JPS5832860B2 - Moisture control device for rice koji, barley koji, bran koji, steamed rice, soaked rice, etc. - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for micro-regulating the moisture content of rice koji, barley koji, wrinkled koji, steamed rice, soaked rice, etc.
To adjust the moisture content of rice grains to the most suitable moisture level for producing rice koji suitable for brewing miso, soy sauce, miso, etc., and especially for producing koji of the top pod type or toraha sei type koji suitable for brewing sake. Regarding the device.

The present inventor places importance on the fact that the quality of koji can vary greatly depending on the difference in moisture content of steamed rice grains, and first, the inventor has developed a system that combines a cooling device and a heating device in parallel using a heat pump device using a single refrigeration cycle. By installing circulating air continuously through both devices, there is little change in the temperature of the air.
Shikamo has developed a device that allows for minute adjustment of moisture content.

Therefore, we will first give an overview of this device in Sections 1 to 3.
This will be explained using figures.

In Figure 1, 1 is a moisture adjustment chamber which also serves as the koji making room, and 2 is a mesh plate installed inside the moisture adjustment chamber 1, which allows air to pass through the rice grain layer 2a. It is like that.

Reference numeral 3 denotes an air introduction section, to which an air introduction pipe 5 is connected, and further air is sent by a blower 5-b.

This can be provided with an air outlet and a fresh air intake as appropriate.

4 is an air exhaust part, to which an air exhaust pipe 6 is connected,
This is where the passing air is exhausted.

Reference numeral 8 is a heat pump device using a refrigeration cycle to perform cooling, dehumidification, and heating using a single compressor 9 (details will be described later), and reference numeral 10 is a drain pipe that performs cooling and removes generated water droplets.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a part of the air discharge pipe, which discharges part of the air when the carbon dioxide concentration in the koji becomes high, and brings in fresh air through the inlet pipe 12 to adjust the carbon dioxide concentration to a concentration suitable for koji production. It is designed to be adjusted to

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 8 denotes a cooling, dehumidifying and heating device, which is entirely covered with a heat insulating material 8a.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a dehumidification chamber, in which an evaporator 14 constituting a refrigeration cycle is installed, and the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 9 and passed through the condenser 18 is evaporated here, and the fins 1
5 is cooled, moisture in the circulating air is condensed into water droplets, stored in a water tank 16, and occasionally drained from a drain pipe 10.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a heating room, in which a condenser 18 of a heat pump device using a refrigeration cycle is installed, and a gaseous refrigerant compressed and heated by the compressor 9 of the refrigeration cycle is passed through the heating room, and the heat of condensation is used to heat the refrigerant. It is warming.

Therefore, the circulating air is now heated by the temperature previously cooled in the evaporator 14 and rises to its original temperature.

20.21.22, 23.24 are the respective valves, 25
．． 26 and 27 are bypass and the joint ventures operate as appropriate,
The main pipe can be opened and closed.

Bypasses 25, 26, and 27 can be used in unusual situations, such as when dehumidifying the air is not necessary, when heating is not necessary, and when neither dehumidifying nor heating is necessary.

Further, FIG. 3 shows the koji making chamber, in which three thin layers are formed by mesh plates 2, and koji raw material 2-a is charged into each layer from the inlet 28.

29 is an outlet for making koji.

In this way, in this device, a cooling device (evaporator) using a heater pump device using a refrigeration cycle and a heating device (condenser) are arranged in parallel in the middle of the air circulation path of a moisture adjustment room such as a koji room. However, by circulating circulating air through this device, the moisture generated during koji making is removed, making it possible to micro-adjust the moisture content of koji rice and steamed rice.This device is extremely effective. Although it is a revolutionary device, it has the following drawbacks.

In other words, in the above device, the evaporator and condenser of a heat pump device using a refrigeration cycle were installed together, and the air circulating in the koji making room was made to flow through the evaporator and condenser in sequence. The temperature of the circulating air gradually rises due to the heat generated by the loss.

Furthermore, the amount of heat held by steamed rice or the heat of fermentation during koji making is not released to the outside, so when the above-mentioned equipment continues to operate, the temperature of the circulating air will change due to this heat. As the temperature increases, the circulating air may eventually reach a temperature unsuitable for making koji.

The present invention aims to eliminate these drawbacks of the apparatus shown in Figs. Soaked rice, etc. are piled up, and air flows through the koji making chamber from below to the top, and indoor air is taken out from the air outlet at the top of the koji making chamber, and this is supplied to the cooling side of a heat pump device using a refrigeration cycle. The excess steam is dehydrated, the dehydrated air is sent to the heating side of the heat pump device to heat it, and this air is supplied into the koji making chamber from the air supply port provided below the koji making chamber. In the moisture microcontroller, by dividing the heating heat exchanger of the heat pump device and placing part of it outside the path of the circulating air, the amount of heating of the circulating air by the heat pump device is reduced, and as a result, the amount of heating of the circulating air is reduced. The feature is that it prevents the temperature from rising.

Examples thereof will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

Note that Figures 4 and 5 correspond to Figure 2 of the apparatus mentioned earlier, and even in the present invention, the entire apparatus is the same as that shown in Figure 1, and the inside of the koji making chamber is similar to Figure 1. Since it is the same as FIG. 3, detailed explanation of the entire apparatus and the interior of the koji making chamber will be omitted.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the condenser constituting the refrigeration cycle is divided into two heat exchangers 18a and 18b, which are connected in series.

7, 18a is placed in the circulating air path, but 1
8b is arranged outside the case of the cooling/warming device 8, that is, outside the circulating air path.

Therefore, in this device, heating of the circulating air by the heat pump device is performed only by the heat exchanger 18a, which is a part of the condenser, so that the heating of the circulating air is reduced compared to the case of the device shown in FIG. become.

It goes without saying that the ratio of the heat exchangers 18a and 18b constituting the condenser is a design matter that should be selected experimentally depending on the operating conditions of the device. .

Therefore, according to this device, the above-mentioned drawback of this type of device, in which the temperature of the circulating air increases with the operating time of the device, can be overcome, and the ratio of the two heat exchangers can be designed well. In this case, the fluctuation in the temperature of the circulating air can be reduced to a small value, and the practicality of the apparatus as a device for controlling the moisture content of koji and steamed rice can be significantly improved.

The embodiment of FIG. 5 is an improvement on the previously described embodiment (shown in FIG. 4), with the device making it possible to further adjust the heating capacity of the circulating air.

That is, in FIG. 5, the heat exchanger placed outside the circulating air path is divided into three parts 18c, 18d, and 18e, and these are connected in parallel.

More specifically, there are three heat exchangers 18c.

The discharge sides of 18d and 18e communicate via a common refrigerant pipe 30 with the suction side of a heat exchanger 18a arranged in the path of circulating air.

The suction side of the heat exchanger 18c is directly connected to the discharge side of the compressor 9, but the other heat exchangers 18d and 18c
The suction side of the compressor 9 is connected to the discharge side of the compressor 9 via electromagnetic on-off valves 31 and 32.

Reference numeral 33 is a condenser fan that is constantly operated to mainly cool the heat exchanger 18c.

Furthermore, a condenser fan 34 is provided, which operates only when the heat exchangers 18d, 18e are activated;
It mainly cools the heat exchangers 18d and 18e.

The heating chamber 17 is provided with two temperature sensors 35 and 36.

The sensor 36 is activated when the temperature of the heating chamber 17 becomes higher than a predetermined value, and in response to the signal, the electromagnetic on-off valve 31 provided on the suction side of the heat exchanger 18d opens, and the heat exchanger 18d becomes activated. (At this time, the fan 34 also operates).

As a result, the capacity of the condensing heat of the heat pump device that can be used to heat the circulating air is further reduced, and the temperature of the heating chamber 17 is lowered.

When the temperature in the heating chamber further increases due to the load or outside temperature, another temperature sensor 35 is activated.

In response to this signal, the electromagnetic on-off valve 32 provided on the suction side of the heat exchanger 18e opens, and the heat exchanger 18e becomes operational.

As a result, the heat capacity used for heating the circulating air out of the condensation heat of the heat pump device is further reduced, and the temperature of the heating chamber 17 is lowered.

In this way, this device adjusts in stages the amount of heat used for heating the circulating air out of the heartstring heat of the heat pump device, so it can be used in places where there are large fluctuations in outside air temperature or in moisture control rooms. Even in workplaces where there are wide fluctuations in the heat content of the materials used, the heating temperature can be maintained at a nearly constant temperature, further improving the practicality of this type of moisture microcontroller. be.

As described above, the present invention cools, dehydrates, and heats the circulating air that passes through the moisture adjustment chamber by passing through the evaporator and condenser of a heat pump device using a refrigeration cycle in this order. By dividing the heat exchanger (condenser) for heating the circulating air in a device that performs micro-moisture adjustment of steamed rice, etc. in the moisture adjustment chamber and placing part of it outside the circulating air path. , which can prevent the circulating air from being heated more than necessary, and the heat exchanger placed outside the circulating air path is configured by connecting multiple small heat exchanger groups in parallel. By configuring one of them to be selectively activated depending on the temperature of the circulating air, temperature changes in the circulating air can be further reduced, which is a practical advantage of the present invention. The effect is quite noticeable.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 3 show the moisture micro-adjustment device that is the basis of the device of the present invention, Figure 1 is a system diagram of the entire device, Figure 2 is a side sectional view of the device that performs cooling dehumidification and heating, and Figure 3 The figure is a side view showing an example of a koji making room. FIG. 4 shows a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a side sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a similar side sectional view showing the second embodiment. 1...Moisture adjustment room, 8...Cooling dehumidification and heating device, 9...Compressor, 13...
... Dehumidification room, 14 ... Evaporator, 17 ...
...Heating chamber, 18...Condenser, 31.32...
...Solenoid on/off valve, 33, 34... Condenser fan, 35, 36... Temperature sensor.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A moisture adjustment chamber which also serves as a koji making chamber, which is provided with a mesh plate inside, has an air exhaust section at the top and an air introduction section at the bottom, and connects the air exhaust section and the air introduction section. an air circulation path,
In the moisture microregulator, which comprises an evaporator with a cooling function and a condenser with a heating function, which is provided downstream of the evaporator and which constitutes a heat pump device using a refrigeration cycle provided in the middle of the air circulation path, the condenser has two A rice malt consisting of several heat exchangers connected in series, one of which is placed in an air circulation path, while the other heat exchangers are placed outside the air circulation path; Barley koji, nuclear koji, steamed rice,
Moisture minute adjustment device for soaked rice, etc. 2. A heat exchanger placed outside the air circulation path is constructed by connecting a plurality of heat exchangers in parallel, and is provided with means for activating one of them only when the temperature of the circulating air is higher than a predetermined value. An apparatus for micro-adjusting the moisture content of rice koji, barley koji, wrinkled koji, steamed rice, soaked rice, etc. according to claim 1.