JP5021587B2 - Continuous cooling / freezing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a continuous cooling / freezing apparatus for continuously cooling / freezing fresh food products and / or processed foods to be cooled / frozen, and in particular, on a belt conveyor that moves horizontally in a cooling chamber. The present invention relates to a continuous cooling / freezing device having a structure capable of enhancing the cooling effect of a to-be-cooled / frozen object placed on the head.

  Conventionally, as one method for preserving fresh foods and processed foods, it has been widely performed to cool and freeze these foods. In addition, when cooling / freezing, an apparatus is also known that cools and freezes by blowing cold air to the object to be cooled / frozen that is carried into the cooling chamber via a belt conveyor (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Also, a device that guides the cold air from the cooler to the cooled / frozen object carried into the cooling chamber via the belt conveyor by a duct to the upper surface of the cooled / frozen object and blows the cold air directly on the cooled / frozen object Is also known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  In addition, a plurality of headers having nozzles provided with slit-shaped cold air outlets are juxtaposed along the belt conveyor above and / or below the belt conveyor that moves horizontally in the cooling chamber, and cool air from the cooler There is also known an apparatus that cools and freezes by feeding cold air into the header through a duct, and blowing cold air directly from the cold air outlet of the nozzle toward the object to be cooled / frozen on the belt conveyor (no patent document). The structure of the header known in the apparatus is shown in FIGS.

  8 and 9, reference numeral 101 denotes a header, and reference numeral 102 denotes a nozzle attached to the peripheral surface of the header 101. The header 101 is formed as a cylindrical body having a substantially circular cross section, and one end 103 side is opened, and the other end 104 side is normally closed by an opening / closing lid 105. Further, a slit-like opening 106 extending from the vicinity of one end 103 toward the vicinity of the other end 104 is provided on the peripheral surface of the header 101, and the peripheral surface of the header 101 is covered so as to cover the opening 106. The hollow cylindrical nozzle 102 is attached.

  The proximal end of the nozzle 102 is fixed to the periphery of the opening 106 of the header 101 by welding or the like, and a slit-like cold air outlet 107 is provided at the distal end. Note that the internal space of the nozzle 102 is formed with substantially the same size from the base end side to the tip end, and the connecting portion 108 between the base end of the nozzle 102 and the opening 106 of the header 101 is substantially as shown in FIG. They are connected at right angles.

  The header 101 thus configured has a cooling chamber (see FIG. 5) with the cold air outlet 107 of the nozzle 102 being substantially parallel to the upper surface of the belt conveyor (not shown) and orthogonal to the flow of the belt conveyor. (Not shown). Then, the header 101 takes in cool air sent from a cooler (not shown) into the header 101 from one end 103 side, passes through the inside of the nozzle 102 attached to the peripheral surface, and blows the cold air that becomes the tip of the nozzle 102. Spray directly from the outlet 107 toward the object to be cooled / frozen (not shown) on the belt conveyor.

In addition, the header 101 may be formed in a polygonal shape (in this example, a hexagon) as shown in FIG.
JP-A-8-5213 JP-A-7-99950

  By the way, today's trend in equipment that cools and freezes frozen foods and / or processed foods such as fresh foods and / or processed foods is that the quality and especially the cooling / freezing time due to high wind speed (cool air is blown at high speed). And shortening of the equipment and the cleaning of the equipment are required.

  To increase the wind speed, the air resistance is low, and the shape is less abruptly expanded / reduced to reduce the pressure loss due to ventilation, and a large air volume (wind speed) can be blown to the object to be cooled / frozen with low power. A structure is required. However, in the conventional header 101 shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, the nozzle 102 is connected so as to intersect the opening 103 of the header 101 at a substantially right angle, and the inner space of the nozzle 102 is the base end side. It is formed in almost the same size from the tip to the tip. For this reason, when cold air flows into the nozzle 102 from the opening 103 of the header 101, a vortex flow is generated in the connecting portion 108, pressure loss occurs, and the cold air does not flow smoothly from the header 101 into the nozzle 102. there were.

  In addition, although cleanability is required to clean the apparatus, in the conventional header 101 shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, the header 101 is disposed substantially parallel to the upper surface of the belt conveyor. For this reason, when water spraying and detergent cleaning are performed during cleaning, a part of the water and the detergent accumulates on the bottom surface of the header 101, which hinders cleanliness.

  Therefore, there is a technical problem to be solved in order to realize high quality with the shortening of the cooling / freezing time and the cleaning of the apparatus by increasing the wind speed of the apparatus, and the present invention solves this problem. With the goal.

The present invention has been proposed to achieve the above object, and the invention according to claim 1 has a slit-shaped cold air outlet above or / and below a belt conveyor that moves horizontally in the cooling chamber. A plurality of cylindrical headers with nozzles attached to the peripheral surface are juxtaposed along the belt conveyor, the cool air from the cooler is sent into the header, and the cold air outlet is used for cooling and freezing on the belt conveyor. In the continuous cooling and freezing device configured to blow out toward the
The header is formed in a circular cross section, the connecting portion connecting the nozzle and the header is a gently curved surface, and the nozzle is narrowed from the header toward the cold air outlet. And is configured to gradually increase the protruding amount of the nozzle from the header from one end side to the other end side of the header, and the tip end surface of the nozzle is substantially the same as the belt conveyor. Arranged in parallel, the header is provided in the cooling chamber,
In addition, a support wall extending in the vertical direction is provided on both end sides of the header, and a flange-like flange is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the opening on one end side of the header for mounting on a mounting window formed on the support wall on one end side of the support wall. Is provided, and a continuous cooling / freezing apparatus is provided in which the opening on the other end side of the header can be positioned and held after the flange is mounted .

  According to this configuration, when the cold air blown into the header from the cooler flows into the nozzle from the header, the connection portion formed on the gentle curved surface connecting the nozzle and the header is Smoothly flows from the header into the nozzle to reduce pressure loss. In addition, the internal space of the nozzle is formed in a substantially V-shaped cross section that narrows from the header toward the cold air outlet, and the opening area leading from the header to the inside of the nozzle is gently reduced, so from the header to the cold air outlet of the nozzle The pressure resistance and pressure loss of the cold air during the period are also reduced. As a result, it is possible to blow a large air volume (wind speed) onto the object to be cooled and frozen with a small power.

  Furthermore, since the header is formed in a circular cross section, even when the header is washed, even if water spraying and detergent cleaning are performed, the water and the detergent flow down along all the surfaces of the header, and all surfaces when the water flows down. Wash.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a cylindrical header having a nozzle having a slit-like cold air outlet is attached to the belt conveyor above or / and below the belt conveyor that moves horizontally in the cooling chamber. In a continuous cooling / freezing device configured to be arranged in parallel, send cold air from a cooler into the header, and blow out from the cold air outlet toward the object to be cooled / frozen on the belt conveyor,
The header is formed in a circular cross section, the connecting portion connecting the nozzle and the header is a gently curved surface, and the nozzle is narrowed from the header toward the cold air outlet. And is configured to gradually increase the protruding amount of the nozzle from the header from one end side to the other end side of the header, and the tip end surface of the nozzle is substantially the same as the belt conveyor. Ri Na providing the header to the cooling chamber arranged in parallel,
In addition, support walls extending in the vertical direction are provided on both end sides of the header,
A hook-shaped flange is fixed to the outer periphery of the opening on the one end side of the header for mounting on a mounting window formed on the support wall on one end side of the support wall, and the other end side opening of the header is positioned and held after the flange is mounted. Configure as possible
Furthermore, when the header is juxtaposed below the belt conveyor, there is provided a continuous cooling / freezing device in which an opening / closing lid is attached to the outer peripheral edge of the other end opening of the header so as to be freely opened and closed .

  According to this configuration, when the cold air blown into the header from the cooler flows into the nozzle from the header, the connection portion formed on the gentle curved surface connecting the nozzle and the header is Smoothly flows from the header into the nozzle to reduce pressure loss. In addition, the internal space of the nozzle is formed in a substantially V-shaped cross section that narrows from the header toward the cold air outlet, and the opening area leading from the header to the inside of the nozzle is gently reduced, so from the header to the cold air outlet of the nozzle The pressure resistance and pressure loss of the cold air during the period are also reduced. As a result, it is possible to blow a large air volume (wind speed) onto the object to be cooled and frozen with a small power.

  Furthermore, since the header is formed in a circular cross section, even when the header is washed, even if water spraying and detergent cleaning are performed, the water and the detergent flow down along all the surfaces of the header, and all surfaces when the water flows down. Wash.

  Further, the amount of protrusion from the header of the nozzle is gradually increased from one end side to the other end side of the header, and the header is arranged with the tip end surface of the nozzle substantially parallel to the belt conveyor. Since the header is provided, the header is disposed in a state where the bottom portion is lowered from one end side toward the other end side. Thereby, the water and the detergent put in the inside by washing or the like flow to the discharge side and are drained by the inclination of the bottom of the header.

  According to this configuration, when the header is inserted from a mounting window provided on one support wall to a predetermined position toward the other support wall, the header is positioned and held by the mounting window at a predetermined position.

  Also, when the cool air blown into the header from the cooler flows into the nozzle from the header, the connecting part formed on the gentle curved surface connecting the nozzle and the header Smoothly flow inward to reduce pressure loss. Furthermore, the internal space of the nozzle is formed in a substantially V-shaped section that narrows from the header toward the cold air outlet, and the opening area that leads from the header to the inside of the nozzle is gently narrowed, so from the header to the cold air outlet of the nozzle The pressure resistance and pressure loss of the cold air during the period are also reduced. As a result, it is possible to blow a large air volume (wind speed) onto the object to be cooled and frozen with a small power.

  In addition, since the header has a circular cross section, even when the header is washed, water and detergent are washed down along all sides of the header, Clean the surface.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the pressure resistance and pressure loss of the cold air between the header and the cold air outlet of the nozzle are small, the wind speed can be increased with a small power, and the cooling / freezing time can be shortened. In addition, when water spraying and detergent cleaning are performed, the water and detergent flow down along all the surfaces of the header, so that the cleaning performance is improved and high cleaning is possible. Furthermore, the bottom part of the header is arranged in a state where it descends from one end to the other end, and water and detergent etc. that are put into the header by washing flow to the discharge side due to the inclination of the bottom part of the header and are naturally drained. Therefore, it is possible to achieve higher cleaning performance and cleanliness. And this invention, since the header can be easily held by the mounting window of the support wall when the header is inserted from the mounting window provided on one support wall to the predetermined position toward the other support wall, Workability when removing and installing headers for cleaning and maintenance inspections can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the pressure resistance and pressure loss of the cold air between the header and the cold air outlet of the nozzle are small, the wind speed can be increased with a small power, and the cooling / freezing time can be shortened. Further, when performing the sprinkler and detergent washing and the like, to improve cleanability because flows down the water and detergent are transmitted to all aspects of the header, Ri higher cleanliness can be Na, further, the bottom of the header end Water and detergent etc. that are arranged in a state that descends from the side toward the other end, and that is put into the header by washing can flow to the discharge side due to the inclination of the bottom of the header and can be drained naturally , so even higher washing The header is arranged in such a way that the bottom of the header is lowered from one end side toward the other end side, and is arranged so that it flows inward by washing. Draining can be done easily by opening the lid.

This invention, insertion of headers to a predetermined position from the mounting window provided on one of the support walls toward the other support wall, it is possible to easily hold the header by the mounting window of the support wall, washed Improve workability when removing and installing headers for maintenance and inspection.

  Further, since the pressure resistance and pressure loss of the cold air between the header and the cold air outlet of the nozzle are small, it is possible to increase the wind speed with a small power and shorten the cooling / freezing time. Further, when water spraying and detergent cleaning are performed, the water and detergent flow down along all the surfaces of the header, so that the cleaning performance is improved and high cleaning can be achieved.

  In order to achieve the object of shortening the cooling / freezing time by increasing the wind speed of the apparatus and improving the quality accompanied by the cleaning of the apparatus, the present invention is arranged above the belt conveyor moving horizontally in the cooling chamber or / In addition, a plurality of cylindrical headers having nozzles having slit-like cold air outlets attached to the peripheral surface thereof are juxtaposed along the belt conveyor, and cool air from a cooler is sent into the header, In the continuous cooling / freezing apparatus configured to blow out from the outlet toward the object to be cooled / frozen on the belt conveyor, the header is formed in a circular cross section, and the connection between the nozzle and the header is connected This is realized by making the portion a gentle curved surface and forming the nozzle in a substantially V-shaped cross section that narrows from the header toward the cold air outlet.

  Hereinafter, the continuous cooling / freezing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to preferred embodiments. 1 to 3 show a continuous cooling / freezing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a transverse sectional view of the apparatus, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus, and FIG. -A line sectional drawing is shown.

  1 to 3, the cooling chamber 2 defined by the apparatus outer plate 1 is provided with belt conveyor inlet / outlet openings 3 and 4 at the front and rear.

  In the lower part of the cooling chamber 2, a belt conveyor 5 that moves horizontally is installed between the belt conveyor entrance and exit openings 3 and 4. The belt conveyor 5 is composed of a net belt or a steel belt. And the to-be-cooled / frozen food 6 such as fresh food and / or processed food placed on the belt conveyor 5 at the belt conveyor entrance / exit opening 3 passes through the cooling chamber 2 to the belt conveyor entrance / exit opening 4. Further, it can be discharged to the outside of the cooling chamber 2.

  A plurality of coolers 7 and 7 are juxtaposed in the front-rear direction (the moving direction of the belt conveyor 5) in the upper part of the cooling chamber 2. Further, in the cooling chamber 2, support walls 8A and 8B extending in the vertical direction are provided on both the left and right sides of the belt conveyor 5, respectively. Of the left and right support walls 8A and 8B, one support wall 8A is a partition wall that is provided from the ceiling to the floor of the cooling chamber 2 and has no air permeability. Seven and seven cold air ducts 9 are defined. The other support wall 8B is formed as a partition wall having air permeability through which cool air freely circulates. Although not shown, the apparatus outer plate 1 is provided with a plurality of open / close doors on the side surfaces corresponding to the support walls 8A and 8B, and the inside of the cold air duct 9 and the cooling chamber 2 is cleaned through the open / close doors. And maintenance can be performed.

  Further, a plurality of headers 10, 10 are provided between the left and right support walls 8A, 8B and above the upper surface portion 5a of the belt conveyor 5 and below the upper surface portion 5a of the belt conveyor 5, respectively. The neighbors are juxtaposed with each other at a predetermined interval.

  The header 10 has a circular cross section as shown in FIG. 5 and a cylindrical body having both ends opened as shown in FIG. 4, and a slit-like shape extending in the both end directions on the circumferential surface. A through hole 11 is provided. A flange-like flange 12 is fixed to the outer peripheral edge of the one end opening 10a of the header 10, and an opening / closing lid 13 is attached to the outer peripheral edge of the other end opening 10b so as to be opened and closed. Further, a nozzle 14 having an internal air passage 16 communicating with the inside of the header 10 is attached to the inner peripheral edge of the through hole 11 by welding a base end portion 14 a to the header 10. A cold air outlet 15 is formed at the tip of the internal air passage 16.

  The nozzle 14 has a horizontal cross-sectional shape that protrudes from the base end portion 14a to the tip end portion 14b and has substantially the same shape as the through hole 11 of the header 10, and protrudes from the peripheral surface of the header 10 outward at a substantially right angle. It is installed in a state. Accordingly, the cross-sectional shapes of the internal air passage 16 and the cold air outlet 15 in the nozzle 14 are also slits. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the nozzle 14 has a cross-sectional shape that gradually narrows from the proximal end portion 14a (header 10 side) toward the distal end portion 14b (cold air outlet 15 side) in both the outer shape and the internal air passage 16. It is formed in a V shape. The base end portion 14 a of the nozzle 14 is inserted into the header 10 through the through hole 11 and is welded to the outer peripheral surface of the header 10. The connection portion 17 connecting the base end portion 14a of the nozzle 14 and the header 10 is formed in a shape that draws a gentle curved surface, and the gentle curved shape is formed by cold air flowing into the nozzle 14 from the header 10. Has a function to guide the flow smoothly.

  Further, the protruding tip portion 14b of the nozzle 14 provided on the lower side of the upper surface portion 5a of the belt conveyor 5 has a protruding amount from the header 10 at the other end opening from the one end opening 10a side of the header 10 as shown in FIG. It is formed so as to gradually increase as it goes to the 10b side.

  The header 10 configured in this manner directs the cold air outlet 15 of the nozzle 14 to the upper surface portion 5a of the belt conveyor 5, and makes the tip surface (cold air outlet 15) of the nozzle 14 substantially parallel to the upper surface portion 5a. In addition, the flange 12 on the one end opening 10a side is positioned and engaged with the mounting window 18A provided on the support wall 8A, and the other end opening 10b side normally closed by the opening / closing lid 13 is provided on the support wall 8B. It is attached by positioning engagement with 18B. Therefore, the header 10 disposed below the upper surface portion 5a of the belt conveyor 5 is such that the bottom portion is lowered from the one end opening 10a side toward the other end opening 10b because the protruding amount of the nozzle 14 is changed. It will be arranged incline to. In addition, the header 10 arrange | positioned above the upper surface part 5a of the belt conveyor 5 may have the same protrusion amount of the nozzle 14.

  Thus, in the continuous cooling / freezing device, when the cool air is blown into the cool air duct 9 from the cooler 7, the cool air in the cool air duct 9 flows into the header 10 from the one end opening 10a, and further inside the nozzle 14 The air is blown out from the cold air outlet 15 through the air passage 16 toward the upper surface portion 5 a of the belt conveyor 5 in the cooling chamber 2. Thereby, the to-be-cooled / frozen product 6 such as fresh food and / or processed food placed on the belt belt conveyor 5 is cooled, and the warm air is returned to the cooler 7 and re-cooled. Then, the air is blown into the cold air duct 9.

  Further, in the continuous cooling / freezing apparatus of the present embodiment, the connecting portion 17 that connects the base end portion 14a of the nozzle 14 and the inner surface of the header 10 is formed with a gentle curved surface. When the cool air blown into the header 10 from 2 through the cool air duct 9 flows into the nozzle 14, the gentle curved surface of the connecting portion 17 guides the cool air smoothly and reduces the pressure loss. Further, the internal air passage 16 of the nozzle 14 is formed in a substantially V-shaped cross-section that narrows from the header 10 toward the cold air outlet 15, and the opening area leading from the header 10 into the nozzle 14 is gently reduced. The pressure resistance and pressure loss of the cold air between the nozzle 14 and the cold air outlet 15 of the nozzle 14 are also reduced. As a result, a large air volume (wind speed) can be blown to the object to be cooled / frozen with low power, and the cooling / freezing time can be shortened.

  Further, the header 10 is formed in a circular cross section so that the water and the detergent flow down along all the surfaces of the header 10 when watering and cleaning are performed, and all the surfaces are cleaned when the water flows down. As a result, the cleaning performance is improved and high cleaning becomes possible.

  Further, the header 10 is disposed in a state where the bottom portion of the header 10 is lowered from one end side toward the other end side, and water, detergent, and the like sprayed into the inside by cleaning are inclined by the inclination of the bottom portion of the header 10. Since it arrange | positions so that it may flow to the other end opening 10 (discharge) side, it can drain easily by opening the opening-and-closing lid 13.

  When the header 10 is attached to the left and right support walls 8A and 8B, the header 10 with the opening / closing lid 13 and the nozzle 14 attached to the support wall 8A on the cold air duct 9 side, for example, as shown in FIG. An attachment window 18A formed in a passing shape is provided, and a header 10 having an opening / closing lid 13 attached to the opposite support wall 8B, for example, as shown in FIG. A window 18B is provided. The header 10 is inserted from the opening window 18A side of the support wall 8A toward the support wall 8B side until the flange 12 contacts the outer edge of the opening window 18A, and the header 10 is inserted into the mounting window 18B on the support wall 8B side. If one end of the insertion side is engaged and the other end is engaged with the opening window 18A side of the support wall 8A, the header 10 can be easily positioned and held by the left and right support walls 8A and 8B, and removed in the opposite direction. However, if the operation is reversed, the header 10 can be easily removed, so that the header 10 can be removed and attached during cleaning, maintenance and inspection.

  The present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention naturally extends to the modified ones.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a continuous cooling / freezing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the continuous cooling and freezing apparatus which shows the Example of this invention. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. The BB expanded sectional view of FIG. CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. The top view which shows the Example of this invention and shows an example which attached the one end side of the duct to the support wall. The top view which shows the Example of this light and shows an example which attached the other end side of the duct to the support wall. The longitudinal section side view of a duct which shows an example of the prior art. The DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the other example of the conventional duct.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Apparatus outer plate 2 Cooling chamber 5 Belt conveyor 5a Upper surface part 6 Cooled object / frozen thing 7 Cooler 8A Support wall 8B Support wall 9 Cold air duct 10 Header 10a One end opening 10b Other end opening 13 Opening / closing lid 14 Nozzle 14a Base end part 14b Protruding tip 15 Cold air outlet 17 Connection portion 18A Mounting window 18B Mounting window

Claims (2)

A plurality of cylindrical headers having nozzles having slit-like cold air outlets attached to the peripheral surface thereof are juxtaposed along the belt conveyor above and / or below a belt conveyor that moves horizontally in the cooling chamber, and a cooler In the continuous cooling / freezing device configured to send the cold air from the inside of the header and blow out from the cold air outlet toward the object to be cooled / frozen on the belt conveyor,
The header is formed in a circular cross section, the connecting portion connecting the nozzle and the header is a gently curved surface, and the nozzle is narrowed from the header toward the cold air outlet. And is configured to gradually increase the protruding amount of the nozzle from the header from one end side to the other end side of the header, and the tip end surface of the nozzle is substantially the same as the belt conveyor. Arranged in parallel, the header is provided in the cooling chamber,
In addition, support walls extending in the vertical direction are provided on both end sides of the header,
A hook-shaped flange is fixed to the outer periphery of the opening on the one end side of the header for mounting on a mounting window formed on the support wall on one end side of the support wall, and the other end side opening of the header is positioned and held after the flange is mounted. A continuous cooling / freezing device characterized in that it can be configured . A plurality of cylindrical headers having nozzles having slit-like cold air outlets attached to the peripheral surface thereof are juxtaposed along the belt conveyor above and / or below a belt conveyor that moves horizontally in the cooling chamber, and a cooler In the continuous cooling / freezing device configured to send the cold air from the inside of the header and blow out from the cold air outlet toward the object to be cooled / frozen on the belt conveyor,
The header is formed in a circular cross section, the connecting portion connecting the nozzle and the header is a gently curved surface, and the nozzle is narrowed from the header toward the cold air outlet. And is configured to gradually increase the protruding amount of the nozzle from the header from one end side to the other end side of the header, and the tip end surface of the nozzle is substantially the same as the belt conveyor. Ri Na providing the header to the cooling chamber arranged in parallel,
In addition, support walls extending in the vertical direction are provided on both end sides of the header,
A hook-shaped flange is fixed to the outer periphery of the opening on the one end side of the header for mounting on a mounting window formed on the support wall on one end side of the support wall, and the other end side opening of the header is positioned and held after the flange is mounted. Configure as possible
Further, when the header is juxtaposed below the belt conveyor, an open / close lid is attached to the outer peripheral edge of the other end opening of the header so as to be freely opened and closed .

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