JPH0376893B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a steaming method and a steaming device in tea manufacturing.

[Conventional technology]

A typical example of a tea leaf steamer using a belt conveyor called a belt-type steamer is the one shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 44-22479. In this belt-type steamer, the length of time the green tea leaves stay in the steaming chamber (steaming barrel) is selected by changing the transfer speed of the net conveyor on which the raw tea leaves are placed, and the steaming process is performed in a way that is suitable for the raw tea leaves. .

In other words, if the moving speed of the net conveyor is fast, the time that the raw tea leaves stay in the steaming chamber will be shortened, and if the moving speed is slow, the steaming time will be longer and the buds will have more moisture. Also, because the average specific heat and heat capacity are large, the steaming time is lengthened, and the steaming time is shortened for hard leaves with less moisture.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the conventional steamer as described above, the time taken to pass through the steam chamber changes depending on the steaming time setting, and when the steaming time is set short, it is difficult for the tea leaves to be hit evenly with steam in the steam chamber, resulting in a uniform steamed state. In addition, if the steaming time is long, the surplus steam flowing from the steam chamber at the rear of the steam chamber is supersaturated, so water droplets tend to adhere to the raw tea leaves and cause the product to boil. This may cause a decline in quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a steaming method and apparatus capable of solving the above-mentioned problems and applying steam heat suitable for any kind of raw tea leaves to the raw tea leaves. .

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a steam heating method in which steam is ejected from one end of the steam chamber onto an endless transfer conveyor provided through a steam chamber for heating and steaming. Tea leaves are supplied, the temperature of the raw tea leaves is rapidly raised in the steam chamber, and the raw tea leaves are heated and steamed, and then the heated and steamed raw tea leaves are separated and communicated with the steam chamber through a plurality of conditioning chambers. and adjusting the opening degree of a steam exhaust hole provided in each of the plurality of adjustment chambers to adjust the temperature of each of the plurality of adjustment chambers and adjust the progress position of steam heat of the raw tea leaves. Its features include a steam chamber that is almost sealed, a plurality of adjustment chambers that are in communication with the steam chamber, and an endless type that extends through each of the chambers. a net conveyor, the steam chamber has steam nozzles arranged above and below the net conveyor, and each of the plurality of adjustment chambers is provided with a steam exhaust hole whose opening degree can be adjusted. ,
The raw tea leaves supplied onto the net conveyor are rapidly steamed in the steam chamber, the steamed raw tea leaves are transferred to a plurality of adjustment chambers, and the opening degree of the steam exhaust hole provided in each adjustment chamber is adjusted. The feature is that the advancing position of the steam heat in each adjustment chamber can be adjusted by adjusting the inflowing steam separately.

[Effect]

The raw tea leaves are steamed in a steam chamber while being actively heated rapidly to the steaming temperature, and then in a plurality of adjustment chambers, the incoming steam is controlled by the opening degree of the steam exhaust hole provided in each of the plurality of adjustment chambers. to adjust the temperature of each of the plurality of adjustment chambers separately,
The progress position of the steam heat is adjusted according to the desired evaporation level.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the method and method thereof will be explained based on FIGS. 1 and 2 showing an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a pedestal that constitutes the apparatus, and an endless, net-like conveyor 14, which is driven via a motor 12 and a speed reducer 13, is stretched over the pedestal 11.

This conveyor 14 includes a raw tea leaf supply section 20, a steam chamber 30, a first adjustment chamber 40 ₁ , a second adjustment chamber 40 ₂ . . .
It goes around through 21
The raw tea leaves are actively scraped by the rotation of the scraping ratchet wheel 21 and delivered from the hopper 22 to a steam chamber 30 provided adjacent thereto.

The steam chamber 30 described above is formed at the end of a substantially closed container along the moving direction of the conveyor 14,
A curtain-shaped closing cover 34 is attached to the upper and lower edges of the inlet 31 of the steam chamber 30. In addition, the steam room 30
In the upper and lower space divided by the conveyor 14, a large number of steam nozzles 3 are installed along the width direction of the conveyor 14.
3, 33, ... are arranged, and the steam nozzles 33,
Steam at around 100°C is supplied into the steam chamber 30 from the nozzle holes 33a of 33, .

A conveyor 14 is installed at the end of the steam chamber 30 described above.
Elastic band-shaped closing lids 34 are provided from above and below, and the upper closing lid 34 has a length that makes contact with the raw tea leaves on the conveyor 14, and the lower closing lid 34 has an upper end that is elastic. It is set to the extent that it touches the back side of the conveyor 14.

The steam chamber 30 described above is a first adjustment chamber 40.
₁ and the closing lid 34, or communicates with the conveyor 14 in terms of movement of the raw tea leaves transported by the conveyor 14. Further, the plurality of first adjustment chambers 40 ₁ and second adjustment chambers 40 _{2 .} . . are also partitioned by the same closing lids 34, 34, . . . as described above. Then, the excess steam generated by the steaming action in the steam chamber 30 passes through the closing lid 34 and flows into the first adjustment chamber 40 ₁ .

A steam exhaust hole 42 and an outside air inflow hole 41 are provided facing each other above and below the starting end of the first adjustment chamber 40 ₁ , and a damper 41 a is provided in the steam exhaust hole 42 and outside air inflow hole 41 for adjusting the opening area. , 42a are attached so that their opening degrees can be freely adjusted.

As described above, the second adjustment chamber 40 ₂ communicating with the first adjustment chamber 40 ₁ is partitioned from the first adjustment chamber 40 ₁ by having the closing lids 34 , 34 attached thereto from above and below toward the conveyor 14 . The outside air inflow hole ₄₃ and the steam outflow hole ₄₄ are adjacent to the closing lids 34, 34, . They are placed facing each other across a room.

Dampers 43a and 44a are provided in the outside air inflow hole 43 and the steam outflow hole 44, respectively, so that the opening degree can be adjusted freely, and the amount of outside air inflow and the amount of steam outflow can be adjusted by the dampers 43a and 44a.

Furthermore, a plurality of first adjustment chambers 4 provided in succession
0 ₁ , the second adjustment chamber 40 ₂ ... final adjustment chamber 40 _o
The terminal end is a discharge port 45, and a discharge hole 47 is provided adjacent to the discharge port 45. The opening area of the discharge hole 47 is determined by the rotation of a damper 47a, and each of the above-mentioned outside air The peripheries of the inflow holes 41, 43 and the steam exhaust holes 42, 44, 47 are surrounded by a peripheral wall.

The conveyor 14 described above moves linearly within the steam chamber 30, the first adjustment chamber 40 ₁ , the second adjustment chamber 40 ₂ .
5 changes the direction of movement, and brush rollers 16 and tension rollers 17 that remove raw tea leaves adhering to the conveyor 14 allow for endless movement. Rotation and torque are transmitted via a chain 19 to a sprocket 18 provided at the sprocket 18.

Since the present embodiment is configured as described above, raw tea leaves are supplied into the hopper 22 forming the raw tea leaf supply section 20, and the raw tea leaves are fed by rotating the scraping ratchet wheel 21 at an appropriate rotation speed. The raw tea leaves are fed into the steam chamber 30 with a constant thickness, and the raw tea leaves are actively placed on the conveyor 14 moving along the bottom surface of the hopper 22.

Inside the steam chamber 30, steam nozzles 33, 33, . . .
100℃ ejected from the nozzle holes 33a, 33a,...
The steam chamber 3 is filled with steam before and after the conveyor 14.
While passing through the temperature, the raw tea leaves are steamed and their temperature rapidly rises to a predetermined temperature, for example, about 96°C.

When steaming is completed in the steam chamber 30 described above, the dampers 42a and 44 of the steam exhaust holes 42 and 44 of the first adjustment chamber 40 ₁ and the second adjustment chamber 40 ₂ are
a and the dampers 41a and 43a of the respective outside air inflow holes 41 and 43 are fully opened, the excess steam flowing in from the steam chamber 30 is discharged, and the inflow of outside air lowers the self-held heat of the raw tea leaves and stops the progress of steam heat. .
In addition, when steam heat is allowed to proceed in the first adjustment chamber 40 ₁ and the second adjustment chamber 40 ₂ as well, a portion of the supersaturated steam flowing from the steam chamber 30 after passing through the steam chamber 30 into the adjustment chamber is Steam exhaust hole 4
2, 44, 47 dampers 42a, 42a, 47a
While opening the tea leaves as appropriate to discharge steam, the temperature at which the steam heat progresses is maintained together with the self-retained heat of the raw tea leaves to continue the steam heat. In this way, the progress position of steam heat is adjusted according to the degree of steam. Further, in the above adjustment, if necessary, the processing time is changed by the moving speed of the conveyor 14.

Next, to explain the case of deep steaming the buds, raw tea leaves are scraped from the hopper 22 onto the conveyor 14 by the rotation of the scraping ratchet wheel 21 to a thickness of 20 to 50 mm. The sprouts have a high moisture content and a large heat capacity, so they need to be _thoroughly steamed.
Each outside air inlet hole 41 of the second adjustment chamber ₄₀₂ ,
43 dampers 41a and 43a are fully closed, and the dampers 42a and 44a of the discharge holes 42 and 44 and the damper 47a of the discharge hole 47 of the first adjustment chamber 40 ₁ and the second adjustment chamber 40 ₂ are appropriately opened to release steam. While partially discharging the steam chamber 30, the first adjustment chamber 40 ₁ , and the second
Steam heat is allowed to proceed in the adjustment chamber 40 ₂ so that the steaming time continues for a long time.

Regarding the case of steaming hard leaves, hard leaves have low water content and low heat capacity, and the surface color of tea products is important, so it is necessary to steam them within a short period of time. Therefore, the damper 41a of the outside air inflow hole ₄₁ and the damper 42a of the steam exhaust hole 42 of the first adjustment chamber 401 are closed, and the dampers 43a and ₄ of the outside air inflow hole 43 and the steam exhaust hole 44 of the second adjustment chamber 402 are closed.
4a and the opening degree of the damper 47a of the discharge hole 47 are adjusted. At this time, the steam supplied into the steam chamber 30 leaks from the closing lid 34 and fills the first adjustment chamber 40 ₁ , but the outside air inflow hole 43 of the second adjustment chamber 40 ₂
Due to the suction effect of the steam exhaust hole 44, most of the residual heat and water vapor are exhausted from the exhaust hole 44. Since the temperature drops in the second half of the second adjustment chamber 40 ₂ , steaming of the raw tea leaves is performed only in the steaming chamber 30 and the first half of the first adjustment chamber 40 ₁ .

As described above, in this embodiment, a plurality of adjustment chambers are installed in succession, and each adjustment chamber is provided at its starting end side facing an outside air inflow hole and a steam exhaust hole, respectively, and these outside air inflow holes and steam exhaust holes are provided facing each other. A damper whose opening degree can be adjusted is installed in the chamber, and the temperature in each of the adjustment chambers can be controlled differently depending on the type of raw tea leaves or the degree of steaming, by opening and closing the damper. It is possible to adjust the progress position of steam heat at any time, such as by adjusting the condition and stopping the progress of steam heat. The advancing position can be changed depending on the type of raw tea leaves and the degree of steaming.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, the steaming method and steaming device for tea manufacturing according to the present invention utilizes an active steaming section and a plurality of continuously provided adjustment chambers to produce tea. In the plurality of adjustment rooms mentioned above, which are used to steam tea leaves,
In the foremost adjustment room connected to the steam room, the excess steam from the steam room and self-retained heat of the raw tea leaves are used, and in the other adjustment rooms, the surplus steam from the immediately preceding adjustment room and the heat capacity of the raw tea leaves are used as self-retained heat. The progress of steam heat can be stopped by continuing the steam flow, or by discharging excess steam and introducing outside air in each adjustment room.
In this way, it is possible to not only adjust the processing time by adjusting the speed of the conveyor, but also change the progress position of steam heat according to the type of raw tea leaves and the degree of steaming.

In addition, in steam heating equipment, multiple adjustment chambers are continuously provided, and the opening degree of the damper installed in the outside air inlet hole and steam exhaust hole in each adjustment chamber is adjusted to achieve the optimum temperature according to the type of raw tea leaves. Steam treatment is possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the same process. 1: Frame, 12: Motor, 13: Reducer, 1
4: Conveyor, 20: Supply section, 22: Hopper, 3
0: Steam chamber, 32, 34: Closure lid, 33: Steam nozzle, 33a: Nozzle hole, 40 ₁ : First adjustment chamber, 40
₂ : Second adjustment chamber, 41, 43: Outside air inflow hole, 4
2: 44, 47: Steam exhaust hole, 41a, 42a,
43a, 44a, 47a: damper, 45: outlet.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Raw tea leaves are supplied from one end of the steam chamber onto an endless transfer conveyor provided through a steam chamber that is heated and steamed by ejecting steam, and is rapidly heated in the steam chamber. The temperature of the raw tea leaves is raised to heat and steam the raw tea leaves, and then the heated and steamed raw tea leaves are transferred to a plurality of adjustment chambers that are separated and communicated with the steam chamber, and the raw tea leaves are heated and steamed. A method for steaming tea in tea making, characterized in that the temperature of each of the plurality of adjustment chambers is adjusted individually by adjusting the opening degree of a steam exhaust hole provided in each of the chambers, thereby adjusting the progress position of steam heat of raw tea leaves. 2.Equipped with a substantially sealed steam chamber, a plurality of adjustment chambers in movement communication with the steam chamber, and an endless net conveyor disposed through each of the chambers, The chamber has steam nozzles arranged above and below the net conveyor, and each of the plurality of adjustment chambers is provided with a steam exhaust hole whose opening degree can be adjusted, and the steam nozzle is arranged above and below the net conveyor. Raw tea leaves are rapidly steamed in the steam chamber, the steamed raw tea leaves are transferred to a plurality of adjustment chambers, and the opening degree of the steam exhaust hole provided in each adjustment chamber is individually adjusted to control the inflowing steam. 1. A steam heating device for tea making, characterized in that the position of progress of steam heat in each adjustment chamber can be adjusted by adjusting the position.