JPS61205763A - Method of operating thawing warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a method of operating a thawing warehouse for thawing frozen foods using forcedly circulated humid cold air.

(b) Conventional technology Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1982-82272 (F25D11100)
The circular refrigerator thaws, the storage method includes a constant temperature cooled,
A cold water tank containing a first cyclone that creates a constant humidity gas, a pump that circulates water in the cold water tank, a cooler that cools the water in the cold water tank, and a second cyclone that further purifies the gas from the first cyclone. It is equipped with two cyclones, an air pipe and an air duct that supply gas from the second cyclone into the refrigerator, and an air pipe that returns the gas that has passed through the interior of the refrigerator to the first cyclone by a fan. A method is disclosed for thawing stored food using a constant temperature and constant humidity cooling gas.

PJ Problems to be Solved by the Invention In the above-mentioned conventional technology, the defrosting device of the refrigerator itself is large and expensive with a large number of parts, and is not only unsuitable for kitchens such as cafeterias and restaurants. Using the first cyclone's mist droplet effect and centrifugal effect to collect the cold water cooled by the cooler and the gas returned from the warehouse, the power load to obtain cooled gas at constant temperature and constant humidity is large, increasing operating costs. In addition, the drips that drip from thawed food and accumulate at the bottom of the refrigerator create an odor, and the bottom of the refrigerator must be cleaned every time the thawing operation is completed. When different types of foods are placed in the refrigerator, a problem arises in that so-called odor transfer occurs.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a drain hole (
The interior of the refrigerator (3) defined by the insulation box (2) forming the c)
, the shelf α barrel on which food is placed, and the evaporator of the freezing device (6)
, a blower fan (9) that circulates the cold air heat exchanged with this evaporator, a water storage tank 00) placed directly below the evaporator, and a drain pipe with a drain valve αω connected to this water storage tank. (1η), a water sprinkling pipe α9 connected to the water storage tank α0 and sprinkling the water in the water storage tank to the evaporator (6), and a pump α provided on the water sprinkling pipe for circulating the water in the water storage tank. After thawing the frozen food by sprinkling water on the evaporator (6) and maintaining the circulating cold air heat-exchanged in the evaporator at a temperature of 0°C or higher and high humidity, the water is drained. A method of operating a thawing warehouse (1) is provided in which a valve aO is opened and water in the water storage tank is allowed to flow from a drain pipe a onto the bottom wall of an insulating box (2) t2.

(E) Function By sprinkling water on the evaporator (6) during thawing operation,
At the same time as cleaning the evaporator (6), circulating cold air with constant temperature and high humidity can be obtained. Also, after the thawing operation, the drain valve 06) is opened to drain water from the water storage tank 00) to the bottom of the chamber (3) through the drain port (23). ) to the outside of the refrigerator, drips that drip onto the bottom of the refrigerator interior (3) from the food during thawing operation can be removed.

(f) Example The present invention will be described in detail below based on the drawings.

In the figure, (1) is a thawing cabinet whose main body is composed of an insulating box (2) with an open front.A partition plate (4) is installed in the interior (3) defined by the insulating box (2)K. is arranged to partition the inside of the refrigerator into an upper section (3A) and a lower section (3B). (5A) is a service door that closes the front opening of the upper section (3A), and (5B) is a heat insulating door that closes the front opening of the lower section (:jB). The upper area (3A
) K includes a plate-fin type evaporator (6), two eliminators (7) and (8) arranged at appropriate intervals from the air inlet and air outlet surfaces of this evaporator, and the evaporator. A blower fan (
9), the evaporator (6) and both eliminators (7 bars, 8
00)
and a water supply pipe (121) which supplies water to the water storage tank QO) by opening the electromagnetic water supply valve α1), and a water supply pipe (121) which extends to the lower area (3B) whose lower end becomes the storage chamber and which connects the water storage tank QO)
It is equipped with an overflow pipe α~ that causes an overflow when the water level of the water storage tank QOI exceeds a set water level, and a pump α that circulates the water in the water storage tank 00), and supplies the water in the water storage tank QOI to the air inlet surface of the evaporator (6). One end of the water pipe (15+) is connected to the water storage tank QO through an electromagnetic drain valve (16), and the other end is connected to the lower area (3
B) and a drain pipe αη that drains water to the lower area (3B) when the electromagnetic drain valve is opened. or,
In the lower area (3B), a plurality of net shelves α mallets on which frozen foods are placed are arranged along the left side wall of the insulation box (2),
A wind direction plate (20) forming a supply path 00 that communicates the upper area (3A) and the lower area (3B), and a wind direction plate (20) that is arranged along the right side wall of the insulation box (2) and that connects the upper area (3A) and the lower area (3B) and a wind direction plate (23) forming a return path (2I) communicating with the wind direction plate (23).

(c) is a drainage port formed in the bottom wall of the insulation box (2). (24J is a refrigerant compressor, (c) is a refrigerant condenser,
Both are installed on the ceiling wall of the insulation box (2), and the evaporator (6)
), etc., constitute a refrigeration system.

Next, the operation of the thawing chamber (1) will be explained. This operation is carried out in three stages. In other words, thawing operation involves thawing frozen food with humid cold air of 0°C or higher.
Water-cooling operation (tightening and thawing operation) in which food is stored at a temperature slightly below ℃, called ice temperature, to thaw the center of the food and form an ice film on the surface of the food, and the temperature at the surface and center. A cold preservation operation is performed in which food that has reached the same temperature, that is, has been thawed, is cooled to a temperature that exceeds 0°C.

First, when the frozen food is put into the refrigerator (3) and the refrigeration system and pump αa are operated, the evaporator (6)
) The cold air that has been heat exchanged by the blower fan (9) K becomes a forced circulation flow as shown by the arrow in Figure 1 and circulates inside the refrigerator (3), while water is sprayed from the water sprinkler pipe (I5) toward the evaporator (6). The frozen food gradually thaws as it becomes humid and contains fine particles of water. This thawing operation is performed by a timer (not shown), and the temperature inside the refrigerator (3) is set to 2°C to 8°C, for example.
The humidity is maintained at, for example, 95% to 100%.

Upon completion of this thawing operation, a water cooling operation is started with the set temperature inside the refrigerator (3) lowered to, for example, -3°C to -1°C, and the drain valve (16) is opened to drain water from the water storage tank (QO). is poured from the drain pipe aη onto the bottom wall of the insulation box (2), and the drips that dripped onto the bottom wall from the food during thawing operation are drained from the drain (
Drain water to the outside from c). This water cooling operation is also performed by a timer like the above-mentioned thawing operation, and the humidity inside the refrigerator (3) is maintained at, for example, 90% to 100%.

Upon completion of the water cooling operation, a cold preservation operation is performed in which the set temperature in the refrigerator (3) is maintained at, for example, -2°C to 2°C, and the humidity is maintained at, for example, 85% to 100%. In this cold preservation operation, in order to prevent the food from drying out, the rotational speed of the blower fan (9) is lowered to slow down the speed of the forcedly circulated cold air.

The above-mentioned operations of the thawing chamber (1) can be represented in FIG. In this figure, the shaded area indicates the ON state of each device, and the narrower portion of the shaded area of the blower fan (9) indicates the deceleration state.

According to the operating method of the thawing warehouse (1), water from the water storage tank 00) is sprinkled on the evaporator (6) of the freezing device with a sprinkler pipe a and forcedly circulated inside the refrigerator (3). Since cold air with a temperature above ℃ can be maintained in a humid state, the evaporator (6) can be cleaned, and frozen food can be thawed gradually over time without losing much of its moisture content. In other words, it is possible to perform a thawing operation that takes time to ripen the food so that it does not lose its taste, and after this thawing operation, the drain valve α6) is opened and the water in the water storage tank QOI is drained from the drain pipe a to the inside of the refrigerator (3). Water can be drained outside the refrigerator from the drain port (c) through the bottom wall of the insulation box (2), which serves as the bottom, so that water can be drained from the inside of the refrigerator (3) during thawing operation while cleaning the water storage tank QOI. ) can be washed away, and the inside of the refrigerator (3) can be kept sanitary every time the thawing operation is performed.

(G) Effects of the Invention According to the present invention described above, the effects listed below are produced.

■ During thawing operation, the evaporator is sprinkled with water from the water storage tank through a sprinkler pipe, and the forcedly circulated cold air with a temperature of 0°C or higher can be maintained in a humid state, eliminating dust and odors attached to the evaporator. In addition to being able to be washed away by washing, the frozen food can be thawed without losing much of its moisture, that is, the taste of the food can be maintained as it is.

■ After thawing operation, the bottom of the refrigerator can be washed with water from the drain tank, so drips that dripped from food to the bottom of the refrigerator during thawing operation can be removed, and the water storage tank can also be cleaned, making the inside of the refrigerator cleaner. Can be maintained hygienically.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Each of the drawings shows an embodiment of the method of operating the thawing warehouse of the present invention,
Figure 1 is a front view of the thawing chamber with the door removed, Figure 2 is Figure 1A
-A sectional view, FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of main parts, and FIG. 4 is a time chart showing the operation of the thawing warehouse. (2)...insulation box, (3)...interior, (6)...
...Evaporator, (9)...Blower fan, 00)...
Water storage tank, 0...pump, (151...water pipe, a6+-...drain valve, a'7)...drain pipe,
&31... Drain port. Applicant Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. and 1 other representative Patent attorney Shizuo Sano No. 21 25 A 0=:::=Flo::=:=Ko Jin=::==Ko8 1゛ 3 “・Two two two two
B:==ko

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The interior of the refrigerator is defined by an insulated box with a drainage port formed at the bottom, and includes a shelf on which food is placed, an evaporator of the refrigeration system, and a blower fan that circulates the cold air heat-exchanged by the evaporator. a water storage tank disposed directly below the evaporator; a drain pipe with a drain valve connected to the water storage tank; and a sprinkler connected to the water storage tank for sprinkling water from the water storage tank to the evaporator. It is equipped with a water pipe and a pump that is installed in the sprinkler pipe and circulates the water in the water storage tank, and sprinkles water on the evaporator to heat the circulating cold air that has been heat exchanged in the evaporator to a temperature of 0°C or higher and a high humidity. A method for operating a thawing warehouse, which comprises: after thawing frozen food by maintaining the temperature at a temperature of 100 mL, the drain valve is opened and the water in the water storage tank is allowed to flow from the drain pipe onto the bottom wall of the insulated box.