JPS5930078B2 - Thawing machine - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] In order to thaw frozen foods such as fresh foods to a natural state almost immediately before freezing, a cooling tank is attached to the internal wall of the thawing machine, and the temperature of the circulating water in this cooling tank is controlled. This relates to a defrosting machine that can be automatically adjusted and is capable of defrosting while maintaining a constant low temperature and constant high humidity.

In order to defrost food while maintaining the inside of the defrosting machine at a constant low temperature and constant high humidity, there are some machines that have a tray containing water inside the machine, heat it by inserting an electric heating element into it, and convect the latent heat of the vapor to defrost the food. There is a demand for a defrosting machine with higher defrosting efficiency, which further improves thermal efficiency and reduces power consumption.

Therefore, this invention does not provide a heating element directly inside the machine, but instead installs a heating element inside the cooler installed outside the machine, which serves as a heat source for thawing, and automatically changes the temperature of the circulating water in the cooling tank. In this way, it is an object of the present invention to provide a thawing machine that can maintain an optimum thawing state and has extremely good thawing efficiency.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the interior wall surface of the thawing machine 1 is covered with a heat insulating material 2, and a cooling tank 3 is further installed on the entire surface thereof.

The front opening is configured to be closed with a door 4 filled with a heat insulating material 2.

In addition, the surface temperature of the cooling tank 3 can be adjusted to 0°C, 1°C, or 5°C depending on the need.
The structure is such that the temperature of the circulating cooling water can be changed so that the temperature can be maintained at a constant temperature in each degree.

That is, in order to control the temperature of the cooling water circulating in the cooling tank 3, a compression refrigerator 5 and a water pump 6 for circulating water in the cooling tank 3 are arranged below the thawing machine 1.

Freon 12 is sealed in the refrigerant of the compression refrigerator 5, and the compressor 5a sends this refrigerant to the condenser 5b, which cools and liquefies the high-temperature refrigerant gas sent into the cooler 5.
In the cooler 5c sent to C, this refrigerant evaporates and cools the circulating water.

Now, if cooling water is circulated in the cooling tank 3 so as to maintain the surface temperature at 0°C, it becomes possible to maintain the inside of the machine at a constant low temperature around 0°C.

In this state, since there is no surface inside the aircraft that is below 0°C, the moisture content in the air inside the aircraft is not fixed by phenomena such as frost, and the sensible heat that flows through the walls and enters the aircraft is removed by the cooling tank 3. be done.

Therefore, it is possible to create a state of constant low temperature and constant high humidity.

Furthermore, an electric heating element 1 is attached to the cooling unit 5c,
When power is supplied to the electric heating element 1 for a predetermined time by the timer 8, the water in the cooler 5c is heated, and the water pump 6 is energized to circulate the heated water through the cooling tank 3, thereby increasing the air temperature inside the aircraft. The temperature rises to around 5° C., and the air inside the machine is agitated through the blower 11 and duct 12 and comes into contact with the frozen items, thereby thawing them at once.

If the temperature exceeds 5°C, the second temperature sensing section 15 detects the temperature, and as shown in the circuit diagram of FIG. 3, the second relay switch 15a
and turn off the power to the electric heating element.

When the thawing is completed, the compression refrigerator starts operating by setting the timer 8 to freezing, cooling the circulating water in the cooling tank 3 and maintaining the inside of the machine at a constant low temperature around 1°C and constant high humidity. ing.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the frozen products 9, 9 are stored in net-like shelves 10.degree. 10, and the door 4 is closed to store them in an airtight state.

In this state, the thawing machine 1 is constantly maintained at a constant low temperature around 5° C. and constant high humidity due to the effects of the heat insulating material 2 filled all over the inner wall of the cabinet and the cooling tank 3.

That is, it is possible to prevent effects such as a decrease in the relative humidity of the cabin air due to intruding sensible heat.

Next, when thawing is to be carried out, the water in the cooler 5c is heated when power is applied to the electric heating element 1 for a predetermined time by the timer 8, and this water is pumped below the cooling tank 3 by the water pump 6. The heated air is circulated upward in the cooling tank 3 to maintain the internal temperature of the machine at approximately 5°C, and is then passed through the blower 11 and duct 12 that stir the internal air to cool the frozen goods 9. , 9.

At this time, the water supported by the heat in the frozen material 9.9 liquefies and flows down, accumulates in the lower drain pans 13, 13, and is evaporated and refluxed.A predetermined amount or more is discharged via the drain.

If the temperature inside the machine exceeds a predetermined temperature, for example, 5°C or higher, the TS second temperature sensing section 15 installed at the top of the machine will detect this, and the relay switch 15a will automatically operate to activate the electric heating element. 1 is turned OFF', power is supplied to the compression refrigerator 5 at the same time to cool the water circulating in the cooling tank 3.

Furthermore, when the temperature inside the machine falls below 0°C, the second temperature sensing part 15 installed in the center of the machine detects it, and the relay switch 15a automatically operates to turn off the compression refrigerator 5 and at the same time turn off the electric heating element. 7 is energized to heat the water circulating in the cooling tank 3.

That is, as shown in Fig. 4, for example, when the air at point A at a temperature of 20°C at a relative humidity of 80% is cooled, A-)B-
) as in C (temperature and water content decrease).

At this time, point B and point 0 are the dew points at the respective temperatures.

Now, when the air at point A is cooled, both the temperature and water content decrease according to the dew point.

Therefore, if the temperature is controlled so that the E point and the 0 point can be maintained, the dew point state will still be maintained, and the relative humidity at this time will show 100%.

The point 0 in the figure is controlled by the first temperature sensitive temperature 14, and the point E is controlled by the second temperature sensor.
This is done using a sensitive temperature 15.

If a cooling tank is not attached to the inside wall of the machine, the air inside the machine will be reheated by the sensible heat that enters from the wall, resulting in dry air as shown at point D.

Furthermore, if there is a surface in the refrigerator that is below 0°C, moisture in the air will form frost on that area and become fixed, resulting in air with low relative humidity as shown at point D.

Relative humidity is the ratio of the amount of water vapor actually contained in a certain volume of air to the maximum amount of water vapor that air can contain at that temperature (saturated water vapor amount), expressed as a percentage. It is something.

From the above, since the thawing machine according to the present invention does not have a frosted part and prevents the penetration of sensible heat, the relative humidity can be maintained at about 100 degrees centigrade even at around 0°C and around 5°C.

When defrosting the frozen items 9, 9 stored in the defrosting machine 1, the timer 8 is adjusted so that the temperature of the water circulating in the cooling tank 3 maintains the air circulating inside the machine at around 5°C, for example. Then, this air comes into contact with the entire surface of the frozen object 9, so that the frozen object 9 is thawed at a uniform rate.

In particular, when thawing fresh foods, for example, if the temperature is 10°C, the quality will deteriorate significantly, so it is always preferable to defrost the temperature below atmospheric temperature.
is now operational.

When thawing is finished, the timer 8 is turned on to the freezing side, and the interior of the machine is maintained at a constant low temperature of around 1° C. and high humidity by the operation of the first temperature sensing section 14, making it an optimal storage for fresh foods.

That is, at this time, the temperature is maintained at around 1° C., but since the dew point is maintained, the fresh foods are stored in the best condition without drying out.

As explained in the above embodiments, this invention makes it possible to return frozen foods, etc., to almost their natural state immediately before freezing, thereby preventing deterioration of freshness and, therefore, without causing changes in taste. This is an extremely industrially valuable invention that allows defrosting.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a front view of a thawing machine showing one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in the same embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a temperature control diagram in the same embodiment. The circuit diagram and FIG. 4 are explanatory graphs regarding thawing of frozen materials. Code explanation, 1... Thawing machine, 2... Insulation material, 3... Cooling tank, 4... Door, 5...
...Compression refrigerator, 5a...Compressor, 5b
...Condenser, 5c...Cooler, 6...
... Water pump, 1 ... Electric heating element, 8 ...
...Timer, 9...Frozen food, 10...
... Shelf, 11 ... Proa, 12 ... Duct, 13 ... Drain plate, 14 ... First temperature sensing part, 14a ...・・1st relay switch, 1
5...Second temperature sensing section, 15a...Second relay switch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a thawing machine that thaws stored frozen products while maintaining a constant low temperature and constant high humidity by installing a cooling tank on the inside wall of the machine, an electric heating element is installed inside the cooler of the thawing machine, and this A thawing machine, characterized in that the frozen product is thawed by adjusting the temperature of the circulating water in the cooling tank by heating an electric heating element.