JPH028680A - Deoxidation and deodoring device for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To keep always a concentration of oxygen within a refrigerator low and elongate a keeping period of vegetables by a method wherein a pressure swing adsorbing device is applied to reduce a concentration of O2 within the refrigerator, concentrations of N2, CO2 are increased and the interior part of the refrigerator is forcedly convected. CONSTITUTION:A pressure swing adsorbing device is comprised of an adsorbing tower 1 having a function to separate and discharge O2 from air within a refrigerator and returning CO2 and N2 within the refrigerator, a pump 4, and a four- way valve 5. Air sucked from a vegetable chamber 16 into the pressure swing adsorbing device through a suction pipe 6 is selectively adsorbed by the adsorbing tower 1 for its CO2 and N2. O2 is purged through a check valve or a leaf valve 13. Adsorbed CO2 and N2 are removed by changing over the four-way valve 5 and returned back into the refrigerator through a discharging nozzle 12. With this arrangement, it is possible to keep a concentration of oxygen within the refrigerator always low and then to extend a degree of freshness of the vegetables and the like.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a deoxidizing and deodorizing device that is applied to a refrigerator that preserves food products with high freshness for a long period of time. [Prior Art] When food products are stored in a small refrigerator, they are conventionally stored under low temperature conditions to reduce the amount of respiratory heat generated. However, if they are stored in an air atmosphere at low temperatures for a long period of time, their freshness will be greatly reduced, and in the case of vegetables, etc., there will be a problem of leaf burn. [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The above-mentioned conventional refrigerator had the following problems to be solved. That is, when storing vegetables, fruits, etc. in a refrigerator, the longest storage temperature is 1 to 4°C if stored in an air atmosphere. However, storage under low temperature conditions may cause browning of the fruit pulp, and a large temperature difference inside and outside the refrigerator, resulting in increased potash power consumption. There is a problem. [Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a means for solving the above-mentioned problems by reducing O air inside the refrigerator!
Do2wo [t, discharge, Co2. N2. F from the adsorption tower, adsorbent, blower/vacuum pump, and four-way valve that has the function of refluxing N20 into the chamber. From the pressure swing/g adsorption device and the refrigerator to the fluctuating pressure recovery chamber deodorizing filter, inlet valve, and check valve, the gas adsorption device

[N2. C.O.
2. A deoxidizer for a refrigerator, characterized in that it is configured to maintain the freshness of stored items by eliminating temperature unevenness and gas concentration unevenness by increasing the concentration and causing semi-forced convection inside the refrigerator;
The purpose is to provide a deodorizing device. [Function] Since the present invention is constructed as described above, it has the following function. That is, since the oxygen concentration in the refrigerator is always kept low, the shelf life of stored products, especially fruits and vegetables, is extended. By the way, when storing apples, the shelf life at 4°C in an air atmosphere of 0.25%, CO□s, and a temperature of 8°C is the same as that of apples. If the temperature is 4°C, the storage period will be doubled. [Example] An example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, the refrigerator compartment 19. The air inside the refrigerator is sucked in through the suction pipe 6 from the vegetable compartment 16 provided under the freezer compartment.
The air deodorized by the active return 9 filter 8 is passed through the check valve 9.
Through pump 4, four-way valves N20 and C02;
Selectively adsorbs N2. o2 is nominated by the check/relief valve 13, which is one of the features of this embodiment. Adsorbed N20. Co2. N2 is suctioned and removed by the pump 4 by switching the four-way valve 5 and becomes a check valve]0. It flows back into the refrigerator through the discharge nozzle 12 through the discharge pipe 11b. The chamber 7 is shaped like a rubber balloon and absorbs pressure fluctuations in the gas that is intermittently sucked and refluxed. The thickness of the suction pipe 11a and the discharge pipe 11b is 150A'
In the case of a vegetable compartment of
Since the size of the piping is sufficient, the piping can be installed from the door 17 by partially shrinking the gasket 18 without making any special modifications to the refrigerator, as shown in FIG. (Also, it may be integrated during manufacturing.) Also, the discharge nozzle is 12V! It is designed to quickly bring the temperature to the same level as indoors by blowing downward onto the surface of the cooling coil inside the refrigerator. Incidentally, the operation of the pump 4 is controlled by setting the 0□ meter provided downstream of the suction pipe 11a. Further, when a certain pressure is applied to the reverse and relief valve 13V-It as shown in FIG. 3, the disk 14 overcomes the force of the spring 15 and o2 is purged. As a result, 02 in the refrigerator decreases, while N2. Since CO2 increases and N20 remains constant, the shelf life of vegetables is greatly extended at the same internal temperature as before. Note that the air inside the refrigerator is circulated by the gas blown out from the discharge nozzle 12, and care is taken to prevent local deterioration of freshness. As described above, according to this embodiment, the amount of O2 in the refrigerator is always kept low, so that the shelf life of preserved items such as vegetables is extended. Incidentally, in order to maintain the freshness of foodstuffs, it is important to lower 0□, and the lower the partial pressure of 02, the better. Therefore, in the above example, 0□chi is set to 5%, but 0~
It may be 5%. Also, Co2. The amount of N2 is positioned as a supplement to extracting 02, regardless of its freshness. Therefore, the operation (control) of the device in the above embodiment is 02
% can be used as a guide. Also, not only the vegetable room but also the refrigerator room (
It may also be applied to meat (meat) and others. For items that need to be kept fresh, any object may be selected as long as it deviates from the purpose. [Effects of the Invention] Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects. In other words, the oxygen concentration inside the refrigerator is always kept low,
The freshness of stored foods, especially fruits and vegetables, is maintained for a long time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a cold carpet with a deodorizing and deoxidizing device as an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the installation of the suction pipe 11a near the lower right of the vegetable compartment 16 in FIG. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the check/IJ leaf valve 13 shown in FIG. 1. 1...Adsorption tower, 2...γ/alumina-based moisture absorbing material. 3... Zeolite adsorbent, 4... Pump. Seal 1 5...4-way valve, 6...Suction pipe 7...Chamber 8...Activated carbon filter 9.10
...Check valve, 11a... Suction pipe. 11b...Discharge pipe, 12...Discharge nozzle. 13... Check and relief valve, 14... Disc. 15... Spring, 16... Vegetable compartment. 17...Door, 18...Patsukin. 19... Refrigerator room, 20... Freezer room. agent

Claims (1)

[Claims] Separates and exhausts O_2 from the air inside the refrigerator, CO_2,
A pressure swing adsorption device consisting of an adsorption tower, adsorbent, blower/vacuum pump, and four-way valve, which has the function of circulating N_2 and H_2O into the refrigerator, and a variable pressure recovery chamber from the refrigerator. Deodorizing filter, inlet valve, and check valve. The O_2 concentration inside the refrigerator is reduced by a device consisting of piping that leads to the gas adsorption device through the gas adsorption device, and piping that runs from the gas adsorption device to the outlet check valve, the reflux gas discharge pipe, and the jet nozzle inside the refrigerator. A deoxidizing and deodorizing device for a refrigerator, characterized in that it is configured to maintain the freshness of stored items by increasing the CO_2 concentration and causing semi-forced convection inside the refrigerator to eliminate temperature unevenness and gas concentration unevenness. .