A steam separation device and a cooking appliance with steaming function

Abstract

This invention relates to a steam separation device and a cooking appliance with a steaming function, comprising: a separation chamber, extending horizontally and in a tubular shape; an air inlet, located on the side wall of the separation chamber and fluidly connected to the steam outlet of a steam generator, wherein steam enters the separation chamber through the air inlet and vortexes around the axis of the separation chamber; a first air outlet, the first end port of the separation chamber for lower-temperature steam molecules to flow out, and connected to the outside; a second air outlet, the second end port of the separation chamber for higher-temperature steam molecules to flow out, and fluidly connected to the steam inlet of the cooking inner pot; and a baffle wall, centrally located at the second end of the separation chamber along its cross-sectional direction. This invention improves cooking efficiency by separating steam, allowing higher-temperature steam to enter the cooking inner pot for cooking food, and obtains superheated steam without the need for a separate heating device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of cooking equipment, and more particularly to a steam separation device and a cooking equipment with a steaming function. Background Technology

[0002] Steam ovens and other cooking appliances with steaming functions use steam to heat food. There are two sources of steam: First, steam generated by an external steam generator is input into the inner liner, as seen in Chinese invention patents ZL202010887603.3 (authorization announcement number CN112120521B) and ZL201910471196.5 (authorization announcement number CN112006529B). Second, water from a water tank is directly input into the inner liner, and a heating plate heats the water to generate steam, as seen in Chinese utility model patents ZL202120331807.9 (authorization announcement number CN217218730U) and ZL202010620846.0 (authorization announcement number CN111820728A).

[0003] The steam input into the inner pot from the external steam generator includes both high-temperature and low-temperature steam molecules. The low-temperature steam molecules entering the inner pot can affect cooking efficiency, and the mixing of the two types of steam molecules accelerates steam condensation (accelerates the formation of condensation nuclei), thus affecting the steam's thermal efficiency. Furthermore, superheated steam (temperature exceeding 100°C) achieves better cooking results when heating dishes that are difficult to cook (such as steamed pork with rice flour). Current technology typically uses a separate heating element in the inner pot to obtain superheated steam, using the heat generated by this element to reheat the steam in the inner pot to obtain superheated steam with a temperature greater than 100°C. However, this method of obtaining superheated steam has a drawback: the heat generated by the additional heating element in the inner pot directly heats the food, evaporating the moisture contained in the heated food, ultimately affecting the food's texture. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The first technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a steam separation device that can separate steam and prevent low-temperature steam molecules from entering the inner liner, in contrast to the prior art.

[0005] The second technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a cooking device having the above-mentioned steam separation device, in contrast to the prior art.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the first technical problem mentioned above is: a steam separation device, characterized in that it comprises:

[0007] The separation chamber extends horizontally and is tubular in shape;

[0008] The air inlet is located on the side wall of the separation chamber and is in fluid communication with the steam outlet of the steam generator. After the steam enters the separation chamber through the air inlet, it vortexes around the axis of the separation chamber.

[0009] The first outlet is the first end port of the separation chamber, allowing lower temperature vapor molecules to flow out and communicating with the outside.

[0010] The second air outlet is the second end port of the separation chamber and allows higher temperature steam molecules to flow out. It is also used to fluidly communicate with the steam inlet of the cooking inner pot.

[0011] The baffle is centrally located at the second end of the separation chamber, along the cross-sectional direction of the separation chamber.

[0012] Furthermore, the axis of the air inlet is offset from the axis of the separation chamber. This allows the steam entering the separation chamber through the air inlet to undergo a vortex motion centered on the axis of the separation chamber.

[0013] Furthermore, an air outlet pipe, coaxially aligned with the separation chamber, is connected to the second air outlet in the separation chamber. The free end of the air outlet pipe is closed, and the end wall of the free end constitutes the aforementioned baffle.

[0014] Furthermore, the exhaust pipe is provided with a first air inlet and a second air inlet. The first air inlet is located adjacent to the aforementioned baffle wall and spaced apart circumferentially, while the second air inlet is located adjacent to the aforementioned second exhaust port and spaced apart circumferentially. In this way, after the higher-temperature steam molecules in the outer ring of the separator enter the circumferential annular gap between the exhaust pipe and the side wall of the separator, water vapor molecules with a spiral inward tendency among the higher-temperature steam molecules enter the exhaust pipe through the first air inlet and condense in the exhaust pipe. The remaining higher-temperature steam molecules continue to move axially and enter the exhaust pipe through the second air inlet, and finally flow out from the second exhaust port, thereby achieving secondary separation of the higher-temperature steam in the outer ring of the separator.

[0015] Furthermore, baffles are spaced along the length of the circumferential annular gap between the outer surface of the vent pipe and the side wall of the separation chamber. Each baffle extends axially and is located between the first and second air inlets, with connected baffles forming air guide channels. This allows the higher-temperature steam from the outer perimeter of the separation chamber, after secondary separation, to flow rapidly along the air guide channels to the second air inlet. This increases the air intake speed of the second air inlet, thereby increasing the air intake speed of the cooking inner pot. It also ensures that steam molecules flow in a unidirectional manner, reducing collisions and condensation between steam molecules during the flow.

[0016] Furthermore, the outer surface of the exhaust pipe is provided with the aforementioned baffles, each baffle being evenly spaced along the circumference of the outer surface of the exhaust pipe and abutting against the side wall of the separation chamber to form the aforementioned air guiding channel. This effectively forms an air guiding channel between the exhaust pipe and the side wall of the separation chamber.

[0017] Furthermore, the diameter of each of the first air inlets is smaller than that of the second air inlets. This ensures that the air pressure at each of the first air inlets is greater than that at each of the second air inlets, effectively preventing other high-temperature vapor molecules (excluding water vapor molecules) from entering the first air inlets from the high-temperature vapor molecules in the outer ring of the separator.

[0018] Furthermore, the baffle wall protrudes outward and forms grooves on its inner surface. This reduces the flow of water vapor molecules entering through the first air inlet, preventing remixing with the higher-temperature steam entering through the second air inlet, and also increases the effective volume of the exhaust pipe.

[0019] Furthermore, the groove is conical with the axis of the exhaust pipe as its center. This allows water vapor molecules entering through the first air inlet to move and condense in a regular manner, preventing disruption of the higher-temperature steam flow entering through the second air inlet.

[0020] Furthermore, the diameter of the pipe at the first end of the separation chamber increases from the inside to the outside, that is, the first end of the separation chamber is funnel-shaped. After the steam molecules entering through the inlet are stratified, the higher temperature steam molecules in the outer ring are blocked by the side wall of the first end of the separation chamber and turn to move towards the second end, thus avoiding the loss of higher temperature steam molecules. At the same time, the lower temperature steam molecules in the inner ring of the separation chamber are discharged from the first outlet through the first end of the separation chamber.

[0021] Furthermore, the inner circumferential surface at the smallest diameter point of the first end of the separation chamber is concave outward to form an annular groove, and the aforementioned air inlet is located in this annular groove. On the one hand, the annular groove guides the steam entering through the air inlet; on the other hand, one side wall of the annular groove forms the starting point of the trumpet section at the first end of the separation chamber, thereby enabling steam molecules moving towards the first end of the separation chamber to better stratify.

[0022] Furthermore, the width of the annular groove decreases from one end where the air inlet is located to the other end along the airflow direction, so that the steam molecules entering the annular groove from the air inlet can better undergo vortex motion.

[0023] Furthermore, the rim of the air inlet extends outward in the circumferential direction to form an air inlet interface extending along the axial direction of the air inlet. By setting the air inlet interface, it is convenient to connect the air inlet to the steam outlet of the steam generator through a pipeline. On the other hand, it can rectify the steam molecules before they enter the air inlet, so that they enter the air inlet in a regular flow with a certain kinetic energy, thereby better ensuring that the steam molecules entering the air inlet undergo vortex motion.

[0024] The technical solution adopted to further solve the second technical problem mentioned above is: a cooking device, characterized in that it includes a steam separation device as described above.

[0025] Furthermore, an exhaust channel for venting gas from the inner pot is provided on the upper part of the cooking inner pot. The exhaust channel is equipped with an exhaust fan, and the first air outlet of the separation chamber is in fluid communication with the air inlet of the exhaust channel.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of this invention are as follows: The separation chamber of this invention is respectively provided with an air inlet, a first air outlet, and a second air outlet. Steam enters the separation chamber through the air inlet and vortexes around the axis of the separation chamber. Steam molecules stratify; higher-temperature steam molecules move faster and reach the outer ring of the separation chamber, flowing out through the second air outlet through the circumferential gap between the baffle and the separation chamber and entering the cooking inner pot. Lower-temperature steam molecules move slower and reach the inner ring of the separation chamber, where they are blocked by the baffle and turn towards the first air outlet, exiting through it. This steam separation allows higher-temperature steam to enter the cooking inner pot for cooking food, thereby improving cooking efficiency. Furthermore, under certain conditions (when the steam generator overheats the steam), steam separation allows higher-temperature steam to enter the cooking inner pot, achieving a superheated steam heating effect within the cooking inner pot, solving the problem in the prior art where generating superheated steam requires a separate heating device, which affects cooking performance. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cooking device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the steam separation device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure from another direction;

[0030] Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the steam separation device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 for Figure 3 A cross-sectional view along the AA direction;

[0032] Figure 6 for Figure 3 A cross-sectional view along the BB direction. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0034] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships, are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Since the embodiments disclosed in this invention can be arranged in different directions, these terms indicating direction are only for illustration and should not be regarded as limitations. For example, "upper" and "lower" are not necessarily limited to directions opposite to or consistent with the direction of gravity. In addition, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, a cooking appliance with a steaming function includes a cooking inner pot 1, which has a steam inlet 11 and an exhaust port (not shown). An exhaust channel 2 is provided above the cooking inner pot 1, and an exhaust fan 3 is installed on the air inlet of the exhaust channel 2. During cooking, excess gas in the cooking inner pot 1 is discharged through the exhaust port and the exhaust channel 2. Furthermore, a steam generator 4 is provided on one side of the cooking inner pot 1, and the steam generated by the steam generator 4 is input into the inner pot 1 through the steam inlet 11.

[0036] Furthermore, it also includes a steam separation device 5 disposed on one side of the aforementioned cooking inner pot 1, such as... Figures 2-6 As shown, the steam separation device 5 includes a horizontally extending, tubular separation chamber 7. An air inlet 71 is provided on the side wall of the separation chamber 7, which is in fluid communication with the steam outlet (not shown) of the steam generator 4. Steam enters the separation chamber 7 through the air inlet 71 and vortexes around the axis of the separation chamber 7. The first end port of the separation chamber 7 is a first air outlet 72 for lower-temperature steam molecules to flow out, while the second end port is a second air outlet 73 for higher-temperature steam molecules to flow out. The first air outlet 72 is open to the outside, while the second air outlet 73 is in fluid communication with the steam inlet 11 of the cooking inner pot 1. Furthermore, a baffle wall 81 is centrally located at the second end of the separation chamber 7 along its cross-sectional direction, with a circumferential gap between the periphery of the baffle wall 81 and the inner surface of the second end of the separation chamber 7.

[0037] As can be seen from the above, the separation chamber 7 of this invention is provided with an air inlet 71, a first air outlet 72, and a second air outlet 73. Steam enters the separation chamber 7 through the air inlet 71 and vortexes around the axis of the separation chamber 7. The steam molecules separate into layers. The higher-temperature steam molecules move faster and reach the outer ring of the separation chamber 7. They then flow out through the second air outlet 73 through the circumferential gap between the baffle wall 81 and the separation chamber 7 and enter the cooking inner pot 1. The lower-temperature steam molecules move slower and reach the inner ring of the separation chamber 7. They are blocked by the baffle wall 81 and turn towards the first air outlet 72, and are discharged through the first air outlet 72. In this way, by separating the steam, the higher-temperature steam enters the cooking inner pot 1 for cooking food, thereby improving cooking efficiency. Furthermore, under certain conditions (when the steam generator 4 overheats the steam), by separating the steam, the higher-temperature steam enters the cooking inner pot 1, which can achieve the heating effect of overheated steam in the cooking inner pot 1, thus solving the problem that the existing technology requires a separate heating device to generate overheated steam and that this will affect the cooking effect.

[0038] Furthermore, the axis of the air inlet 71 is offset from the axis of the separation chamber 7, so that after the steam enters the separation chamber 7 through the air inlet 71, it can generate a vortex motion in the separation chamber 7 with the axis of the separation chamber 7 as the center.

[0039] Furthermore, an outlet pipe 8, coaxially arranged with the separation chamber 7, is connected to the second outlet 73 in the separation chamber 7. The free end of the outlet pipe 8 is closed, and the end wall of the free end forms the baffle 81. The outlet pipe 8 is provided with a first inlet 82 and a second inlet 83. The first inlet 82 is adjacent to the baffle 81 and spaced circumferentially, while the second inlet 83 is adjacent to the second outlet 73 and spaced circumferentially. Thus, when the higher-temperature steam molecules spiraling in the outer ring of the separation chamber 7 enter the circumferential annular gap between the outlet pipe 8 and the side wall of the separation chamber 7, water vapor molecules with a spiral inward tendency enter the outlet pipe 8 through the first inlet 82 and condense in the outlet pipe 8. The remaining higher-temperature steam molecules continue to move axially and enter the outlet pipe 8 through the second inlet 83, finally flowing out from the second outlet 73, thereby achieving secondary separation of the higher-temperature steam in the outer ring of the separation chamber 7.

[0040] Furthermore, such as Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, baffles 9 are spaced along the length of the circumferential annular gap between the outer surface of the exhaust pipe 8 and the side wall of the separation chamber 7. Each baffle 9 extends axially and is located between the first air inlet 82 and the second air inlet 83, and the connected baffles 9 form air guiding channels 10. In this way, the high-temperature steam that has undergone secondary separation on the outer ring of the separation chamber 7 can flow quickly to the second air inlet 83 along the air guiding channels 10. On the one hand, this can increase the air intake speed of the second air inlet 83, thereby increasing the air intake speed of the cooking inner pot 1. On the other hand, it can make the steam molecules flow in a regular direction, reducing the collision and condensation between steam molecules during the flow. Preferably, in this embodiment, the baffles 9 are protruding from the outer surface of the exhaust pipe 8. Each baffle 9 is evenly spaced along the circumferential direction of the outer surface of the exhaust pipe 8 and abuts against the side wall of the separation chamber 7 to form the air guiding channels 10, thereby forming the air guiding channels 10 between the exhaust pipe 8 and the side wall of the separation chamber 7.

[0041] Furthermore, preferably, the diameter of each of the first air inlets 82 is smaller than that of the second air inlets 83, so that the air pressure at each of the first air inlets 82 is greater than that at each of the second air inlets 83, effectively preventing other high-temperature steam molecules, except water vapor molecules, from entering the first air inlets 82 in the outer ring of the separation chamber 7.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the aforementioned baffle 81 protrudes outward, forming a groove 811 on its inner surface. This reduces the flow of water vapor molecules entering through the first air inlet 82, preventing remixing with the higher-temperature steam entering through the second air inlet 83, and also increases the effective volume of the exhaust pipe 8. Preferably, the groove 811 is conical with the axis of the exhaust pipe 8 as its center. This allows the water vapor molecules entering through the first air inlet 82 to move regularly and condense, preventing disturbance to the flow of higher-temperature steam entering through the second air inlet 83.

[0043] Furthermore, such as Figure 5 As shown, the diameter of the first end of the separation chamber 7 increases from the inside to the outside, that is, the first end of the separation chamber 7 is funnel-shaped. After the steam molecules entering through the air inlet 71 are stratified, the higher temperature steam molecules in the outer ring are blocked by the side wall of the first end of the separation chamber 7 and turn to move towards the second end, thus avoiding the loss of higher temperature steam molecules. At the same time, the lower temperature steam molecules in the inner ring of the separation chamber 7 are discharged through the first air outlet 72 through the first end of the separation chamber 7.

[0044] Furthermore, such as Figure 5As shown, the inner circumferential surface at the smallest diameter point of the first end of the separation chamber 7 is concave outward to form an annular groove 74, and the air inlet 71 is opened in this annular groove 74. On the one hand, the annular groove 74 can guide the steam entering through the air inlet 71; on the other hand, one side wall of the annular groove 74 forms the beginning of the trumpet section of the first end of the separation chamber 7, thereby enabling the steam molecules moving towards the first end of the separation chamber 7 to better stratify.

[0045] Preferably, such as Figure 6 As shown, the width of the annular groove 74 decreases from one end of the air inlet 71 to the other along the airflow direction, allowing steam molecules entering the annular groove 74 through the air inlet 71 to undergo vortex motion more effectively. More preferably, the rim of the air inlet 71 extends outward circumferentially to form an air inlet interface 711 extending along the axial direction of the air inlet 71. By providing the air inlet interface 711, it facilitates connection between the air inlet 71 and the steam outlet of the steam generator 4 via a pipeline. Furthermore, it allows for the rectification of steam molecules before they enter the air inlet 71, ensuring they enter the air inlet 71 in a regular flow with a certain kinetic energy, thereby better guaranteeing that the steam molecules entering through the air inlet 71 undergo vortex motion.

[0046] In this embodiment, the steam separation device 5 includes a steam separation pipe 6, the interior of which forms the separation chamber 7, and the steam separation pipe 6 has a split structure, consisting of, for example... Figure 4 The four parts shown are assembled together. The steam separation device 5 is located at the rear of the inner liner 1, while the steam generator 4 is located on the right side of the inner liner 1. The steam outlet of the steam generator 4 is connected to the air inlet 711 of the air inlet 71 via the steam inlet pipe 41. The first air outlet 72 of the separation chamber 7 is connected to the air inlet of the exhaust fan 3 via the first air guide pipe 721, and the second air outlet 73 of the separation chamber 7 is connected to the steam inlet 11 of the inner liner 1 via the second air guide pipe 731.

[0047] The term "fluid connectivity" as used in this invention refers to the spatial relationship between two components or parts, collectively referred to as the first part and the second part, meaning that a fluid, gas, liquid, or a mixture of both can flow from the first part along a flow path and / or be transported to the second part. This can be a direct connection between the first and second parts, or an indirect connection between the first and second parts through at least one third party. This third party can be a fluid channel such as a pipe, channel, conduit, guide, hole, or groove, or a chamber that allows fluid to flow through, or a combination of the above.

Claims

1. A steam separation device, characterized by, The steam separation device comprises: a separation chamber (7) extending horizontally and in a tubular shape; an inlet (71) formed in a side wall of the separation chamber (7) and in fluid communication with a steam outlet of a steam generator (4), and steam entering the separation chamber (7) from the inlet (71) performs a vortex motion around an axis of the separation chamber (7); a first outlet (72) being a first end port of the separation chamber (7) and allowing lower-temperature steam molecules to flow out and communicate with the outside; a second outlet (73) being a second end port of the separation chamber (7) and allowing higher-temperature steam molecules to flow out and communicate with a steam inlet (11) of a cooking liner (1); a baffle wall (81) centrally arranged in the second end of the separation chamber (7) along a cross-sectional direction of the separation chamber (7); the separation chamber (7) is connected with an outlet pipe (8) coaxial with the separation chamber (7) at the second outlet (73), a free end of the outlet pipe (8) is closed, and an end wall of the free end constitutes the baffle wall (81), and the outlet pipe (8) is respectively provided with a first inlet hole (82) and a second inlet hole (83), wherein the first inlet hole (82) is adjacent to the baffle wall (81) and is arranged in a circumferential direction at intervals, and the second inlet hole (83) is adjacent to the second outlet (73) and is arranged in a circumferential direction at intervals, a baffle strip (9) is arranged in a circumferential annular gap between an outer surface of the outlet pipe (8) and a side wall of the separation chamber (7) in a length direction, each baffle strip (9) extends in an axial direction and is located between the first inlet hole (82) and the second inlet hole (83), and a gas guide channel (10) is formed between the baffle strips (9).

2. The steam separation device of claim 1, wherein, An axis of the inlet (71) is offset from an axis of the separation chamber (7).

3. The steam separation device of claim 1, wherein, The baffle strips (9) are arranged on the outer surface of the outlet pipe (8) in a circumferential direction at intervals, and each baffle strip (9) abuts against the side wall of the separation chamber (7) to form the gas guide channel (10).

4. The steam separating device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein A diameter of each first inlet hole (82) is smaller than that of each second inlet hole (83).

5. The steam separating device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein The baffle wall (81) is convex and forms a groove (811) on an inner surface thereof.

6. The steam separation apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The groove (811) is in a conical shape with the axis of the outlet pipe (8) as a center.

7. The steam separation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein A pipe diameter of a first end of the separation chamber (7) increases from inside to outside.

8. The steam separation apparatus of claim 7, wherein, An inner circumferential surface of a smallest part of the pipe diameter of the first end of the separation chamber (7) is outwardly concave in a circumferential direction to form an annular groove (74), and the inlet (71) is formed in the annular groove (74).

9. The steam separation apparatus of claim 8, wherein, A width of the annular groove (74) decreases from one end of the inlet (71) to the other end in a gas flow direction.

10. The steam separating device of claim 1, wherein, An edge of the inlet (71) extends outwardly in a circumferential direction to form an inlet interface (711) extending in a direction of an axis of the inlet (71).

11. A cooking apparatus comprising a cooking liner (1), characterized in that, The steam separation device according to any one of claims 1-10 is further provided.

12. The cooking apparatus of claim 11, wherein, The cooking liner (1) is provided with an exhaust passage (2) for the exhaust of gas from the liner (1), the exhaust passage (2) being provided with an exhaust fan (3), and the first gas outlet (72) of the separation chamber (7) is in fluid communication with the air inlet of the exhaust passage (2).

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