WO2003085337A1 - Refrigerated container and heating and cooling panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerated container (1) suitable for storing and transporting fresh food such as vegetable stored and refrigerated therein while efficiently cooling, wherein panels (9) having flow passages for flowing brine cooled by a cooler and integrated cooling fins provided on the outside of the flow passages are installed on the inside wall surface of a container body (2), and the flow passages and cooling fins are formed of metals to increase heat transfer characteristics.

Description

 "Refrigerated containers and air conditioning panels"

[Technical field]

 The present invention relates to a refrigerated container suitable for storing and transporting fresh foods such as vegetables, and a cooling / heating panel suitable for use in the container and the like.

is there.

[Background technology]

 As shown in Fig. 7, a conventional general refrigerated container 1 'is composed of a container 2' having high heat insulation and a refrigerator 3 '. The refrigerator 3 ′ includes a refrigerant circulating means including a compressor 4 ′, a condenser 5 ′, an expansion valve 6 ′, an evaporator 7 ′, and a control panel 8 ′ for controlling them. The air cooled by the refrigerator 3 ′ is blown into the container 2 ′ by a fan (not shown) as shown by an arrow, and circulates inside.

 However, vegetables tend to dry out when exposed to wind from a fan, which tends to reduce their quality. In addition, if cool air is blown from one location, it is necessary to cool the area around the refrigerator 3 ′ more strongly in order to cool the entire inside of the container 2 ′, and as a result, vegetables near the refrigerator 3 ′ The tissue can be destroyed by cooling.

 Thus, a refrigerator was invented in which the contents in the container were cooled without sending cold air. Prefabricated refrigerators and the like disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-201-249 correspond thereto, and the internal space is cooled by flowing cooled brine (a solution used for indirect cooling; antifreeze, etc.) on the wall surface. I do.

Fig. 8 shows a cross section of the prefabricated refrigerator 1 ". Walls other than doors (left and right side plate H, back plate S, bottom plate T, top plate) are composed of multiple panels with a cooling tank (panel) 9 "that circulates the pipeline on one side of insulation 20" Have been. Outside the refrigerator 1 ", a compressor 4" for cooling brine, a condenser 5 ", a compression refrigerator 3" composed of an evaporator 7 "and the like are installed. It is formed by bonding two thin metal plates at intervals. Then, a U-shaped brine flow path is formed inside the cooling tank 9 ″ by two brine inlets and outlets 13 ″ and a partition wall disposed halfway along the longitudinal center line. Between adjacent cooling tanks 9 ", the entrance 13" is sequentially connected by a connecting pipe 11 ", and the cooling tanks 9" at both ends and the evaporator 7 "are connected by a circulation pipe 10". Accordingly, the pipeline cooled in contact with the refrigerant pipe 12 "provided in the evaporator 7" is transferred to the cooling tanks 9 "having a plurality of wall surfaces through the circulation pipe 10" and the connection pipe 11 ". The air in the vicinity of each cooling tank 9 "is cooled by heat transfer between the cooling tanks 9" cooled by the action of the brine.

 Although the above-mentioned prefabricated refrigerator is preferable in that it does not take the form of blowing cold air, it still has the following problems. In other words, since the surface of the cooling tank facing the refrigerator is flat, the contact area between the cooling tank and the air in the refrigerator is small, and efficient heat transfer is difficult to be performed. Therefore, in order to sufficiently cool the entire interior of the refrigerator, it is necessary to increase the number of cooling tanks to increase the contact area with the air in the refrigerator or to cool the brine considerably.

In order to increase the number of cooling tanks, it is conceivable to install cooling tanks on almost the entire surface of the refrigerator or in the middle of the refrigerator (for example, as a partition wall). In some cases, it may be difficult to implement, for example, it may be difficult to get things in and out. In addition, a brine circuit connected in series As the pressure increases, the flow path resistance increases and the pressure of the circulating pump increases, resulting in higher operating costs.

 If the temperature of the brine is significantly reduced, the material near the cooling tank may be too cold, and the quality of vegetables and the like may degrade due to the freezing of moisture. The operating costs naturally increase.

[Disclosure of the Invention]

 An object of the present invention is to solve the problems described above and to provide a refrigerated container or the like that can store and transport fresh foods such as vegetables while efficiently cooling them.

 The refrigerated container of the present invention is a refrigerated container for storing and refrigerated cargo (perishable foods, etc.), and a flow path for flowing brine (a solution used for indirect cooling; antifreeze, etc.) cooled by a cooler. A panel having cooling fins integrated outside the flow path is provided on a wall surface inside the container body (the side facing the room). From the viewpoint of enhancing the heat transfer characteristics, the above-mentioned flow path and the cooling fin are made of metal or the like.

 First, such refrigerated containers do not employ a cooling method that mainly blows out cold air, so that cargo such as vegetables can be protected from drying and excessive cooling. Therefore, vegetables can be stored refrigerated in a state where the quality does not easily deteriorate.

In addition, the fins for cooling are provided on the panel having the brine flow path, so the heat transfer area (effective area where heat is transferred between the panel and the air in the container) is large. In general, the amount of heat transferred on a panel is proportional to the total value of the heat transfer area. By providing fins, the amount of heat transferred to the air increases and the inside of the container can be cooled effectively. As a result, it is sufficient to install the panel on a part of the container As a result, the area used by the panel and the circulation length of the brine are small, and the temperature of the brine does not need to be excessively lowered. In other words, the advantage is that the production of refrigerated containers is easy and the operating costs are low. Because of the effective cooling, this refrigerated container can of course be used for freezing.

 Since a panel that integrates the flow path for the plumbing and cooling fins is used, this refrigerated container is based on a general box-shaped container without cooling function, and the panel is attached to the inner wall surface, etc. Another advantage is that it can be easily configured.

 The refrigerated container of the present invention further comprises a ridge-shaped (that is, a streak-shaped) pipe wall projecting inwardly of the container body at a constant interval (the interval is uniform). The cooling fins described above are connected to the adjacent pipe walls and the openings (long continuous openings or multiple openings scattered discontinuously) that connect between the front and back sides are assumed. It is preferable to use a strip-shaped plate provided.

 Such a refrigerated container can transfer heat through a particularly large area, and can more effectively cool the inside of the container. This is due to the fact that the pipe wall, which is the flow path of the brine, protrudes in a ridge shape and has a substantially large surface area, and the cooling fins are integrated with such a pipe wall to further increase the surface area for heat transfer. . Since the cooling fin has an opening communicating between the front and back surfaces as described above, the cooling fin can be cooled from both the front and back surfaces, and in that respect, the heat transfer area of the panel is effectively increased.

The ridge-shaped flow path can be easily formed by welding a metal plate that has been bent into a groove or mountain shape by pressing or the like, or a piece obtained by dividing (vertically dividing) a metal tube onto a flat plate. I can do it. The above-mentioned band-shaped cooling fins can also be obtained by drilling holes in a metal tube divided (vertically divided) or a band-shaped metal plate It can be easily formed. Since the fins can be integrated with the ridged tube wall easily by welding them along the longitudinal direction, it can be said that the above-mentioned panel can be easily manufactured at low cost.

 It is also possible to form an integral body of the cooling fin and the flow path (all or a part thereof) by extruding or drawing out an aluminum alloy or the like, depending on the shape of the panel. In such a case, the openings in the fins may be provided by machining or the like after the extrusion or drawing. If only a part of the panel including the cooling fins and the flow path can be formed by extrusion or drawing, a process of joining the parts obtained by molding to each other by welding or the like is also necessary, but the amount of welding (length) There are not many, and it is easy to manufacture.

 In the refrigerated container of the present invention, a plurality of the above panels are provided on the inner wall surface of one container body, and headers are respectively provided on a delivery side and a return side of the brine in a plumbing pipe connecting the cooler and each panel. It is desirable to provide a (shunt) and form an independent pipeline system between the two headers, for each panel, or for each panel group in which a plurality of panels are connected in series.

 In such a refrigerated container, since the brine flow paths are configured in parallel, the flow path resistance is small as a whole, and the pressure required for circulating the pipeline is low. Therefore, the cargo inside the container can be cooled effectively. In addition, since the flow path resistance is small, the fluctuation of the brine flow rate is small, and cooling can be performed uniformly.

There is also an advantage that piping work and subsequent handling are easy. For example, since the pipeline system of brine is independent as described above, it is not difficult to construct multiple pipeline systems simultaneously. Also, if an abnormality is detected by the flow meter or pressure gauge, it is easy to identify the location of the abnormality. In addition, even if there is a problem in some pipeline systems, the other systems will function normally without being affected, so that the refrigeration function will not be completely shut down and stable performance will be exhibited.

 In the refrigerated container of the present invention, it is particularly preferable to connect a gas-filled expansion tank to a part of a pipe of a line connecting the cooler and each panel. In this expansion tank, the volume of the charged gas changes according to the pressure of the brine, and accordingly, the thermal expansion of the brine is absorbed.

 Brine has an increase or decrease in volume due to temperature change.In such a refrigerated container, since the expansion tank acts as a buffer, the brine piping system can be configured as a closed type, and the depth corresponding to the brine pressure can be reduced. It is not necessary to connect an open-air tank with a high airflow. Therefore, the piping system can be easily moved, and thus this refrigerated container is particularly suitable as a transport container. It is also convenient for preventing dust that causes failure from entering the brine.

 The expansion tank is preferably connected to the header on the return side. If provided on the header, one expansion tank is directly connected to the flow path in each panel via a short path.If provided on the return side, the pressure on the pipeline is small and the load on the mounting location is small, Is the reason.

 More preferably, for the refrigerated container, a refrigerator for cooling the brine via a cooler with respect to the container body having the above-mentioned panel, and a brine supply means for circulating the brine through a pipeline including the cooler and the above-mentioned panel. It is good to assemble together.

 Such a refrigerated container is suitable for moving as a whole because it is all integrated, and is therefore highly preferred as a transport container.

The cooling and heating panel according to the present invention has a structure in which at least one surface on a flat plate flows inside. Ridge-shaped (ie, ridge-shaped) tube walls with body passages are connected in multiple lines, in parallel or in series, and arranged at regular intervals (not limited to uniform intervals). Between two adjacent pipe walls, connecting the pipe walls and integrating a strip-shaped plate with openings (long continuous openings or multiple openings interspersed discontinuously) connecting between the front and back as fins. Features.

 Such a cooling and heating panel can be cooled or heated in various rooms by flowing a low-temperature or high-temperature fluid through the pipe wall. Since the pipe wall is not flat and a plurality of ridges are arranged as described above and fins are attached to them as described above, the effective heat transfer area to air is large, Even if the external dimensions are small, it is possible to effectively cool and heat the room. The fact that heat can be transferred from the front and back surfaces of the fins also has the effect of increasing the heat transfer area and increasing the efficiency of cooling and heating.

 Also, this panel can be easily manufactured at low cost. This is because the ridge-shaped tube wall can be formed by pressing a metal plate or the like, and a band-shaped cooling fin can be easily formed by forming a hole in the band-shaped metal plate or the like. The two can be integrated easily by welding them along the longitudinal direction. It is also possible to integrally form the tube wall and the fins by using extrusion or drawing of an aluminum alloy or the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the embodiment of the invention, and is a perspective view showing the entire refrigerated container 1. FIG.

Fig. 2 shows the unfolding of the container body 2 with the two side walls facing outward. FIG. 3 is a system diagram showing a brine circulation path in a state.

 FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of the pipeline and the refrigerant in the refrigerated container 1.

 Fig. 4 shows the inner wall of the container body 2 and the panels 9 and the like. Fig. 4 (a) shows the details of the two panel groups written in the upper half in Fig. 2 (1). 4 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line bb in FIG. 4 (a).

 FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the details of the panel 9, and FIG. 5 (a) is a plan view showing a part of the panel 9 in detail (an enlarged view of a portion V in FIG. 4 (a)). FIG. 5 (b) and FIG. 5 (c) are a b-b cross-sectional view and a c-c cross-sectional view in FIG. 5 (a), respectively.

 FIG. 6 is a view showing details of the fins 20 attached to the panel 9. FIG. 6 (a) is a plan view of the fins 20, and FIG. 6 (b) and FIG. 6 (c), respectively. Is a bb arrow view and a c-c sectional view thereof.

 FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a conventional refrigerated container 1 ′.

 FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a conventional prefabricated refrigerator 1 ".

[Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The refrigerated container 1 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a refrigerator 3 on the back surface (the surface facing the door 2a) of the container body 2 composed of highly heat-insulating walls. Inside the side walls of the container body 2, five panels 9 in which brine circulates are fixed five by five. The five panels 9 constitute a group of panels for every two or three adjacent panels, and a plurality of panels 9 are connected in series by connecting pipes 11 for each panel group. In the refrigerated container 1, the brine is cooled by the action of the refrigerator 3, and the cooled low-temperature brine is The air and cargo in the container body 2 are cooled by circulating in each panel 9 for each group. As the brine, an antifreeze mixture of water and ethylene glycol is used, and the freezing temperature is set at around 120 ° C, and the circulation temperature in the panel 9 is used at around 15 ° C. As shown in FIG. 2, channels 17 are formed in each panel 9 in a zigzag manner to flow the pline, and the brine cools the air in the container body 2 while flowing in these channels. Then, proceed to the next panel 9 etc. via the attached connecting pipe 11.

 The circulation of brine to each panel 9 (panel group) is performed by the piping system 10X shown in Fig. 2. The piping system 10X sends the line cooled by the cooler 7 to the header 15A on the sending side, where it is branched into a plurality (four in the example in the figure) of circulation pipes 10a. It is distributed in parallel to each panel group through each pipe 10a. The brine that has passed through each panel group passes through the return circulation pipe 10b, is collected in one pipe by the return header 15B, and is sent to the cooler 7 again. In FIG. 2, reference numerals 15c and 15f denote opening control valves, which are connected to branch pipes of circulation pipes 10a and 10b, respectively.

Details of the piping system 10X between the headers 15A and 15B and the cooler 7 are as shown in FIG. Between the return header 15 B and the refrigerator 3, a circulation pump 14, which is a means for supplying brine, is provided as shown in the figure. The return header 15B is connected to an expansion tank 16 with a built-in bladder (elastic bag, not shown) filled with gas, and the change in brine volume due to temperature changes is applied to the brine piping. Avoid burden. In addition to the parts shown in the piping system 10X, a CVQ sensor 15a ゃ a-statt 15b, a strainer 15g, a pressure gauge 15h, and an absorber 15i are also connected. I have. The cooling system X included in the brine piping system 10 X is also connected to a piping system 3 X for circulating the refrigerant of the refrigerator 3. The brine is cooled by using the cooler 7, which is the evaporator in the refrigerator 3, as a heat exchanger between the refrigerant and the brine. In the refrigerator 3, the compressor 4, the condenser 5, the expansion valve 6, and the cooler (evaporator) 7 are connected in this order, and the receiver (liquid receiver) 3a, the filter dryer 3b, and the size Toglas 3c, solenoid valve 3d, CVQ 3e, accumulator 3f, etc. are also installed as shown in the figure.

 Details of panel 9 are shown in FIGS. 4 to 6.

First, as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), each panel 9 is formed with one channel 17 of a brine in a zigzag shape. That is, the linear portions are arranged in parallel, and the ends of the adjacent ones are connected alternately one after another to form a continuous groove-shaped flow path communicating in series. This allows the brine to flow through panel 9 with sufficient flow velocity. As shown in FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (c), the channel 17 in the panel 9 is formed by integrating a groove-shaped tube wall 18 on one side of the flat plate 19 in a ridge shape. ing. The flat plate 19 and the tube wall 18 are both made of stainless steel (SUS). Specifically, first, for the wall 18, a strip with a thickness of about 1.5 mm, a width of about 62 mm, and a length of about 900 mm was formed by pressing. As shown in (c), the cross section is bent to form a groove (U-shape). The width of the middle part (the right part in Fig. 5 (c)) is about 20mm, and the lower end (Fig. 5). (Left side of (c)) is to be formed in a groove shape with a leg width of about 30 mm. The tube wall 18 is placed on a stainless steel flat plate 19 of about 2 mm thickness, about 180 mm width and about 190 mm length, and about 10 mm next to each other. The distance between the legs (the distance between the legs) should be uniform and welded side by side. Further, the adjacent ends of the tube wall 18 are alternately arranged (that is, the left and right ends shown are alternated). 5) (a) to form one continuous channel 17 as shown in Fig. 5 (a). As shown in Fig. 5 (c), cooling fins 20 are integrated between the opposing side surfaces of the adjacent pipe walls 18. As shown in Fig. 5 (a), three fins 20 are attached to one straight line between the pipe walls 18 as shown in Fig. 5 (a). Each fin 20 has a thickness of 1 to 2 mm and a width of about 1 mm. It is made of a stainless steel plate with a length of 7 mm and a length of about 500 mm as shown in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 6 (c), the cross-sectional shape is a circular arc with curvature, the radius of curvature is about 10 mm, and the central angle is about 130 °. Also, a plurality of openings (holes) 2 of 2 mm x 8 mm penetrating through the front and back of the plate are formed at intervals of 20 mm in the length direction, and both sides of the fins 20 are formed. Let it cool down. The production of such fins 20 can be carried out by pressing, but it is also possible to add the machining of the opening 22 to a long piece obtained by dividing the stainless steel pipe in the longitudinal direction. is there. It is preferable to form a flat fin having no curvature and provide an opening 22 in the fin.

 When attaching the fins 20 to the tube wall 18, the side plates 21 provided at both ends of the fin 20 are inserted between the tube walls 18. In other words, as shown in Fig. 6 (c), the side plate 21 is inserted between the adjacent pipe walls 18 and fixed to the pipe wall 18 by welding, and then both side edges of the main body of the fin 20 are elongated. Weld on the surface of the tube wall 18 along the direction.

The refrigerated container 1 shown in Fig. 1 can load, unload, load, and transport the above-mentioned panel 9, equipment for supplying brine, refrigerator 3, etc. together with the container body 2 It is assembled as one. In panel 9, the low temperature brine flowing through the flow path 17 (see Fig. 5 etc.) in the pipe wall 18 cools the pipe wall 18 and the fins 20 and the container through the entire surface thereof. The air inside the main body 2 is cooled. Tube wall 18 Since the fins 20 have a surface area approximately three times the apparent area of the panel 9, the cooling inside the container body 2 shown in FIG. 1 is performed efficiently. Therefore, a sufficient cooling effect can be obtained only by disposing the panel 9 partially as shown in FIG. 1 without disposing the panel 9 on the entire inner wall surface of the container body 2. The refrigerated container 1 introduced can be a container having a freezing function, for example, by lowering the temperature of the brine or by using a cooling means of a cold air blowing type.

 Panel 9 that is the same as or similar to that used in the above example can also be used separately from refrigerated container 1, for example, circulating heated water or oil through channel 17 It can also be used for heating.

[Industrial applicability]

 This is particularly preferable when fresh food such as vegetables, which tend to deteriorate in quality when exposed to the blowing cold wind, is sufficiently cooled and stored or transported.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. A refrigerated container for storing and refrigerated cargo,

 A refrigerated container characterized in that a panel having a flow channel through which brine cooled by a cooler flows and cooling fins integrated outside the flow channel is provided on an inner wall surface of the container body. .

 2. The above-mentioned flow path of the panel is such that ridge-shaped pipe walls protruding inward of the container body are arranged on a flat plate at regular intervals, and the cooling fin is 2. The refrigerated container according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerated container is a band-shaped plate provided with an opening that connects between the front and back sides.

 3. A plurality of the above panels are provided on the inner wall surface of one container body, and headers are provided on each of the brine delivery side and return side of the brine piping connecting the cooler and each panel. An independent pipeline system is formed for each panel between the two headers or for each panel group in which a plurality of panels are connected in series. Refrigerated container according to paragraph 2.

 4. The refrigerated container according to claim 1, wherein a gas-sealed expansion tank is connected to a part of a brine pipe connecting the cooler and each panel.

 5. The refrigerated container according to claim 2, wherein a gas-sealed expansion tank is connected to a part of a brine pipe connecting the cooler and each panel.

6. The refrigerated container according to claim 3, wherein a gas-sealed expansion tank is connected to a part of a brine pipe connecting the cooler and each panel.

7. With respect to the container body having the above-mentioned panel, a refrigerator for cooling the brine via a cooler, and a brine supply means for circulating the brine through a pipeline including the cooler and the panel are integrally formed. The refrigerated container according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, wherein the refrigerated container is assembled.

 8. With respect to the container body having the above-mentioned panel, a refrigerator for cooling the pipeline through a cooler, and a brine supply means for circulating the brine through a pipeline including the cooler and the panel are integrally formed. 4. The refrigerated container according to claim 3, wherein the refrigerated container is assembled.

 9. On at least one surface of the flat plate, a plurality of ridge-shaped tube walls each having a fluid passage inside are connected in parallel or in series and arranged at regular intervals, between each two adjacent tube walls. A cooling / heating panel characterized in that a band-like plate having an opening that connects between the pipe walls and communicates between the front and back is integrated as a fin.