KR102276068B1 - Depressurizing-type complex drying device and drying method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a drying apparatus and method in which vacuum freeze drying and hot air drying can be performed in one drying apparatus, and the drying performance is improved by implementing each of these drying methods using a bottom pump cycle. do. A pressure-sensitive composite drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a chamber; a support frame part installed in the chamber and formed by coupling a plurality of support frames for supporting a tray supporting an object to be dried by removing moisture; a temperature control module installed in the chamber and selectively performing cooling for lowering the internal temperature of the chamber or generating hot air for drying the object; and a pressure adjusting unit coupled to the chamber to adjust the pressure of the chamber.

Description

Decompression-type composite drying device and drying method using same {DEPRESSURIZING-TYPE COMPLEX DRYING DEVICE AND DRYING METHOD USING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a reduced pressure type complex drying apparatus and a drying method using the same, and more particularly, vacuum freeze drying and hot air drying can be performed in one drying apparatus, and each of these drying methods is performed using a heat pump cycle. It relates to a drying apparatus and method in which drying performance is improved by implementing the present invention.

Drying technology is an essential process required in most industrial fields such as agricultural and fishery products, paper, textile, wood, chemical engineering, and food, and can be largely classified into drying using hot air and vacuum freeze drying. Hot air drying is a drying technique using a heater, which consumes a lot of energy, and it may be difficult to predict the drying uniformity and drying completion time of the object to be dried. In addition, vacuum freeze drying has the advantages of easy control of the moisture content of the object to be dried, no thermal deformation due to a low drying temperature, and no decay and deterioration of materials, but a long drying time is required, and facility and operating costs are high. There is this.

The dryer is a machine that consumes a lot of energy in the production process, and the demand for energy saving through high efficiency is increasing, but there are many difficulties in setting the drying conditions of various types of objects to be dried, that is, drying time, moisture content, and surface condition. Reality.

In Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1999270 (title of invention: vacuum freeze drying apparatus), a hot plate and a cold trap are provided in a drying chamber connected to a vacuum pump, and a heat exchanger is interposed between the heat pump and the hot plate and the cold trap and connect two brine tanks to the hot plate and the cold trap through the heat exchanger, and cause the heat pump to selectively cool or heat the hot plate and the cold trap, and selectively cool one brine tank A vacuum freeze-drying apparatus is disclosed.

Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1999270

It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems, so that vacuum freeze-drying and hot-air drying are performed in a single drying apparatus in a complex manner.

And, an object of the present invention is to use a heat pump cycle to implement vacuum freeze drying and hot air drying.

The technical problems to be achieved by the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below. There will be.

The configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object is a chamber; a support frame part installed in the chamber and formed by coupling a plurality of support frames for supporting a tray supporting an object to be dried by removing moisture; a temperature control module installed in the chamber and selectively performing cooling for lowering the internal temperature of the chamber or generating hot air for drying the object; and a pressure control unit coupled to the chamber to adjust the pressure of the chamber, wherein when the internal temperature of the chamber is lowered by the temperature control module, vacuum freeze-drying is performed, and the hot air is blown by the temperature control module When generated, it is characterized in that hot air drying is performed.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the temperature control module includes a housing formed inside the chamber and coupled to the support frame part, formed inside the housing and performing heat exchange with the internal air of the chamber to control the temperature of the chamber. A first heat exchange unit for varying the temperature of the internal air, and a second heat exchanger formed inside the housing and performing heat exchange with the internal air of the chamber to heat the temperature of the internal air of the chamber; .

In an embodiment of the present invention, a compression unit connected to the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit and compressing a refrigerant passing through the first heat exchange unit or the second heat exchange unit, is connected to the compression unit and the chamber It may further include an external heat exchange unit for exchanging heat with the refrigerant passing through the external air, and an expansion valve connected to the external heat exchange unit and expanding the refrigerant passing therethrough.

In an embodiment of the present invention, it is formed between the external heat exchange unit and the expansion valve, the refrigerant passes, and is connected to the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit. It may further include a check valve unit for changing the flow direction.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the temperature control module may further include a blower coupled to the housing and flowing air circulating inside the chamber toward the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit. have.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the pressure regulating unit may include a pressure regulating pump that is a pump connected to the chamber.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the chamber may have a plurality of through-holes connected to the pressure adjusting unit.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the chamber has a cylindrical shape, and each of a plurality of through-holes on a circular cross-section of the chamber may be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined angle along the circumferential direction.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a drain unit coupled to the lower portion of the chamber and collecting condensed water of moisture generated during internal cooling of the chamber and discharging to the outside may be further included.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a load sensor formed on a portion of the support frame portion in contact with the tray to measure the load between the object to be dried and the tray, may be further included.

In an embodiment of the present invention, it may further include a thermal image sensor installed inside the chamber and measuring the heat distribution of the surface of the object to be dried.

The configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object is a first step of placing the object to be dried on a tray located inside the chamber; a second step of forming the inside of the chamber in a vacuum state by the pressure control unit, cooling the inside of the chamber by the temperature control module, and performing vacuum freeze drying; The inside of the chamber is formed in a reduced pressure state by the pressure control unit, and the internal temperature of the chamber is increased by the temperature control module to generate hot air, and the initial operation of hot air drying provided to the object to be dried is performed. Step 3; And the inside of the chamber is formed in a reduced pressure state by the pressure control unit, and the temperature control module maintains the internal temperature of the chamber, so that hot air is generated and the normal operation of hot air drying provided to the object to be dried is performed. Step 4; and a fifth step of taking out the to-be-dried object from the inside of the chamber.

The effect of the present invention according to the above configuration is that the flow direction of the refrigerant is controlled by using the check valve unit, and accordingly, each of the plurality of heat exchange units performs the function of an evaporator or a condenser of a heat pump cycle, so that one drying device In the vacuum freeze drying and hot air drying can be performed.

And, the effect of the present invention is that the vacuum freeze-drying and the hot-air drying are equally performed under the control of the heat pump cycle, so that the drying apparatus in which the vacuum freeze-drying and the hot-air drying are performed can be miniaturized and the energy efficiency can be increased. .

It should be understood that the effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects, and include all effects that can be inferred from the configuration of the invention described in the detailed description or claims of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view of a drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 to 4 are schematic diagrams of the structure of a drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a schematic diagram of a forward cross-section of a drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a configuration diagram of a check valve unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a perspective view of a support frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a perspective view of a tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention may be embodied in several different forms, and thus is not limited to the embodiments described herein. And in order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and similar reference numerals are attached to similar parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be “connected (connected, contacted, coupled)” with another part, it is not only “directly connected” but also “indirectly connected” with another member interposed therebetween. "Including cases where In addition, when a part "includes" a certain component, this means that other components may be further provided without excluding other components unless otherwise stated.

The terms used herein are used only to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as "comprises" or "have" are intended to designate that the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification exist, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 to 4 are schematic diagrams of the structure of a drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram of the forward cross-section of the drying apparatus. And, Figure 6 is a configuration diagram of the check valve unit 250 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 7 is a perspective view of the support frame 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 8 is a view of the present invention It is a perspective view of the tray 500 according to an embodiment.

Here, FIG. 2 is a view showing the flow of refrigerant when vacuum freeze drying is performed in the drying apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a view showing the flow of refrigerant at the initial stage of hot air drying after vacuum freeze drying, and FIG. 4 is complete hot air drying It is a diagram showing the flow of refrigerant. 2 to 4 , a flow path through which the refrigerant flows (arrow) may be displayed in a color other than black, and a flow path in which the refrigerant flow is closed may be displayed in black. And, FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of the check valve unit 250 when the normal operation of hot air drying is performed in the drying apparatus of the present invention.

1 to 8, the drying apparatus of the present invention includes a chamber 600; a support frame part installed in the chamber 600 and formed by combining a plurality of support frames 400 for supporting a tray 500 supporting an object to be dried by removing moisture; a temperature control module 100 installed in the chamber 600 and selectively performing cooling for lowering the internal temperature of the chamber 600 or generating hot air for drying the object; and a pressure adjusting unit 300 coupled to the chamber 600 to adjust the pressure of the chamber 600 . And, when the internal temperature of the chamber 600 is lowered by the temperature control module 100, vacuum freeze drying is performed, and when hot air is generated by the temperature control module 100, hot air drying can be performed.

The chamber 600 may have a cylindrical shape having a space therein. The chamber 600 may be a sealed container capable of reducing the pressure therein. In addition, the temperature control module 100 may heat and circulate the internal air of the chamber 600 , and also cool the internal air of the chamber 600 .

In addition, the temperature control module 100 may improve drying performance by removing moisture contained in the air inside the chamber 600 when hot air drying is performed. The pressure adjusting unit 300 may be connected to the chamber 600 to change the internal pressure of the chamber 600 . Specifically, in the drying apparatus of the present invention, when hot air drying is performed, the pressure adjusting unit 300 may reduce the internal pressure of the chamber 600, and when vacuum freeze drying is performed, the pressure adjusting unit 300 may reduce the chamber ( 600) may be formed in a vacuum. Thereby, the drying performance of a to-be-dried object can be improved.

The temperature control module 100 is formed inside the chamber 600 and is formed in the housing 140 coupled to the support frame part, the housing 140 and performs heat exchange with the internal air of the chamber 600 to perform heat exchange with the chamber. The first heat exchange unit 110 for varying the temperature of the internal air of the 600, and is formed in the housing 140 and performs heat exchange with the internal air of the chamber 600, the temperature of the internal air of the chamber (600) A second heat exchange unit 120 for heating may be provided. In addition, the temperature control module 100 is coupled to the housing 140, and a blower for flowing air circulating inside the chamber 600 toward the first heat exchange unit 110 and the second heat exchange unit 120 ( 130), may be further provided.

In addition, the drying apparatus of the present invention is connected to the first heat exchange unit 110 and the second heat exchange unit 120 and compresses the refrigerant passing through the first heat exchange unit 110 or the second heat exchange unit 120 . The unit 210, the external heat exchange unit 220 that is connected to the compression unit 210 and exchanges heat with the refrigerant passing through the external air of the chamber 600, and the external heat exchange unit 220 is connected to and expands the passing refrigerant The expansion valve 230 may further include. And, the drying apparatus of the present invention is formed between the external heat exchange unit 220 and the expansion valve 230, the refrigerant passes, and is connected to the first heat exchange unit 110 and the second heat exchange unit 120, It may further include a check valve unit 250 having a plurality of check valves to change the flow direction of the refrigerant.

In order to perform the function of the heat pump, in the drying apparatus of the present invention, as described above, the first heat exchange unit 110 and the second heat exchange unit 120 include a compression unit 210, an external heat exchange unit 220, and an expansion valve ( 230) to form a heat pump (refrigerator), the first heat exchange unit 110 may perform a function of a condenser or an evaporator, and the second heat exchange unit 120 may perform a function of an evaporator. have. Here, when performing a condenser function, the refrigerant may be condensed to dissipate heat to be heated. And, when performing the function of the evaporator, the refrigerant may be vaporized to absorb heat to cool it.

The housing 140 may have an inlet 141 and an outlet 142 of the internal air of the chamber 600, and may accommodate the first heat exchange unit 110 and the second heat exchange unit 120 therein. . In addition, an inlet 141 is formed on one surface of the housing 140 and an outlet 142 is formed on the other surface, and the blower 130 may be formed at the outlet 142 disposed on the other surface. The outlet 142 of the support frame 400 side, the first heat exchange unit 110, the second heat exchange unit 120, and the blower 130 along the central axis of the cylindrical chamber 600 may be arranged in this order. . The housing 140 may be disposed to be spaced apart from the inner surface of the chamber 600 by a separate supporting member (not shown). This may be the same for the drying chamber 620 . Accordingly, cleaning and maintenance of the inside of the housing 140 can be performed inside the chamber 600 and thus can be easily performed. In addition, by separating the housing 140 from the inner surface of the chamber 600 , it is possible to minimize induction and obstacles to the internal air of the chamber 600 circulating in the chamber 600 .

The drying apparatus of the present invention is formed in a shape surrounding the support frame portion formed of a plurality of support frames 400 in the interior of the chamber 600 to fix and support each support frame 400 , and the housing 140 and It may further include a drying chamber 620 to be connected. As the drying chamber 620 is formed to be spaced apart from the inner surface of the chamber 600 , a recovery passage 640 that is a passage between the inner surface of the chamber 600 and the drying chamber 620 may be formed. The drying chamber 620 may have a polygonal cylindrical shape or a cylindrical shape.

Accordingly, when hot air drying is performed in the drying apparatus of the present invention, when the blower 130 operates and the internal air of the chamber 600 circulates, the air (gas) discharged from the outlet 142 of the housing 140 is After being introduced into the drying chamber 620 and drying the object to be dried while passing through the drying chamber 620 , the flow direction may be switched by the first circulation wall 631 of the chamber 600 . Then, the air whose flow direction is changed flows along the recovery passage 640 in the opposite direction to the flow direction when passing through the drying chamber 620 , and then the flow direction is changed again by the second circulation wall 632 to blower 130 . It may flow into the housing 140 by being introduced into the inlet 141 by the And, such a cycle may be continuously repeated.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the inner surfaces of the first circulation wall 631 and the second circulation wall 632 are expressed as being flat, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the first circulation wall 631 and the second circulation wall 631 are not limited thereto. The inner surface of the wall 632 may be formed in a curved surface to facilitate the direction change of air.

The pressure control unit 300 may include a pressure control pump that is a pump connected to the chamber 600 . In addition, the pressure control unit 300 may be connected to the chamber 600 to depressurize the inside of the chamber 600 or to form a vacuum. First, when hot air drying (initial operation and normal operation) is performed in the drying apparatus of the present invention, drying performance may be improved if the objects to be dried are dried by hot air in a reduced pressure state. Here, the pressure adjusting unit 300 may adjust the internal pressure of the chamber 600 in the range of -0.4 bar to 0 bar. As the internal pressure of the chamber 600 is reduced, the drying performance may be improved. However, when both drying performance and power consumption are considered, it may be preferable to adjust the internal pressure of the economical chamber 600 to -0.2 bar.

And, when vacuum freeze-drying is performed in the drying apparatus of the present invention, the air inside the chamber 600 is cooled by cooling by the first heat exchange unit 110 , and the pressure adjusting unit 300 is the chamber 600 . Vacuum freeze-drying can be performed by making the inside vacuum.

The chamber 600 may include a plurality of through-holes 610 connected to the pressure control unit 300 . The chamber 600 may have a cylindrical shape, and on a circular cross-section of the chamber 600 , each of the plurality of through-holes 610 may be spaced apart at a predetermined angle a along the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 5 , each of the through-holes 610 is simply expressed for convenience of understanding, and the inside of the chamber 600 and the pressure adjusting unit 300 are connected by each of the through-holes 610 . can

At least one pressure control pump may be disposed. When hot air drying is performed in the drying apparatus of the present invention, the internal air of the chamber 600 may be circulated by the temperature control module 100 during the hot air drying process, and the internal pressure of the chamber 600 may be reduced. Accordingly, when the internal pressure of the chamber 600 is reduced, the circulation of the internal air of the chamber 600 may be affected.

To solve this, the plurality of through-holes 610 may be spaced apart at a predetermined angle a along the circumferential direction on the circular cross-section of the cylindrical chamber 600 . That is, the plurality of through-holes 610 may be disposed at intervals of 90 degrees from each other on a circular cross-section of the cylindrical chamber 600 . Since the plurality of through-holes 610 are disposed at regular intervals, the effect of the internal decompression of the chamber 600 on the internal air circulation of the chamber 600 may be minimized. In an embodiment, any one of the through-holes 610 may be disposed in a 12 o'clock direction on a circular cross-section. In addition, the other through-hole 610 may be disposed in the 3 o'clock direction on a circular cross-section. Another through-hole 610 may be disposed in the 6 o'clock direction, and the other through-hole 610 may be disposed in the 9 o'clock direction.

The check valve unit 250 is formed to change the flow direction of the refrigerant in the drying apparatus of the present invention, and may include a plurality of check valves. Specifically, the check valve unit 250 may include four check valves (first to fourth check valves 254 ). And, each check valve is connected to each other, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 , the first check valve 251 and the second check valve 252 are connected by a first check pipe 255, The second check valve 252 and the third check valve 253 are connected to the second check pipe 256 , and the third check valve 253 and the fourth check valve 254 are connected to the third check pipe 257 . is connected, and the fourth check valve 254 and the first check valve 251 may be connected by a fourth check pipe 258 . And, the flow path of the refrigerant flowing along each check pipe may vary according to whether each check valve is opened or closed.

The external heat exchange unit 220 is connected to the check valve unit 250 and the compression unit 210 at the same time, and external air to the external heat exchange unit 220 to cool the refrigerant passing through the external heat exchange unit 220 . It may be provided with an external blower 221 to introduce. Accordingly, when vacuum freeze-drying is performed in the drying apparatus of the present invention, the first heat exchange unit 110 may perform a function of an evaporator and an external heat exchanger may perform a function of a condenser. In this case, the external blower 221 may operate to cool the refrigerant passing through the external heat exchanger. And, when hot air drying is performed in the drying apparatus of the present invention, the second heat exchange unit 120 may perform a function of an evaporator and an external heat exchanger may perform a function of a condenser. In this case as well, the external blower 221 may operate to cool the refrigerant passing through the external heat exchanger. Each of these will be described in detail below.

Hereinafter, vacuum freeze drying and hot air drying by the drying apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail.

In the drying apparatus of the present invention, each component is connected by a pipe, and a valve is formed in each pipe, so that the flow path of the refrigerant flowing through each component can be varied.

Specifically, the second heat exchange unit 120 may be connected to the first pipe 261 and the second pipe 262 , and a first valve 271 is formed in the first pipe 261 , and the second pipe 262 . ), a second valve 272 is formed so that each valve may open or block the flow path in each pipe. In addition, the first heat exchanger 110 may be connected to the fourth pipe 264 and the sixth pipe 266 . In addition, the second pipe 262 and the check valve unit 250 may be connected by a third pipe 263 , and the third pipe 263 is connected to the first pipe 261 and a fourth pipe 264 at the same time. ) can be associated with Here, in the third pipe 263, a third valve ( 273) can be formed.

The second heat exchange unit 120 may be connected to the check valve unit 250 and simultaneously connected to the eighth pipe 268 , and the eighth pipe 268 may be simultaneously connected to the fourth pipe 264 . The compression unit 210 is connected to one end of the four-way valve 280 and the seventh pipe 267, the other end of the seventh pipe 267 is connected to the four-way valve 280, and the four-way valve 280 is a sixth It may be connected to the pipe 266 . The four-way valve 280 may be connected to the fifth pipe 265 , and the fifth pipe 265 may be connected to the fourth pipe 264 . And, in the fourth pipe 264 , a fourth valve 274 between the connection part of the fourth pipe 264 and the third pipe 263 and the connection part of the fourth pipe 264 and the fifth pipe 265 . ) is formed, and a fifth valve 275 may be formed at a connection portion between the fourth pipe 264 and the fifth pipe 265 .

In addition, in the check valve unit 250 , the second check pipe 256 and the fourth check pipe 258 may be coupled and connected to the check connection pipe 259 , and the check connection pipe 259 is the receiver dryer 240 . ) and the expansion valve 230 may be combined. In addition, the first check pipe 255 may be connected to the third pipe 263 , and the third check pipe 257 may be connected to the external heat exchange unit 220 .

In the drying apparatus of the present invention, vacuum freeze-drying and hot air drying may be performed. First, as shown in FIG. 2, when vacuum freeze-drying is performed in the drying apparatus of the present invention, the first valve 271 and the second The second valve 272 and the fourth valve 274 are closed, the third valve 273 and the fifth valve 275 are opened, and the first check valve in the check valve unit 250 is closed. (251) and the fourth check valve 254 is opened, the second check valve 252 and the third check valve 253 can be closed.

Accordingly, the refrigerant discharged from the compression unit 210 flows along the fifth pipe 265 through the four-way valve 280 and then passes through the opened fifth valve 275 to the fourth pipe ( 264 , it may flow back into the eighth pipe 268 by the closed fourth valve 274 , and may pass through the second heat exchange unit 120 through the eighth pipe 268 . The refrigerant condensed while passing through the second heat exchange unit 120 flows into the check valve unit 250 , passes through the third check pipe 257 and the fourth check valve 254 , and then the check connection pipe 259 . It may flow through the receiver dryer 240 and the expansion valve 230 sequentially. Next, the refrigerant passes through the fourth check pipe 258 and the first check valve 251 and flows along the third pipe 263 and then passes through the opened third valve 273 and then the fourth pipe 264 may be introduced. After that, the refrigerant flows into the first heat exchange unit 110, passes through the first heat exchange unit 110, evaporates, then flows along the sixth pipe 266, passes through the four-way valve 280, and then again It can circulate by flowing along the seventh pipe 267 and flowing to the compression unit 210 .

A heat pump cycle for vacuum freeze drying is formed by the circulation of the refrigerant as described above, where the blower 130 is stopped and the second valve 271 and the second valve 272 are closed by the The heat exchange unit 120 may also be stopped. And, in the heat pump cycle for vacuum freeze-drying, the first heat exchanger 110 may perform a function of an evaporator that absorbs heat and cools the surrounding air, and the external heat exchanger 220 generates heat. It can perform the function of a condenser to heat the surrounding air by dissipating it. Here, the external blower 221 operates to perform cooling for the external heat exchange unit 220 to increase the condensation efficiency, thereby increasing the cooling efficiency for the internal air of the chamber 600, thereby increasing the efficiency of vacuum freeze drying. have.

Accordingly, the air inside the chamber 600 is cooled and the inside of the chamber 600 is in a vacuum state by the pressure adjusting unit 300, so that vacuum freeze-drying can be performed on the object to be dried in the drying apparatus of the present invention. have.

After such vacuum freeze-drying, in the drying apparatus of the present invention, an initial operation of hot air drying may be performed. In the drying apparatus of the present invention, the operation of the apparatus is divided into an initial operation and a normal operation for hot air drying, which is that the first heat exchange unit 110 generates heat and the second heat exchange unit 120 stops the operation. By maintaining, it may be in order to improve the internal air temperature increase rate of the chamber 600 at the initial stage of hot air drying.

When the initial operation of hot air drying is performed in the drying apparatus of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3 , the first valve 271 , the second valve 272 , and the fourth valve 274 are closed, and the third The valve 273 and the fifth valve 275 are opened, and the second check valve 252 and the third check valve 253 are opened in the check valve unit 250 , and the first check valve 251 is opened. ) and the fourth check valve 254 may be closed.

Accordingly, the refrigerant discharged from the compression unit 210 flows along the sixth pipe 266 through the four-way valve 280 and then flows into the first heat exchange unit 110 and flows into the first heat exchange unit ( 110) may be condensed while passing through. The refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchange unit 110 flows along the fourth pipe 264 and then flows through the third valve 273 opened by the closed fourth valve 274 and then the third pipe. It may flow along the 263 and be introduced into the check valve unit 250 . The refrigerant flowing into the check valve unit 250 passes through the first check pipe 255 and the second check valve 252 and then flows into the check connection pipe 259, and then the receiver dryer 240 and the expansion valve 230. can be passed sequentially. Next, the refrigerant passes through the fourth check pipe 258 and the third check valve 253, flows into the external heat exchange unit 220, is condensed, and flows along the eighth pipe 268 to the fourth pipe ( 264) can be introduced. Then, the refrigerant introduced into the fifth valve 275 opened by the closed fourth valve 274 flows along the fifth pipe 265 and then passes through the four-way valve 280 and then through the seventh pipe ( 267) and can circulate by flowing back to the compression unit 210.

A heat pump cycle for the initial operation of hot air drying is formed by the circulation of the refrigerant as described above, where the blower 130 is operated for internal air circulation of the chamber 600, and the first valve 271 and the second By closing the second valve 272 , the second heat exchange unit 120 may be stopped. And, in the heat pump cycle for the initial operation of hot air drying, the first heat exchange unit 110 may perform a function of a condenser to heat the surrounding air by dissipating heat, and the external heat exchange unit 220 may It can perform the function of an evaporator that absorbs heat and cools the surrounding air. Here, the external blower 221 operates to perform cooling for the external heat exchange unit 220 to increase the evaporation efficiency, thereby increasing the heating efficiency for the internal air of the chamber 600 to increase the initial operation efficiency of hot air drying. can

Accordingly, the air inside the chamber 600 is heated, and the inside of the chamber 600 is in a decompressed state by the pressure adjusting unit 300 , and the air is circulated in the inside of the chamber 600 by the blower 130 . By doing so, in the drying apparatus of the present invention, hot air drying for the object to be dried can be performed by the initial operation of the hot air drying.

After the initial operation of the hot air drying as described above, in the drying apparatus of the present invention, the hot air drying normal operation may be performed. When the hot air drying normal operation is performed in the drying apparatus of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4 , the third valve 273 and the fifth valve 275 are closed, and the first valve 271 and the second valve 271 are closed. The valve 272 and the fourth valve 274 are opened, and the first check valve 251 and the fourth check valve 254 are opened in the check valve unit 250 , and the second check valve 252 is opened. ) and the third check valve 253 may be closed.

Accordingly, the refrigerant discharged from the compression unit 210 flows along the sixth pipe 266 through the four-way valve 280 and then flows into the first heat exchange unit 110 and flows into the first heat exchange unit ( 110) may be condensed while passing through. The refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchange unit 110 flows along the fourth pipe 264 and continues only the fourth pipe 264 by the closed third valve 273 and the open fourth valve 274 . After passing through, it flows along the eighth pipe 268 by the closed fifth valve 275 , and then flows into the external heat exchange unit 220 , is condensed, and then flows into the check valve unit 250 . The refrigerant introduced into the check valve unit 250 passes through the third check pipe 257 and the fourth check valve 254 and then flows into the check connection pipe 259, and then the receiver dryer 240 and the expansion valve 230. can be passed sequentially. Next, the refrigerant passes through the fourth check pipe 258 and the first check valve 251 and flows into the third pipe 263 and then is closed by the third valve 273 to the first pipe 261. It may be introduced into the evaporator, flow along the first pipe 261 , and then evaporate while passing through the second heat exchange unit 120 . The refrigerant that has passed through the second heat exchange unit 120 flows along the second pipe 262 by the opened second valve 272 and then with the fifth pipe 265 and the fifth pipe 265 by the closed fifth valve 275 . After sequentially passing through the four-way valve 280 , it flows along the seventh pipe 267 and flows back to the compression unit 210 to circulate.

A heat pump cycle for normal operation of hot air drying is formed by the circulation of the refrigerant as described above, and the blower 130 may be operated for internal air circulation of the chamber 600 . And, in the heat pump cycle for the normal operation of hot air drying, the first heat exchange unit 110 may perform a function of a condenser to heat the surrounding air by dissipating heat, and the second heat exchange unit 120 . may perform a function of an evaporator to cool the surrounding air by absorbing heat, and the external heat exchanger 220 may perform a function of a condenser to heat the surrounding air by dissipating heat. In the air circulation by the blower 130, the air heated by the first heat exchange unit 110 is supplied to the tray 500, and evaporated from the object to be dried by the second heat exchange unit 120 that cools the ambient air to the chamber. Moisture contained in the internal air of 600 may be condensed by the second heat exchange unit 120 to change into condensed water, and then transferred to the drain unit and removed. In this way, it is possible to continuously supply hot and dry air to the tray 500 .

Accordingly, the air inside the chamber 600 is heated, and the inside of the chamber 600 is in a decompressed state by the pressure adjusting unit 300 , and the air is circulated in the inside of the chamber 600 by the blower 130 . By doing so, in the drying apparatus of the present invention, hot air drying for the object to be dried can be performed by the initial operation of the hot air drying. Here, the external heat exchange unit 220 performs the function of an auxiliary condenser with respect to the second heat exchange unit 120 performing the function of the main condenser, and structurally the chamber 600 through the external heat exchange unit 220 . The internal air temperature can be heated to a constant temperature. That is, the temperature of the internal air of the chamber 600 can be adjusted within a certain range without a separate temperature control device. Accordingly, economical operation of the dryer may be possible.

The drying apparatus of the present invention may further include a drain unit coupled to the lower portion of the chamber 600 and collecting condensed water of moisture generated during internal cooling of the chamber 600 and discharging to the outside. As described above, when the normal operation of hot air drying is performed in the drying apparatus of the present invention, the second heat exchange unit 120 may perform a function of an evaporator, exist in the internal air of the chamber 600, and then the second heat exchange unit Condensed water generated by the moisture condensed by 120 may be collected in a condensate tank 710 of the drain part and discharged to the outside by a drain pump 720 provided in the drain part. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 , the drain tub 710 is coupled to the lower outer surface of the chamber 600 , and the bottom surface is formed to be inclined to facilitate the discharge of condensed water. When the drain hole 650 is formed in the lower bottom wall and the condensed water falls to the bottom surface of the chamber, the condensed water may pass through the drain hole 650 and be collected into the drain tank 710 .

Hereinafter, the remaining components forming the drying apparatus of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the support frame 400 has a rectangular frame formed on the upper and lower portions, an upper frame 410 that is an upper rectangular frame, and a lower frame 420 that is a lower rectangular frame, an upper frame 410 . ) and the lower frame 420 may have a shape connected by a vertical bar 430 that is a bar perpendicular to each. In the support frame 400 , the lower frame 420 may include a horizontal bar 440 , which is a bar supporting the load of the tray 500 , and the horizontal bar 440 is a tray 500 on the support frame 400 . It may be formed in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which it is introduced. In addition, a plurality of horizontal bars 440 may be formed on the lower frame 420 , and each of the plurality of horizontal bars 440 may be formed parallel to each other.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the tray 500 includes a support plate 510 for supporting an object to be dried, a tray frame 520 formed along the edge of the support plate 510 and coupled to the support plate 510 , and a tray frame. When combined with the 520 and the tray 500 is disposed on the support frame 400, a support bar 530 that is seated on the support frame 400 may be provided. Here, the support bar 530 may be formed in a direction horizontal to the direction in which the tray 500 is introduced into the support frame 400 . In addition, the lower surface of the support bar 530 may be formed as a curved surface that protrudes outwardly of the support bar 530 . The support plate 510 may be formed in a mesh shape as shown in FIG. 8 or provided with a plurality of holes in order to increase drying efficiency of the object to be dried.

The drying apparatus of the present invention may further include a load sensor 810 that is formed on a portion of the support frame in contact with the tray 500 and measures the load of the object to be dried and the tray 500 . The drying apparatus of the present invention may further include a thermal image sensor 820 installed inside the chamber 600 and measuring heat distribution on the surface of the object to be dried.

The load sensor 810 may be installed at a portion of the support frame 400 in which the lower portion of the tray 500 and the support frame 400 are in contact. In addition, the load sensor 810 may support the support bar 530 of the tray 500 disposed on the support frame 400 . The upper surface of the load sensor 810 may be formed as a curved surface that enters in the inner direction of the load sensor 810 . Accordingly, when the tray 500 is supported by the load sensor 810 and disposed on the support frame 400 , the lower surface of the support bar 530 is attached to the upper surface of the load sensor 810 , thereby drying the object. Accordingly, even if the center of gravity of the object to be dried varies, the load sensor 810 may measure the load of the tray 500 while stably supporting the tray 500 .

The thermal image sensor 820 may be coupled to another portion of the support frame 400 toward the surface of the object to be dried. Specifically, the thermal image sensor 820 may be coupled to the upper frame 410 of the support frame 400 to measure the heat distribution on the surface of the object to be dried in real time. In addition, a thermal image sensor 820 may be installed in each of the plurality of support frames 400 , and heat distribution on the surface of each object to be dried disposed on each support frame 400 may be measured.

When hot air drying is performed in the drying apparatus of the present invention, excessive heat concentration may occur in a specific portion of the surface of the object to be dried, and phenomena such as thermal deformation or surface discoloration may occur in the corresponding portion. Alternatively, excessive heat concentration occurs on the surface of the object to be dried disposed on some of the support frames 400 among the plurality of support frames 400, so that thermal deformation or surface discoloration on the surface of some of the objects to be dried occurs. phenomenon may occur.

Therefore, in order to prevent this, heat distribution on the surface of the object to be dried is measured in real time with the thermal image sensor 820, and when heat is concentrated on a specific part of the surface of a predetermined object to be dried, or a portion of a plurality of objects to be dried When heat is concentrated on the object to be dried, information about this may be transmitted to the control unit.

The drying apparatus of the present invention receives the state information of the object to be built from the load sensor 810 or the thermal image sensor 820, and transmits a control signal to the heat pump module so that the heat pump module is controlled according to the state information of the object. It may further include a control unit.

First, the control unit may receive load information for each object to be dried contained in the tray 500 disposed on each support frame 400 from the load sensor 810 . In addition, the degree of drying of each to-be-built may be determined by using the load information for each to-be-built. As the moisture of the object evaporates, the weight of the object decreases. Therefore, the drying state of the object can be determined by measuring the load of each object, and the estimated time of completion of drying of the object can be derived by quantifying it. In addition, the drying progress degree of the to-be-dried object can be digitized and derived. In addition, the expected drying completion time and the drying progress degree of the object to be dried contained in each tray 500 may be displayed on a display installed outside the chamber 600 .

And, since the air inside the chamber 600 is circulated by the plurality of blowers 130 in the drying apparatus of the present invention, each zone in which the air is mainly circulated by each blower 130 is set, and each zone It is possible to distinguish the support frame 400 installed in the. Here, a number is assigned to each support frame 400 , and a number may also be assigned to each zone. The control unit receives the load information for each support frame 400, and increases the output of the blower 130 that circulates air in the corresponding area when the expected drying completion time in a predetermined area increases in the corresponding area. The expected drying completion time can be reduced.

In addition, the controller may receive heat distribution information on the surface of each object to be dried contained in the tray 500 disposed on each support frame 400 from the thermal image sensor 820 . Then, by using the heat distribution information for each to-be-dried object, it is possible to determine the heat concentration on a specific part of the surface of a predetermined object to be dried or the heat concentration on some of the plurality of to-be-dried objects, and such heat When the concentration phenomenon occurs, information about the heat concentration phenomenon may be displayed on the display. The heat concentration may be determined by the control unit as occurring when the average value of the surface heat distribution of each object exceeds a preset value input to the control unit, and the heat distribution image of the object on which the heat concentration phenomenon has occurred is at least One or more displays may be displayed. In this case, the user may perform predetermined inspections and corrections on the drying apparatus of the present invention, such as checking the position of the tray 500 in order to remove the abnormal heat concentration phenomenon.

And, as described for the load sensor 810, each support frame 400 and each zone are divided, and the control unit receives information about the surface heat distribution of each object to be dried, and When the heat concentration phenomenon occurs in the dried object, the output of the blower 130 that circulates air in the area where the corresponding object is located may be reduced.

Hereinafter, a drying method using the drying apparatus of the present invention will be described.

In the first step, the object to be dried may be placed on the tray 500 located inside the chamber 600 . And, in the second step, the inside of the chamber 600 is formed in a vacuum state by the pressure adjusting unit 300 , and the inside of the chamber 600 is cooled by the temperature control module 100 to perform vacuum freeze drying. can be Next, in the third step, the inside of the chamber 600 is formed in a reduced pressure state by the pressure adjusting unit 300 , and the internal temperature of the chamber 600 is increased by the temperature control module 100 to generate hot air The initial operation of hot air drying provided to the object to be dried may be performed. Then, in the fourth step, the inside of the chamber 600 is formed in a reduced pressure state by the pressure control unit 300 , and the internal temperature of the chamber 600 is maintained by the temperature control module 100 to generate hot air. Normal operation of hot air drying provided to the object to be dried can be performed. Finally, in the fifth step, the object to be dried may be taken out from the inside of the chamber 600 .

The above description of the present invention is for illustration, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can understand that it can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a dispersed form, and likewise components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

100: temperature control module 110: first heat exchange unit
120: second heat exchange unit 130: blower
140: housing 141: inlet
142: outlet 210: compression unit
220: external heat exchange unit 221: external blower
230: expansion valve 240: receiver dryer
250: check valve unit 251: first check valve
252: second check valve 253: third check valve
254: fourth check valve 255: first check pipe
256: second check pipe 257: third check pipe
258: fourth check pipe 259: check connection pipe
261: first pipe 262: second pipe
263: third pipe 264: fourth pipe
265: fifth pipe 266: sixth pipe
267: 7th pipe 268: 8th pipe
271: first valve 272: second valve
273: third valve 274: fourth valve
275: fifth valve 280: four-way valve
300: pressure control unit 400: support frame
410: upper frame 420: lower frame
430: vertical bar 440: horizontal bar
500: tray 510: support plate
520: tray frame 530: support bar
600: chamber 610: through hole
620: drying room 631: first circulation wall
632: second circulation wall 640: recovery passage
650: drain hole 710: drain tank
720: drain pump 810: load sensor
820: thermal image sensor

Claims (12)

chamber;
a support frame part installed in the chamber and formed by coupling a plurality of support frames for supporting a tray supporting an object to be dried by removing moisture;
a temperature control module installed in the chamber and selectively performing cooling for lowering the internal temperature of the chamber or generating hot air for drying the object; and
It includes; a pressure control unit for adjusting the pressure of the chamber in combination with the chamber;
When the internal temperature of the chamber is lowered by the temperature control module, vacuum freeze drying is performed, and when hot air is generated by the temperature control module, hot air drying is performed,
The chamber has a cylindrical shape, and each of a plurality of through-holes on a circular cross-section of the chamber are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined angle along a circumferential direction.
The method according to claim 1,
The temperature control module,
a housing formed inside the chamber and coupled to the support frame part;
A first heat exchange unit formed in the housing and performing heat exchange with the air inside the chamber to change the temperature of the air inside the chamber, and
and a second heat exchange unit formed inside the housing and performing heat exchange with the internal air of the chamber to heat the temperature of the internal air of the chamber.
3. The method according to claim 2,
a compression part connected to the first heat exchange part and the second heat exchange part and compressing the refrigerant passing through the first heat exchange part or the second heat exchange part;
An external heat exchange unit connected to the compression unit and exchanging heat with the refrigerant passing through the external air of the chamber, and
An expansion valve connected to the external heat exchange unit and expanding the refrigerant passing therethrough, the pressure reduction type complex drying apparatus further comprising:
4. The method according to claim 3,
A check valve formed between the external heat exchange unit and the expansion valve through which a refrigerant passes, is connected to the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit, and includes a plurality of check valves to change the flow direction of the refrigerant , Decompression-type composite drying apparatus, characterized in that it further comprises.
3. The method according to claim 2,
The temperature control module, coupled to the housing, a blower for flowing the air circulating inside the chamber toward the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit, pressure-sensitive composite drying apparatus, characterized in that it further comprises.
The method according to claim 1,
The pressure regulating unit, a pressure-reducing complex drying apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a pressure regulating pump that is a pump connected to the chamber.
The method according to claim 1,
The chamber is a decompression-type composite drying apparatus, characterized in that it has a plurality of through-holes connected to the pressure control unit.
delete The method according to claim 1,
Combination with the lower portion of the chamber and collecting the condensed water of moisture generated during internal cooling of the chamber, a drain unit for discharging to the outside;
The method according to claim 1,
The pressure-sensitive composite drying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a load sensor formed on a portion of the support frame in contact with the tray to measure the weight of the object to be dried and the tray.
The method according to claim 1,
The pressure-sensitive composite drying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a thermal image sensor installed inside the chamber and measuring heat distribution on the surface of the object to be dried.
In the drying method using the reduced pressure type composite drying apparatus of claim 1,
a first step of placing an object to be dried on a tray located inside the chamber;
a second step of forming the inside of the chamber in a vacuum state by the pressure control unit, cooling the inside of the chamber by the temperature control module, and performing vacuum freeze drying;
The inside of the chamber is formed in a reduced pressure state by the pressure control unit, and the internal temperature of the chamber is increased by the temperature control module to generate hot air, and the initial operation of hot air drying provided to the object to be dried is performed. Step 3; and
The inside of the chamber is formed in a reduced pressure state by the pressure adjusting unit, and the temperature inside the chamber is maintained by the temperature control module so that hot air is generated and the normal operation of hot air drying provided to the object to be dried is performed. step; and
A drying method using a decompression-type complex drying apparatus comprising a; a fifth step of taking out the to-be-dried object from the inside of the chamber.

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