JPH045913B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) This invention is a continuous and rapid method of freezing objects to be frozen using an endless conveyor made of non-freezing material and partially disposed in a freezing liquid. This relates to refrigeration equipment.

(Prior art) Generally, when manufacturing food, it is important to rapidly cool the food to convert the moisture in the food into as fine ice crystals as possible in order to improve the taste and quality of the frozen food. It is considered to be good in terms of economic efficiency, etc.

Techniques for this rapid freezing include, for example, cold air freezing (air freezing), contact freezing, immersion freezing, and spray freezing.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) Among these methods, the cold air freezing method is commonly used, but this method has the problems of requiring larger machinery and equipment and increasing running costs. .

Furthermore, in the immersion freezing method, the frozen food is inserted into the freezing liquid in the freezing liquid tank from above and pulled out after a certain period of time, so that continuous freezing cannot be performed.

In order to solve this problem, it has been considered that food can be frozen while being continuously transported by the belt conveyor by placing the intermediate part of the belt conveyor etc. in the freezing liquid of the freezing liquid tank. . However, in this method, the food is immersed in the freezing liquid in the freezing liquid tank and transported from one side to the other for discharge, so the food must be immersed in the freezing liquid for a certain period of time. , there is a problem that the device becomes larger.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a continuous rapid freezing device that can perform rapid freezing continuously with a small device.

(Means for solving the problem) In order to achieve this object, the present invention arranges a pair of endless conveyors made of a non-freezing material in close proximity to each other in the same direction, and between the same direction moving parts. A space for transporting objects to be frozen is formed, and intermediate portions of the same-direction moving parts are disposed in a freezing liquid tank, so that the frozen liquid is supplied from an entrance at one end of the transporting space between the same-direction moving parts. The continuous rapid freezing device is configured such that the object to be frozen is immersed in the freezing liquid as the endless conveyor is operated, frozen, and then discharged from the discharge port at the other end of the conveyance space. The apparatus is characterized in that the continuous rapid freezing device is turned over midway toward the loading port side, and the discharge port is disposed on the loading port side.

(Function) According to such a configuration, the object to be frozen is transferred to the transfer space between the pair of endless conveyors, is reciprocated in the freezing liquid of the freezing liquid tank, and is then frozen. It is discharged from the arranged discharge port.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a refrigerant tank whose upper part is open; 2 is a cover that covers the upper part of the refrigerant tank 1;
Reference numeral 2a denotes an inlet for objects to be frozen provided at one end of the cover 2, and 2b denotes a lid for opening and closing the inlet 2a.

In addition, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 3 indicates a frozen brine liquid (freezing solution) filled in the freezing liquid tank 1, 4 indicates a chute attached to the outside of one end wall 1a of the freezing liquid tank 1, and 5 indicates a chute installed on the outside of one end wall 1a of the freezing liquid tank 1. A refrigeration liquid supply port 6 is provided at the bottom of the other end wall 1b of the refrigeration liquid tank 1, and a refrigeration liquid discharge port is provided at the bottom of the other end wall 1b.

Between the frozen liquid tank 1 and the cover 2, first and second net conveyor belts 7 and 8 made of non-freezing material are arranged as endless conveyors. Each is attached with an endless chain (not shown).

The endless chain of the net conveyor belt 7 is stretched over sprockets 9 and 10, and the sprocket 9 is disposed above and outside one end of the frozen liquid tank 1, and the sprocket 10 is located inside near the other end 1b of the frozen liquid tank 1. The frozen brine solution 3 of In addition, the endless chains (not shown) on both sides of the net conveyor belt 7 are supported near their upper ends from below by upper guide sprockets 11 and 12, and the lower part of the chain is disposed in the frozen brine liquid 3 at one end of the frozen liquid tank 1. The intermediate portion is supported from above by guide sprockets 13 and 14. Moreover, sprockets 9 to 14 are the frozen liquid tank 1.
It is rotatably held on the side walls 1c and 1d of.
In addition, the support structure allows the net conveyor belt 7 to
is bent into a crank shape as shown in FIG.
is located inside. Further, on the outer surface of the net conveyor belt 7, partition plates 15 extending in the width direction are protruded at equal pitches in the rotation direction. Such a net conveyor belt 7 forms a horizontal frozen material receiving portion 7a between the sprockets 9 and 11.

A guide sprocket 1 is installed at a position sandwiching the upper part of the intermediate inclined part of the net conveyor belt 7 from above and below.
6 and 17 are arranged. Further, lower guide sprockets 18 and 19 are integrally provided with the lower guide sprockets 13 and 14, and a guide sprocket 20 is disposed above the lower guide sprockets 18 and 19. Further, a guide sprocket 21 is provided diagonally below the lower guide sprocket 19, and a sprocket 22 is integrally provided with the sprocket 10.
Guide sprockets 23 and 24 are disposed at the upper and lower portions between the refrigeration liquid tank 1 and the other end wall portion 1b of the refrigerating liquid tank 1. Such guide sprockets 16 to 24 are also rotatably held by the side walls 1c and 1d. Moreover, an endless chain (not shown) attached to the side of the net conveyor belt 8 is stretched over the guide sprockets 16 and 17, and the middle part of this endless chain is connected to the above-mentioned guide sprocket 1.
8 to 24 along the net conveyor belt 7. Thereby, the net conveyor belt 8 extends along the top and bottom of the net conveyor belt 7.

Furthermore, a drive motor 25 is attached to the upper part of the cover 2, a drive sprocket 26 is attached to the output shaft of the drive motor 25, a driven sprocket 27 is integrally provided to the sprockets 10 and 22, and the sprockets 26 and 27 are provided with a driven sprocket 27. A drive chain 28 is spanned over the drive chain 28.

According to such a configuration, by operating the drive motor 25 and rotating the drive sprocket 26 clockwise in FIG. 2, the sprockets 10,
22 is the drive chain 28 and sprocket 2
7 in the clockwise direction, the net conveyor belts 7 and 8 are rotated clockwise and counterclockwise, respectively, and the opposing portions of the net conveyor belts 7 and 8 are moved in the same direction. I am made to do so. A transport space 30 for the frozen object 29 is formed between the parts of the net conveyor belts 7 and 8 that move in the same direction. This transport space 3
0 is an upper inclined part 30a which slopes downward toward the frozen brine liquid 3, an upper horizontal part 30b which extends from one end of the frozen liquid tank 1 to the other end in the frozen brine liquid 3, and a frozen liquid tank 1. A lower horizontal portion 30c extending from the other end to one end and a lower inclined portion 30d inclined upward from the one end of the refrigerating liquid tank 1 are arranged in series in this order. and,
A loading port 31 is provided at the upper end of the upper inclined portion 30a, and a discharge port 32 is formed at the upper end of the lower inclined portion 30d.

Next, the operation of the continuous rapid freezing device having such a configuration will be explained.

In such a configuration, the drive motor 25 is operated to move the drive sprocket 26 to the second position as described above.
While rotating clockwise in the figure, the object to be frozen 29 is placed on the horizontal receiving part of the net conveyor belt 7 at the arrow 33.
Supply from the direction of. As a result, the object to be frozen 29
As the net conveyor belts 7 and 8 rotate,
It enters the conveyance space 30 at the entrance 31 and is sandwiched between the net conveyor belts 7 and 8 from above and below, so that it cannot move in the vertical direction.

When the net conveyor belts 7 and 8 are further rotated in this state, the object 29 to be frozen is first lowered with the upper inclined portion 30a toward the frozen brine solution 3, and is immersed in the frozen brine solution 3. After that, in this immersed state, the upper horizontal part 30b is moved from one end side of the frozen liquid tank 1 to the other end side,
The other end of the frozen liquid tank 1 is turned over. The object 29 to be frozen, whose moving direction has been reversed, is moved with the lower horizontal portion 30c toward one end of the frozen liquid tank 1, and then moved upward with the lower horizontal portion 30d, and is then moved to the discharge port 32. The liquid is discharged onto the chute 4 and moved downwardly on the chute 4 in the direction of arrow 34.

Since the object 29 to be frozen is reciprocated in the frozen brine liquid 3 in this manner, it is immersed in the frozen brine liquid 3 for a distance approximately twice the length of the frozen liquid tank 1 .

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, the present invention arranges the same direction moving parts of a pair of endless conveyors made of a non-freezing material close to each other, so that there is a space for conveying objects to be frozen between the same direction moving parts. At the same time, an intermediate portion of the same-direction moving section is disposed in a freezing liquid in a freezing liquid tank, and an object to be frozen is supplied between the same-direction moving sections from an inlet at one end of the conveying space. A continuous quick freezing device that is immersed in and frozen in the freezing liquid as the endless conveyor operates, and then discharged from the outlet at the other end of the conveying space,
Since the conveyance space is inverted midway toward the carry-in port side and the discharge port is arranged at the carry-in port side, rapid freezing can be performed continuously with a small-sized device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a continuous rapid freezing device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 1. 1...Frozen liquid tank, 3...Frozen brine liquid, 7,
8...Net conveyor belt (endless conveyor), 29...Object to be frozen, 30...Transportation space.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A pair of endless conveyors made of a non-freezing material are arranged so that moving parts in the same direction face each other in close proximity to each other to form a space for conveying objects to be frozen between the moving parts in the same direction. An intermediate portion of the moving section is disposed in the freezing liquid of the freezing liquid tank, and the object to be frozen, which is supplied between the moving sections in the same direction from the entrance at one end of the conveying space, is transferred to the frozen object as the endless conveyor operates. A continuous rapid freezing device that is immersed in a freezing liquid to be frozen and then discharged from an outlet at the other end of the conveyance space, wherein the conveyance space is inverted midway toward the entrance side, and A continuous rapid freezing device characterized in that the discharge port is arranged on the loading port side.