Anti-explosion flash vacuum cooling system with built-in dynamic motion device

Abstract

The invention discloses an anti-explosion-flash vacuum cooling system with a built-in dynamic movement device. The core of the anti-explosion-flash vacuum cooling system is that a stirring and rotating dual-mode heat exchange mechanism is integrated through a circular vacuum box body. The stirring assembly is used for forced convection of liquid materials, the rotating assembly is used for overall overturning of viscous materials, food-grade silica gel static sealing and mechanical dynamic sealing are matched, and the problem that in traditional vacuum cooling, liquid and viscous food are splashed due to explosion flash of water vapor in the liquid and viscous food is solved. Dynamic vacuum cooling equipment is arranged in the equipment, so that food can be quickly cooled, and the temperature reduction uniformity is excellent. An automatic feeding and discharging system and dynamic cooling control are integrated, full-automatic operation can be achieved in butt joint with a food production line, the energy consumption is reduced by 30%, the occupied area is reduced by 40%, the application scene of the vacuum cooling technology in the field of multi-form food such as sauce and stuffing is remarkably expanded, and the advantages of being efficient, energy-saving and intelligent are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This article relates to a flash-proof vacuum cooling system with a built-in dynamic motion device. Background Art

[0002] In the field of food processing, the cooling speed and quality of cooked food directly affect product quality and shelf life. Traditional cooling methods (such as natural cooling, cold storage cooling, air-conditioning cooling, cooling tunnels, etc.) generally have defects such as long cooling time, large temperature difference between inside and outside, high energy consumption, and large floor space. In addition, cold air circulation or contact operation can easily lead to "secondary contamination" and excessive bacteria.

[0003] As a rapid evaporative cooling solution, vacuum cooling technology places cooked food in a sealed vacuum box and uses vacuum to reduce pressure to evaporate the water inside the food at low pressure to absorb heat for cooling. It has the advantages of fast cooling speed, uniform temperature drop, no secondary pollution, small footprint, and low energy consumption. It has gradually become a key technology for rapid cooling of cooked food. However, this technology still has significant bottlenecks in its application: when traditional vacuum cooling methods are used to cool liquid or thick products (such as brine, bean paste, sauces, etc.), serious splashing and overflow are very likely to occur, resulting in cooling failure.

[0004] The root of this problem lies in the principle characteristics of vacuum cooling: in a low-pressure environment, the cooled object needs to absorb a lot of heat to quickly evaporate a small amount of water inside, but there is a lack of good water vapor evaporation channels inside liquid or viscous materials, and the materials in traditional equipment are in a static state, so the internal water vapor can only break through the surface through "explosive flash", causing violent splashing. At present, the application of vacuum cooling technology in the field of liquids and high-viscosity materials is still a recognized problem in the industry, which greatly limits its scope of application in food processing.

[0005] In the prior art, vacuum cooling equipment mostly adopts a static cooling mode, and does not design a dynamic heat exchange mechanism for the material form, resulting in the inability to effectively control splashing. At the same time, traditional equipment generally has problems such as insufficient sealing reliability and difficulty in docking with automated production lines, making it difficult to meet the needs of the modern food industry for continuous and intelligent production. Therefore, the development of a vacuum cooling equipment that can dynamically control the heat exchange process and adapt to a variety of material forms has become a technical problem that the industry needs to solve urgently. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cooling device and method that can dynamically regulate material movement and accurately control the cooling process, in order to address the problems of splashing, overflowing, insufficient heat exchange, etc. in traditional vacuum cooling technology in liquid and viscous materials, expand the application field of vacuum cooling technology, and realize efficient and automated food processing.

[0007] The specific technical solutions are as follows: An explosion-proof flash vacuum cooling system with a built-in dynamic motion device includes the following main components: The vacuum box is used to place liquid or viscous materials to be vacuum cooled; The dynamic heat exchange mechanism includes a stirring component and a rotating component, wherein the stirring component is used for internal convection mixing of liquid materials, and the rotating component is used for overall turning of viscous materials; A vacuum system, comprising a vacuum pump and a sensor module, wherein the vacuum pump is connected to the vacuum box through a pipeline; The sealing system includes a food-grade silicone static seal and a mechanical seal. The food-grade silicone static seal and the mechanical seal are used for dynamic sealing of the stirring shaft and the rotating shaft components; and control systems.

[0008] In order to better allow the viscous material to move fully and release the water vapor inside the viscous material, the rotating assembly includes an active device located in the middle and auxiliary limit devices located on both sides of the active device; The active device includes a driven gear located outside the vacuum box and a driving gear meshing with the driven gear, and the input end of the driving gear is connected to the motor and the reducer. In order to make the material flip more fully, the inner wall of the vacuum box is provided with a guide groove, the protruding height of the guide groove is 5-15mm, and the distance is 100-300mm.

[0009] In order to meet the requirements of automated production and increase the cooling capacity of a single time, the cross-section of the vacuum box is circular. It adopts a cylindrical sealing design, the inner wall is polished and made of 304 food-grade stainless steel, which is directly used as a material container.

[0010] The volume can be designed to be 50-500L according to the needs of the production line. The inner wall of the box is provided with protrusions to guide the movement of the internal materials, thereby enhancing the heat exchange efficiency.

[0011] The cooling method of the explosion-proof flash vacuum cooling system with a built-in dynamic motion device comprises the following steps: S1. Determine the appropriate movement mode according to the type of material to be vacuum cooled; S2. Put liquid or viscous cooked food into a specific vacuum box; S3. Based on the material type and initial temperature, different heat exchange modes are selected to start. For liquid materials, the stirring component is used, and for viscous materials, the rotating component is used. S4. When the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the material is lower than the set temperature, the vacuum system and moving parts are stopped, and the material is unloaded through the automatic feeding and discharging system.

[0012] In the automated production process, the cooling method flow is as follows: S11. Parameter setting: Input material parameters through the human-machine interface, and the control system calls the algorithm model to calculate the optimal cooling parameters (such as stirring speed 150 r / min, rotation angle 45°, vacuum degree 550 Pa).

[0013] S21. Feeding stage: Convey the material to the feeding port of the vacuum chamber through the conveyor belt. After the photoelectric sensor detects that the material is in place, the feeding valve is automatically closed.

[0014] S31. Vacuum establishment stage: Start the vacuum pump and reduce the pressure in the chamber to the target value (below 600 Pa) within 5 - 10 minutes. At the same time, turn on the temperature sensor to monitor the material temperature in real time.

[0015] S41. Dynamic cooling stage: ① For liquid materials: The stirring paddle runs at the set speed (such as 150 r / min) to form a stable evaporation surface on the material surface, and the internal water vapor rises orderly through the diversion groove to avoid flashover.

[0016] ② For viscous materials: The chamber tilts and rotates at the set angle and speed (such as 45°, 30 r / min), and the overall heat exchange between the inside and outside of the material is realized through the overall turnover of the material.

[0017] S51. Discharging stage: When the temperature sensor detects that the material temperature ≤ 10 °C, the vacuum pump stops and sterile air is introduced to break the vacuum. The automatic discharge valve (pneumatically controlled, opening time ≤ 3 seconds) opens, and the material enters the next process through the conveyor belt.

[0018] Furthermore, in step S3, the running time of the stirring component is 10 - 20 minutes, the running time of the rotating component is 15 - 25 minutes, and the amount of material splashing on the surface during the cooling process ≤ 5%.

[0019] Furthermore, the system also includes a cleaning module. The cleaning module includes multiple cleaning nozzles arranged on the inner wall of the vacuum chamber. The spraying angle of the cleaning nozzles is 120 - 180°, and the cleaning pressure is 0.5 - 2 MPa, which is used to automatically clean the inside of the vacuum chamber.

[0020] Furthermore, an automatic discharge valve is provided at the bottom of the vacuum chamber, and the automatic discharge valve adopts an electric or pneumatic control method. Beneficial effects

[0021] This solution significantly breaks through the bottleneck of traditional vacuum cooling technology through dynamic heat exchange and multiple technological innovations. On the one hand, through the dual-mode dynamic heat exchange mechanism of stirring and rotation, the internal heat convection of liquid materials is enhanced, and the viscous materials are evenly turned over as a whole. The water vapor evaporation is controlled on the surface, completely solving the problem of splashing and overflow caused by internal water vapor flashover in traditional static cooling.

[0022] Among them, during the cooling process, the liquid splashing amount is less than 5%, and the viscous material is less than 3%. The integrity rate of the material appearance is increased by more than 90%. At the same time, rapid cooling from 80 °C to 10 °C is achieved, which can basically meet the cooling requirements of the vast majority of foods. Moreover, the temperature drop uniformity error is greatly improved, which can significantly improve the cooling efficiency and quality stability. Description of the Drawings

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of an explosion-proof flash vacuum cooling device with an internal motion device for processing liquid materials; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of an explosion-proof flash vacuum cooling device with an internal motion device for processing viscous materials; 1. Vacuum chamber, 2. Stirring assembly, 3. Support assembly, 4. Pipeline, 5. Sensor module, 6. Rotating assembly. Detailed Implementation Manner

[0024] In order to deepen the understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below in combination with embodiments and drawings. The embodiments are only used to explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation to the protection scope of the present invention.

[0025] Embodiment 1: Vacuum cooling of liquid materials (brine) 1. Equipment parameter setting Volume of the vacuum chamber: 200 L Initial material state: 80 °C brine (viscosity 100 mPa·s), loading volume 150 L Calculation parameters of the algorithm model: stirring speed 150 r / min, vacuum degree 500 Pa, cooling time 18 min 2. Operation process The brine is injected into the vacuum chamber through a centrifugal pump, and the feed valve is closed; The vacuum pump is started, and the pressure in the chamber drops to 500 Pa within 6 min, and the stirring motor is started synchronously; The spiral ribbon impeller drives the brine to form a spiral upward flow, the surface water vapor evaporates evenly, and the diversion groove guides the liquid to form a turbulent flow without obvious splashing; The temperature sensor shows that the temperature of the brine drops to 9 °C after 18 min, the vacuum pump stops, and sterile air is introduced to break the vacuum; The pneumatic discharge valve is opened (opening time 2 s), and the cooled brine is transported to the filling line through a pipeline.

[0026] 3. Effect verification During the cooling process, the splashing amount is 3.8%, which is much lower than the 25% splashing rate of traditional static vacuum cooling; The temperature difference between the upper and lower layers of the brine is ≤0.8 °C, and the cooling uniformity is excellent.

[0027] Example 2: Vacuum Cooling of Viscous Materials (Red Bean Paste Filling) 1. Equipment Parameter Settings Vacuum Chamber Volume: 100L Initial Material State: Red bean paste filling at 75°C (viscosity 8000 mPa·s), loading capacity 80 kg Calculation Parameters of the Algorithm Model: Rotation Angle 45°, Rotation Speed 30 r / min, Vacuum Degree 550 Pa, Cooling Time 22 min 2. Operation Process The red bean paste filling is loaded into the vacuum chamber through a screw conveyor, and the feed valve is closed; The vacuum pump is started, and the pressure inside the chamber drops to 550 Pa within 8 min, and the chamber starts to tilt and rotate; The red bean paste filling forms an overall displacement as the chamber flips, and the internal water vapor slowly evaporates through the surface without bursting and splashing; The temperature sensor shows that the temperature of the red bean paste filling drops to 8°C after 22 min, and the system automatically shuts down; The chamber returns to the horizontal state, the discharge valve is opened, and the red bean paste filling is unloaded to the molding machine through a scraper.

[0028] 3. Effect Verification There are no obvious cracks or overflows on the surface during the cooling process, and the splashing amount ≤ 2%; The temperature difference between the center and the edge of the red bean paste filling ≤ 1.2°C, meeting the process requirements.

[0029] It should be emphasized that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention can be modified or equivalently replaced, and these modifications and replacements should all be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An explosion-proof flash vacuum cooling system with a built-in dynamic motion device, characterized in that, Comprising: A vacuum chamber for placing liquid materials or viscous materials to be vacuum cooled; A dynamic heat exchange mechanism, including a stirring component and a rotating component, the stirring component is used for internal convective mixing of liquid materials, and the rotating component is used for overall flipping of viscous materials; A vacuum system, including a vacuum pump and a sensor module, the vacuum pump is connected to the vacuum chamber through a pipeline; A sealing system, including food-grade silicone static sealing and mechanical sealing, the food-grade silicone static sealing and the mechanical sealing are used for dynamic sealing of stirring shaft and rotating shaft components; And a control system.

2. The explosion-proof flash vacuum cooling system with a built-in dynamic motion device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating component includes a driving device in the middle and auxiliary limiting devices on both sides of the driving device; The driving device includes a driven gear located outside the vacuum chamber and a driving gear meshing with the driven gear, and the input end of the driving gear is connected to a motor and a speed reducer.

3. An explosion-proof flash vacuum cooling system with a built-in dynamic motion device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The cross-sectional shape of the vacuum chamber is circular.

4. The cooling method of an explosion-proof flash vacuum cooling system with a built-in dynamic motion device according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Including the following steps: S1. Determine a suitable movement mode according to the type of materials to be vacuum cooled; S2. Load liquid or viscous cooked food into a specific vacuum chamber; S3. Based on the material type and initial temperature, select to start different heat exchange modes, enable the stirring component for liquid materials, and enable the rotating component for viscous materials; S4. When the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the materials is lower than the set temperature, stop the vacuum system and the moving parts, and then unload the materials through an automatic feeding and discharging system.

5. A cooling method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The inner wall of the vacuum chamber is provided with a diversion groove, the protruding height of the diversion groove is 5 - 15 mm, and the distance is 100 - 300 mm.

6. A cooling method according to claim 4, characterized in that, In step S3, the running time of the stirring component is 10 - 20 minutes, the running time of the rotating component is 15 - 25 minutes, and the splashing amount on the surface of the materials during the cooling process is ≤ 5%.

7. A cooling method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The system further includes a cleaning module, the cleaning module includes a plurality of cleaning spray heads arranged on the inner wall of the vacuum chamber, the spraying angle of the cleaning spray heads is 120 - 180°, and the cleaning pressure is 0.5 - 2 MPa, which is used for automatically cleaning the inside of the vacuum chamber.

8. A cooling method according to claim 4, characterized in that, An automatic discharging valve is arranged at the bottom of the vacuum chamber, and the automatic discharging valve adopts an electric or pneumatic control mode.

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