JPH074799A - Method and equipment for removing freezing of heat exchanger of supercooled water type ice making equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a method and equipment for removing freezing in a short time and economically in the case when water to be cooled is frozen in a heat exchanger in the course of operation of supercooled water type ice making equipment. CONSTITUTION:In supercooled water type ice making equipment comprising a refrigerator 1, a heat exchanger 2 for supercooled water and an ice storage tank 3, a sensor 8 for detecting a flow rate, a check valve 9 and a water supply pump 10 are provided in an inserting manner for a cold water supply passage 6 supplying water to be cooled from the ice storage tank 3 to the heat exchanger 2. A supply water passage 11 equipped with a solenoid valve 12 is connected to the cold water supply passage 6 between the heat exchanger 2 and the check valve 9, while the refrigerator 1, the sensor 8, the water supply pump 10 and the solenoid valve 12 are connected to a controller 14 through a circuit 13 respectively.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a defreezing method and device for a heat exchanger of a supercooled water type ice making device for supplying cold water to, for example, an air conditioner or a food cooling device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional supercooled water type ice making apparatus, as shown in FIG. 2, an ice storage tank 31 and a supercooled water heat exchanger 32 are connected by a circulation path 33, and the supercooled water is cooled. The water heat exchanger 32 and the refrigerator 34 are connected by a refrigerant circulation path 35. This supercooled water type ice making device,
Ice is stored in the ice storage tank 31 by using late-night electric power, which has a low electricity rate, and ice water is supplied from above the ice storage tank 31 and chilled water is taken out from the bottom of the ice storage tank 31 according to load demand. . By the way, in the operation of this ice making device, after the ice storage tank 31 is filled with water, the refrigerator 34 is activated,
The cooling medium is supplied into the heat exchanger 32 and circulated, and the water to be cooled in the ice storage tank 31 is sent into the heat exchanger 32 to exchange heat, and the supercooled water is supplied into the ice storage tank 31. To do. When ice making starts in the ice storage tank 31, the temperature of the water to be cooled, which circulates and flows into the heat exchanger 32, lowers and freezing easily occurs in the heat exchanger, and especially the water temperature is 0.4 ° C.
In the following cases, it often freezes after a short period of operation. Therefore, conventionally, as a countermeasure, the heat insulation of the circulation path 33 between the ice storage tank 31 and the heat exchanger 32 is deteriorated, or an auxiliary heat exchanger (not shown) is provided for positive heating. The water temperature at the inlet of the heat exchanger 32 was raised by the method.

However, in the heat exchanger 32, there are many portions where the water temperature is below the freezing point, so that the water may freeze.
In that case, conventionally, the operation of the refrigerator 34 is immediately stopped and the circulating water is externally heated and supplied to the heat exchanger 32 for thawing. At that time, a heat source such as electric power for heating is required,
Further, the electric power for the refrigerator for removing the amount of heat is wasted.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for freezing the inside of a heat exchanger in as short a time as possible without using unnecessary energy. That is the purpose.

[0005]

That is, the present invention provides a subcooling water type ice making device comprising a refrigerator, a heat exchanger for subcooling water, and an ice storage tank, wherein the heat exchanger is operated while the ice making device is in operation. When part of the water to be cooled in the inside freezes and the flow rate of the water to be cooled drops below the specified flow rate, the water supply pump provided in the cold water supply channel is stopped and the makeup water at room temperature is supplied from the makeup channel to the heat exchanger. It is characterized by sending water inside to release the freezing. Therefore, it is desirable to operate the ice storage tank in a state where the amount of water in the ice storage tank is smaller than that in a full state so that the makeup water for thawing does not overflow. The device is
A cold water supply between the heat exchanger and the check valve is provided by inserting a sensor for detecting a flow rate, a check valve and a water supply pump in a cold water supply passage for supplying the water to be cooled from the ice storage tank to the heat exchanger. A make-up water passage having an electromagnetic valve is connected to the passage, and the refrigerator, the sensor, the water supply pump, and the electromagnetic valve are each connected to a controller via a line.

[0006]

According to the present invention, when a part of the water to be cooled is frozen in the heat exchanger and the flow rate of the water to be cooled falls below a predetermined flow rate, the water supply pump is stopped and the makeup water at room temperature is heated. Water is sent into the exchanger to freeze it in a short time.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view of a supercooled water type ice making device according to the present invention. The ice making device includes a refrigerator 1, a subcooling water heat exchanger 2 (hereinafter referred to as a heat exchanger) and an ice storage tank 3. It is configured. In the refrigerator 1, for example, after decompressing a liquefied refrigerant (for example, Freon) with the expansion valve 1a,
This is a method in which the water to be cooled is directly cooled by the latent heat of vaporization of the refrigerant via the heat exchanger 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchanger 2 has an outer tube 2
a has a double pipe structure in which a is formed in a spiral shape (a straight shape is also possible depending on the implementation), and an inner pipe 2b is inserted therein, and ice storage is provided between the outer pipe 2a and the inner pipe 2b. The water to be cooled supplied from the tank 3 flows, and the refrigerant supplied from the refrigerator 1 flows into the inner pipe 2b. Therefore, the cooling water is cooled from the outer circumference of the inner pipe 2b to produce supercooled water.

The refrigerator 1 and the inner pipe 2b of the heat exchanger 2 are connected via the expansion valve 1a using the refrigerant supply passage 4 and the refrigerant return passage 5 to circulate the refrigerant. On the other hand, the lower portion of the ice storage tank 3 and the inlet of the outer pipe 2a of the heat exchanger 2 are connected by the cold water supply passage 6, and the outlet of the outer pipe 2a of the heat exchanger and the ice storage tank 3 are recirculated with supercooled water. The cold water supply passage 6 is connected to the cold water supply passage 6 through the passage 7 and the space in which the water falls, and a flow rate sensor 8 (which can be substituted by a pressure sensor) for detecting the flow rate of the water to be cooled, a check valve 9 and a water supply pump. 10 is inserted. In the present invention, the makeup water passage 11 is connected between the flow sensor 8 and the check valve 9 of the cold water supply passage 6, and the solenoid valve 12 is inserted in the middle. And the refrigerator 1,
The flow rate sensor 8, the water feed pump 10, and the solenoid valve 12 are connected to the controller 14 via the line 13, respectively. In the figure, reference numeral 15 is a deicing channel with a solenoid valve 16
Is provided. Further, reference numeral 17 in the drawing denotes a cold water intake passage, and an electromagnetic valve 18 is provided in the middle thereof.

Next, a method of operating the ice making device having the above-mentioned structure and a method of releasing the freezing will be described. The electromagnetic valves of the ice making device are closed. First, the electromagnetic valve 16 of the deicing water channel 15 is opened, and the electromagnetic valve 16 is closed in a state where a sufficient amount of water is stored in the ice storage tank 3 to operate the refrigerator 1 and drive the water supply pump 10. Then start the production of supercooled water.
Then, the water in the ice storage tank 3 is cooled through the heat exchanger 2, the water temperature becomes 0 ° C. or lower at the outlet of the supercooled water return passage 7, and ice will start to form in the ice storage tank 3 for a while. The water temperature of the circulating water flowing into the heat exchanger 2 from the cold water supply passage 6 drops to near 0 ° C. When the heat exchanger is frequently frozen due to the low water temperature, the electromagnetic valve 12 of the makeup water passage 11 is slightly opened to mix normal temperature water and the water supplied to the heat exchanger 2 is supplied at a predetermined water temperature (about 1 ° C.). ) To prevent freezing in the heat exchanger 2.

Nonetheless, it is not inevitable that a part of the water to be cooled is frozen in the heat exchanger 2 during the operation of the ice making device. In that case, the flow rate of the cooled water to be supplied falls below a preset flow rate.
Detects and reports the information to the controller 14 via the line 13. The controller 14 stops the operation of the refrigerator 1 and the water supply pump 10 by the signal from the flow rate sensor 8 and fully opens the electromagnetic valve 12 of the replenishment water passage 11 to exchange heat of the replenishment water at room temperature (15 ° C.). Water is fed into the container 2 to release the freezing in a short time. Then, the freezing is released and the flow rate sensor 8
When a predetermined flow rate is detected (or after a predetermined time elapses), a signal is sent to the controller 14, the operations of the water supply pump 10 and the refrigerator 1 are sequentially restarted, and the solenoid valve 12 is operated to circulate a predetermined amount of makeup water. Mix in water and restart ice making.

As described above, the operation of the ice making device and the freeze release are repeated, and when a predetermined amount of ice is stored, the ice storage operation is terminated and the operation is stopped. In the deicing operation, the solenoid valve 16 of the deicing water channel 15 is opened in response to the load demand, water is sprayed from above the tank to thaw the ice, and the solenoid valve 18 of the cold water intake channel 17 is opened.
Open to supply cold water to the load.

[0013]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a part of the water to be cooled is frozen in the heat exchanger during the operation of the ice making device, the makeup water at room temperature is supplied to the heat exchanger in the makeup water channel. Since the water is further fed to release the freezing, it is not necessary to heat the circulating water from the outside as in the conventional case, and unnecessary electric power is unnecessary. In addition, as compared with a case where only the refrigerator is stopped and the circulating water is circulated without being heated, the ice-melting time can be greatly shortened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view of a supercooled water type ice making device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory view of a conventional supercooled water type ice making device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Refrigerator 2 ... Heat Exchanger 3 ... Ice Storage Tank 6 ... Cold Water Supply Channel 8 ... Sensor 9 ... Check Valve 10 ... Water Supply Pump 11 ... Makeup Channel 12 ... Solenoid Valve 13 ... Line 14 ... Controller

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor, Akiyoshi Itabashi 7 Horie-cho, Matsuyama-shi, Ehime Prefecture Miura Research Institute Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A supercooled water type ice making device comprising a refrigerator 1, a heat exchanger 2 for supercooled water and an ice storage tank 3, wherein the water to be cooled in the heat exchanger 2 is in operation while the ice making device is in operation. When part of the water is cooled and the flow rate of the cooled water to be supplied falls below a predetermined flow rate, the water supply pump 10 provided in the cold water supply path 6 is stopped, and make-up water at room temperature is supplied from the make-up water path 11 into the heat exchanger 2. A method of releasing freeze of a heat exchanger of a supercooled water type ice making device, which comprises supplying water to release the freeze. 2. A supercooled water type ice making device comprising a refrigerator 1, a heat exchanger 2 for supercooled water and an ice storage tank 3, wherein cold water for supplying cooled water from the ice storage tank 3 to the heat exchanger 2. A sensor 8 for detecting a flow rate, a check valve 9 and a water supply pump 10 are inserted in the supply passage 6, and a cold water supply passage 6 between the heat exchanger 2 and the check valve 9 is provided with an electromagnetic valve 12 for replenishment. The heat exchanger of the supercooled water type ice making device is characterized in that the water passage 11 is connected and the refrigerator 1, the sensor 8, the water supply pump 10 and the solenoid valve 12 are connected to the controller 14 through the line 13, respectively. Defreeze device.