Steam boiler

Abstract

To provide a steam pot 1 in which a take-out port 25 of a processed object is disposed in a bottom 22 of an inner pot 2, and which can efficiently discharge condensed water of steam while securing strength of a welded portion.SOLUTION: A steam pot 1 for processing a processing target is provided, comprising an inner pot 2, a jacket 3, a tubular member 4, and a steam chamber 51. The steam pot 1 is constituted in such a manner that: the inner pot 2 houses the processing target; a take-out port 25 of the processing target is disposed in a bottom 22 of the inner pot 2; the jacket 3 is disposed outside the inner pot 2 in a manner covering at least a part of the bottom 22; a steam introduction space 33 is disposed between the jacket 3 and the inner pot 2; the tubular member 4 extends from the bottom 22 of the inner pot 2 in such a way as to penetrate into a bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3, and the peripheral wall surrounds the take-out port 25; a gap 9 is formed between an outer peripheral surface of the tubular member 4 and a bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3; the steam chamber 51 is disposed below the gap 9 and is communicated with the space 33 via the gap 9; and an exhaust port 52 of condensed water of steam is disposed in the steam chamber 51.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a steam cooker. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, steam cookers have been used in which a jacket is provided on the outside of an inner pot that contains food or other objects to be treated, and high-temperature steam is introduced into a space (steam introduction space) formed between the jacket and the inner pot to indirectly heat the objects to be treated. Patent Document 1 discloses a steam cooker that includes an inner pot and a jacket, and an outlet is provided at the bottom of the inner pot, and food inside the inner pot can be removed by switching the opening and closing of a valve provided at the outlet.

[0003] When the outlet for the treated material is provided at the bottom of the inner pot, a tubular member is arranged so as to penetrate the jacket from the bottom of the inner pot, thereby securing space inside the tubular member for arranging an outlet pipe for the treated material extending from the outlet. Normally, from the viewpoint of efficiency in the work of removing the treated material, the outlet is provided at the lowest part of the bottom of the inner pot, and the tubular member is arranged so that its peripheral wall surrounds the outlet. In addition, the gap between the outer circumferential surface of the tubular member and the bottom wall of the jacket is sealed by welding. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 2588298 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional steam boiler 1. A drain socket 54 for connecting a drain path for steam condensate is welded to the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3. In the above configuration in which the outlet for the material to be treated is provided in the bottom 22 of the inner pot 2, it is preferable to make the distance between the drain socket 54 and the tubular member 4 as small as possible in order to efficiently drain the condensate. On the other hand, in order to ensure the strength of the jacket 3, there is a limit to how close the joining point of the drain socket 54 can be to the closing point near the outer circumferential surface of the tubular member 4.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a steam kettle in which an outlet for the material to be treated is provided at the bottom of the inner kettle, and which is capable of efficiently discharging steam condensate while ensuring the strength of the welded joints. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the present invention, there is provided a steam kettle for treating a material to be treated, comprising an inner kettle, a jacket, a tubular member, and a steam chamber, the inner kettle is configured to accommodate the material to be treated, an outlet for removing the material to be treated is provided at the bottom of the inner kettle, the jacket is provided on the outside of the inner kettle so as to cover at least a part of the bottom, a space is provided between the jacket and the inner kettle through which steam can be introduced, the tubular member extends from the bottom of the inner kettle to penetrate the bottom wall of the jacket, and the peripheral wall of the tubular member is arranged to surround the outlet, a gap is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the tubular member and the bottom wall of the jacket, the steam chamber is provided below the gap and communicates with the space via the gap, and the steam chamber is provided with an outlet for draining water condensed from the steam. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] In the steam boiler according to the present invention, a gap is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the tubular member and the bottom wall of the jacket, a steam chamber communicating with the steam inlet space is provided below the gap, and a condensed water outlet is provided in the steam chamber. With this configuration, condensed water can be efficiently discharged outside the steam chamber via the gap in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the tubular member and the outlet. Furthermore, when a drain socket is provided as the outlet, the welded portion of the tubular member and the welded portion of the drain socket do not need to be extremely close to each other, which avoids a decrease in the strength of the welded portion.

[0009] Various embodiments of the present invention will be described below as examples, and the embodiments shown below can be combined with each other. Preferably, the outlet is provided at the bottom of the steam chest. Preferably, the gap is formed between the bottom wall and the tubular member over the entire circumference of the outer circumferential surface of the tubular member. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a steam cooker 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the steam kettle 1 as seen from below. [Figure 3] Fig. 3A is a plan view of the steam cooker 1. Fig. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 3A. [Figure 4] FIG. 3C is an enlarged view of region B in FIG. 3B. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a connection between a steam boiler 1, a steam supply means 6, a cooling water circulation means 7, and a drain discharge means 8. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional steam cooker 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The features shown in the following embodiments can be combined with each other. Furthermore, each feature can be an invention independently.

[0012] 1. Steam boiler configuration FIG. 1 is a front view of a steam cooker 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The steam cooker 1 is used to process an object to be processed. The steam cooker 1 of this embodiment is used to heat food, which is the object to be processed, and as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3B, it comprises an inner pot 2, a jacket 3, a tubular member 4, and a steam chamber member 5. A steam introduction space 33 is provided between the jacket 3 and the inner pot 2, and a steam chamber 51 is provided between the steam chamber member 5 and the jacket 3. In the following description, the up-down and left-right directions of the steam cooker 1 are defined as shown in FIG. 1.

[0013] The inner pot 2 is configured to accommodate the material to be treated. As shown in FIG. 3B, the inner pot 2 of this embodiment is a hollow container with a bottom and an open top, and includes a cylindrical portion 21 and a bottom portion 22 that is convex downward. A pair of shafts 23 that protrude outward in the left-right direction are provided on the sides of the inner pot 2. The shafts 23 are supported by support members (not shown). This allows the steam cooker 1 to be placed floating above the floor surface on which it is installed.

[0014] The material to be treated is introduced through the opening 24 of the inner pot 2 and stored inside. In addition, an outlet 25 for removing the material to be treated is provided at the bottom 22 of the inner pot 2. In this embodiment, the outlet 25 is provided at the lowest part of the bottom 22 of the inner pot 2, and is formed by welding a cylindrical outlet member 26 to the bottom 22 of the inner pot 2. An outlet valve (not shown) is attached to the outlet 25, and an outlet pipe (not shown) for transferring the material to the outside is connected to it. When the material to be treated is to be treated, the outlet valve can be closed to close the outlet 25, and when the material to be treated is to be removed, the outlet valve can be opened to open the outlet 25.

[0015] The jacket 3 is provided on the outside of the inner kettle 2 so as to cover at least a portion of the bottom 22 of the inner kettle 2. As shown in Fig. 3B, the jacket 3 of this embodiment is provided so as to cover most of the bottom 22 of the inner kettle 2, and includes a cylindrical side wall 31 and a bottom wall 32 that is continuous with the side wall 31 and has a downwardly convex shape. The upper end of the side wall 31 is joined to the bottom 22 of the inner kettle 2 by welding.

[0016] A steam introduction space 33, into which steam can be introduced, is provided between the jacket 3 and the inner pot 2. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, a supply port 34 is provided in a portion of the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3 that is not covered by the steam chamber member 5, and steam can be supplied from a boiler (not shown) to the steam introduction space 33 via the supply port 34 by the steam supply means 6. Note that the supply port 34 is not shown in Figs. 1 to 3B. Specifically, the steam supply means 6 includes a steam supply path 61 that connects the boiler and the supply port 34, and the steam supply path 61 is provided with a steam supply valve 62. High-temperature steam can be supplied from the boiler to the steam introduction space 33 by opening the steam supply valve 62, and the supply of steam can be stopped by closing the steam supply valve 62.

[0017] The steam introduction space 33 of this embodiment is configured to allow cooling water to be introduced therein. As shown in FIG. 5 , the cooling water circulation means 7 supplies cooling water from a cooling source (not shown) to the steam introduction space 33, and returns the cooling water discharged from the steam introduction space 33 to the cooling source. For example, a chiller can be used as the cooling source. Specifically, the cooling water circulation means 7 includes an inflow water passage 71 connecting the cooling source to the supply port 34, and a return water passage 72 connecting the cooling source to the cooling water outlet 35 provided in the side wall 31 of the jacket 3. Note that the cooling water outlet 35 is not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3B . A cooling water supply valve 73 is provided in the inflow water passage 71, and a cooling water discharge valve 74 is provided in the return water passage 72. Note that the inflow water passage 71 downstream of the cooling water supply valve 73 and the steam supply passage 61 downstream of the steam supply valve 62 are connected to the supply port 34 as a common pipe. When cooling the workpiece after heating, the supply of steam is stopped and then cooling water is circulated by opening cooling water supply valve 73 and cooling water discharge valve 74, thereby indirectly cooling the workpiece. Note that the manner in which cooling water is supplied is not limited to the above example, and for example, room temperature cooling water from a water supply source may be supplied from supply port 34 to steam introduction space 33, and the cooling water discharged from cooling water discharge port 35 may be discharged to the outside by drainage means.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3B, the tubular member 4 extends from the bottom 22 of the inner pot 2 to penetrate the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3, and the peripheral wall of the tubular member 4 is disposed so that it surrounds the outlet 25. In this embodiment, the tubular member 4 is cylindrical, and its upper end is welded to the bottom 22 of the inner pot 2. A take-out valve and part of the take-out pipeline are disposed in the space inside the tubular member 4. In this embodiment, for convenience of arranging the take-out valve and the take-out pipeline, the central axis of the tubular member 4 is horizontally offset from the central axis of the take-out pipeline 25 as shown in FIG. 3B. However, the arrangement of the tubular member 4 is not limited to this; for example, the tubular member 4 may be disposed so that the central axes of the two are aligned. Furthermore, the tubular member 4 is not limited to a cylindrical shape and may be, for example, a rectangular tube shape.

[0019] 3B and 4 , a gap 9 is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the tubular member 4 and the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3. In this embodiment, the lowest part of the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3 is cut open to form a through-hole having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the tubular member 4. The tubular member 4 is then inserted into the through-hole in the bottom wall 32, thereby providing a gap 9 around the entire outer circumferential surface of the tubular member 4 between the outer circumferential surface of the tubular member 4 and the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3. In this embodiment, at least a portion of the gap 9 is located at the lowest part of the bottom wall 32 in the cut-open state.

[0020] The steam chamber 51 is provided below the gap 9 and communicates with the steam introducing space 33 via the gap 9. In this embodiment, a bottomed, cylindrical steam chamber member 5 is arranged outside the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3 and immediately below the gap 9 so as to cover at least a portion of the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3, and the steam chamber 51 is provided between the steam chamber member 5 and the bottom wall 32. This allows condensed water of steam generated in the steam introducing space 33 to move to the steam chamber 51 via the gap 9. Note that, in order to efficiently move the condensed water of steam, the size of the gap 9 along the radial direction of the tubular member 4 is preferably 5 mm to 20 mm.

[0021] The upper end of the steam chamber member 5 is joined by welding to the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3. Furthermore, the tubular member 4 passes through the steam chamber 51, and the gap between the outer circumferential surface of the tubular member 4 and the bottom wall 53 of the steam chamber member 5 is sealed by welding. Note that the steam chamber member 5 is not limited to a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and may be, for example, a square tubular shape with a bottom.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4, the steam chamber 51 is provided with a drain outlet 52 for steam condensate (drain). In this embodiment, the drain outlet 52 is provided at the bottom of the steam chamber 51, in other words, on the bottom wall 53 of the steam chamber member 5. Specifically, a through hole is formed in the bottom wall 53 of the steam chamber member 5, and a drain socket 54 is welded to the bottom wall 53 at the location where the through hole is formed, thereby providing the drain outlet 52. In this embodiment, the drain outlet 52 is located at the bottom of the steam chamber 51. As shown in FIG. 5, the drain socket 54 is connected to drain discharge means 8 for discharging condensate to the outside. Specifically, the drain discharge means 8 includes a drain discharge path 81, and a steam trap 82 is provided in the drain discharge path 81. When steam is supplied to the steam introduction space 33, steam that flows from the steam introduction space 33 into the steam chamber 51 is prevented from leaking to the outside by the steam trap 82. On the other hand, the condensed water of the steam can be discharged to the outside through the steam trap 82.

[0023] 2. Operation of Steam Cooker 1 When the material to be treated is heated, the steam supply valve 62 is opened to introduce steam from the boiler into the steam introduction space 33. The introduced steam fills the steam introduction space 33 and also fills the steam chamber 51 through the gap 9. After the steam introduction space 33 and the steam chamber 51 are brought to the set heating pressure (set heating temperature), this state is maintained to keep the material to be treated warm in the inner pot 2.

[0024] As the heating progresses, condensed water of the steam is generated. The condensed water generated in the steam inlet space 33 moves through the gap 9 to the steam chamber 51, and is then discharged from the exhaust port 52 of the steam chamber 51.

[0025] When heating is finished, the steam supply valve 62 is closed to stop the supply of steam. When cooling is performed after heating, the cooling water supply valve 73 and the cooling water discharge valve 74 are opened to introduce cooling water from the cooling source into the steam introduction space 33. This causes the cooling water to circulate between the cooling source and the steam introduction space 33.

[0026] 3. Effects FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional steam cooker 1. In the conventional steam cooker 1, the tubular member 4 extends from the bottom 22 of the inner pot 2 to penetrate the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3, and the tubular member 4 is disposed so as to surround the outlet 25 for the material to be treated. The outer circumferential surface of the tubular member 4 is welded to the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3. A drain socket 54 is welded to an outlet 52 provided in the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3, and condensed water from the steam is discharged to the outside via the drain socket 54. In this conventional configuration, to more efficiently discharge condensed water generated in the steam introduction space 33, it is preferable to minimize the distance between the drain socket 54 and the tubular member 4. However, to ensure the strength of the jacket 3, which experiences high pressure in the inner steam introduction space 33 when steam is introduced, there is a limit to how close the closing point of the tubular member 4 can be to the joining point of the drain socket 54.

[0027] In the steam kettle 1 of this embodiment, when steam condenses in the steam inlet space 33, the condensed water moves through the gap 9 to the steam chamber 51 and is discharged to the outside through the outlet 52 provided in the steam chamber 51. Therefore, the condensed water can be efficiently discharged outside the steam chamber 51. Furthermore, when a drain socket 54 is provided as the outlet 52, it is joined to the wall surface of the steam chamber member 5 by welding, so there is no need to bring the closing point between the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3 and the outer peripheral surface of the tubular member 4 and the joining point of the drain socket 54 close to each other.

[0028] In addition, in this embodiment, at least a portion of the gap 9 formed between the outer peripheral surface of the tubular member 4 and the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3 is located at the lowest part of the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3. Therefore, condensed water generated in the steam introduction space 33 can be more efficiently moved to the steam chamber 51. Furthermore, since the exhaust port 52 of the steam chamber 51 is located on the bottom wall 53 of the steam chamber member 5 and at the lowest part of the steam chamber 51, condensed water in the steam chamber 51 can be more efficiently discharged to the outside.

[0029] 4. Other Embodiments In the above embodiment, the gap 9 is formed between the tubular member 4 and the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3 along the entire circumference of the outer circumferential surface of the tubular member 4, but the configuration of the gap 9 is not limited to this. The gap 9 may be provided between the tubular member 4 and the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3 along part of the circumference of the outer circumferential surface of the tubular member 4. Alternatively, a plurality of gaps 9 may be provided between the tubular member 4 and the bottom wall 32 of the jacket 3 at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface of the tubular member 4.

[0030] Various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but these are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiments may be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Such embodiments and modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1: Steam kettle 2: Inner pot 3: Jacket 4: Tubular member 5: Steam chamber material 6: Steam supply means 7: Cooling water circulation means 8: Drain discharge means 9: Gap 21: Cylindrical part 22: Bottom 23: Shaft 24: Opening 25: Outlet 26: Extraction port member 31: Side wall 32: Bottom wall 33: Steam introduction space 34: Supply port 35: Cooling water outlet 51: Steam room 52: Outlet 53: Bottom wall 54: Drain socket 61:Steam supply path 62:Steam supply valve 71: Outgoing waterway 72: Return channel 73: Cooling water supply valve 74: Cooling water discharge valve 81: Drain discharge passage 82: Steam trap

Claims

1. A steam boiler for treating a material to be treated, The pot comprises an inner pot, a jacket, a tubular member, and a steam chamber. The inner pot is configured to accommodate the object to be processed, A take-out port for taking out the material to be treated is provided at the bottom of the inner pot, The jacket is provided on the outside of the inner kettle so as to cover at least a part of the bottom, A space is provided between the jacket and the inner pot to allow steam to be introduced, the tubular member extends from the bottom of the inner pot to penetrate the bottom wall of the jacket, and the peripheral wall of the tubular member is disposed so as to surround the outlet; a gap is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the tubular member and the bottom wall of the jacket, The steam chamber is provided below the gap and communicates with the space through the gap, The steam chamber is provided with an outlet for draining condensed water of the steam.

2. The steam cooker according to claim 1, The steam boiler, wherein the exhaust port is provided at the bottom of the steam chamber.

3. The steam cooker according to claim 1 or 2, The gap is formed between the tubular member and the bottom wall over the entire circumference of the outer circumferential surface of the tubular member.

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