JP6078227B2 - Quick freezing apparatus and quick freezing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rapid freezing apparatus and a rapid freezing method , and more particularly to a rapid freezing apparatus that rapidly freezes an object to be frozen by contact with a low-temperature liquefied gas and a rapid freezing method using the apparatus .

  As a device for rapidly and rapidly freezing a large number of objects to be frozen, by passing a conveyor for carrying the objects to be frozen in a low-temperature liquefied gas in an immersion tank, and immersing the objects to be frozen in a low-temperature liquefied gas, What freezes a to-be-frozen thing is known (for example, refer patent document 1).

Special table 2010-535323 gazette

  However, in the thing of the above-mentioned patent document 1, since the conveyance conveyor which mounted the to-be-frozen thing is passed in low-temperature liquefied gas, a large amount of low-temperature liquefied gas is required, and the low-temperature liquefied gas after completion | finish of freezing operation | work is required. The process was time-consuming and the low-temperature liquefied gas had to be discarded wastefully. Furthermore, since the conveyor for transportation circulates between the low temperature part and the normal temperature part in the low temperature liquefied gas, a great heat loss occurs, and since only the latent heat when the low temperature liquefied gas is vaporized is used, The utilization efficiency of the low-temperature liquefied gas was not good.

  In addition, the object to be frozen may fall into the immersion tank from the conveyor for vibration, etc., and it is necessary to provide an inclination to the conveyor for moving the conveyor in and out of the low-temperature liquefied gas. If the object to be frozen rolls on the conveyor at the inclined portion, the immersion time may be different and cracks may occur, which causes a decrease in yield. In addition, since it passes through a low-temperature liquefied gas, it was not possible to rapidly freeze those that were soft and the shape was not stable or light.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a quick freezing apparatus capable of improving freezing efficiency and yield, reducing costs, and capable of rapidly freezing even a soft and unstable shape.

In order to achieve the above object, a rapid freezing apparatus of the present invention comprises a recess for accommodating the object to be frozen in the rapid freezing apparatus in which a low-temperature liquefied gas is brought into contact with the object to be frozen and rapidly frozen. A tray, a transport unit that supports the tray and transports it in the horizontal direction, and a state in which the transport unit supports the tray containing the object to be frozen in the recess on the upstream side of the transport unit in the transport direction A low-temperature liquefied gas supply means for supplying the low-temperature liquefied gas in a liquid state into the recess, and freezing for recovering the frozen substance rapidly frozen by the low-temperature liquefied gas from the recess at a downstream side of the transport means. A low-temperature liquefied gas supply means that adjusts and supplies the low-temperature liquefied gas to an amount sufficient to rapidly freeze the object to be frozen so as to form a liquid surface in the recess. Equipped with automatic open / close valve , Downstream of the pre-Symbol cryogenic liquefied gas supply means and upstream of said frozen product recovery section, comprising a cover plate for covering the upper surface of the tray being conveyed by said conveying means, said the upper surface of the tray cover A gap is provided between the lower surface of the plate to hold the low temperature gas .

Also, before Symbol tray, may be provided a plurality of said recesses, said tray is optimal when the mounted detachably on said conveying means. Further, the quick freezing method of the present invention is the quick freezing method using the above-mentioned quick freezing device, by adjusting the opening time of the automatic opening and closing valve, thereby adjusting the supply amount of the low-temperature liquefied gas, It is characterized in that a sufficient amount of low-temperature liquefied gas necessary for rapid freezing is supplied so as to form a liquid surface in the recess.

  According to the rapid freezing apparatus of the present invention, the tray in which the object to be frozen is stored in the recess is placed on the conveying means, and the low temperature liquefied gas is supplied into the recess in which the object to be frozen is stored. It can be frozen in contact with the low-temperature liquefied gas. Since the object to be frozen is stored in the recess, it does not fall or move from the tray during transportation, and the yield of the frozen object can be improved, and the low-temperature liquefied gas can freeze the object to be frozen. Since only the amount needs to be supplied into the recess, the amount of low-temperature liquefied gas used can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced. Furthermore, even soft materials that have been difficult to rapidly freeze and those whose shapes are not stable can be rapidly frozen in a state in which the shape is maintained.

  Furthermore, by providing a cover plate that covers the upper surface of the tray in the middle of the transport means, the cold heat of the low-temperature gas that is vaporized from the low-temperature liquefied gas can also be used. Thus, the cooling efficiency can be improved, and even a light object that floats on the liquid surface can be frozen, and the amount of low-temperature liquefied gas used can be further reduced. Further, by providing a plurality of recesses in one tray according to the size of the object to be frozen, a large amount of objects to be frozen can be efficiently frozen. Further, by forming the tray so as to be detachable with respect to the conveying means, the tray can be removed from the conveying means and easily washed, and the hygiene aspect can be improved even when the food is rapidly frozen. it can.

It is a cross-sectional front view of the quick freezing apparatus which shows one example of this invention. It is a top view of a rapid freezing apparatus similarly. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of a rapid freezing apparatus similarly.

  1 to 3 show an example of a quick freezing apparatus according to the present invention. A quick freezing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment includes an endless transfer conveyor 12 which is a transfer means arranged in a horizontal direction, and A plurality of trays 13 and 13 placed on the conveyor 12, a lid plate 14 disposed in the middle in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor 12, and the upstream side of the conveyor 12 with respect to the lid plate 14 A low-temperature liquefied gas supply nozzle 15 which is a low-temperature liquefied gas supply means, and a frozen material recovery section 16 provided on the downstream side of the conveyor 12 with respect to the cover plate 14.

  The conveyor 12 has a pair of rollers 12a and 12a, and a pair of belts 12b and 12b, respectively. The tray 13 has both sides 13a and 13a in the width direction. By being placed on the belts 12b and 12b, respectively, they are detachably placed on the belts 12b and 12b, and are conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side as the belts 12b and 12b move.

  The tray 13 is provided with a plurality of concave portions 13b having a shape capable of accommodating the article 17 to be frozen. In this embodiment, four trays 13 are provided in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the conveyor 12 for transfer, that is, in the width direction. A total of twelve recesses 13b in three rows in the transport direction are provided. The tray 13 can be formed of a metal such as stainless steel that is not easily embrittled at a low temperature, or a synthetic resin such as silicon resin or polypropylene resin.

  The cover plate 14 is provided so as to cover the upper surface of the tray 13 conveyed by the transfer conveyor 12, and the low-temperature liquefied gas in the recess 13 b is interposed between the upper surface of the tray 13 and the lower surface of the cover plate 14. A small gap is provided to allow the vaporized low temperature gas to escape.

  The nozzles 15 are provided at positions close to the upstream end of the lid plate 14, and are arranged side by side at four locations in the tray width direction so that the low-temperature liquefied gas can be simultaneously supplied to the recesses 13b for one row. . The pipe for supplying the low-temperature liquefied gas to the nozzle 15 is provided with means for adjusting the supply amount of the low-temperature liquefied gas, for example, an automatic on-off valve, and the size of the recess 13b and the type of the object to be frozen 17 accommodated. By adjusting the valve opening time in accordance with the above, an amount of low-temperature liquefied gas necessary and sufficient for rapidly freezing the article to be frozen 17 can be supplied into the recess 13b.

  The rapid freezing apparatus 11 formed as described above places the tray 13 containing the article to be frozen 17 in each recess 13b on the conveyor 12 or the tray 13 placed on the conveyor 12 An object to be frozen 17 is put into each recess 13b, and a predetermined amount of low-temperature liquefied gas, usually from each nozzle 15, is inserted into each recess 13b located below the nozzle 15 by the advance of the belts 12b, 12b of the conveyor 12 for conveyance. Respectively supply liquefied nitrogen. Thereby, the to-be-frozen object 17 contacts a low-temperature liquefied gas, and is cooled rapidly.

  At this time, by disposing the cover plate 14 close to the downstream side of the nozzle 15, the recess 13b to which the low-temperature liquefied gas is supplied moves below the cover plate 14 in a short time, and the upper portion of the recess 13b is Since it is in the state covered with the cover plate 14, the low temperature gas can be held between the upper surface of the tray 13 and the lower surface of the cover plate 14 with almost no discharge of the low temperature gas evaporated in the recess 13 b to the outside.

Thereby, since the cooling effect by low temperature gas can also be expected, the to-be-frozen object 17 can be cooled rapidly using the latent heat and sensible heat of low temperature liquefied gas, and the part which protruded from the liquid level is also low temperature gas Can be effectively cooled.

  The tray 13 in a state in which the frozen material frozen by the material to be frozen 17 by passing under the cover plate 14 as the belts 12b and 12b progress is accommodated in the recess 13b is transferred from the conveyor 12 by the frozen material recovery unit 16. It is removed and sent to the next process, for example, a frozen product packaging process, and the frozen product is collected from the tray 13 and individually packaged, or the entire tray with the frozen product stored in the recess 13b is packaged. Or The empty tray 13 from which the frozen material has been collected can be reused by returning it to the upstream side of the conveyor 12 for transportation. Hygiene in the case of rapidly freezing food by disinfecting and washing when reused. There is no problem in terms.

  In this way, when the object to be frozen 17 is brought into contact with the low-temperature liquefied gas to rapidly freeze the object to be frozen 17, the object to be frozen 17 is accommodated in the recess 13 b having a shape corresponding to the object to be frozen 17. By supplying a low-temperature liquefied gas into 13b and bringing the object to be frozen 17 into contact with the low-temperature liquefied gas, it is possible to reliably freeze the object to be frozen 17 with a much smaller amount of low-temperature liquefied gas than in the past. Thus, the cooling efficiency can be improved and the apparatus can be downsized. Further, unlike the prior art, it is not necessary to provide an inclined portion on the conveyor 12 for transportation, and since the object to be frozen 17 is housed in the recess 13b, the objects to be frozen 17 and the tray 13 are used for transportation. The object to be frozen 17 can be reliably frozen without falling from the conveyor 12 or shifted in position, and the yield can be improved.

  Furthermore, by forming the concave portion 13b in a shape corresponding to the shape of the object to be frozen 17, even if the object to be frozen 17 is soft and the shape is not stable, it can be rapidly and quickly frozen while maintaining the shape. Even if it is light and has a small specific gravity and floats on the liquid surface of the low-temperature liquefied gas, it can be surely rapidly frozen by providing the cover plate 14. Therefore, even soft items such as raw oysters, unstabilized items such as natto and how much, and light items such as whipped cream and sponge cake can be reliably rapidly frozen.

  Note that the quick freezing device can be arranged in a tunnel having a heat insulating structure between the most upstream part and the most downstream part of the conveyor for transportation, and the same as above even if the cover plate is omitted depending on the shape of the tunnel. The effect of can be obtained. The shape of the tray is arbitrary and can be fixed to a conveyor for conveyance. Moreover, the number of the recessed parts provided in the tray can be appropriately set according to the size of the tray and the size of the object to be frozen. Furthermore, the position and the number of nozzles are arbitrary, and the low-temperature liquefied gas can be supplied from a plurality of nozzles to one recess. The low-temperature liquefied gas supplied from the nozzle may be in a state where the low-temperature liquefied gas is poured so as not to hit the object to be frozen along the wall of the recess, or the object to be frozen is exposed to the object to be frozen like a shower from above. But you can. Furthermore, any conveying means can be used as the conveying means as long as the tray can be conveyed in the horizontal direction.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Quick freezing apparatus, 12 ... Conveyor for conveyance, 12a ... Roller, 12b ... Belt, 13 ... Tray, 13a ... Side part, 13b ... Recessed part, 14 ... Cover plate, 15 ... Nozzle, 16 ... Frozen matter collection part, 17 ... Substance to be frozen

Claims (4)

In a quick freezing apparatus in which a low-temperature liquefied gas is brought into contact with an object to be frozen and rapidly frozen to obtain the frozen object, a tray having a recess for storing the object to be frozen, and a transport for supporting the tray and transporting it horizontally The low-temperature liquefied gas is supplied in a liquid state into the recess in a state where the tray containing the object to be frozen is supported in the recess on the upstream side in the transport direction of the transport means. A low-temperature liquefied gas supply means, and a frozen material recovery section for recovering the frozen material rapidly frozen by the low-temperature liquefied gas from the inside of the recess on the downstream side of the conveying means,
The low-temperature liquefied gas supply means includes an automatic on-off valve that supplies the low-temperature liquefied gas adjusted to a necessary and sufficient amount to rapidly freeze the object to be frozen so as to form a liquid surface in the recess ,
Downstream of the pre-Symbol cryogenic liquefied gas supply means and the upstream side of the frozen product recovery section, comprising a cover plate for covering the upper surface of the tray being conveyed by said conveying means, said cover plate and the upper surface of the tray The quick freezing apparatus which provides the clearance gap which hold | maintains a low temperature gas between the lower surfaces of . The tray is rapid freezing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that provided a plurality of said recesses. The rapid freezing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the tray is detachably mounted on the transport means. In the quick freezing method using the quick freezing apparatus of Claim 1 thru | or 3 ,
By adjusting the valve opening time of the automatic opening / closing valve, the supply amount of the low-temperature liquefied gas is adjusted, and a liquid surface of the amount of the low-temperature liquefied gas necessary and sufficient for rapidly freezing the object to be frozen is formed in the recess. A quick freezing method characterized in that it is supplied to

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