JPH05332654A - High humidity storage warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To store perishable foods, etc., in a high humidity state while being cooled. CONSTITUTION:A heat exchanger 3 in which ice 5 is dropped from an ice making machine 2 is provided in a high humidity storage warehouse 1. Multi-stage oblique porous plates 4 are provided in the exchanger 3, and ices are sequentially dropped. A blower 8 circulates the air in the warehouse 1 to cool the air in contact with the ice 5. The air cooled in contact with the ice while melting the ice is diffused as an air flow 10 from a duct 9 to cool perishable foods such as meat 11, etc. Since the cooled air contains sufficient moisture, freshness can be sufficiently held without removing moisture of the meat 11, etc.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a high humidity storage box capable of storing fresh foods and the like while preventing evaporation of water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to maintain the freshness of fresh food products such as meat and vegetables, and to prevent the weight of products from decreasing,
High-humidity storage that can be refrigerated by preventing evaporation of water is used. In such a high humidity storage cabinet, cooling pipes are installed in the cabinet to refrigerate the cabinet by natural convection. If you forcibly circulate the air in the refrigerator,
Evaporation of water from perishable foods, etc. becomes active, making it impossible to maintain freshness.

In order to store fresh foods and the like, refrigeration using ice is also performed. For example, in the prior art disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-4190,
A configuration is disclosed in which the periphery of a refrigerating compartment is cooled with ice and fresh foods and the like are stored in the refrigerating compartment.

[0004]

In a conventional high humidity storage cabinet, the interior is refrigerated by natural convection to prevent evaporation of water from fresh foods and the like as much as possible. For this reason, it is necessary to arrange the cooling pipes on the entire top surface of the refrigerator. Around such a cooling pipe, the temperature of the air is lower than that of the other parts of the refrigerator, so it becomes saturated air,
Water vapor in the air condenses and becomes frost and adheres. When the cooled air is mixed with the air in the refrigerator and the temperature rises, the relative humidity in the refrigerator decreases. For this reason, the evaporation of water from fresh foods increases. Further, if a large amount of frost adheres to the cooling pipe, the cooling efficiency decreases, so it is necessary to remove the frost manually.

In a conventional refrigerating device using ice, it is not possible to increase the volume of the inside of the refrigerator to be cooled, so that it is not possible to efficiently store a large amount of fresh foods and the like.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a high-humidity storage that can keep fresh foods such as foods fresh and can be stored efficiently.

[0007]

According to the present invention, a heat exchanger 3 having a perforated plate 4, an ice supply means 2 for supplying granular ice 5 onto the perforated plate 4 of the heat exchanger 3, and an inside of the refrigerator are provided. A high-humidity storage characterized by including an air blower 8 for circulating air while contacting the ice 5 on the perforated plate 4.

The present invention is also characterized in that the heat exchanger 3 comprises a plurality of inclined perforated plates 4.

The present invention is also characterized in that the ice supply means 2 supplies spherical ice 5.

Further, according to the present invention, the ice supply means 2 includes the ice making means 2 arranged above the heat exchanger, and the ice 5 produced by the ice making means 2 is dropped onto the perforated plate 4. Is characterized by.

[0011]

According to the present invention, the high humidity storage is provided with the heat exchanger 3
And an ice supply means 2 and a blowing means 8. The ice supply means 2 supplies granular ice 5 onto the perforated plate 4 provided in the heat exchanger 3. The blower 8 circulates the air in the refrigerator while contacting the ice 5 on the perforated plate 4. The air circulating in the store is
Since the water vapor is brought into contact with the ice 5 to be cooled, the water vapor is not removed from the air as frost even if it is cooled, and rather the water vapor is supplied from the ice, so that the humidity is kept high. Since the latent heat due to the phase change when the ice 5 melts can be used for cooling the air, the air can be cooled efficiently. Since the air in the refrigerator is circulated by the blower means 8, the inside of the refrigerator can be cooled quickly and uniformly.

Further, according to the present invention, since the heat exchanger 3 is provided with a plurality of inclined perforated plates 4, the ice 5 supplied by the ice supply means 2 moves downward while melting, and is blown by the blower means 8. The heat exchange with the circulated air can be efficiently performed.

Further, according to the present invention, since the ice supply means 2 supplies the spherical ice 5, the ice 5 is placed on the perforated plate 4 of the heat exchanger 3.
Move while rolling, or ice 5 once fits into the hole of the perforated plate 4, melts and drops from the hole, and the heat exchanger 3
Ice 5 easily moves inside. Since the air blower 8 circulates the air so as to directly contact the moving ice 5,
Air can be sufficiently cooled.

According to the present invention, the ice supplying means 2 is provided with the ice making means 2 and the produced ice 5 is dropped on the perforated plate 4. When the ice 5 on the perforated plate 4 is melted, the ice 5 made can be supplied, so that refrigeration for a long period can be reliably performed.

[0015]

1 is a schematic side view of a high humidity storage 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the high humidity storage 1,
An ice making machine 2, which is an ice making means, is provided. A heat exchanger 3 is arranged below the ice making machine 2. The heat exchanger 3 is provided with a plurality of inclined perforated plates 4, and ice 5 made from the ice making machine 2
Is supplied. When the ice 5 melts, it falls into the molten water tank 6 below the heat exchanger 3. The water stored in the melted water tank 6 is returned to the ice making machine 2 by the pump 7 and used again for ice making.

From the lower side of the heat exchanger 3, the air inside the high humidity storage 1 is blown by a blower 8 which is a blowing means. The blown air is ice 5 on the perforated plate 4 of the heat exchanger 3.
It is cooled while coming into contact with and is blown out from the duct 9 into the high humidity storage 1 as wind 10. In the high humidity storage 1,
For example, meat 11 or the like is suspended and stored as a perishable food by a support tool 12. The wind 10 circulating in the high-humidity storage 1 is cooled by the ice 5 and contains a sufficient amount of water vapor, so that the meat 11 can be cooled without removing water. As a result, the freshness of the meat 11 is sufficiently maintained.

The heat exchanger 3 is constructed by stacking a plurality of slanted perforated plates 4 in a plurality of layers, and the produced ice cubes 5 are supplied from above by the ice making machine 2 serving as an ice supply means. The ice 5 fits into the holes of the perforated plate 4 and stops, or rolls and falls on the inclined perforated plate 4 and is widely distributed in the heat exchanger 3. The ice 5 remaining in the holes of the perforated plate 4 exchanges heat with the air circulated by the blower 8 and gradually melts. When the ice 5 melts and becomes smaller, it becomes smaller than the holes in the perforated plate 4 and falls downward. In this way, the ice 5 melts and drops in the heat exchanger 3 sequentially from the upper side to the lower side, and is finally stored in the molten water tank 6 in a melted state. During this time, sufficient heat exchange can be performed with the air in the high humidity storage 1 circulated by the blower 8.
Especially when the ice 5 melts into water, a large amount of heat is taken from the air as latent heat, so that the air can be cooled efficiently.

FIG. 2 shows a refrigerant piping system related to the ice making machine 2 shown in FIG. Portions corresponding to those in the configuration shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals. Below the ice making machine 2, an ice storage 13 for storing manufactured ice is provided. The bottom of the ice storage 13 can be opened and closed, and when it becomes necessary to supply ice, the stored ice is dropped into the heat exchanger 3 by opening the bottom. Opening and closing of the bottom is controlled according to, for example, the temperature inside the refrigerator. When the ice melts in the heat exchanger 3, the melted water falls and is stored in the melted water tank 6. A float switch 14 is provided in the melted water tank 6, and when the water level exceeds a certain value, the pump 7 is operated to return the water via the circulating water pipe 15. The bottom of the melted water tank 6 is connected to the drain port 16 so that the stored water can be drained. Water can also be supplied to the ice maker 2 from the water supply port 17 through the water supply solenoid valve 18. The water supplied to the ice maker 2 flows down from the water spray tank 19. Of course, the opening and closing of the bottom of the ice storage 13 may be controlled by a timer or the like so as to be opened at regular intervals.

A machine room 20 is provided to form a refrigerating device for cooling and freezing the water flowing down from the water sprinkling tank 19. Inside the machine chamber 20, there are provided a compressor 21, a conduit 22 for guiding a refrigerant discharged from the compressor 21, a condenser 23, and a conduit 24 for guiding a condensed refrigerant flowing out from the condenser 23. The pipeline 24 stores the condensed refrigerant in the high humidity storage 1
It is led to the humidity-sensitive expansion valve 25 inside. The refrigerant guided to the expansion valve 25 undergoes adiabatic expansion and is guided into the ice making unit 27 via the pipe line 26. In the ice making unit 27, the water flowing down from the water spray tank 19 is cooled and frozen while the refrigerant evaporates. The refrigerant from the ice making unit 27 is guided to the accumulator 29 via the pipe line 28. In the accumulator 29, the liquid state refrigerant is stored, and only the vaporized refrigerant is supplied to the conduit 3
Return to compressor 21 via 0. In this way, a refrigerating circuit is constructed in which the condenser 23 releases heat to the outside and the ice making unit 27 freezes water.

A pipe line 22 through which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 21 passes.
From, a bypass pipe 32 opened and closed by the ice making electromagnetic valve 31 branches. The bypass line 32 includes a line 22 on the discharge side of the compressor 21 and a line 26 on the outlet side of the temperature-sensitive expansion valve 25.
And bypass.

A condenser fan 33 and an air filter 34 are provided in association with the condenser 23. Condenser fan 33
Cools the condenser 23 by circulating the air in the machine room 20. Pipeline 2 through which the refrigerant condensed from the condenser 34 is guided
4 is provided with a pipe line 24 to which a port 35 and a dryer filter 36 are connected in series. Temperature-sensitive expansion valve 25
The opening is controlled by the output from the temperature sensing cylinder 37 that detects the temperature of the refrigerant that has exited from the ice making unit 27.

FIG. 3 shows a moving state of the ice 5 in the heat exchanger 3 shown in FIG. In the casing 39 of the heat exchanger 3, the perforated plates 4 are provided so as to be inclined in multiple stages. Perforated plate 4
Above, ice 5 moves. The perforated plates 4 in different stages fall and move like arrow 40. On the same perforated plate 4,
As shown by arrow 41, it moves while rolling. For this purpose, it is desirable that the ice 5 has a spherical shape.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the perforated plate 4 and the ice 5. The perforated plate 4 is formed of, for example, a mesh plate and has a large number of holes 42. When the size of the hole 42 is larger than the size of the ice 5, the ice 5 does not roll on the perforated plate 4 and passes through the hole 42 and falls. Hole 4 for ice 5
The ice 5 fits into the hole 42 when 2 is slightly smaller.
When the ice 5 melts by contacting the air circulated while the ice 5 is fitted in the hole 42, the ice 5 drops through the hole 42. When the multi-stage perforated plate 4 is provided and the holes 42 thereof are successively reduced from the upper side to the lower side, ice having a large outer diameter stays at the upper side and can be moved downward as the outer diameter becomes smaller.

FIG. 5 shows the effect of cooling according to this embodiment by a psychrometric model. If the state of the air in the high humidity storage 1 shown in FIG. 1 is represented by V1, the state of the air blown out from the duct 9 will be V2. For example V1
In this state, the temperature T1 is 10 ° C, and in the state of V2, the temperature T2 is 0.5 ° C. It should be noted that the absolute humidity, which was X1 in the V1 state, rises to X2 in the V2 state. Therefore, the relative humidity which was 80% in the state of V1 becomes close to 100% in the state of V2. Such a state change is indicated by reference numeral 43. During general cooling, the state changes in a direction in which the absolute humidity X1 decreases, as indicated by arrow 44, for example. In this embodiment, since the air is cooled by the latent heat of melting of ice, the air can be cooled efficiently, and moreover, the absolute humidity can be raised by replenishing water.

In this embodiment, the perforated plate is formed of a mesh plate, but it goes without saying that the flat plate may be provided with a large number of holes. According to the present embodiment, the heat exchanger 3 can be formed to have a size of about 1 m square, and the space inside the high humidity storage 1 can be widely used for storing fresh food 11 and the like. ..

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, the air in the refrigerator can be circulated while directly contacting the granular ice 5 supplied onto the perforated plate 4 of the heat exchanger 3. The circulating air in the refrigerator is cooled while coming into contact with the ice 5 and melting the ice 5, so that it is efficiently cooled by the large latent heat when the ice 5 changes into water. Further, since it is cooled while coming into contact with water, sufficient water vapor is supplied and the air in the refrigerator maintains a high humidity state.

Further, according to the present invention, since the heat exchanger 3 is provided with a plurality of inclined perforated plates 4, the granular ice 5 supplied from the ice supply means 2 moves from the upper side to the lower side to exchange heat. Widely distributed in the container 3. As a result, the blowing means 8
The total area in which the air circulated by the ice 5 comes into contact with the ice 5 is increased, and efficient cooling can be performed.

Further, according to the present invention, since the ice supply means 2 supplies the spherical ice 5, it easily passes through the holes of the perforated plate 4 or rolls on the perforated plate 4. Since the ice 5 is easy to move, the ice 5 is widely distributed in the heat exchanger 3, and the heat exchange with the air circulated by the blower 8 can be quickly performed.

Also according to the invention, the ice 5 is attached to the heat exchanger 3
The ice 5 can be continuously supplied to the heat exchanger 3 because it is produced by the ice-making means 2 arranged above and dropped on the perforated plate 4. As a result, the fresh foods and the like in the refrigerator can be stored with good freshness for a long period of time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a refrigerant piping system diagram related to the ice making machine 2 shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 3 in the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the inside of the heat exchanger 3 in the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a psychrometric diagram for explaining the operation according to the embodiment shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 High Humidity Storage 2 Ice Machine 3 Heat Exchanger 4 Perforated Plate 5 Ice 6 Melting Water Tank 7 Pump 8 Blower 9 Duct 10 Wind 13 Ice Storage 21 Compressor 23 Condenser 25 Temperature Sensitive Expansion Valve 27 Ice Making Unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A heat exchanger 3 having a perforated plate 4, an ice supply means 2 for supplying granular ice 5 onto the perforated plate 4 of the heat exchanger 3, and an air in the refrigerator for ice on the perforated plate 4. A high-humidity storage, which comprises a blowing means 8 for circulating the air while contacting it. 2. The high humidity storage cabinet according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger 3 includes a plurality of inclined perforated plates 4. 3. The high humidity storage cabinet according to claim 1, wherein the ice supply means 2 supplies spherical ice 5. 4. The ice supply means 2 comprises ice making means 2 arranged above the heat exchanger, and the ice 5 made by the ice making means 2 is dropped onto the perforated plate 4. The high humidity storage cabinet according to claim 1.