Cooling storage house

Abstract

To prevent deterioration of a solenoid valve due to heat by accurately air-cooling a solenoid valve for opening and closing a bypass pipe for hot gas in a cooling storage house equipped with an ice-making machine.SOLUTION: A cooling unit 8 for cooling a storage room 4 includes: a vapor compression type refrigerating machine 14 placed on a unit base 13; and a cooling fan 22 for air-cooling a high-pressure part of the refrigerating machine 14. An ice-making machine 10 includes: an ice making unit 36; a condensing unit 39 having a compressor 46 and a condenser 47, and supplying a refrigerant to the ice making unit 36; and a bypass pipe 66 connecting the compressor 46 to the ice making unit 36 bypassing the condenser 47. A cutoff structure 38 for preventing air blowen from the cooling fan 22 from flowing to the compressor 46 is formed between the compressor 46 of the ice-making machine 10 and the cooling fan 22 of the cooling unit 8. A solenoid valve 68 for opening and closing the bypass pipe 66 is arranged on the unit base 13 of the cooling unit 8 and is air-cooled by the cooling fan 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerated storage unit equipped with an ice maker. [Background technology]

[0002] This type of refrigerated storage is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1. The refrigerated storage in Patent Document 1 includes an insulated box having a storage chamber for storing an object to be stored, a first cooling device for cooling the storage chamber, and an ice-making unit for making ice. The insulated box, which has a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped shape, is divided into four compartments, one above the other and one to the left and right, with the ice-making unit housed in the lower right compartment. The ice-making unit is composed of an ice-making section that freezes water, an ice storage section that stores ice made in the ice-making section, and a second cooling device that cools the ice-making section.

[0003] The second cooling device includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporation pipe, all connected by a refrigerant pipe. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor is cooled and condensed by the air blown by a fan in the condenser, then reduced in pressure by the expansion valve and reaches the evaporation pipe, where it cools the ice-making section of the ice-making unit. The second cooling device also includes a bypass pipe that sends the refrigerant compressed by the compressor, known as hot gas, to the evaporation pipe, and a solenoid valve (hot gas valve) that opens and closes the bypass pipe. When this solenoid valve is opened, hot gas is supplied from the compressor to the evaporation pipe, heating the ice-making section via the evaporation pipe. The surface of the ice formed in the ice-making section melts, causing the ice to drop from the ice-making section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-106149 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The solenoid valve that opens and closes the hot gas bypass pipe generates heat when energized, so it is desirable to air-cool it using the fan that cools the condenser. However, if the fan is driven during the ice-removal process of the ice-making unit, the compressor will be air-cooled, lowering the temperature of the hot gas and causing inconveniences such as prolonging the ice-removal process, so the fan cannot be driven unconditionally.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling storage facility equipped with an ice maker, in which a solenoid valve for opening and closing a bypass pipe for hot gas is properly air-cooled to prevent deterioration of the solenoid valve due to heat. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to a refrigerated storage facility that includes a storage compartment 4 cooled by a cooling unit 8 and an ice maker 10 installed outside the storage compartment 4. The cooling unit 8 includes a unit base 13, a vapor compression refrigerator 14 mounted on the unit base 13, and a cooling fan 22 that air-cools a high-pressure section of the refrigerator 14. The ice maker 10 includes an ice-making unit 36 ​​that freezes ice-making water to produce ice, a condensing unit 39 that includes a compressor 46 and a condenser 47 and supplies refrigerant to the ice-making unit 36, and a bypass pipe 66 that connects the compressor 46 to the ice-making unit 36, bypassing the condenser 47. A blocking structure 38 is formed between the compressor 46 of the ice maker 10 and the cooling fan 22 of the cooling unit 8 to prevent air blown from the cooling fan 22 from flowing to the compressor 46. A solenoid valve 68 that opens and closes the bypass pipe 66 is located on the unit base 13 of the cooling unit 8, and the ice maker 10 is air-cooled by the cooling fan 22.

[0008] Ice making machine 10 is provided with second cooling fan 50 that air-cools condensing unit 39, and second cooling fan 50 is stopped when solenoid valve 68 is open.

[0009] The solenoid valve 68 is a normally closed type that opens only when power is applied, and the cooling fan 22 stops while the solenoid valve 68 is closed and the refrigerator 14 is stopped. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] In the present invention, in a refrigerated storage facility including a storage chamber 4 cooled by a cooling unit 8 and an ice-making machine 10 installed outside the storage chamber 4, a blocking structure 38 is formed between compressor 46 of ice-making machine 10 and cooling fan 22 of cooling unit 8 to prevent air from cooling fan 22 from flowing to compressor 46. In addition, a solenoid valve 68 that opens and closes a bypass pipe 66 that connects compressor 46 to ice-making unit 36, bypassing condenser 47 of ice-making machine 10, is disposed on unit base 13 of cooling unit 8, so that solenoid valve 68 is air-cooled by cooling fan 22. With this configuration, driving cooling fan 22 reliably air-cools solenoid valve 68 of ice-making machine 10. In addition, providing blocking structure 38 prevents compressor 46 from being air-cooled by air from cooling fan 22. As described above, according to the present invention, when cooling fan 22 is driven, solenoid valve 68 of ice making machine 10 can be air-cooled without air-cooling compressor 46 of ice making machine 10, thereby preventing the problem of the hot gas temperature in compressor 46 dropping and the ice release process taking a long time, which can occur in a configuration in which compressor 46 of ice making machine 10 is air-cooled by the air blown from cooling fan 22. Furthermore, according to the present invention, cooling fan 22 can be operated continuously to accurately air-cool solenoid valve 68 that opens and closes bypass pipe 66 without having to worry about the problem of the ice release process taking a long time as described above, thereby reliably preventing solenoid valve 68 from deteriorating due to heat. Furthermore, because solenoid valve 68 is air-cooled by cooling fan 22 of cooling unit 8, the cost of the refrigerated storage can be kept low compared to a configuration in which a dedicated fan is provided for air-cooling solenoid valve 68.

[0011] When the solenoid valve 68 of the bypass pipe 66 is opened, i.e., when hot gas is supplied from the compressor 46 to the ice-making unit 36, stopping the second cooling fan 50 that air-cools the condensing unit 39 prevents the temperature of the hot gas from dropping due to the compressor 46 being air-cooled by the second cooling fan 50, which contributes to speeding up the ice-removal process.

[0012] If the solenoid valve 68 is a normally closed type that opens only when power is applied, heat is not generated while the solenoid valve 68 is closed, eliminating the need for air cooling by the cooling fan 22. Air cooling by the cooling fan 22 is also unnecessary when the refrigerator 14 is stopped. If the cooling fan 22 is stopped while the solenoid valve 68 is closed and the refrigerator 14 is stopped, as in the present invention, the power consumption of the cooling fan 22 can be reduced compared to when the cooling fan 22 is constantly driven. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a longitudinal side view showing a machine compartment of a refrigerated storage facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] (a) Front and (b) rear perspective views of the cooling storage facility. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the refrigeration cycle of the cooling unit in the machine room and the ice maker. [Figure 6] 1 is a timing chart of the ice making process and ice removal process of an ice maker. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] (Embodiment) Figures 1 to 6 show an embodiment of a refrigerated storage cabinet according to the present invention. In this embodiment, front, back, left, right, and top and bottom refer to the crossed arrows shown in Figures 1 and 2 and the indications near each arrow. As shown in Figure 2, the refrigerated storage cabinet comprises a main body 1 in the shape of a horizontally long rectangular box with openings on the front and back sides, a side housing 2 fixed to the left side (one side) of the main body 1, and a top plate 3 covering the top surfaces of the main body 1 and the side housing 2. The interior of the main body 1, which is made up of insulated walls, is a storage chamber 4 for storing refrigerated goods, and the front and rear openings of the storage chamber 4 are each opened and closed by swinging three (or multiple) storage chamber doors 5.

[0015] The side housing 2, together with the left side wall (one side wall) of the main body 1, defines a machine compartment 7. As shown in FIG. 1, a cooling unit 8 for cooling the storage compartment 4 is housed in the front half of the machine compartment 7. The entire cooling unit 8 can be pulled out forward through the front opening of the machine compartment 7, and a machine compartment panel 9 is removably attached to said opening. Meanwhile, an ice maker 10 is installed in the rear half of the machine compartment 7.

[0016] First, the cooling unit 8 will be described. The cooling unit 8 is composed of a unit base 13 made up of a horizontal base plate, a vapor compression type refrigerator 14 mounted on the unit base 13, and the like. The refrigerator 14 is composed of a first compressor 15 arranged at the rear of the unit base 13, a first condenser 16 arranged at the front end of the unit base 13, an evaporator 17 arranged above the first compressor 15, and the like, all connected by refrigerant piping. The refrigerant compressed by the first compressor 15 is cooled and condensed in the first condenser 16, and then reduced in pressure in a first expansion section 18 (see FIG. 5) before reaching the evaporator 17, where it cools the air around the evaporator 17.

[0017] The first condenser 16 faces an air intake port 21 opened at the bottom of the machine room panel 9 and is cooled by outside air drawn into the machine room 7 through the air intake port 21. A first cooling fan (cooling fan) 22, which forcibly draws in outside air and generates heat exchange airflow that passes through the first condenser 16, and a first wind tunnel 23, which supports the first cooling fan 22 and defines a ventilation path in the front-to-rear direction, are installed behind (inside) the first condenser 16. The heat exchange airflow that has cooled the first condenser 16 then cools the first compressor 15 located behind it and other components, before being discharged out of the machine room 7 through a first exhaust port 24 provided at the rear of the unit base 13, specifically, downward toward the exhaust space S formed between the installation surface F of the cooling storage cabinet and the cooling unit 8. The first cooling fan 22 is controlled on and off in conjunction with the first compressor 15.

[0018] As shown in Figure 3, the evaporator 17, together with a circulation fan 27 located above it, is fixed in an insulated case 28 made of insulated walls. The opening of the insulated case 28 faces rightward, and this opening faces a communication port 29 opened in the upper half of the left wall of the main body 1. The air cooled around the evaporator 17 is carried by the circulation fan 27 through the communication port 29 to the storage chamber 4, where it cools the storage chamber 4.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, a control box 31 that houses electrical components such as a control board for the cooling unit 8 is fixed to the front of the heat-insulating case 28. The control box 31 faces the upper inner surface of the machine room panel 9, and the top of the control box 31 faces an operation window 32 provided in the machine room panel 9. By opening the operation window 32, a user of the cooling storage cabinet can expose the operation panel provided on the upper outer surface of the control box 31 and operate it from outside the machine room 7.

[0020] Furthermore, the insulating case 28 is supported by a support member 33 with an L-shaped cross section fixed to the top surface of the wind tunnel 23 so that it can be displaced left and right, that is, so that it can move toward and away from the main body 1. In its normal state, the insulating case 28 is located near the right end of its displacement stroke and is in close contact with the main body 1. When the entire cooling unit 8 is pulled forward from the machine room 7, the insulating case 28 is moved leftward together with the evaporator 17, circulation fan 27, and control box 31, and moves away from the main body 1.

[0021] Next, ice maker 10 will be described. Ice maker 10 includes ice-making unit 36, which freezes ice-making water to produce ice, a thermally insulated ice-making case 37 that houses ice-making unit 36, a lower housing 38 that supports ice-making case 37 from below, and a condensing unit 39 that supplies refrigerant to ice-making unit 36. Lower housing 38 also functions as a blocking structure that prevents air blown from first cooling fan 22 of cooling unit 8 from flowing into second compressor 46 of ice maker 10, which will be described later. Ice-making unit 36 ​​is housed in the upper part of ice-making case 37, and below it is ice storage chamber 40, which stores ice produced by ice-making unit 36. Ice-making case 37 is composed of a square-box-shaped case body 41 with openings on the top and rear faces, an upper lid 42 that closes the top opening of case body 41, and an ice storage chamber door 43 that swings open and closes the rear opening of case body 41. A user of the refrigerated storage facility can remove ice from ice storage compartment 40 through the rear opening of case body 41 by pulling ice storage compartment door 43 rearward to open it.

[0022] Condensing unit 39 is comprised of a second compressor (compressor) 46, a second condenser (condenser) 47, and other components, and is housed in equipment compartment 48 defined by the bottom wall of ice-making case 37 and lower housing 38. Equipment compartment 48 opens to the rear, and a ventilation panel 49 with a group of vents is attached to the opening. Inside (in front of) second condenser 47, a second cooling fan 50 is installed, which forcibly draws in outside air and generates heat exchange air that passes through second condenser 47, and a second wind tunnel 51 is installed, which supports second cooling fan 50 and defines a ventilation path in the front-to-rear direction. The heat exchange air that has air-cooled second condenser 47 then air-cools second compressor 46 located in front of it, and is then discharged to the outside of machine compartment 7 through second exhaust port 52 located in front of second compressor 46 below. Second exhaust port 52 faces exhaust space S formed between installation surface F of the cooling storage cabinet and cooling unit 8, and heat exchange air is discharged forward from equipment compartment 48 toward exhaust space S. As shown in FIG. 2(b), an operation cover 53 is provided on the side of ventilation panel 49 to cover an operation section that allows a user to operate ice maker 10.

[0023] As shown in Figure 4, ice-making unit 36 ​​has a conventionally known configuration and is composed of ice-making mold 56 having a group of cells that open downward, heat exchanger 57 that is in close contact with the top surface of ice-making mold 56, water supply tank 58 that stores water for ice-making, water supply tray 59 that sprays the water toward each cell of ice-making mold 56, and tray operation mechanism 60 that moves water supply tray 59 toward and away from ice-making mold 56. Water supply tray 59 is swung together with water supply tank 58 by tray operation mechanism 60 between an ice-making position in which it faces each cell of ice-making mold 56 directly and an ice-release position in which it is separated from ice-making mold 56 to open each cell. Ice-making unit 36 ​​alternates between an ice-making process in which water supply tray 59 is in the ice-making position to freeze the water for ice-making in each cell, and an ice-release process in which water supply tray 59 is in the ice-release position to drop the ice in each cell toward ice storage chamber 40.

[0024] In the ice-making process, low-temperature refrigerant is supplied from condensing unit 39 to heat exchanger 57 to cool ice-making molds 56. Specifically, the refrigerant compressed by second compressor 46 of condensing unit 39 is cooled and condensed in second condenser 47, then decompressed in second expansion section 63 (see FIG. 5), and supplied to heat exchanger 57. The heat of vaporization of the refrigerant flowing through heat exchanger 57 cools ice-making molds 56 to the freezing temperature. Furthermore, water supply pump 64 provided in water supply tank 58 is driven, and ice-making water in water supply tank 58 is sprayed from each nozzle in water supply tray 59 toward each cell of ice-making mold 56. As a result, the ice-making water freezes in each cell, forming ice.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 5, the second compressor 46 and the heat exchanger 57 are connected by a bypass pipe 66 that bypasses the second condenser 47 and the second expansion section 63. The bypass pipe 66 is provided with a solenoid valve 68 that is opened and closed by a control section 67 of the cooling storage. The solenoid valve 68 is a normally closed type that opens only when energized. As shown in the timing chart of Fig. 6, in the ice-making process, the control section 67 drives the second compressor 46 and the second cooling fan 50 and closes the solenoid valve 68, i.e., the bypass pipe 66. Therefore, the refrigerant compressed by the second compressor 46 passes through the second condenser 47 and the second expansion section 63 and reaches the heat exchanger 57.

[0026] Meanwhile, during the ice-releasing process, control unit 67 drives second compressor 46 and opens solenoid valve 68, i.e., bypass pipe 66 (time t1). Therefore, the high-temperature refrigerant (hot gas) compressed by second compressor 46 flows through bypass pipe 66 to heat exchanger 57, heating ice-making mold 56 to a temperature above the melting point of ice. This melts the surface of the ice in each cell, causing the ice to fall under its own weight and detach from the cell. The detached ice slides down the surface of water supply tray 59, which is in the ice-releasing position, and falls into ice storage chamber 40. During the ice-releasing process, second cooling fan 50 is controlled to stop, preventing second compressor 46 and the high-temperature refrigerant (hot gas) from being air-cooled by second cooling fan 50. Excess ice-making water during the ice-releasing process is discharged from water supply tank 58 to drain pan 71 below and then drained to the outside of ice-making machine 10 via drain hose 72.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1 , solenoid valve 68 of bypass pipe 66 is supported by bracket 74 on unit base 13 of cooling unit 8 described above. More specifically, it is disposed between first cooling fan 22 and first compressor 15 in a position where it receives the heat exchange airflow generated by first cooling fan 22. As shown in FIG. 6 , when controller 67 opens solenoid valve 68 to start the ice-removing process, if first cooling fan 22 is stopped in conjunction with first compressor 15, controller 67 starts first cooling fan 22 regardless of the operating state of first compressor 15 (time t1). This allows solenoid valve 68, which generates heat when energized, to be properly air-cooled by the heat exchange airflow generated by first cooling fan 22. Furthermore, when controller 67 closes solenoid valve 68 to end the ice-removing process, if first compressor 15 is stopped, controller 67 stops first cooling fan 22 because air cooling by first cooling fan 22 is unnecessary (time t2). In addition, instead of driving the first cooling fan 22 only when the solenoid valve 68 is open, regardless of the operating state of the first compressor 15, as in this embodiment, the first cooling fan 22 may be driven at all times.

[0028] As described above, ice-making machine 10 of the refrigerated storage according to this embodiment is equipped with bypass pipe 66 that connects second compressor 46 to ice-making unit 36, bypassing second condenser 47, and high-temperature refrigerant, i.e., hot gas, is supplied from second compressor 46 to ice-making unit 36 ​​via bypass pipe 66. Furthermore, in this embodiment, solenoid valve 68 that opens and closes bypass pipe 66 is disposed on unit base 13 of cooling unit 8 that cools storage chamber 4. This allows solenoid valve 68 to be air-cooled by first cooling fan 22 provided in cooling unit 8, and because the air blown from first cooling fan 22 is blocked by lower housing 38 that forms a blocking structure, second compressor 46 of ice-making machine 10 is not air-cooled even when first cooling fan 22 is driven. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the problem of the temperature of the hot gas in second compressor 46 dropping and the ice release process taking longer, which can occur in a configuration in which second compressor 46 of ice making machine 10 is air-cooled by the air blown from first cooling fan 22, and first cooling fan 22 can operate continuously without hindrance. As described above, according to this embodiment, solenoid valve 68 that opens and closes bypass pipe 66 can be air-cooled appropriately, preventing deterioration of solenoid valve 68 due to heat. Furthermore, because solenoid valve 68 is air-cooled by first cooling fan 22 of cooling unit 8, increases in the cost of the refrigerated storage cabinet can be suppressed compared to a configuration in which a dedicated fan is provided for air-cooling solenoid valve 68.

[0029] When the solenoid valve 68 of the bypass pipe 66 is opened, i.e., when hot gas is supplied from the second compressor 46 to the ice-making unit 36, the second cooling fan 50 that air-cools the condensing unit 39 is stopped, thereby preventing a drop in the temperature of the hot gas due to the second compressor 46 being air-cooled by the second cooling fan 50, and contributing to speeding up the ice-removal process.

[0030] If the solenoid valve 68 is a normally closed type that opens only when power is applied, heat is not generated while the solenoid valve 68 is closed, eliminating the need for air cooling by the first cooling fan 22. Furthermore, air cooling by the first cooling fan 22 is also unnecessary while the refrigerator 14 is stopped. In this embodiment, the first cooling fan 22 is stopped while the solenoid valve 68 is closed and the refrigerator 14 is stopped, so the power consumption of the first cooling fan 22 can be reduced compared to when the first cooling fan 22 is constantly driven.

[0031] In the present invention, the position of machine chamber 7 is not limited to the side of storage chamber 4, and the position of ice maker 10 is not limited to the rear of cooling unit 8. The blocking structure is not limited to lower housing 38. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 4. Storage Room 8 Cooling Unit 10 Ice Maker 13 Unit Base 14 Refrigeration unit 22 Cooling fan (first cooling fan) 36 Ice making unit 38 Blocking structure (lower housing) 39 Condensing Unit 46 Compressor (second compressor) 47 Condenser (second condenser) 50 Second cooling fan 66 Bypass pipe 68 Solenoid valve

Claims

1. A refrigerated storage facility comprising a storage compartment (4) cooled by a cooling unit (8) and an ice maker (10) installed outside the storage compartment (4), The cooling unit (8) includes a unit base (13), a vapor compression refrigerator (14) mounted on the unit base (13), and a cooling fan (22) for air-cooling a high-pressure section of the refrigerator (14). The ice maker (10) includes an ice making unit (36) that freezes ice making water to produce ice, a condensing unit (39) that includes a compressor (46) and a condenser (47) and supplies a refrigerant to the ice making unit (36), and a bypass pipe (66) that bypasses the condenser (47) and connects the compressor (46) to the ice making unit (36), A blocking structure (38) is formed between a compressor (46) of the ice maker (10) and a cooling fan (22) of the cooling unit (8) to prevent air from the cooling fan (22) from flowing into the compressor (46), A cooling storage facility characterized in that an electromagnetic valve (68) for opening and closing a bypass pipe (66) is disposed on a unit base (13) of a cooling unit (8) and is air-cooled by a cooling fan (22).

2. The ice maker (10) is provided with a second cooling fan (50) that air-cools the condensing unit (39), 2. The cooling storage container according to claim 1, wherein the second cooling fan (50) is stopped when the solenoid valve (68) is opened.

3. The solenoid valve (68) is a normally closed type that opens only when energized.

3. The refrigerated storage container according to claim 1, wherein the cooling fan (22) is stopped while the solenoid valve (68) is closed and the refrigerator (14) is stopped.

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