JP6830237B2 - Vacuum cooling device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vacuum cooling device that evacuates the inside of a treatment tank and cools the object to be cooled by utilizing the heat of vaporization generated when water is evaporated from the object to be cooled in the treatment tank.

There is a vacuum cooling device that cools the object to be cooled by accommodating the object to be cooled such as cooked food in the processing tank and evacuating the inside of the processing tank. When the pressure inside the treatment tank containing the object to be cooled is reduced and the boiling point in the treatment tank is lowered below the temperature of the object to be cooled, the water content in the object to be cooled evaporates, and at that time, from the object to be cooled. Since the heat of vaporization is taken away, the object to be cooled can be cooled in a short time. As a vacuum generator used in the vacuum cooling device, an ejector using water or steam or a water-sealed or dry type vacuum pump is known. When the gas in the processing tank is sucked by the vacuum generator, the steam generated from the object to be cooled is also sucked at the same time as the sucked gas. However, since the volume of water increases significantly when it changes from a liquid to a gas, if the vapor is sucked into the vacuum generator as it is, the amount of gas that must be discharged by the vacuum generator increases. In that case, the time required for decompression in the treatment tank becomes long, so that the cooling process time becomes long.

Therefore, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-152982, a heat exchanger for cooling the gas sucked by the vacuum generator is provided in the middle of the vacuum pipe for sending the gas in the processing tank to the vacuum generator. , The gas is cooled in the middle of the vacuum pipe. When the gas is cooled by the heat exchanger, the volume of the gas is reduced, and especially when the steam is cooled and returned to the liquid, the volume is significantly reduced, so that the volume of the gas sucked by the vacuum generator becomes small, and the vacuum The efficiency of cooling can be increased. In the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-152982, the heat transfer tube of the heat exchanger is installed in the cold water tank for storing the cold water produced by the cold water unit, and the cold water portion is penetrated from the upper part of the cold water tank. A first heat exchanger that reaches the bottom of the chilled water tank and a second heat exchanger that penetrates the chilled water part from the bottom of the chilled water tank to reach the top of the chilled water tank are provided for the first heat exchange. The vessel and the second heat exchanger are connected at the bottom of the cold water tank.

In the case of a vacuum cooling device that cools food, it is necessary to keep not only the inside of the processing tank but also the inside of the vacuum piping and the heat exchanger clean, but the heat exchanger is difficult to clean due to the complicated internal structure. .. As a sterilization method for sterilizing the inside of the heat exchanger, steam or supply is provided in the heat exchanger and sterilization is performed by heat. Sterilization can be performed by heating the inside of the vacuum pipe, but sterilization is insufficient because the flow path in the heat exchanger is long or the specific heat of the components of the flow path is different, causing temperature unevenness. There was a problem that it could become. In addition, PVC pipes are often used for drainage pipes such as drain pipes of vacuum cooling devices due to economic efficiency, but when sterilizing by heating with steam, it is necessary to install heat-resistant pipes for the drainage pipes as well. Therefore, it was also a problem that the cost would increase.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-152982

An object to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vacuum cooling device capable of reliably cleaning and sterilizing the inside of a vacuum pipe in a vacuum cooling device.

The invention according to claim 1 is a treatment tank for accommodating an object to be cooled, a vacuum generator which is connected to the treatment tank by a vacuum pipe and sucks gas in the treatment tank, and a vacuum generator sucks from the treatment tank. A vacuum cooling device that has a heat exchanger that cools the existing gas in the middle and cools the object to be cooled by vacuuming the inside of the processing tank, and supplies cleaning water to the upstream side of the heat exchanger of the vacuum piping. in the vacuum cooling device connected upstream cleaning water pipe, in the middle of the upstream cleaning water pipe which is characterized in that it is possible to supply the wash water from the upstream washing water pipe to the heat exchanger that, to the heat exchanger A drainage shutoff valve is installed in the drainage pipe that discharges the shared wash water to stop the outflow of washwater. When cleaning the heat exchanger, open the drainage shutoff valve and close the running water wash and drainage shutoff valve. It is characterized by being able to perform soaking and washing .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the vacuum cooling device, the heat exchanger has two stages, the first heat exchanger on the upstream side and the second heat exchanger on the downstream side, and the first heat of the vacuum pipe. An upstream wash water pipe connected to the upstream side of the exchanger and a downstream wash water pipe connected to the downstream side of the second heat exchanger are installed, and an upstream wash water valve is installed in the middle of the upstream wash water pipe. A downstream wash water valve is installed in the middle of the downstream wash water pipe, and the wash water is transferred from the upstream wash water pipe to the first heat exchanger and from the downstream wash water pipe to the second heat exchanger. It is characterized by being able to supply.

The invention according to claim 3 exerts a bactericidal action on the washing water on the upstream side of the upstream washing water valve and the downstream washing water pipe and the downstream washing water valve in the vacuum cooling device. It is characterized by connecting a disinfectant supply pipe to which a disinfectant for holding is added.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vacuum cooling device, a drainage shutoff valve for stopping the outflow of the washing water is installed in the drain pipe for discharging the washing water supplied to the heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger is installed. When cleaning, it is characterized in that it is possible to perform running water cleaning performed by opening the drainage shutoff valve and immersion cleaning performed by closing the drainage shutoff valve.

By carrying out the present invention, the inside of the heat exchanger of the vacuum pipe can be cleaned and sterilized, and the object to be cooled can be cooled without being contaminated.

Flow chart of the vacuum cooling device in one embodiment of the present invention

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a vacuum cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vacuum cooling device includes a processing tank 2, a vacuum generator 1, a first heat exchanger 4, a second heat exchanger 5, a chilled water unit 3, a chilled water tank 10, and the like. The vacuum cooling device evacuates the inside of the treatment tank 2 to evaporate water from the object to be cooled (high temperature food) contained in the treatment tank 2, and cools the inside by the action of the heat of vaporization generated at that time. ..

The processing tank 2 and the vacuum generator 1 are connected by a vacuum pipe 9, and the gas in the processing tank 2 is discharged by operating the vacuum generator 1. At this time, if the vacuum generator 1 sucks the vapor generated from the object to be cooled together with the gas in the treatment tank 2, the volume of the gas that the vacuum generator 1 must suck becomes large, and the treatment tank Since it takes time to reduce the pressure in 2, the cooling time becomes long. Therefore, a heat exchanger must be provided in the middle of the vacuum pipe 9, and the gas sucked by the vacuum generator 1 and the vapor contained in the gas must be sucked by cooling with the heat exchanger. The volume of gas is reduced.

The heat exchanger has two stages, a first heat exchanger 4 on the upstream side and a second heat exchanger 5 on the downstream side, and is provided in the cold water tank 10. The heat transfer tubes of the first heat exchanger 4 and the second heat exchanger 5 on the downstream side are installed so as to penetrate the water portion of the cold water tank 10. The upper part of the first heat exchanger 4 is an upper dispersion chamber for dispersing the gas sucked from the processing tank 2 in a plurality of heat transfer tubes of the first heat exchanger 4, and the upper part of the second heat exchanger 5 is the first. An upper assembly chamber for collecting the gas flowing through the plurality of heat transfer tubes of the two heat exchangers 5 is provided.

The chilled water tank 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is connected to the chilled water unit 3 by a cooling water pipe 7 to store the chilled water generated by the chilled water unit 3. The cooling water pipe 7 is capable of circulating cold water between the cold water unit 3 and the cold water tank 10, and a circulation pump 8 is provided in the middle of the cooling water pipe 7. At the lower part of the chilled water tank 10, a lower collecting chamber for collecting the gas that has been divided into a plurality of heat transfer tubes of the first heat exchanger 4 and has flowed is provided. In the lower assembly chamber, a gas flow is turned at the lower part of the chilled water tank 10 and flows to the second heat exchanger 5. The ceiling surface of the lower assembly chamber is the bottom plate of the chilled water tank, and the first heat exchanger 4 and The lower end of the heat transfer tube of the second heat exchanger 5 is configured to reach the lower assembly chamber. A drain pipe is connected to the bottom of the lower assembly chamber so that the condensed water (drain) generated in the heat exchanger can be sent to the drain tank 6 provided below through the drain pipe. A drainage shutoff valve 19 is installed in the middle of the drain pipe, and the drainage is operated by opening and closing the drainage shutoff valve 19.

The vacuum pipe 9 from the processing tank 2 is connected to the upper dispersion chamber of the first heat exchanger 4, and the vacuum pipe 9 connected to the vacuum generator 1 is connected to the upper assembly chamber of the second heat exchanger 5. The gas sucked from the processing tank 2 is set to reach the vacuum generator 1 after passing through the first heat exchanger 4 and the second heat exchanger 5. The first heat exchanger 4 connects the upper dispersion chamber and the lower assembly chamber with a large number of heat transfer tubes, and the second heat exchanger 5 also connects the upper assembly chamber and the lower assembly chamber with a large number of heat transfer tubes. Is. Therefore, the gas taken out from the treatment tank 2 separates from the upper dispersion chamber into the heat transfer tube of the first heat exchanger 4 and collects by entering the lower gathering chamber provided below the chilled water tank 10. After that, after making a turn in the lower gathering chamber, the heat exchanger 5 is divided into heat transfer tubes again, and after gathering in the upper gathering chamber 13, it heads for the vacuum generator 1. Since the heat transfer tubes of the first heat exchanger 4 and the second heat exchanger 5 are installed so as to penetrate the water portion of the cold water tank 10, the outside of the heat transfer tubes is in contact with the cold water of the cold water tank 10.

An upstream vacuum valve 11 is installed between the processing tank 2 of the vacuum pipe 9 and the first heat exchanger 4, and a downstream vacuum valve 12 is installed between the second heat exchanger 5 of the vacuum pipe 9 and the vacuum generator 1. The vacuum pipe 9 can be closed by the upstream vacuum valve 11 and the downstream vacuum valve 12. Further, a cleaning water pipe for cleaning and sterilizing the first heat exchanger 4 and the second heat exchanger 5 is connected to the vacuum pipe 9. The wash water pipe is connected between the upstream wash water pipe 16 connected between the upstream vacuum valve 11 of the vacuum pipe 9 and the first heat exchanger 4 and between the second heat exchanger and the downstream vacuum valve 12. A downstream wash water pipe 17 is installed. The connection part of the upstream wash water pipe 16 and the connection part of the downstream wash water pipe 17 are set at higher positions than the first heat exchanger 4 and the second heat exchanger 5, and the wash water is the first heat exchanger. Allow the water to flow naturally from above to below the 4 and the second heat exchanger 5.

An upstream wash water valve 13 is installed in the middle of the upstream wash water pipe 16, and a downstream wash water valve 14 is installed in the middle of the downstream wash water pipe 17, and the upstream wash water is only flowed. The valve 13 and the downstream wash water valve 14 are opened. Sterilization by adding a sterilizing agent to give the washing water a bactericidal action to the upstream washing water valve 13 and the downstream washing water valve 14 of the upstream washing water pipe 16 and the downstream washing water pipe 17. The agent supply pipe 18 is installed. Sodium hypochlorite is widely used as an addition to wash water to have a bactericidal action. Of course, this bactericidal agent is not limited to sodium hypochlorite as long as it has a bactericidal action. Further, a cleaning component such as a neutral detergent may be added through the disinfectant supply pipe 18. A disinfectant supply valve 15 is installed in the disinfectant supply pipe 18, and the disinfectant supply valve 15 regulates the supply of the disinfectant.

The driving operation in the embodiment will be described. When vacuum cooling is performed, the object to be cooled is housed in the processing tank 2 and the processing tank 2 is sealed. The upstream wash water valve 13, the downstream wash water valve 14, and the disinfectant supply valve 15 are opened at the time of cleaning and are closed at the time of cooling. When the vacuum cooling operation is performed by operating the vacuum generator 1, the chilled water unit 3, and the circulation pump 8, the gas in the processing tank 2 is taken out from the vacuum generator 1 through the vacuum pipe 9, and the processing tank 2 is used. The pressure inside decreases. When the pressure in the treatment tank drops, the moisture evaporates from the object to be cooled contained in the treatment tank 2, and when the moisture evaporates, the heat of vaporization is taken from the surroundings, so that the temperature of the object to be cooled suddenly rises. It will decrease.

The gas sent through the vacuum pipe 9 branches from the upper dispersion chamber of the first heat exchanger 4 to a plurality of heat transfer tubes, flows downward, and heads for the lower assembly chamber. The heat transfer tube is installed in a cold water tank 10 that stores low-temperature cold water, and since the outer surface of the heat transfer tube is in contact with the cold water, the heat transfer tube is cooled from the surroundings. Therefore, the gas flowing in the heat transfer tube travels while being cooled from the periphery of the heat transfer tube. The gas that has flowed downward in the first heat exchanger 4 turns in the lower assembly chamber and flows upward in the second heat exchanger 5. Since the heat transfer tube of the second heat exchanger 5 is also in contact with cold water in the surroundings, the gas flowing in the second heat exchanger 5 is further cooled.

When the gas is cooled by the first heat exchanger 4 and the second heat exchanger 5, the steam contained in the gas is condensed, and the condensed water is transmitted down the inner surface of the heat transfer tube and is below the heat transfer tube. It flows down to the lower meeting room. The condensed water that has flowed down to the bottom of the lower assembly chamber flows down to the drain tank 6 installed below through the drain pipe connected to the bottom of the lower assembly chamber. When the steam becomes condensed water, the volume becomes significantly smaller. Therefore, the volume of the gas sucked from the treatment tank 2 is reduced by the first heat exchanger 4 and further reduced by the second heat exchanger 5. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of the gas flow path required for the second heat exchanger 5 is smaller than that of the first heat exchanger 4, and the number of heat transfer tubes installed in the second heat exchanger is smaller than that of the first heat exchanger 4. Can be less than. When the volume of the gas becomes small, the amount of gas that must be discharged by the vacuum generator 1 decreases, so that the pressure in the processing tank 2 can be reduced more quickly, and the time required for cooling can be shortened. When the cooling is completed, the vacuum generator 1 and the like are stopped, and the inside of the treatment tank is returned to the atmospheric pressure by introducing the atmosphere into the treatment tank 2. When the inside of the treatment tank returns to the atmospheric pressure, the door of the treatment tank can be opened, and the object to be cooled can be taken out from the inside of the treatment tank 2.

The vacuum cooling device is cleaned at the timing after the cooling process of one day is completed. When cleaning or sterilizing with the first heat exchanger 4 and the second heat exchanger 5, the upstream vacuum valve 11 and the downstream vacuum valve 12 are closed, and the upstream cleaning water valve 13 and the downstream cleaning water pipe 17 are opened. By doing so, the washing water is supplied. In the case of washing, washing water in which a detergent is added to water is supplied, and in the case of sterilization, sterilizing water in which a sterilizing agent is added to water is supplied. When sterilizing, the disinfectant supply valve 15 is opened to add a disinfectant such as sodium hypochlorite to the cleaning water to give the cleaning water a bactericidal action. The wash water (sterilized water) is sent between the upstream vacuum valve 11 and the first heat exchanger 4 through the upstream wash water pipe 16, and the second heat exchanger 5 and the downstream vacuum valve through the downstream wash water pipe 17. It is supplied in two systems, although it is sent between twelve. In the figure, the flow of wash water is indicated by black arrows.

The wash water sent through the upstream wash water pipe 16 enters the upper dispersion chamber provided in the upper part of the first heat exchanger 4, is dispersed in a plurality of heat transfer tubes connected to the upper dispersion chamber, and transfers heat. It flows downward in the pipe and flows down to the lower assembly chamber below the heat transfer pipe. The wash water sent through the downstream wash water pipe 17 enters the upper assembly chamber provided in the upper part of the second heat exchanger 5, is dispersed in a plurality of heat transfer tubes connected to the upper assembly chamber, and transfers heat. It flows downward in the pipe and flows down to the lower assembly chamber below the heat transfer pipe. The wash water then flows down from the lower assembly chamber to the drain tank 6 and is drained by the same route as the drain discharge. If the drainage shutoff valve 19 installed in the pipe between the lower assembly room and the drain tank 6 is opened, the cleaning will be running water cleaning, and if the drainage shutoff valve 19 is closed, the first heat exchanger 4 and The second heat exchanger 5 can be immersed and washed (sterilized). Further, if the pipe is closed on the downstream side of the drain tank 6, the drain tank 6 can be immersed and washed (sterilized).

By supplying the washing water containing the sterilizing agent from the upstream washing water pipe 16 and the downstream washing water pipe 17, the first heat exchanger 4 and the second heat exchanger 4 and the second heat exchanger do not cause uneven sterilization. The whole of 5 can be sterilized. The wash water pipe is branched into an upstream wash water pipe 16 and a downstream wash water pipe 17, but the wash water valve for controlling the supply of wash water is an upstream wash water pipe 16 and a downstream wash water pipe. It is installed in the part after branching to 17. The disinfectant supply pipe 18 is connected to the washing water pipe on the upstream side of the upstream washing water valve 13 and the downstream washing water valve 14.

If only controlling the supply of wash water, the wash water valve may be installed in the wash water pipe before branching, but if the wash water valve is installed in the wash water pipe before branching, the first of the vacuum pipe 9. The upstream side of the one heat exchanger 4 and the downstream side of the second heat exchanger 5 are connected by the upstream wash water pipe 16 and the downstream wash water pipe 17. In that case, during the vacuum cooling step, the air sucked from the processing tank 2 flows in the cleaning water pipe and is sent to the vacuum generator 1 without passing through the first heat exchanger 4 and the second heat exchanger 5. Therefore, the volume cannot be reduced by cooling the air flow rate, so that the efficiency of decompression is reduced.

An upstream wash water valve 13 and a downstream wash water valve 14 are installed in the upstream wash water pipe 16 and the downstream wash water pipe 17 after branching, respectively, and the disinfectant supply pipe 18 is also used for the upstream wash water valve 13 and the downstream. If it is installed on the upstream side of the wash water valve 14, the air sucked from the treatment tank 2 during the vacuum cooling step is washed because it is closed by the upstream wash water valve 13 and the downstream wash water valve 14. It will not go around the upstream side of the water pipe. Therefore, the air sucked from the processing tank 2 is cooled through the first heat exchanger 4 and the second heat exchanger 5, and the volume of air can be reduced, so that the pressure can be reduced efficiently. This can be done and the time required for cooling can be shortened.

The present invention is not limited to the examples described above, and many modifications can be made by a person having ordinary knowledge in the art within the technical idea of the present invention.

1 Vacuum generator
2 Treatment tank
3 Cold water unit
4 First heat exchanger
5 Second heat exchanger
6 Drain tank
7 Cooling water piping
8 Circulation pump
9 Vacuum piping
10 Cold water tank
11 Upstream vacuum valve
12 Downstream vacuum valve
13 Upstream wash water valve
14 Downstream wash water valve 15 Disinfectant supply valve 16 Upstream wash water pipe 17 Downstream wash water pipe 18 Disinfectant supply pipe 19 Drainage shutoff valve

Claims (4)

A treatment tank that houses the object to be cooled, a vacuum generator that is connected to the treatment tank by a vacuum pipe and sucks the gas in the treatment tank, and a heat exchange that cools the gas sucked from the treatment tank on the way. It is a vacuum cooling device that cools the object to be cooled by holding a container and vacuuming the inside of the processing tank, and connects the upstream cleaning water pipe that supplies cleaning water to the upstream side from the heat exchanger of the vacuum pipe. In the vacuum cooling system , which is characterized by being able to supply cleaning water from the upstream cleaning water pipe to the heat exchanger in the middle of the upstream cleaning water pipe, a drain pipe that discharges the shared cleaning water to the heat exchanger. A drainage shutoff valve is installed in the pipe to stop the outflow of wash water, and when cleaning the heat exchanger, the drainage shutoff valve can be opened for running water cleaning and the drainage shutoff valve can be closed for soaking cleaning. A vacuum cooling device that is characterized by its presence . In the vacuum cooling device according to claim 1, the heat exchanger has two stages, the first heat exchanger on the upstream side and the second heat exchanger on the downstream side, and is on the upstream side of the first heat exchanger of the vacuum pipe. An upstream wash water pipe connected to and a downstream wash water pipe connected to the downstream side of the second heat exchanger are installed, and an upstream wash water valve and a downstream wash water pipe are installed in the middle of the upstream wash water pipe. A downstream wash water valve can be installed in the middle of the process to supply wash water from the upstream wash water pipe to the first heat exchanger and from the downstream wash water pipe to the second heat exchanger. A vacuum cooling device characterized by the above. In the vacuum cooling device according to claim 2, sterilization for giving the washing water a bactericidal action on the upstream side of the upstream washing water valve and the downstream washing water pipe and the downstream washing water valve. A vacuum cooling device characterized in that a disinfectant supply pipe to which an agent is added is connected. In the vacuum cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a drain shutoff valve for stopping the outflow of the washing water is installed in the drain pipe for discharging the washing water supplied to the heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger is installed. When cleaning, a vacuum cooling device characterized in that it is possible to perform running water cleaning performed by opening the drain shutoff valve and immersion cleaning performed by closing the drain shutoff valve.

Images