Conveyor for removing snow and / or ice from a cold chamber of an air cooler or air conditioner

Description

Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to an air cooling or air conditioning machine comprising a cooling chamber with a block valve for supplying and discharging air into and from the cooling chamber, which is connected via flanges to air ducts of the air cooling or conditioning machine, whereby the block valve is associated with a dehumidifier through which the air passes from the cooling chamber to the block valve, wherein a chain conveyor for removing snow and / or ice is mounted in an airtight manner with its part open from above to the lower part of the dehumidifier, the chain conveyor being mounted on a frame which is mounted in the cooling chamber and together with the conveyor passes through its wall into the space outside the cooling chamber.Background art

[0002] Various bulk material conveyors are known, for example RU 2130887, RU 2111913 or RU 2130886, but none of them is capable of operating at temperatures lower than -60 ° C and of conveying snow and / or ice out of the cooling chamber without freezing its interior. Another disadvantage of the known conveyors is that they are not airtight.

[0003] Furthermore, document DE 2700481 A1 discloses a conveyor for discharging chips for cutting machine tools, especially saws, with a roller chain whose two branches are arranged in a vertical plane above each other, and discharge vanes are arranged on one side of the chain perpendicularly to the vertical plane of the chain whereby the discharge vanes in the upper part of the conveyor extend into a chip discharge chute, into which chips fall from above and are then carried along the bottom of the discharge chute by the vanes, until they fall out next to the chain drive wheel through a chip ejection opening arranged in the front part of the conveyor. The housing of the chain is therefore open in this part. Arranged below the lower branch of the chain is a drain gutter which is formed by the bottom of the conveyor, through which the cooling liquid flows into a filter housing arranged on the rear part of the conveyor, which has a bottom made as a sieve on which a filter is placed. The housing of the conveyor is therefore open also in this part. The arrangement of the vanes next to the chain would not. Moreover, the conveyor is not designed to be airtight, both its front part and rear part are open and so it cannot be used in a closed circuit of a cooling machine. Both the branches of the chain of the conveyor are arranged in a vertical plane above each other.

[0004] CN 101059296A describes a conveyor transporting ice from a bucket in the lower part of the conveyor upwards to a mouth through which the ice is dropped off the conveyor. The chain of the conveyor is arranged in a vertical plane. Both the bucket 3 and the mouth 2 are open to the environment - that is why the conveyor is not airtight, and so it cannot be used in a closed circuit of a cooling machine. In addition, the conveyor contains two chains and sprockets, which are located on shafts mounted in bearings, which requires sealing. At temperatures below -60°C, the conveyor would be inoperative, as both bearings and seals would freeze.

[0005] FR 2 334 925 A1 discloses a flake ice unloading device with a horizontal conveyor which extends along the full width of the device and is driven by a chain which passes over sprockets. Both the branches of the chain shown in Fig. 1 lie in a vertical plane above each other, as also shown in Figs. 4, 6 and 7. The conveyor is open to the surrounding space and therefore cannot be used in a closed circuit of a cooling machine.

[0006] The object of the invention is to provide a conveyor capable of operating at low temperatures, even below -60°C, and airtight from the outside of the cooling chamber.Principle of the invention

[0007] The object of the invention is achieved by an air cooling or air conditioning machine defined by claims 1 to 4.Description of the drawings

[0008] An exemplary embodiment of the chain conveyor of air cooling or air conditioning machine according to the invention is schematically represented in the enclosed drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a view of a dehumidifier with a conveyor attached, Fig. 2 is a view of a conveyor without a dehumidifier, Fig. 3 shows a detail of a chain, Fig. 4 shows a detail of the angular part of the conveyor with a drive sprocket and Fig. 5 shows an arrangement of the vanes on both sides of the chain.Examples of embodiment

[0009] The air cooling or air conditioning machine according to the invention comprises a cooling chamber (not shown), in which a block valve 1 is provided for supplying and discharging air into and from the cooling chamber, which is connected via flanges 11 , 12 to unillustrated air ducts of the air cooling machine. The valve 1 is associated with a dehumidifier 2, through which the air passes from the cooling chamber to the valve 1 . The chain conveyor 3 is connected to the lower part of the dehumidifier 2 with its part open from above, whereby the part open from above constitutes a snow and ice collector 31 . The chain conveyor 3 is mounted on a frame 30 , which is housed in the cooling chamber, passes through the wall thereof and has an outer part arranged outside the cooling chamber.

[0010] The chain conveyor 3 comprises a trough 32 , which is formed by side walls mounted on the side walls of the frame 30 and which is divided by a separating beam 320 into two grooves 321, 322, a working groove 321 and a return groove 322, through which the chain 33 passes, on which transport vanes 330 are mounted, at least one of which is provided with cleaning elements for cleaning the internal space of the grooves 321, 322, removing snow and / or ice, for example by means of small brushes arranged on the circumference of the transport vanes 330. In the illustrated embodiment, the transport vanes 330 are arranged on either side of the chain 33 , i.e., up and down. In an example not according to the invention, the vanes are arranged on only one side of the chain 33 . The front part of the conveyor trough 32 below the dehumidifier 2 is open from above and constitutes a collector of snow and / or ice. The front part of the conveyor trough 32 is circumferentially provided with a flange, which is airtightly connected to the dehumidifier 2. At the front end of the trough 32, a gear sprocket 34 is rotatably mounted on the frame 30 , which is wrapped with the chain 33 . Outside the dehumidifier 2 on the upper part of the trough 32 , a cover 323 is mounted in an airtight manner and the trough with the cover is led out of the cooling chamber. In the space outside the cooling chamber, the chain 33 of the conveyor is wrapped around a drive sprocket 35 , which is rotatably mounted on the frame 30 and coupled to the drive 36 . The container 37 for snow and / or ice is arranged below the drive sprocket 35 . The drive 36 and the container 37 are mounted on the frame 30 and the side wall of the cooling chamber, or in another suitable manner.

[0011] Snow and / or ice is removed from the collection container 37 as needed, preferably allowed to dissolve, or dissolved by forced heating and the dissolved snow and ice flows to an associated waste pipe (not shown) which is connected to the flange provided on the container 37 .

[0012] During the operation of the machine, a pressure / vacuum is created in the cooling chamber 1 , which is compensated by suctioning air from the environment through the compensating valve 38 , which is in the embodiment shown arranged on the container 37 for snow and / or ice. In this arrangement, it is advantageous when the sucked air passes through the space of the cold chain conveyor 3 and, consequently, the air is cooled and at least part of the moisture is precipitated from it.

[0013] In the embodiment shown, in order to save space outside the cooling chamber, the chain conveyor 3 is bent by 90° so that it extends next to the wall of the cooling chamber. To bend the chain 33 , two auxiliary sprockets 331 , 332 are rotatably mounted on the frame 30 , one for each chain branch of the chain 33.

[0014] Before or at the start of the defrosting of the dehumidifier 2, the drive 36 of the chain conveyor 3 is started and the chain 33 begins to move. The de-iced snow and / or ice falls into the collector 31 of the snow and / or ice is captured by the transport vanes 330 of the chain 33 and entrained into the snow and ice container, from which the dissolved snow and ice flows into the waste pipe.Industrial applicability

[0015] The air cooling or air conditioning machine according to the invention is designed for removing snow and / or ice removed from a dehumidifier arranged in a cooling chamber of an air cooling machine at temperatures lower than -60 °C.List of references

[0016] 1block valve 11, 12valve flanges 2dehumidifier 3chain conveyor 30conveyor frame 31snow and ice collector 32trough 320separating beam 321working groove of the trough 322return groove of the trough 323cover 33chain 330transport vanes of the chain 331auxiliary sprocket of the working branch of the chain 332auxiliary sprocket of return branch of the chain 34gear sprocket 35drive sprocket 36drive of the conveyor 37container for snow and ice 38compensating valve

Claims

1. An air cooling or air conditioning machine comprising a cooling chamber with a block valve (1) for supplying and discharging air into and from the cooling chamber, which is connected via flanges (11, 12) to air ducts of the air cooling or air conditioning machine, whereby the block valve (1) is associated with a dehumidifier (2), through which air passes from the cooling chamber to the block valve (1), and further comprises a chain conveyor (3) for removing snow and / or ice, the chain conveyor (3) also comprising a conveyor trough (32), wherein to the lower part of the dehumidifier (2) is mounted a front part, which is open from above, of the conveyor trough (32) which is circumferentially provided with a flange which is airtightly connected to the dehumidifier (2) the chain conveyor (3) is mounted on a frame (30) which is housed in the cooling chamber, passes through the wall thereof and has an outer part arranged outside the cooling chamber, wherein the conveyor trough (32) is formed by side walls mounted on the side walls of the frame (30) and the conveyor trough (32) is divided by a separating beam (320) into two grooves (321, 322), a working groove (321) and a return groove (322), through which the chain (33) passes, wherein transport vanes (330) are mounted on the chain (33) in the direction upwards and / or downwards, at least one of which is provided with cleaning elements for cleaning the interior of the grooves from snow and / or ice, wherein in the space outside the cooling chamber, the chain (33) of the conveyor is wrapped around a drive sprocket (35) which is rotatably mounted on the frame (30) and coupled to a drive (36) also mounted on the frame (30), wherein a container (37) for snow and / or ice is also mounted on the frame below the drive sprocket (35) whereby at the front end of the trough (32) the chain is wrapped around a gear sprocket (34) which is rotatably mounted on the frame (30), and the drive (36) and the container (37) for snow and ice are mounted on the frame (30) and the side wall of the cooling chamber.

2. An air cooling or air conditioning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyor (3) is bent by 90° in the space outside the cooling chamber, wherein to bend the chain (33) two auxiliary sprockets (331, 332), each for one branch of the chain, are rotatably mounted on the frame (30).

3. An air cooling or air conditioning machine according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cleaning elements on the transport vanes (330) are formed by brushes arranged on the circumference of the transport vanes (330).

4. An air cooling or air conditioning machine according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a compensating valve (38) is mounted on the container (37) for snow and ice.