JPH11230663A - Cooling system and cooling method for cooling apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable the reduction of the space required for arrangement of a cooling system, by bringing, recovery air into contact with a cooling medium under different environments thereby performing cooling and dehumidification separately in plural stages, and further, defrosting a cooling coil without using a defrost device. SOLUTION: This system is arranged such that the upstream side in the direction of the air circulation of the preliminary cooling part 4A of a chill generation room turns several times in zigzag, and cooling fin coils 8A as heat exchangers where brine circulates are arranged to stand in the direction of air circulation. Then, recovery air is brought into contact with a cooling medium with a preliminary cooling part 4A to perform preliminary cooling and preliminary dehumidification, and then, the cooling and dehumidification are performed on a full scale with the body cooler 4B on the downstream side of the preliminary cooling part 4A, thus the processing is performed separately in plural stages. Moreover, the frost adhering to the cooling fin 8A is defrosted, and it is drained out of a chill generation room from a discharge port 17A.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and a device for cooling a cooling device, and more particularly to a method and a device for cooling a cooling device suitable for cooling a refrigerated or refrigerated showcase installed in a large store. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a cooling method and a cooling device for cooling equipment such as a showcase or a freezer (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "showcase" unless otherwise specified) disposed in a large store, the applicant has As disclosed in JP-A-08-178500 and JP-A-08-068585, a heat exchanger to which a refrigerant of a refrigeration cycle or brine cooled by the refrigerant is supplied is provided in a separate machine room. A cold air generation chamber that exchanges heat with the air is provided, and low-temperature cooling air is generated in the cold air generation chamber, and the cooling air is supplied to the showcase installed in the store using a supply air duct. In the showcase, the temperature inside the showcase is adjusted by adjusting the amount of cooling air supplied through the wind duct, and the cooling provided for cooling the inside of the showcase is performed. Air through the air conduit for collecting recovered into the cold air generation chamber, we have developed a cooling method and cooling apparatus of a cooling apparatus of a system for re-cooling of the recovered air.

[0003] When cooling is performed using the cooling device of the conventional cooling device configured as described above, the recovered air is supplied to the cooling of the showcase 1 and becomes approximately + 5 ° C.
It is collected in the cool air generation chamber in a state containing about 30 to 70% humidity. When this collected air is rapidly cooled in the cold air generation chamber, frost is generated, and it is inevitable that frost is formed on the heat exchanger, so it is indispensable to perform defrost,
Therefore, there is a problem that the operation of the cold air generation chamber must be stopped. Therefore, a plurality of heat exchange chambers are provided in the cold air generation chamber, and cooling air is generated in any one of the heat exchange chambers, and at the same time, maintenance such as defrost is performed in another heat exchange chamber to be in a standby state and the standby state is established. Although a cooling method was considered, there was a problem in terms of effective use of the cooling device.

[0004] In order to solve the problem of the defrost, the applicant further uses a cooling liquid as a cooling medium for exchanging heat with the recovered air collected in the cold air generating chamber. And a cooling device was developed.

In other words, the cooling method and the cooling device for the cooling device are designed to exchange heat by bringing the recovered air and the cooling liquid into direct contact with each other, and to solve the problem of frost formation on the cooling medium (heat exchanger). Was to be solved.

[0006] Instead, the cooling liquid that comes into direct contact with the recovered air becomes unsuitable for producing dry cooling air containing a large amount of moisture by being used a plurality of times for heat exchange with the recovered air. In addition, if the concentration of the cooling liquid decreases, the freezing point increases, and the load on the device for cooling the cooling liquid increases, so that it is necessary to remove water from the cooling liquid. Therefore, the cooling device of the cooling device includes a moisture removing device that heats the coolant that has been subjected to heat exchange with the recovered air, and a moisture removing device that circulates the coolant between the cold air generation chamber and the moisture removing device. And additional piping was required.

The moisture removing device includes a heat exchange chamber having a heat exchanger for heating a coolant, an evaporating storage tank for storing the coolant used for removing moisture, and Piping circulating between the exchange chamber and the evaporating storage tank;
An eliminator for preventing the spray liquid from being discharged and discharging only the vapor to the outside of the room.

[0008] The cooling method using the cooling device of the cooling device having such a water removing device is one of the cooling liquids which are subjected to heat exchange with the collected air and collected in a storage tank formed in a cold air generating chamber. The cooling liquid of the section is supplied to the moisture removing device via the moisture removing pipe, heated in the moisture removing apparatus, and stored in the evaporating storage tank of the moisture removing apparatus, and then from the evaporating storage tank through the pipe. The cooling liquid is returned to the storage tank on the side of the cold air generation chamber and mixed with the remaining cooling liquid. According to the cooling method of the cooling device, by heating the cooling liquid that has absorbed the moisture of the collected air by contact with the collected air, the moisture can be evaporated,
By returning the cooling liquid to the storage tank on the side of the cold air generation chamber and mixing it with the remaining cooling liquid, the heat of the heated cooling liquid can be released and then used as a cooling medium for the recovered air. The problem of the defrost which occurred when using the cooling device of the cooling device of the above can be solved.

[0009] Thereafter, the moisture removing device is provided with a low-pressure moisture removing device that removes moisture by utilizing a difference in boiling point between a liquid material constituting a coolant and moisture contained in the coolant in a closed low-pressure environment. A cooling device for a cooling device has been developed.

[0010]

However, in any of the cooling devices of the above-described cooling devices, the size of the cooling device of the conventional cooling device cannot be increased due to the provision of the moisture removing device. This is inevitable and leaves a problem of miniaturization of the apparatus.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and further improves a cooling device and a cooling method of a cooling device developed in recent years, and in particular, cools a cooling device capable of reducing an installation space of the cooling device. It is an object to provide a method and a cooling device.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for cooling a cooling device, comprising the steps of: collecting cooling air supplied for cooling the cooling device through a collection pipe; The collected air is collected in a cool air generating chamber constituting a part, and the collected air is cooled to a temperature lower than a set temperature of the cooling device by heat exchange with a plurality of types of cooling media cooled to a low temperature by the cooling source in the cool air generating chamber. In the method of cooling a cooling device that supplies the cooling air to the cooling device via a supply pipe, the pre-cooling of the recovered air is performed by heat exchange between the pre-cooled fin coil that circulates the low-temperature refrigerant in the cold air generation chamber and the recovered air. While performing pre-dehumidification of the recovered air by frosting the moisture contained in the recovered air on the pre-cooling fin coil, and thereafter performing the main cooling and the main dehumidification of the recovered air to cool the recovered air. The decooling of the pre-cooling fin coil is performed by performing heat exchange with the recovered air while the circulation of the low-temperature refrigerant in the pre-cooling fin coil is stopped intermittently. It is characterized by discharging moisture generated by the above to the outside.

According to the cooling method of the cooling device of the present invention,
By bringing the collected air into contact with a cooling medium under different environments, cooling and dehumidification can be performed in a plurality of stages, and frost formation on the cooling fin coils can be defrosted without using a defrost device.

[0014] The method for cooling a cooling device according to a second aspect is the method for cooling a cooling device according to the first aspect.
The main cooling and the main dehumidification of the recovered air are performed by dehumidifying and cooling the recovered air by contacting the dehumidified cooling liquid composed of a desiccant to be sprayed indoors with the recovered air, and then the cooling fin coil and the recovered air are cooled. The method is characterized in that the recovered air is cooled by heat exchange.

According to the method for cooling a cooling device of the present invention,
Since the cooling by heat exchange between the main cooling fin coil and the recovered air is the final stage of the cooling process, the recovered air reaching the main cooling fin coil can be sufficiently dehumidified.

[0016] The cooling method of the cooling device according to the third aspect is as follows.
3. The cooling method for a cooling device according to claim 2, wherein the dehumidified cooling liquid is cooled by being sprayed on the main cooling fin coil, and defrosting of the main cooling fin coil is performed at the same time. is there.

According to the cooling method of the cooling device of the present invention,
The present cooling fin coil can be used for cooling the recovered air and the cooling of the dehumidifying coolant, and the defrost cooling liquid can be used for cooling the collected air and defrosting when the cooling fin coil is frosted. .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of cooling a cooling device, comprising:
4. The method of cooling a cooling device according to claim 2, further comprising: providing a dehumidifying / cooling face material having a plurality of grooves formed therein to improve a contact efficiency between the dehumidifying / cooling liquid and the recovered air. 5. The dehumidifying cooling liquid is sprayed so as to uniformly adhere to the dehumidifying cooling face material.

According to the cooling method of the cooling device of the present invention,
By attaching the dehumidifying cooling liquid to the dehumidifying cooling surface material, the contact efficiency between the dehumidifying cooling surface material and the recovered air can be improved.

Further, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the cooling method of the cooling device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the dehumidified cooling liquid is stored in a cooling air generation chamber. It is characterized in that it is sprayed from a tank via a spraying pipe, brought into contact with the dehumidified cooling liquid and collected air, and then collected again in the storage tank.

According to the cooling method of the cooling device of the present invention,
By circulating a dehumidifying cooling liquid as a cooling medium, it can be used multiple times.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of cooling a cooling device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein a part of the dehumidified cooling liquid in the storage tank in the cold air generation chamber is provided. Is removed from the storage tank to remove water, and then returned to the storage tank and mixed with the remaining dehumidified cooling liquid.

According to the cooling method of the cooling device of the present invention,
By removing the moisture of the dehumidifying coolant that has absorbed the moisture of the collected air by contact with the collected air, the dehumidified coolant can be used multiple times while maintaining good hygroscopicity.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cooling apparatus for a cooling device, comprising: a cooling device having a product storage section; a cooling source which is installed separately from the cooling device and has a refrigeration cycle and a cool air generation chamber; In a cooling device for a cooling device having a supply pipe for supplying cooling air produced at a source to each of the cooling devices, and a collection pipe for collecting air provided for cooling from each of the cooling devices to the cooling source, The cold air generation chamber is formed at the most upstream side of the circulation path of the recovered air in the cold air generation chamber, performs pre-cooling of the recovered air by heat exchange with the circulating low-temperature refrigerant, and frosts the moisture contained in the recovered air. Cooling fin coil for performing pre-dehumidification of recovered air by cooling, and defrosting of the cooling sub fin coil by passage of collected air in a state where supply of refrigerant to the cooling sub fin coil is stopped. A pre-cooling unit having a drainage unit that receives generated moisture and discharges the water to the outside, and a storage tank that is formed downstream of the pre-cooling unit in a flow path of the recovered air and that collects and stores a dehumidifying cooling liquid including a hygroscopic agent. A nozzle for spraying the dehumidification coolant into the room, which is connected to a pipe having one end opened in the storage tank, and cooling the recovered air by heat exchange with a circulating low-temperature refrigerant, and the sprayed dehumidification coolant And a main cooling unit having a main cooling fin coil for cooling the dehumidifying cooling liquid by heat exchange with the main cooling unit.

According to the cooling device for a cooling device of the present invention,
In the pre-cooling section of the cold air generation chamber, while performing pre-cooling of the recovered air by heat exchange between the cooling sub-fin coil for circulating a low-temperature refrigerant and the recovered air, the water contained in the recovered air is deposited on the cooling sub-fin coil. Preliminary dehumidification of the recovered air by frosting, and then, in the main cooling section, heat exchange / contact between the precooled and pre-dehumidified recovered air, the dehumidified cooling liquid sprayed from the nozzle, and the main cooling fin coil By further performing the main cooling and main dehumidification of the recovered air, supplying the recovered air to the cooling device, and further intermittently stopping the circulation of the low-temperature refrigerant in the cooling sub-fin coil and the recovered air and heat. The defrosting of the cooling sub fin coil is performed by exchanging the water, the moisture generated by the defrosting is discharged to the outside, and the dehumidifying coolant is supplied to the main cooling fin coil. It can be cooled by heat exchange.

[0026] The cooling device for a cooling device according to claim 8 is:
8. The cooling device for a cooling device according to claim 7, wherein the main cooling unit is formed on an upstream side in a flow path of the recovered air, and sprays the dehumidified cooling liquid to contact the recovered air with the dehumidified cooling liquid. A first cool air generating portion provided with a nozzle, and a main cooling fin coil formed at a downstream side in a flow path of the recovered air, the main cooling fin coil being disposed, and the recovered air and the dehumidifying coolant being above the main cooling fin coil; And a second cool air generating unit provided with the nozzle for spraying a dehumidifying cooling liquid for defrosting the main cooling fin coil.

According to the cooling device for a cooling device of the present invention,
In the first cool air generator, the dehumidifying coolant is sprayed, and the collected air is brought into contact with the recovered air to cool and dehumidify the recovered air. The recovered air can be cooled by heat exchange between the recovered air and the recovered air.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the cooling device for a cooling device according to the seventh or eighth aspect, the dehumidified cooling liquid is attached to the first cool air generating portion. A dehumidifying and cooling surface material having a plurality of grooves formed therein for improving the contact efficiency between the dehumidifying and cooling liquid and the recovered air is provided.

According to the cooling device for cooling equipment of the present invention,
By attaching the dehumidifying cooling liquid to the dehumidifying cooling surface material,
The contact efficiency between the dehumidifying cooling surface material and the recovered air can be improved.

[0030]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A description will be given below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a cooling device to which a cooling method for a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
A plurality of showcases 1 as members to be cooled are installed in a store S such as a supermarket, and a machine room M is provided separately from the store S side.

In the machine room M, a refrigerating cycle 2, a regenerator tank 3 for keeping the cooled brine cooled by exchanging heat with the refrigerant cooled by the refrigerating cycle 2, a dehumidifying coolant to be sprayed on the brine. And a low-pressure moisture removing device 5 that evaporates moisture contained in the dehumidifying coolant that has undergone heat exchange with the medium to be cooled. It is arranged.

The refrigeration cycle 2 is composed of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion member and an evaporator 2A which are sequentially connected by pipes P1 and P1. The evaporator 2A is disposed in the heat exchanger 6, and in this heat exchanger 6,
A refrigerant cooled by the refrigeration cycle 2 and a brine that is stored in the regenerator 3 circulating in a pipe P2 reciprocally arranged between the regenerator 3 and the heat exchanger 6 and that does not freeze even at a relatively low temperature. Is made to exchange heat. In addition, in this embodiment, the case where ethylene glycol is used as the brine will be described.

In the regenerator 3 in which the brine is stored, a preparation (hereinafter, referred to as a regenerator) prepared by mixing sodium nitrate, water, and other materials so as to freeze at a temperature slightly higher than the cooled brine. ) Are arranged in the container at a distance from each other so that the brine can flow along the outer periphery. The cold storage tank 3 includes a cooling fin coil 8A serving as a pre-cooling fin coil provided in a pre-cooling unit 4A in a cool air generating chamber 4 described later and a main cooling fin coil provided in the second cool air generating unit 4Bb. Cooling fin coil 8B and piping P3
P3 is branched and connected to each other, and the brine is circulated by a pump 9 disposed in the pipe P3.

Each branch pipe is provided with a temperature control means (not shown) such as a thermostat provided in the cold air generation chamber 4 and a defroster for the cooling fin coil 8A in the pre-cooling section 4A. A plurality of on-off valves 10 automatically opened and closed by a motor (not shown) connected to a timer,
Are provided, and the temperature of the generated cool air detected by the temperature control means provided in the cool air generating chamber 4 and the opening and closing of the on-off valves 10, 10. The drive is linked.

A heat exchanger is provided in a pipe P3a for supplying the brine from the cold storage tank 3 to the cold air generating chamber 4, and an evaporator of a small refrigeration cycle for night cooling, for example, is provided in the heat exchanger. It is also possible to provide the cooling of the brine by providing the cooling water.

An opening 11A of a collection pipe 11 communicating with each of the showcases 1 is connected to the cold air generation chamber 4, and the collected air used for cooling each of the showcases 1 is supplied to the cold air generation chamber 4. At the most upstream side in the air flow direction. Further, at the most downstream side in the air circulation direction of the cold air generation chamber 4, the cold air generation chamber 4
The cooling air cooled in the interior of each showcase 1
The opening 12A of the supply pipe 12 for supplying to the supply pipe 12 is connected.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inside of the cool air generation chamber 4 of the present embodiment is roughly divided into two in the air flow direction, and the upstream of the cool air generation chamber 4 in the air flow direction. On the side, cooling fin coils 8A as heat exchangers through which the brine flows are arranged in a zigzag manner to be bent back plural times, and are arranged and housed along the air flow direction. As a pre-cooling unit 4A that performs the following.

Then, at the bottom of the pre-cooling section 4A,
A drain pan 17 is provided as a water droplet receiver when frost attached to the cooling fin coil 8A is defrosted,
The water can be drained from the drain 17A of the bread 17 to the outside of the cold air generating chamber 4.

The downstream side of the pre-cooling section 4A is constituted as a main cooling section 4B for performing full-scale cooling and dehumidification of the recovered air subjected to pre-cooling and pre-dehumidification in the pre-cooling section 4A. The main cooling unit 4
B further includes a first cold air generator 4Ba on the upstream side in the air flow direction and a second cool air generator 4Bb on the downstream side.

In the first cool air generating section 4Ba, dehumidifying and cooling surface members 27 are arranged along the flow direction of the recovered air in the cool air generating chamber 4. A plurality of spray nozzles 13A, 13A,... For spraying the dehumidifying coolant into the cold air generation chamber 4 are provided above the members 27, 27,.
Are arranged.

In the second cool air generating section 4Bb, cooling fin coils 8B serving as heat exchangers, which are arranged in a zigzag manner so as to bend plural times and through which the brine flows, are arranged along the air flow direction. In addition to the cooling fin coil 8B, a plurality of dehumidifying coolant is sprayed into the cool air generation chamber 4 and attached to the cooling fin coil 8B above the cooling fin coil 8B and near the ceiling of the cold fin coil 8B. Are provided.

A storage tank 14 for collecting and storing the sprayed dehumidified cooling liquid is provided at the bottom of the main cooling section 4B.
Are arranged. The storage tank 14 has a spraying pipe P having a spraying pump 15 as a dehumidifying coolant supply means.
4 is open, and the other end of the distribution pipe P4 is branched and extends to the first cool air generator 4Ba and the second cool air generator 4Bb, respectively. The cooling nozzles are connected to the spray nozzles 13A and 13B provided in the cold air generator 4Bb.

Here, the dehumidified cooling liquid cools the recovered air by heat exchange with the recovered air, absorbs moisture by contact with the recovered air, and cools the cooling fin coil 8B.
The cooling fin coil 8 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the cooling fin coil 8.
B, 8B ... is a liquid agent that is sprayed for the purpose of dissolving the frost if frost occurs by any chance. For example, while having high moisture absorption and thermal conductivity such as propylene glycol and lithium chloride,
A liquid with a low freezing point and low viscosity is used as the main liquid.
In particular, since the propylene glycol is officially specified as a food additive, from the viewpoint of food hygiene, it is suitable for producing cooling air that directly or indirectly hits food, and has the advantage of being inexpensive. have. In the present embodiment, a description will be given of a case where a dehumidifying cooling liquid containing propylene glycol as a main component and a food additive such as an antioxidant added thereto is used. In the present embodiment, the dehumidifying coolant is cooled by heat exchange between the air in the cool air generating chamber 4 and the cooling fin coil 8B of the second cool air generating unit 4Bb. Room 4
A heat exchanger may be provided in the storage tank 14 in the inside, and cooling may be performed by exchanging heat with the heat exchanger.

Further, in the vicinity of the cold air generating chamber 4, a water removing device 5 for evaporating water contained in the dehumidifying cooling liquid is provided.
Are arranged.

As shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchange chamber 16 in the moisture removing device 5 of the present embodiment is provided with a dehumidifying coolant (hereinafter referred to as a "collected dehumidifying coolant") which is recovered by the moisture removing device 5 while being heated. Spray nozzles 1 for uniformly spraying
, And an eliminator 19 for preventing release of the recovered dehumidifying coolant sprayed from the spray nozzles 18, 18 and discharging only vapor to the outside of the room, and a bottom portion of the heat exchange chamber 16 is provided. The storage tank 20 for evaporation of the recovered dehumidified cooling liquid
Are arranged.

The evaporating storage tank 20 has a condensing circulation pump 26 for circulating a part of the recovered dehumidified cooling liquid in the water removing device 5 for repeated water spraying from the spraying nozzle 18 for water removal. One end of the pipe P5 is connected, and the other end of the spray pipe P5 is connected to the spray nozzles 18, 18,.

The storage tank 14 of the cool air generating chamber 4 and the water removing device 5 are connected to a pipe P for circulating the dehumidified cooling liquid.
6, P6. Of the pipe P6,
A pipe P6a for circulating the dehumidified cooling liquid from the cold air generation chamber 4 to the moisture removing device 5 has one end connected to the storage tank 8 of the cold air generation chamber 4, and the other end connected to the circulation pump 22, , Heat exchanger 24 and heat exchanger 25
Is connected to the spraying pipe P5 through the above. One end of the other pipe P6b for circulating the dehumidified cooling liquid from the moisture removing device 5 to the cool air generation chamber 4 is connected to the evaporation storage tank 20, and the other end is connected to the heat exchanger 23.
Is connected to the storage tank 8 of the cool air generation chamber 4 via the.

Further, the storage tank 8 of the cold air generating chamber 4 has
An electrode rod (not shown) that is energized by being immersed in the dehumidifying cooling liquid is provided, and the level of the dehumidifying cooling liquid stored in the storage tank 8 is controlled by the electrode rod. In accordance with the downward movement, the concentration circulating pump 26 and the circulating pump 22 are driven, and the on-off valves 21, 21,... Disposed on the pipes P6a, P6b are opened and closed.

The heat exchanger 23 includes the dehumidifying coolant supplied to the production of the cooling air flowing through the pipe P6a in the dehumidifying coolant by being heated by the moisture removing device 5 flowing through the pipe P6b. It is configured to perform heat exchange with the dehumidified cooling liquid in which the removed water is removed and concentrated. In the heat exchangers 24 and 25, the dehumidified coolant heated by passing through the heat exchanger 23 is separated from the exhaust heat generated in the refrigeration cycle 2 and the exhaust heat of the in-store air conditioner. It is configured to perform heat exchange and to be gradually heated to a high temperature. In addition, it goes without saying that the heat exchangers 24 and 25 may be provided with independent heater devices for heat exchange without using waste heat.

Further, the moisture removing device may not be configured to remove moisture by heating. For example, a moisture removing device may be configured to discharge a dehumidifying coolant into a vacuum space, to instantaneously evaporate only moisture with an appropriate vacuum pressure by utilizing the difference in boiling point, and to separate the moisture from the dehumidifying coolant.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

First, by driving the refrigeration cycle 2, the liquid refrigerant which has been brought to a low temperature and a low pressure by circulating the evaporator 2 A in the heat exchanger 6 through the pipe P 1, so that the inside of the pipe P 2 is transferred from the regenerator 3. Heat exchange was performed with the circulating brine, and the ethylene glycol solution as the brine was cooled to -30.
Cool to -35 ° C.

In the regenerator 3, the temperature is from -30.degree. C. to -35.degree.
The cold storage member 7 in which a cold storage agent mainly composed of sodium nitrate and water adjusted so as to freeze at -25 ° C to -30 ° C slightly higher than the ethylene glycol solution as the brine is enclosed by the cooled brine. Freeze.
When the temperature of the cold storage member 7 rises more than that of the cold storage member 7 due to the degree of cooling being somewhat loosened due to the brine being circulated for heat exchange of cooling air for cooling each showcase 1. In turn, this will function to cool the ethylene glycol solution, which is brine. That is, the cold storage member 7 in which the cold storage agent is frozen in the container takes a large amount of latent heat from the object of heat exchange while the cold storage agent continues to melt.

Further, if a plurality of types of regenerative members 7a, 7b,... Each of which is filled in a plurality of containers with a plurality of types of regenerative agents having different freezing temperatures are provided in the regenerator tank 3,
Since a plurality of kinds of melting temperatures of the plurality of regenerative members 7a, 7b,... Are obtained, a time difference occurs at the time of melting, so that the brine is stably kept cool for a long time. be able to.

The above-described cold storage is performed using inexpensive midnight power. In the daytime, the cold storage operation is performed in principle, and the brine cannot generate cooling air at a predetermined temperature in the cold air generating chamber 4. Only when the temperature reaches a moderate level, the cooling of the brine is performed by opening and closing the refrigeration cycle 2 and an on-off valve (not shown) arranged as necessary.

Next, the brine cooled to a low temperature in the cool storage tank 3 is driven by a pump 9 disposed in pipes P3, P3,. The cooling fin coils 8A and 8B provided in the section 4Bb are supplied.

In the cold air generating chamber 4, the dehumidified cooling liquid stored in the storage tank 14 is precooled at room temperature in the cold air generating chamber 4. Then, the spray pump 15 is driven to spray the propylene glycol liquid as the dehumidifying cooling liquid from the storage tank 14 via the spray pipe P4 and the spray nozzles 13, 13 disposed near the ceiling of the main cooling unit 4B. ..., the dehumidifying cooling liquid is evenly sprayed on the main cooling section 4A in the cold air generating chamber 4.

In this state, the recovered air used for cooling each showcase 1 is supplied from the opening 11A of the recovery pipe 11 formed at the most upstream side in the air flow direction of the cool air generation chamber 4 into the cool air generation chamber 4. To be introduced.

The recovered air is first subjected to pre-dehumidification and pre-cooling by performing heat exchange with a cooling fin coil 8A as a heat exchanger through which the brine flows, in the pre-cooling section 4A.

That is, the temperature of the recovered air as the medium to be cooled recovered through the recovery pipe 24 is 0 ° C. to 10 ° C.
The collected air was cooled by heat exchange with a low-temperature brine circulating in the cooling fin coil 8A, and was collected in the cooling fin coil 8A. Pre-cooling and pre-humidification are performed by frosting the water.

Next, the recovered air subjected to the preliminary cooling and the preliminary dehumidification is sprayed with the dehumidifying coolant and the dehumidifying coolant entangled in the dehumidifying and cooling surface members 27, 27 in the first cool air generator 4Ba of the main cooling unit 4B. Full-scale cooling is performed by exchanging heat with the dehumidifying cooling liquid in the air, and the dehumidifying cooling surface material 27,
27. The dehumidifying coolant is brought into contact with the dehumidifying coolant scattered in the air and sprayed in the air, and moisture contained in the collected air is absorbed by the dehumidifying coolant to perform dehumidification.

In other words, in the main cooling section 4B, the recovered air is supplied from the upstream side of the air flow path in the cold air generating chamber 4 to the dehumidifying and cooling surface members 27, 27 arranged in parallel.
.. Are circulated downstream of the flow path, and come into contact with the dehumidifying cooling liquid adhered to the dehumidifying cooling surface members 27, 27, and further in a direction orthogonal to the dehumidifying cooling liquid sprayed in the air. Then, the recovered air is cooled to a temperature slightly higher than a desired temperature by heat exchange. By using the dehumidifying and cooling surface material 27 in this way, the efficiency of contact between the dehumidifying cooling liquid and the recovered air can be improved, cooling and dehumidifying can be performed efficiently, and the arrangement area of the expensive cooling fin coil 8 is increased. Can be minimized, so that the equipment cost of the cooling device can be reduced. The dehumidifying cooling liquid may be sprayed in a shower form or may be sprayed (sprayed) in a mist form. Here, it goes without saying that the reason why the dehumidifying cooling liquid is sprayed is to make good contact with the recovered air.

Finally, in the second cool air generating portion 4Bb located at the most downstream in the air flow direction of the cool air generating chamber 4, the recovered air subjected to cooling and dehumidification is further heat-exchanged with the cooling fin coil 8B. Cooling by
Set to the desired temperature.

That is, the cooling fin coils 8B, 8B,... Arranged in parallel are circulated from the upstream side of the air circulation path in the second cool air generation section 4Bb toward the most downstream side of the circulation path. By bringing the fin coil 8B or the dehumidifying coolant that is intermittently sprayed into contact with the orthogonal direction and exchanging heat, the recovered air is finally reduced by -12.
Cool to a suitable temperature between 0 ° C and -15 ° C.

In the present embodiment, the dehumidifying coolant sprayed to the second cool air generator 4Bb may be used when the cooling of the dehumidifier coolant is loose or when the cooling fin coil 8B of the second cool air generator 4Bb is used. When defrosting is required, for example, the on-off valve 28 provided in the pipe P4 extending to the second cool air generating section 4Bb is opened to allow the dehumidifying coolant to flow, and the defrost is disposed in the second cool air generating section 4Bb. From the nozzle 13 to the second cool air generator 4
Spray into Bb.

In this embodiment, before the recovered air is supplied to the second cool air generator 4Bb, the pre-cooler 4A and the first cool air generator 4Ba have already cooled and dehumidified. Therefore, actually, the cooling fin coil 8B
The possibility of frost formation on the surface is low.

The recovered air that has been cooled and dehumidified stepwise in this manner is supplied to each of the showcases 1 through the supply pipe 12 from the opening 12A that opens at the most downstream side of the cool air generation chamber 4. I do.

By the way, the pre-cooling section 4A of the cold air generating chamber 4
Defrost of the frost adhering to the cooling fin coil 8A disposed in the cooling fin coil 8A intermittently stops the circulation of the brine to the cooling fin coil 8A disposed in the pre-cooling unit 4A, and removes the frost with the warm air of the collected air. This is done by dissolving. According to the experimental results, when the recovery temperature was 9 ° C. and the recovery air was 70% humidity, defrost could be performed once every hour by stopping the brine circulation for 10 minutes.

Then, the defrost waste water is collected in a drain pan 17 formed at the bottom of the pre-cooling section 4A, and discharged to the outside of the cold air generating chamber 4. According to the experimental results, in the pre-cooling section 4A, if the collected air contained about 80% humidity, 20 l of water could be removed by the driving operation for one hour, and 55 When the humidity of 60% is contained, 1 hour of driving
5 to 17 l of water could be removed.

Further, the dehumidifying coolant which is sprayed to the main cooling section 4B in the cool air generating chamber 4 and exchanges heat with the collected air and absorbs the moisture (humidity) contained in the collected air is supplied to the cool air generating chamber. 4 is collected in a storage tank 14 arranged at the bottom of the storage tank 4. At this time, the dehumidified coolant that has adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the cooling fin coil 8B of the second cool air generator 4Bb is cooled by performing heat exchange with the cooling fin coil 8B, and also contacts the collected air to be collected. The air is collected in the storage tank 14 disposed below while cooling the air.

The collected dehumidified cooling liquid is uniformly sprayed again from the spray nozzle 13 through the spray pipe P4 into the main cooling section 4B in the cool air generating chamber 4, thereby cooling the collected air and dehumidifying. Used for

The dehumidifying cooling liquid is subjected to a water removing process in a water removing device 5. That is, a part of the dehumidified cooling liquid collected in the storage tank 14 is supplied to the heat exchanger 23 of the pipe P4a by driving the circulation pump 22.
Finally passed through the heat exchanger 25 and 70 ° C.
While heating to ~ 80 ° C, the water is uniformly sprayed from the spray nozzle 18 into the heat exchange chamber 16 of the water removing device 5 via the pipe P4. By spraying the dehumidifying coolant heated to a high temperature in the air, only the moisture of the collected air contained in the dehumidifying coolant is evaporated, and the eliminator 19 disposed above the spray nozzle 18 is sprayed. And exhaust. Then, the heated dehumidified cooling liquid is collected again in the evaporating storage tank 20, is kept in the heated state for about one hour, and is further concentrated by evaporating the water content. At this time, a fan is disposed in the water removing device 5 and the fan is driven to rotate, whereby the spray nozzle 18 is rotated.
The contact between the heated recovered dehumidifying cooling liquid sprayed from the air and the air may be promoted to forcibly and efficiently evaporate the water.

A part of the dehumidified cooling liquid composed of the heated and concentrated propylene glycol liquid is supplied from the evaporating storage tank 20 to the spray nozzles 18 through the spray pipe P5 having the concentration circulation pump 26. The degree of concentration can be increased by repeating a series of circulations of spraying from.

Then, a part of the heated dehumidifying coolant is transferred from the evaporating storage tank 20 to the pipe P4b.
When the heat is supplied to the storage tank 14 of the cold air generating chamber 4 through the heat exchanger 23, the heat is released by passing the heat through the heat exchanger 23 and exchanging heat with the low-temperature dehumidifying coolant passing through the pipe P4a. Then, in the storage tank 14, the concentrated dehumidified cooling liquid is mixed with the remaining dehumidified cooling liquid. The pre-cooling of the mixed dehumidified cooling liquid at room temperature in the cold air generation chamber is as described above.

As described above, in the method for producing the cooling air according to the present embodiment, the cooling of the recovered air used for cooling the showcase 1 is performed by the cooling fin coils 8A, 8B and -1.
By combining heat exchange with a dehumidifying cooling liquid (including a dehumidifying cooling liquid involved in the dehumidifying cooling surface material 27) cooled to 0 ° C to -20 ° C, it can be performed stepwise, and this embodiment In the cooling device according to the embodiment, the arrangement of the cooling fin coils 8A and 8B as heat exchangers is limited, so that the size of the device can be reduced.

The dehumidification of the recovered air mainly includes frost formation on the cooling fin coil 8A in the pre-cooling section 4A,
This is performed by contact with the dehumidified cooling liquid sprayed in the first cool air generation unit 4Ba of the main cooling unit 4B. In the second cool air generator 4Bb, when the dehumidifying coolant is not sprayed, the frost is applied to the cooling fin coil 8B. Dehumidification can be performed by contact.

Further, by disposing the dehumidifying and cooling surface material,
Further, by attaching the dehumidifying cooling liquid to the dehumidifying cooling surface material, the contact efficiency between the dehumidifying cooling surface material and the recovered air can be improved.

The cooling air thus produced in the cooling air generating chamber 4 is always dehumidified and dried.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the moisture contained in the air from forming frost in the supply pipe 12 in the middle of being supplied to each showcase 1 from the cold air generation chamber 4.

Then, the defrosting of the cooling fin coil 8A of the pre-cooling section 4A is performed while the circulation of the low-temperature refrigerant in the cooling fin coil 8A is temporarily stopped. Since the driving of some of the cool air generating units for performing the pre-cooling and the pre-dehumidifying is temporarily stopped, the cooling air and the dehumidifying of the collected air are performed in the main cooling unit 4B and the second cool air generating unit 4Bb only during that time. It does not affect much of the production and dehumidification of cooling air.

In the second cool air generator 4Bb,
The cooling air produced in the cold air generating chamber 4 is always dehumidified and dried, and the dehumidified cooling liquid having a low freezing point does not freeze on the surface of the cooling fin coil 8B. By attaching the cooling fin coil 8B to the outer peripheral surface of the coil 8A, frost formation on the cooling fin coil 8B can be prevented, so that a device for defrosting is not particularly required.

Further, in the pre-cooling section 4A, the amount of water absorbed by the dehumidifying cooling liquid in the main cooling section 4B is reduced by performing pre-dehumidification of the recovered air to some extent and removing water from the recovered air. Water removing device 5 for removing water from the dehumidifying coolant containing water
It is possible to reduce the size of itself.

Further, by spraying the dehumidifying coolant from above the inside of the cold air generating chamber 4, dust in the air can be included in the dehumidifying coolant during the fall thereof. Of course, it is also possible to remove germs that propagate in the dust. Furthermore, odor particles emitted from fish meat contained in the recovered air can be removed in the same manner. Further, as in the present embodiment, if the removal of the moisture absorbed in the dehumidifying coolant is performed by removing the moisture in the moisture removing device 5, the hygroscopicity of the dehumidifying coolant can be restored again. In addition, various bacteria contained in the dehumidifying cooling liquid can be sterilized by heating the dehumidifying cooling liquid.

In the present embodiment, the propylene glycol liquid specified for food additives is used as the dehumidifying cooling liquid, and it is not considered that the dehumidifying cooling liquid itself is harmful to the human body. It is the best method for producing cooling air from the viewpoint of food hygiene.

Propylene glycol used as the dehumidifying cooling liquid is inexpensive. As described above, the refrigeration cycle 2 is driven by using nighttime electric power, and the cooling operation is performed in the middle to produce the cooling air. Can be suppressed at a lower cost, and the initial cost and running cost can be reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the brine cooled in the cold storage tank 3 is made to flow through the cooling fin coils 8A and 8B provided in the cold air generating chamber 4. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle 2 is continuously or intermittently circulated in the cooling fin coils 8A and 8B without interposing the regenerator 3 or brine.

[0087]

As described above, according to the cooling method and the cooling apparatus for a cooling device according to the present invention, regarding the production of the cooling air, the recovered air is supplied to the cooling fin coil as the heat exchanger and the cooled cold air. By heat exchange with a dehumidifying cooling liquid made of a liquid material having a hygroscopic property, which is sprayed into the generating chamber, the recovered air can be cooled in a stepwise manner to produce the liquid.

The dehumidification of the recovered air is performed by forming frost on the cooling fin coil as a heat exchanger and contacting with a dehumidifying cooling liquid made of a liquid material having good hygroscopicity and sprayed into the cold air generating chamber. The cooling air thus produced is always dehumidified and dried, and frost formation in the supply pipe can be prevented.

Further, frost on the cooling fin coil as the heat exchanger can be melted with the warm air of the recovered air in the pre-cooling section, and is intermittently sprayed in the second cool air generating section. Since it can be dissolved with the dehumidifying cooling liquid, the conventional defrosting apparatus itself is not required.

Further, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of cool air generating chambers for defrosting as in the prior art, and the cooling and dehumidification of the recovered air are performed by heat exchange (contact) with a plurality of cooling media. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the size of the cooling fin coil and the moisture removing device for the dehumidifying coolant, which were disposed in the cold air generating chamber, respectively.
The overall shape of the cooling device of the cooling device can be reduced.

Further, by driving the refrigeration cycle of the cooling source using nighttime electric power and performing the cold storage operation in the daytime, it is possible to suppress the production cost of the cooling air at low cost. Furthermore, by adopting a cooling method of exchanging heat between the dehumidified cooling liquid and the recovered air using the dehumidified cooling surface material, the heat exchange can be efficiently performed, and the arrangement area of the expensive cooling fin coil is increased. Can be minimized, so that the equipment cost of the cooling device can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view showing a structure of a cooling device to which a showcase cooling method according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part of a cooling air generation chamber of the cooling device of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Showcase 2 Refrigeration cycle 3 Cold storage tank 4 Cold air generation room 4A Precooling part 4B Main cooling part 4Ba 1st cold air generation part 4Bb Second cold air generation part 5 Water removal device 6 Heat exchanger 7 Cold storage member 8 Cooling fin coil 8A ( Cooling fin coil 8B (in pre-cooling section 4A) Cooling fin coil 8B (in second cool air generating section 4Bb) 9 Pump 10 On-off valve 11 Recovery pipe 12 Supply pipe 13 Spray nozzle 13A Spray nozzle 13A (in main cooler 4B) Spray nozzle 14 (in second cold air generator 4Bb) 14 Storage tank 15 Spray pump 16 Heat exchange chamber 17 Drain pan 17A Drain port 18 Spray nozzle 19 Eliminator 20 Evaporator storage tank 21 Open / close valve 22 Circulation pump 23, 24, 25 Heat exchanger 26 Concentration circulation pump 27 Dehumidifying and cooling surface material 28 On-off valve P piping

Claims (9)

[Claims] The cooling air used for cooling the cooling device is collected through a collection pipe into a cold air generation chamber that forms a part of a cooling source, and the collected air is cooled by the cooling source in the cold air generation chamber. Cooling to a temperature lower than the set temperature of the cooling device by heat exchange with a plurality of types of cooling media cooled to
In the method of cooling a cooling device that supplies the cooling air to the cooling device via a supply pipe, the pre-cooling of the recovered air is performed by exchanging heat between the pre-cooled fin coil that circulates the low-temperature refrigerant in the cold air generation chamber and the recovered air. While pre-dehumidifying the recovered air by frosting the moisture contained in the recovered air on the pre-cooling fin coil,
Thereafter, the collected air is subjected to main cooling and main dehumidification to supply the collected air to the cooling device, and further, heat exchange with the collected air is performed in a state where the circulation of the low-temperature refrigerant in the pre-cooling fin coil is intermittently stopped. A method of cooling a cooling device, comprising: performing defrosting of the pre-cooling fin coil by discharging the water; and discharging water generated by the defrosting to the outside. 2. The main cooling and main dehumidification of the recovered air are as follows:
After dehumidifying and cooling the recovered air by contacting the dehumidifying coolant and the recovered air consisting of the moisture absorbent sprayed indoors,
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cooling air is cooled by heat exchange between the cooling fin coil and the recovered air.
The cooling method for a cooling device according to item 1. 3. The cooling device according to claim 2, wherein the dehumidifying cooling liquid is cooled by being sprayed on the main cooling fin coil, and at the same time, defrosting of the main cooling fin coil is performed. Method. 4. A dehumidifying / cooling surface material having a plurality of grooves formed therein for improving the contact efficiency between the dehumidifying / cooling liquid and the recovered air is provided, and the dehumidifying / cooling solution is applied to the dehumidifying / cooling surface material. The method for cooling a cooling device according to claim 2, wherein the spraying is performed so as to uniformly adhere to the cooling device. 5. The dehumidifying cooling liquid is sprayed from a storage tank disposed in a cold air generating chamber through a spray pipe, and the dehumidifying cooling liquid is brought into contact with the recovered air. The method of cooling a cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling device is collected. 6. After removing a part of the dehumidifying cooling liquid in the storage tank in the cold air generation chamber from the storage tank and removing water therefrom,
The cooling method for cooling equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cooling device is mixed with a dehumidifying cooling liquid remaining after returning to the storage tank. 7. A cooling device having a product storage portion, a cooling source which is installed separately from the cooling device and has a refrigeration cycle and a cool air generation chamber, and cooling air produced in the cooling source is supplied to each of the cooling devices. In a cooling device for a cooling device having a supply pipe for supplying and a collection pipe for collecting air provided for cooling from each of the cooling devices to the cooling source, the cold air generation chamber includes: A cooling sub-fin coil formed at the most upstream side of the circulation path and performing pre-cooling of the recovered air by heat exchange with the circulating low-temperature refrigerant and frosting the moisture contained in the recovered air to perform preliminary dehumidification of the recovered air, A drainage unit that receives water generated by defrosting of the cooling sub-fin coil due to passage of the collected air while the supply of the refrigerant to the cooling sub-fin coil is stopped, and discharges the water to the outside. A pre-cooling unit having a pre-cooling unit, a storage tank formed downstream of the pre-cooling unit in the flow path of the recovered air, for collecting and storing a dehumidifying coolant composed of a hygroscopic agent, and connected to a pipe having one end opened in the storage tank. A nozzle for dispersing the dehumidifying coolant into the room, cooling the recovered air by heat exchange with the circulating low-temperature refrigerant, and cooling the dehumidifying coolant by heat exchange with the sprayed dehumidifying coolant. A cooling device for a cooling device, comprising: a main cooling unit having a cooling fin coil; 8. The first cooling air formed at an upstream side in a flow path of the recovered air and provided with the nozzle for spraying the dehumidifying cooling liquid to make the recovered air and the dehumidifying cooling liquid come into contact with each other. A generator, formed on the downstream side in the flow path of the recovered air, provided with the main cooling fin coil, and brought into contact with the recovered air and the dehumidifying cooling liquid above the main cooling fin coil, and The cooling device for a cooling device according to claim 7, further comprising a second cool air generating unit provided with the nozzle for spraying a dehumidifying cooling liquid to perform defrosting of the coil. 9. A dehumidifying and cooling surface material having a plurality of grooves formed thereon for improving the contact efficiency between the dehumidifying and cooling liquid and the collected air by adhering the dehumidifying and cooling liquid to the first cool air generator. The cooling device for a cooling device according to claim 8, wherein the cooling device is provided.