer has a limit on the size of the steaming chamber used, and the number (amount) of steaming buns that can be placed in the steaming chamber at one time is limited. It is difficult to steam efficiently.

Therefore, while the dough material of the steamed bun is being carried into the steaming room by a tunnel type steamer with a conveyor in the steaming room, the steam is supplied into the steaming room and the dough is heated in the heated steam atmosphere in the tunnel type steaming room. Attempts have been made to steam the steamed buns while moving the ingredients.
JP 2001-198013 A

  However, in a tunnel type steamer, the dough material of the steaming bun that moves in the steaming chamber is inevitably steamed with the inlet and outlet of the steaming chamber open. Steam is supplied, or non-pressure steam generated outside the steaming chamber is steamed into the steaming chamber to perform steaming treatment, but when steam in the steaming chamber is easily discharged from the entrance and exit, and the outside air enters the steaming chamber The steam that is most suitable for steaming tends to change outside the room, and the saturated steam and the steam that are suitable for steaming in the steaming room are likely to change.

  For this reason, the surface color of the steamed steamed bun deteriorated or cracks were easily generated, and it was difficult to steam the steamed steamed bun.

  On the other hand, as a tunnel-type steamer for food that steams and heat-treats seafood such as salmon, the food steamer shown in Patent Document 1 has been known. Since seafood is steamed through hot water, it cannot be used in steamers such as steamed buns.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tunnel-type steamer that can steam many steamed foods in a good steamed state and efficiently.

The tunnel-type steamer according to the present invention is a tunnel-type steamer in which a dough material for steamed food is carried into the steaming chamber by a conveyor device penetrating the steaming chamber and steamed, and a water tank is disposed below the steaming chamber. In addition, the upper conveying section of the conveyor device is movably positioned above the water tank, and a heating steam pipe is disposed in the water tank for boiling water in the water tank. A steam ejection pipe for ejecting steam is disposed below the upper conveying portion of the conveyor device. The conveyor device has a cloth belt laid on a wire bar conveyor, and a mesh belt is interposed on the cloth belt. A cloth wetting device for wetting the cloth belt with water is disposed in the vicinity of the lower conveying portion of the conveyor device, and the cloth wetting device has a dripping hole for dripping water. Drop water pipes drilled at a predetermined interval Characterized in that it is formed is arranged directly above the lower conveying part of the conveyor system.

Here, the steaming chamber is configured by arranging a substantially rectangular box-shaped steaming chamber cover body on the upper part of the water tank so as to be movable up and down, and the water tank is provided with a water level sensor for detecting the water level, and a heating steam pipe and to hold the water level between the steam jet pipe, based on the detection signal of the water level sensor, and controls the water supply valve of the water supply pipe may be configured to hold the water level in the water tank substantially constant.

  According to the tunnel-type steamer having the above-described configuration, the steam inside the water tank is heated by the supply of steam to the heating steam pipe, and the boiled and evaporated steam stays in the steam room while the steam jet pipe The superheated steam sprayed into the steaming chamber acts on the wet cloth belt to generate steam from the cloth belt, and a good steaming atmosphere is created. The dough material of the steamed food is carried into the steaming chamber from the inlet by the conveyor device, and the steamed food steamed from the outlet on the opposite side is carried out.

  The steaming chamber of the tunnel steamer is opened at the entrance through the conveyor, but the steaming atmosphere in the steaming chamber consists of wet steam generated by boiling water in the heating steam pipe and water tank, and wet cloth. By the superheated steam ejected from the belt and the steam ejection pipe, an atmosphere filled with wet steam and steam close to the saturated steam that is optimal for steaming food such as steamed buns is obtained. That is, the steaming chamber is filled with non-pressure steam without pressure due to steam generated in the steaming chamber. As a result, steamed foods such as a steamed bun with a good color and no cracks can be steamed well, as in the case of steaming buns with a batch type steamer or steamer.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 shows a side view of a tunnel steamer, FIG. 2 shows a plan view thereof, and FIGS. 3 and 4 show sectional views thereof. In the present tunnel type steamer, roughly, a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped water tank 3 is installed horizontally on a gantry 19, and a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped steam chamber cover body 4 is placed on the water tank 3 from above. A steaming chamber 2 is formed on the inner side, and an upper conveying portion 1a of the conveyor device 1 is arranged to penetrate through the steaming chamber 2.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of heating steam pipes 7 made of an erotic fin tube or the like are arranged in the water tank 3 installed on the gantry 19. The connecting pipes 21 at the ends of these heating steam pipes 7 are led out of the water tank 3, and a steam supply pipe connected to a steam supply source such as a boiler is connected to the connecting pipe 21. The water tank 3 is filled with water up to a predetermined water level position between the heating steam pipe 7 and a steam jet pipe 8 to be described later, and boiled by heating the heating steam pipe 7, but the water level in the water tank 3 is substantially constant. The water supply amount is controlled so as to maintain the water level.

  Further, a plurality of steam ejection pipes 8 are arranged at intervals in the short direction of the water tank 3, that is, in the transverse direction of the conveyor device 1, at an upper position slightly above the water level position in the water tank 3. These steam ejection pipes 8 are formed with a plurality of ejection holes 8a for ejecting steam upward. These ejection holes 8a are arranged so as to be located in the air above the water tank 3 filled with water.

  The connection pipe 27 of the steam ejection pipe 8 is connected to a steam supply pipe connected to a steam supply source (not shown), and each of the steam supply pipes connected to the heating steam pipe 7 and the steam ejection pipe 8 includes: An adjustment valve for adjusting the amount of steam supplied is provided, and the amount of steam supplied to the heating steam pipe 7 and the steam ejection pipe 8 can be adjusted separately.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the water tank 3 is equipped with a water level sensor 9 for detecting the water level, and an electric signal corresponding to the water level in the water tank 3 is output. The electric signal of the water level sensor 9 is sent to the water amount adjusting device, and the water amount adjusting device keeps the water level in the water tank 3 at a predetermined water level. A water supply valve is controlled to supply water into the water tank 3 through 18.

  The steaming chamber cover body 4 that covers the upper part of the water tank 3 and forms the outer shell of the steaming chamber 2 is mounted so as to be movable up and down by a lifting device (not shown), and the steaming chamber cover body 4 is raised to raise the steaming chamber. The upper part of 2 is opened, and the inside of the steaming chamber 2 can be easily cleaned. Moreover, the cover 4a for connection connected to an exhaust duct is attached to the both ends (portion part) of the steaming chamber cover body 4 so that the entrance and exit of the steaming chamber 2 may be covered. The connection cover 4a exhausts the steam emitted from the entrances at both ends of the steam chamber cover body 4 through the duct while sucking the steam through the covers, so that the outside air does not easily enter the steam chamber 2. Yes. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, a canopy cover 4b is provided in the steaming chamber cover body 4 so as to be inclined on both sides from the central portion thereof to prevent water droplets generated on the canopy portion from falling on the steamed product. Thus, water droplets are returned from the edges on both sides into the water tank 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 6, the conveyor device 1 for transporting steamed food is configured as a conveyor mainly composed of a wire bar conveyor 10, and further, the transport unit 1 a is movably penetrated into the steaming chamber 2. And are arranged substantially horizontally on the gantry 19. The lower conveying portion 1b (return path) of the conveyor device 1 is arranged in a form that moves below the water tank 3, and a lower guide rail 17 that slides and supports the conveyor chain is disposed below the water tank 3 in the longitudinal direction. It is provided along (conveying direction). Moreover, the upper conveyance part 1a of the conveyor apparatus 1 is located in the upper part of the water tank 3, and is supported so that the wire bar conveyor 10 of the conveyor apparatus 1 can slide from the lower side, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. An upper guide rail 16 is provided on the gantry 19 along the longitudinal direction (conveying direction).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the conveyor device 1 is configured such that conveyor chains 15 at both ends of an endless wire bar conveyor 10 are stretched between chain wheels 14 and 14 that are pivotally supported at both ends of a gantry 19. As shown in FIG. 6, an endless cloth belt 11 (band-shaped synthetic fiber cloth) is disposed on the wire bar conveyor 10 (outer peripheral part), and an endless net is further provided on the outer periphery (outer peripheral part). The belt 12 is arranged and configured.

  The mesh belt 12 is arranged for spacing so that the laying paper 13 laid on it is not too wet by the wet cloth belt 11, and the wire bar conveyor 10 has a number of conveyor chains 15, 15 on both sides. It is formed by connecting and arranging wire bars in the transverse direction at regular intervals so that the steam generated in the water tank 3 flows well in the steaming chamber 2. The shaft of the chain wheel 14 on the terminal end side of the conveyor device 1 is linked to a drive motor 26 with a speed reducer via a drive chain, and is driven to rotate at a low speed by the drive motor 26.

  The dough material of the steamed food such as steamed buns is laid on a net belt 12 with a laying paper 13 such as glassine paper and placed on the laying paper 13. The laying paper 13 is a laying paper roll (not shown). It is pulled out from, is placed on the upper conveyance part 1a of the conveyor apparatus 1, and is wound up by the laying paper winder provided in the conveyance edge part side.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in order to wet the cloth belt 11 on the wire bar conveyor 10, a cloth wetting device 20 for dripping water droplets onto the cloth belt 11 is disposed above the lower conveying portion 1 b of the conveyor device 1. It arrange | positions between the upper conveyance part 1a and the lower conveyance part 1b. The cloth wetting device 20 is formed by disposing a dripping water pipe 22 in which dripping holes for dripping water are formed at a predetermined interval right above the lower conveying portion 1b of the conveyor device 1.

  That is, the dripping water pipe 22 is horizontally arranged in the transverse direction between the upper transport unit 1a and the lower transport unit 1b near the start end of the conveyor device 1. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the dripping water pipe 22 is connected to a water supply pipe 23, and a water supply container 24 is disposed below the dripping water pipe 22, and water in the water supply container 24 is dropped through the water supply pipe 23 by a small pump. In this structure, water is supplied to the water pipe 22 and water is dropped from the dropping water pipe 22 onto the cloth belt 11. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a caster 20a is mounted on the bottom of the cloth wetting device 20 including the water supply container 24 and the dropping water pipe 22, and a guide caster 20b is also provided on the gantry 19 side. The entire apparatus 20 can be easily pulled out from the lower side of the conveyor apparatus 1 or can be easily pushed in.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a spraying device 25 is disposed above the starting end portion (left end portion in FIG. 1) of the conveyor device 1. The mist spraying device 25 is a device that sprays mist onto the dough material of the steamed food placed on the starting end of the conveyor device 1. A water drop receiver 28 is attached below the vicinity of the start end of the conveyor device 1, and water drops generated by the mist of the spray device 25 are received and collected by the receiver, and the water supply container 24 of the cloth wetting device 20 is collected. I try to put it inside.

  Next, the operation of the tunnel steamer configured as described above will be described. Water is supplied to the water tank 3 of the steaming chamber 2 up to a predetermined water level (substantially a position between the steam pipe for heating 7 and the steam jet pipe 8), and steam of about 130 ° C. is supplied from a steam supply source such as a boiler. Is supplied to the heating steam pipe 7 to boil the water in the water tank 3. At the same time, steam from the steam supply source is supplied to the steam ejection pipe 8 in the steaming chamber 2, and superheated steam is ejected from the ejection holes 8 a of the steam ejection pipe 8 toward the cloth belt 11 in the steaming chamber 2.

  On the other hand, since the cloth belt 11 of the conveyor device 1 is wet and damp due to the dripping of water by the cloth wetting device 20, the cloth belt 11 of the upper transport unit 1a entering the steaming chamber 2 is there. Moisture contained in is heated by receiving superheated steam and becomes steam and drifts around. As a result, an atmosphere of wet steam optimal for steaming the steamed food is created in the steaming chamber 2.

  In this state, a dough material for steamed food such as steamed bun is placed on the start end (left end in FIG. 1) of the conveyor device 1 that is driven to rotate at a low speed. The dough material is placed on the laying paper 13 laid on the conveyor device 1 at a slight interval, and the dough material is moistened by being sprayed with fog from the spraying device 25 at the start end, It is carried into the steaming chamber 2 by the operation of the conveyor device 1. The dough material that has entered the steaming chamber 2 together with the laying paper 13 moves in the steaming chamber 2 over a predetermined steaming time and is steamed.

  In the steaming chamber 2, the water in the water tank 3 is heated by the heating steam pipe 7, and the boiled and evaporated steam stays in the steaming chamber 2, while being jetted into the steaming chamber 2 from the steam ejection pipe 8. The superheated steam acts on the wet cloth belt 11, steam is generated from the cloth belt 11, and a good steaming atmosphere is created around the steamed food on the moving cloth belt 11. Accordingly, the dough material of the steamed food moves in such a steaming atmosphere over a predetermined time, so that it is steamed to a good state. Moreover, since many steamed foods are continuously carried into the steaming chamber 2 by the conveyor apparatus 1, many steamed foods can be efficiently steamed.

  Further, the steaming chamber 2 of the tunnel steamer is movably penetrated by the upper conveying portion 1a of the conveyor device 1 and its entrance is opened. The steaming atmosphere in the steaming chamber 2 is composed of wet steam and steam. A good steaming atmosphere is generated by generation. That is, the water in the water tank 3 is boiled by the heating steam pipe 7 to generate wet steam, and the superheated steam ejected from the steam ejection pipe 8 is brought into contact with the wet cloth belt 11 to generate steam. The steaming chamber 2 is filled with non-pressure steam without pressure due to the steam generated inside, and a steam atmosphere close to saturated steam due to the wet steam and steam is generated in the steaming chamber 2.

  Accordingly, steamed foods such as steamed buns with good luster and no cracks can be steamed well, similar to the case where steamed buns are steamed with steamed steam or batch type steamers.

It is a side view of the tunnel type steamer which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the tunnel type steamer. It is an expanded longitudinal cross-sectional view in the steaming chamber part of the tunnel type steamer. It is an expanded longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cloth wetting device position of the same tunnel type steamer. It is a perspective view of the water tank part of the tunnel type steamer. It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows structures, such as a cloth belt in a conveyor apparatus, a net belt, and a laying paper. It is an enlarged front view of the cloth wetting apparatus. It is a plane sectional view of a cloth wetting device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyor apparatus 1a Upper conveyance part 1b Lower conveyance part 2 Steaming chamber 3 Water tank 4 Steaming chamber cover body 7 Heating steam pipe 8 Steam ejection pipe 10 Wire bar conveyor 11 Cloth belt 12 Net belt 13 Sheet paper 15 Conveyor chain 18 Water supply pipe 19 Base 20 Cloth wetting device 22 Dropping water pipe

Claims (2)

In a tunnel-type steamer that brings the dough material of steamed food into the steaming chamber and steams it by a conveyor device that penetrates the steaming chamber,
A water tank is disposed in the lower part of the steaming chamber, and the upper conveying section of the conveyor device is positioned above the water tank so that the heating steam pipe boils water in the water tank in the water tank. A steam ejection pipe for ejecting steam at the upper part of the water tank and below the upper conveying portion of the conveyor device, and the conveyor device is provided with a cloth belt laid on a wire bar conveyor. , via network belt onto the fabric belt, laid paper fabric material is laid in the vicinity of the lower conveying part of the conveyor system, the cloth wet device is arranged to wet the cloth belt with water, cloth The wetting device is a tunnel-type steamer characterized in that a dripping water pipe in which dripping holes for dripping water are formed at predetermined intervals is disposed directly above the lower conveying portion of the conveyor device .   The steaming chamber is configured by arranging a substantially rectangular box-shaped steaming chamber cover body on an upper portion of the water tank so as to be movable up and down, the water tank is provided with a water level sensor for detecting the water level, and the heating steam pipe and The water level of the water tank is maintained substantially constant by controlling a water supply valve of the water supply pipe based on a detection signal of the water level sensor so that the water level is maintained between the steam jet pipe and the steam jet pipe. Item 1. A tunnel steamer according to item 1.

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