RU2367857C1 - Method of drinking water cooling for automated beverage tapping machine and device and drinking water cooling - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: heating.

SUBSTANCE: method of drinking water cooling for automated beverage tapping machine involves water feeding to batch volume tank, application of thermoelectric effect of Peltier element for heat abduction and water cooling to a temperature within 0°C to +4°C, cooled water intake to output orifice of automated machine. Water cooling process control is performed by power adjustment at the Peltier element and heat abduction from it, implemented by water mixing due to density difference of water layers generated when power rises at the Peltier element and bottom layer of cooled water reaches +4°C while middle layer of cooled water reaches temperature within +4°C to 0°C. In the process of further cooling, during continuous water stirring in the tank, water temperature is maintained below +4°C in the top tank part and not higher than + 4°C in the bottom tank part, power and neat abduction are gradually reduced at the Peltier element to maintain heat balance between heat coming from outside and cold provided by Peltier element to achieve average temperature in the tank not lower than 0°C and not higher than +4°C without switching Peltier element off. After the cooled water is retrieved, the tank is refilled with equal amount of warm water, then power is increased at the Peltier element, and next water portion is cooled.

EFFECT: reduced power cost and time for water cooling when reaching calculated delta temperature.

7 cl, 1 dwg

Description

The invention relates to methods for cooling drinking water and installations for producing chilled drinking water and can be used in vending machines for the preparation and bottling of chilled drinks of a mixer type, for example Sagoma, Venson.

A known method of rapid cooling of a liquid substance and a device for its implementation (RF patent No. 2223455, IPC F25D 3/10, F25D 11/00, F25D 19/00, publ. 2004.02.10). The method relates to inside self-cooling containers for soft drinks, beer, etc. The method consists in the fact that before throttling, the cryogenic gas is filtered, and after throttling it is informed of the direction in the form of a cylindrical spiral in the inter-wall space of the heat exchange unit. In this case, throttling is performed discretely.

A device and method for the dosed bottling of beverages (RF patent No. 2241364, IPC A47J 31/40, publ. 2004.12.10, patent holder SAMSUNG GANGJU ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. (Korea), intended for bottling both hot and cold drinks, drinks with ice and dispensing disposable bags with the finished mixture of drinks, providing hygiene and ease of use. The device for dispensing drinks contains a housing having an outlet for the beverage outlet, an outlet for disposable bags and an outlet for glasses; block cold / hot water supply installed in the housing for supplying cold water and hot water through the beverage outlet; a cooling unit connected to the ice making unit; and a control unit for controlling the respective units. Accordingly, various drinks such as cold water, hot water, cold drink, hot drink, ice water and ice drinks can be provided at the request of the user. The cooling unit is connected to the cold water supply unit and the ice making unit and comprises a compressor, condenser ator and the first and second evaporators, respectively. The refrigerant, passing through the compressor and condenser, is divided into the first and second expansion valves, respectively. The refrigerant flowing through the first expansion valve passes through the first evaporator in the cold water tank and returns to the compressor, and the refrigerant flowing through the second expansion valve passes through the second evaporator in the ice making unit and returns to the compressor. The refrigerant passing through the evaporators undergoes heat exchange with the air of the evaporators and due to heat exchange with the refrigerant, the water inside the cold water tank is cooled, and, accordingly, the water supplied to the ice preparation unit freezes in the form of ice cubes. The use of a compressor in the cooling unit creates an increased noise level and leads to high energy costs. Such an installation is designed to cool large volumes of water.

A known method of supplying a chilled draft drink to a vessel (RF patent No. 2309117 IPC B67D 1/08, publ. 2004.05.20), the closest in technical essence to the claimed method and adopted as a prototype. The method is based on cooling or hypothermia of the beverage in cooling media and supplying the beverage from the cooling media to the outlet for distribution through a piping system in which some of the beverage is in the piping system in a static state prior to distribution, and the beverage is dispensed at least one predetermined volume, and the volume of the drink, which was in a static state in the piping system, is significantly less than the at least one predetermined bemsya, the beverage which is static, is supported in the pipe system supplying the beverage, which has a length of less than 5 m. Moving beverage dispensing carried by piping system to the outlet. To cool a draft beverage during its movement, a volume of liquid refrigerant and a thermoelectric effect are used. In the method, before and after cooling with a thermoelectric effect in the field of thermoelectric cooling, the cooled beverage is thermally contacted with a refrigerant pipe carrying liquid refrigerant. The drink is served through a pipeline, which also serves liquid refrigerant. The liquid refrigerant is supplied so that it removes heat extracted by the thermoelectric effect. The refrigerant is water. The beverage is supercooled, wherein said cooling is thermoelectric. In the method, the temperature of the beverage cooled by the thermoelectric effect is measured, and the distribution of the beverage is delayed until the measured temperature decreases to at least a predetermined value. The predetermined temperature value lies in the range from substantially −4.0 ° C. to substantially −4.5 ° C. The liquid refrigerant in said volume is at a temperature of substantially 0 ° C. Liquid refrigerant is supplied to the refrigerant piping at a temperature of substantially 0 ° C. The thermoelectric effect in this method is the Peltier effect. The beverage is subcooled at least to a temperature of substantially 1.5 ° C. below its freezing temperature at ambient atmospheric pressure. Heat removal from the drink using the thermoelectric effect is performed at the stage of heat removal, introducing the drink into a supercooled state. The drink is cooled to a temperature below -3.0 ° C.

However, in the known method, the process of cooling to the required temperature takes place at high energy costs, since in order to supply chilled water to the consumer, it is necessary to further cool the pipeline with refrigerant. The cooling process in the known method is time-consuming, since when the required temperature is reached, the power on the Peltier element is turned off, and after it is turned off, the effect of the "heat wave" occurs when the high temperature from the hot side of the Peltier element, which has not yet cooled down, transferred to the cold side, thereby heating the water. Frequent power failure of the Peltier element leads to its rapid wear, as the element experiences peak loads when it is turned on and off, which reduces the resource of its operation.

A device for cooling liquid (patent RF №2161290, IPC F25D 3/00, B67D 5/62, F28D 1/00, publ. 2000.12.27), designed to cool drinks in filling machines, which can be used in mobile trailers open air vans, open pavilions and bar counters. A device for cooling a liquid, where the liquid is transported through a tubular product pipeline, the spiral part of which is immersed in a coolant reservoir, where a coil of the evaporator of a refrigeration machine with a frozen ice supply is installed, a pump and a rotor blade connected to a rotation drive, while the pump communicates with the coolant and is connected with a loop loop folded in half, the free end of which is in communication with the tank, and the loop loop is placed inside a thermally insulated tubular manifold, where adjacent to the output product pipeline, and the latter is connected with a stand-alone external fluid supply mechanism.

A known installation for producing hot and chilled drinking water (RF patent No. 2121635, IPC F25D 9/00, F25B 21/02, publ. 1999.03.27), which is designed to meet the needs of the population in clean drinking water. A device for producing hot and chilled drinking water comprises a housing, a hot water tank and a chilled water tank, respectively equipped with a heating unit and a cooling unit, the last of which is based on at least one thermoelectric module, which is a Peltier element, the cold surface of which serves a cold generator, and the hot surface is equipped with a heat removal system, parallel heating and cooling of a large number of portions of water is provided. The installation contains a water source, hydra ly connected to the hot and chilled water tank, while the chilled water tank is also designed for running water and has a baffle for separating incoming from the source of running water from the cooled, and the upper part of the specified tank containing running water is hydraulically connected to the lower part of the tank with chilled water water and using a highway with a hot water tank, and tanks are connected by pipelines to the corresponding hot and chilled water taps, displayed on the front panel of the housing. The thermoelectric module is mounted on the wall of the tank of flowing and chilled water, and its cold surface has direct thermal contact with the surface of the tank. The cold surface of the thermoelectric module has direct thermal contact with the cooling heat pipe, the predominant part of which is located inside the tank with flowing and chilled water. The heat removal system is a cooling radiator equipped with a fan, and is made in the form of a hot heat pipe. The hot heat pipe of the heat removal system is installed on the line hydraulically connecting the water source to the hot water tank for its preliminary heating. The water source is a removable tank - a centralized water supply system, the pipeline of which is connected to the flowing and chilled water tank and is equipped with a regulator to maintain the water level in the tank.

Known household cooling and heating device for liquids (application RU No. 2002113149, IPC F25D 3/00, publ. 2004.03.27). The device consists of two conventionally divided parts: cooling-heating and cooling-heated, placed in a plastic case with a low coefficient of thermal transfer or an additional thermally insulated case mounted on a stand with a matching plug connector between them, the cooling-heating component includes a metal with good heat transfer, having heat transfer fins inside the duct removed from the fan compartment. The fan compartment is made at right angles to the duct and has: an air inlet opening closed with a plug connected to a wire made of metal with shape memory, a five-position switch on top and a transparent cap with signaling LEDs inside, which make it possible to replace blind and visually impaired people with sound-reproducing electronic devices, a fan is built into the compartment itself, and a handle with a small hole in the air outlet with an air outlet on the henna of the handle part and the air jet divider above it, at the joint of the handle and the case, between the two parts of the device, there is an inlet air hole, the cooled-heated component of the device includes a heat-insulated container made of metal with good heat transfer and suitable for contact with food products, which has a two-position thermal relay built into the bottom and a transparent level tube with a level ball inside, placed on the heat-insulating casing, the top is closed by the thermal insulator with a hinged lid, in which a two-position level switch is installed with an easily removable tube extending from it to the bottom of the tank, which can be replaced by a photo-optical moment, and a miniature LED mounted on both sides of the lower part of the transparent level tube with the moment of operation when there is a level ball, and can also be replaced by a reed switch, while the level ball is made of magnetic material, but with positive buoyancy, between the duct and the tank with quality By paired with them, one above the other, two Peltier thermal modules related to the cooling-heating part of the device are installed, the upper of which is used to cool liquids in the tank, and the lower one is for heating, to reduce the cost of the device, one thermal module can be mounted in it at the bottom containers, and then to perform convection modes, the device can be supplemented by a removable segment perforated to the entire height of the container and adjacent to the interface of the thermal module and the container in the form of a segment cut along the pipe, As a result, the perforation should be in the form of an inverted shredder, but with the straight part of the pocket and the convex side facing the container, and the device can also be supplemented with an electric motor in the lid with a removable bar with mixing blades at the end descending from it to the tank bottom or supplemented with an electromagnetic coil - a stator, the rotor of which is a linear magnet laid freely on the bottom of the tank, the fan, thermal modules and signal LEDs are powered from the mains or portable an electric source through a power supply unit in front of which a timer device arranged with it is mounted, through a plug connector, a five-position switch, two-position thermal relays and a two-position level switch.

A device for cooling water is known (application No. 2004129624, IPC C02F 3/00, publ. 2006.03.10, applicant STRIKS LIMITED (Great Britain), the closest in technical essence to the claimed device and adopted as a prototype. A device for cooling liquid contains a tank for untreated water , a filter attached to the specified tank, and the main tank for receiving and storing treated water, while the main tank contains thermoelectric cooling means for removing heat from the treated water in the main tank and for cooling thereby water. Thermoelectric cooling means are installed on the side wall of the vessel or in the side wall so that during the operation of the vessel they contribute to the circulation of the cooled water inside the vessel. Thermoelectric cooling means are installed in the cutout made in the specified side wall. at least, in the area intended for storing treated water, it contains heat-insulating material. Thermoelectric cooling means contain a Peltier element. Cooling means contain a heat sink installed inside the vessel. The heat sink is mounted directly on the Peltier element. The heat absorber is given a shape that helps to enhance the circulation of water inside the vessel. The heat sink contains a set of pins. The cooling means further comprises a heat dissipating element on its hot side. The heat-dissipating element is installed in direct contact with the Peltier element and is partially covered by an overlay. The patch at least partially defines a cavity provided with holes that are mutually spatially displaced in the upper and lower zones of the vessel, so that when the vessel is functioning, air is sucked into the cavity in its lower part, removes heat from the heat-dissipating element and is removed from the cavity through its upper side. The pad is made integral with the handle of the vessel. The heat-dissipating element is located essentially along the entire length of the cavity and is equipped with a fan to increase airflow through the heat-dissipating element. The vessel is equipped with a drain device configured to draw fluid from the bottom of the vessel, the drain device includes a vertical channel in communication with the zone at the bottom of the vessel. The vertical channel is at least partially formed by a dividing wall located inside the vessel, and the dividing wall is integral with the water tank. The drain device is formed by a dividing wall located inside the vessel and ending under the specified reservoir. The profile of the dividing wall is consistent with the profile of the vessel. Thermoelectric cooling means are arranged to cool the liquid mainly at the bottom of the vessel. The vessel contains an asymmetric heat sink, most of the cooling surface of which is located in the lower part of the vessel. In the main container of the vessel there is a horizontal dividing wall, dividing the main container of the vessel into upper and lower parts that communicate with each other. The upper and lower parts communicate with each other near thermoelectric cooling means. The horizontal dividing wall and the dividing wall forming the drain device are made as a single unit in the form of a liner placed inside the vessel body. The horizontal dividing wall is equipped with support means for its installation at a distance from the base of the vessel. The vessel is configured to cool water to a temperature that is 10-15 ° C. lower than ambient temperature. The vessel is powered from the network, and the vessel contains a power source that converts the mains voltage to a constant voltage required for the Peltier element. The power source is made cordless and contains a housing with a main capacity and a stand. The intake of chilled fluid is carried out through the drain device from the bottom of the vessel.

However, the known device does not provide the necessary temperature difference and it cannot be used to feed the dispensed bottling of chilled drinks, since the effectiveness of the Peltier element is small.

The technical result, the achievement of which the invention is directed, is to reduce energy costs and time for cooling water when reaching the calculated temperature delta, increasing the thermoelectric effect of the Peltier element, increasing its service life.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that in the method of cooling drinking water for a dispensing machine for dispensing drinks, including supplying water to a container of a dosed volume, using the thermoelectric effect of a Peltier element to remove heat and cooling water to a temperature of not lower than 0 ° C and not higher than + 4 ° C , the intake of chilled water to the inlet of the machine, control the process of cooling water by adjusting the power on the Peltier element and removing heat from it, for which, with increasing power on the Peltier element and access the temperature in the lower layer of the cooled water is + 4 ° С, and in the middle layer below + 4 ° С, but above 0 ° С, the process of mixing water is provided due to the difference in densities formed by the water layers during further cooling with continued mixing of water in the tank maintain the temperature of the water in the tank in its upper part below + 4 ° C, and in the lower part not above + 4 ° C, gradually reduce the power on the Peltier element and reduce heat dissipation from it, maintaining a heat balance between the heat coming from outside and the cold coming from element pe casting until the average temperature in the tank reaches at least 0 ° С and no more than + 4 ° С without turning off the Peltier element, after taking the chilled water, replace the tank with an equal amount of warm water, then increase the power at the Peltier element and cool the next portion of water.

The essence of the method of cooling drinking water for a dispensed dispensing machine is as follows.

The thermoelectric effect of the Peltier element is used to remove heat and cool the water until the average temperature in the tank is not lower than 0 ° С and not higher than + 4 ° С. The process of cooling water at room temperature is controlled by controlling the power on the Peltier element and removing heat from it. They conduct constant temperature control in a dosed volume tank with cooled water. With an increase in power at the Peltier element and when the temperature in the lower layer of cooled water reaches + 4 ° C, and on the average layer below + 4 ° C, but above 0 ° C, the process of mixing water occurs due to the difference in densities formed by the water layers, an effective natural convection of water. In the process of further cooling of the water with continued convection, the temperature of the water in the tank in its upper part is lower than + 4 ° C, and in the lower part not higher than + 4 ° C. Then gradually reduce the power on the Peltier element, reduce the voltage and reduce heat dissipation from it. They control the temperature drop within sufficiently narrow temperature limits so that, on the one hand, it does not allow water to freeze, as this would lead to the destruction of the Peltier element, and on the other hand, it does not allow the water temperature to rise above +4 degrees, as this led to would disrupt water convection. Reduce the voltage on the element, maintaining the heat balance between the heat coming from outside and the cold coming from the Peltier element until the average temperature in the tank reaches at least 0 ° C and no more than + 4 ° C without disconnecting the Peltier element, after taking the chilled water, replace the tank with an equal amount warm water, after which they increase the power at the Peltier element and cool the next portion of water. Chilled water is taken from the bottom of the tank.

In the installation for cooling drinking water, containing a tank with a Peltier thermoelectric element integrated on its side wall, in direct contact with which a heat-absorbing element is installed on the inside of the tank, and a heat-dissipating element with a fan on the outside, channels for supplying warm and intake of chilled water The heat-dissipating and heat-absorbing elements are made in the form of radiators, respectively, for heat recovery and cooling, the installation is equipped with an electronic board, including a pulse the first power source, logic load Peltier element management system, the fan speed control system as installed inside the tank precision quick-response temperature sensor.

Radiators for heat recovery and for water cooling are made of aluminum with a ratio of their surface areas of 1:27, respectively, and the surface of the radiators, in the place of their attachment to the Peltier element, has a processing purity of at least 8 accuracy class.

The channels for supplying warm and chilled water intake are made in the form of pipelines, the inlet section of the warm water pipeline is located in the upper part of the tank, and the inlet section of the cold water intake pipeline is near the bottom.

The installation is configured to cool water to a temperature of not lower than 0 ° C and not higher than 4 ° C.

The drawing shows a diagram of an installation for cooling water.

The installation contains a dosed volume tank 1 with thermal insulation 2 and a Peltier thermoelectric element 3 integrated on its side wall. A heat-absorbing element 4 is installed in direct contact with the Peltier element 3 on the inside of the dosed volume tank 1, and a heat-dissipating element 5 with a fan is installed on the outside 6 and a protective grill of the fan 7. Drinking water at room temperature enters the tank of dosed volume 1 through the channel for supplying warm water - pipe 8, the intake of chilled water they are installed through a channel - pipeline 9. The installation is equipped with an electronic board 10, including a switching power supply, a Peltier 3 logic load control system, a fan speed control system 6. A pulse power supply, a Peltier 3 logic load control system, a fan speed control system 6 on not shown in the drawing. Inside the vessel 2, a low-inertia precision temperature sensor 11 is installed. The heat-absorbing 4 and heat-dissipating 5 elements are made in the form of radiators, respectively, for cooling and heat recovery. Radiators for heat recovery 5 and for cooling water 4 are made of aluminum and with a ratio of their surface areas, respectively 1:27. The ratio of the areas of radiators is determined from the ratio of the coefficients of thermal conductivity of water and air. The thermal conductivity of water is 0.599, the thermal conductivity of air is 0.0226, their ratio is 26.5. Therefore, the optimal ratio of the surface areas of the radiators for heat recovery 5 and for cooling 4, respectively 1:27.

The surface of the radiators 4, 5 in the places of their attachment to the Peltier element 3 is processed with a purity of at least 8 accuracy classes, which increases the thermoelectric effect of the Peltier element. The supply of warm water occurs in the upper part of the tank of the dosed volume 1, and the intake of chilled water is near the bottom.

The installation works as follows.

Drinking water at room temperature enters the tank of dosed volume 1 through the channel for supplying warm water - pipe 8. When the unit is turned on, the water temperature in the tank of dosed volume 1 is equal to room temperature, approximately + 25 ° С. From a switching power supply to the Peltier element 3, a power supply of + 12.6 volts is supplied. Fan 6 operates in maximum power mode. The temperature of the water in the tank 1 is reduced. The stratification of water begins. Water with a lower temperature accumulates at the bottom of the tank 1, and water with a higher temperature - at the top. When the temperature of the water in the tank 1 at the level of the radiator reaches 4 + 4.3 ° C, the process of reverse convection begins, that is, the water cooled inside the ribs of the radiator 4 to a temperature of less than + 4 ° C, because it is less dense than the surrounding radiator 4 water, begins to rise to the top of capacity 1. The logic control system for the load of the Peltier element 3 of the control board 10 is activated, and the voltage on the Peltier element 3 decreases to prevent freezing of the radiator, and at the same time the fan speed control system 6 is activated, reducing it about Boroty. The process of reverse convection of water is increasing, because the lower part of the tank 1 is filled with cold water with a temperature of + 4 ° C, therefore, the densest. Colder water, with a temperature lower than + 4 ° C and less dense, begins to accumulate in the upper part of tank 1. Moreover, due to the fact that convection of water does not stop, there is continuous mixing of water. The process of reducing the voltage at the Peltier element 3 and reducing the speed of the fan 6 continues. This process (power reduction) continues until there is a thermal balance between the heat coming from the outside through the thermally insulated walls 2 of the tank 1 and the cold coming from the radiator 4 located inside capacity 1, without turning off the Peltier element 3. Once the heat balance is reached, the electronic board continues to maintain it on the basis that the average temperature inside the capacity 1 should not fall below 0 ° C and Raises above + 4 ° C.

When the set temperature is reached, cold water is drawn through the channel - pipe 9, the inlet of which is located near the bottom of the tank 1. The power on the Peltier element 3 does not turn off and the element does not experience peak loads when turned on and off. In the container of the dosed volume 1 through the channel for supplying warm water - pipe 8 - the amount of warm (room temperature) water equal to the amount of cold water taken in is supplied. The precision NTC 11 temperature sensor detects a change (increase) in the total water temperature in the tank 1, the electronic control board gives a command to increase the power at the Peltier element 3 and to increase the fan speed 6 to the maximum speed, so as to compensate for the temperature increase as soon as possible. Next, the operation algorithm is repeated again.

Thus, the proposed method of drinking water cooling for automatic dispensing drinks and the installation for cooling drinking water can significantly increase the thermoelectric effect of the Peltier element, which makes it possible to reduce the temperature in the tank below 4 ° C and solve the problem of thermal separation of water in the tank, to make the water temperature more homogeneous, without resorting to mechanical means of mixing the water, which reduces the cost of the design and makes it more reliable. Energy costs are reduced and the time for cooling the water when reaching the calculated temperature delta is reduced, which makes it possible to use the proposed device for supplying chilled water to dispensed beverage dispensers regardless of the ambient temperature. In addition, working without frequent shutdowns, the Peltier element does not experience peak loads when it is turned on and off, which increases its service life.

Claims (7)

1. A method of cooling drinking water for a dispensed beverage dispensing machine, comprising supplying water to a container of a metered volume, using the thermoelectric effect of a Peltier element to remove heat and cooling water to a temperature of not lower than 0 ° C and not higher than + 4 ° C, intake of chilled water to the outlet of the machine, characterized in that they control the process of cooling water by adjusting the power on the Peltier element and removing heat from it, for which, when increasing the power on the Peltier element and reaching about chilled water temperature + 4 ° C, and in the middle layer below + 4 ° C, but above 0 ° C provide the process of mixing water due to the difference in densities of the formed layers of water, during further cooling, with continued movement of water in the tank, maintain the temperature water in the tank in its upper part below + 4 ° C, and in the lower one not above + 4 ° C, gradually reduce the power on the Peltier element and reduce heat dissipation from it, maintaining the heat balance between the heat coming from outside and the cold coming from the Peltier element before reaching Wed the temperature in the tank is not lower than 0 ° С and not higher than + 4 ° С without turning off the Peltier element, after taking the chilled water, replace the tank with an equal amount of warm water, then increase the power on the Peltier element and cool the next portion of water. 2. Installation for cooling drinking water, comprising a container with a Peltier thermoelectric element integrated in its side wall, in direct contact with which a heat-absorbing element is installed on the inside of the container, and a heat-dissipating element with a fan on the outside, channels for supplying warm and cooled intake water, characterized in that the heat-dissipating and heat-absorbing elements are made in the form of radiators, respectively, for heat recovery and cooling, the installation is equipped with an electronic plateau d, including a switching power supply, a Peltier element load control logic, a fan speed control system, and a low-inertia precision temperature sensor is installed inside the tank. 3. The installation according to claim 2, characterized in that the radiators for heat recovery and for cooling water are made with a ratio of their surface areas, respectively, 1:27. 4. Installation according to claim 2, characterized in that the radiators are made of aluminum. 5. The installation according to claim 2, characterized in that the surface of the radiators in the place of their attachment to the Peltier element has a purity of processing not lower than the eighth accuracy class. 6. Installation according to claim 2, characterized in that the channels for supplying warm and chilled water intake are made in the form of pipelines, the inlet section of the warm water pipeline is located in the upper part of the tank, and the inlet section of the cold water intake pipeline is near the bottom. 7. Installation according to claim 2, characterized in that it is configured to cool water to a temperature not lower than 0 ° C and not higher than + 4 ° C.

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