JPH01132360A - Sterilization apparatus for canned food - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To heat and sterilize a canned food in a short time and to remarkably improve the productivity, by placing an inclined plate in a tank filled with a thermal medium, rolling a can on the inclined plate into the tank and passing through the thermal medium. CONSTITUTION:A inclined plate 14 is placed in a heating tank 10 filled with a thermal medium and a can 1 is rolled on the inclined plate 14, introduced into the tank 10 and passed through the thermal medium. The heat-exchange between the thermal medium and the can of the canned food is promoted and the thermal conduction in the can is accelerated by this process to enable the heating and sterilization of a canned food in a short time and to remarkably improve the productivity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an apparatus for sterilizing canned goods by external heating.

[Prior art]

Canned goods are vacuum-sealed and then heated externally to sterilize them before being shipped as products.

As shown in FIG. 2, the conventional sterilizer has a heating tank 7 filled with hot water and a cooling tank 8 filled with cooling water arranged in series, and the heating tank 7 and the cooling tank 8 filled with water. A chain conveyor 3 is provided which passes through the heated heat medium.

The canned goods 1 transported by the carry-in chain conveyor 2 are passed through hot water in a heating tank 7 by the chain conveyor 3 and heated to about 90°C. This temperature rise sterilizes the canned food.

The canned goods 1 which have been sterilized by heating in this manner are taken out of the hot water, cooled to about 70°C to 80°C, and then introduced into the next cooling tank 8. In the cooling tank 8, the canned goods 1 are passed through cooling water and taken out by the chain conveyor 3, and are taken out by the chain conveyor 3.
It is guided to the shipping section 6 in a state where the temperature has decreased to .degree.

The temperature rise and fall are controlled by the conveyance speed of the chain conveyor 3, the temperature of the hot water in the heating tank 7 is controlled by the amount of heated steam 5 supplied, and the temperature of the cooling water in the cooling water tank 8 is adjusted. Adjustment of cooling water supply iK of pump 4
Therefore, it is done. 9 is supplementary water.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the above-mentioned conventional sterilizer, the heat exchange between the hot water or cooling water heat medium and the canned food is carried out by a chain conveyor that moves the canned food through the stationary heat medium stored in each tank. It is done through relationships.

That is, from a thermodynamic point of view, the faster the moving speed of the canned food, the greater the film coefficient and the more active the heat exchange.

Therefore, when the temperature of the heat medium is kept constant, it is necessary to increase the conveyance speed of the chain conveyor in order to perform heating sterilization and cooling in a short time.

The above heat exchange is between the heat medium and the canned food, but on the other hand, the temperature of the contents of the canned food can be raised and cooled by natural convection or cooling, since the canned food is stationary on a chain conveyor. It is heated or cooled by heat conduction. For this reason, it is necessary to stay in the heat medium for a predetermined time until the temperature of the contents of the can reaches a predetermined temperature.

For these reasons, in order to perform temperature-programmed sterilization and cooling in a short time, it is necessary to increase the conveyance speed of the chain conveyor and increase the residence time of canned goods in the heat medium. However, there is a problem in that the length of the heating tank and cooling tank must be extremely long.

Alternatively, the amount of heating steam and cooling water may be increased to raise the temperature of the hot water and lower the temperature of the cooling water, but this will increase the amount of heat dissipated from the surface of the ice stored in the tank. , a large amount of thermal energy is consumed, which poses a problem from the viewpoint of energy saving.

For these reasons, the speed of the chain conveyor is slowed down, the residence time is increased, and the contents of the cans are heated or cooled while they are immersed in the heat medium, which results in extremely low productivity. There is a problem.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides an inclined plate tube in a tank filled with a heating medium, and guides the canned food into the tank while rolling it on the inclined plate to pass through the heating medium. It is something.

[Effect]

With this configuration, when the canned food rolls on the inclined plate in the heat medium, the heat medium is violently stirred on the surface of the can, and heat exchange between the heat medium and the can is actively performed. It will be done.

As the canned food rolls, the contents of the canned food are also agitated, causing forced natural convection to conduct heat.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. 1st
In the figure, a heating tank 10 and a cooling tank 12 are provided with inclined plates 14. The inclined plates 14 are connected in the middle with another inclined plate 14' to form a step on the inclined surface.

In addition, the inclined plates 14 are arranged in a staggered manner such as rightward inclined and leftward inclined in each tank, and a head is provided at a portion where the direction of inclination changes. Reference numeral 15 denotes an outer plate forming a flow path for the heat medium along with the inclined plate.

A receiver 11 filled with a heat medium having approximately the same temperature as the heat medium filled in the heating tank 10 is made of Japanese cypress, and a bucket HV elevator 16 is provided therein. Reference numeral 13 is made of extruded Japanese cypress, and is filled with a heat medium having approximately the same temperature as the heat medium in the cooling tank 12.
6 is provided.

17 is a hot water circulation pump; 18 is a heat exchanger; the temperature of the heat medium is adjusted by the heat exchanger 18 and supplied to the bottom of the heating tank 10; the supplied heat medium is formed by the outer plate 15; The water rises through the flow path, is temperature-controlled again through piping 19, and is circulated to the bottom of the heating tank 10. 21 is a temperature control valve, and 20 is a superheated steam pipe supplied from a boiler (not shown), for example.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a cooling water circulation pump, which inserts the heat medium (cooling water) in the cooling tank 12 into the bottom of the cooling tank 12, extracts it from the top, and circulates it through a pipe 23.

24 is a cooling water supply pipe, and 25 is a hot water supply pipe.

The operation of this embodiment configured as above will be explained next.

Canned food 1 transported by supply chain conveyor 2
is supplied to the inclined plate 14. Canned IFi supplied,
It moves downward on the inclined plate 14 and exchanges heat with the high temperature heat medium supplied from the bottom of the heating tank 10 and rises, thereby increasing the temperature.

This heat exchange form uses counterflow, which is the heat exchange form with the highest heat exchange efficiency.

As the canned food rolls on the inclined plate 14, the heating medium flowing upward on the surface of the can is violently scattered, which thermodynamically increases the film coefficient. Thus, active heat exchange takes place between the heating medium and the surface of the can. On the other hand, the contents of the can are agitated by the rolling of the can, forcing natural convection, and the heat received from the surface of the can is forcibly and uniformly conducted to the contents of the can.

Further, due to the step on the inclined surface and the drop of the inclined direction changing portion of the inclined plate 14, the contents of the can are removed and heat conduction is further promoted.

The canned goods sterilized at elevated temperature in this way are transferred to the packet elevator 16, and heated by the heating medium in the delivery 1Pk1' 1 (heated while immersed in hot water). 14.

The form of heat exchange within this cooling tank 12 is the same as the heat exchange in the heating tank 10, so a description thereof will be omitted. The canned goods are then taken out by the packet elevator 16 of the takeout tank 13, cooled down to a predetermined temperature, and led to the shipping section 6.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention described in detail above, an inclined plate is provided in the tank filled with the heat medium, and the canned food is passed through the heat medium while being rolled, so that the heat medium and the can of canned food are At the same time, the heat exchange between the cans and the contents of the cans became more active, and the cans were sterilized and cooled in a short period of time, greatly improving productivity.

Further, due to improved heat exchange efficiency and improved heat conduction, effective use of thermal energy is achieved and the device is made more compact.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a conventional canned sterilizer. 10... Heating tank, 13... Cooling tank, 14... Inclined plate. (2 others)

Claims (1)

[Claims] A sterilizing device for canned goods, characterized in that an inclined plate is provided in a tank filled with a heating medium, and the canned goods are guided into the tank and passed through the heating medium while being rolled on the inclined plate.