Refrigerating device

Abstract

To provide a liquid freezing type refrigerating device in which a structure for adjusting the composition of cooling liquid can be simplified, and whose size and cost can be reduced.SOLUTION: A refrigerating device 1 refrigerates an object to be cooled by bringing it into contact with cooling liquid in a cooling tank 3, and comprises a distillation device 20 for generating return vapor by distilling the cooling liquid from the cooling tank 3, and a condenser 40 for returning the return vapor from the distillation device 20 into the cooling tank 3 by condensing it with cold from the cooling liquid stored in the cooling tank 3. The condenser 40 comprises a plurality of pipe members 43 immersed in the cooling liquid, as condensation flow passages through which the return vapor flows.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an improvement in a liquid freezing type freezing apparatus in which food or other objects to be cooled are immersed in a cooling liquid to rapidly freeze them. [Background technology]

[0002] Known refrigeration systems for rapidly freezing food and other objects include air-cooled systems (air freezing systems) that cool the objects by blowing cold air into a cooling chamber in which the objects are placed, and liquid freezing systems that cool the objects by immersing them in a low-temperature liquid. While air-cooled systems have traditionally been the norm, liquid freezing systems, which are capable of more rapid, high-quality freezing, have recently been attracting attention. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes an invention in which the cooling efficiency of a liquid freezing system is improved by moving the objects up and down in the cooling liquid. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6668563 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In such liquid-freezing refrigeration systems, the composition (mixture ratio of components) of the coolant (brine) is constantly changing due to factors such as the evaporation of brine components and the condensation of moisture in the air. This change in composition affects the performance of the refrigeration system. For example, when an alcohol-water solution (e.g., an ethanol solution) is used as the coolant, a decrease in the alcohol concentration in the solution leads to a decrease in performance due to an increase in the viscosity of the solution. In the worst case, the solution may no longer be able to function as a liquid heat transfer medium, potentially causing the refrigeration system to malfunction or break down. On the other hand, if the alcohol concentration in the solution increases beyond a predetermined limit, the solution becomes a hazardous material under the Fire Service Act, which restricts its storage quantity and requires special safety management. Therefore, the coolant requires maintenance (periodic composition adjustment) to maintain its proper composition. Adjusting the composition of the coolant (e.g., adjusting the alcohol concentration in an alcohol-water solution) can be performed, for example, using distillation.

[0005] 5 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration related to adjusting the composition of a cooling liquid by distillation in a conventional refrigeration device 101. As shown in the figure, the refrigeration device 101 is provided with a cooling tank 103 in which a cooling liquid 102 (e.g., an alcohol aqueous solution) is stored, and an object to be cooled held in a storage unit 104 is immersed in the cooling liquid 102 (secondary refrigerant) and frozen. The cooling liquid 102 in the cooling tank 103 is cooled to a predetermined low temperature by a refrigerant (primary refrigerant) supplied from a refrigerant supply unit 105.

[0006] In adjusting the composition of the coolant 102 (adjusting the alcohol concentration), a portion of the coolant 102 in the cooling tank 103 is introduced by a supply pump 106 through a supply line 107 into a distillation tank 121 of a distillation apparatus 120. The coolant introduced into the distillation tank 121 is distilled by being heated by a heater 122. The alcohol vapor obtained by the distillation is condensed in a condenser 140, and the high-concentration coolant obtained by the condensation is returned to the cooling tank 103 through a return line 108.

[0007] With this configuration, the concentration of the coolant 102 in the cooling tank 103 can be appropriately increased, but to do so, various configurations are required to cool the alcohol vapor in the condenser 140. That is, in order to condense (liquefy by cooling) the alcohol vapor, it is necessary to supply cooling water cooled to a low temperature to the condenser 140, and therefore configurations such as a circulation pump 151 and a cooling water circulation line 152 for supplying the cooling water, and a cooling device 153 for cooling the cooling water are required. This results in an increase in the size of the device and an increase in the cost of the device.

[0008] The present invention has been made in light of these problems, and aims to provide a liquid freezing type refrigeration device that can simplify the configuration for adjusting the composition of the coolant, thereby enabling the device to be made smaller and at a reduced cost. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention relates to a refrigeration system that freezes an object to be cooled by bringing it into contact with a cooling liquid, and includes a cooling tank in which the cooling liquid is stored, a distillation device that distills the cooling liquid from within the cooling tank to produce return steam, and a condenser that condenses the return steam from the distillation device using cold energy from the cooling liquid stored in the cooling tank and returns it to the cooling tank.

[0010] The condenser may include a condensation flow path through which the return steam flows, and the condensation flow path may be disposed in a state of being immersed in the cooling liquid in the cooling tank.

[0011] The condenser may include a plurality of condensation channels.

[0012] The plurality of condensation channels may be a plurality of pipe members arranged in parallel with each other.

[0013] The coolant may be an alcohol-water solution. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, a refrigeration system (e.g., refrigeration system 1) is equipped with a distillation system (e.g., distillation system 20) that distills a cooling liquid, and the return steam from the distillation system is condensed in a condenser (e.g., condenser 40) using cold energy from the cooling liquid stored in a cooling tank (e.g., cooling tank 3) and returned to the cooling tank. This significantly simplifies the configuration for cooling the return steam, eliminating the need for various configurations (e.g., a device for supplying cooling water to the condenser) that were necessary in the prior art. This allows for the refrigeration system to be made smaller and less expensive.

[0015] If the condensation flow path (e.g., pipe member 43) through which the return steam flows is positioned so that it is immersed in the cooling liquid, the return steam is cooled by the cold energy from the cooling liquid in the cooling tank as it flows through the condensation flow path, thereby effectively promoting condensation of the return steam.

[0016] By providing multiple condensation flow paths, a large surface area of ​​the condensation flow path can be secured relative to the flow rate of return steam flowing through the condensation flow path, making it easier for the return steam flowing through the condensation flow path to receive cold energy from the cooling liquid, and allowing the return steam to be cooled effectively with a compact configuration.

[0017] If the condensation flow path is made up of a plurality of pipe members, a condensation flow path with a large surface area can be efficiently formed, and therefore a condenser that is easy to manufacture can be provided at low cost.

[0018] If the coolant is an aqueous alcohol solution, the alcohol concentration of the coolant in the cooling tank can be appropriately adjusted using a distillation device and a condenser. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a refrigeration device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a front view of the refrigeration device, showing the storage unit immersed in the cooling liquid. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the refrigeration device. [Figure 4]FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a cooling device according to the prior art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 3 show a refrigeration system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figures, the refrigeration system 1 includes a base 2 serving as a platform for supporting various components of the refrigeration system 1, a cooling tank 3 provided within the base 2, cooling pipes 4 arranged within the cooling tank 3, a refrigerant supply unit 5 that supplies a refrigerant (primary refrigerant) to the cooling pipes 4, a storage unit 6 capable of storing an object to be cooled, a vertical drive mechanism 7 that drives the storage unit 6 up and down, a lifting mechanism 8 that drives the vertical drive mechanism 7 up and down, a control device (control panel) 9 that controls the operation of each part of the refrigeration system 1, a distillation device 20 for adjusting the composition of the cooling liquid in the cooling tank 3 (for example, adjusting the alcohol concentration), and a condenser 40 that condenses return vapor (for example, alcohol vapor) from the distillation device 20 and returns it to the cooling liquid in the cooling tank 3.

[0021] 1 shows a state in which the storage unit 6 is waiting above the cooling tank 3, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the storage unit 6 has been lowered into the cooling tank 3 and is immersed in the cooling liquid L. In addition, in FIGS. 1 and 2, only the cooling tank 3 and the distillation device 20 portions of the base 2 are shown in partial cross section.

[0022] The cooling tank 3 is a tank for cooling items to be cooled (items to be frozen) such as food, and includes a storage section 3A for storing cooling liquid L. An opening 3B is formed at the top of the cooling tank 3 (storage section 3A) for carrying in and out a storage unit 6. As shown in FIG. 2, when a storage unit 6 is carried into the cooling tank 3, the opening 3B is closed by a lid 11 that descends along with the storage unit 6. This keeps the contents of the storage section 3A of the cooling tank 3 cold.

[0023] The cooling liquid (brine) is a refrigerant (secondary refrigerant) for cooling the immersed object to be cooled, and is a liquid that does not freeze at a set temperature (reference temperature) for cooling the object to be cooled. In this embodiment, the cooling liquid is a liquid whose composition can be appropriately adjusted by distillation using distillation apparatus 20, and is, for example, an alcohol aqueous solution (e.g., an ethanol aqueous solution). The temperature of the cooling liquid (alcohol aqueous solution) is detected by temperature sensor 19 (see FIG. 3) and is controlled to a predetermined reference temperature (e.g., approximately −35° C.).

[0024] The cooling pipe 4 is a heat exchanger for cooling the cooling liquid L in the cooling tank 3, and is made up of a pipe line (in this embodiment, a coil-shaped pipe line surrounding the storage unit 6) through which the refrigerant flows. The refrigerant supply unit 5 is configured to introduce the refrigerant (primary refrigerant) into the cooling pipe 4, and is equipped with refrigerant pipes (refrigerant gas pipe 5A and refrigerant liquid pipe 5B) and various valves (solenoid valves, not shown, etc.).

[0025] The storage unit 6 is a storage shelf for storing objects to be cooled, and includes a frame 6A that forms an outer frame, and a plurality of loading trays 6B arranged within the frame 6A. The objects to be cooled are placed on the loading trays 6B and immersed in the cooling liquid.

[0026] The vertical drive mechanism 7 includes a housing 12, a drive means (for example, an electromagnetic motor, not shown) disposed within the housing 12, and a support arm 13 linked to the drive means. The support arm 13 supports the frame 6A of the storage unit 6 from above. As a result, the drive means causes the support arm 13 to move up and down (extend and retract), thereby moving the storage unit 6 up and down. The stroke and speed of the vertical movement of the storage unit 6 are appropriately controlled by a control device 9.

[0027] Note that Figure 1 shows a state in which the support arm 13 does not extend from the housing 12 and the storage unit 6 is on the upper side of the vertical movement, and Figure 2 shows a state in which the support arm 13 extends downward from the housing 12 and the storage unit 6 is on the lower side of the vertical movement.

[0028] During the freezing process of the object to be cooled, the storage unit 6 repeatedly moves up and down at a stroke and speed appropriately controlled by the control device 9. As a result, the object to be cooled held in the storage unit 6 is not simply immersed in the cooling liquid, but is also moved up and down in the cooling liquid, which increases the fluidity of the cooling liquid around the object to be cooled, thereby accelerating the cooling speed of the object to be cooled.

[0029] The lifting mechanism 8 includes a vertically long housing 14 attached to the base 2, a lifting drive mechanism 8A (power cylinder) provided within the housing 14, and a support arm 15 linked to the lifting drive mechanism 8A. The support arm 15 is connected to the housing 12 of the vertical drive mechanism 7 and supports the housing 12 from the side. With this configuration, as the vertical drive mechanism 7 is driven by the lifting drive mechanism to rise and fall, the storage unit 6 rises and falls, allowing it to move from the upper standby position shown in FIG. 1 to the cooling position within the cooling tank 3 shown in FIG. 2.

[0030] In addition, the lid 11 of the cooling tank 3 is attached integrally to the underside of the support arm 15 (or the housing 12 of the up-down drive mechanism 7), and when the storage unit 6 moves into the cooling tank 3, the lid 11 also descends to close the opening 3B of the cooling tank 3.

[0031] The distillation apparatus 20 includes a distillation tank 21 disposed adjacent to the cooling tank 3, a heater 22 for heating the cooling liquid in the distillation tank 21, a liquid level sensor 23 for detecting the level of the cooling liquid in the distillation tank 21, a temperature sensor 24 for detecting the temperature of the cooling liquid in the distillation tank 21, and a pressure sensor 25 for detecting the pressure in the distillation tank 21.

[0032] Distillation tank 21 is integrally provided within base 2, and distillation tank 21 and cooling tank 3 are separated by a heat insulating wall 26. This forms an independent space for distilling the cooling liquid within distillation tank 21. Distillation tank 21 is fluidly connected to cooling tank 3 via liquid supply line 27, and cooling liquid is introduced from cooling tank 3 into distillation tank 21 by opening liquid supply valve 28 provided on liquid supply line 27.

[0033] In this embodiment, the liquid supply line 27 is provided near the bottom of the cooling tank 3 and the distillation tank 21. This allows the cooling liquid in the cooling tank 3 to be introduced into the distillation tank 21 by its own weight when the liquid supply valve 28 is opened.

[0034] The amount of cooling liquid introduced into distillation tank 21 is controlled by detecting the water level using liquid level sensor 23. When the amount of cooling liquid introduced into distillation tank 21 reaches a predetermined upper limit, heater 22 starts heating the cooling liquid.

[0035] Heater 22 includes a heating element 22A disposed within distillation tank 21, and is configured to heat the cooling liquid within distillation tank 21, for example, by passing an electric current through heating element 22A. When the cooling liquid within distillation tank 21 is appropriately heated, the cooling liquid (aqueous alcohol solution) is distilled, and alcohol vapor (or vapor with a high alcohol concentration) is obtained. That is, alcohol has a lower boiling point than water and evaporates into vapor before water, so the vapor obtained by distillation has a high alcohol concentration.

[0036] During distillation, the temperature of the cooling liquid and the pressure inside the distillation tank 21 are detected by the temperature sensor 24 and the pressure sensor 25, and based on the results of the temperature and pressure detection, the heating by the heater 22 is controlled so that the cooling liquid is heated appropriately (to prevent it from overheating).

[0037] The vapor obtained by distillation (return vapor) is introduced into the condenser 40 via the return pipe 29, where it is condensed (liquefied) and returned to the cooling tank 3. As a result, a cooling liquid with a high alcohol concentration is returned to the cooling tank 3, and the alcohol concentration in the cooling liquid in the cooling tank 3 can be appropriately increased.

[0038] As distillation proceeds in this manner, the amount of cooling liquid in distillation tank 21 decreases, and when the amount of cooling liquid reaches a predetermined lower limit, heating by heater 22 is stopped and distillation is terminated. That is, as evaporation of alcohol progresses due to distillation, the alcohol concentration in the cooling liquid in distillation tank 21 decreases, and further distillation will no longer produce return vapor with a sufficiently high alcohol concentration. For this reason, when the amount of cooling liquid in distillation tank 21 reaches a lower limit, the distillation process is terminated.

[0039] After the distillation process is completed, the cooling liquid (waste liquid) remaining in the distillation tank 21 is discharged from the waste liquid outlet 31. The waste liquid outlet 31 is provided with a waste liquid valve 32, and by opening the waste liquid valve 32, the waste liquid is discharged from the waste liquid outlet 31 by its own weight.

[0040] 4, condenser 40 includes a base 41 which is a substantially rectangular box-shaped member, a connection portion 42 provided on an upper surface 41A of base 41, and a plurality of pipe members (tube members) 43 provided on a lower surface 41B of base 41. The plurality of pipe members 43 extend from openings 41C formed in the lower surface 41B of base 41 in a direction substantially perpendicular to lower surface 41B, and extend substantially parallel to one another.

[0041] A mounting bracket 44 is provided on the base 41, and the condenser 40 is fixed to a predetermined position in the cooling tank 3 via the mounting bracket 44. In this case, the condenser 40 is entirely (or at least the pipe member 43) immersed in the cooling liquid in the cooling tank 3, and the pipe member 43 is arranged so that it extends vertically (downward) with the outlet 43A facing downward.

[0042] A return pipe line 29 is connected to the connection part 42, and return steam from the distillation apparatus 20 is introduced from the connection part 42 into the introduction chamber 41D inside the base part 41. The return steam introduced into the introduction chamber 41D passes through the opening 41C to the pipe member 43 and flows through the pipe member 43.

[0043] As the return steam flows through the pipe member 43, the return steam in the pipe member 43 is cooled and condensed by the cold heat from the cooling liquid surrounding the pipe member 43, and is finally discharged from the outlet 43A at the tip of the pipe member 43. In this way, condensation is promoted while the return steam flows through the pipe member 43, so the liquid with a high alcohol concentration obtained by condensation of the return steam is smoothly returned to the cooling liquid in the cooling tank 3. As a result, the alcohol concentration of the cooling liquid in the cooling tank 3 is appropriately increased. Furthermore, impurities in the cooling liquid are also appropriately removed by distillation.

[0044] The composition adjustment of the cooling liquid using the distillation apparatus 20 is preferably performed during the hours when the refrigeration apparatus 1 is not operating, such as at night. This allows the cold energy of the cooling water stored in the cooling tank 3 of the refrigeration apparatus 1 that is not operating to be effectively used for condensing the return steam.

[0045] As described above, according to the refrigeration system 1 of this embodiment, the condenser 40 is disposed in a state immersed in the cooling liquid L in the cooling tank 3, and the condenser 40 condenses (liquefies by cooling) the return vapor (alcohol vapor) using cold energy from the cooling liquid in the cooling tank 3. Therefore, various components that have conventionally been required for cooling the return vapor in the condenser 40 (for example, the circulation pump 151, circulation piping 152, cooling device 153, etc. in the cooling water supply device 150 shown in FIG. 5 ) are no longer necessary. Therefore, the configuration of the refrigeration system 1 can be significantly simplified, including the configuration for adjusting the composition of the cooling liquid by distillation, thereby achieving a reduction in the size and cost of the device.

[0046] Furthermore, the condenser 40 includes a plurality of pipe members 43 immersed in the coolant as a condensation flow path through which the return steam flows, so that a large surface area of ​​the condensation flow path (pipe members 43) in contact with the coolant can be ensured for a given flow rate of the return steam in the condensation flow path. In other words, by using a plurality of pipe members, the surface area of ​​the entire pipe members for the same flow rate of return steam is significantly larger than when there is a single pipe member. Therefore, the return steam flowing through the condensation flow path (plurality of pipe members 43) can effectively receive cold from the coolant, so that the return steam can be cooled effectively with a compact configuration.

[0047] Moreover, condenser 40 has a simple configuration in which multiple pipe members 43 are attached in parallel to base 41, and therefore is easy to manufacture and can be provided at low cost. Furthermore, condenser 40 can be configured compactly and does not take up much space even when placed inside cooling tank 3, so that cooling tank 3 does not become larger.

[0048] Furthermore, by using multiple pipe members 43, the length of each pipe member 43 can be shortened. As a result, when the pipe members 43 are placed vertically, the vertical length of the condensation flow path (the length from the opening 41C of the base 41 to the outlet 43A of the pipe member 43) can be shortened, so that a particularly high pressure is not required to push the return steam deep into the coolant. Therefore, no special configuration (such as a pump) is required to increase the pressure of the return steam.

[0049] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims. For example, in the above embodiment, the condenser 40 includes a plurality of pipe members 43 as the condensation flow path, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a plurality of flat plate-shaped flow paths may be used as the condensation flow path. [Industrial Applicability]

[0050] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used to appropriately adjust the composition of the cooling liquid in which an object to be cooled, such as food, is immersed in the cooling liquid in a liquid freezing type freezing device that rapidly freezes the object to be cooled by immersing it in the cooling liquid. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1 Refrigeration equipment 2 base 3 Cooling tank 3A Cooling tank reservoir 3B Cooling tank opening 4 Cooling pipe (heat exchanger) 5 Refrigerant supply section 6 Storage Units 6A Storage unit frame 6B Storage unit tray 7 Up / down drive mechanism 8 Lifting mechanism 8A Lifting drive mechanism 9 Control Device 11 Lid 12. Housing of vertical drive mechanism 13 Support arm for vertical drive mechanism 14 Lifting mechanism housing 15 Support arm of lifting mechanism 19 Temperature Sensor 20 Distillation apparatus 21 Distillation tank 22 Heater 22A heater heating element 23 Liquid level sensor 24 Temperature Sensor 25 Pressure Sensor 27 Supply pipeline 28 Supply valve 29 Return Pipe 40 Condenser 41 Condenser base 41A Top of base 41B Underside of base 41C aperture 41D Installation Room 42 Condenser connection port 43 Pipe members 43A Pipe member outlet 44 Mounting bracket

Claims

1. In a refrigeration device that freezes an object to be cooled by bringing it into contact with a cooling liquid, a cooling tank in which the cooling liquid is stored; a distillation device for distilling the cooling liquid from the cooling tank to generate return vapor; a condenser that condenses the return vapor from the distillation apparatus using cold heat from the cooling liquid stored in the cooling tank and returns the condensed vapor to the cooling tank; A refrigeration device comprising:

2. the condenser includes a condensation flow path through which the return steam flows, The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the condensation flow path is disposed in a state of being immersed in the cooling liquid in the cooling tank.

3. 3. The refrigeration system of claim 2, wherein the condenser comprises a plurality of condensation channels.

4. 4. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of condensation flow paths are a plurality of pipe members arranged in parallel with each other.

5. 2. The refrigeration system according to claim 1, wherein the coolant is an alcohol-water solution.

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