Rotary freezer for freezing granular materials

Abstract

To provide a compact rotary freezing device for freezing granular materials. [Solution] A rotary freezing apparatus 1 for freezing granular material according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a circulation path 6, a blower 7 for circulating cold air in the circulation path 6, a cooler 9 provided in the circulation path 6 and configured to cool the cold air, and a cooling drum 100 provided in the circulation path 6 and configured to freeze granular material 5 while transporting it from an inlet 111 to an outlet 122 by the cold air flowing into it. The circulation path 6 extends along the axial direction at a position where at least a portion overlaps with the cooling drum 100 in the axial direction of the cooling drum 100, and includes a return path 88 for returning the cold air discharged from the outlet towards the inlet side.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a rotary freezing device for freezing granular materials.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a rotary freezing device equipped with a cooling drum for freezing granular materials is known. For example, the rotary freezing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a cooling drum arranged in an inclined posture such that the outlet side is positioned downward. The inside of the cooling drum is divided into a plurality of rooms along the rotation direction, and granular materials are introduced into one of the rooms from the inlet of the cooling drum. Thereafter, the granular materials are frozen by the cold air supplied into the cooling drum during the process of being conveyed to the outlet side as the cooling drum rotates.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above rotary freezing device, since the cooling drum arranged in an inclined posture functions as a conveyor for granular materials, the inclination of the cooling drum may increase, and there is a risk that the rotary freezing device may become larger vertically.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a rotary freezing device for freezing granular materials that achieves compactification.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The rotary freezing device for freezing granular materials according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a circulation path, a blowing means for circulating cold air in the circulation path, A cooler provided in the circulation path and configured to cool the cold air, The circulation path includes a cooling drum configured to transport and freeze granular material from the inlet to the outlet using the cold air that flows into it, The circulation path extends along the axial direction, at least in part, at a position overlapping with the cooling drum in the axial direction of the cooling drum, and includes a return path for returning the cold air discharged from the outlet toward the inlet side. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, a rotary freezing apparatus for freezing granular materials that has been made more compact can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view of a refrigeration apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the left side of a refrigeration apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] This is a schematic cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow AA in Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is a schematic cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow BB in Figure 2. [Figure 5] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the right side of a refrigeration apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] This is a schematic plan view of a cooling drum according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Rotary freezing apparatuses for freezing granular materials (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "freezing apparatuses") according to several embodiments of this disclosure will be described. In the following description, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc., of the components described as embodiments or shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are merely illustrative examples. Furthermore, in the following explanation, we will use the left / right, front / back, and up / down directions indicated by arrows in the diagram. The left / right and front / back directions are both parallel to the horizontal direction. The up / down direction is parallel to the vertical direction.

[0010] <1. Overview of Refrigeration System 1> Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a refrigeration device 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In Figure 1, the case 4 (described later) of the refrigeration device 1 is shown by a dashed line, and the interior of the case 4 is shown by a solid or dashed line.

[0011] The freezing device 1 is configured to individually freeze granular material 5, which is placed in a cooling drum 100 for freezing granular material (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "cooling drum 100"), using cold air circulating inside the case 4. Individual freezing refers to dispersing the granular material 5 and freezing it individually, and it is preferable that the individually frozen granular material 5 does not stick to each other.

[0012] In this example, granular material 5 is edible granular material. Edible granular material includes grains or legumes. Grains include, for example, rice, which can be cooked white rice or cooked fried rice. Legumes include green peas, peas, or soybeans. Furthermore, the edible granules may be granular vegetables, fruits, or seafood. Examples of granular vegetables include finely chopped onions or carrots. Examples of granular fruits include blueberries, grapes, strawberries, or cherries. Examples of granular seafood include small shrimp or whitebait. The edible granules may also be meat or other processed products that have been cut into granules.

[0013] The refrigeration device 1 comprises a case 4 and a cooling drum 100 provided inside the case 4. In this embodiment, as an example, the cooling drum 100 is provided horizontally inside the case 4. Horizontal orientation means that the axial direction of the cooling drum 100 is parallel to the horizontal direction, or that the acute angle between the axis of the cooling drum 100 and the horizontal line is 60 degrees or less. Preferably, the acute angle between the axial direction of the cooling drum 100 and the horizontal line is 45 degrees or less, and more preferably 30 degrees or less. The illustrated cooling drum 100 is a cylindrical body extending in the horizontal direction, and as an example, the front-to-back direction is considered the axial direction. Hereinafter, the axial direction of the cooling drum 100 may be simply referred to as the "axial direction". An inlet 111 for taking in granular material 5 is formed at the front end of the cooling drum 100, and an outlet 122 for discharging the granular material 5 is formed at the rear end. As shown in the figure, the outlet 122 is located on the opposite side from the inlet 111. The cooling drum 100 of this embodiment includes a first cylindrical section 110 having an inlet 111 and a second cylindrical section 120 having an outlet 122. At least one communication port 125 is formed in the cylindrical wall 126 of the second cylindrical section 120, which is located on the outlet 122 side of the first cylindrical section 110, and a configuration is adopted that allows cold air to flow into the cooling drum 100 not only through the inlet 111 but also through the communication port 125. In addition, the cooling drum 100 according to other embodiments may be installed vertically inside the case 4. Vertical orientation means that the axial direction of the cooling drum 100 is parallel to the vertical direction, or that the acute angle between the axis of the cooling drum 100 and the vertical line is less than 30 degrees.

[0014] Case 4 illustrated in FIG. 1 extends along the axial direction (front-rear direction) of the cooling drum 100, and the interior of case 4 is mainly partitioned into four sections when viewed from the front side. Among these sections, the lower left section forms a drum accommodation chamber 15 for accommodating the cooling drum 100, and the upper left section forms a drive unit accommodation chamber 35 described later. Also, in each of the upper right section and the lower right section, a return path 88 for the cold air discharged from the cooling drum 100 to return to the cooling drum 100 is formed. Although details will be described later, the return path 88 includes a pair of parallel paths 881 that are parallel to each other, and a pair of dehumidifiers 882 (see FIG. 4) provided in each of the pair of parallel paths 881. Note that FIG. 1 only schematically shows an example of case 4, and the interior of case 4 may be partitioned into five or more sections when viewed from the front side (see FIGS. 3 and 4), or may not be partitioned at all.

[0015] Each of the above-mentioned sections does not necessarily need to be partitioned over the entire length in the longitudinal direction of case 4. In the present embodiment, a flow path partition wall 85 that partitions the interior of case 4 into a left side and a right side is not provided on the rear side of case 4, and the outlet 122 of the cooling drum 100 communicates with each of the pair of parallel paths 881. Also, a right partition wall 83R that partitions the upper right section and the lower right section is provided at the central portion in the front-rear direction of case 4, and the cooling flow paths 89 in front of each of the pair of parallel paths 881 are not partitioned vertically. The lower left section, the upper right section, and the lower right section of the interior of case 4 described above form a circulation path 6 for the cold air to circulate inside case 4. That is, the drum accommodation chamber 15 in which the cooling drum 100 is provided, the return path 88 and the cooling flow path 89 located on the right side of the drum accommodation chamber 15 constitute the circulation path 6.

[0016] The refrigeration device 1 of this embodiment further includes a cooler 9 provided in the cooling flow path 89 of the circulation path 6. The cooler 9 is configured to cool cold air to a temperature below a specified temperature. The cooler 9 in this example is a heat transfer tube provided so as to penetrate the cooling flow path 89. This heat transfer tube forms a part of a refrigeration cycle (not shown), and a refrigerant flows inside. The refrigerant is cooled by heat exchange with another heat medium and then flows into the heat transfer tube to cool the cold air to a temperature below a specified temperature.

[0017] The refrigeration device 1 of this embodiment further includes a blowing means 7 for circulating cold air in the circulation path 6. The blowing means 7 in this example includes two fans 7A provided on the flow path partition wall 85 and a fan drive part (not shown) for rotationally driving the two fans 7A. The two fans 7A are each configured to send cold air to the front space 15F and the rear space 15R of the drum storage chamber 15. Note that both spaces may be partitioned by a partition plate 84 (see FIG. 2) not illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0018] The outline of the operation of the refrigeration device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is as follows. As the cooler 9 and the blowing means 7 operate, cold air circulates in the circulation path 6. A part of the cold air sent by the blowing means 7 flows through the front space 15F and enters the cooling drum 100 from the inlet 111, and the remaining cold air flows through the rear space 15R and enters the cooling drum 100 from the communication port 125. As a driving part 40 (described later) accommodated in the driving part accommodation chamber 35 drives, the cooling drum 100 rotates about the axis 100A (arrow R).

[0019] Thereafter, a charging device 18 (see FIG. 2), not illustrated in FIG. 1, charges the granular material 5 into the inlet 111 of the cooling drum 100. The cooling drum 100 freezes the granular material 5 while conveying it from the inlet 111 to the outlet 122 by the cold air flowing inside (that is, the cold air flowing into the cooling drum 100 serves both the function of conveying the granular material 5 and the function of freezing it). As an example, the flow velocity of the cold air flowing from the inlet 111 to the outlet 122 of the cooling drum 100 is 3 m / s or more.

[0020] The granular material 5 is conveyed while being agitated inside the rotating first cylindrical section 110. As a result, the granular material 5 is dispersed and suspended, and each granular material 5 is evenly exposed to the cold air and cooled. By the time the granular material 5 reaches the downstream end of the first cylindrical section 110, the pre-cooling of the granular material 5 is almost complete, and the outer circumference of the granular material 5 has begun to freeze. As an example, the temperature of the granular material 5 at this time is 0 to 5°C.

[0021] The granular material 5 passing through the inside of the second cylindrical section 120 is cooled by the cold air flowing in from the first cylindrical section 110 and the cold air flowing in from the communication port 125. The cold air flowing in from the communication port 125 is relatively cold because it does not exchange heat with the granular material 5. Cold air flowing in from the two supply passages merges inside the second cylindrical section 120 to cool the granular material 5, thus promoting the freezing of the granular material 5, and each granular material 5 is frozen to the inside. The granular material 5 is then discharged from the outlet 122 of the cooling drum 100 in an individually frozen state. The cold air discharged from the outlet 122 flows through a pair of parallel passages 881 in the return passage 88 to the cooling passage 89 (arrows A, B), is cooled by the cooler 9, and then returns to the blower means 7.

[0022] Various methods may be used to remove the individually frozen granular material 5 from the case 4. For example, the individually frozen granular material 5 may be stored in a tray (not shown) provided on the outlet 122 side and removed by an operator or robot arm at any time, or discharged to the outside from the case 4 by a discharge device such as a belt conveyor.

[0023] The above is a general description of the refrigeration device 1, but the above embodiment is merely an example. For example, the return passage 88 does not have to be partitioned into the upper right section and the lower right section of the case 4. In this case, the right partition wall 83R is not provided. Also, the fan 7A may be provided in the cooling passage 89 or the return passage 88. Furthermore, the number of fans 7A may be just one. In this case, the cold air sent by the fan 7A may flow into the cooling drum 100 only through the inlet 111. Therefore, the partition plate 84 (see Figure 2) does not have to be provided in the drum housing chamber 15, and the communication port 125 does not have to be provided in the cooling drum 100.

[0024] According to the above configuration, the cold air supplied by the blowing means 7 serves both the function of freezing the granular material 5 and the function of transporting the granular material 5 to the outlet 122 of the cooling drum 100. This eliminates the need for components such as belts to transport the granular material 5 from the inlet 111 to the outlet 122 of the cooling drum 100, thereby enabling a more compact refrigeration device 1.

[0025] <2. Details of the configuration of drum storage chamber 15> The details of the configuration of the drum storage chamber 15 will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the left side of a refrigeration apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow AA in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow BB in Figure 2.

[0026] As illustrated in Figure 2, the drum housing chamber 15, a component of the circulation path 6, is divided into a front space 15F and a rear space 15R by a partition plate 84. In the example shown in the figure, the partition plate 84 is positioned on the inlet 111 side of the axial center of the cooling drum 100. In a more specific example, the partition plate 84 is provided between the front and rear ends of the first cylindrical section 110. The axial distance from the inlet 111, which is the front end of the first cylindrical section 110, to the partition plate 84 is less than or equal to half the axial length of the first cylindrical section 110, and in the example shown in Figure 2, it is less than or equal to one-third. As illustrated in Figure 3, the partition plate 84, which extends perpendicular to the axial direction, has a circular inner edge portion 84A that surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the first cylindrical portion 110. The inner edge portion 84A and the outer circumferential surface of the first cylindrical portion 110 are close to each other to such an extent that it is difficult for cold air to pass through. As a result, the partition plate 84 fluidly isolates the rear space 15R and the front space 15F of the drum housing chamber 15. In other words, the partition plate 84 fluidly isolates the rear space 15R, which is the space on the outlet 122 side of the outer space of the cooling drum 100, from the inlet 111. The inner edge portion 84A and the first cylindrical portion 110 may be in contact with each other, but it is preferable that they face each other with a small gap between them so that the rotating first cylindrical portion 110 does not rub against the inner edge portion 84A.

[0027] Returning to Figure 2, a first supply passage 10 is formed in the front space 15F of the drum housing chamber 15 to guide the cold air cooled by the cooler 9 to the inlet 111 of the cooling drum 100. In addition, a second supply passage 20 is formed in the rear space 15R to guide the cooled cold air into the interior of the cooling drum 100 (second cylindrical section 120) via the communication port 125. In this example, the two fans 7A described above are provided corresponding to the first supply path 10 and the second supply path 20, and the first supply path 10 and the second supply path 20 are separated by a partition plate 84. Therefore, the first supply path 10 and the second supply path 20 are provided in parallel to each other, and a portion of the cold air sent by the blowing means 7 flows through the first supply path 10, while the remaining cold air flows through the second supply path 20.

[0028] With the above configuration, only a portion of the cold air cooled by the cooler 9 flows through the first supply passage 10 and enters the cooling drum 100 from the inlet 111, thus suppressing the rapid cooling of the granular material 5 in the first cylindrical section 110. This suppresses the adhesion of the granular material 5 to the cooling drum 100, which can occur due to factors such as the outer circumference of the granular material 5 freezing while retaining sufficient moisture. In addition, by reducing the amount of cold air flowing into the inlet 111, the transport speed of the granular material 5 on the inlet 111 side of the cooling drum 100 is suppressed, ensuring sufficient residence time for the granular material 5 inside the cooling drum 100 and allowing the granular material 5 to freeze completely. Furthermore, relatively low-temperature cold air that has not exchanged heat with the granular material 5 flows into the second cylindrical section 120, which is the outlet 122 side of the cooling drum 100, from the communication port 125 and merges with the cold air that flowed in from the inlet 111. Therefore, the granular material 5 can be completely frozen inside the second cylindrical section 120 as well.

[0029] Refer to Figure 2 to explain in detail the configuration of the first supply path 10. The drum housing chamber 15 has an opposing wall 17 that faces the inlet 111 of the cooling drum 100 in the axial direction, separated by a gap S. The opposing wall 17, for example, forms part of the front wall of the case 4, and is provided with a feeding device 18 for feeding granular material 5 into the cooling drum 100. In this embodiment, since the cooling drum 100 rotates inside the case 4, the above-mentioned gap S is inevitably formed at the axial position between the cooling drum 100 and the opposing wall 17. Note that in Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram, the gap S is shown larger than it actually is for the sake of clarity. In this configuration, the first supply path 10 is the space in the front space 15F of the drum housing chamber 15, from the fan 7A through the gap S to the inlet 111. However, the cold air sent from the fan 7A to the front space 15F does not need to precisely follow the first supply path 10 from its upstream end to its downstream end. For example, it may temporarily linger in a location outside the first supply path 10 within the front space 15F before flowing from an intermediate point in the first supply path 10 towards the inlet 111. In this case, the lingering cold air can cool the first cylindrical section 110, thereby maintaining the temperature of the first cylindrical section 110 below the specified temperature. The aforementioned feeding device 18 is equipped with a screw blade 18A that rotates axially in the front-to-back direction. The rotating screw blade 18A conveys the granular material 5 supplied to the feeding device 18 toward the inlet 111.

[0030] With the above configuration, the gap S that is inevitably formed between the opposing wall 17 on which the input device 18 is provided and the rotating cooling drum 100 is utilized as the first supply passage 10 for cold air, so the refrigeration device 1 can be made even more compact.

[0031] Next, the configuration of the second supply path 20 will be explained in detail with reference to Figures 2 and 4. As illustrated in Figure 2, the second supply passage 20 is formed in at least a portion of the rear space 15R that extends in the axial direction. Specifically, the space in the rear space 15R from the rear fan 7A to the communication opening 125 of the second cylindrical section 120 corresponds to the second supply passage 20, and the partition plate 84 described above defines the front end which is part of the second supply passage 20. Furthermore, an adjustment plate 25, which is a component of the circulation path 6, is provided in the second supply path 20 on the side of the inlet 111 that is closer to the communication port 125. In this example, the adjustment plate 25 is provided at the same axial position as the boundary between the first cylindrical section 110 and the second cylindrical section 120. The adjustment plate 25 is configured to concentrate the flow of cold air toward the communication port 125 in the second supply path 20 in the circumferential direction of the cooling drum 100. As a result, downstream of the adjustment plate 25, the cold air can concentrate in a certain area in the circumferential direction of the cooling drum 100 and flow vigorously. For example, if the cold air is concentrated on the underside of the cooling drum 100, the cold air can flow from the communication port 125 on the underside into the second cylindrical section 120 of the cooling drum 100, causing the granular material 5 to float. As a result, the granular material 5 can be frozen in a dispersed state.

[0032] As illustrated in Figure 4, the adjustment plate 25 is configured to concentrate the flow of cold air below the axis 100A of the cooling drum 100 in the flow path cross-section of the second supply passage 20. More specifically, the adjustment plate 25 forms an adjustment flow path 77 through which cold air passes only in a portion of the circumferential range of the cooling drum 100. An example of the structure of the adjustment plate 25 will be described. The adjustment plate 25 comprises a semicircular inner edge 86 surrounding the cooling drum 100, an outer edge 87, and a first connecting portion 81 and a second connecting portion 82 connected to the inner edge 86 and the outer edge 87. In the circumferential direction, the first connecting portion 81 and the second connecting portion 82 face each other with a space between them, and this space corresponds to the adjustment flow path 77 that constitutes the second supply passage 20. In the example shown in Figure 4, the adjustment flow path 77 is formed to the lower right with respect to the axis 100A of the cooling drum 100, and the angle from the first connecting portion 81 through the adjustment flow path 77 to the second connecting portion 82 with respect to the axis 100A (hereinafter also referred to as the formation angle of the adjustment flow path 77) is 90 degrees. The cold air sent to the rear space 15R by the fan 7A collects in the adjustment channel 77 as it passes through the adjustment plate 25. As a result, downstream of the adjustment plate 25, a strong stream of cold air is generated, concentrated in a portion of the circumferential area of ​​the cooling drum 100. The angle at which the adjustment channel 77 is formed is not limited to 90 degrees. For example, when the second connecting portion 82 connects the left ends of the inner edge 86 and the outer edge 87, the angle at which the adjustment channel 77 is formed is 180 degrees, and the adjustment channel 77 is formed in approximately the lower half of the adjustment plate 25. Alternatively, the adjustment channel 77 may be formed in approximately the left half or approximately the lower left half of the adjustment plate 25.

[0033] According to the above configuration, at least a portion of the second supply path 20 is defined by the partition plate 84, thus simplifying the configuration of the circulation path 6. Furthermore, since the flow of cold air through the second supply passage 20 is concentrated in a certain area in the circumferential direction by the adjustment plate 25, the circumferential direction of the cooling drum 100 (second cylindrical section 120) into which the cold air flows can be biased. Since the circumferential direction into which the cold air flows into the second cylindrical section 120 can be contained within a specified area, the cooling performance of the cooling drum 100 and the conveying performance of the granular material 5 can be performed as intended. As a specific example, if the adjustment channel 77 is formed below the axis 100A, the circumferential range in which the cold air flows into the second cylindrical section 120 can be made below the axis 100A. As a result, the cold air flowing in from the communication port 125 is more likely to hit the granular material 5, and because this cold air is directed upward, the granular material 5 can be transported while being lifted appropriately. Therefore, the speed at which the granular material 5 moves toward the outlet 122 can be adjusted, and the residence time of the granular material 5 in the second cylindrical section 120 is optimized, resulting in the second cylindrical section 120 being able to fully demonstrate its cooling performance for the granular material 5. Furthermore, the granular material 5 is pre-cooled when it reaches the upstream end of the second cylindrical section 120, and some of the moisture contained in the granular material 5 is absorbed by the cold air. Therefore, the granular material 5 is lighter than when it was introduced, making it easier to float up with the cold air flowing in from the communication port 125, and it is frozen by the cold air in a dispersed state. This suppresses uneven cooling of the granular material 5. In addition, if a method is adopted in which granular material 5 conveyed by a belt is frozen with cold air, a vibration-applying member is required to vibrate the belt in order to make the granular material 5 float up. However, in this method, the vibration-applying member needs to repeatedly come into contact with the belt (or a connecting member connected to the belt), so there is a risk that high durability will not be achieved. In this respect, with the above configuration, since it is cold air that makes the granular material 5 float up, the above-mentioned vibration-applying member is unnecessary, and a refrigeration device 1 with high durability can be realized.

[0034] <3. Details of the drive mechanism of the cooling drum 100> Refer to Figures 2 to 4 to illustrate the details of the drive mechanism of the cooling drum 100. As illustrated in Figure 2, a drive unit housing chamber 35 containing the drive unit 40 is provided above the drum housing chamber 15. The drive unit 40 is configured to provide rotational power to the cooling drum 100, and is, for example, a motor (hereinafter, the drive unit 40 may be referred to as the motor 40). The refrigeration device 1 includes a sprocket 41 connected to a motor 40, and a chain belt 42 that meshes with the sprocket 41 and external teeth (not shown) formed on the cooling drum 100. The chain belt 42 is positioned in both the drive unit housing chamber 35 and the drum housing chamber 15. Therefore, the left partition wall 83L separating the drum housing chamber 15 and the drive unit housing chamber 35 is provided with an open hole (not shown) that is positioned on the inside and on the top and bottom. With the above structure, the driving force of the motor 40 is transmitted to the cooling drum 100 via the chain belt 42, and the cooling drum 100 can rotate.

[0035] The refrigeration device 1 includes a pair of support rollers 45 that are rotatably mounted in the drum housing chamber 15 on either side of the axis 100A of the cooling drum 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the pair of support rollers 45 are provided on the underside of the first cylindrical portion 110 and the underside of the second cylindrical portion 120, respectively. In other words, the total number of support rollers 45 in this example is four (see Figures 3 and 4). Each pair of support rollers 45 supports the cooling drum 100 from below. As a result, each pair of support rollers 45 can rotate in accordance with the rotation of the cooling drum 100 caused by the drive of the motor 40.

[0036] With the above configuration, the pair of support rollers 45 support the cooling drum 100 from below, allowing the cooling drum 100 to rotate more stably. Furthermore, since the mechanism for rotating the cooling drum 100 is realized by the motor 40, sprocket 41, and chain belt 42, the cooling drum 100 can be rotated with a simple configuration.

[0037] <4. Details of the configuration of the return route 88> Refer to Figure 5 to illustrate the details of the return path 88. Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the right side of a refrigeration apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As described above, the return passage 88, which is a component of the circulation passage 6, is configured to return the cold air discharged from the outlet 122 of the cooling drum 100 back to the inlet 111 or communication port 125 of the cooling drum 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the return passage 88 extends in the axial direction. In addition, at least a portion of the return passage 88 is provided in a position that overlaps with the cooling drum 100 in the axial direction.

[0038] The cooling drum 100, an essential component of the refrigeration device 1, has the function of freezing granular material 5 while conveying it, and therefore requires a certain axial length. With the above configuration, the return path 88 overlaps the cooling drum 100 in the axial direction, so the overall axial length of the refrigeration device 1 can be made closer to the axial length of the cooling drum 100. Therefore, the refrigeration device 1 can be further miniaturized.

[0039] In this embodiment, the return passage 88 is separated from the drum housing chamber 15 and the drive unit housing chamber 35 by the aforementioned flow path partition wall 85 that extends in the axial direction (see Figure 1). With this configuration, the flow path partition wall 85 serves to define both the drum housing chamber 15 and the drive unit housing chamber 35 and the return passage 88, so the drum housing chamber 15 and the drive unit housing chamber 35 and the flow path partition wall 85 can move closer to each other in the left-right direction. Therefore, the refrigeration device 1 can be further miniaturized.

[0040] In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 5, the return path 88 comprises a pair of parallel paths 881, a pair of dehumidifiers 882 provided on each of the pair of parallel paths 881, and a switching valve 884 configured to alternately connect the pair of parallel paths 881 to the outlet 122 of the cooling drum 100. When the granular material 5 introduced into the cooling drum 100 contains a relatively large amount of moisture, the cold air that freezes the granular material 5 is discharged from the cooling drum 100 with relatively high humidity. For example, if the granular material 5 introduced into the inlet 111 is freshly cooked white rice or freshly cooked fried rice, the granular material 5 introduced into the cooling drum 100 will release a relatively large amount of water vapor before freezing, so the cold air discharged from the outlet 122 will have high humidity. This cold air is dehumidified by the dehumidifiers 882 as it passes through the return path 88. This prevents frost from forming on the cooler 9 located downstream of the return path 88, thereby preventing a decrease in the cooling performance of the cooler 9.

[0041] The pair of return passages 88 described above are arranged vertically and in parallel with each other. Each dehumidifier 882 also includes heat transfer tubes through which refrigerant flows, a heater provided on the heat transfer tubes, and a drain pan. The heat transfer tubes of the dehumidifier 882 have the same configuration as the heat transfer tubes of the cooler 9. As the cold air passing through the dehumidifier 882 is cooled, frost adheres to the heat transfer tubes. The frost liquefies due to heating by the heater and is discharged to the outside of the refrigeration device 1 via the drain pan. In this example, the switching valves 884 are on / off valves provided on the downstream and upstream sides of each dehumidifier 882. For the sake of explanation, the two switching valves 884 corresponding to the upper dehumidifier 882 will be referred to as the upper switching valves 884, and the two switching valves 884 corresponding to the lower dehumidifier 882 will be referred to as the lower switching valves 884.

[0042] For example, when the upper dehumidifier 882 is operating, the two upper switching valves 884 open, and the upper return passage 88 communicates with the outlet 122 of the cooling drum 100. At this time, the two lower switching valves 884 close, and the lower parallel passage 881 is not connected to the outlet 122. Therefore, the cold air discharged from the cooling drum 100 flows into the upper parallel passage 881 and is dehumidified by the upper dehumidifier 882. Eventually, when frost accumulates on the upper dehumidifier 882, the two upper switching valves 884 close and the two lower switching valves 884 open. The cold air from the cooling drum 100 flows into the lower parallel passage 881 and is dehumidified by the operating lower dehumidifier 882. At this time, the upper dehumidifier 882 is not operating, and the frost is liquefied and discharged by the heater and drain pan. In this way, the upper dehumidifier 882 and the lower dehumidifier 882 operate alternately, and defrosting is performed on the dehumidifier 882 that is not operating, so that cool air can be dehumidified continuously and stably. In other embodiments, the switching valve 884 is not limited to the on-off valve described above, and may be implemented by, for example, a single three-way valve. Even with a three-way valve, a structure in which a pair of parallel paths 881 alternately communicate with the outlet 122 of the cooling drum 100 is achievable.

[0043] According to the above configuration, of the pair of dehumidifiers 882, the dehumidifier 882 that is in communication with the outlet 122 of the cooling drum 100 operates, while the dehumidifier 882 that is not in communication with the outlet 122 stops dehumidifying and can defrost. As a result, the pair of dehumidifiers 882 can dehumidify alternately, so that the cold air discharged from the outlet 122 of the cooling drum 100 can be continuously and stably dehumidified.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lower parallel path 881 overlaps with the drum housing chamber 15 in a side view, and the upper parallel path 881 overlaps with the drive unit housing chamber 35 in a side view (see Figure 1). In other words, the drum housing chamber 15 is located in a position that overlaps the lower parallel path 881 in the vertical direction, and the drive unit housing chamber 35 is located in a position that overlaps the upper parallel path 881 in the vertical direction. With the above configuration, the space for the drive unit 40 and the cooling drum 100, which are the drive unit housing chamber 35 and the drum housing chamber 15, and the space for the pair of parallel paths 881 overlap vertically, so the vertical length of the refrigeration device 1 can be shortened. Therefore, the refrigeration device 1 can be made even smaller.

[0045] <5. Details of the configuration of the cooling drum 100> Refer to Figure 6 to illustrate the details of the configuration of the cooling drum 100. Figure 6 is a schematic plan view of a cooling drum 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As described above, the cooling drum 100 according to this embodiment includes a first cylindrical portion 110 and a second cylindrical portion 120 positioned closer to the outlet 122 than the first cylindrical portion 110. The first cylindrical portion 110 and the second cylindrical portion 120 are arranged coaxially and have the same inner diameter. In this embodiment, the first cylindrical portion 110 and the second cylindrical portion 120 have the same axial length.

[0046] The first cylindrical portion 110 has a first inner surface 115 formed of a first material, and the second cylindrical portion 120 has a second inner surface 124 formed of a second material. The thermal conductivity of the first material is lower than that of the second material. For example, the first material is a resin material. The resin material is preferably ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW) or polyacetal (POM). On the other hand, the second material is a metallic material. The metallic material is preferably stainless steel (SUS). As a result, the heat exchange between the first inner surface 115 and the granular material 5 is limited compared to the heat exchange between the second inner surface 124 and the granular material 5.

[0047] In other embodiments, the second cylindrical portion 120 may be shorter than the first cylindrical portion 110. For example, the axial length of the second cylindrical portion 120 may be half or less, one-third or less, or one-quarter or less of the axial length of the first cylindrical portion 110. Also, the inner diameter of the second cylindrical portion 120 may be larger than that of the first cylindrical portion 110.

[0048] Immediately after being introduced into the cooling drum 100, the granular material 5 has not yet reached its freezing point and therefore contains a relatively large amount of liquid water. For this reason, if the granular material 5 is cooled rapidly, there is a risk that it will adhere to the inner surface of the cooling drum 100. In this regard, with the above configuration, since the thermal conductivity of the first material constituting the first inner surface 115 is low, heat exchange between the granular material 5 and the first inner surface 115 is limited, and the adhesion of the granular material 5 to the first inner surface 115 can be suppressed. Thus, a cooling drum 100 is realized in which frozen granular material 5 is less likely to remain inside. Furthermore, since the first material is a resin material, heat exchange between the granular material 5 and the first inner surface 115 can be appropriately limited, and since the second material is a metal material, heat exchange between the granular material 5 and the second inner surface 124 can be effectively promoted.

[0049] Furthermore, the first cylindrical portion 110 of this embodiment includes a projection 117 provided on the first inner surface 115, which extends in the front-rear direction, which is the axial direction. When the cooling drum 100 rotates, the projection 117 scrapes up the granular material 5 that is introduced from the inlet 111. As an example, the projection 117 extends along the entire length of the first cylindrical portion 110 in the axial direction of the cooling drum 100. In this example, the projection 117 is plate-shaped with a thickness direction parallel to the circumferential direction of the cooling drum 100. The material of the projection 117 is the same as the material of the first inner surface 115. In this example, multiple projections 117 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. As an example, there are four projections 117 (see Figure 3). Note that the projection 117 may be constructed separately from the first inner surface 115. Therefore, the material of the projection 117 may be different from the material of the first inner surface 115.

[0050] According to the above configuration, the rotating projection 117 scrapes up the granular material 5 inside the first cylindrical section 110, allowing the granular material 5 to float in a dispersed state inside the cooling drum 100. As a result, the granular material 5 can come into contact with the cold air in a dispersed state and begin to freeze, thus preventing the granular material 5 from freezing in a clumped state. In addition, since the granular material 5 scraped up by the projection 117 has reduced contact with the first inner surface 115, the adhesion of the granular material 5 to the first inner surface 115 is further suppressed. Furthermore, since each of the granular material 5 floating in a dispersed state due to scraping is exposed to the cold air flowing in from the inlet 111, the granular material 5 is cooled evenly. Therefore, the granular material 5 can be frozen individually and efficiently. Furthermore, since the projection 117 extends axially along the entire length of the first cylindrical portion 110, the granular material 5 is continuously scraped up by the projection 117 as it passes inside the first cylindrical portion 110. Therefore, the granular material 5 can be frozen individually even more effectively.

[0051] In the radial cross-section of the second cylindrical portion 120 of this embodiment, the distance from the center of the second cylindrical portion 120 to the second inner surface 124 (dimension D2 in Figure 4) is constant in the circumferential direction. In other words, the second inner surface 124 is not provided with any components such as the protrusion 117. With the above configuration, excessive scraping of the granular material 5 is suppressed inside the second cylindrical portion 120, so the granular material 5 moves toward the outlet 122 while in contact with the second inner surface 124. This increases the time the granular material 5 passes through the second cylindrical portion 120, promoting heat exchange between the second inner surface 124 and the granular material 5. Therefore, the granular material 5 can be sufficiently frozen to the inside, and the granular material 5 can be frozen individually even more effectively. Furthermore, in an embodiment in which the adjustment channel 77 is provided at least below the adjustment plate 25, cold air passes through the communication port 125 from bottom to top and hits the granular material 5. As described above, the granular material 5 in the second cylindrical section 120 is lighter than when it was introduced, so even without using the protrusion 117, the upward cold air passing through the communication port 125 can adequately suspend the granular material 5.

[0052] The communication opening 125 in this embodiment connects the second supply passage 20, which is a flow path for cold air formed on the outside, with the inside of the second cylindrical portion 120. The communication opening 125 is, for example, an elongated hole that is long in the axial direction. The communication opening 125 may also be a circular or rectangular hole.

[0053] The formation range of the communication opening 125 will now be described. In this embodiment, the cylindrical wall 126 of the second cylindrical portion 120 has a formation region 127 in which the communication opening 125 is formed and a non-formation region 128 in which the communication opening 125 is not formed, arranged side by side along the axial direction. In the example of Figure 6, multiple formation regions 127 and multiple non-formation regions 128 are arranged alternately along the axial direction. In this example, the formed region 127 and the non-formed region 128 have the same axial length. Furthermore, the opening ratio of the formed region 127 formed over the circumferential direction is, for example, 50% or less, and more preferably 30% or less.

[0054] According to the above configuration, relatively cold air, before heat exchange with the granular material 5, flows into the inside of the second cylindrical section 120 through the communication port 125. This cold air merges with the cold air that flows in from the inlet 111, freezing the granular material 5 inside the second cylindrical section 120. Therefore, the second cylindrical section 120 can sufficiently freeze the granular material 5. Furthermore, the granular material 5 is transported while in contact with the second inner surface 124 in the non-forming region 128, and is transported while being lifted by the cold air passing through the communication opening 125 in the forming region 127. This ensures sufficient residence time for the granular material 5 in the second cylindrical section 120, and also allows the granular material 5 to be exposed to the cold air in a dispersed state. Thus, the second cylindrical section 120 can effectively freeze the granular material 5 individually. Furthermore, because the communication port 125 is an elongated hole in the axial direction, the cold air flowing into the second cylindrical section 120 through the communication port 125 forms a film that hits the granular material 5. This allows the cold air to more reliably hit the granular material 5 that is dispersed in the axial direction within the second cylindrical section 120. Therefore, the granular material 5 inside the second cylindrical section 120 can be sufficiently frozen.

[0055] Below, several rotary freezing apparatuses (1) for freezing granular materials according to certain embodiments will be described.

[0056] 1) A rotary freezing apparatus (1) for freezing granular material according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is: Circular route (6), The circulation path (6) includes a blower (7) for circulating cold air, A cooler (9) is provided in the circulation path (6) and configured to cool the cold air, The system includes a cooling drum (100) provided in the circulation path (6), configured to transport and freeze the granular material (5) from the inlet (111) to the outlet (122) using the cold air that flows into the drum.

[0057] According to the configuration described in 1) above, the cold air blown by the blowing means (7) has both the function of freezing the granular material (5) and the function of transporting the granular material (5) to the outlet (122) of the cooling drum (100). As a result, a configuration for transporting the granular material (5) from the inlet (111) to the outlet (122) of the cooling drum (100) is unnecessary, and the rotary refrigeration device (1) for freezing granular material can be made more compact.

[0058] 2) In some embodiments, the rotary freezing apparatus (1) for freezing granular material described in 1) above, The aforementioned circulation path (6) is A first supply passage (10) for guiding the cold air cooled by the cooler (9) to the inlet (111) of the cooling drum (100), The system includes a second supply passage (20) provided in parallel with the first supply passage (10) and for guiding the cold air into the interior of the cooling drum (100) via a communication port (125) of the cooling drum (100) located on the outlet (122) side of the inlet (111).

[0059] According to the configuration described in 2) above, only a portion of the cold air cooled by the cooler (9) flows into the inlet (111) of the cooling drum (100), thus suppressing the rapid cooling of the granular material (5) on the inlet (111) side. This suppresses the adhesion of the granular material (5) to the cooling drum (100), which can occur due in part to the outer periphery of the granular material (5) freezing while retaining sufficient moisture. In addition, by reducing the amount of cold air flowing into the inlet (111), the transport speed of the granular material (5) on the inlet (111) side of the cooling drum (100) is suppressed, ensuring sufficient residence time for the granular material (5) inside the cooling drum (100) and allowing the granular material (5) to be individually frozen. Furthermore, at the outlet (122) side of the cooling drum (100), relatively low-temperature cold air that has not undergone heat exchange with the granular material (5) flows into the cooling drum (100) through the communication port (125) and merges with the cold air that flowed in from the inlet (111), so that the granular material (5) can be sufficiently cooled even at the outlet (122) side.

[0060] 3) In some embodiments, the rotary freezing apparatus (1) for freezing granular material described in 2) above, The circulation path (6) further includes a partition plate (84) that fluidly isolates the space on the outlet (122) side of the outer space (drum housing chamber 15) of the cooling drum (100) from the inlet (111). The second supply passage (20) is formed in at least a portion of the outer space on the outlet (122) side.

[0061] According to the configuration described in 3) above, the partition wall defines at least a portion of the second supply path (20), thus simplifying the configuration of the circulation path (6).

[0062] 4) In some embodiments, the rotary freezing apparatus (1) for freezing granular material described in 3) above, The circulation path (6) is located on the inlet (111) side of the communication port (125) and further includes an adjustment plate (25) that concentrates the flow of cold air toward the communication port (125) in the second supply path (20) in the circumferential direction of the cooling drum (100).

[0063] According to the configuration described in 4) above, the flow of cold air through the second supply passage (20) is concentrated by the adjustment plate (25), which allows the flow of cold air to be biased in the circumferential range of the cooling drum (100) into which it flows. This makes it possible to achieve the intended cooling performance and granular material (5) conveying performance in the cooling drum (100).

[0064] 5) In some embodiments, the rotary freezing apparatus (1) for freezing granular material described in 4) above, The cooling drum (100) is provided horizontally in the circulation path (6), The adjustment plate (25) is arranged in the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path of the second supply passage (20) below the axis (100A) of the cooling drum (100).

[0065] According to the configuration in 5) above, the cold air flows into the cooling drum (100) through the communication port (125) below the axis (100A), allowing the granular material (5) to be transported while being lifted appropriately, and also allowing the granular material (5) to be actively contacted and cooled sufficiently.

[0066] 6) In some embodiments, a rotary freezing apparatus (1) for freezing granular material according to any one of 1) to 5) above, The circulation path (6) includes a drum housing chamber (15) that houses the cooling drum (100), The drum housing chamber (15) has a facing wall (17) that is opposite the inlet (111) of the cooling drum (100) with a gap (S) in between, and is equipped with a feeding device (18) for feeding the granular material (5) into the inlet (111).

[0067] According to the configuration in 6) above, the gap (S) that is inevitably formed between the opposing wall (17) on which the input device (18) is provided and the rotating cooling drum (100) is utilized as a flow path for cold air (first supply path 10), so that the rotary refrigeration device (1) for freezing granular material can be made even more compact.

[0068] 7) In some embodiments, a rotary freezing apparatus (1) for freezing granular material according to any of 1) to 6) above, The circulation path (6) extends along the axial direction at a position where at least a portion of it overlaps with the cooling drum (100) in the axial direction of the cooling drum (100), and includes a return path (88) for returning the cold air discharged from the outlet (122) towards the inlet (111).

[0069] The cooling drum (100), an essential component of the rotary freezing apparatus (1) for freezing granular materials, has the function of freezing the granular material (5) while conveying it, and therefore requires a certain axial length. According to the configuration of 7) above, the return path (88) overlaps with the cooling drum (100) in the axial direction, so the axial length of the rotary freezing apparatus (1) for freezing granular materials can be made closer to the axial length of the cooling drum (100). Therefore, the rotary freezing apparatus (1) for freezing granular materials can be made even smaller.

[0070] 8) In some embodiments, the rotary freezing apparatus (1) for freezing granular material described in 7) above, The aforementioned circulation path (6) is A drum housing chamber (15) that houses the cooling drum (100), It has a flow path partition wall (85) that extends in the axial direction and separates the drum storage chamber (15) from the return path (88).

[0071] According to the configuration described in 8) above, the flow path partition wall (85) serves to define both the drum storage chamber (15) and the return path (88), so the drum storage chamber (15) and the flow path partition wall (85) can be brought closer to each other. Therefore, the rotary refrigeration device (1) for granular material freezing can be made even smaller.

[0072] 9) In some embodiments, a rotary freezing apparatus (1) for freezing granular material as described in either 7) or 8) above, The cooling drum (100) is provided horizontally in the circulation path (6), The aforementioned return path (88) is A pair of parallel paths (881) are arranged vertically and parallel to each other, A pair of dehumidifiers (882) are provided in each of the pair of parallel circuits (881), The system includes a switching valve (884) configured to alternately connect the pair of parallel paths (881) to the outlet (122).

[0073] According to the configuration in 9) above, of the pair of dehumidifiers (882), the dehumidifier (882) located in the parallel circuit (881) that communicates with the outlet (122) of the cooling drum (100) will dehumidify, while the dehumidifier (882) located in the parallel circuit (881) that is not communicating with the outlet (122) will stop dehumidifying and be able to defrost. As a result, the pair of dehumidifiers (882) can dehumidify alternately, so that the cold air discharged from the outlet (122) of the cooling drum (100) can be continuously and stably dehumidified.

[0074] 10) In some embodiments, the rotary freezing apparatus (1) for freezing granular material described in 9) above, The circulation path (6) includes a drum housing chamber (15) that houses the cooling drum (100), The rotary freezing apparatus (1) for freezing granular material further comprises a drive unit housing chamber (35) located above the drum housing chamber (15) and housing a drive unit (40) configured to provide rotational power to the cooling drum (100), The drum housing chamber (15) is provided in a position that overlaps vertically with the lower parallel path (881), The drive unit housing chamber (35) is provided in a position that overlaps with the upper parallel path (881) in the vertical direction.

[0075] According to the configuration described in 10) above, the space for the drive unit (40) and the cooling drum (100) and the space for the pair of parallel paths (881) overlap vertically, so the vertical length of the rotary refrigeration device (1) for freezing granular materials can be shortened. Therefore, the rotary refrigeration device (1) for freezing granular materials can be made even smaller.

[0076] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and also includes modified forms of the embodiments described above, as well as forms that combine these forms as appropriate.

[0077] In this specification, expressions describing relative or absolute arrangements such as "in a certain direction," "along a certain direction," "parallel," "orthogonal," "center," "concentric," or "coaxial" shall not only describe such arrangements strictly, but also describe states of relative displacement with tolerances or angles or distances that allow for the same function to be achieved. For example, expressions such as "identical," "equal," and "homogeneous" that describe things being in an equal state not only describe a state of being strictly equal, but also describe a state in which there is a tolerance or a difference that is sufficient to achieve the same function. Furthermore, in this specification, expressions describing shapes such as quadrilaterals and cylindrical shapes shall not only represent geometrically precise quadrilaterals and cylindrical shapes, but also shapes that include uneven surfaces, chamfered surfaces, etc., to the extent that the same effect can be achieved. Furthermore, in this specification, the expressions “equipment,” “includes,” or “possess” of a component are not exclusive expressions that exclude the existence of other components. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0078] 1: Refrigeration equipment 5: Particulate matter 6: Circulation route 7: Air blowing means 9:Cooler 10:1st supply route 15: Drum storage room 17: Opposing wall 18: Feeding device 20:Second supply route 25: Adjustment plate 35: Drive unit housing 40: Drive unit 84: Partition plate 85: Flow channel partition wall 88: Return route 100: Cooling Drum 100A: Axis 111: Entrance 122:Exit 125: Connecting port 881 :Parallel path 882 :Dehumidifier 884: Switching valve S: Gap

Claims

1. Circular route and The aforementioned circulation path includes a means for circulating cold air, A cooler provided in the circulation path and configured to cool the cold air, A cooling drum is provided in the aforementioned circulation path and is configured to freeze granular material by transporting it from the inlet to the outlet using the cold air that flows into it. Equipped with, The circulation path extends along the axial direction, at least in part, at a position overlapping with the cooling drum in the axial direction of the cooling drum, and includes a return path for returning the cold air discharged from the outlet towards the inlet side. A rotary freezer for freezing granular materials.

2. The aforementioned circulation path is A drum housing chamber for housing the cooling drum, It has a flow path partition wall that extends in the axial direction and separates the drum storage chamber from the return path. A rotary freezing apparatus for freezing granular material according to claim 1.

3. The cooling drum is provided horizontally in the circulation path, The aforementioned return route is A pair of parallel paths are arranged vertically, with each path running parallel to the other. A pair of dehumidifiers are provided in each of the aforementioned pair of parallel circuits, A switching valve configured to alternately connect the pair of parallel paths to the outlet, Rotary freezing apparatus for freezing granular material according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The circulation path includes a drum housing chamber that houses the cooling drum, The rotary freezing apparatus for freezing granular material further comprises a drive unit housing chamber located above the drum housing chamber and housing a drive unit configured to provide rotational power to the cooling drum, The drum housing chamber is provided in a position that overlaps vertically with the parallel path on the lower side. The drive unit housing chamber is provided in a position that overlaps with the upper parallel path in the vertical direction. The rotary freezing apparatus for freezing granular material according to claim 3.

5. The circulation path includes a drum housing chamber that houses the cooling drum, The drum housing chamber has an opposing wall that faces the entrance of the cooling drum with a gap in between, and is equipped with a feeding device for feeding the granular material into the entrance. A first supply passage for guiding the cold air cooled by the cooler to the inlet of the cooling drum is formed by utilizing the gap. Rotary freezing apparatus for freezing granular material according to claim 1 or 2.

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