Steam generator and cooking equipment
The steam generator, designed with a spiral steam-generating pipe and capillary inner wall, combined with a heat-conducting shell and a mesh, solves the problem of low heat exchange efficiency of traditional steam generators in microgravity environments, achieving efficient generation of saturated steam to meet the needs of space cooking.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202520015369.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-03
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-26
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-01-03
AI Technical Summary
Traditional steam generators cannot effectively exchange heat in a microgravity environment, resulting in water droplets and steam not easily adhering to the walls, low heat exchange efficiency, and inability to meet the requirements of space cooking.
It adopts a spiral steam generation pipe body and capillary structure inner wall design, combined with a heat-conducting shell to wrap the heating wire, which enhances water flow to the wall and improves heat conduction efficiency. Steam quality is controlled by a mesh, and stable operation is ensured by temperature sensors and thermostats.
Improving heat exchange efficiency in a microgravity environment, preventing water from spraying out, ensuring the generation of saturated steam, improving cooking results, and meeting the needs of space cooking.
Smart Images
Figure CN223726313U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of space cooking, in particular to a steam generator and a cooking device. BACKGROUND
[0002] As a special group of people, astronauts work in a microgravity environment, not only the diversity of food is greatly limited, but also the cooking method of food is more limited. Especially during space flight, due to the particularity of the space environment, the conventional heating method may have problems such as high energy consumption, uneven heating, etc., and even cause the conventional cooking device to fail to work normally. For example, although the steam generator as an important cooking tool can produce steam by heating to steam food; but limited by the microgravity environment of the space station, the water droplets and steam in the traditional steam generator will not naturally sink and rise in the weightlessness environment as on earth, and it is more difficult to stick to the wall, resulting in a significant reduction in heat exchange efficiency, which cannot meet the requirements of space cooking. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL
[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to solve the problem that the traditional steam generator cannot meet the requirements of space cooking in the existing space cooking scheme. The present application provides a steam generator and a cooking device, which can enhance the water flow sticking to the wall, improve the heat exchange efficiency, so as to generate saturated steam, and help to improve the cooking effect.
[0004] In an embodiment of the present application, the present application provides a steam generator for generating steam in a microgravity environment, comprising:
[0005] a heat exchange pipe, wherein the heat exchange pipe has a water inlet end, a steam outlet end, and a steam generation pipe body spirally extending from the water inlet end to the steam outlet end, and the steam generation pipe body has a capillary structure inner wall;
[0006] a heating wire extending along the steam generation pipe body to form a spiral heating structure staggered with the steam generation pipe body for heating the steam generation pipe body; and
[0007] a heat-conducting shell wrapped outside the steam generation pipe body and the heating wire, and filling the gap between the steam generation pipe body and the heating wire.
[0008] According to an embodiment of the present application, the heat-conducting shell is an aluminum block casted on the heating wire and the steam generation pipe body.
[0009] According to an embodiment of the present application, the heat-conducting shell has a center through hole, and the steam generation pipe body and the heating wire are arranged around the center through hole.
[0010] According to an embodiment of the present application, the heat exchange pipe is a copper capillary tube.
[0011] According to one embodiment of the present application, the water inlet end and the steam outlet end extend from the same side wall of the heat-conducting shell.
[0012] According to one embodiment of the present application, the steam generator further comprises a plurality of screens arranged in the steam generating tube body at intervals for allowing water vapor to pass through and blocking water droplets from passing through.
[0013] According to one embodiment of the present application, the pore size of the screens gradually decreases along the direction of water flow in the steam generating tube body.
[0014] According to one embodiment of the present application, the steam generator further comprises temperature sensors respectively arranged at the water inlet end and the steam outlet end, wherein the temperature sensor at the water inlet end is used to detect the temperature of the water in real time, and the temperature sensor at the steam outlet end is used to detect the temperature of the steam in real time.
[0015] According to one embodiment of the present application, the steam generator further comprises a temperature controller communicatively connected to the temperature sensors and the heating wire.
[0016] According to another aspect of the present application, one embodiment of the present application further provides a cooking device, comprising:
[0017] a device body; and
[0018] The steam generator as described above, wherein the steam generator is assembled in the device body for heating water to generate steam for food steaming in a microgravity environment.
[0019] In summary, although water is prone to not sticking to the inner wall of the tube in the microgravity environment in space, on the one hand, due to the spiral extension of the steam generating tube body, the water flowing along the steam generating tube body will rotate spirally to generate centrifugal force, so that the water flowing in the steam generating tube body is more likely to contact the inner wall of the steam generating tube body under the action of the centrifugal force, thereby increasing the heat exchange area; on the other hand, the capillary structure of the inner wall of the steam generating tube body can also effectively improve the flowability of the water in the steam generating tube body, avoid the phenomenon of water flow not sticking to the wall in the tube through the capillary phenomenon, promote heat transfer, thereby efficiently improving the heat exchange efficiency, facilitating the generation of a large amount of water vapor to effectively shorten the steaming time.
[0020] In addition, since the heat-conducting shell not only wraps outside the steam-generating tube body and the heating wire, but also fills the gap between the steam-generating tube body and the heating wire, the heat-conducting shell of the present application can further improve the heat-conducting efficiency between the heating wire and the steam-generating tube body, so as to ensure that the heat generated by the heating wire can be quickly transferred to the steam-generating tube body to heat the water in the tube to generate steam. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0021] Figure 1 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a steam generator according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0022] Figure 2 Fig. 2 is a top view of the steam generator according to the above embodiment of the present application;
[0023] Figure 3 Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the steam generator according to the above embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 Fig. 4 is an A-A sectional view of the steam generator shown in Fig. 3;
[0024] Figure 4 Fig. 5 is a structural view of the cooperation between the heat exchange tube and the heating wire in the steam generator according to the above embodiment of the present application;
[0025] Figure 5 Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the heat exchange tube in the steam generator according to the above embodiment of the present application;
[0026] Figure 6 Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the heat exchanger according to the above embodiment of the present application.
[0027] Explanation of main element symbols:
[0028] 1, steam generator; 10, heat exchange tube; 11, water inlet end; 12, steam outlet end; 13, steam-generating tube body; 130, inner wall of capillary structure; 20, heating wire; 30, heat-conducting shell; 300, central through hole; 40, screen; 50, temperature sensor; 60, temperature controller.
[0029] The above explanation of main element symbols in combination with the drawings and the specific embodiments further details the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0030] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in combination with the drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth in order to fully understand the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the spirit of the present application, so the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.
[0031] In the description of the present application, it needs to be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and therefore cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.
[0032] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited.
[0033] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connecting", "fixing" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integral; it can be mechanical connection, or electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise explicitly limited. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.
[0034] Considering that the water droplets and steam in the traditional steam generator will not naturally sink and rise in the microgravity environment as on the earth, and are more difficult to stick to the wall, resulting in a significant reduction in heat exchange efficiency, and it is easy to cause water to spray out, the traditional steam generator cannot meet the requirements of space cooking. Therefore, the present application provides a steam generator and cooking equipment, which can improve the heat exchange efficiency and avoid the phenomenon of water spraying out, so as to generate saturated steam for steaming food, which helps to improve the cooking effect.
[0035] Specifically, referring to the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 to 6 An embodiment of the present application provides a cooking equipment, which can include an equipment main body and a steam generator 1 assembled to the equipment main body, for heating water to generate steam in a microgravity environment to supply the equipment main body for food steaming. It can be understood that the equipment main body mentioned in the present application can be but not limited to a steaming oven or a steam oven configured with a water box, etc., which will not be described herein.
[0036] More specifically, asFigures 1 to 6 As shown, the steam generator 1 can include a heat exchange tube 10, a heating wire 20, and a heat conducting shell 30. The heat exchange tube 10 has a water inlet end 11, a steam outlet end 12, and a steam generating tube body 13 extending spirally from the water inlet end 11 to the steam outlet end 12, and the steam generating tube body 13 has a capillary structure inner wall 130. The heating wire 20 extends along the steam generating tube body 13 to form a spiral heating structure staggered with the steam generating tube body 13 for heating the steam generating tube body 13. The heat conducting shell 30 is wrapped outside the steam generating tube body 13 and the heating wire 20 and fills the gap between the steam generating tube body 13 and the heating wire 20. In this way, when water flows into the steam generating tube body 13 through the water inlet end 11, the heat conducting shell 30 transfers the heat generated by the heating wire 20 to the steam generating tube body 13 to heat the water flowing inside the steam generating tube body 13, so that the water flowing into the steam generating tube body 13 evaporates into water vapor to flow out of the steam outlet end 12 to supply the device body for food steaming.
[0037] It is worth noting that, although in the microgravity environment of space, water is prone to not sticking to the tube wall, on the one hand, as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 , since the steam generating tube body 13 extends spirally, so that the water flowing along the steam generating tube body 13 will rotate spirally to generate centrifugal force, therefore the water flowing in the steam generating tube body 13 is more likely to contact the inner wall of the steam generating tube body 13 under the action of centrifugal force, so as to increase the heat exchange area; on the other hand, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 6 , the capillary structure inner wall 130 of the steam generating tube body 13 can also effectively improve the flowability of water inside the steam generating tube body 13, avoid the phenomenon of water flow not sticking to the wall in the tube through the capillary phenomenon, promote heat transfer, thereby efficiently improve the heat exchange efficiency, facilitate the generation of a large amount of water vapor to effectively shorten the steaming time. In particular, the steam generating tube body 13 extends spirally from the water inlet end 11 to the steam outlet end 12, so that the heat exchange tube 10 is implemented as a spiral tube, which helps to greatly reduce the length of the steam generator 1 while ensuring that the heat exchange tube 10 is long enough to meet the heat exchange demand, so as to meet the small volume requirement of the space station.
[0038] In addition, as shown in Figure 3 , since the heat conducting shell 30 is wrapped outside the steam generating tube body 13 and the heating wire 20 and fills the gap between the steam generating tube body 13 and the heating wire 20, the heat conducting shell 30 of the present application can further improve the heat conduction efficiency between the heating wire 20 and the steam generating tube body 13, so as to ensure that the heat generated by the heating wire 20 can be quickly transferred to the steam generating tube body 13 to heat the water in the tube to generate steam.
[0039] Optionally, as shown in Figure 3As shown, the heat-conducting shell 30 is implemented as an aluminum block casted on the heating wire 20 and the steam-generating tube body 13 to protect the heating wire 20 and the steam-generating tube body 13 from being damaged while improving the heat-conducting efficiency.
[0040] Optionally, as shown in Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the heat-conducting shell 30 has a central through-hole 300, and the steam-generating tube body 13 and the heating wire 20 are arranged around the central through-hole 300 to greatly reduce the material usage of the heat-conducting shell 30 while not affecting the heat-conducting performance, which is conducive to reducing the overall weight of the steam generator 1 to meet the light-weight requirement of the space station. It can be understood that the steam generator 1 further comprises a heat-insulating layer (not shown in the figure) covering the heat-conducting shell 30 to reduce heat loss to the outside and improve the heat energy utilization rate.
[0041] Optionally, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the water inlet end 11 and the steam outlet end 12 of the heat exchange tube 10 extend from the same side wall of the heat-conducting shell 30 to communicate with the water tank and the steam tank in the device main body, which helps to save the length of the communication pipe.
[0042] It is worth noting that the heating wire 20 mentioned in the present application can be but is not limited to an electric resistance wire, which has good thermal conductivity and resistivity to better heat the steam-generating tube body 13.
[0043] In addition, the heat exchange tube 10 can be but is not limited to a copper capillary tube to better conduct heat from the outside of the tube to the inside of the tube while using capillary action to guide the water flow in the steam-generating tube body 13, so that the water flow in the tube adheres to the wall to achieve more efficient heat exchange.
[0044] Optionally, as shown in Figure 6 As shown, the steam generator 1 of the present application further comprises a plurality of separation nets 40 arranged at intervals in the steam-generating tube body 13 to block water droplets while allowing water vapor to pass through, so as to divide the steam-generating tube body 13 into a plurality of steam-generating tube sections that are sequentially communicated. In this way, the water flowing into the steam-generating tube body 13 through the water inlet end 11 will be blocked by the separation net 40 when flowing from the previous steam-generating tube section into the next steam-generating tube section, so that the previous steam-generating tube section is filled with water before a large amount of water flows into the next steam-generating tube section. That is, the proportion of water in the steam-generating tube section closer to the water inlet end 11 is larger, and the proportion of steam in the steam-generating tube section closer to the steam outlet end 12 is larger. This not only improves the heat exchange efficiency to efficiently generate steam, but also limits the water from being directly sprayed out of the steam outlet end 12 before it becomes water vapor, ensuring that the water vapor flowing out of the steam outlet end 12 is not mixed with water droplets, so as to deliver saturated steam to the device main body to improve the food steaming effect.
[0045] Optionally, as shown in Figure 6As shown, the aperture of the screen 40 gradually decreases along the direction of water flow in the steam tube body 13; that is, the closer the screen 40 is to the water inlet end 11 along the extension direction of the steam tube body 13, the larger the aperture of the screen 40; and the farther the screen 40 is from the water inlet end 11, the smaller the aperture of the screen 40, so as to retard the rapid influx of water into the next steam tube section while dispersing the water passing through the screens 40 into water droplets with gradually decreasing outer diameters, promoting the vaporization of the water droplets into water vapor, and helping to ensure better generation of saturated steam and prevent water from being sprayed out of the steam outlet end 12.
[0046] According to the above embodiments of the present application, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the steam generator 1 can further include temperature sensors 50 respectively arranged at the water inlet end 11 and the steam outlet end 12, wherein the temperature sensor 50 located at the water inlet end 11 is used to detect the water inlet temperature in real time, and the temperature sensor 50 located at the steam outlet end 12 is used to detect the steam outlet temperature in real time, so that the user can judge the condition of the generated steam according to the average value of the water inlet temperature and the steam outlet temperature, helping to ensure the safe operation of the steam generator 1 and reduce the risk of equipment failure. It can be understood that the temperature sensor 50 mentioned in the present application can be but not limited to an NTC sensor (thermistor).
[0047] Optionally, as Figure 2 shown, the two temperature sensors 50 are arranged opposite to each other to respectively extend from opposite sides of the heat-conducting shell 30, facilitating the insertion of the water inlet end 11 and the steam outlet end 12 from the side wall.
[0048] Optionally, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the steam generator 1 further includes a temperature controller 60 communicatively connected with the temperature sensors 50 and the heating wire 20, for regulating the working state of the heating wire 20 according to the water inlet temperature and the steam outlet temperature detected by the temperature sensors 50, so as to ensure that the steam generator 1 works within the optimal temperature range.
[0049] Optionally, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the temperature controller 60 is located on the side of the heat-conducting shell 30 away from the water inlet end 11 and the steam outlet end 12, facilitating the avoidance of the water inlet end 11 and the steam outlet end 12.
[0050] It is worth noting that the temperature controller 60 mentioned in the present application can control the heating power and / or heating time of the heating wire 20 to ensure that the steam generator 1 works within the optimal temperature range, thereby maximizing energy saving.
[0051] For example, when the average of the inlet water temperature and the outlet steam temperature is greater than the upper limit of the temperature threshold range, the heating power of the heating wire 20 is reduced, and / or the heating duration of the heating wire 20 is shortened, to avoid wasting the limited power resources of the space station; when the average of the inlet water temperature and the outlet steam temperature is less than the lower limit of the temperature threshold range, the heating power of the heating wire 20 is increased, and / or the heating duration of the heating wire 20 is extended, to ensure that saturated steam is stably output for food steaming.
[0052] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any manner. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described, but as long as the combinations of the technical features do not contradict, they should be considered within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0053] The above embodiments only express several implementation manners of the present application, and the description is specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as a limitation on the patent scope of the application. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary skilled persons in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these are within the protection scope of the present application.
Claims
1. Steam generator for the production of steam in a microgravity environment, characterized by, The steam generator comprises: a heat exchange tube, wherein the heat exchange tube has a water inlet end, a steam outlet end, and a steam generating tube body spirally extending from the water inlet end to the steam outlet end, and the steam generating tube body has a capillary structure inner wall; heating wires extending along the steam generating tube body to form a spiral heating structure staggered with the steam generating tube body for heating the steam generating tube body; and a heat conducting shell wrapped outside the steam generating tube body and the heating wires, and filling the gap between the steam generating tube body and the heating wires. The heat conducting shell is an aluminum block casted on the heating wires and the steam generating tube body.
2. The steam generator of claim 1, wherein The heat conducting shell has a central through hole, and the steam generating tube body and the heating wires are arranged around the central through hole.
3. The steam generator of claim 2, wherein, The heat exchange tube is a copper capillary tube.
4. The steam generator of claim 1, wherein The water inlet end and the steam outlet end extend from the same side wall of the heat conducting shell.
5. The steam generator of claim 1, wherein The steam generator further comprises a plurality of separation nets arranged in the steam generating tube body at intervals for allowing water vapor to pass through and blocking water droplets from passing through.
6. The steam generator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The aperture of the separation nets gradually decreases along the water flow direction in the steam generating tube body.
7. The steam generator of claim 6, wherein The steam generator further comprises temperature sensors respectively arranged at the water inlet end and the steam outlet end, wherein the temperature sensor at the water inlet end is used to detect the water inlet temperature in real time, and the temperature sensor at the steam outlet end is used to detect the steam outlet temperature in real time.
8. The steam generator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The steam generator further comprises a temperature controller communicatively connected to the temperature sensors and the heating wires.
9. The steam generator of claim 8, wherein, The device body; and 10. Cooking apparatus, characterized in that The steam generator of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the steam generator is assembled in the device body for heating water to generate steam for food steaming in a microgravity environment. The steam generator of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the steam generator is assembled in the device body for heating water to generate steam for food steaming in a microgravity environment.