JPH0926254A - Method of defrosting cooling device, defrosting device and showcase - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten a time period required for performing a defrosting operation of a showcase, reduce a heat loss of cold brine and hot brine and further reduce the consumption power. SOLUTION: In a cooling device in which cold brine cooled in a cooling source 3 is supplied to a heat exchanger 19 of a cooled part 1, a heat exchanging across the heat exchanger 19 is carried out to perform a cooling of the cooled part 1, hot brine heated and stored in a brine storing tank 24 while being independent of the cold brine is supplied to the heat exchanger 19 so as to remove frosted state at the surface of the heat exchanger 19, the cold brine in the heat exchanger 19 is temporarily stored in the brine storing tank 24. When the defrosting operation is completed, the cold brine stored in the brine storing tank 24 is replaced again with the hot brine used for the defrosting in the heat exchanger 19.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a defrosting method for a cooling device, a defrosting device, and a showcase.
The present invention relates to a defrosting method, a defrosting device, and a showcase for a cooling device that defrosts a heat exchanger in a cooling device such as a freezer showcase, a refrigerating showcase, a food storage refrigerator, and a freezer in a large store.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, frozen foods and chilled foods are showing an increasing trend in the food industry, and accordingly, showcases for displaying frozen foods and showcases for refrigerated foods (hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, Together, these frozen and refrigerated showcases are called “showcases”) and the proportion of store space occupied by them is increasing. And, in order to secure as large a sales floor area as possible to arrange showcases,
Refrigerators and the like, which were individually arranged in a showcase, have been removed from the showcase, and have been integrated and arranged in a machine room separated from stores.

Hereinafter, a conventional cooling method and a cooling device for a showcase will be briefly described with reference to an example shown in FIG.

[0004] In the showcase 31 of the conventional example, food is frozen or refrigerated using a cooling unit 33 having a refrigeration cycle 32.

[0005] The cooling unit 33 is disposed on the machine room M side and includes a refrigeration cycle 32 including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion member and an evaporator 34, and a refrigerant cooled by the refrigeration cycle 32. The cold storage tank 35 stores brine cooled by heat exchange (hereinafter, cooled brine is particularly referred to as cold brine). In this conventional example, the evaporator 34 of the refrigeration cycle 32 is disposed in the regenerator 35, and the condenser is separately provided on a roof or the like as a cooling tower or the like.

[0006] The compressor, condenser, expansion member and evaporator 34 constituting the refrigeration cycle 32 are sequentially connected by two pipes P1 and P1 for circulating a refrigerant. The tank 35 is connected to each of the heat exchangers 36 disposed in each of the showcases 31 on the store S side with two pipes P2 and P2 for circulating the cold brine. The cold brine is connected to a pump P provided in a pipe P2.
This circulates between the regenerator 35 and the heat exchanger 36 provided in the showcase 31.

[0007] As the brine, it is preferable to use a calcium chloride solution having a property that viscosity is hardly produced, or to use an ethylene glycol solution. Hereinafter, a method of cooling a showcase will be described using a calcium chloride solution. I do.

First, in the above-described refrigeration cycle 32, the refrigerant is made to have a low temperature and a low humidity by passing through an expansion member of the refrigeration cycle 32, and in this state, two pipes P1 and P1 for circulating the refrigerant are used to generate heat with the brine. It supplies to the evaporator 34 in the regenerator 35 which performs exchange. And
Heat exchange between the refrigerant and the brine is performed in the cool storage tank 35 to cool the brine. This cold brine,
The two pipes P2 and P2 are supplied to a heat exchanger 36 having a cooling fin coil 37 disposed in the showcase 31.

In the showcase 31, heat exchange is performed between the cold brine supplied into the cooling fin coil 37 of the heat exchanger 36 and the air used for cooling the showcase body 31A. By circulating the cooled air in the showcase body 31A, the products displayed on the product display section 37 of the showcase 31 are cooled.

The surface temperature of the heat exchanger 36, which is installed in the showcase 31 and exchanges heat with the air for cooling the product display portion 37 of the showcase body 31A, is generally below freezing. Frost due to the moisture in the air will adhere to the surface of the substrate. For this reason, defrosting work called defrost has been performed about once every 3 to 4 hours.

The defrosting device for performing the defrosting is installed side by side so as to utilize a part of the cooling unit 33.

An example of a conventional showcase defrosting method and defrosting apparatus will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 5, two pipes P2 and P2 for circulating cold brine cooled in a cooling source through the heat exchanger 36 are maintained at a temperature separately provided for defrost and capable of defrosting. Supply of brine (hereinafter, the heated brine is particularly called hot brine)
Two pipes P3 and P3 for performing recovery and control valves 38 and 38 for controlling supply and recovery of the cold brine.
And are arranged. The other ends of the pipes P3 and P3 are
In the refrigerating cycle 32, the refrigerant gas is connected to a hot brine generating chamber 39 in which a coil (not shown) through which a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas before reaching a condenser (not shown) flows. The pipings P3 and P3 are provided with defrost valves 40 and 40 for controlling the supply of hot brine to the heat exchanger 36 and the recovery thereof from the heat exchanger 36, and a defrost pump (not shown). Have been.

A calcium chloride solution used as the hot brine is sealed in the pipe P3. The hot brine in the pipe P3 is heated by the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas in the hot brine generation chamber 39. It is configured to be heated and stored at a temperature of about 40 ° C. to about 45 ° C. by replacement. Needless to say, the same kind of hot brine is used as the above-mentioned cold brine.

When performing defrosting, the control valves 38, 38 of the pipe P2 and the defrosting valves 40, 4
0 by controlling the opening and closing of the heat exchanger 3 of the cold brine
6 and temporarily suspend the hot brine from the pipe P3 to the respective showcases 31 through the pipe P2.
The frost adhering to the surface of the heat exchanger 36 is removed by the heat of the hot brine supplied to the heat exchanger 36.

[0016]

However, when defrosting is performed to remove frost from the heat exchanger 36 as described above, it usually takes 25 to 30 minutes. Then, while the defrosting is being performed, the supply of the cooling air to the showcase 31 is not performed.
The temperature in the showcase 31 is 10 to 15 below a predetermined temperature.
Inevitably, the temperature rises by ℃, and among fresh foods that have been kept chilled by cooling, juices called so-called drip may appear in the meat and fresh fish, and the frozen foods may become loose and bacteria may become loose. There have been problems in quality control of frozen or refrigerated foods, such as causing propagation. Also, for example, in the case of ice cream or frozen food, once frozen is frozen and frozen again at an appropriate temperature, frost adheres to the surface of the package, making the package look worse and affecting sales. Was.

In the conventional defrosting method, the brine supplied to the heat exchanger 36 of the showcase 31 is switched by operating the control valves 38, 38 and the defrost valves 40, 40 as described above. In this method, a large amount of cold brine and hot brine are necessarily mixed, and the hot brine has been deprived of the heat by the cold brine.

When the control valves 38 and 38 and the defrost valves 40 and 40 are switched so that cold brine is supplied to the heat exchanger 36 again after defrosting, the hot brine is transferred to the refrigeration cycle 32. It will be recovered and cooled to the desired temperature, but the brine used for this defrost is much higher in temperature than the cold brine used to generate the cooling air and is recovered, so much is needed to re-cool the brine. Power consumption.

In order to avoid mixing of the brine which causes such a problem as much as possible, it is conceivable to separately provide a piping for defrost, but the machine room M in which the condenser is disposed is provided.
If hot-brine piping is provided between each showcase 31 in the store S, the cost is high, the number of piping is simply doubled, and the maintenance becomes difficult. I have.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and a cooling device capable of shortening the time for defrosting a showcase, reducing heat loss of cold brine and hot brine, and reducing power consumption. An object of the present invention is to provide a defrosting method, a defrosting device, and a showcase.

[0021]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a defrosting method for a cooling device, wherein cold brine cooled in a cooling source is supplied to a heat exchanger of a cooled portion to cool the heat exchanger. In a cooling device that performs heat exchange inside and outside to cool a cooled portion, when defrosting the heat exchanger, the hot brine that has been heated and stored in a brine storage tank independent of the cold brine is exchanged. Supply to the heat exchanger to remove frost on the surface of the heat exchanger and to temporarily stock cold brine in the heat exchanger in the brine storage tank, and when defrosting is completed, stock it in the brine storage tank. It is characterized in that the cold brine previously used is replaced again with the hot brine used for defrosting the heat exchanger.

Further, in the defrosting device of the cooling device according to the second aspect, the cooling supply pipe for supplying the cold brine cooled in the cooling source to the heat exchanger of the part to be cooled, and the cooling pipe from the heat exchanger. In a cooling device having a cooling recovery pipe for recovering brine in the cooling source, a cooling device is provided, which has a heater for heating the brine for defrosting, is connected to the brine storage tank for storing the brine, and the cooling supply pipe, Defrost supply pipe for supplying brine from the brine storage tank to the heat exchanger, and connected to the cooling recovery pipe,
A defrosting recovery pipe for recovering brine from the heat exchanger to the brine storage tank, and a pipe line for supplying brine from any one of the cooling supply pipe and the defrosting supply pipe to the heat exchanger. At least one control valve for controlling, and at least one control valve for controlling the pipeline so as to recover the brine from the heat exchanger to one of the cooling recovery pipe and the defrost supply pipe. A brine storage tank, a supply pipe for defrost, or a recovery pipe for defrost, and a pump that circulates the brine for exchanging the brine in the heat exchanger with the brine in the brine storage tank. It is characterized by

A defrosting device for a cooling device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the defrosting device for a cooling device according to the second aspect, wherein a circulation passage for the brine is formed in a brine storage tank. The partition members are formed in a zigzag shape in the circulation direction of the brine from both side walls facing each other, and a defrost recovery pipe is connected to the most upstream part in the circulation passage of the brine storage tank. The defrosting supply pipe is connected to the most downstream portion of the circulation passage.

The showcase of the present invention according to claim 4 further comprises a product display section for displaying a product to be cooled.
An air circulation passage that circulates cooling air between the product display unit and the product display unit by a fan, and a cooling system that is arranged in the air circulation passage and supplies cold brine cooled in a cooling source. And a heat exchanger connected to cooling recovery pipes for recovering the cold brine used for cooling to the cooling source, and performing heat exchange between the supplied brine and ambient air. In, a brine storage tank having a heater for heating the brine for defrost to store the brine, and a defrost supply pipe connected to the cooling supply pipe to supply the brine from the brine storage tank to the heat exchanger, A defrosting recovery pipe connected to the cooling recovery pipe for recovering brine from the heat exchanger to the brine storage tank; At least one control valve for controlling the pipe line so as to supply the brine from either one of the supply pipe for supply and the supply pipe for defrost to the heat exchanger, and the brine from the heat exchanger for cooling the brine. At least one control valve for controlling the pipe line to recover to either one of the recovery pipe and the defrost supply pipe, the brine storage tank, the defrost supply pipe or the defrost recovery pipe, It further comprises a pump for circulating the brine for exchanging the brine in the heat exchanger with the brine in the brine storage tank.

Further, according to the defrosting method of the cooling device, the defrosting device and the showcase according to the present invention, the brine from any one of the cooling supply pipe and the defrost supply pipe is fed to the heat exchanger. After adjusting at least one control valve for supplying, and at least one control valve for recovering the brine from the heat exchanger to one of the cooling recovery pipe and the defrosting supply pipe, respectively, By exchanging the hot brine in the brine storage tank, which is provided independently from the cold brine by driving the pump, with the cold brine in the heat exchanger, heat generated by mixing a large amount of cold brine with the hot brine. Loss can be suppressed, which enables quick defrosting and low power consumption. In which advantageous effects such as can be.

[0026]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an outline of a defrosting device for a cooling device according to the present invention. A plurality of showcases 1, 1, ... Are installed in a store S such as a supermarket. Shows only one representative showcase 1.

Each of the showcases 1 is installed in a machine room M separated from the store S in which the showcases 1 are installed.
Unit 2 as a cooling source for cooling products lined up
Is installed. Inside the cooling unit 2, a compressor, an expansion member, and an evaporator (not shown) constituting the refrigeration cycle 3, a regenerator 4 for cooling and keeping the brine by heat exchange with the refrigerant cooled by the refrigeration cycle 3, Further, a motor (not shown) for driving the compressor is provided. In the present embodiment, the evaporator of the refrigeration cycle 3 is disposed in the regenerator 4, and a condenser is installed in a well-ventilated outdoor area (not shown). The compressor and the motor may be installed in the machine room M separately from the expansion member, the evaporator, and the like.

The compressor, condenser, expansion member and evaporator constituting the refrigeration cycle 3 are sequentially connected by two pipes (not shown) for circulating the refrigerant.
Further, the cool storage tank 4 is provided with each showcase 1 on the store S side.
A cooling supply pipe for circulating cold brine cooled in the cold storage tank 4 by heat exchange between each of the heat exchangers described later provided therein and the refrigerant in the evaporator in the cooling unit 2 5 and a recovery pipe 6 for cooling. And cold brine,
Pumps 5P and 6P provided in the cooling supply pipe 5 and the cooling recovery pipe 6 circulate between the regenerator 4 and a heat exchanger described later provided in the showcase 1.

As the brine used in this embodiment, a calcium chloride solution is used in the same manner as in the above-mentioned conventional example, and the brine is cooled to be cold brine, or heated to be hot brine.

In the present embodiment, the cooling supply pipe 5 and the cooling recovery pipe 6 are made of metal pipes, and the pipes 5 and 6 whose outer periphery is covered with a heat insulating member are used.
The cooling supply pipe 5 and the cooling recovery pipe 6
Shall be applied to the back of the ceiling, which is hard to see and does not interfere with the walking of the shopper or the loading of goods.

The showcase 1 shown in detail in FIG. 2 has a box-shaped showcase body 1A whose front part is formed as a product takeout opening 7 and is widely opened. In the mouth 7, a product display unit 8 is formed so as to communicate with the product outlet 7. A plurality of detachable shelves 9, 9,... Are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction in the product display section 8, and a box-shaped product storage section is provided at the lower end of the product display section 8. 10 are formed. The product display section 8 of the showcase body 1A is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG.

Further, a cooling air outlet 12 for blowing cooling air as cool air is formed in the front upper wall 11 of the product display portion 8 of the showcase body 1A. Similarly, a cooling air suction port 14 for recovering air used for cooling the product display unit 8 is provided in a front lower wall 13 of the product display unit 8.
The cooling air blow-out port 12 and the cooling air suction port 14 are connected to the upper wall 11 and the back wall 15 of the product display unit 8.
And, it communicates with an air passage 16 formed in a U-shape along the lower wall 13.

In the vicinity of the cooling air inlet 14, a partition plate 17A having a fan 17 communicating with the air passage 16 is provided.
Is provided. A heat exchanger 19 having a plurality of brine coils 18 for circulating the brine is disposed near the fan 17 and downstream in the cooling air circulation direction.

The heat exchanger 19 includes two rectangular substrates 2 arranged in parallel with each other as shown in detail in FIG.
0A and 20B, and are formed between the two substrates 20A and 20B in a rectangular shape having substantially the same shape as the substrate 20, respectively.
A large number of heat exchange fins 21, 21,... Arranged in parallel with the substrates 20A, 20B are provided with a minute gap therebetween. Each fin 21 is formed of a metal such as aluminum having good thermal conductivity.

Near the outside of the lower portion of the substrate 20A, the tip of the cooling supply pipe 5 is disposed so as to extend in parallel with the surface of the substrate 20A. A plurality of brine coils 18 are branched from the section at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the cooling supply pipe 5. Each of the brine coils 18 extends in the direction in which the fins 21, 21,... Penetrate the substrate 20A, the fins 21, 21,..., And the substrate 20B, and curves upward outside the substrate 20B. .. Extend in the direction opposite to the above-mentioned direction, that is, in the alignment direction of the fins 21, 21... So as to penetrate the substrate 20B, the fins 21, 21. After that, it further curves upward on the outside of the substrate 20A and in the same direction as the first direction, that is, in the alignment direction of the fins 21, 21 so as to penetrate the substrate 20A, the fins 21, 21. Extend upwardly again outside the substrate 20B, and extend in the alignment direction of the fins 21, 21,... Again so as to penetrate the substrate 20, the fins 21, 21. , Reaches the outside of the substrate 20A.

In the vicinity of the outside of the upper portion of the substrate 20A, the tip of the cooling recovery pipe 6 is disposed so as to extend in parallel with the tip of the cooling supply pipe 5. The tip of each of the uppermost brine coils 18 is connected to the tip of the collection pipe 6.

Then, each of the substrates 20A, 20B and each of the fins 21, 21,.
Will be held. The direction of the wind of the fan 17 is perpendicular to the direction in which the fins 21, 21.
Are distributed along the surfaces of 1, 21,....
Further, on the fan 17 side of the heat exchanger 19,
A defrost heater 2 composed of a long heating wire and controlled to be turned on and off in conjunction with a brine circulation control valve described later.
.., Each of the fins 21, 21... From the substrate 20 side to the substrate 20 </ b> B side.
21 and is curved upward in the vicinity of the substrate 20B, and this time, the upper portion of the end face on the side where the fan 17 is disposed is placed in the opposite direction to that described above, that is, from the substrate 20B side to the substrate 20A side. Are arranged so as to extend in the alignment direction of 21, 21,.

Then, the showcase body 1 of the present embodiment
On the top wall 23 of A, a brine storage tank 24 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped having a horizontal direction as a longitudinal direction is disposed. As shown in FIG. 4, inside the brine storage tank 24, a baffle plate 25 formed in a flat plate shape as a partition member 26 that partitions the brine storage tank 24 from opposing side walls to form a brine circulation path. Are formed in a staggered manner in the circulation direction of the brine. Further, the brine storage tank 24 is provided with a heater (not shown) as a heating source for heating the brine into hot brine and an air vent. A defrost supply pipe for supplying brine to a heat exchanger 19 disposed in the showcase 1 at the most downstream portion in a brine circulation passage formed in the brine storage tank 24 when defrosting is performed. A defrost recovery pipe 28 for recovering the brine from the heat exchanger 19 is connected to the most upstream portion of the brine circulation passage.

The defrost supply pipe 27 and the defrost recovery pipe 28 are connected to the cooling unit 2 described above.
The cooling supply pipe 5 and the cooling recovery pipe 6, which are disposed between the storage case 1 and each showcase 1 and extend from the ceiling direction in the store to the heat exchanger 19 of each showcase 1, the ceiling of each showcase 1 Each part is connected in the vicinity. The cooling supply pipe 5 and the defrost supply pipe 27
A connection three-way valve 29 serving as a control valve for switching the circulation direction of the brine is interposed at the connection part of the cooling pipe, and the connection part between the cooling recovery pipe 6 and the defrost recovery pipe 28 is also a control valve. A three-way valve for recovery 30 is interposed.
The two three-way valves 29 and 30 are linked to switch between the circulation of the brine between the heat exchanger 19 and the brine storage tank 24 and the circulation of the brine between the heat exchanger 19 and the cooling unit 2. It is configured to do so. The defrost supply pipe 27 is connected to the brine in the brine storage tank 24 and the heat exchanger 19 at the time of defrost.
A pump 27P for replacing the brine inside is provided. The drive time of the pump 27P is set in advance to a time sufficient to completely replace the brine in the brine storage tank 24 with the brine in the heat exchanger 19.

Next, a defrosting apparatus and a defrosting method using a showcase of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described.

As described above, the defroster of this embodiment is
The cooling method using the cooling unit 2 is provided in a part of the cooling device of the showcase for the purpose of cooling the products displayed in the product display section 8 of the showcase body 1. After briefly describing the above, a defrosting method using the defroster of the present embodiment will be described.

First, brine is cooled to -35 ° C to -40 ° C by exchanging heat with the refrigerant cooled in the cooling unit 2 in the regenerator 4. The cold brine is supplied to the brine coil 18 of the heat exchanger 19 disposed in the showcase 1 via the cooling supply pipe 5 by driving the pumps 5P and 6P. In the showcase 1, the cooling air used for cooling the showcase 1 is taken into the air passage 16 from the cooling air suction port 14 by the fan 17 disposed in the air passage 16. The cooling air is re-cooled by passing heat between the cold brine by passing the cooling air between the brine coils of the heat exchanger 19. And
The re-cooled cooling air is blown out from the cooling air outlet 12 which is an opening of the air passage 16 to cool the product display portion 8 of the showcase 1. Under this setting, the temperature inside the showcase 1 can be cooled to −20 ° C. to −25 ° C. Then, the process of collecting the cold brine provided for cooling into the cold storage tank 4 of the cooling unit 2 through the cooling recovery pipe 6 and re-cooling the same is repeated, thereby cooling the showcase 1. This time,
A three-way supply valve 29 interposed at the connection between the cooling supply pipe 5 and the defrost supply pipe 27 and a three-way recovery valve interposed at the connection between the cooling recovery pipe 6 and the defrost recovery pipe 28 Numeral 30 is adjusted so that the circulation path of the cold brine for the heat exchanger 19 of the showcase 1 is opened.

In the defrosting method of this embodiment, while the above-described cooling of the showcase 1 is performed,
By driving a heater (not shown) of the brine storage tank 24 disposed on the top wall 23 of the showcase main body 1A, the brine in the brine storage tank 24 is heated to 40 ° C. to 45 ° C. to be hot brine and stored. deep. The hot brine includes the supply three-way valve 29 and the recovery three-way valve 30.
When the showcase is cooled, the inside of the supply pipe 27 for defrost, the brine storage tank 24, and the collection pipe 28 for defrost are filled.
The amount of the hot brine is determined according to the supply three-way valve 2.
The cooling supply pipe 5, the heat exchanger 19, and the three-way supply valve 29, which are disposed on the heat exchanger 19 side (downstream in the brine circulation passage) from the heat exchanger 19, are disposed on the heat exchanger 19 side (see FIG. It is assumed to be substantially equal to the amount of cold brine charged in the cooling recovery pipe 6 (upstream in the brine circulation passage).

The heat exchanger 17 in the showcase 1
When performing defrosting, the supply three-way valve 2 installed at the connection between the cooling supply pipe 5 and the defrost supply pipe 27
9, the cooling recovery pipe 6 and the defrost recovery pipe 28
By operating the three-way recovery valve 30 interposed at the connection part of the above, the circulation path of the hot brine to the heat exchanger 19 of the showcase 1 is opened.

Then, the pump 27P is driven in this state, and the inside of the brine coil of the heat exchanger 19 and the three-way valve 2 are connected.
The cold brine remaining in the cooling supply pipe 5 and the cooling recovery pipe 6 on the showcase side from 9 and 30 and the hot brine in the brine storage tank 24 are completely replaced, and the pump 27P is driven in that state. Stop.
At this time, the cold brine is supplied to the defrost recovery pipe 28.
Is collected into the brine storage tank 24 from the most upstream portion of the brine circulation passage through the circulation passage guided by the baffle plate 25 as the partition member 26 in the brine storage tank 24. The hot brine stored in the brine storage tank 24 is pushed out from the most downstream portion of the circulation passage in the brine storage tank 24 to the supply pipe 27 for defrost, and the heat exchanger 19 of the showcase 1 is driven by the pump 27P. Is supplied to the brine coil 18. Therefore, almost all of the hot brine in the brine storage tank 24 is supplied to the heat exchanger 19 without much mixing of the cold brine and the hot brine.

On the other hand, on the heat exchanger 19 side, the three-way valve 2
The switch of the defrost heater 22 is turned on in conjunction with the operations of 9 and 30, and the heating wire is heated. The heat of the defrost heater 22 and the heat of the hot brine charged in the brine coil 18 are transferred to the substrate by a fan 17 disposed upstream of the heat exchanger 19 in the air passage 16 in the cooling air circulation direction. The fins 21, 21... Formed between 20A and 20B are fed into the minute gaps formed between them.

In this manner, the heat exchanger 19
The frost adhering to the brine coil 18 is removed by the heat of the hot brine filled in the brine coil 18 and the fins 21, 21,... Are removed.

When the defrosting is completed, the pump 27P is driven again to exchange the hot brine in the brine coil 18 of the heat exchanger 19 with the cold brine stocked in the brine storage tank 24.

Then, the three-way valves 29 and 30 are operated again to close the brine circulation passage between the brine storage tank 24 and the heat exchanger 19, and to supply the cooling supply pipe 5 and the cooling recovery pipe 6. The circulation of the cold brine is restarted to cool the normal showcase. At this time, it goes without saying that the defrost heater 22 that is turned on and off in conjunction with the three-way valves 29 and 30 as the control valves is also turned off.

As described above, according to the defrosting method, the defrosting apparatus, and the showcase of the present embodiment, the time required for defrost, which conventionally required 25 to 30 minutes, is reduced to 10 times.
Minutes. This means that defrosting can be performed without loosening the frozen or cooled state of the products displayed on the product display section 8 of the showcase main body 1A, and therefore, the food hygiene management is also good. Further, it is possible to prevent frost from adhering to the package of the product due to re-cooling and re-freezing, and to keep the appearance of the product beautiful, so that the sales are not affected.

In this embodiment, cold brine is temporarily stocked in the brine storage tank 24 during defrost, and is returned to the heat exchanger 19 in the showcase 1 again after defrost is completed. As a result, the hot brine and the cold brine do not mix in large amounts, and the heat loss in both the hot brine and the cold brine can be reduced. Therefore, the heat of the cooling unit 2 and the heater in the brine storage tank 24 can be reduced. The consumption can be kept small.

Further, the defrosting device of the present embodiment can be added to the existing cooling device provided in each showcase 1 with a simple operation, and a great improvement work including the cooling device can be performed. Since it is not required, it is possible to reduce costs such as construction costs.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be variously modified as needed. For example, the three-way valve as a control valve can be replaced with an interlocking electromagnetic valve provided in each of a cooling supply pipe, a cooling recovery pipe, a defrost supply pipe, and a defrost recovery pipe.

Also, the on / off control of the switch of the defrost heater does not necessarily have to be linked with the control valve, and the on / off control of the switch of the defrost heater and the control of the control valve may be performed separately. it can.

[0056]

As described above, according to the defrosting method for a cooling device, the defrosting device, and the showcase according to the present invention, the time required for defrosting is significantly shortened as compared with the conventional case, and the defrosting is performed. Since the defrosting can be performed immediately before the frozen state or the cooled state of the product is relaxed, it is possible to provide a good product for food hygiene control or product sales.

According to the present invention, a partition member for forming a brine circulation passage is provided in a brine storage tank, and one of the brines is pushed out so as to extrude the other brine. Hot brine and cold brine for cooling are not mixed in large amounts, so that heat loss can be reduced for both hot brine and cold brine, and heat consumption required for defrost and cooling is reduced. be able to.

Further, since the defrosting device of the present invention can be added to the existing cooling device by a simple operation, and it does not require a great improvement work including the cooling device, the construction cost can be reduced. This has the effect of reducing costs.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of a defrosting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an embodiment of a showcase provided with the defrosting device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a main part of the defrosting device.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the structure of a brine storage tank according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a conventional defrosting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Showcase 2 Cooling unit 3 Refrigeration cycle 4 Cold storage tank 5 Cooling supply pipe 6 Cooling recovery pipe 5P pump 6P pump 7 Product outlet 8 Product display part 9 Shelf board 10 Product storage part 11 Top wall 12 Cooling air outlet 13 Lower wall 14 Cooling air inlet 15 Back wall 16 Air passage 17 Fan 17A Partition plate 18 Blind coil 19 Heat exchanger 20 Substrate 21 Fin 22 Defrost heater 23 Top wall 24 Brine storage tank 25 Baffle plate 26 Partition member 27 Supply pipe for defrost 28 Recovery pipe for defrost 29 Three-way valve for supply 30 Three-way valve for recovery S Store M Machine room

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cooling device for supplying cold brine cooled in a cooling source to a heat exchanger of a cooled part to perform heat exchange inside and outside the heat exchanger to cool the cooled part. During defrosting of the heat exchanger, the hot brine that has been heated and stored in the brine storage tank independently of the cold brine is supplied to the heat exchanger to remove the frost on the heat exchanger surface and The cold brine stored in the brine storage tank was temporarily stocked in the brine storage tank, and when the defrosting was completed, the cold brine stocked in the brine storage tank was replaced with the hot brine used for defrosting the heat exchanger again. A defrosting method for a cooling device, characterized in that the cooling device is replaced. 2. A cooling supply pipe for supplying cold brine cooled in a cooling source to a heat exchanger of a cooled portion, and a cooling recovery pipe for recovering brine from the heat exchanger to the cooling source. A cooling device having a heater for heating brine for defrost, which is connected to the brine storage tank for storing brine and the cooling supply pipe, and which supplies brine to the heat exchanger from the brine storage tank. A supply pipe, a defrost recovery pipe that is connected to the cooling recovery pipe and recovers brine from the heat exchanger to a brine storage tank, and a brine from any one of the cooling supply pipe and the defrost supply pipe. At least one control valve for controlling a line to supply heat to the heat exchanger, and cooling brine from the heat exchanger to the cooling At least one control valve that controls a pipe line to recover to either one of the recovery pipe and the defrost supply pipe, the brine storage tank, the defrost supply pipe or the defrost recovery pipe, A defroster for a cooling device, comprising: a pump that circulates brine in order to exchange the brine in the heat exchanger with the brine in the brine storage tank. 3. A partition member forming a circulation passage of the brine is formed in a zigzag shape in the brine circulation direction from both side walls facing each other in the brine storage tank. The recovery pipe for defrost is connected to an upstream part, and the supply pipe for defrost is connected to the most downstream part in the circulation passage of the brine storage tank. Defroster for cooling system. 4. A merchandise display section for displaying merchandise to be cooled, an air circulation passage for communicating cooling air with the merchandise display section by a fan communicating with the merchandise display section, and an air circulation passage arranged in the air circulation passage. It is provided and connected to a cooling supply pipe for supplying cold brine cooled in a cooling source and a cooling recovery pipe for recovering the cold brine used for cooling to the cooling source, respectively, and the supplied brine and surrounding In a showcase having a heat exchanger for exchanging heat with air, a brine storage tank having a heater for heating a defrosting brine and storing brine, and the brine supply pipe for cooling, are connected to the brine. The defrost supply pipe for supplying brine from the storage tank to the heat exchanger and the cooling recovery pipe are connected, and the brine is stored from the heat exchanger. A defrosting recovery pipe for recovering brine to the distilling tank, and at least one pipe for controlling the pipe so as to supply the brine from any one of the cooling supply pipe and the defrosting supply pipe to the heat exchanger. A control valve, at least one control valve that controls a pipeline to recover brine from the heat exchanger to one of the cooling recovery pipe and the defrost supply pipe, the brine storage tank, It further comprises a pump disposed in the defrosting supply pipe or the defrosting recovery pipe, and circulating the brine for exchanging the brine in the heat exchanger with the brine in the brine storage tank. Showcase.