Steaming steamer and method for steaming ingredients using the steamer

Abstract

To provide a steamer that can sufficiently and successfully steam a raw material such as rice, and a steaming method for the raw material using the steamer.SOLUTION: A steamer comprises a raw material housing chamber 20 for housing a raw material in an internal space 10a of a steamer body 10 and a saturated steam chamber 30 below the raw material housing chamber 20, and supplies saturated steam from the saturated steam chamber 30 below to the raw material housed in the raw material housing chamber 20 to steam the raw material. An internal water boiling chamber 40 for generating the saturated steam in the steamer body 10 is arranged below the saturated steam chamber 30 in the internal space 10a of the steamer body 10, and a first heating steam pipe 41 for releasing primary steam from an external boiler 100 to the internal water boiling chamber 40 to generate the saturated steam is arranged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a steaming steamer and a method for steaming ingredients using the steamer, and more particularly to a steaming steamer for steaming ingredients such as rice and other grains used in brewing and the like, and a method for steaming ingredients using the steamer. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art When producing brewed products such as sake using raw materials such as rice and other grains, the raw materials such as rice and other grains need to be steamed, and a steamer called a koshiki has traditionally been used for this purpose. A koshiki is a steamer that is primarily used in the sake brewing industry to steam rice, which is the raw material for sake. The state of the steaming can have a major impact on the quality of the product that follows. Therefore, good steaming quality is expected from the koshiki. Naturally, convenience and economy in use are also required. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-158 [Patent Document 2] JP 2004-254624 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2006-68456 A [Patent Document 4] Utility Model Registration No. 3208777 [Patent Document 5] Patent Publication No. 2021-175448 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses a steamer for grains in which primary steam generated in a boiler 10 is reformed in a steam cleaner 11 and directed toward the steamer main body 1, and this steam is released from a steam discharge tube 2 below the steamer main body 1 into steam vessels 4 arranged in multiple stages, and is also supplied to heat-retaining steam pipes 7 of the steaming vessels 4. The above-mentioned Patent Document 2 discloses a method and apparatus for steaming grains in which primary steam from a boiler or the like is reformed into saturated steam in a steam reforming device 1, and then the saturated steam is introduced into a steamer 9 or a steaming device 19 to steam rice or the like. The above-mentioned Patent Document 3 discloses a steamer and sake production apparatus which is provided with a pressure vessel 54 equipped with a heating means such as an electric heater below, and which selectively supplies water and steam from the pressure vessel 54 into the vessel 20, thereby making it possible to both wash and steam rice and the like within a single vessel 20. The above-mentioned Patent Document 4 discloses a steam steamer for grains that has a steam chamber 7 at the bottom inside the steam steamer body 2, and steam supplied to the steam chamber 7 is supplied to the steaming space above via a steam straightening plate 10 and a strainer plate 5. With regard to steam, the document discloses a configuration in which steam generated in a boiler or the like is converted into saturated steam by removing impurities in advance using a steam straightener 14, and this is then sent to the steam steamer body 2. The above-mentioned Patent Document 5 discloses a steam steamer in which a steam reservoir space 15 is provided between the steam steamer body 2 and the inner cylinder 6 to prevent condensation on the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 6. The disclosed configuration involves steam being supplied to the lower space within the steam steamer body 2 via a steam transport pipe 13 from a steam supply source such as a boiler.

[0005] However, in all of the conventional techniques disclosed in the above Patent Documents 1, 2, 4, and 5, primary steam generated in a boiler is reformed into saturated steam in advance in a steam reforming device called a steam cleaner, etc. Then, this reformed saturated steam is transported to a steamer and supplied to the steaming process of the raw materials. Therefore, in the conventional devices shown in Patent Documents 1, 2, 4, and 5, the transport distance and transport time from the point where the saturated steam is generated to the steam koshiki vary depending on the position of the steam koshiki, so there is a problem that the temperature, humidity, size of the steam particles, and quality of the saturated steam that is supplied to the steam koshiki and used to actually steam rice, etc. are prone to large changes. For this reason, even if the steamer is the same, if its position is changed due to movement, etc., there is a problem that the quality of the steamed rice, etc. changes. Also, when installing a new steamer, if the length of the transport pipe is different from the previous one, problems such as a change in the quality of the steamed rice can occur. Furthermore, if a branch pipe is connected to an existing steam transport pipe, the quality of the steam can also change. On the other hand, in the conventional devices shown in Patent Documents 1, 2, 4, and 5, when installing a new steam steamer, if steam is transported via a route separate from the existing steam transport pipe, it becomes necessary to add another steam reforming device, which poses the problem of increased costs. With regard to Patent Document 3, the steamer in Patent Document 3 is equipped with a pressure vessel 54, and the steam generated in the pressure vessel 54 is supplied to the vessel 20 containing rice, etc. However, this pressure vessel 54 is a type of boiler equipment that is equipped with a control unit 60 and power supply equipment, making it a complex and expensive device that is significantly different from general steamers that do not have boiler equipment attached.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art and to provide a steaming steamer capable of sufficiently steaming ingredients such as rice, and a method of steaming ingredients using the steamer. Another object of the present invention is to provide a steaming koshiki that can generate high-quality, homogeneous saturated steam that is fully suitable for steaming ingredients such as rice, even when primary steam generated in a boiler is connected to the koshiki without going through a steam reforming device, and can supply this to the steaming process, thereby allowing the ingredients to be steamed satisfactorily, and a method of steaming ingredients using the koshiki. Another object of the present invention is to provide a koshiki that can directly connect to the koshiki the primary steam from an external boiler and can provide a method of steaming ingredients using the koshiki, and that can provide good steaming, even when a new koshiki is added to the installation. Another object of the present invention is to provide a steamer and a method of steaming ingredients using a steamer that can generate and supply high-quality, homogenous saturated steam that is fully suitable for steaming ingredients such as rice, even if the distance or transport time of the transport pipe that transports primary steam from an external boiler varies. Another object of the present invention is to provide a steaming koshiki and a method of steaming ingredients using the koshiki, which uses primary steam supplied to the koshiki from an external boiler to generate saturated steam within the koshiki, allowing the generated saturated steam to be used for the steaming process without aging, i.e., while maintaining the quality of the saturated steam. A further object of the present invention is to provide a steamer and a method of steaming ingredients using the steamer, which can maintain and uniform the temperature of the saturated steam generated in the steamer, thereby enabling ingredients to be steamed satisfactorily with high-quality, homogeneous saturated steam. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the steamer of the present invention is provided with a raw material storage chamber for storing raw materials in the internal space of the steamer body, and a saturated steam chamber below the raw material storage chamber, and the raw materials stored in the raw material storage chamber are steamed by supplying saturated steam from the saturated steam chamber below. An internal water boiling chamber for generating saturated steam within the steamer body is provided below the saturated steam chamber in the internal space of the steamer body, and a first heating steam pipe is provided to release primary steam from an external boiler into the internal water boiling chamber to generate saturated steam. Furthermore, a heat-retaining gap is provided between the outer surface of the steamer body and a jacket provided on the outside of the steamer body, so that the saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber can be introduced from the internal boiling chamber into the saturated steam chamber above it, and a portion of the saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber can also be introduced into the heat-retaining gap. This is the first characteristic. In addition to the first feature, the steam boiler of the present invention has a second feature in that it is equipped with a second heating steam pipe for the saturated steam chamber, which circulates the primary steam from the external boiler transported to the steam boiler from outside the steam boiler as a pipe heater inside the saturated steam chamber. 。 MaThe method of steaming ingredients using a steaming vessel of the present invention is provided with a raw material storage chamber for storing raw materials in the internal space of the steaming vessel body, a saturated steam chamber below the raw material storage chamber, and an internal boiling chamber below the saturated steam chamber, and the saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber for the raw materials stored in the raw material storage chamber is supplied to the raw material storage chamber via the saturated steam chamber to steam the raw materials, and the method comprises at least the following steps A to E. Third It is characterized by the following: A. The process of placing raw materials in the raw material storage chamber and filling the internal boiling chamber with water. B. The process of releasing primary steam from the external boiler into an internal boiling chamber filled with water to generate saturated steam. C. A process in which the saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber is introduced into the saturated steam chamber above, while a portion of the saturated steam is introduced into the insulation gap formed between the outer surface of the steam boiler body and its jacket without passing through the saturated steam chamber. D. A process in which the primary steam from an external boiler is circulated as a pipe heater inside the saturated steam chamber or stopped, depending on the condition of the saturated steam in the saturated steam chamber, thereby heating or stopping the heating of the saturated steam in the saturated steam chamber. E. A process in which the release of primary steam from the external boiler to the internal water boiling chamber and the supply of primary steam from the external boiler to the saturated steam chamber are stopped when the raw materials in the raw material storage chamber have finished steaming. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the steamer of claim 1, the inner space of the steamer body is provided with a raw material storage chamber and a saturated steam chamber below it, and an internal water boiling chamber is provided below the saturated steam chamber. A first heating steam pipe is provided for the internal water boiling chamber. Primary steam from the external boiler is released into the internal water boiling chamber filled with water via the first heating steam pipe. This allows saturated steam to be generated in the internal water boiling chamber. Since the steam boiler itself is equipped with an internal boiling chamber that generates saturated steam, there is no need to pass the primary steam generated in an external boiler through a steam reformer in advance to reform it before introducing it into the steam boiler, and therefore, naturally, there is no need for a steam reformer. By filling the internal water boiling chamber with water and releasing the primary steam from the external boiler into the water through the first heating steam pipe, it is possible to obtain good saturated steam. Moreover, the internal water boiling chamber can be a simple water tank filled with water, which has the advantage in terms of cost. In addition, by filling the internal water boiling chamber with water, it acts as a filter, eliminating the need for an existing or new primary steam reforming device. In addition, since the internal boiling chamber is provided in the steamer body, it can be used for steaming together with the steamer body at any time, and can be moved freely together with the steamer body. Since the saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber can be supplied to the saturated steam chamber immediately above without any time lapse, it becomes possible to supply the good quality saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber to the saturated steam chamber in almost the same state, and further to the raw material storage chamber above.

[0009] In addition, according to the steam boiler described in claim 1, a heat-retaining gap is provided between the outer surface of the steam boiler body and the jacket provided on the outside of the steam boiler body, so that the saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber can be introduced from the internal boiling chamber into the saturated steam chamber above it, and a portion of the saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber can also be introduced into the heat-retaining gap. The saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber is not only introduced into the saturated steam chamber above the internal boiling chamber, but some of it can also be introduced into the insulation gap between the outer surface of the steamer body and its jacket. This means that the saturated steam generated inside the steamer body can be used not only to steam the ingredients but also to keep the steamer body warm.

[0010] Claim 2 According to the steamer described in Claim 1 In addition to the effects of the configuration described above, The saturated steam chamber is provided with a second heating steam pipe that circulates the primary steam transported from the boiler outside the steam steam chamber as a pipe heater inside the saturated steam chamber. By using the common primary steam introduced from the external boiler to generate saturated steam by releasing the primary steam into the internal water boiling chamber through the first heating steam pipe, and circulating the primary steam through the second heating steam pipe to the saturated steam chamber as a pipe heater, the wetness and temperature of the generated saturated steam can be maintained, thereby maintaining the quality of the saturated steam. Also, by using the primary steam from the external boiler to generate saturated steam, the temperature, wetness, dryness, etc. of the generated saturated steam can be adjusted in the saturated steam chamber to be good. Furthermore, by providing the steam boiler body with a first heating steam pipe and a second heating steam pipe, it can be used as long as there is a connection port for introducing primary steam from an external boiler and other facilities such as a water supply port, thereby reducing initial costs.

[0011] Also, the above Claim 3 According to the method of steaming ingredients using a steamer described above, the steamer body is provided with a raw material storage chamber for storing raw materials in the internal space thereof, a saturated steam chamber below the raw material storage chamber, and an internal boiling chamber below the saturated steam chamber, and saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber for the raw materials stored in the raw material storage chamber is supplied to the raw material storage chamber via the saturated steam chamber to steam the raw materials. In process A, raw materials are placed in the raw material storage chamber and water is filled into the internal boiling chamber. In process B, primary steam from the external boiler is released into the internal boiling chamber filled with water to generate saturated steam. This allows saturated steam to be generated within the steam boiler body using primary steam from an external boiler. In process C, the saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber is introduced into the saturated steam chamber above, while a portion of the saturated steam is introduced into the insulation gap formed between the outer surface of the steamer body and its jacket without passing through the saturated steam chamber. This allows a portion of the generated saturated steam to flow into the insulation gap via a separate route without passing through the main saturated steam chamber, thereby suppressing fluctuations in the quantity and quality of the saturated steam in the saturated steam chamber while also keeping the steamer itself warm. In process D, depending on the condition of the saturated steam in the saturated steam chamber, the primary steam from the external boiler is circulated around the saturated steam chamber as a pipe heater or this is stopped, thereby heating or stopping the heating of the saturated steam in the saturated steam chamber. This not only allows the primary steam introduced from the external boiler to be used to generate saturated steam in the internal water boiling chamber depending on the saturated steam condition inside the saturated steam chamber, but also prevents the saturated steam that enters the saturated steam chamber from becoming too wet, drying out, or losing temperature, thereby maintaining the quality of the saturated steam particles. In step E, as the raw materials in the raw material storage chamber have finished steaming, the release of primary steam from the external boiler to the internal water boiling chamber and the supply of primary steam from the external boiler to the saturated steam chamber are stopped. This completes the steaming of the ingredients. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a steamer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a steamer according to an embodiment of the present invention, taken at the top of the internal boiling chamber and viewed from above. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a steamer according to an embodiment of the present invention, taken at a position slightly above the internal water boiling chamber, showing the internal water boiling chamber and the first heating steam pipe as viewed from above. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the steamer according to the embodiment of the present invention, taken at the upper portion of the saturated steam chamber and showing the state of the second heating steam pipe as viewed from above. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the steaming steamer and the method of steaming ingredients using the steaming steamer according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings to facilitate understanding of the present invention. However, the following description does not limit the technical scope of the present invention described in the claims.

[0014] First, referring to FIG. 1, a steamer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is composed of a steamer body 10 and other accessory components necessary for the steaming process. The steamer body 10 has at least a raw material storage chamber 20, a saturated steam chamber 30, and an internal water boiling chamber 40 in its internal space 10a.

[0015] 2 to 4, the steamer body 10 is cylindrical in this embodiment and is placed on a base 50. Of course, the steamer body 10 may be in a tubular shape other than a cylindrical shape. The steamer body 10 may also be in the shape of a container with a bottom. The steamer body 10 may be made of a material such as stainless steel plate or other materials, with the right material being used in the right place. The base 50 is a stand for setting up the steamer body 10. The base 50 can be placed on the floor and fixed in place. Of course, the base 50 may be something like a movable dolly if necessary. A jacket 11 is provided on the outside of the steamer body 10. An insulation gap 12 is formed between the outer surface of the steamer body 10 and the jacket 11. The jacket 11 is primarily used to keep the steamer body 10 warm, but is particularly used to keep the raw material storage chamber 20 and saturated steam chamber 30 warm. By providing the heat retention gap 12, it is possible to introduce steam, which will be described later, between the outer surface of the steamer body 10 and the jacket 11, thereby keeping the outer surface of the steamer body 10 warm. The upper end of the steamer body 10 is open as an upper end opening 13. The upper end opening 13 of the steamer body 10 is configured to be covered with a cloth lid 14 during the steaming operation.

[0016] The raw material storage chamber 20 is a facility provided for storing raw materials to be steamed in the steamer 1, such as rice or grains. In this embodiment, the raw material storage chamber 20 is provided in the upper part of the internal space 10a of the steamer body 10. More specifically, the raw material storage chamber 20 is formed by dividing the internal space 10a of the steamer body 10 into upper and lower parts by a perforated bottom plate 21, also known as a strainer or a basket, etc., with the perforated bottom plate 21 serving as the bottom and the side panels of the steamer body 10 located above the perforated bottom plate 21. The porous bottom plate 21 can be attached and detached from the steamer body 10. By removing the porous bottom plate 21, the steamer body 10 and the porous bottom plate 21 can be easily handled when cleaning, etc. Of course, the raw material storage chamber 20 may be configured as an independent porous bottom container. In that case, the porous bottom container as the raw material storage chamber 20 can be inserted into the inner space 10a of the steamer body 10 and configured so that it can be freely removed.

[0017] The saturated steam chamber 30 is a chamber for supplying the saturated steam stored therein from below to the raw material containing chamber 20. The saturated steam is introduced into the raw material containing chamber 20 through a porous bottom plate 21. The saturated steam chamber 30 is provided in the internal space 10a of the steamer body 10 at a position below the raw material storage chamber 20. The ceiling of the saturated steam chamber 30 is partitioned vertically by the porous bottom plate 21 of the raw material storage chamber 20. On the other hand, the bottom of the saturated steam chamber 30 is partitioned vertically from the internal water boiling chamber 40. The saturated steam chamber 30 is provided with a second heating steam pipe 31, which will be described later. The saturated steam chamber 30 is also provided with a saturated steam dispersion and release pipe 32, which will be described later.

[0018] The internal boiling chamber 40 is a chamber for generating saturated steam inside the steamer body 10, i.e., in the internal space 10a. By providing the internal boiling chamber 40, saturated steam can be generated within the steamer body 10, and the generated saturated steam can be introduced into the saturated steam chamber 30 above in a short time without any time lapse, which has the advantage that it can also be supplied to the raw material storage chamber 20 without any time lapse. The internal boiling chamber 40 is arranged in a partitioned state below the saturated steam chamber 30 in the internal space 10a of the steamer body 10. The internal boiling chamber 40 can be constructed, for example, as a water tank, which is placed in the lower part of the internal space 10a of the steamer body 10. In this embodiment, the water tank (internal boiling chamber 40) constructed in the lower part of the steamer body 10 can be attached to and placed on the base 50. The internal boiling water chamber 40 is vertically separated from the saturated steam chamber 30 by an internal partition plate 15 . The internal partition plate 15 is a plate that divides the internal space 10a of the steamer body 10 in the horizontal direction. The internal partition plate 15 seals the ceiling of the water tank (internal water boiling chamber 40) and also divides the internal space 10a on the side of the ceiling in the horizontal direction. Of the internal partition plate 15, the portion that constitutes the lid of the ceiling of the water tank (internal water boiling chamber 40) can be formed separately.

[0019] A first heating steam pipe 41 is provided for the internal water boiling chamber 40. The first heating steam pipe 41 is a pipe that plays a role in discharging primary steam from the external boiler 100 into the internal water boiling chamber 40 filled with water to generate saturated steam. In addition, the internal boiling chamber 40 is provided with a water supply pipe 42 for supplying water into the water tank that constitutes the internal boiling chamber 40, an overflow pipe 43, and a water discharge pipe 44 for discharging water from the internal boiling chamber 40. Further, for the internal boiling water chamber 40, there is provided a heat-retaining steam pipe 45 for guiding a part of the saturated steam generated in the internal boiling water chamber 40 to the heat-retaining gap 12. The heat-retaining steam pipe 45 is provided with a flow rate control valve 45a.

[0020] The first heating steam pipe 41 arranged in the internal water boiling chamber 40 and the second heating steam pipe 31 arranged in the saturated steam chamber 30 will be further described. These first heating steam pipe 41 and second heating steam pipe 31 are pipes that take in and supply the primary steam generated and sent from the external boiler 100 into the steamer body 10. The primary steam sent from the external boiler 100 is taken in through an intake pipe 70, which is then branched into two systems, one of which is the first heating steam pipe 41 and the other is the second heating steam pipe 31. The first heating steam pipe 41 is configured to send primary steam from the external boiler 100 to the internal water boiling chamber 40 and release it to generate saturated steam. On the other hand, the second heating steam pipe 31 is configured to circulate the primary steam from the external boiler 100 inside the saturated steam chamber 30 as a pipe heater 31b, thereby heating and keeping the saturated steam inside the saturated steam chamber 30 warm.

[0021] 1 and 2, the first heating steam pipe 41 is provided with a flow rate control valve 41a, a branch pipe 41b, and an outlet 41c. Primary steam sent from the external boiler 100 passes through an intake pipe 70 and branches into the first heating steam pipe 41, passes through the flow rate control valve 41a, enters the steamer body 10, and passes through the branch pipe 41b to be dispersed and released into the water in the internal water boiling chamber 40 from the outlet 41c at the end. 1 and 4, the second heating steam pipe 31 is configured to include a flow rate control valve 31a, as well as branch pipes 31b serving as a pipe heater extending throughout the saturated steam chamber 30. Primary steam sent from the external boiler 100 passes through an intake pipe 70 and is branched into the second heating steam pipe 31, passes through the flow rate control valve 31a, is led to the saturated steam chamber 30 in the steam steamer body 10, passes through branch pipes 31b serving as a pipe heater extending throughout the saturated steam chamber 30, and is discharged from the saturated steam chamber 30 and then to the outside of the steam steamer body 10.

[0022] The saturated steam dispersion release piping 32 arranged in the saturated steam chamber 30 is a piping for ensuring that the saturated steam generated in the internal water boiling chamber 40 is uniformly dispersed and released in the saturated steam chamber 30 when the saturated steam generated in the internal water boiling chamber 40 is introduced into the saturated steam chamber 30. Referring to Figures 1 and 3, the saturated steam dispersion release piping 32 has a pair of elongated release pipes 32a arranged horizontally in parallel within the saturated steam chamber 30, and a number of small release holes 32b facing diagonally downward on both lower sides of each of the parallel release pipes 32a along their entire length. The saturated steam generated in the inner boiling chamber 40 enters the saturated steam chamber 30 through a pair of inlet pipes 32c from a pair of outlets in the ceiling of the inner boiling chamber 40, and is transported to a pair of discharge pipes 32a and released from the discharge holes 32b. Of course, the specific configuration of the saturated steam dispersion and discharge pipe 32 is not limited to the configuration described above, and any configuration that allows saturated steam to be introduced uniformly into the saturated steam chamber 30 may be used.

[0023] In this embodiment, various sensors can be provided. For example, in this embodiment, a micromanometer 61 is provided in the raw material storage chamber 20, a thermometer 62 is provided in the heat retention gap 12, a thermometer / pressure gauge 63 is provided in the saturated steam chamber 30, and a pressure gauge 64 is provided in the internal water boiling chamber 40. By using these instruments 61 to 64, the temperature and pressure within the raw material storage chamber 20, the heat retention gap 12, the saturated steam chamber 30, and the internal water boiling chamber 40 can be measured, and based on these measured values, preferable temperature and pressure adjustments can be made. For example, by providing the micro-pressure gauge 61 for the raw material containing chamber 20, the delicate pressure state within the raw material containing chamber 20 can be visualized in detail and numerically, enabling finely tuned management and control. The steaming process can be controlled based on the temperature and pressure measurements by the instruments 61 to 64 in the form of manual control, semi-automatic control in which some parts are automated, or fully automatic control in which the entire process is automated.

[0024] Next, a method for steaming ingredients using the steamer 1 according to this embodiment will be described. The raw materials covered are rice and other grains, but the explanation here focuses on rice. The method for steaming raw materials comprises at least the following steps A to E.

[0025] Step A: A step of putting raw materials into the raw material storage chamber 20 and filling the internal water boiling chamber 40 with water. Here, washed rice is placed in the raw material storage chamber 20 as the raw material. The porous bottom plate 21 is attached to the steamer body 10 to form the raw material storage chamber 20, into which a predetermined amount of washed rice is placed. Then, the cloth lid 14 is placed over the upper opening 13 of the steamer body 10 and set. Purified water is supplied to the water tank of the internal water boiling chamber 40 through the water supply pipe 42 and is filled to a predetermined water level. When the water level exceeds the predetermined level, it is discharged from the overflow pipe 43.

[0026] Step B: A step of releasing primary steam from the external boiler 100 into the internal water boiling chamber 40 filled with water to generate saturated steam. When the flow rate control valve 41a of the first heating steam pipe 41 is opened, the primary steam from the external boiler 100 passes through the branch pipe 41b and the outlet 41c and is released into the water in the internal water boiling chamber 40. This generates saturated steam in the internal water boiling chamber 40. The released primary steam is purified by the water in the internal boiling chamber 40. Therefore, the generated saturated steam becomes clean saturated steam. Since the steam steamer main body 10 is provided with an internal water boiling chamber 40 to generate saturated steam, there is no need to pass the primary steam generated in the external boiler 100 through a steam reforming device in advance to reform it before introducing it into the steam steamer. Naturally, this eliminates the need for a steam reforming device. In other words, by filling the internal water boiling chamber 40 with water, it acts as a filter, and the primary steam from the external boiler 100 can be used as is. Good saturated steam can be obtained by filling the internal water boiling chamber 40 with water and releasing the primary steam from the external boiler 100 into the water via the first heating steam pipe 41. Moreover, the internal water boiling chamber 40 can be a simple water tank that is simply filled with water, which is also advantageous in terms of cost. In addition, since the internal water boiling chamber 40 is provided in the steamer body 10, it can be used for steaming work together with the steamer body 10 at any time and can be moved freely together with the steamer body 10. Since the saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber 40 can be supplied to the saturated steam chamber 30 immediately above without any time lapse, it becomes possible to supply the excellent saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber 40 to the saturated steam chamber 30 in almost the same state, and further to the raw material storage chamber 20 above. The amount of saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber 40 is adjusted by adjusting the flow rate control valve 41a of the first heating steam pipe 41 according to the pressure in the internal boiling chamber 40 detected by the pressure gauge 64.

[0027] Step C: The saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber 40 is introduced into the upper saturated steam chamber 30, while a portion of the saturated steam is introduced into the insulation gap 12 formed between the outer surface of the steamer body 10 and its jacket 11 without passing through the saturated steam chamber 30. The saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber 40 passes through the internal partition plate 15 and enters the saturated steam chamber 30 from a pair of outlet ports in the ceiling of the internal boiling chamber 40 through a pair of inlet pipes 32c, is transported to a pair of discharge pipes 32a, and is released from the discharge holes 32b. On the other hand, by opening the flow rate control valve 45a of the heat retention steam pipe 45, a portion of the saturated steam generated in the internal water boiling chamber 40 passes through the heat retention steam pipe 45 and is supplied to the heat retention gap 12. This keeps the outside of the steamer body 10 warm, and makes it possible to make the temperature inside the raw material storage chamber 20 uniform. By allowing a portion of the generated saturated steam to flow via a separate route to the insulation gap 12 without passing through the saturated steam chamber 30, which is the main flow, it is possible to suppress fluctuations in the quantity and quality of the saturated steam within the saturated steam chamber 30 while also maintaining the heat of the steamer body 10. The amount of saturated steam sent to the insulation gap 12 is adjusted by adjusting the flow rate control valve 45 a of the insulation steam pipe 45 according to the value of a thermometer 62 that measures the temperature of the insulation gap 12 .

[0028] Step D: A step of circulating the primary steam from the external boiler 100 as a pipe heater in the saturated steam chamber or stopping the circulation of the primary steam in the saturated steam chamber according to the state of the saturated steam in the saturated steam chamber, thereby heating or stopping the heating of the saturated steam in the saturated steam chamber. The primary steam from the external boiler 100 is introduced into the saturated steam chamber 30 by opening the flow rate control valve 31a of the second heating steam pipe 31, and is then discharged to the outside through branch pipes that run throughout the saturated steam chamber 30 as pipe heaters 31b. The saturated steam in the saturated steam chamber 30 is heated uniformly by the running pipe heaters (branch pipes) 31, and the temperature is maintained. This allows the primary steam introduced from the external boiler 100 to be used not only to generate saturated steam in the internal water boiling chamber 40, but also to adjust the wetness and dryness of the saturated steam that has entered the saturated steam chamber 30, and also to prevent a drop in temperature, thereby maintaining the quality of the saturated steam. The amount of primary steam circulating inside the saturated steam chamber 30 as a pipe heater 31b is adjusted by adjusting the flow control valve 31a of the second heating steam pipe 31 in accordance with the value of the temperature / pressure gauge 63 of the saturated steam chamber 30.

[0029] Step E: A step of stopping the release of primary steam from the external boiler 100 to the internal water boiling chamber 40 and the supply of primary steam from the external boiler 100 to the saturated steam chamber 30 when the raw materials in the raw material storage chamber 20 have finished steaming. When a predetermined steaming time is reached, or when the micromanometer 61 or the like detects that the raw materials in the raw material storage chamber 20 have been steamed, the flow rate control valve 41a of the first heating steam pipe 41 and the flow rate control valve 31a of the second heating steam pipe 31 are closed manually or automatically. This stops the release of primary steam from the external boiler 100 to the internal water-boiling chamber 40 and the supply to the saturated steam chamber 30. [Industrial Applicability]

[0030] The steamer and method for steaming ingredients using the steamer of the present invention are highly industrially applicable as an apparatus or method for steaming rice and other grains. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1 Koshiki 10 Steamer body 10a Inner space 11. Jacket 12 Heat retention gap 13 Top opening 14 Cloth lid 15 Internal partition 20 Raw Material Storage Room 21 Porous bottom plate 30 Saturated Steam Chamber 31 Second heating steam pipe 31a Flow control valve 31b Pipe heater (branch pipe) 32 Saturated steam dispersion discharge piping 32a discharge tube 32b Discharge hole 32c introduction tube 40 Internal water boiling room 41 First heating steam pipe 41a Flow control valve 41b Branch pipe 41c outlet 42 Water supply piping 43 Overflow piping 44 Water discharge piping 45 Steam piping for heat retention 45a Flow control valve 50 Bases 61 Micro-pressure gauge 62 Thermometer 63 Temperature and pressure gauge 64 Pressure Gauge 70 Intake pipe 100 External boiler

Claims

1. This steam koshiki is equipped with a raw material storage chamber for storing raw materials in the internal space of the steam koshiki body and a saturated steam chamber below the raw material storage chamber, and is designed to steam the raw materials stored in the raw material storage chamber by supplying saturated steam from the saturated steam chamber below.The steam koshiki is characterized in that an internal boiling chamber for generating saturated steam within the steam koshiki body is provided below the saturated steam chamber in the internal space of the steam koshiki body, and a first heating steam pipe is provided to the internal boiling chamber, which releases primary steam from an external boiler to generate saturated steam.The steam koshiki is also characterized in that an insulation gap is provided between the outer surface of the steam koshiki body and a jacket provided on the outside of the steam koshiki body, so that saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber can be introduced from the internal boiling chamber into the saturated steam chamber above it, and a portion of the saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber can also be introduced into the insulation gap.

2. 2. The steam boiler according to claim 1, characterized in that a second heating steam pipe is provided for the saturated steam chamber, which circulates primary steam from an external boiler transported from outside the steam boiler to the saturated steam chamber as a pipe heater.

3. A method for steaming ingredients using a steamer comprising: a raw material storage chamber for storing raw materials in the internal space of the steamer body; a saturated steam chamber below the raw material storage chamber; and an internal boiling chamber below the saturated steam chamber, wherein saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber is supplied to the raw material storage chamber via the saturated steam chamber for steaming the raw materials stored in the raw material storage chamber, said method comprising at least the following steps A to E. A. The process of putting ingredients into the ingredient storage chamber and filling the internal water boiling chamber with water. B. The process of releasing primary steam from an external boiler into an internal boiling chamber filled with water to generate saturated steam. C. A process in which the saturated steam generated in the internal boiling chamber is introduced into the upper saturated steam chamber, while a portion of the saturated steam is introduced into the insulation gap formed between the outer surface of the steamer body and its jacket without passing through the saturated steam chamber. D. A process for heating or stopping the heating of the saturated steam in the saturated steam chamber by circulating the primary steam from the external boiler as a pipe heater in the saturated steam chamber or by stopping the circulation of the primary steam in the saturated steam chamber according to the condition of the saturated steam in the saturated steam chamber. E. A process of stopping the release of primary steam from the external boiler to the internal water boiling chamber and the supply of primary steam from the external boiler to the saturated steam chamber when the raw materials in the raw material storage chamber have finished steaming.

Images