JPH10111042A - Snow melting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively melt snow in a parking area and the like in a shop wherein a cooling storage chamber is installed. SOLUTION: A first three-way valve 23 is provided in a pipeline 17A at the outlet port side of a compressor 17 for a refrigerating machine 29, cooling the low-temperature showcase 12 of a shop. A pipeline 23B of the other outlet port side of the first three-way valve 23 is introduced into a heat exchanger 21. Snow melting water is conducted through the heat exchanger 21 to effect heat exchange between high-temperature refrigerant from the compressor 17 and, thereafter, the snow melting water is sprayed in a parking area P through a spray nozzle 27A.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a snow melting apparatus suitable for snow melting (removing snow) in a parking lot provided in a supermarket or a convenience store.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, large stores having large parking lots in the suburbs have been increasing. Especially in stores in the snowy region,
If the parking lot cannot be used due to the snow, there is a problem that sales are greatly affected, and a problem such as a vehicle slip accident due to freezing occurs. For this reason, in such stores, snow was melted and removed mainly by using groundwater or tap water as snowmelt and spraying water on parking lots and roofs.

[0003]

However, in order to remove snow from a large parking lot provided in a large store, if groundwater or tap water is used as snowmelt as it is, its temperature is low. Had to use a lot of snowmelt water. Further, depending on the weather such as snow and cloudiness, snow melting must be carried out all day, so that it takes a lot of time and a large amount of snow melting water to melt snow, and clothes are often stained by customers.

On the other hand, low-temperature showcases such as frozen showcases and refrigerated showcases provided in large stores are
For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-46781 (F25B5 / 0)
0) The inside of the refrigerator is cooled by a refrigerator having a refrigerant circuit as shown in FIG. 1, but the waste heat from the refrigerator is discharged to the outdoors all day, and the heat energy is not used. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional technical problem, and provides a snow melting apparatus capable of effectively melting snow in a parking lot or the like in a store where a cooling storage is installed. The purpose is to provide.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a snow melting apparatus having a cooling storage provided in a store, a cooler for cooling the inside of the cooling storage, and a compressor for circulating a refrigerant through the cooler. And a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor and snowmelt water.

In addition, in addition to the above, the snow melting apparatus according to the second aspect controls a condenser that forms a refrigerant circuit together with the compressor and the cooler, and controls the flow of the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the heat exchanger. And a first valve device. Also,
In addition to the above, the snow melting apparatus according to claim 3 is based on a bypass pipe connected in parallel to the condenser, a second valve device for controlling the flow of refrigerant to the bypass pipe, and a refrigerant temperature at the outlet of the heat exchanger. And a control device for controlling the second valve device.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing the flow of refrigerant during normal operation of the snow melting device 10 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing the flow of refrigerant during snow melting operation of the snow melting device 10 of the present invention. . The snow melting apparatus 10 of the present invention is for melting and removing snow accumulated on a parking lot P or a roof of a store such as a supermarket, for example, and is used as a plurality of cooling storages installed in a sales floor 30 of the store 11. A cooler 19 for cooling the interior 13 of the low-temperature showcase 12 of
A condensing unit 16 installed in a machine room 15 formed in a part of the store 11, a refrigerator 29 including a condenser 22 and the like installed outdoors, and heat exchange installed in the machine room 15 It comprises a vessel 21 and the like.

The low-temperature showcase 12 installed in the sales floor 30 of the store 11 is provided with a partition plate 12B at an interval inside a heat insulating wall 12A having a substantially U-shaped cross section.
A duct 12C is formed between the inner wall 12A and the heat insulating wall 12A, and a compartment 13 opening to the front inside the partition plate 12B. A plurality of shelves 14 are installed in the refrigerator 13, and goods such as frozen and chilled foods are displayed on the shelves 14. In the duct 12C, the cooler 19 constituting the refrigerant circuit of the refrigerator 29 is provided vertically, and air (cool air) that has exchanged heat with the cooler 19 is circulated to the inside 13 of the refrigerator by a blower (not shown). The inside 13 is cooled to a predetermined temperature.

The condensing unit 16 in the machine room 15 includes a compressor 17 which forms a refrigerant circuit of a refrigerator 29.
And a liquid receiver 18. This compressor 17
Is connected to the inlet of a first three-way valve 23 as a first valve device, and one outlet-side pipe 23A of the first three-way valve 23 is connected to a second three-way valve 23 as a second valve device. 2 It is connected to the inlet of the three-way valve 25. Also, the second three-way valve 2
5 is connected to the condenser 22 at one outlet side, and the pipe 22A at the outlet side of the condenser 22 is connected to the receiver 1.
8. The expansion valve 20 (provided on the low-temperature showcase 12 side) and the cooler 19 are sequentially connected to the pipe by a pipe, and the compressor 17
To form a ring-shaped refrigerant circuit that returns to the suction side.

The other outlet pipe 23B of the first three-way valve 23 is drawn into the heat exchanger 21 and then connected to the outlet pipe 21A of the heat exchanger 21.
This pipe 21A is connected to the inlet of the second three-way valve 25. A temperature sensor 21B is attached to the pipe 21A, and an output of the temperature sensor 21B is connected to a control device 26.

The control device 26 controls the second three-way valve 25 based on the temperature of the pipe 21A detected by the temperature sensor 21B (in this case, the temperature of the refrigerant exiting the heat exchanger 21 is detected).
Is configured to be controlled. In addition, the heat exchanger 21
Tap water or well water (hereinafter, referred to as snow melting water) is supplied from a water pipe 27 by a pump 28 through a water pipe 27, and heat exchange is performed between the snow melting water and a pipe 23B on the outlet side of the first three-way valve 23. A water spray nozzle 27A is drawn from the heat exchanger 21 to an outdoor parking lot P (or a roof or the like), and the snowmelt water exchanged with the pipe 23B by the pump 28 is sprayed from the water spray nozzle 27A to the parking lot P. It has been.

On the other hand, a bypass pipe 24 is connected to the condenser 22 at the other outlet side of the second three-way valve 25. The bypass pipe 24 is connected to a pipe 22A on the outlet side of the condenser 22.
Is connected to the As a result, the bypass pipe 24 is connected in parallel to the condenser 22 so as to bypass it. As described above, the second three-way valve 25 controls the temperature of the pipe 21A on the outlet side of the heat exchanger 21 detected by the temperature sensor 21B by the control device 26 (in this case, the refrigerant based on the refrigerant temperature at the outlet of the heat exchanger 21). The degree of condensation is detected, for example).

That is, the second three-way valve 25 is connected to the first three-way valve 23
When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 21B is low (in a state where the degree of condensation of the refrigerant is appropriate) in a state where the refrigerant is flowing in the direction of the pipe 23B, most of the refrigerant flows into the bypass pipe 2.
When the detected temperature is high (in a state where the degree of condensation of the refrigerant is incomplete), almost or all of the refrigerant is condensed into the condenser 2.
The control device 26 controls the flow rate so as to continuously change the flow rate so as to flow into the flow path 2.

The controller 26 continuously adjusts the amount flowing to the condenser 22 and the amount flowing to the bypass pipe 24 according to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 21B, so that the degree of condensation of the refrigerant is optimized. To Thereby, the condensation degree of the refrigerant during snow melting described later is maintained at an appropriate value, and the cooling capacity of the low-temperature showcase 12 is ensured. Next, with the above configuration, the snow melting apparatus 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The normal operation operation of 0 will be described. In the normal operation of the snow melting device 10, the first three-way valve 23 is connected to the pipe 1 on the outlet side of the compressor 17.
7A communicates with the pipe 23A on one outlet side of the first three-way valve 23, and the second three-way valve 25 allows all the refrigerant to flow through the pipe 2A.
It is assumed that switching has been performed so as to flow in the 5A direction. It is assumed that the pump 28 has stopped.

When the compressor 17 is operated, the refrigerant flows through a refrigerant circuit as shown by an arrow in FIG. That is, the high-temperature gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 17 flows into the condenser 22 via the first three-way valve 23 and the second three-way valve 25, and radiates heat there to be condensed and liquefied. After gas-liquid separation in the vessel 18, the gas reaches the expansion valve 20. Then, the refrigerant is throttled by the expansion valve 20 and decompressed, and then evaporates in the cooler 19 to exert a cooling effect, cools the inside 13 of the low-temperature showcase 12 and cools the refrigerant that has exited the cooler 19. It is sucked into the compressor 17.

By the cooling operation, the interior 13 of the low-temperature showcase 12 is cooled to a predetermined temperature as described above, and thereby the products displayed on the shelves 14 are cooled and stored. Next, the operation of the snow melting apparatus 10 during the snow melting operation will be described with reference to FIG. During the snow melting operation of the snow melting device 10, the first three-way valve 23 is connected to the outlet pipe 17 </ b> A of the compressor 17.
And the pipe 23 </ b> B on the other outlet side of the first three-way valve 23. In addition, the pump 28 is operated, and after the snowmelt water flows through the heat exchanger 21, the water spray nozzle 2
It is assumed that water is sprayed from 7A to the parking lot P. It should be noted that a method may be used in which the snow in the parking lot P is collected at one place, placed and sprinkled there.

When the compressor 17 is operated in this state, the refrigerant flows through a refrigerant circuit as shown by an arrow in FIG. That is, the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor 17 flows into the heat exchanger 21 via the first three-way valve 23, and exchanges heat with snowmelt water. By the heat exchange there, the refrigerant releases heat and is condensed and liquefied,
The snowmelt water is heated. As a result, the snowmelt water heated from the normal water temperature is supplied from the spray nozzle 27A at the tip to the parking lot P.
(Or on the roof). Thereby, the snow in the parking lot P (or the roof) is melted and removed in a short time.

The refrigerant condensed and liquefied in the heat exchanger 21 is supplied to the second three-way valve 2 from the pipe 21A on the outlet side of the heat exchanger 21.
Reaches 5. Therefore, the controller 26 controls the second three-way valve 25 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 21B as described above to control the second three-way valve 25 so that a large amount of refrigerant flows into the condenser 22, where the refrigerant is condensed and liquefied. And the receiver 18
Into the tank.

That is, when the degree of condensation of the refrigerant condensed in the heat exchanger 21 is incomplete, the control device 26 controls the second three-way valve 25 to flow most of the refrigerant to the condenser 22, and condenses the refrigerant. Prompt. On the other hand, when the temperature is low, most of the refrigerant flows through the bypass pipe 24 to bypass the condenser 22, and the degree of condensation is maintained at an optimum value to prevent a problem such as a decrease in the cooling capacity of the cooler 19 or the like.

As described above, the first three-way valve 23 is provided in the pipe 17A on the discharge side of the compressor 17 constituting the refrigerator 29 so that the high-temperature refrigerant flows into the heat exchanger 21 to exchange heat with the snowmelt water. Therefore, the waste heat generated when the high-temperature refrigerant is condensed can be effectively used, and the snowmelt water can be heated without using a special heater. Therefore, by spraying the heated snowmelt water on the parking lot P or the roof of the store 11, it is possible to effectively prevent snowmelt and freeze by the heated snowmelt water in a region with a lot of snow. In particular, the low-temperature showcase 12 of the store 11 is usually 24 hours a year.
Since it operates for hours, it is possible to prevent snow melting and freezing regardless of day and night.

Since the flow to the heat exchanger 21 is controlled by the first three-way valve 23 provided in the pipe 17A on the discharge side of the compressor 17, the refrigerant is supplied to the heat exchanger 21 only in winter when snow melting is required. It becomes possible to make it flow. Therefore, it is possible to easily switch between the snowmelting operation in winter and the normal operation other than winter. A bypass pipe 24 is connected in parallel to the condenser 22, and a second three-way valve 25 for circulating a refrigerant through the bypass pipe 24 is provided. Based on the temperature of a pipe 21 </ b> A on the outlet side of the heat exchanger 21, a control device 26 is provided. Controls the second three-way valve 25, so that when the refrigerant is flowing through the heat exchanger 21, the controller 26 determines the degree of condensation of the refrigerant based on the refrigerant temperature at the outlet of the heat exchanger 21. It is possible to adjust the amount of the refrigerant flowing through 22.

Thus, while heating the snowmelt sprayed onto the parking lot P or the roof from the nozzle 27A, the condensing degree of the refrigerant is adjusted to an optimum value, and the cooling capacity of the low-temperature showcase 12 is stably maintained. It becomes possible. In the embodiment, the present invention has been described using a low-temperature showcase. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a refrigerant circuit such as a prefabricated refrigerator may be used.

[0024]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a cooling storage provided in a store, a cooler for cooling the inside of the cooling storage, a compressor for circulating a refrigerant through the cooler, and the like. Since the snow melting device is composed of a refrigerator having a refrigerant circuit and a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor and snow-melting water, the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor is condensed. The waste heat allows the snowmelt water to be heated.

By dispersing the snowmelt water on the parking lot or roof of the store, effective snowmelt and freezing prevention can be performed in a snowy area, thereby reducing the snow removal work, saving the snowmelt water, and reducing the environment. Can be improved. In particular, since the cooling storage of a store is normally operated 24 hours a year, an effective snow melting / freezing prevention effect can be expected regardless of day and night.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above, the condenser which forms a refrigerant circuit together with the compressor and the cooler and the flow of the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the heat exchanger are controlled. Since the first valve device is provided with the first valve device, the refrigerant flows through the heat exchanger only in winter when snow melting is required, and the refrigerant is not flown into the heat exchanger by the first valve device except in winter, and the refrigerant flows through the condenser. Can be changed.

Therefore, it is possible to easily switch between winter operation in which snow melting is performed and normal operation other than winter, thereby improving convenience. Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above, a bypass pipe connected in parallel to the condenser, a second valve device for controlling refrigerant flow to the bypass pipe, and a refrigerant temperature at the outlet of the heat exchanger And a control device that controls the second valve device based on the following conditions.
The amount of refrigerant flowing into the condenser can be adjusted by the control device based on the degree of condensation of the refrigerant based on the temperature of the refrigerant at the outlet of the heat exchanger.

This makes it possible to adjust the degree of condensation of the refrigerant to the optimum value while heating the snowmelt water, and to maintain the cooling capacity of the cooling storage well.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing the flow of refrigerant during normal operation of a snow melting apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing a flow of a refrigerant during a snow melting operation of the snow melting apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Snow melting apparatus 11 Store 12 Low-temperature showcase 15 Machine room 16 Condensing unit 17 Compressor 17A Pipe 18 Liquid receiver 19 Cooler 21 Heat exchanger 21A Pipe 21B Temperature sensor 22 Condenser 22A Pipe 23 First three-way valve 23A Pipe 23B Piping 24 Bypass piping 25 Second three-way valve 25A Piping 26 Control device 27 Water pipe 27A Watering nozzle 28 Pump 29 Refrigerator P Parking lot

Claims (3)

[Claims] A refrigerator configured to include a cooling storage installed in a store, a cooler that cools the interior of the cooling storage, a compressor that circulates refrigerant through the cooler, and the like; A snow melting apparatus comprising: a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between a high-temperature refrigerant discharged from a compressor and snow melting water. 2. A system comprising: a condenser forming a refrigerant circuit together with a compressor and a cooler; and a first valve device for controlling a flow of a high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor to a heat exchanger. The snow melting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 3. A bypass pipe connected in parallel to a condenser, a second valve device for controlling refrigerant flow to the bypass pipe, and the second valve device based on a refrigerant temperature at a heat exchanger outlet. The snow melting device according to claim 2, further comprising a control device for controlling.