JPS61242568A - Continuous freezing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To apply a lid to a material to be frozen in a freezing pan under pressure without requiring special power, by providing the freezing pan having a structure for storing a liquid in a freezing liquid tank in which a cooled sprinkling is sprinkled from above. CONSTITUTION:A given amount of fish 22 is put into a metal freezing pan 3, and an upper lid 6, having a formed recessed part (6a), and capable of storing a liquid is mounted thereon. The resultant pan 3 is transferred by a conveyor 7 and dipped in brine 20 in a brine tank (14c) to sprinkle the brine 20 from brine jetting nozzles 8. The lid 6 is applied to the fish 22 in the freezing pan 3 under pressure by the weight of the brine 20 collected in the upper lid 6, and the fish 22 is cooled.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Prior Art] As a freezing device for freezing foods such as fish, there are two types of freezing devices: a brine freezing device in which the object to be frozen is placed directly into a low-temperature brine, and a device that uses a low-temperature cooling plate for freezing the object. There are devices that perform contact freezing by pressing, and these have conventionally been used as separate freezing devices, but each has the following drawbacks.

For example, in brine freezing, the brine is brought into direct contact with the foods to be frozen, such as fish and meat, so the brine penetrates into the food, resulting in a decrease in the quality of the food, making it undesirable not only as food but also as feed. There was a drawback. In addition, the brine is easily contaminated by fish scales and meat oils, and additional equipment such as a brine cleaning device is required in addition to the cooling device, which not only increases the size of the entire facility but also increases equipment costs and shortens the lifespan of the brine. There was an inconvenience in that the brine had to be replaced periodically.

On the other hand, contact freezing is a method of freezing the object by bringing the cooled cooling plate into close contact with the object, which requires a hydraulic device or an electric device to move the cooling plate, making the device complex. Furthermore, although this method is effective for batch freezing in which a large amount is frozen at once, it has the drawback that it is difficult to use in unmanned continuous freezing line production using conveyors or the like.

[Object of the present invention]

In order to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention has developed a method in which a specially shaped freezing pan is continuously passed through a low-temperature brine tank and the object to be frozen is frozen in the freezing pan, thereby achieving both brine freezing and contact freezing. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a continuous freezing device that can perform both freezing methods, is efficient, is suitable for unmanned line production such as a conveyor, and does not require accompanying equipment such as a pline washing device.

[Configuration of the present invention]

In the continuous freezing device of the present invention, a conveyor is provided in a bathtub in a freezing zone, and a freezing pan containing an object to be frozen and having a removable liquid-storing lid is moved through the freezing liquid in the bathtub by the conveyor. The freezing liquid is sprayed from an upper nozzle onto the moving frozen pan, so that the lid of the frozen pan is pressed against the object to be frozen inside by the frozen liquid accumulated above.

[Example of the present invention]

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 is a fish storage tank, where fish to be frozen are temporarily stored, and a certain amount of fish 22 is put into a metal freezing pan 3 by automatic quantitative measurement Ia2. It has become. The frozen bread 3 is supplied to the endless belt conveyor 4 from the right end, is carried to the left, and is automatically attached with M8 by the automatic top lid feeder 5 installed above the left end of the conveyor 4. .

This "1 lid 6 has four parts 6.1 except for the peripheral flange 6b.
1 is formed, and is formed into a container shape that can store liquid.
At the left end of belt conveyor 4 is the entrance + 4b of frozen thorn barrel.
There is an entrance +4b of the freezing chamber 14 which has an outlet 14d, and a prine tank C which is a bathtub in the lower part of the freezing chamber 14.
A conveyor 7 is provided in the brine tank 14c, and a large number of brine jetting nozzles 8 are provided in the upper part.
is provided. As a result, the frozen bread 3 sent to the inlet +4b by the belt conveyor 4 is thrown onto the conveyor 7 and immersed in brine 20, which is a frozen liquid in the brine tank 14c, and is sent to the outlet 14d after being sprayed with brine from the nozzle. .

Further, on the exit 14d side, an automatic depanning machine 9 for taking out fish from the frozen pan 3 and an automatic palletizer 10 for automatically palletizing the fish are installed, so that the palletized fish can be sent to a refrigerator room, etc. It has become.

On the other hand, a return pipe IB is connected from the brine overflow port 15 provided at the upper part of the brine tank +4c to the artificial side of the brine dissolving tank 11, and the outlet side of the dissolving tank is connected to the brine pump 12.
The brine in the chilling unit is connected to the chilling unit 13 through a delivery pipe 17 having a
Brine is supplied from the branch pipe 18 to each of the nozzles 8 in the freezing chamber 14, and is sprayed onto the upper lid 6 of the freezing pan 21.

In this embodiment, when the frozen bread 3 is first supplied to the end of the belt conveyor 4, a certain amount of fish 22 is dropped from the fish storage tank 1 into the frozen bread by the automatic quantitative measuring device 2. Next, the freezing pan 3 is covered with a lid 8 at the automatic top lid supplying machine 5, and is sent into the freezing chamber 14, which is a freezing zone, from the entrance +4b, and is moved through the brine tank in the freezing chamber 14 by the conveyor 7. . During the movement, the fish 22 in the frozen pan 3 is cooled by the brine in the brine tank, and the nozzle 8
As shown in FIG.
Due to the weight of the brine, the top lid 6 of the frozen bread is pressed against the fish 22 while cooling. At this time, the low temperature brine overflowing from the upper lid 6 flows down into the brine tank C. The frozen bread 3 that has passed through the brine tank is at the outlet 14 of the freezing chamber 14.
It is automatically pulled out from c and sent to automatic depaning Ia9. The fish is taken out from the frozen bread 8 by the automatic depanning machine 8, sent to the automatic palletizer 1O, automatically palletized, and stored in a refrigerated room.

On the other hand, the overflowing brine in the brine tank +4c is returned to the brine dissolving tank 11 from the brine overflow port 15, and sent to the brine chilling unit 13 by the brine pump 12 to be cooled, and then sent to the brine nozzle in the freezing chamber 14. Repeat the cycle sent to 8.

[Effects of the present invention]

As described below, the present invention has the following advantages over the conventional direct brine freezing method and contact freezing method.

(1) Since the brine does not come into direct contact with the frozen object, there is no quality deterioration due to penetration of the brine into the frozen object. Furthermore, since the brine is not contaminated, there is no need for a brine cleaning device, and there is an advantage that the life of the brine is dramatically extended.

(2) There is no need for a hydraulic device or an electric device that brings the cooling plate into close contact with the object to be frozen, which is necessary in the case of the contact freezing method, and the entire device can be downsized and simplified, and operating costs can be reduced. Furthermore, since the upper lid cools the object while applying pressure to the object by the weight of the brine itself, the same cooling effect as the contact freezing method can be obtained.

(3) The industrial fields in which this device can be used include not only fisheries, but also livestock, agriculture, and food.
In particular, the freezing time can be significantly shortened compared to the tunnel freezing and brine freezing conventionally used in livestock and food industries. This has the advantage of increasing production volume per unit time, reducing operating costs, and reducing the number of mechanical drive parts, resulting in fewer breakdowns.

(4) Traditionally, airplast freezing and brine freezing were mostly batch-type, and contact freezing was all batch-type freezing, making it difficult to automate or unmann the production line, but this device uses the brine freezing method. While combining the advantages of both contact freezing methods, it also enables automation and unmanned production lines. Batch-type freezing is also possible by removing the front and rear lines, and by connecting it to the bread removal machines and automatic palletizers that are commonly used today, this device can be used with low equipment costs.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an example of a continuous freezing device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged sectional view showing the frozen state of objects to be frozen in a freezing pan. In the diagram: 1. Heat storage tank 2. Automatic quantitative measuring device 3.
Frozen Han 4 @ Salary Belt Conveyor 4B Life Belt 5 @ Fist Automatic Top Lid Feeding Machine. 6. Upper lid 7. Conveyor 7a/e roller 8. Brine nozzle 8. Mechanical depaning 111O/Automatic palletizer-11--Brine dissolving tank
12・Brine pump 130 Chilling unit 14...Freezing chamber 14a...Insulation material +4b
...Inlet 14d ...Outlet +4c @Brine tank 15...Brine overflow port 16...Return pipe 17...Output pipe 18...Q brine pipe 18
...Branch pipe 20...Brine

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A conveyor is provided in a bathtub in a freezing zone, and a freezing pan containing an object to be frozen and having a removable liquid-storing lid is moved by the conveyor through the freezing liquid in the bathtub. , and a continuous freezing device in which freezing liquid is sprayed from an upper nozzle onto the moving freezing pan, and the lid of the freezing pan is pressed against the object to be frozen inside by the freezing liquid accumulated thereon.