System for storing berries by carbon dioxide hydrate method

Abstract

The invention provides a system for storing berries by a carbon dioxide hydrate method, which belongs to the technical field of fruit and vegetable storage and comprises a berry storage chamber, a hydrate generation kettle, a hydrate decomposer, a carbon dioxide primary gas storage tank, a carbon dioxide secondary gas storage tank, a heat exchange system and an intelligent control module. According to the system, the refreshing time of berries can be prolonged, the carbon dioxide concentration control function and the environment temperature control function are integrated into one control system, and operation is easy and friendly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of fruit and vegetable storage, and particularly to a system for storing berries by the carbon dioxide hydrate method. Background Art

[0002] Berry fruits are prone to spoilage due to their fragile tissues, high water content, and easy microbial infection and strong respiratory metabolism. Existing storage technologies, such as low-temperature refrigeration, controlled atmosphere storage, and chemical preservatives, have problems such as high energy consumption, high cost, or food safety hazards. Carbon dioxide hydrate is a cage-like crystal structure formed by carbon dioxide and water under low temperature and high pressure, and has the characteristic of slowly releasing carbon dioxide. Controlled atmosphere storage is an advanced storage technology that delays the post-harvest physiological activities of fruits and vegetables and inhibits the growth of microorganisms by adjusting the gas composition in the storage environment, mainly reducing the oxygen concentration and increasing the carbon dioxide concentration, and coordinating appropriate temperature and humidity, so as to extend the shelf life.

[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a system for storing berries that uses carbon dioxide hydrate to extend the shelf life of berries and can centrally control the carbon dioxide concentration and environmental temperature. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Aiming at the problems of short shelf life of berry storage and difficulty in centrally controlling the carbon dioxide concentration and environmental temperature in the current field of fruit and vegetable storage, the present invention provides a system for storing berries by the carbon dioxide hydrate method.

[0005] In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for storing berries by the carbon dioxide hydrate method, wherein the system includes: A berry storage room, in which a carrier rack and an ethylene absorbent are arranged for laying berries in a single layer and absorbing ethylene gas; A hydrate generator, on the upper cover of which an air inlet and an exhaust port are arranged, and on the side surface, a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet are arranged; A hydrate decomposer, which is provided with an exhaust port and a liquid outlet. The liquid outlet is sequentially connected to a solution pump, a one-way valve, and the liquid inlet of the hydrate generator. The liquid outlet of the hydrate generator is sequentially connected to a throttle valve, a solution pump, and the hydrate decomposer; A first-stage carbon dioxide gas storage tank, provided with an air inlet a1 and an exhaust port b1; A second-stage carbon dioxide gas storage tank, provided with an air inlet a2 and an exhaust port b2; The air inlet of the first-stage carbon dioxide gas storage tank is connected to the exhaust port of the hydrate generator. The exhaust port a1 is sequentially connected to an air pump I, a one-way valve I, a control valve I, and the berry storage room. The exhaust port b1 is sequentially connected to an air pump II, a one-way valve II, a control valve II, and the air inlet a2 of the second-stage carbon dioxide gas storage tank; The inlet b2 of the secondary carbon dioxide storage tank receives carbon dioxide sent from the outside, and the exhaust port is sequentially connected to an air pump, a check valve, a control valve, and a hydrate formation kettle; A heat exchange system, including heat exchange tubes arranged outside the hydrate formation kettle and heat exchange tubes outside the hydrate decomposer. Among them, the heat exchange tubes outside the hydrate decomposer are sequentially connected to a check valve III and a berry storage room; An intelligent control module, including a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, and an intelligent control system, is used to monitor and regulate the temperature and carbon dioxide concentration in the storage room in real time.

[0006] The second aspect of the present invention provides a method for storing berries using the above system, wherein the method includes: Step 1: Open the check valve, send water into the hydrate formation kettle, cool it to 2-4 °C by passing a cold carrier through the heat exchange tubes of the hydrate formation kettle, and then pass in carbon dioxide to form hydrates; Step 2: Lay the pretreated berries in a single layer on the carrier rack, place an ethylene absorbent between layers, and close the hatch; Step 3: Monitor the temperature and carbon dioxide concentration in the storage room in real time. When they are lower than the threshold, transport the hydrates to the hydrate decomposer for pressure reduction and decomposition; Step 4: If the temperature is too high, open the check valve III to release cold. If the carbon dioxide concentration is too low, open the air pump I, the check valve I, and the control valve I to supplement carbon dioxide. When the carbon dioxide concentration is normal, recycle the carbon dioxide to the secondary carbon dioxide storage tank; Step 5: Regulate the storage environment in stages, including an antibacterial stage, a stability maintenance stage, and pre-warehouse treatment.

[0007] Advantages of the present invention: The system provided by the present invention uses carbon dioxide hydrates to preserve berries, integrates functions, integrates the carbon dioxide concentration control function and the environmental temperature control function into one control system, is easy and friendly to operate, and the modular design supports rapid deployment. The system is an automatic control system and extends the freshness preservation period of berries. Description of the Drawings

[0008] Figure 1Device diagram of the system provided by the present invention, where 1. Hydrate formation kettle; 2. Heat exchange tube of the hydrate formation kettle; 3. Control valve; 4. Check valve; 5. Air pump; 6. Carbon dioxide secondary gas storage tank; 7. Control valve II; 8. Check valve II; 9. Air pump II; 10. Carbon dioxide primary gas storage tank; 11. Check valve I; 12. Air pump I; 14. Hydrate decomposer; 15. Heat exchanger of the hydrate decomposer; 16. Check valve III; 17. Control valve II; 18. Check valve; 19. Solution pump; 20. Throttle valve; 21. Intelligent control system; 22. Temperature sensor; 23. Pressure sensor; 24. Berry storage room; 25. Control valve I; a1. Inlet of the carbon dioxide primary gas storage tank; b1. Outlet of the carbon dioxide primary gas storage tank; a2. Inlet of the carbon dioxide secondary gas storage tank; b2. Outlet of the carbon dioxide secondary gas storage tank. Detailed implementation manners

[0009] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation manners. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0010] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "a plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0011] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or communicable with each other; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be the internal communication of two components or the interaction relationship between two components, unless otherwise clearly limited. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

[0012] The first aspect of the present invention provides a system for storing berries by the carbon dioxide hydrate method, where the system includes: A berry storage room, in which a loading rack and an ethylene absorbent are arranged for laying berries in a single layer and absorbing ethylene gas; A hydrate formation kettle, on the upper cover of which an air inlet and an air outlet are arranged, and on the side surface, a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet are arranged; A hydrate decomposer, wherein the hydrate decomposer is provided with an exhaust port and a liquid outlet, the liquid outlet is sequentially connected to a solution pump, a one-way valve and a liquid inlet of a hydrate generation kettle, and the liquid outlet of the hydrate generation kettle is sequentially connected to a throttle valve, a solution pump and the hydrate decomposer; The primary carbon dioxide gas storage tank is provided with an air inlet a1 and an exhaust port b1; The carbon dioxide secondary gas storage tank is provided with an air inlet a2 and an exhaust port b2; The air inlet of the primary carbon dioxide gas storage tank is connected to the exhaust port of the hydrate formation kettle, the exhaust port a1 is sequentially connected to the air pump I, the one-way valve I, the control valve I, and the berry storage chamber, and the exhaust port b1 is sequentially connected to the air pump II, the one-way valve II, the control valve II, and the air inlet a2 of the secondary carbon dioxide gas storage tank; The air inlet b2 of the carbon dioxide secondary gas storage tank receives carbon dioxide from the outside, and the exhaust port is connected to the air pump, the one-way valve, the control valve, and the hydrate formation kettle in sequence; a heat exchange system comprising a heat exchange pipe disposed outside the hydrate generation kettle and a heat exchange pipe outside the hydrate decomposer, wherein the heat exchange pipe outside the hydrate decomposer is sequentially connected to a one-way valve III and a berry storage chamber; The intelligent control module includes a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor and an intelligent control system, which is used to monitor and regulate the temperature and carbon dioxide concentration of the storage room in real time.

[0013] According to the present invention, the hydrate generation kettle and the hydrate decomposer form a closed circulation system for the generation and decomposition of hydrates.

[0014] According to the present invention, the primary carbon dioxide gas storage tank and the secondary carbon dioxide gas storage tank are used for graded storage and recycling of carbon dioxide.

[0015] According to the present invention, the heat exchange system regulates the temperature of hydrate formation and decomposition through a cold carrier, and can deliver cold energy to the berry storage room to adjust the ambient temperature.

[0016] According to the present invention, the intelligent control module automatically triggers hydrate decomposition, cold energy release or carbon dioxide replenishment operations according to a preset threshold.

[0017] According to the present invention, the system further comprises: The antibacterial stage control unit is used to maintain a CO2 concentration of 18%, a temperature of 1°C, and ventilation twice a day; The control unit in the stabilization stage is used to reduce the CO2 concentration to 3%-10% and increase the temperature to 2°C; The pre-delivery treatment unit is used to release the pressure to normal pressure, inject air to restore the O2 concentration, and gradually increase the temperature to 8°C.

[0018] The second aspect of the present invention provides a method for storing berries in the above system, wherein the method includes: Step 1: Open the one-way valve, send water into the hydrate formation kettle, cool it to 2-4 °C through the heat exchange tube of the hydrate formation kettle by introducing a cold carrier, and then introduce carbon dioxide to form hydrates; Step 2: Lay the pretreated berries in a single layer on the carrier rack, place an ethylene absorbent between layers, and close the hatch; Step 3: Monitor the temperature and carbon dioxide concentration in the storage room in real time. When they are lower than the thresholds, transport the hydrates to the hydrate decomposer for pressure reduction and decomposition; Step 4: If the temperature is too high, open the one-way valve III to release cold. If the carbon dioxide concentration is too low, open the air pump I, one-way valve I, and control valve I to supplement carbon dioxide. When the carbon dioxide concentration is normal, recycle the carbon dioxide to the secondary carbon dioxide storage tank; Step 5: Regulate the storage environment in stages, including the antibacterial stage, the stability maintenance stage, and the pre-warehouse-out treatment.

[0019] According to the present invention, in the antibacterial stage, maintain the CO2 concentration at 18% and the temperature at 1 °C, and ventilate and change the air 2 times a day; In the stability maintenance stage, reduce the CO2 concentration to 3%-10% and raise the temperature to 2 °C; The pre-warehouse-out treatment includes depressurizing to atmospheric pressure, injecting air to restore the O2 concentration, and gradually raising the temperature to 8 °C.

[0020] According to the present invention, in Step 4, the release of cold and the supplementation of carbon dioxide are independent operations.

[0021] In specific implementation, the method of the system of the present invention is as follows: Step 1: Open the one-way valve (27), send water into the hydrate formation kettle (1) through the liquid inlet, introduce a cold carrier into the heat exchange tube (2) for cooling. When the temperature drops to 2-4 °C, open the air pump (5), one-way valve (4), and control valve (3), so that the carbon dioxide in the secondary carbon dioxide storage tank enters the hydrate formation kettle through the one-way valve.

[0022] Step 2: Lay the pretreated berries in a single layer on the carrier rack, place an ethylene absorbent between layers, and close the hatch.

[0023] Step 3: Hydrate decomposition trigger: The antibacterial stage is 0-7 days, maintain the CO2 concentration at 18% and the temperature at 1 °C, and ventilate and change the air 2 times a day, 5 minutes each time; Stabilization stage: The CO2 is reduced to 3% - 10%, and the temperature is raised to 2°C. The specific temperature and carbon dioxide concentration conditions are set according to the specific berry species stored. The control unit monitors the temperature and carbon dioxide concentration in the storage room in real time. When the carbon dioxide concentration is lower than the threshold value, or the temperature exceeds the threshold value, the hydrate enters the decomposer from the production kettle and decomposes by reducing the pressure.

[0024] Step 4: If the detection result shows that the temperature is too high, open the check valve III (16) to allow the cold energy to enter the storage room; if the detection result shows that the carbon dioxide concentration is too low, open the air pump I (12), check valve I (11), and control valve I (25) to allow the decomposed carbon dioxide to enter the storage room. Otherwise, open the air pump II (9), check valve II (8), and control valve II (7) to return the carbon dioxide to the secondary carbon dioxide storage tank for recycling.

[0025] Step 5: Pretreatment before storage: Release the pressure to atmospheric pressure, inject air to restore the O2 concentration, and gradually raise the temperature to 8°C to avoid condensation.

[0026] Finally, it should be noted that the above specific embodiments are intended to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and do not constitute any form of limitation to the present invention. Those skilled in the art should fully understand that it is completely feasible to modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or perform equivalent replacements on any part or all of the technical features therein. As long as these modifications or replacements do not deviate from the protection scope determined by the claims of the present invention, they should be regarded as a reasonable extension of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for storing berries by carbon dioxide hydrate method, characterized in that, The system includes: A berry storage room, in which a storage rack and an ethylene absorbent are arranged for laying berries in a single layer and absorbing ethylene gas; A hydrate formation kettle, on the upper cover of which an air inlet and an exhaust port are arranged, and a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet are arranged on the side; A hydrate decomposer, which is provided with an exhaust port and a liquid outlet. The liquid outlet is sequentially connected to a solution pump, a one-way valve and the liquid inlet of the hydrate formation kettle. The liquid outlet of the hydrate formation kettle is sequentially connected to a throttle valve, a solution pump and the hydrate decomposer; A first-stage carbon dioxide gas storage tank, which is provided with an air inlet a1 and an exhaust port b1; A second-stage carbon dioxide gas storage tank, which is provided with an air inlet a2 and an exhaust port b2; The air inlet of the first-stage carbon dioxide gas storage tank is connected to the exhaust port of the hydrate formation kettle. The exhaust port a1 is sequentially connected to an air pump I, a one-way valve I, a control valve I and the berry storage room. The exhaust port b1 is sequentially connected to an air pump II, a one-way valve II, a control valve II and the air inlet a2 of the second-stage carbon dioxide gas storage tank; The air inlet b2 of the second-stage carbon dioxide gas storage tank receives carbon dioxide sent from the outside, and the exhaust port is sequentially connected to an air pump, a one-way valve, a control valve and the hydrate formation kettle; A heat exchange system, which includes heat exchange tubes arranged outside the hydrate formation kettle and heat exchange tubes arranged outside the hydrate decomposer. Among them, the heat exchange tubes outside the hydrate decomposer are sequentially connected to a one-way valve III and the berry storage room; An intelligent control module, which includes a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor and an intelligent control system for real-time monitoring and regulating the temperature and carbon dioxide concentration of the storage room.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein The hydrate formation kettle and the hydrate decomposer form a closed circulation system for the formation and decomposition of hydrates.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first-stage carbon dioxide gas storage tank and the second-stage carbon dioxide gas storage tank are used for the hierarchical storage and recycling of carbon dioxide.

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat exchange system regulates the temperature of hydrate formation and decomposition through a cold carrier, and can transfer the cold quantity to the berry storage room to adjust the ambient temperature.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The intelligent control module automatically triggers the operations of hydrate decomposition, cold quantity release or carbon dioxide supplementation according to the preset threshold.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein The system further includes: An antibacterial stage regulation unit for maintaining the CO2 concentration at 18% and the temperature at 1°C, and ventilating and changing the air twice a day; A stability maintenance stage regulation unit for reducing the CO2 concentration to 3%-10% and raising the temperature to 2°C; A pre-warehouse-out treatment unit for depressurizing to normal pressure, injecting air to restore the O2 concentration, and gradually raising the temperature to 8°C.

7. A method for storing berries using the system according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The method includes: Step 1: Open the one-way valve, send water into the hydrate formation kettle, cool it to ​ ​ Step 4: If the temperature is too high, open the check valve Ⅲ to release cold; if the carbon dioxide concentration is too low, turn on the air pump Ⅰ, check valve Ⅰ, and control valve Ⅰ to supplement carbon dioxide. When the carbon dioxide concentration is normal, recycle the carbon dioxide to the secondary carbon dioxide storage tank; Step 5: Regulate the storage environment in stages, including the antibacterial stage, the stability maintenance stage, and the pre-warehouse treatment.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein In the antibacterial stage, maintain the CO2 concentration at 18% and the temperature at 1°C, and ventilate and change the air twice a day; In the stability maintenance stage, reduce the CO2 concentration to 3%-10% and increase the temperature to 2°C; The pre-warehouse treatment includes depressurizing to atmospheric pressure, injecting air to restore the O2 concentration, and gradually increasing the temperature to 8°C.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein In Step 4, the release of cold and the supplementation of carbon dioxide are independent operations.

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