JPH04126972A - Reduced pressure cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize a fast cooling by a method wherein a reduced pressure chamber device has an upper plate and shows a cylindrical form with its lower surface being opened and then a cooled item is held on the upper plate. CONSTITUTION:A food 11 is held on an upper plate 14a of each of reduced pressure chamber devices 14. The reduced pressure chamber device 14 on the pressurizing plate 54 is pushed up by a hydraulic cylinder device 52 to strike against the lower surface of the reduced pressure chamber device 14 of the lower-most stage, a stopper 19 is released and lifted up along a full reduced pressure chamber device 14, and then the stopper 19 is enaged with the reduced pressure chamber device 14 at the lower-most stage. Inside part of the reduced pressure chamber device 14 from the second stage from a lower one is reduced in its pressure under an action of a reduced pressure supplying device 40. To the reduced pressure chamber devices 14 of the third, fourth and fifth stages from below are given a predetermined degree of pressure reduction by reduced pressure supplying devices 42, 44 and 46 connected to through-pass holes 24, 26 and 28 of the cylinder. To the reduced pressure chamber device 14 reached the sixth stage is gradually supplied with surrounding atmosphere through a filter 50 and a valve 48 and then the pressure returns to an atmospheric pressure. The cooled item 11 is moved laterally on the upper table 13 and taken out of the device.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to a vacuum cooling device that adjusts the temperature of foods, etc. by reducing pressure.

[Conventional technology]

As a conventional continuous decompression cooling device, for example,
There is one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 28390. This continuous vacuum cooling system consists of: (1) a first part that accommodates food outside the system through an airtight entrance door;
a preliminary chamber, a vacuum cooling means communicating with the first preliminary chamber via an airtight exit door, and a second preliminary chamber communicating with the vacuum cooling means via an airtight inlet door and communicating with the outside of the system via an airtight exit door. (2) The first preliminary chamber includes atmospheric piping that communicates with the atmosphere via a valve, vacuum piping that communicates with the vacuum tank via a valve, and food from outside the system into the preliminary chamber. (3) The vacuum cooling means is a vacuum cooling chamber connected to a vacuum tank, and the vacuum cooling chamber supplies the food in the first preliminary chamber to the vacuum cooling chamber. (4) The second preparatory room has a supply means for transferring the food to the person L in the second preparatory room at a predetermined speed; It has a vacuum pipe that communicates with the vacuum tank via an atmospheric pipe that communicates with the vacuum tank, a carry-out means that carries the food in the vacuum cooling chamber to the second preliminary chamber, and a take-out means that takes the food out of the system. It will be done.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in such conventional continuous reduced pressure cooling equipment, the vacuum cooling means consists of a vacuum cooling chamber connected to a vacuum tank, and a plurality of material containers are placed in the vacuum cooling chamber given a single degree of reduced pressure. Since it has a structure in which it is moved by a conhair means, there are the following technical problems.

■The vacuum cooling chamber must be equipped with a first pre-soldering chamber and a second pre-soldering chamber in order to maintain the degree of depressurization in the vacuum cooling chamber. In addition to providing an airtight entrance door and an airtight exit door, it is necessary to attach atmospheric piping and vacuum piping, which makes the structure complicated.

(2) A uniform degree of reduced pressure is applied to the vacuum cooling chamber, and the same degree of reduced pressure is applied to both the material container immediately after entering the vacuum cooling chamber and the material container immediately before leaving the vacuum cooling chamber. As a result, depending on the type of food contained in the material container, the degree of vacuum may be too high, causing rupture due to rapid water evaporation, or the degree of vacuum may be too low, and the required cooling cannot be achieved rapidly.

[Failure to solve the problem]

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional technical problems, and has a structure in which a cylindrical tube having an internal space in the direction of the center axis and formed on the side wall at predetermined intervals in the direction of the center axis. a cylindrical body having a body through hole; a plurality of decompression chamber units each having a decompression chamber through hole formed to be slidably inserted into the internal space of the cylindrical body and communicated with the cylindrical body through hole; a sealing member that airtightly seals between the decompression chamber unit and the cylindrical body so that the inside of the decompression chamber unit 1 is communicated with the outside only through the decompression chamber through hole that matches the cylindrical body through hole;
a reduced pressure supply device connected to a plurality of through holes of the cylindrical body, and the reduced pressure chamber unit has a cylindrical shape with two plates and an open bottom, and an object to be cooled is placed on the two plates. It is a vacuum cooling device that maintains

[Effect]

According to such a vacuum cooling device, the interior of the vacuum chamber unit located at the end of the cylindrical body and not connected to the vacuum supply device is at atmospheric pressure; The pressure inside the chamber unit 1- is slightly reduced by the action of the reduced pressure supply device, and becomes a predetermined pressure. At this time, the interiors of the plurality of decompression chamber units I. are kept airtight by sealing members and communicated only with a specific decompression supply device.

In this way, a predetermined degree of reduced pressure is applied to each reduced pressure chamber unit by the reduced pressure supply device connected to the through hole of the cylindrical body. Therefore, the predetermined degree of depressurization by this decompression supply device is set to vary and consist of a combination of increases and decreases as the decompression chamber unit moves, or it is set to gradually increase as the decompression chamber unit moves. Can be set. In this way, the decompression chamber unit I. which has reached the other end of the cylindrical body is returned to atmospheric pressure and taken out to the outside. By slowly introducing the atmosphere, the objects to be cooled are prevented from scattering due to the intake air. The object to be cooled held on the upper plate of the decompression chamber unit that has reached the other end of the cylindrical body is also taken out. Another decompression chamber unit is supplied one after another from one end of the cylindrical body, and all the decompression chamber units within the internal space of the cylindrical body are moved together.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4 show one embodiment of a reduced pressure cooling device. In the figure, the reference numeral 10 indicates a metal cylindrical body, and the cylindrical body 1
0 has an internal space 10a in the central axis direction. The flange portion 10b at one end of the cylindrical body 10b is fixed to the base 12 with bolts and nuts (not shown) with the central axis in the vertical direction. The base 12 has an opening 12a that matches the internal space 10a of the cylindrical body 10. Reference numeral 13 denotes a base, which similarly has an opening 13a that coincides with the internal space 10a, and a flange portion 10c at the other end of the cylindrical body 10 is fixed with bolts and nuts (not shown). A plurality of cylindrical body through holes 2 are provided in the side wall of the cylindrical body 10 at predetermined intervals in the central axis direction.
2, 24, 26, 28 and 30, respectively. The mutual spacing between the cylindrical body through holes 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30 is made to match the width in the central axis direction of the decompression chamber unit 14, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG.
8a and via valves 32, 34, 36 and 38 a reduced pressure supply device 40, 4 consisting of a vacuum pump and a vacuum tank.
2.44 and 46. The last, uppermost cylindrical body through hole 30 is communicated with the atmosphere via a valve 48 and a filter 50, so that the reduced pressure state is gradually released.

Next, a pushing device 56 consisting of a hydraulic cylinder device 52 and a pressing plate 54 fixed to a piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder device 52 is provided below the cylindrical body 10, and pushes the decompression chamber unit 14 on the pressing plate 54 upward. It is possible to push up to

As shown in FIG. 2.3, the decompression chamber unit 14 has an outer shape that slidably fits into the internal space 10a of the cylindrical body 10, and has a cylindrical shape with an upper plate 14a and an open bottom. The object to be cooled 11 is held on the upper plate 14a. The object to be cooled 11 may be placed directly on the upper plate 14a, but if it has high fluidity, it is placed in a tray 15 and placed on the upper plate 14a. Further, the decompression chamber unit 14 has a decompression chamber through hole 16 at a predetermined position that penetrates the side wall from inside to outside.
The intervals between the cylindrical body through holes 22, 24, 26, 28 and 3
It matches the interval of 0. Circumferential grooves 17a and 17b are provided on the upper and lower outer peripheries of the decompression chamber through hole 16 of the decompression chamber unit 14, respectively, and furthermore, the outer circumferential edge of the upper plate 14a of the decompression chamber unit 14 has the center of the decompression chamber unit. 1
An annular groove 17c that coincides with the center of the groove 17 is provided.
Seal members 18, 20 and 2 in a, 17b and 17c
3 is ringed. The sealing member 23 provided on the outer periphery of the upper plate 14a seals between the lower surface of the decompression chamber unit 14 in the upper position, and as shown in detail in FIG. The sealing member 23 is provided on the annular stepped portion 14b formed by the sealing member 23 to prevent the sealing member 23 from being damaged by the movement of the tray 15. Furthermore, a recess 14c is formed on the bottom side of the side wall groove 17b of the decompression chamber unit 14, and as shown in FIG. , base 12
A stopper 19 provided movably back and forth along the lower surface of the can be engaged.

Such a decompression chamber unit 1-14 is equipped with a pushing device 56.
is slidably inserted one after another into the internal space 10a of the cylindrical body 10, and the stopper 19 is engaged with the recess 14c of the decompression chamber unit 14 located at the lowest stage within the cylindrical body 10, as shown in FIG. By combining the decompression chamber units 14 of the second and subsequent stages, the decompression chamber through holes 16 are connected to the cylindrical body through holes 22, respectively.
, 24°26.28 or 30 to prevent falling.

Next, the effect will be explained.

Food to be cooled is held as an object to be cooled 11 on the upper plate 14a of each decompression chamber unit 14 shown in FIG. Now, the decompression chamber unit 14 located at the lowest stage within the cylindrical body 10 is prevented from falling by engaging the stopper 19 in the recess 14c. The decompression chamber unit 14 on the pressing plate 54 of the pushing device 56 is pushed up by the operation of the hydraulic cylinder device 52, and is in contact with the lower surface of the decompression chamber unit 14 located at the lowest stage in the cylindrical body 10. The stopper 19 is released and the entire decompression chamber unit 1 inside the cylindrical body 10
4, the stopper 19 is engaged with the reduced pressure chamber unit 14 which is at the lowest stage. Pushing device 56
In preparation for the next decompression chamber unit 14, the press plate 54 is lowered and returned.

Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 1, the interior of the lowermost and uppermost vacuum chamber units 14 in the cylindrical body 10 is at atmospheric pressure, but the interior of the second vacuum chamber unit 14 from the bottom is under reduced pressure. The pressure is slightly reduced by the action of the supply device 40 and is at a predetermined pressure (for example, 0.3 kg/cJ). At that time, the vacuum chamber units 14 except the lowest stage in the cylindrical body 10 are the vacuum chamber units 1
Airtightness is maintained by the seal members 1B and 20.23 of No. 4, and the eye of the depressurization chamber through hole 16 communicates with the cylindrical body through hole 22.

In this way, the third, fourth, and fifth vacuum chamber units 14 from the bottom in the tubular body 10 are provided with vacuum supply devices connected to the tubular body through holes 24, 26, and 28, respectively. 4
2.44 and 46 give a predetermined degree of vacuum.

At this time, the predetermined degree of pressure reduction by the reduced pressure supply devices 40, 42, 44, and 46 can be set arbitrarily. For example, it is set to change to consist of a combination of increase and decrease according to the movement of the decompression chamber unit 14, specifically, 0, 0,
3 kg/cffl, 0, 1 kg/cffl,
0, 2 kg/cJ and 0. 1kg/c+fi
It is possible to provide a degree of reduced pressure that is increased or decreased.

Such a change in the degree of depressurization is such that the degree of depressurization that causes rupture differs depending on the type of object 11 to be cooled. It is set in consideration of preventing the object 11 from bursting, or the degree of pressure reduction is gradually increased to give the maximum degree of pressure reduction, and then the degree of pressure reduction is gradually reduced to slowly return to atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, a reduced pressure supply device/+0.42. /
It is also possible to set the degree of vacuum of the vacuum chamber unit 14 given by +4 and 46 so that it only increases as the vacuum chamber unit 14 moves.

When the pressure inside the vacuum chamber unit i 14 is reduced in this way, the boiling point of water is lowered, and the moisture in the food, which is the object to be cooled 11, is rapidly released. Since heat is removed from the object 11 to be cooled by the evaporation of this water, the temperature of the object 11 to be cooled can be adjusted to decrease. Since this cooling effect also occurs inside the object to be cooled 11, the cooling rate is faster than, for example, a ventilation type cooling device. It is also sanitary because outside air does not enter except when decompression is released.

Thus, when the vacuum chamber unit 14 reaches the sixth stage from the bottom in the vacuum chamber unit 14 in FIG.
Atmospheric pressure is slowly introduced through the valve 48, which forms a 0 and a constriction, returning to atmospheric pressure.

If the atmosphere is introduced slowly, the inhaled air will cause
1 is prevented from scattering.

In this way, the reduced pressure supply devices 40, 42, 44 and 4
When the pressure inside each decompression chamber unit 14 reaches a predetermined value by the operation of step 6 for a predetermined time, the residual pressure state is maintained for an appropriate time. When the decompression chamber unit 14 reaches the top stage and its height matches the upper stage 13, it is removed upward in FIG. taken outside. Other decompression chamber units 14 are successively supplied to the lowermost stage by a pushing device 56, and are stopped by a stopper 19 to prevent them from falling. At that time, the entire decompression chamber unit 14 is
Double driven by G. 8 decompression chamber units 14 are double-driven, and the lowest decompression chamber unit 1
4 with the stopper 19 engaged in the recess 14c of the reduced pressure supply device 40.42.4 for a predetermined period of time. /14 and 46 to reduce the pressure to a predetermined degree of pressure reduction in the second to fifth stage vacuum chamber units l-14 from the bottom in the cylindrical body 10. From now on, the same work is repeated. If we pay attention to one decompression chamber unit 14, as shown in FIG. 4, it is initially at atmospheric pressure, and as it moves upward from the bottom of the cylindrical body 10, the degree of decompression increases or decreases and changes. , the pressure is returned to atmospheric pressure. The imaginary line A shown in Figure 4 gives a peak in the degree of decompression at the midpoint between the lowest stage and the second most atmospheric pressure stage, and gives a relatively gradual change in the overall degree of decompression over time. For example, the solid line B shows an example in which the degree of decompression is gradually increased to give the maximum degree of decompression, and then the degree of decompression is decreased once, then increased again, and then returned to atmospheric pressure, and the broken line C is
An example will be shown in which the degree of decompression is changed and set only so that it increases as the decompression chamber unit 14 moves.

By the way, if a circumferential groove is formed at a position of the decompression chamber unit 14 that includes the decompression chamber through hole 16, and the recess 14c that engages the collars 1 to 19 is made circular in the circumferential direction, the decompression chamber through hole 16 and the cylindrical body through holes 22, 2426, 28 and 30 are no longer required to be aligned in the circumferential direction. It is also possible to form several decompression chamber through holes 1G in the circumferential direction. Of course, positioning in the circumferential direction can also be performed by providing a modified cross section other than a circle to match the internal space 10a of the cylindrical body 10 and the external shape of the decompression chamber unit 14. Further, if the decompression chamber unit 14 is configured to be held in the internal space 10a of the cylindrical body 10 by frictional force, the recess 14c of the decompression chamber unit 14
And the stopper 19 can be omitted. Furthermore, if the central axis of the internal space 10a of the cylindrical body 10 is arranged in the vertical direction as in the above embodiment, the installation space for the reduced pressure cooling device can be reduced.

[Effects of the Invention] As understood from the above explanation, according to the present invention, the decompression chamber unit itself constitutes a decompression cooling chamber, and there is no need for a preliminary chamber for maintaining the degree of decompression, so the structure is improved. It's simple. In addition, it is possible to give a degree of decompression that is continuously increased or decreased within the decompression chamber unit, and it is possible to sequentially give an appropriate degree of decompression to the decompression chamber unit from immediately after entering the cooling tower to just before leaving the cooling tower. I can do it. As a result, it is possible to provide an appropriate degree of decompression depending on the type of object to be cooled held on the upper plate of the decompression chamber unit, and if the degree of decompression is too high, the bag may burst due to rapid water evaporation. Alternatively, the problem of not being able to obtain the required cooling due to the degree of reduced pressure being too low is resolved, and rapid cooling is realized. In addition, since the object to be cooled is held on the upper plate of the decompression chamber unit, it is easy to take in and take out the object to be cooled, and it can be easily moved by simply pushing it in the lateral direction.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 show one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a reduced pressure cooling device, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a reduced pressure chamber unit, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a reduced pressure chamber unit. A plan view showing,
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing pressure-time characteristics. 10: Cylindrical body, 10a: Internal space, 10b, 10c: Flange portion, 11: Cooled object, 12: Base 13: Upper base, 1
4: Decompression chamber unit, 14a: Upper plate, 14b: Annular step, 14c: Recess, 15 Nidle, 16: Decompression chamber through hole,
18, 20.23 = Seal member, 19: Stopper, 22
, 24, 26.28. 3o: Cylindrical body through hole, 40,4
2.446: Reduced pressure supply device 50: Filter: Pushing device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A cylindrical body having an internal space in the direction of the central axis and having through-holes formed in the side wall at predetermined intervals in the direction of the central axis, and a cylindrical body capable of sliding into the internal space of the cylindrical body. A plurality of decompression chamber units are inserted in sequence and have decompression chamber through holes formed to communicate with the cylindrical body through holes, and the inside of the decompression chamber units is connected to the outside through only the decompression chamber through holes that match the cylindrical body through holes. a sealing member that airtightly seals between the reduced pressure chamber unit and the cylindrical body so as to communicate with the cylindrical body, and a reduced pressure supply device connected to the plurality of through holes of the cylindrical body, the reduced pressure chamber unit A vacuum cooling device characterized by having a cylindrical shape with an upper plate and an open lower surface, and holding an object to be cooled on the upper plate.