JP7303426B2 - Superheated steam heat treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a superheated steam heat treatment apparatus, and more particularly to a superheated steam heat treatment apparatus for performing heat treatment such as baking by injecting superheated steam onto an article while conveying the article inside a housing.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a superheated steam heat treatment apparatus that injects superheated steam to bake food is known (for example, Patent Document 1).
In the processing apparatus of Patent Document 1, heat treatment for baking is performed by injecting superheated steam onto the food conveyed by the conveyer. drips onto the nozzles located below. If this state is left as it is, the food residue may stick to the conveyer, or the nozzle for spraying the superheated steam may be clogged, which adversely affects the processing equipment. Therefore, conventionally, cleaning work such as removing oil and food residue adhering to the conveyer is performed after the processing equipment has been operated for the day.

Japanese Patent No. 5839192

However, in the above-mentioned conventional processing equipment, since high-temperature superheated steam is sprayed during operation, the inside of the processing equipment is at a high temperature. unable to work. For example, in a processing apparatus that injects superheated steam of 250° C. for processing, it conventionally took about 4 hours until the temperature inside the processing apparatus drops to about 80° C. where work can be performed by workers on site.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a superheated steam heat treatment apparatus capable of shortening the cooling time after a required heat treatment is completed.

In view of the circumstances described above, the present invention provides a housing having an entrance at one end and an exit at the other end, and an article transported into the housing from the entrance of the housing and conveyed therefrom. a heating chamber partitioned in the housing by a partition wall having an opening that allows passage of the article, and a superheated steam supply means for supplying superheated steam into the heating chamber,
The superheated steam supply means is provided between a circulation passage having a supply passage for supplying superheated steam into the heating chamber and an exhaust passage for exhausting the superheated steam from the heating chamber, and between the supply passage and the exhaust passage. Superheated steam type heat treatment comprising heating means for heating superheated steam from the passage, and air supply means provided in the circulation passage for circulating the superheated steam in the heating chamber to the heating chamber via the circulation passage and the heating means. in the device,
An outside air intake port for supplying outside air to the exhaust passage is provided between the air supply means and the heating chamber in the exhaust passage communicating with the heating chamber so as to be openable and closable,
When the article is heat-treated by injecting superheated steam, the outside air intake port is kept closed,
After completing the heat treatment of the article, the operation of the heating means is stopped, the outside air intake is opened, and the exhaust passage leading from the heating chamber to the outside air intake is blocked. By continuing the operation of the air supply means, outside air is taken into the exhaust passage from the outside air intake port and sent into the heating chamber from the supply passage to cool the inside of the heating chamber. is.

According to such a configuration, the heat chamber can be cooled by taking outside air from the outside air inlet into the exhaust passage of the circulation passage during the cooling operation after the heat treatment. At this time, since the exhaust passage leading from the heating chamber to the outside air passage is in a blocked state, the high-temperature superheated steam is less likely to be sucked from the heating chamber into the exhaust passage, and the outside air flows from the outside air intake port into the exhaust passage. can be incorporated to efficiently cool the heating chamber. Therefore , the cooling time after the heat treatment work can be significantly shortened as compared with the conventional art.

1 is a configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. Sectional drawing which follows the II-II line of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state at the time of the cooling work of the principal part along the II-II line of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows 2nd Example of this invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated embodiments. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a superheated steam type heat treatment apparatus for baking articles 2 such as foods by blowing superheated steam S onto them.
The superheated steam heat treatment apparatus 1 is arranged in a room such as a factory, and is provided with a conveying means 4 which is arranged so as to pass through the housing 3. The conveying means 4 transports the article 2 from the entrance 3A of the housing 3 to the housing. After being carried inside and transported, it is carried out from the exit 3B of the housing 3 to the outside.
The inside of the housing 3 is partitioned into six chambers by a plurality of partition walls 3C. Specifically, one inlet chamber 5, four heating chambers 6A to 6D, and one outlet chamber 7 are partitioned from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction of the article 2. FIG.
An opening 3D is formed in each of the partition walls 3C, and a conveying means 4 is arranged to pass through each opening 3D, the inlet 3A, and the outlet 3B. As a result, the articles 2 conveyed by the conveying means 4 are allowed to pass through, and the articles 2 are sequentially conveyed inside the heating chambers 6A to 6D.

Each of the heating chambers 6A to 6D is provided with nozzles 8 so as to sandwich the transport means 4 from above and below, and superheated steam S is jetted from the upper and lower nozzles 8 toward the articles 2 on the transport means 4. Thereby, the article 2 on the conveying means 4 is baked (see FIG. 2).
Each nozzle 8 has a large number of pipes arranged in parallel in a horizontal plane, and superheated steam S can be injected from a large number of through holes formed in each pipe.

Two sets of superheated steam supply means 11 for supplying superheated steam S to each of the nozzles 8 are provided in this embodiment. The superheated steam S is supplied to each nozzle 8 inside, and the superheated steam S can be supplied to each nozzle 8 in the two downstream heating chambers 6C and 6D by the downstream superheated steam supply means 11 .
Each superheated steam supply means 11 includes a blower 12 as an air supply means and a heating means 13 such as an electric or combustion heater. The operations of the blower 12 and the heating means 13 are controlled by a control device (not shown). Specifically, the superheated steam S heated to 250° C., which is higher than the saturated steam temperature, by the heating means 13 is supplied to the two heating chambers 6A via the supply passage 14 branched into a plurality on the downstream side of the heating means 13. , 6B (6C, 6D).

The superheated steam S injected from the nozzle 8 into the heating chambers 6A to 6D is sucked into the four exhaust passages 15 communicating with the heating chambers 6A to 6D by the blower 12 in operation. It has become. The two exhaust passages 15 on the upstream side and the two exhaust passages 15 on the downstream side are merged into one before the blowers 12 and then connected to the respective blowers 12 . Then, the superheated steam S heated again to a predetermined temperature (250° C.) by each heating means 13 is circulated and supplied to each heating chamber 6A to 6D via the supply passage 14 and the nozzle 8 described above. It has become.
As shown in FIG. 2, a filter 16 is provided at the ceiling position of each heating chamber 6A to 6D, and the superheated steam S sucked from each heating chamber 6A to 6D into the exhaust passage 15 passes through this filter 16. Impurities such as soot are thus removed. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, a rectangular opening 3E is formed in the ceiling of the heating chamber 6A, and a box-shaped housing portion 17 is continuously provided to cover the opening 3E from above. It is The housing portion 17 has an opening 17A at the bottom overlapping the opening 3E of the ceiling, and the top surface of the housing portion 17 is connected to the lower end of the exhaust passage 15. As shown in FIG. As a result, the heating chamber 6A and the exhaust passage 15 communicate with each other through the inner space of the housing portion 17, and when the blower 12 as an air supply means is operated, the superheated steam S in the heating chamber 6A flows into the opening portion 3E. The air is sucked into the exhaust passage 15 via the filter 16 and the accommodation portion 17, and in this embodiment, the exhaust passage 15 including the opening 3E and the accommodation portion 17 is defined.
A side wall on the front side of the housing portion 17 has an opening 17B as an opening for inserting and removing the filter 16, and the opening 17B is closed by a lid 18 to the atmosphere (outside air) in the room where the superheated steam heat treatment apparatus 1 is arranged. It is designed to be able to cut off communication with respect to.
Thus, when the lid 18 is opened, the internal space of the accommodating portion 17 communicates with the outside air, and when the lid 18 is closed, the internal space is blocked from the outside air. The lid body 18 is closed during the baking operation by the superheated steam type heat treatment apparatus 1, and the opening 17B is cut off from the outside air.
A worker on site can open and close the cover 18 to replace the filter 16 when necessary. After the filter 16 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 17 through the opening 17B, the cover 18 is closed to close the opening 17B of the accommodating portion 17. As shown in FIG. As will be described in detail later, in the present embodiment, the opening 17B of the container 17 is also used as an outside air intake, and after the baking work is completed, the lid 18 is opened to allow the opening 17B to be exposed to the outside air. The superheated steam type heat treatment apparatus 1 is cooled by making it communicate and taking in outside air.
Similar to the configuration of the heating chamber 6A on the most upstream side shown in FIG. The portions 17B are opened and closed by lids 18, respectively.
Further, in this embodiment, each accommodation portion 17 of each of the heating chambers 6A to 6D can accommodate a baffle plate 28 made of a rectangular thin plate with a handle 28A attached at the center of one side. 2, the baffle plate 28 is left outside.
During the cooling operation, as shown in FIG. 3, the cover 18 is opened and the baffle plate 28 is placed on the filter 16 to block the opening 3E of each heating chamber 6A to 6D. there is At this time, the opening 3E is not completely closed, and some gas can flow.
In this embodiment, the circulation passage 19 is formed by the exhaust passage 15 for sucking and exhausting the superheated steam S from the heating chambers 6A to 6D and the supply passage 14 for supplying the superheated steam S to the heating chambers 6A to 6D. , and the heating means 13 is provided between the exhaust passage 15 and the supply passage 14 .

Next, in this embodiment, in order to control the temperature of the superheated steam S supplied from the heating means 13 of the superheated steam supply means 11 to the respective heating chambers 6A to 6D, the nozzles 8 are supplied with a higher temperature than the superheated steam S. A saturated steam supply means 21 for supplying low temperature saturated steam is provided.
The saturated steam supply means 21 is composed of a boiler or the like for generating saturated steam, and the saturated steam generated by this saturated steam generating means 21 is branched into two saturated steam supply paths 22, and then through the exhaust path of the circulation path 19. 15 can be supplied.
Although two sets of the superheated steam supply means 11 are provided, only one saturated steam supply means 21 is provided in common to both the superheated steam supply means 11 .

One of the saturated steam supply passages 22 is connected to the exhaust passages 15 , 15 between the blower 12 and the heating means 13 in both superheated steam supply means 11 via connection passages 23 , 23 . As a result, the saturated steam from the saturated steam supply passage 22 is supplied to the exhaust passages 15, 15 via the connection passages 23, 23, and then mixed with the superheated steam S flowing through the supply passages 14, 14. Nozzle 8 is supplied.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, temperature sensors 20 are provided at a total of four locations in the supply passage 14 of the superheated steam supply means 11 on the upstream and downstream sides. The temperature of the flowing superheated steam S and gas is measured. The temperature of the superheated steam S and gas measured by the temperature sensor 20 is transmitted to the control device. The controller controls the operations of the blower 12, the heating means 13 and the saturated steam supply means 21 based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 20. FIG. Thereby, when the article 2 is baked with the superheated steam S, the superheated steam S at 250° C. can be supplied from the nozzle 8 to each of the heating chambers 6A to 6D.

Further, the opening 3D of the partition wall 3C forming the inlet chamber 5 and the opening 3D of the partition wall 3C forming the outlet chamber 6 are provided with saturated steam injection nozzles 24 at upper and lower positions, Saturated steam can be supplied to each saturated steam injection nozzle 24 through the saturated steam supply passage 22 .
By injecting saturated steam from each saturated steam injection nozzle 24, an air curtain that closes each opening 3D can be formed. As a result, the oxygen concentration in each heating chamber 6A to 6D can be maintained at a low oxygen concentration by shutting off the air introduced into each heating chamber 6A to 6D during the baking operation for the article 2.
Further, the upper part of the inlet chamber 5 and the upper part of the outlet chamber 6 are provided with outlets 25, respectively. Outflow is prevented, and the pressure in the inlet chamber 5 and the outlet chamber 7 is prevented from becoming higher than the pressure in the heating chambers 6A-6D.

In the above configuration, the operation of the blower 12, the heating means 13 and the saturated steam supply means 21 is controlled by the control device during the baking operation for the article 2. FIG. As a result, the superheated steam S supplied by the blower 12 of the superheated steam supply means 11 is heated by the heating means 13 to become the superheated steam S at a predetermined temperature (250° C.), and is sent from the nozzle 8 through the supply passage 14 to each heated steam. Injected into chambers 6A-6D. During this firing operation, the opening 17B of the housing portion 17 of the filter 16 is closed by the lid 18, as shown in FIG.
In this state, the article 2 is conveyed from the entrance chamber 5 into each of the heating chambers 6A to 6D by the conveying means 4 and is conveyed downstream in sequence. is fired, and the fired article 2 is conveyed out of the housing 3 from the exit 3B of the exit chamber 7 by the conveying means 4. As shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, on the premise of the above-described configuration, after the baking work (heat treatment work) for the article 2 is completed, the lid 18 of the storage section 17 is opened, and the outside air is introduced into the circulation passage 19 from the opening 17B. It is characterized in that the heating chambers 6A to 6D are cooled by taking in air and supplying air to the heating chambers 6A to 6D.
In this embodiment, when the superheated steam heat treatment apparatus is cooled after the article 2 has been fired, the following process is performed.
That is, as shown in FIG. 3, after the firing work is finished, the heating means 13 is stopped while the blower 12 is kept operating. Then, the baffle plate 28 is inserted into the housing portion 17 through the open opening 17B and placed on the filter (see FIG. 3). Although substantially the entire area of the filter 16 is covered by the baffle plate 28, the exhaust passage 15 is blocked, but a small amount of superheated steam S is allowed to flow into the heating chambers 6A to 6D. As a result, the outside air is efficiently introduced into the exhaust passage 15 through the opening 17B, while the high-temperature superheated steam S is less likely to be sucked into the exhaust passage 15 from the heating chambers 6A to 6D.
As a result, the opened opening 17B becomes an outside air intake, and after the outside air is efficiently sucked into the exhaust passage 15 from the opening 17B via the housing portion 17, the blower 12 is stopped. The external air introduced into the heating chamber 6A (6B to 6D) flows through the inside of the heating means 13 and the supply passage 14, and the exhaust passage 15 is blocked by the baffle plate 28. Most of it is discharged from the inlet 3A, the outlet 3B, and the discharge port 25 without returning to the exhaust passage 15. - 特許庁
In this way, the outside air efficiently introduced from the opened opening 17B is sent to the circulation passage 19 and the heating chambers 6A to 6B, so that each heated by the superheated steam S during the baking operation. The heating chambers 6A-6B and the circulation passage 19 are cooled quickly.
Then, the temperature sensor 20 measures the temperature of the outside air circulating in the circulation passage 19, and the temperature of the gas measured by the sensor 20 is transmitted to the control device.
Here, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 20 becomes, for example, 50° C. or less, the control device stops the operation of the blower 12 and notifies the site of the end of the cooling operation by a warning buzzer or the like. It is designed to notify workers.
The required cooling time required for the cooling work after the firing work is determined in advance by experiments or the like, and when the required cooling time has passed after the start of the cooling work, the operation of the blower 12 is stopped to end the cooling work. You can make it work.
After such a cooling operation is completed, the operator removes the baffle plate 28 from the housing portion 17 and closes the opening portion 17b with the lid member 18. As shown in FIG. After the superheated steam heat treatment apparatus 1 is cooled in this manner, cleaning of the transfer means 4, its surroundings, and the heating chambers 6A to 6D is performed.

As described above, the opening 17B of the housing portion 17 upstream of the blower 12 in the circulation passage 19 is used as an outside air intake port. By continuing to operate the blower 12 in this state, the superheated steam heat treatment apparatus 1 after the baking operation can be efficiently cooled by the outside air taken in from the opening 17B. As a result, the cooling time of the heating steam type heat treatment apparatus 1 can be greatly shortened.

Next, Fig. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. A dedicated pipe 31 is added, and the pipe 31 is provided with a normally closed electromagnetic on-off valve 32 . The tip 31A of the pipe 31 is open and always open to the outside air, and the other end of the pipe 31 is connected to the exhaust passage 15. As shown in FIG. The operation of the normally closed electromagnetic on-off valve 32 is controlled by a control device (not shown). In the second embodiment, the baffle plate as in the first embodiment is not arranged, so that the lid 18 of the container 17 is closed not only during the baking work but also during the cooling work. It has become so. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and members corresponding to those of the first embodiment are given the same member numbers.
In the second embodiment, since the piping 31 is closed by the electromagnetic on-off valve 32 during the baking operation, outside air is not introduced from the piping 31 into the exhaust passage 15 . On the other hand, during the cooling operation after the baking operation, the heating means 13 is stopped, the blower 12 is continuously operated, and the electromagnetic on-off valve 32 is opened. As a result, after the outside air is sucked into the exhaust passage 15 through the pipe 31, the outside air is circulated inside the heating means 13, the circulation passage 19 and the heating chamber 6A (6B to 6D) in the same manner as in the first embodiment. These parts are cooled by circulating the heat. With such a second embodiment as well, it is possible to obtain the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment.

In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the baffle plate 28 is provided so that outside air is efficiently introduced into the exhaust passage 15 from the opening 17B. The plate 28 is not necessarily required and may be omitted.
Alternatively, the exhaust passage 15 may be completely closed by the baffle plate 28 so that the heated gas in the heating chamber 6A (6B to 6D) is not circulated.

1. Superheated steam type heat treatment apparatus 2. Article 3. Housing 4. Conveying means 5. Entrance chamber 6A to 6D. Heating chamber 7. Exit chamber 11. Superheated steam supply means 12. 14 Supply passage 15 Exhaust passage 16 Filter 17 Accommodating portion 17B Opening (outside air intake) 19 Circulation passage S Superheated steam

Claims (3)

A housing having an entrance at one end and an exit at the other end, a conveying means for carrying an article into the housing from the entrance of the housing, conveying the article into the housing and then carrying it out from the exit, and passage of the article. A heating chamber partitioned in the housing by a partition wall having an opening that allows a superheated steam supply means for supplying superheated steam into the heating chamber,
The superheated steam supply means is provided between a circulation passage having a supply passage for supplying superheated steam into the heating chamber and an exhaust passage for exhausting the superheated steam from the heating chamber, and between the supply passage and the exhaust passage. Superheated steam type heat treatment comprising heating means for heating superheated steam from the passage, and air supply means provided in the circulation passage for circulating the superheated steam in the heating chamber to the heating chamber via the circulation passage and the heating means. in the device,
An outside air intake port for supplying outside air to the exhaust passage is provided between the air supply means and the heating chamber in the exhaust passage communicating with the heating chamber so as to be openable and closable,
When the article is heat-treated by injecting superheated steam, the outside air intake port is kept closed,
After completing the heat treatment of the article, the operation of the heating means is stopped, the outside air intake is opened, and the exhaust passage leading from the heating chamber to the outside air intake is blocked. By continuing the operation of the air supply means, outside air is taken into the exhaust passage from the outside air intake port and sent into the heating chamber from the supply passage to cool the inside of the heating chamber. Steam heat treatment equipment. An accommodating portion for accommodating a filter is formed in the ceiling of the heating chamber, and the accommodating portion communicates with the exhaust passage. 2. The superheated steam heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a lid for opening and closing said outside air intake. 3. The superheated steam heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a baffle plate that is inserted into the accommodating portion to block the exhaust passage when the lid is opened.

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