Liquid medium ultra-low temperature quick freezing device for food
By using liquid medium freezing equipment with high heat capacity and high thermal conductivity, the existing liquid nitrogen freezing equipment is solved, and the efficient, uniform and controllable rapid freezing effect of food is achieved, and the freshness and nutritional content of the food is maintained.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2025000775U
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Utility models
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-12
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-13
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-03-12
AI Technical Summary
Existing rapid refrigeration equipment using liquid nitrogen is inefficient when freezing thick food, consumes high and has large equipment, so it cannot effectively freeze the food inside, resulting in food quality and nutritional loss.
Using an efficient liquid medium refrigeration device, a liquid medium with high heat capacity and high thermal conductivity (such as a mixture of edible alcohol, glycerin and pure water) is frozen, and a uniform and controllable freezing process is achieved through a cascade screw compressor cooling system and circulation pump.
Efficient rapid freezing of food is achieved, forming ice crystals less than 5 microns, maintaining food cell integrity, and the food remains fresh within 90 days after freezing, with texture and nutritional content close to fresh food.
Smart Images
Figure 0003251236000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ultra-low temperature quick freezing equipment for food, and discloses an ultra-low temperature quick freezing equipment for food using liquid medium, which includes a chiller, a freezing chamber, an ultra-low temperature freezing liquid filled in the freezing chamber, a food basket for placing food, a food basket lifting device, a freezing chamber cover, a cooling process control system, and a freezing liquid circulation system. [Background technology]
[0002] At present, there are two main methods for quick freezing food. The most common is to directly use air as a heat exchange medium, but the freezing speed is slow, the cooling is uneven, the cooling process is uncontrollable, and the ice crystal grains inside the food cells are large. After thawing, the quality of the food will decrease significantly and nutrients will be lost.
[0003] There is also a method of quick freezing with liquid nitrogen, which can cool quickly, but thick foods are difficult to completely freeze, and liquid nitrogen is a consumable product, so the freezing cost is high and the equipment is large. Liquid nitrogen refers to nitrogen gas in a liquid state, which is inert, colorless, odorless, non-corrosive, and non-flammable, and is a liquid that can drop to a temperature of -196.56℃. When it vaporizes, it absorbs the heat of the food, and the low-temperature properties of liquid nitrogen can rapidly lower the surface temperature of the food to below -30℃, thereby achieving the effect of quick freezing. In quick freezing with liquid nitrogen, the food is placed in a liquid nitrogen quick freezing device, and liquid nitrogen is released to rapidly lower the surface temperature of the food to below -30℃, rapidly freezing the moisture in the food and forming tiny ice crystals. The formation speed of these ice crystals is very fast, and can reach several million per second. The temperature inside the food is then rapidly lowered to below -18℃, which achieves the effect of quick freezing, prevents the loss of moisture inside the food, and preserves the original texture and nutritional components of the food. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] However, quick freezing with liquid nitrogen still has obvious drawbacks, such as the inability to rapidly cool the inside of thick ingredients, the large size of the liquid nitrogen quick freezing equipment, the high cost of one-time input, and the high cost of using liquid nitrogen, which is a consumable item in the quick freezing process.
[0005] In view of the above, the present invention proposes a quick-freezing device using a liquid medium that has high heat exchange efficiency, an easy-to-control cooling process, small ice crystal particles inside food cells, and can adequately maintain the freshness of food. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] A food basket to put food in, a freezing chamber in which the food is frozen by a freezing liquid; A work area is disposed above the freeze-sleeping chamber, and the food is put in and taken out of the food basket; A food lifting device that lifts and lowers the food basket between the freezing chamber and the work area; A control system for controlling the temperature of the freezing chamber and the lifting and lowering of the food basket by the food lifting device; a cascade screw compressor refrigeration system for cooling the refrigerating liquid; a refrigerant circulation pump that circulates the refrigerant between the refrigeration chamber and the cascade screw compressor refrigeration system; The present invention relates to an ultra-low temperature quick freezing device for food. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of an ultra-low temperature quick-freezing device for food according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an ultra-low temperature quick-freezing device for food according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ultra-low temperature quick-freezing device for food according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the inside of a food ultra-low temperature quick-freezing device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a refrigeration system of an ultra-low temperature quick-freezing device for food according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0008] The following describes in detail the embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. This technology is a new generation quick-freezing and freshness preservation technology and device developed based on the principle that compared to air-based heat exchange (air has a specific heat capacity of 1.003 kJ / (kg.C) and a thermal conductivity of 0.023 W / mK at room temperature and pressure), liquid-based heat exchange (liquid is a mixture of edible alcohol, glycerin, pure water, etc. in a certain ratio, with a specific heat capacity of 3.168 kJ / (kg.C) and a thermal conductivity of 0.59 W / mK) has a large heat capacity and a large thermal conductivity, resulting in a fast heat exchange speed and small temperature fluctuations. It can be used for high-quality quick-freezing and freshness preservation of seafood, meat, fruit, etc.
[0009] The heat of the ingredients is rapidly exchanged through the liquid medium, the efficiency of quick freezing is improved, the ingredients pass through the maximum ice crystal formation zone quickly, the ice crystals of the ingredients are reduced to 5μm or less, the integrity of the food cells is high, and the freshness of the ingredients can be maintained for 90 days, and the quality after thawing is still comparable to that of fresh food.
[0010] The chiller of this device adopts a cascade screw compressor to compress an environmentally friendly refrigerant, and the heat of vaporization is exchanged between the refrigeration liquid and the refrigeration liquid in the evaporator, and the refrigeration liquid is circulated by a circulation pump to cool the food in the food basket uniformly and controllably. The heat generated by the evaporator and compressor is removed by the radiator through circulating air or circulating water. The food to be flash-frozen is placed in the food basket, and then immersed in the refrigeration liquid by the lifting device to be rapidly frozen. After being frozen to a specified temperature, the food is lifted to the work place by the lifting device and transported to another place by the worker for storage. The temperature control during operation of the device and the lifting control of the food basket are detected by sensors and controlled by an industrial computer.
[0011] The configuration of the device is shown in the drawing. The device is composed of a freezing chamber, a food lifting device, a freezing liquid circulation pump, a temperature and lifting control system, and a cascade screw compressor refrigeration system. A special freezing liquid (which does not freeze at -60 degrees Celsius) is added to the freezing chamber, the freezing liquid is pre-cooled by the cascade screw compressor refrigeration system, and the temperature of the freezing liquid and the food to be frozen is made uniform by the freezing liquid circulation pump. The temperature control system controls the compressor power and the flow rate of the circulation pump based on the signal detected by the sensor to adjust the cooling process of the freezing liquid. The lifting control system controls the rise and fall of the food basket based on the food temperature and the signal of the stroke switch, and the control system pre-sets the freezing and cooling curves of many common ingredients, finely controls the cooling process of different ingredients, and improves the freezing quality.
Claims
1. A food basket to put food in, a freezing chamber in which the food is frozen by a freezing liquid; A work area is disposed above the freeze-sleeping chamber, and the food is put in and taken out of the food basket; A food lifting device that lifts and lowers the food basket between the freezing chamber and the work area; A control system for controlling the temperature of the freezing chamber and the lifting and lowering of the food basket by the food lifting device; a cascade screw compressor refrigeration system for cooling the refrigerating liquid; a refrigerant circulation pump that circulates the refrigerant between the refrigeration chamber and the cascade screw compressor refrigeration system; An ultra-low temperature quick freezing device for food.
2. 2. The food ultra-low temperature quick-freezing device according to claim 1, wherein the control system presets freezing and cooling curves corresponding to a plurality of types of food materials and controls the cooling process for each food material.