JPS6142183B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention The present invention is a method for dehumidifying and drying grains stored in a stationary state using the same drying room, or for effectively achieving low-temperature storage while preventing the progress of drying. Related to dry storage equipment.

All grain dryers currently on the market use thermal power dryers that dry grain using heated air obtained from a burner, etc., as shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 48-36753. Because the dryer uses kerosene as fuel, it is difficult to save thermal energy, and considerable skill is required to prevent grain cracking and uneven drying during the drying process.

On the other hand, grains that are in a state of stagnant heat after drying are alive even during storage, engage in respiration, and constantly radiate heat and water vapor from the grains themselves to the surrounding area, which can reduce the quality of the grains. In order to achieve long-term storage without drying, the grain must be exposed to cold air to lower the grain temperature to below 15°C.

However, as described above, when the grains are directly exposed to cold air in order to store them at low temperatures, the grains gradually dry out during storage, resulting in a major drawback in that the grains are dried to a moisture content higher than a predetermined moisture content.

Therefore, the present invention aims to save thermal energy by reliably obtaining drying air and cold air for drying and storing grains using a heat pump, and at the same time, during grain drying work, drying air is supplied to a drying chamber housed in a stationary state. After the drying is completed, the dried grains in the stagnant state are stored without being moved and the generated cold air is circulated through the cold air passage while blocking the flow into the drying room. The purpose of this method is to prevent the drying of dried grains from proceeding and the moisture content from decreasing even during low-temperature storage by slowly lowering the temperature of the grains from the surrounding area of the drying chamber during distribution. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention is intended to provide a dehumidifying and drying storage device, and the configuration of the device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes a storage case with a substantially sealed interior and an opening/closing door 2 on one side,
Between the upper air passage 5 and the lower air passage 6 provided at the upper and lower positions of the housing case 1, the open upper side is connected to the upper air passage 5, and the lower side is connected to the lower air passage 6 through the drainboard board 4.
A drying chamber 3 connected to each of the two is provided. Inside the housing casing 1, which is one side of the drying chamber 3, a circulation air passage 7 is provided vertically, the upper end of which connects to the upper air passage 5, and the lower end of which connects to the lower air passage 6. Inside the housing casing 1 on the other side, a switching valve 9 which can be slidably adjusted is pivotally mounted, and a vertical cold air passage 8 is provided whose upper end is connected to the upper air passage 5 and whose lower end is connected to the lower air passage 6. It is set facing the direction.

A cover 10 that can be contracted or expanded is disposed on one side of the upper open side of the drying chamber 3, so that when the cover 10 is contracted and the upper surface of the drying chamber 3 is opened, The drying air can freely flow inside the drying chamber 3, and when the cover 8 is expanded to cover the upper surface of the drying chamber 3, the drying air is prevented from flowing into the drying chamber 3. Reference numeral 11 denotes a heat pump for blowing dry air or cold air into the housing case 1 to perform a dehumidifying and drying effect on grains and a low-temperature storage effect. It consists of an external condenser 14, a liquid receiving tank 15, an expansion valve 16, and an evaporator 17, and the internal condenser 13 and evaporator 17 are installed vertically in the circulation air passage 7 at intervals. At the same time, the external condenser 14 is installed outside the housing case 1.

The compressor 12, internal condenser 13, and external condenser 14 are switchably connected via high-pressure gas pipes 18 and 18' equipped with switching valves 19 and 19', and the internal and external condensers 13 and 14 are switchably connected. Connecting pipes 20, 20' with valves 21, 21' connect the receiving tank 15 to the evaporator 17 via a liquid pipe 22 with an expansion valve 16, and the evaporator 17 connects to the suction They are each connected to the compressor 12 via a pipe 23 to form a certain circulation path. 2
4 is a blower installed in the circulation air passage 7 above the internal condenser 13, and 25 is a dehydration pipe installed in the circulation air passage 7 below the evaporator 17. 26 is a blower for blowing air onto the external condenser 14.

Reference numeral 27 denotes a thermometer for measuring grain temperature installed in the drying room 3, which is connected to the compressor 12 to keep the grain temperature constant during low temperature storage operations.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be explained.

Now, as shown in Fig. 1, the door 2 is opened and the grains are stored in the drying chamber 3 in a stationary state, and then the cover 10 is contracted to open the top surface of the drying chamber 3, and at the same time the switch is switched. The cold air passage 8 is shut off by the valve 9. And the switching valves 19', 2 of the heat pump 11
1' to disconnect the compressor 12 and external condenser 14 and operate the blower 24 and compressor 12, the high-pressure gas compressed by the compressor 12 will flow into the circulation air path 7. Internal condenser 13 installed in
The air is cooled there to radiate condensation heat, and the air flowing through the circulation air passage 7 is heated by this thermal energy. Then, the gas in the internal condenser 13 is deprived of condensation heat and becomes a liquid, and after being returned to the liquid receiving tank 15, the pressure is further reduced through the expansion valve 16, where it evaporates and absorbs heat. The air drawn into the chamber is cooled to below the dew point and dehumidified.

Therefore, if the heated drying air is passed through the circulation air passage 7 and the upper air passage 5 into the drying chamber 3 and is applied to the grains for drying, the drying air absorbs moisture and becomes moisture-absorbing drying air. The air is sucked into the circulation air passage 7 via the lower air passage 6, hits the evaporator 17, is dehydrated without freezing, becomes dry air, is heated again by the internal condenser 13, and is sent into the drying chamber 3. Repeat. Through the repeated circulation of this drying air, the grains are dehumidified and dried to a predetermined moisture content.

With the above operations, the grain is dehumidified and dried, and the quality of the dried grain is not degraded, and the moisture content of the grain is maintained at the value at the end of drying.
When it is desired to carry out low-temperature storage using the drying chamber 3, first, the cover 10 is expanded to block the top surface of the drying chamber 3, and the switching valve 9 is slid to connect the cold air passage 8 to the upper air passage 5 and the lower air passage. 6 and form a letter of communication.
On the other hand, the compressor 12 of the heat pump 11 and the external condenser 14 are connected by operating the switching valves 19 and 21, and at the same time, the air obtained by the blower 26 is blown onto the external condenser 14, and the blower 24 and the compressor Machine 12 is operated together.

Then, the air sent out from the circulating air passage 7 forms circulating air that is returned from the upper air passage 5 through the cold air passage 8 and the lower air passage 6 into the circulating air passage 7, and the circulating air is also returned to the evaporator. When passing through 17, it becomes cold air. Therefore, the heat-retaining grains stored in the drying chamber 3 under static conditions are gradually cooled by the cold air circulating around the drying chamber 3, and the grain temperature is maintained at a low temperature of 15° C. or less. Grains can be stored for long periods of time without deteriorating their quality, but because no cold air flows through the drying chamber 3, the grains are not dried even during low-temperature storage, and the moisture content remains at the same value as at the end of drying. You can prevent the taste from deteriorating by storing it underneath.

In the apparatus of the present invention, if a separate object to be dried is stored in the cold air passage 8, it is convenient that the grain can be stored at a low temperature while the object to be dried is dehumidified and dried at a low temperature.

In short, the present invention provides an arrangement between an upper ventilation passage 5 and a lower ventilation passage 6 provided at upper and lower positions in the housing case 1, with the upper open side connected to the upper ventilation passage 5, and the lower side connected to the lower ventilation passage through the slatted board 4. Drying chamber 3 connected to 6 respectively
The housing casings 1 on both the left and right sides of the drying chamber 3
Inside, there are provided a circulation air passage 7 and a cold air passage 8 whose upper ends are connected to the upper air passage 5 and whose lower ends are respectively connected to the lower air passage 6, and on one side of the upper open side of the drying chamber 3 there is provided a cooling air passage 7 and a cooling air passage 8. A heat pump 11 is provided with a cover 10 that can be freely expanded, a switching valve 9 is pivotally mounted in the cold air passage 8 so as to be able to freely move, and a heat pump 11 is provided that generates dry air or cold air in the circulation air passage 7. Since the internal condenser 13 and the evaporator 17 are vertically spaced apart from each other, the grain stored in the drying chamber 3 in a stationary state can be shrunk through the covering body 10, and can also be transferred to the cold air passage 8 by the switching valve 9. With the heat pump 11 shut off, the drying air obtained by the heat pump 11 was smoothly distributed into the drying chamber 3, and the drying process was completed because dehumidification and drying could be easily performed while saving thermal energy. Afterwards, the dried grains may be stored in the drying chamber 3 in a stationary state, and the top surface may be covered with the cover 10.
With the switching operation, the cold air passage 8 is brought into communication with the upper air passage 5 and the lower air passage 6, and the cold air obtained by the heat pump 11 is circulated around the drying chamber 3, thereby slowing down the drying grains and reducing their quality. It is possible to achieve low-temperature storage reliably by lowering the temperature without causing any damage. As a result, the cold air never hits the dried grains during low-temperature storage, so the dried grains are dried during storage, maintaining the moisture content at the end of drying and achieving good low-temperature storage over a long period of time. Achieve the desired effect.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view during dehumidifying and drying work, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional front view during low-temperature storage work. 1...Accommodation case, 3...Drying room, 4...Drain board, 5...Upper ventilation duct, 6...Lower ventilation duct, 7...
...Circulation air passage, 8...Cold air passage, 9...Switching valve, 1
0... Covering body, 11... Heat pump, 13...
Internal condenser, 17...evaporator.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A drying chamber is provided between the upper and lower ventilation ducts provided at the upper and lower positions within the storage enclosure, with the open upper side connected to the upper ventilation duct and the lower side connected to the lower ventilation duct via a drainboard. In the storage cabinets on both the left and right sides of the drying room, the upper ends are connected to the upper air passage, respectively.
Further, a circulating air passage and a cold air passage are provided whose lower ends are connected to the lower air passage, respectively, and a covering body that can be freely contracted and expanded is provided on one side of the open upper part of the drying chamber,
In addition, a switching valve is pivotally mounted in the cold air passage, and an internal condenser and an evaporator of a heat pump that generate dry air or cold air in the circulation air passage are installed vertically at intervals. Features: Grain dehumidification and dry storage equipment.