JP5271049B2 - Cooling and refrigeration using artificial snow - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooling device and a cooling method by using snow, enabling clean handling and eliminating or reducing a burden of cleaning of a storage, conveyance and water discharge. <P>SOLUTION: This cooling and refrigerating device by artificial snow includes: a snow silo (10) having a storage space (10h) which can be sealed to store the artificial snow (24); a snowfall nozzle (12c1) for blowing purified water to generate artificial snow within the storage space (10h); an artificial snow falling device (11) having a high-pressure pump (11a) for pressure feeding purified water to the snowfall nozzle (12c1); a cold air delivery pipe (15a) for sending out cold air within the storage space (10h) to outside for use for cooling or refrigerating; and a cold air return pipe (15b) for returning the cold air sent out from outside to inside of the storage space (10h). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for performing cooling or refrigeration in a hot season using snow.

Due to the recent trend of CO ₂ reduction and utilization of natural energy, snowfall in roads and parking lots is accumulated as snow mountains in snow dumps and open spaces in Hokkaido and Honshu, and plastic sheets and wood chips are used. It is used as a heat source for storing agricultural products and cooling houses.

Patent Documents 1 to 5 store the snowfall in the cold season, use the latent heat that melts the stored snow, and use it for cooling and refrigeration in the hot season, and the device is combined with a heat exchanger. The system is presented. There are many other similar techniques.
JP 7-293936 A JP 2003-335418 A JP 2005-299944 A JP 2008-164251 A Japanese Patent No. 3850385

However, all of the conventional techniques for performing cooling and the like using snow use natural snowfall. When using natural snowfall, there are the following problems.
Snow drainage accumulated in snowy mountains in urban areas is extremely unsanitary because it contains a large amount of waste such as dog and cat excrement and empty cans. In addition to these wastes, heat-insulating chips are also mixed in, so every year, great effort is required to clean them and to keep warm covers.
At the Toyako Summit held in June this year, thousands of tons of snow was collected in an insulated underground warehouse, stored in February, and used to cool the press center. It takes a lot of energy to transport such a large amount of fresh snow that does not contain dust from a distance. Moreover, even if it is fresh snow, since it contains the dust in air | atmosphere, after melting | dissolving, cleaning of a storage is needed. In addition, a large amount of water must be drained after thawing.

In view of the above problems, the present invention is capable of clean handling, cleaning reservoirs, without conveying and drainage burden, or which reduces the burden, providing a cold tufts refrigeration method using snow For the purpose.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following configurations. Numbers in parentheses are reference numerals in the drawings described later, and are attached for reference.

The method of cooling and refrigeration with artificial snow according to the present invention is a process of generating artificial snow (24) using purified water in the storage space (10h) of the snow silo (10) in the cold season and storing the artificial snow in the storage space When, after being subjected to the cooling or refrigerated by sending the cold air of the storage space (10h) to the outside in the period summer heat, possess a step of returning the cool air out said transmission from the outside to the reservoir space (10h) in In the step of storing the artificial snow, first, purified water is put into the snow silo to a certain depth, ice of a predetermined thickness is stretched on the surface, and then artificial snow is generated on the surface of the ice. It is characterized by storing .
In the cooling and refrigeration method, the step of storing the melted water of the artificial snow (24) stored in the storage space (10h) in a water storage tank (13) installed outside the snow silo, and the water storage tank ( 13) using the stored melt water, Ru preferably der to have a step for snowfall next artificial snow.

  In the present invention, since the snow to be stored in the storage space of the snow silo is artificial snow using purified water, the inside of the snow silo can be kept clean with no contamination of dirt and filth, so when using natural snowfall It is hygienic and less burdensome for cleaning. Further, materials such as a heat insulating sheet and a heat insulating chip are not necessary.

  Since the melted water from the artificial snow is free of dirt and dirt, it can be reused, and even if the melted water is discarded, there is no negative impact on the environment. Since purified water may be a water supply, this invention can be implemented also in an urban area. In addition, it can be installed in a small space without impairing the environment and beauty of the city.

  Further, since artificial snow is generated in the storage space of the snow silo, it is not necessary to transport or carry in external snow.

  By storing the molten water in an external water storage tank, it can be reused as purified water for the next year, that is, the next year's artificial snow. Since the storage space and water storage tank of the snow silo are almost closed from the outside, there is little possibility that the purified water used at the beginning will be contaminated. Therefore, it can be used repeatedly every year, and the cost of purified water does not cost much. In addition, it is not necessary to discard the molten water.

  If necessary, either cold air or cold water, or both can be circulated simultaneously. Moreover, according to the air-conditioning refrigeration apparatus using snow, comfortable cool air with very low humidity can be sent out.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings showing examples.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view schematically showing an embodiment of a cooling and refrigeration apparatus using artificial snow according to the present invention. In addition, the part (the part below the broken line G) embed | buried underground is also shown. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the refrigeration cooling apparatus 1 shown in FIG.

  A snow silo 10 which is a main part of the air conditioner 1 and is a storage for artificial snow is composed of a cylindrical side wall portion 10a, an upward conical roof portion 10b, and a downward conical bottom floor portion 10c. The interior of the storage space is almost sealed. The size of the snow silo 10 is, for example, 6 to 12 m in diameter, and the height is about 1.2 times the diameter. The side wall portion 10a, the roof portion 10b, and the lower floor portion 10c can be made of any material such as concrete, steel, plastic, etc. In any case, a highly heat insulating structure may be used and a heat insulating material may be used as appropriate. . A plurality of windows 10e that can be opened and closed are formed on the side wall 10a, and a plurality of windows 10f that can be opened and closed are also formed on the roof 10b. There is an opening in the zenith portion of the roof portion 10b, and a zenith opening lid 10g that can be opened and closed is provided.

A cold air delivery pipe 15a is connected to the lower part of the side wall part 10a, and a cold air return pipe 15b is connected to the upper part. Although not shown, an appropriate heat exchange system exists between the tubes 15a and 15b, and is used for cooling or refrigeration in the hot season.
There is a water reservoir 10d at the bottom of the bottom floor 10c, to which a cold water delivery pipe 16a and a cold water return pipe 16b are connected. Although not shown, an appropriate heat exchange system also exists between these tubes 16a and 16b, and is used for cooling or refrigeration in the hot season.

  An artificial snowfall machine 11 is installed outside the snow silo 10. As two means for supplying purified water to the artificial snowfall device 11, an internal purified water supply pipe 12a and an external purified water supply pipe 12b are connected. The purified water pumping pipe 12 c connected to the artificial snowfall machine 11 extends upward and reaches just above the zenith opening lid 10 g of the snow silo 10. The end opening of the purified water pumping pipe 12c is formed downward, and a snowfall nozzle 12c1 is attached. Clean water is sprayed from the snowfall nozzle 12c1. The position of the snowfall nozzle 12c1 in the vertical direction can be adjusted, and can be lowered into the snow silo 10 as necessary.

  Furthermore, a water tank 13 is installed outside the snow silo 10. The water storage tank 13 stores molten water (purified water) drained from the snow silo 10 through the drain pipe 14a. The pump 13a can take in the molten water stored in the water storage tank 13 and return it to the snow silo 10 through the intake pipe 14b. Conversely, it is also possible to use the pump 13 a to forcibly move the molten water accumulated in the lower part of the snow silo 10 to the water storage tank 13. A manhole cover 13b is provided for internal maintenance.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the inside of the snow silo 10 is a storage space 10h. The cold air delivery pipe 15a penetrates into the storage space 10h and is connected to the lower end of the cold air intake pipe 15a2 extending in the vertical direction. A plurality of cold air intakes 15a3 are formed in the tube wall of the cold air intake tube 15a2 at predetermined intervals.

  The window 10e provided in the side wall 10a becomes an opening by opening the door. Moreover, the window 10f provided in the roof part 10b also becomes an opening part by opening a door. By opening the zenith opening lid 10g of the roof portion, the snowfall nozzle 12c1 of the clean water pumping pipe 12c can be arranged at the upper end of the storage space 10h.

A high pressure pump 11a is installed inside the artificial snowfall machine 11, and is connected to the internal purified water supply pipe 12a and the external purified water supply pipe 12b through a valve 11a1. For convenience, the valve 11a1 is shown by three valves, but this schematically shows a switching valve that switches any two of the high-pressure pump 11a, the internal purified water supply pipe 12a, and the external purified water supply pipe 12b to communicate with each other. It is switchable as necessary.
2, the high pressure pump 11a of the artificial snowfall device 11 may be installed at a height near the zenith opening lid 10g of the snow silo 10. If it does in this way, the burden of a high-pressure pump will decrease and purified water injection efficiency will improve.

  Valves 14a1 and 14b1 are provided on the drainage pipe 14a and the intake pipe 14b, respectively. The cold air delivery pipe 15a and the cold air return pipe 15b are also provided with valves 15a1 and 15b1, respectively. The cold water delivery pipe 16a and the cold water return pipe 16b are also provided with valves 16a1 and 16b1, respectively. These valves are appropriate gate valves and are controlled to open and close as necessary.

  With reference to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the operation | movement process of the 1st year cold season (winter season etc.) which supplies the purified water from the outside and operates with respect to the air_conditioning | refrigeration apparatus of this invention is demonstrated. This process is performed when the apparatus 1 is used for the first time, or when the purified water used so far is discarded and replaced with new purified water. Further, this cold season process is performed by selecting a sufficiently cold time and time.

FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating a first step in the cold season of the first year. In the figure, the open valve is shown in white and the closed valve is shaded (the same applies to the following figures). Initially, the storage space 10h and the water tank 13 are empty.
First, the external purified water supply pipe 12b and the internal purified water supply pipe 12a are connected, and purified water from the outside is introduced into the storage space 10h to a predetermined depth (the flow of purified water is indicated by white arrows, the same applies hereinafter). For example, it is inserted up to the boundary between the bottom floor 10c and the side wall 10a. The purified water from the outside includes water from clean water and clean natural water. Water that is suitable for farming is sufficiently suitable. Also, instead of transporting from a distance, use water that is readily available.

  Next, all the windows 10e of the side wall part 10a and the window 10f of the roof part 10b are opened, and a flow is generated such that external cold air flows in from the window 10e and flows out of the window 10f (see black arrows). The ice 22 having an appropriate thickness is stretched on the surface of the purified water in the storage space 10h after being left for an appropriate period. Since artificial snow is deposited on the ice 22, the thickness is set so as not to be broken by its weight during the storage period. For example, it is about 5 to 10 cm. The temperature increase in the snow silo 10 can be suppressed by stretching the ice 22. In particular, when artificial snow is generated by water purification jet in the next step, it is effective for suppressing temperature rise due to latent heat, and artificial snow can be generated reliably.

  FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a second step in the cold season of the first year. As in FIG. 3A, all windows 10e and 10f are opened. The high-pressure pump 11a of the artificial snowfall machine is driven, purified water is taken in from the external purified water supply pipe 12b, and purified water is pumped to the purified water pumping pipe 12c. A spray 23 of purified water is sprayed from the snowfall nozzle 12c1 disposed in the vicinity of the upper end of the storage space 10h. The purified water spray 23 is immediately frozen to generate artificial snow 24, which accumulates on the ice stretched in the storage space 10h.

  When a predetermined amount of artificial snow has accumulated in the storage space 10h, the snowfall nozzle 12c1 is removed, and all the windows 10e and 10f and the zenith opening lid 10g are closed. In this way, the artificial snow is stored in the almost sealed state until the hot season. In this way, artificial snow is generated and stored in the winter and used for cooling and refrigeration in the summer. When used for cooling, the artificial snow in the snow silo is designed to stay for at least 10 months. In addition, when it is used for refrigeration of food, etc., it is designed so that artificial snow in the snow silo stays throughout the year.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation process in a hot season (summer season, etc.). In the hot season, the stored artificial snow gradually begins to melt as the temperature rises. Due to the latent heat at this time, the interior of the storage space 10h is cooled and filled with cold air.
The valves of the cold air delivery pipe 15a and the cold air return pipe 15b are opened, and an appropriate pump (not shown) is operated to circulate the cold air, thereby refrigeration such as cooling in the house and fresh product storage. The cold air is supplied from the cold air intake port 15a3 in the storage space 10h through the cold air intake tube 15a2 to the appropriate heat exchange system through the cold air delivery tube 15a. The cold air after the heat exchange is returned to the storage space 10h by the cold air return pipe 15b.

  Moreover, when the artificial snow is melted, the melted water accumulates in the lower part of the storage space 10h. The ice 22 also breaks, and the purified water, the melted water, and the ice 22 that originally existed under the ice are mixed to form an ice water state. Cooling or refrigeration can be performed by circulating the cold water in the lower part. The valves of the cold water delivery pipe 16a and the cold water return pipe 16b connected to the lowermost cylindrical water reservoir 16 are opened, and an appropriate pump (not shown) is operated to circulate the cold water.

The valve of the drain pipe 14a is opened, and when the amount of the molten water exceeds this level, the water is naturally drained toward the water storage tank 13. Thus, the molten water is stored in the water storage tank 13. For example, when the artificial snow is completely melted, the molten water corresponding to about half of the original amount of the artificial snow is stored in the water storage tank 13, and the molten water corresponding to the other half is stored in the storage space 10h. To be left at the bottom. Alternatively, the pump 13a of the water storage tank 13 may be driven to forcibly move the molten water in the storage space 10h to the water storage tank 13. This molten water is clean water.
Thus, the purified water used in the first year can be stored separately in the lower part of the water storage tank 13 and the storage space 10h, or can be stored only in the water storage tank 13.

  With reference to FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, the operation process after the 2nd year which operates the air-conditioning / refrigeration apparatus of this invention using the purified water preserve | saved inside is demonstrated.

  Drawing 5A is a figure showing the 1st process of the cold season after the 2nd year. First, the pump 13a is driven, and the purified water stored in the water storage tank 13 is taken into the storage space 10h until it reaches a predetermined depth. For example, it is inserted up to the boundary between the bottom floor 10c and the side wall 10a.

  Next, all the windows 10e of the side wall 10a and the window 10f of the roof 10b are opened, and a flow is generated such that external cold air flows in from the window 10e and flows out of the window 10f. The ice 22 having an appropriate thickness is stretched on the surface of the purified water in the storage space 10h after being left for an appropriate period. This stage is the same as in FIG. 3A.

  Drawing 5B is a figure showing the 2nd process of the cold season after the 2nd year. As in FIG. 5A, all windows 10e and 10f are opened. The pump 13a is driven to take the purified water stored in the water storage tank 13 and feed it under the ice in the storage space 10h. At the same time, the high pressure pump 11a of the artificial snowfaller is driven to pass through the internal purified water supply pipe 12a. The purified water in the lower part of the storage space 10h is taken in and the purified water is pumped to the purified water pumping pipe 12c. A spray 23 of purified water is sprayed from the snowfall nozzle 12c1 disposed in the vicinity of the upper end of the storage space 10h. The purified water spray 23 is immediately frozen to generate artificial snow 24, which accumulates on the ice stretched in the storage space 10h.

  When a predetermined amount of artificial snow has accumulated in the storage space 10h, the snowfall nozzle 12c1 is removed, and all the windows 10e and 10f and the zenith opening lid 10g are closed. Thus, artificial snow is stored in a substantially sealed state.

  The operation process in the hot season after the second year is the same as FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a moist air diagram illustrating the effect of the cooling and refrigeration apparatus using snow. Assume that the cold air returned from the outside to the storage space of the snow silo in the operation process in the hot season has a temperature of 28 ° C. and a humidity of 80% (point a). The storage space is at 0 ° C. where ice and water coexist and has a relative humidity of 100% (point b). The cold air returned from the outside makes a state transition from the point a to the point b in the storage space and is sent to the outside again. When the temperature of the cold air rises to 10 ° C. in the external heat exchange system, the humidity becomes 55% (point c), and when the temperature rises further to 15 ° C., the humidity becomes 38% (point d). Therefore, according to the cooling and refrigeration apparatus using snow, comfortable cold air with low humidity can be supplied.

  The shape of the snow silo used in the present invention is not limited to the above-described cylindrical shape. Moreover, in an environment where purified water can be obtained abundantly and abundantly, outside water may be used every year without providing a water storage tank.

It is the external appearance perspective view which showed roughly one Example of the air-conditioning / refrigeration apparatus by the artificial snow of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the refrigerating and cooling apparatus 1 shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 1st process of the cold season of the 1st year. It is a figure which shows the 2nd process of the cold season of the 1st year. It is a figure which shows the operation process of a hot season. It is a figure which shows the 1st process of the cold season after the 2nd year. It is a figure which shows the 2nd process of the cold season after the 2nd year. It is a humid air line figure explaining the effect of the air-conditioning refrigerator using snow.

Explanation of symbols

1: Artificial Snow Cooling Refrigerator 10: Snow Silo 10a: Side Wall Part 10b: Roof Part 10c: Bottom Floor Part 10d: Water Reservoir Part 10e: Side Window 10f: Roof Window 10g: Zenith Opening Lid 11: Artificial Snowfall Machine 11a: High Pressure Pump 12a: Internal water purification supply pipe 12b: External water purification supply pipe 12c: Water purification pressure feed pipe 12c1: Snowfall nozzle 13: Water storage tank 13a: Pump 13b: Manhole cover 13c: Water intake pipe 14a: Drain pipe 14b: Water intake pipe 15a: Cold air delivery pipe 15a2 : Cold air intake tube 15a3: Cold air intake port 15b: Cold air return tube 16a: Cold water delivery tube 16b: Cold water return tube 11a1, 14a1, 14b1, 15a1, 15b1, 16a1, 16b1: Valve 21: Water 22: Ice 23: Purified water Spray 24: Artificial snow 25: Melted water

Claims (2)

Generating artificial snow (24) using purified water in the storage space (10h) of the snow silo (10) in the cold season and storing the artificial snow in the storage space;
A step of sending the cool air in the storage space (10h) to the outside in the hot season and subjecting it to cooling or refrigeration, and then returning the sent cool air from the outside into the storage space (10h) ,
In the step of storing the artificial snow, first, purified water is put into the snow silo to a predetermined depth, and ice of a predetermined thickness is stretched on the surface, and then artificial snow is generated on the surface of the ice. A cooling and refrigeration method using artificial snow, characterized by storing . Storing the melted water of the artificial snow (24) stored in the storage space (10h) in a water tank (13) installed outside the snow silo;
The method for cooling and refrigerating with artificial snow according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of generating next artificial snow using the melted water stored in the water storage tank (13).

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