JPH1047829A - Method and apparatus for freezing goods to be frozen in freezing warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To economically refrigerate and preserve goods to be frozen in a freezing warehouse. SOLUTION: A cold heat generating cold heat storage facility A and a cold heat utilization facility B are disposed by way of a cold heat accumulator 8, wherein the cold heat generating cold heat storage facility A comprises a compressor 1 for compressing a refrigerant gas, a booster compressor 3, an expansion turbine 6 which causes an adiabatic expansion of the refrigerant gas and generates a low temperature refrigerant gas, a cold heat accumulator 8 which accumulates the low temperature refrigerating gas and a heat exchanger 5 which refrigerates a refrigerant gas fed to the expansion turbine 8 with the low temperature gas discharged from the cold heat accumulator 8, while the cold heat utilization facility B comprises a circulating refrigerant pump 21 and a cooler 23 disposed in a freezing warehouse 22. Due to such a construction, the cold heat generated by the expansion turbine 6 is accumulated in the cold heat accumulator 8 and a circulating refrigerant is refrigerated by the accumulated cold heat, and then a freezing warehouse and goods to be frozen are frozen at a temperature below a predetermined temperature by the refrigerated circulating refrigerant.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for refrigerating an object to be frozen in a freezing warehouse. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method in which cold generated by an expansion turbine and accumulated in a regenerator is taken out by a circulating refrigerant. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for freezing an object to be frozen in a freezing warehouse in which the object to be frozen is cooled to a specified temperature or lower and stored in a frozen state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Freon refrigeration systems are widely used as refrigeration systems for cooling and freezing items to be frozen, such as frozen foods, stored in a freezer warehouse. In addition, refrigeration systems that use the latent heat of vaporization and sensible heat of liquefied nitrogen are also known, and near the liquefied natural gas base, refrigeration of liquefied natural gas, which is an inexpensive cooling source, is often used. Are known.

[0003]

However, when a CFC refrigerating apparatus is used, the capacity of the CFC refrigerating apparatus depends on the equipment conditions of the refrigerating warehouse, that is, the capacity of the refrigerating warehouse itself and the amount of the frozen material stored and stored. The temperature is further determined by the amount of heat dissipated when the frozen object enters and leaves the warehouse, the amount of heat entering from the atmosphere, and the like. As is well known, the cooling temperature obtained by the CFC refrigeration apparatus is at most about −40 ° C., and for example, in the case of a normal frozen storage for frozen foods, the frozen temperature level is −25.
Since the difference from -35 ° C is small, it is not possible to accumulate the generated cold and maintain the freezing temperature by compensating for the amount of heat dissipated at the time of entry and exit that frequently occurs during the day due to the cold, Therefore, the CFC refrigeration system is operated continuously during the day and at night. In this case, the power consumption increases during the daytime when the atmospheric temperature is high, which coincides with the general power demand, and the driving power cost increases due to the use of high daytime power. there were.

[0004] In order to obtain a lower temperature in the CFC refrigerating apparatus, the refrigerating apparatus must be of a binary refrigerating type, which not only complicates the configuration but also increases the operating power cost. Furthermore, the use of chlorofluorocarbon is not preferable from the viewpoint of global environmental protection.

When liquefied nitrogen is used, the evaporation temperature is -196.degree. C., and the temperature difference from the refrigeration temperature is large, so that temperature control is difficult and the cost as a refrigerant is high. . Furthermore, in the case of utilizing the refrigeration of liquefied natural gas, although the cost as a cooling source is inexpensive, there is a disadvantage that the available area is limited.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for freezing an object to be frozen, which can economically and easily freeze the object to be frozen in a freezing warehouse.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a method for refrigerating a frozen object in a refrigerating warehouse according to the present invention comprises:
A method for refrigerating an object to be frozen, wherein the object to be frozen stored in a freezer warehouse is cooled to a specified temperature or lower and frozen and stored, wherein a refrigerant gas is compressed and adiabatically expanded to generate a low-temperature refrigerant gas. Cooling the circulating refrigerant through the cold storage material, supplying the circulating refrigerant to the freezing warehouse to freeze the frozen object, and cooling the low-temperature refrigerant gas after cooling the cold storage material into the compressed refrigerant gas before the adiabatic expansion. The compressed refrigerant gas is cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant gas, and the low-temperature refrigerant gas is compressed again and recirculated after the temperature rises.

The refrigerant gas is air, and the regenerator and the circulating refrigerant are one kind of alcohol, a mixture of two or more kinds of alcohols, or a mixture of alcohols and water. Is propane or butane or a mixture thereof. Further, removing precipitates contained in the low-temperature refrigerant gas after the adiabatic expansion, characterized in that the cooling temperature of the cold storage material is -50 ℃ or less, an operation of cooling the cold storage material by the refrigerant gas, Performing the operation of freezing the object to be frozen by the circulating refrigerant at the same time or at a different time zone, and performing the operation of cooling the cold storage material and / or the operation of freezing the object to be frozen using nighttime electric power; The frozen object
It is characterized in that it is cooled to a temperature lower than the temperature required for maintaining its quality, and the cold is accumulated in the frozen object.

An apparatus for freezing a frozen object in a freezer warehouse according to the present invention is an apparatus for refrigerating a frozen object stored in the freezer warehouse for freezing and preserving the frozen object. Turbine that adiabatically expands the generated refrigerant gas to generate low-temperature refrigerant gas, a regenerator that transmits cold of the low-temperature refrigerant gas derived from the expansion turbine to a regenerator material and accumulates cold, and a regenerator that transmits the cold. A heat exchanger that cools the compressed refrigerant gas before introducing the expansion turbine with the low-temperature refrigerant gas derived from the heat exchanger, and a refrigerant gas circulation path that connects these devices and circulates the refrigerant gas. A circulating refrigerant pump that pressurizes the circulating refrigerant cooled by the cold accumulated in the material, a cooler provided in a freezing warehouse for cooling the object to be frozen by the pressurized cooling circulating refrigerant, and these devices A circulating refrigerant circulation path for circulating the refrigerant to be drawn out of the cooler after being connected and cooling the frozen object, and circulating into the cooler via the regenerator, further comprising: The refrigerant gas circulation path extending from the expansion turbine is provided with a low-temperature filter for removing deposits in the refrigerant gas.

According to the above configuration, the regenerator material is cooled by the low-temperature refrigerant gas having an arbitrary temperature obtained by adiabatically expanding the pressurized refrigerant gas, and the circulating refrigerant is cooled through the regenerator material. The frozen object can be cooled and frozen to the specified freezing temperature by the circulated refrigerant.

Further, when the pressurized refrigerant gas is adiabatically expanded, a low temperature equal to or lower than a specified freezing temperature of the frozen object is generated, and the cold is accumulated in the cold storage material and the frozen object.
Each cold storage operation can be performed at the same time or at different times, and by generating and storing cold with inexpensive nighttime electric power, the accumulated cold can be concentrated during the daytime. Since the amount can be compensated, the operating power cost in the freezer warehouse can be reduced.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which the refrigeration apparatus of the present invention is applied to a refrigeration warehouse for food. This refrigeration apparatus functionally includes a cold generation and regenerative storage facility A that generates and accumulates cold, and It can be divided into two facilities, a cold utilization facility B that takes out the cold and cools the frozen food with the cold. In this embodiment, air is used as the refrigerant gas, and a mixture of ethanol and water is used as the regenerative material and the circulating refrigerant.

First, the cold-generating regenerative storage facility A is a motor 1a
, A compressor 1 for compressing air as a refrigerant gas to a predetermined pressure, a compressed air cooler 2 for removing compression heat of compressed air, and a compressed air / water separator for removing moisture condensed by cooling from the compressed air. A pressurizer 3 for further increasing the pressure of the compressed air, a pressurized air cooler 4 for removing the pressurized heat,
An air compression means comprising a pressurized air / water separator 4a for removing moisture generated by cooling from the pressurized air, and a heat exchanger 5 for cooling the compressed air pressurized to a predetermined pressure by the air compression means with low-temperature air described later. The adiabatic expansion of the cooled compressed air to generate low-temperature air, and the expansion turbine 6 that drives the booster 3 with its rotational force, and the precipitation of moisture, carbon dioxide, and the like in the low-temperature air derived from the expansion turbine 6. A low-temperature filter 7 for removing substances, a regenerator 8 for accumulating cold of low-temperature air in a regenerator material 8a, the compressor 1, a compressed air cooler 2, a compressed air-water separator 2a, a booster 3, and a booster Forming a refrigerant gas (air) circulation path returning from the heat exchanger 5 to the compressor 1 via the air cooler 4, the pressurized air / water separator 4a, the heat exchanger 5, the expansion turbine 6, the low temperature filter 7, and the regenerator 8 again. Route 11, 2,13,14,15,16,1
7, 18, 19, and a small compressor 9a and a dryer 9b for supplying air as a refrigerant gas into the refrigerant gas circulation path.
And a refrigerant gas replenishing means comprising a refrigerant gas replenishing device 9 and a refrigerant gas introduction path 10 configured as described above.

Further, the cold utilization facility B includes a freezing warehouse 2 for storing frozen foods as frozen articles 22a to be frozen.
2, a cooler 23 provided in a freezer warehouse 22, and a circulating refrigerant pump 21 for circulating a mixture of ethanol and water as circulating refrigerant between the regenerator 8 and the cooler 23.
And paths 25, 26, and 27 for connecting these to form a circulating refrigerant circulation path.

Next, a method will be described in which cold is generated by the freezing apparatus having the above-described configuration, and the frozen food is indirectly cooled to a specified freezing temperature or lower to maintain the quality of the frozen food, and stored frozen.

First, in the cold-generating regenerative storage facility A, a compressor suction that forms a refrigerant gas circulation path from the refrigerant gas replenishing device 9 via an introduction path 10 in order to pressurize the refrigerant gas circulation air with refrigerant gas. Route 19 has a dew point of about -30 ° C
Dry air is introduced. Then, after the inside of the refrigerant gas circulation path is charged to a predetermined pressure, for example, about 1 kg / cm ² G, the compressor 1 is started. As a result, the air in the refrigerant gas circulation path is compressed by the compressor 1 to about 1.3 kg / cm ² G, and is simultaneously heated to 130 ° C. to become compressed air. This compressed air is introduced into the cooler 2 via the path 11 and exchanges heat with a cooling source such as cooling water, so that the heat of compression is removed and the compressed air becomes substantially normal temperature compressed air. Drain water generated at this time is removed by a compressed air / water separator 2a having a well-known drain trap function such as a baffle plate type or a demister type and discharged out of the system.

The compressed air cooled to approximately normal temperature is then introduced into the pressure booster 3 from the path 12 and has a pressure of about 2.3 kg / cm.
^The pressure is further increased to ² G, and at the same time, it becomes pressurized air heated to 75 ° C. This pressurized air is introduced into the cooler 4 from the path 13 and, similarly to the compressed air, is removed from the pressurized heat to become approximately normal temperature, and the generated drain water is separated from the pressurized air-water separator 4a.
Is removed by The normal-temperature pressurized air is led to the heat exchanger 5 through the path 14, is led out of the regenerator 8, exchanges heat with low-temperature air circulating through the compressor 1, and is cooled.
Through the expansion turbine 6.

The pressurized air introduced into the expansion turbine 6 is
The expansion turbine 6 adiabatically expands to about 0.1 kg / cm ² G, generates cold and becomes low-temperature air. At this time, the energy generated by the adiabatic expansion is used as boosting power for the compressed air via the shaft 6a connected to the booster 3.

The low-temperature air derived from the expansion turbine 6 is introduced into the regenerator 8 through a path 16 and a low-temperature filter 7, and passes through a path 17 provided in the regenerator 8. At this time, the low-temperature air exchanges heat with the cold storage material 8a composed of a mixture of ethanol and water filled in the cool storage unit 8, releases cold to its solidification temperature, and solidifies the cold storage material 8a. Cold is stored in the cold storage material 8a. Cold storage material 8a with cold storage 8
The low-temperature air heated by coagulation of the
Through the heat exchanger 5, the heat exchanger 5 exchanges heat with the pressurized air at room temperature introduced into the expansion turbine 6, cools the pressurized air, and raises itself to approximately room temperature. 19, the refrigerant is introduced into the compressor 1, compressed again, and circulates in the refrigerant gas circulation path in the order of the path.

As described above, when the air that is the refrigerant gas is circulated in the refrigerant gas circulation path and the operation of the cold storage / regeneration facility A for generating the cold is continued, the amount of the cold generated by the adiabatic expansion in the expansion turbine 6 is reduced. Accordingly, the temperature of the low-temperature air flowing out of the expansion turbine 6 decreases, and the temperature of the cold storage material 8a cooled by the low-temperature air is gradually cooled from room temperature. Then, as the operation continues, the temperature of the low-temperature air derived from the regenerator 8 to the path 18 gradually decreases, and the temperature of the pressurized air cooled by heat exchange with the low-temperature air and the heat exchanger 5 also decreases. As a result, the temperature of the pressurized air introduced into the expansion turbine 6 decreases, and the temperature of the low-temperature air derived from the expansion turbine 6 to the path 16 also decreases accordingly. Certain mixtures of ethanol and water are gradually cooled to the desired temperature.

In the case of this embodiment, finally, the temperature of the pressurized air introduced into the expansion turbine 6 from the passage 15 is about -57.
° C, the temperature of the low-temperature air introduced into the regenerator 8 through the path 16 is about -105 ° C, and the temperature of the low-temperature air introduced into the heat exchanger 5 from the path 18 through the regenerator 8 is about -105 ° C. 67 ° C
It is set to be.

On the other hand, on the cold utilization facility B side, a mixture of ethanol and water, which are circulating refrigerants, flows through a path 27 constituting a circulating refrigerant circulation path in the regenerator 8, and ethanol and water, which are cold storage materials 8a, Is cooled to about -75 ° C due to the cold build-up in the mixture. The cooled circulating refrigerant is
The circulating refrigerant pump 21 applies pressure necessary to circulate the circulating refrigerant circulating path, flows through the path 25, and is introduced into the cooler 23 provided in the freezing warehouse 22.

Then, by the cooling of the circulating refrigerant flowing through the cooler 23, the frozen warehouse 22 and the frozen food 22a are cooled to about -70 ° C. via the atmospheric gas in the frozen warehouse 22, and the cold is accumulated in each of them. I do. By applying cold to the freezing warehouse 22 and the frozen food 22a, the circulating refrigerant heated to about −65 ° C. is led out of the low-temperature warehouse 22 to a path 26 that constitutes a circulating refrigerant circulation path. Route 27
, And is cooled again, and returns to the circulating refrigerant pump 21 to circulate through the circulating refrigerant circulation path.

As described above, by operating the cold-generating cold storage facility A and the cold utilization facility B, the cold of the low-temperature air generated in the cold-generating cold storage facility A is reduced by the cold storage material 8a in the cold storage unit 8 and the cold utilization facility. The inside of the low-temperature warehouse 22 is cooled via the circulating refrigerant flowing through the circulating refrigerant circulation path of the facility B.

Here, the mixture of ethanol and water used as the cold storage material 8a is subjected to cold from low-temperature air, solidifies into a slurry, and has a mixing ratio such that it is dissolved when the cold is released to the circulating refrigerant. Has been formulated. In other words, the cold storage material 8a can reduce the amount of use of the cold storage material 8a by effectively using the sensible heat and the heat of solidification (latent heat) to increase the amount of cold storage per unit. Can be achieved. In the cold storage material 8a in this embodiment, the mixing ratio of ethanol and water is set to about 80% by weight and 20% by weight so that the solidification temperature is about -78 ° C.

If the lower temperature is not required as in the present embodiment depending on the use conditions of the freezer warehouse, the pressure of the pressurized air may be lowered to raise the temperature of the low-temperature air generated in the expansion turbine 6, thereby increasing the air temperature. Compressor 1 in compression means
Operating power cost can be reduced. In addition, cold storage material 8
When a mixture of ethanol and water is used as a in the embodiment and the coagulation temperature is set to, for example, −65 ° C., the mixing ratio may be selected to be about 70% and 30%.

In the case of a food freezing warehouse or another freezing warehouse, which requires a lower temperature than the present embodiment, the cold storage material 8
As a, alcohols having a low coagulation temperature, for example, methanol and ethanol can be used alone or as a mixture thereof. Further, as the cold storage material 8a, a mixture of the above-mentioned alcohols or a mixture of alcohols and water with acetone can also be used.

For the operation of the above-mentioned cold generating and regenerating equipment A, for example, the regenerator 8 is provided with temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the cold storage material 8a, and a detected temperature signal from the temperature detecting means and a preset upper limit temperature , And a lower limit temperature, and when the detected temperature reaches the upper limit temperature or the lower limit temperature, a temperature controller or the like having a function of controlling the operation and stop of the compressor 1 is provided. Can be done automatically by configuration.

At this time, during the normal operation, even if the stopped compressor 1 is restarted and the operation is restarted, since the inside of the system is cooled, the predetermined cold-generating cold storage operation can be performed in a short time. It can be performed.

As described above, the cold of the low-temperature air is stored in the cold storage material 8a without directly cooling the frozen food with the low-temperature air generated by the adiabatic expansion. Since it can be easily performed, for example, the vehicle is operated at 10 hours from 22:00 to 8:00 at night and stopped at 14 hours from 8:00 to 22:00 in the daytime, so that nighttime power with low power cost can be used. Thus, the cold storage operation can be performed, and the operating power cost can be significantly reduced.

Further, air corresponding to a small amount of air leaking out of the system from the shaft seals of the compressor 1, the booster 3 and the expansion turbine 6 in the refrigerant gas circulation path is supplied from the refrigerant gas replenishing device 9. It is supplied to the system as needed.

As described above, the air charged into the refrigerant gas circulation path at the beginning of the cold generation / cold storage operation or the air supplied during the operation is reduced in moisture by the dryer 9b to a dew point of about -30 ° C. Although the temperature of the low-temperature air derived from the expansion turbine 6 is removed but reaches a final temperature of about −105 ° C. in the case of the present embodiment, a small amount of moisture contained in the low-temperature air derived from the expansion turbine 6 is contained. Or carbon dioxide gas is precipitated as frost or icy solid. The low-temperature filter 7 in the path 16 from which the expansion turbine 6 is led is provided to capture and remove frost and icy solids generated in this way, and includes a wire mesh, a synthetic fiber, and a glass fiber laminated. It has a solid separation function formed by filling a spherical or cylindrical filler. The low-temperature filter 7 incorporates a heater to melt solid frost and ice or to switch the solid frost or ice, so that the precipitates caught during the operation can be removed during the operation and / or during the operation stop. Can be removed.

As the refrigerant gas in the cold storage / regenerator A, in addition to the air, the temperature at the outlet of the expansion turbine 6
Any gas can be used as long as the amount of gas does not hinder the operation of the expansion turbine 6 even if the gas condenses or condenses under pressure. For example, when the outlet temperature of the expansion turbine 6 is about −55 to −60 ° C., carbon dioxide gas can be used. Further, a gas containing no precipitate,
For example, nitrogen or the like can be used. When a gas that does not contain such condensing or condensing components is used as the refrigerant gas, the low-temperature filter 7 can be omitted. However, when nitrogen or carbon dioxide gas is used, the refrigerant gas replenishing device 9 is filled with a storage tank filled with the same gas as the refrigerant gas to compensate for the refrigerant gas leaking from the shaft seal portion of the compressor 1 and the expansion turbine 6. , Gas cylinders, portable gas containers, etc. should be used.

The regenerator 8 may be of an external insulation type or a double-shell vacuum insulation type depending on the operating temperature.
The shape can be horizontal. The refrigerant gas circulation path and the circulation refrigerant circulation path provided in the regenerator 8 have a path 17 and a path 27 forming an appropriate shape such as a finned tube or a coil shape according to the properties of the regenerator material 8a. be able to. Further, the flow direction of the refrigerant gas and the circulating refrigerant may be such that the refrigerant gas flows from top to bottom to promote convection of the cold storage material 8a when the refrigerant gas is being melted. It is also possible to use various combinations, such as co-current flow, and is not limited to this embodiment.

The cold storage material 8a has a large specific heat,
Further, it is desirable that the heat transfer efficiency is high when the cold is absorbed from the refrigerant gas and when the circulating refrigerant is cooled and the cold is released, and at this point, the solidification is not completely solidified at the temperature of the low-temperature gas derived from the expansion turbine. Liquids such as the above-mentioned alcohols and mixtures of alcohols and water are excellent, but not limited to these liquids, and solids such as steel balls and silica stones can also be used.

Further, as the expansion turbine 6, various types such as a static pressure gas bearing type, a dynamic pressure gas bearing type, a magnetic bearing type and the like can be used.

The operation of the cold utilization facility B can be arbitrarily performed according to the freezing temperature of the frozen object, the operation status of the freezing warehouse 22, and the like. For example, it can be set so that the operation is concentrated during the daytime when the incoming and outgoing work is concentrated and the amount of dissipated heat is large, for example, 6 hours from 10:00 to 16:00. Further, even during operation, the inside of the freezing warehouse 22 can be cooled to a predetermined temperature by starting and stopping the circulating refrigerant pump 21 as necessary. That is, a temperature detecting means similar to that of the cold generating and regenerating equipment A is provided in the freezing warehouse 22 or at an appropriate position in the cooler 23, and the circulating refrigerant pump 21 is provided in accordance with a comparison result between the detected temperature and the set temperature.
Is provided, the amount of circulating refrigerant flowing through the circulating refrigerant circulation path can be adjusted, and the temperature in the freezing warehouse 22 can be maintained within a predetermined temperature range. In such a temperature control operation, one or both of the bypass paths 31 and 32 as shown by the broken line in FIG. 1 are provided, and the valves of the bypass paths 31 and 32 are opened and closed according to the temperature in the freezing warehouse 22 or the like. This can also be done automatically by bypassing part or all of the circulating refrigerant.

As the circulating refrigerant used in the cold utilization facility B, any refrigerant which does not solidify at the cooling temperature of the cold storage material 8a may be used. One type of alcohol or a mixture of two or more types of alcohols or A mixture of alcohols and water can be used, and when a mixture is used, similarly to the cold storage material 8a, a material that does not solidify at the time of use depending on its mixing ratio can be easily prepared and used. it can. In the case of the present embodiment, the expansion turbine 6 having a lower temperature than the solidification temperature of the cold storage material 8a −78 ° C.
The mixing ratio of ethanol and water was set to about 92% by weight and 8% by weight so that the solidification temperature was -110 ° C lower than that of the low-temperature air at which -105 ° C was derived. Use things. In addition, as a circulating refrigerant, a refrigerant that vaporizes when the cold is released in the cooler 23 and liquefies when it receives the cold in the regenerator 8.
For example, butane, propane, propylene and the like or a mixture thereof can be used.

As described above, the freezing warehouse 22 and the frozen object 22a are cooled to a low temperature below a specified temperature required for maintaining the quality thereof, and the cold is cooled.
a, and the accumulated cold, for example, in the case of the present embodiment, is cooled down to −70 ° C. below the specified temperature, and corresponds to the temperature difference between −70 ° C. and the specified temperature −25 to −35 ° C. By applying the cold to the compensation of the amount of heat dissipated at the time of entering and exiting the warehouse during the daytime, the cold generated in the cold storage and storage facility A can be effectively used.

As described above, when the cold generated by the inexpensive nighttime electric power is accumulated and the frozen object 22a is cooled by the accumulated cold, it is desirable that the cooling temperature of the cold storage material 8a is -50 ° C. or lower. That is, if the cold storage temperature is higher than −50 ° C., the difference between the cold storage temperature and the freezing temperature is reduced, and the amount of accumulated cold is reduced. Therefore, the amount of heat dissipated during entrance and exit during the daytime is compensated by the accumulated cold heat. Instead, the operation of the cold generator is performed by daytime electric power having a high electric power rate, and the effect of reducing the operating power cost is reduced.

The numerical values shown in the above embodiments are merely examples to which the present invention is applied, and the present invention is not limited to these. Further, in the above embodiment, the case of the food freezing warehouse has been described. However, it is needless to say that the present invention can also be applied to a freezing warehouse for freezing and storing frozen objects other than food, and the types of the refrigerant gas, the cold storage material, and the circulating refrigerant. Further, as for their use temperature, those suitable for the freezing temperature of the frozen object can be appropriately selected.

[0042]

As described above, the method and apparatus for freezing an object to be frozen in a freezer warehouse according to the present invention generate refrigeration by circulating and compressing the refrigerant gas and adiabatically expanding the refrigerant gas. The cold of the low-temperature refrigerant gas that accumulates inside and leads out of the regenerator is recovered by the heat exchanger,
The cold accumulated in the regenerator is taken out by circulating the circulating refrigerant, and the refrigerating warehouse and the object to be frozen are frozen with the taken out cold, so that the cold can be easily generated, and the regenerator and refrigeration The warehouse and the object to be frozen can be cooled to an arbitrary temperature lower than the specified freezing temperature and the cold can be accumulated therein, and the generated cold can be used effectively.

Therefore, it is not necessary to continuously operate the conventional refrigeration system using chlorofluorocarbon throughout the day and night. In addition, the refrigeration system collects the cold heat of the refrigerant gas after cold storage, and removes the refrigerant gas introduced into the expansion turbine. Cooling can efficiently generate a lower-temperature refrigerant gas, so that the refrigerant gas compressor can be downsized or the compression pressure can be set low, and the booster is driven by the rotational force of the expansion turbine. Can be simplified, and the operating power cost can be reduced.

Further, in the cold utilization equipment, since the amount of heat dissipated particularly during the daytime when articles to be frozen enter and leave can be supplemented by the accumulated cold, it is possible to reduce the size of the refrigeration equipment and reduce the equipment cost. In addition, the operating power cost can be reduced.

Furthermore, since the cold generation facility and the cold utilization facility are configured as separate systems via a regenerator, both facilities can be operated simultaneously or separately, and the cold production facility and / or the cold utilization facility can be used. It can be operated using cheap nighttime electricity. In particular, operating power costs can be significantly reduced by intensively using nighttime power on the side of the cold generation facility that consumes much power.

In comparison with the conventional method and the apparatus example, since a lower temperature and an arbitrary refrigeration temperature can be easily obtained, depending on the capacity of the regenerator or the selection of the cooling temperature of the regenerator material, the refrigeration warehouse and the material to be frozen are selected. Therefore, inexpensive nighttime power can be used more effectively, and it can contribute to the leveling of power demand fluctuations during the day and night. In addition, since no refrigerant such as chlorofluorocarbon is used as the refrigerant gas for cooling, there is no problem of global environmental pollution.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Compressor, 2 ... Compressed air cooler, 3 ... Booster, 4 ... Booster air cooler, 5 ... Heat exchanger, 6 ... Expansion turbine, 7 ...
Low-temperature filter, 8: regenerator, 8a: regenerator material, 9: refrigerant gas replenishing device, 10: refrigerant gas introduction path, 11, 12, 1
3, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 ... a path forming a refrigerant gas circulation path, 21 ... a circulating refrigerant pump, 22 ...
Refrigerated warehouse, 22a: frozen object, 23: cooler, 25, 2
6, 27: a route for forming a circulating refrigerant circulation route, A: a cold storage / regeneration facility, B: a cold utilization facility

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A method for refrigerating an object to be frozen, wherein the object to be frozen stored in a freezer warehouse is cooled to a specified temperature or lower and frozen and stored. Cooling the circulating refrigerant through the cold storage material with the low-temperature refrigerant gas, supplying the circulating refrigerant to the freezing warehouse to freeze the frozen object, and adiabatically expanding the low-temperature refrigerant gas after cooling the cold storage material. A method for refrigerating a frozen object in a freezing warehouse, characterized in that the compressed refrigerant gas is cooled by heat exchange with a previous compressed refrigerant gas, and the low-temperature refrigerant gas is recompressed and recirculated after the temperature rises. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant gas is air. 3. The article to be frozen in a freezer warehouse according to claim 1, wherein said cold storage material is one kind of alcohol, a mixture of two or more kinds of alcohols, or a mixture of alcohol and water. Freezing method. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the circulating refrigerant is one kind of alcohol, a mixture of two or more kinds of alcohols, or a mixture of alcohols and water. Freezing method. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the circulating refrigerant is propane, butane, or a mixture thereof. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the deposit contained in the low-temperature refrigerant gas after the adiabatic expansion is removed. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cooling temperature of the cold storage material is -50 ° C. or lower. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of cooling the regenerator material by the refrigerant gas and the operation of freezing the object to be frozen by the circulating refrigerant are performed simultaneously or at different time zones. A method for freezing an object to be frozen in a freezing warehouse as described in Crab. 9. The refrigeration warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the operation of cooling the cold storage material and / or the operation of freezing the frozen object are performed using nighttime electric power. Freezing method of the frozen object. 10. The frozen object according to claim 1, wherein the object to be frozen is cooled to a temperature lower than a temperature required for maintaining the quality of the object, and the cold is accumulated in the object to be frozen. A method of freezing a frozen object in a freezer warehouse. 11. A refrigerating apparatus for refrigerating an object to be frozen stored in a refrigerating warehouse, comprising: compression means for compressing a refrigerant gas; and a low-temperature refrigerant gas obtained by adiabatically expanding the compressed refrigerant gas. A cold storage gas that transmits the cold of the low-temperature refrigerant gas derived from the expansion turbine to the cold storage material to accumulate cold, and a cold storage gas derived from the regenerator after the cold transmission before the expansion turbine is introduced. A heat exchanger that cools the compressed refrigerant gas, and a refrigerant gas circulation path that connects these devices and circulates the refrigerant gas are provided, and the circulating refrigerant cooled by the cold stored in the regenerator material of the regenerator. A circulating refrigerant pump for increasing the pressure, a cooler provided in a freezing warehouse for cooling the object to be frozen by the pressurized cooling circulating refrigerant, and connecting these devices to cool the object to be frozen, A circulating refrigerant circulation path for circulating and introducing the circulating refrigerant to the cooler via the regenerator; 12. The object to be frozen in a refrigeration warehouse according to claim 11, wherein a low-temperature filter for removing deposits in the refrigerant gas is provided in a path of the refrigerant gas circulation path from which an expansion turbine is led. Refrigeration equipment.