JP7370555B2 - Ice slurry production equipment and refrigeration system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is an ice slurry production device for producing ice slurry for freezing products to be frozen, such as seafood such as fresh seafood, various meats, and other foods, as well as foods that are frozen and stored or transported. and refrigeration systems.

In the process of processing food, various methods and devices for cooling the food are provided. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a chain conveyor that continuously suspends carcasses, a chiller tank that is placed below the chain conveyor and stores ice slurry, and a chiller tank that stores ice slurry on the upstream side of the chiller tank. A device for cooling poultry carcasses is described, comprising a nozzle for filling an ice slurry.

The ice slurry stored in the chiller tank is produced in an ice storage tank and is supplied through piping. The ice slurry in the chiller tank is discharged from the chiller tank as overflow water and can be further recycled. The carcass is transported to the upstream end of the chiller tank by a chain conveyor, and the interior of the carcass is filled with ice slurry through a nozzle. This cools the carcass from within.

The carcass is suspended by a chain conveyor, immersed in ice slurry stored in a chiller tank on the upstream side, floats up from the ice slurry on the downstream side, and is transferred to the next cutting process. This cooling device for poultry carcasses cools the carcass from the inside and outside, eliminating temperature differences between each part, shortening the cooling time, suppressing the moisture content of the carcass, and preventing deterioration of meat quality. can be prevented.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-034023

The poultry carcass cooling device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an ice heat storage tank for producing ice slurry to be supplied to a chiller tank. Two pipes are connected to the ice heat storage tank. A three-way valve is connected to the two pipes so that the ice filling rate of the ice slurry can be adjusted. However, adjusting the ice filling rate of the ice slurry by a three-way valve is not efficient.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ice slurry production apparatus and a refrigeration system that can efficiently produce ice slurry.

The ice slurry manufacturing device according to the present invention includes:
producing flake ice from a portion of the supplied brine and cooling the remainder of the supplied brine;
mixing the generated flake ice with the cooled remainder of the brine to produce an ice slurry;
Control is performed to maintain the concentration of the flake ice at a target value in an ice storage tank that stores the produced ice slurry.

In the ice slurry manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention,
an ice slurry raw material production unit that generates the flake ice and cools the remainder of the brine;
The flake ice produced by the ice slurry raw material production unit and the remainder of the brine cooled by the ice slurry raw material production unit are supplied, and the ice is a mixture of the flake ice and the cooled remainder of the brine. an ice storage tank for storing slurry;
Equipped with

In the ice slurry manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention,
a return pipe that returns brine in the ice slurry in the ice storage tank to the ice slurry raw material manufacturing unit as raw water;
Equipped with

In the ice slurry manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention,
The ice slurry raw material production unit includes a drum having a refrigerant clearance, a refrigerant supply unit that supplies an inner tube freezing refrigerant to the refrigerant clearance,
Equipped with

The refrigeration system according to the present invention includes:
an ice slurry raw material production unit that generates flake ice from a portion of the supplied brine and cools the remainder of the supplied brine;
an ice storage tank that is supplied with the flake ice produced by the ice slurry raw material production unit and the cooled brine and stores an ice slurry in which the flake ice and the cooled brine are mixed;
an ice slurry manufacturing apparatus comprising: a control unit that performs control to maintain a concentration of the flake ice in the ice slurry stored in the ice storage tank at a target value ;
A refrigeration device that freezes a frozen product using the ice slurry;
Equipped with
A refrigeration system,
The refrigeration device includes:
The ice slurry is shaped to circulate and includes at least one propulsion section that provides a propulsion force to the ice slurry.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ice slurry production apparatus and a refrigeration system that can efficiently produce ice slurry.

1 is a schematic front view showing an embodiment of a refrigeration system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view schematically showing an ice slurry raw material manufacturing section included in the ice slurry manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of a refrigeration device included in a refrigeration system according to the present invention. 1 shows an embodiment of a refrigeration device included in a refrigeration system according to the present invention, in which (a) is a schematic plan view and (b) is a schematic front view.

The refrigeration device and system of this embodiment are devices and systems for freezing (including cooling) products to be frozen, such as seafood such as fresh seafood, various meats, and other foods, using ice slurry.

Ice slurry is a sherbet-like mixture of flake ice (solid) obtained by processing hybrid ice (described later) into flakes and an aqueous solution containing a solute (brine) at a predetermined ratio. It has a sexual nature. By adding flake ice to the ice slurry, the composition ratio of flake ice and brine contained in the ice slurry can be easily adjusted.

Hybrid ice is ice made by solidifying an aqueous solution (brine) containing a solute so that the solute concentration is almost uniform. Hybrid ice has at least (a) a temperature below 0°C upon completion of melting, and (b) a rate of change in the solute concentration of the aqueous solution (brine) in which the ice is melted during the melting process (hereinafter referred to as "rate of change in solute concentration"). (sometimes abbreviated as ) is within 30%, and has the characteristic of being able to efficiently freeze items to be frozen.

The type of solute contained in the hybrid ice is not particularly limited as long as it is a solute when water is used as a solvent, and can be appropriately selected depending on the desired freezing point, the intended use of the ice, etc. Examples of solutes include solid solutes and liquid solutes, and representative examples of solid solutes include salts (inorganic salts, organic salts, etc.).

Among salts, common salt (NaCl) is particularly suitable for freezing fresh animals and plants or parts thereof because it does not excessively lower the freezing point temperature. In addition, since salt is contained in seawater, it is suitable because it is easy to procure. Furthermore, examples of liquid solutes include ethylene glycol and the like. In addition, one type of solute may be contained alone, or two or more types may be contained.

Brine is an aqueous solution containing a solute and having a low freezing point, such as a sodium chloride aqueous solution (salt water), a calcium chloride aqueous solution, a magnesium chloride aqueous solution, an ethylene glycol aqueous solution, and the like. The brine used as a raw material for flake ice is not particularly limited, but when salt is used as a solute, it is preferably seawater, seawater with salt added, or diluted seawater. This is because seawater, seawater with added salt, or diluted seawater is easy to procure, so procurement costs can be reduced.

Furthermore, the thermal conductivity of brine (salt water) containing salt as a solute is approximately 0.58 W/m K, but the thermal conductivity of flake ice made of frozen brine containing salt as a solute is approximately 2.2 W/m It is K. That is, since flake ice (solid) has a higher thermal conductivity than brine (liquid), flake ice (solid) can freeze the frozen product more quickly.

However, if flake ice (solid) remains, the area in contact with the frozen product will be small. Therefore, fluidity is imparted by mixing flake ice and brine to form an ice slurry. As a result, the flake ice (solid) can be evenly brought into contact with the items to be frozen, and the items to be frozen can be quickly frozen.

Both flake ice and brine contained in the ice slurry contain the same solute, but in this case, it is preferable that the solute concentration of the flake ice and the solute concentration of the brine be close to each other. The reason is as follows.

That is, when the solute concentration of flake ice is higher than the solute concentration of brine, the temperature of flake ice becomes lower than the saturated freezing point of brine, so the brine freezes immediately after mixing brine with a low solute concentration.

On the other hand, when the solute concentration of flake ice is lower than the solute concentration of brine, the saturated freezing point of brine is lower than the saturated freezing point of flake ice. Therefore, the temperature of the ice slurry, which is a mixture of flake ice and brine, decreases.

Therefore, in order to prevent the state of the mixture of flake ice and brine (the state of the ice slurry) from changing, as described above, it is preferable that the solute concentrations of the flake ice and brine to be mixed be the same.

In addition, when the brine is in the form of ice slurry, the brine may be obtained by melting flake ice or may be prepared separately, but it is preferably obtained by melting flake ice.

Here, one embodiment of a refrigeration apparatus and a refrigeration system for freezing items to be frozen using ice slurry will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a partially cross-sectional schematic front view showing an embodiment of a refrigeration system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing an outline of the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus included in the refrigeration system according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention, in which (a) is a schematic plan view and (b) is a schematic front view.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigeration system includes an ice slurry manufacturing device 1 and a refrigeration device 6. The ice slurry manufacturing device 1 includes an ice slurry raw material manufacturing section (hereinafter referred to as "ice slurry raw material manufacturing device") 200 and an ice storage tank 500.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 includes a drum 21, a rotating shaft 22, an injection section 23, a stripping section 24, a blade 25, a flake ice discharge port 26, and an upper bearing member 27. , injection control section 28, heat protection cover 29, geared motor 30, rotary joint 31, refrigerant clearance 34, rotation control section 37, bush 38, refrigerant supply section 39, brine storage tank 40 ( (see Figure 1).

The drum 21 includes an inner cylinder 32, an outer cylinder 33 surrounding the inner cylinder 32, and a refrigerant clearance 34 formed between the inner cylinder 32 and the outer cylinder 33. Further, the outer peripheral surface of the drum 21 is covered with a cylindrical heat-insulating protection cover 29. Inner cylinder freezing refrigerant is supplied to the refrigerant clearance 34 from a refrigerant supply section 39 via a refrigerant pipe 42 . As a result, the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32 is cooled.

The rotating shaft 22 is arranged on the central axis of the drum 21 and rotates around the material axis with the central axis as an axis using a geared motor 30 installed above the upper bearing member 27 as a power source. Note that the rotation speed of the geared motor 30 is controlled by a rotation control section 37, which will be described later.

The injection part 23 is composed of a plurality of pipes each having an injection hole 23a at the tip thereof for injecting brine or ice slurry S (described later) toward the wall surface of the inner cylinder 32, and rotates together with the rotating shaft 22. The brine injected from the injection hole 23a adheres to the wall surface of the inner cylinder 32 cooled by the refrigerant, and rapidly freezes into hybrid ice without being given time to separate into the solute and solvent. . A plurality of pipes constituting the injection section 23 radially extend from the rotating shaft 22 in the radial direction of the drum 21 .

Virgin brine injected from the injection part 23 is stored in a brine storage tank 40. The brine storage tank 40 and the injection section 23 are connected by a brine pipe 41.

The stripping section 24 is constituted by a plurality of arms each having a blade 25 at its tip end for stripping off the hybrid ice generated on the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32 . Note that the peeling portion 24 extends in the radial direction of the drum 21 and rotates together with the rotating shaft 22. The plurality of arms constituting the peeling section 24 are mounted symmetrically with respect to the rotation axis 22. Note that although the stripping section 24 of the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 2 is constituted by two arms, the number of arms is not particularly limited.

Further, the blade 25 attached to the tip of the arm is made of a member having a length approximately equal to the total length (total height) of the inner cylinder 32, and has a plurality of saw teeth at the end facing the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32. 25a is formed.

The hybrid ice generated on the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32 is peeled off by the blade 25 and becomes flake ice. Flake ice falls from the flake ice outlet 26. The flake ice that has fallen from the flake ice outlet 26 is stored in an ice storage tank 500 (see FIG. 1) located directly below the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200.

Furthermore, the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 adjusts the amount of flake ice produced by adjusting the amount of brine injected from the injection unit 23. That is, by increasing the amount of brine injected from the injection part 23, the amount of generated flake ice can be increased. Conversely, by reducing the amount of brine injected from the injection section 23, the amount of flake ice produced can be reduced.

The upper bearing member 27 has the shape of an upside down pot and seals the upper surface of the drum 21. A bush 38 that supports the rotating shaft 22 is fitted into the center of the upper bearing member 27 . Note that the rotating shaft 22 is supported only by the upper bearing member 27, and the lower end of the rotating shaft 22 is not supported.

The injection control unit 28 adjusts the amount of brine injected from the injection unit 23 when the injection unit 23 injects brine. Note that a specific method for adjusting the amount of brine injected from the injection unit 23 is not particularly limited. For example, the amount of brine to be injected may be adjusted by adjusting the number of pipes to which brine is injected and the number of pipes to which brine is not injected, for each of the plurality of pipes that constitute the injector 23. Further, for example, the amount of brine to be injected may be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the amount of brine sent to a plurality of pipes into which brine is injected.

From the injection part 23, not only brine is injected, but also ice slurry S or a mixture of brine and ice slurry S may be injected. Therefore, the injection unit 23 is configured to be able to inject any of brine, ice slurry S, or a mixture thereof. Further, the injection section 23 is not limited to one that vigorously injects brine, ice slurry S, or a mixture thereof, but also includes one that discharges brine, ice slurry S, or a mixture thereof along the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32.

The ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 generates flake ice by freezing a part of the brine, ice slurry S, or a mixture thereof injected from the injection part 23 on the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 32, and freezes the remaining part. It is set to cool but not freeze. That is, the cold heat of the inner cylinder freezing refrigerant supplied from the refrigerant supply section 39 to the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 is sufficient to freeze all of the brine, ice slurry S, or a mixture thereof injected from the injection section 23. It is set smaller than the cold temperature.

The heat-insulating protection cover 29 has a cylindrical shape and seals the side surface of the drum 21.
The refrigerant supply unit 39 supplies an inner tube freezing refrigerant for freezing the inner circumferential surface of the inner tube 32 to the refrigerant clearance 34 via the refrigerant pipe 42 . As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerant supply section 39 is installed adjacent to the ice storage tank 500.

The inner tube refrigeration refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant clearance 34 circulates between the refrigerant clearance 34 and the refrigerant supply section 39 via the refrigerant pipe 42 . Thereby, the inner tube freezing refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant clearance 34 can be maintained in a high refrigerating capacity state.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 is installed on an ice storage tank 500. The ice storage tank 500 includes a disc-shaped bottom part 51, a cylindrical wall part 52, and a top part 53 that covers the top surface of the wall part 52, and stores ice slurry S. An opening 53a is provided at an eccentric position of the top surface portion 53. The drum 21 of the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 is installed so that the opening 53a and the flake ice outlet 26 communicate with each other.

Inside the ice storage tank 500, a stirring section (hereinafter referred to as "stirring means") 54 for stirring the stored ice slurry S is attached. The stirring means 54 includes a main body blade 54a, a rotating shaft 54b, and a drive section 54c. The main body blade 54a may be not only a propeller blade as shown, but also various types such as a paddle blade, an anchor blade, a turbine blade, a ribbon blade, etc. (not shown).

The rotating shaft 54b is arranged vertically to the center axis of the ice storage tank 500. A main body wing 54a is fixed to the lower end of the rotating shaft 54b. The upper end portion of the rotating shaft 54b projects upward from the top surface portion 53. A driving section 54c is attached to the upper end of the rotating shaft 54b. The drive section 54c is installed on the top surface section 53 and includes a motor. The drive unit 54c may rotate the stirring means 54 at a constant speed, or may rotate the stirring means 54 so as to repeat acceleration and deceleration.

A return pipe 44 is connected to the ice storage tank 500, which supplies the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 as raw water to the injection unit 23 of the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200. A pump 57 is connected to the middle of the return pipe 44.

The return pipe 44 includes a concentration measuring section (hereinafter referred to as "first measurement") that measures the concentration of flake ice (IPF: Ice Packing Factor) in the ice slurry S stored in the ice storage tank 500 on the upstream side of the pump 57. ) 55 are provided. The concentration IPF of flake ice is calculated by "IPF=(mass of flake ice)/(mass of flake ice+mass of brine)".

The concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S is preferably 10% or more and 60% or less. The ice slurry production apparatus 1 can maintain the concentration of flake ice at a predetermined value (target) by controlling the amount of flake ice produced by the ice slurry raw material production apparatus 200. The target concentration of flake ice may be selected as appropriate depending on the type of the object to be frozen. The temperature of the ice slurry S will change even if flake ice is added (even if cold heat is added to the ice slurry S), or conversely, even if the object to be frozen is frozen (even if the cold heat is removed from the ice slurry S), the temperature of the ice slurry S The ice slurry S is maintained at the freezing point of the brine that produces it, and the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S changes as heat is transferred to and from the ice slurry S. Therefore, by controlling the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S, the amount of cold heat transferred and received by the ice slurry S can be controlled.

Although not shown, the first concentration measuring means 55 is equipped with a heater and a thermometer in a substantial bypass pipe having an inlet and an outlet in the return pipe 44. The first concentration measuring means 55 closes the inlet and the outlet during measurement, and collects a sample of the ice slurry S to be measured between the inlet and the outlet. The first concentration measuring means 55 may apply a predetermined amount of heat to the sample using a heater and measure the temperature change of the sample.

In other words, the sample of ice slurry S maintains the freezing point temperature while flake ice remains in it, so the timing of temperature rise from the freezing point temperature is related to the concentration of flake ice (as long as the amount of heat applied is constant). In this case, the higher the concentration of flake ice, the later the temperature rise timing becomes), the concentration of the ice slurry S can be determined from the temperature change of the sample of the ice slurry S.

When the measurement of the flake ice concentration is completed, the inlet and outlet of the bypass pipe provided in the first concentration measuring means 55 are opened, and the sampled ice slurry S flows out into the return pipe 44. After a predetermined period of time, the first concentration measuring means 55 closes its inlet and outlet again and measures the concentration of flake ice in the same manner. This sampling and measurement are performed continuously.

The downstream end of the return pipe 44 is connected to the brine pipe 41 via the switching valve 43. Therefore, the switching is performed by the switching valve 43, and the virgin brine stored in the brine storage tank 40 and the recycled ice slurry S returned from the ice storage tank 500 are switched and supplied to the injection unit 23, or A mixture of virgin brine and recycled ice slurry S is supplied.

The ice storage tank 500 and the freezing device 6 are connected by an ice slurry supply pipe 45 and an ice slurry return pipe 46. The ice slurry supply pipe 45 and the ice slurry return pipe 46 are provided with on-off valves 45a and 46a. The ice slurry supply pipe 45 sends the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 to the freezing device 6. The ice slurry return pipe 46 returns the ice slurry S in the freezing device 6 to the ice storage tank 500. The ice slurry supply pipe 45 and the ice slurry return pipe 46 are each provided with a pump (not shown), and each pump is driven in synchronization with the opening and closing of the on-off valves 45a and 46a.

The on-off valve 45a of the ice slurry supply pipe 45 and the on-off valve 46a of the ice slurry return pipe 46 are such that "amount of ice slurry S sent to the freezing device 6>amount of ice slurry S returned from the freezing device 6". controlled as follows. The water surface of the ice slurry S in the freezing device 6 may be kept constant by an overflow pipe (not shown) or the like.

Further, the amount of ice slurry S that can be stored in the ice storage tank 500 is sufficiently larger than the amount of ice slurry S required to fill the freezing device 6, and even if the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S of the freezing device 6 changes. , the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S stored in the ice storage tank 500 hardly changes.

As mentioned above, the ice storage tank 500 and the freezing device 6 are connected by the ice slurry supply pipe 45 and the ice slurry return pipe 46, and the amount of ice slurry S that can be stored in the ice storage tank 500 is equal to the amount necessary to fill the freezing device 6. Since the amount of ice slurry S is configured to be sufficiently larger than the amount of ice slurry S, even if the concentration of flake ice in ice slurry S of freezing device 6 changes, the concentration of flake ice in ice slurry S stored in ice storage tank 500 will not change. Almost no change.

Furthermore, between the ice storage tank 500 and the freezing device 6, the ice slurry S is controlled so that “amount of ice slurry S sent to the freezing device 6>amount of ice slurry S returned from the freezing device 6”. As a result, a portion of the ice slurry S in the refrigeration device 6 is discarded through an overflow pipe (not shown) or the like, so that the change in the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S stored in the ice storage tank 500 is even smaller.

The concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 is measured by the first concentration measuring means 55, and is controlled to a predetermined concentration by feeding it back to the operation of the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200. ing.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the freezing device 6 includes a flow path 60, a guide vane 70, and a propulsion section (hereinafter referred to as , referred to as a "propulsion means") 80, and a second concentration measuring means 90. The item A to be frozen is placed on a tray (not shown), for example. The trays are held, for example, in racks (not shown) that are stacked in multiple stacks at intervals. The rack has, for example, a frame shape having four supports and a beam on which the tray is placed. The frozen product A in the tray becomes surrounded by the ice slurry S.

The flow path 60 has an annular shape and is filled with ice slurry S supplied from the ice slurry supply pipe 45, so that the ice slurry S can be circulated. The flow path 60 includes a supply port 61 for the ice slurry S, and a first discharge port 62 and a second discharge port 63 for the ice slurry S. An ice slurry supply pipe 45 connected to the ice storage tank 500 is connected to the ice slurry S supply port 61 . The ice slurry return pipe 46 connected to the ice storage tank 500 is connected to the first outlet 62 of the ice slurry S. A nozzle 48 is connected to the second outlet 63 for the ice slurry S. This nozzle 48 is provided with an on-off valve 48a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the flow path 60 includes two parallel straight lines 64 and two curved lines 65 connecting adjacent ends of the two straight lines 64. It is said to be track-shaped. The flow path 60 includes an oval outer wall portion 66, a partition portion 67 provided on the center line of the outer wall portion 66, and a bottom portion 68.

The straight line 64 is defined as a freezing area 69 where the item A to be frozen is placed and frozen. A space is left between each end of the partition part 67 and the semicircular part of the outer wall part 66, forming a curved line 65 along which the ice slurry S turns. A line connecting each edge of the partition part 67 and the outer wall part 66, that is, a perpendicular line drawn virtually at each end of the partition part 67, becomes a boundary line between the straight line 64 and the curved line 65.

As shown in FIG. 4(b), at least one curved line 65 of the flow path 60 may include a pit (deep trench) at the bottom thereof. If solutes separate and precipitate from the ice slurry S during the freezing operation, they are collected in pits. Solutes collected in the pit do not affect the refrigeration operation.

The curved line 65 is provided with a substantially semicircular (J-shaped) guide vane 70 that divides the curved line 65 into a plurality of lanes (two lanes in the drawing). A guide vane 70 is installed on the bottom part 68 so that each lane has the same width. If the guide vane 70 is not provided, the ice slurry S may stagnate in a region along the outer wall portion 66 on the upstream side of the straight line 64 that is continuous with the curved line 65. In addition, the guide vane 70 may be installed on the bottom surface part 68 so that the width of each lane may be uneven.

The upstream end 71 of the guide vane 70 is located at the boundary between the straight line 64 and the curved line 65 of the flow path 60 . The downstream end 72 of the guide vane 70 extends beyond the downstream end of the curved line 65 to the upstream region of the straight line 64 . Both ends of such a guide vane 70 are not arranged side by side, but have a J-shape as a whole.

Although not shown, the downstream end 72 of the guide vane 70 may be located downstream of the boundary between the curved line 65 and the straight line 64, that is, upstream of the curved line 65. Although not shown, the upstream end 71 of the guide vane 70 may be located on the boundary line between the straight line 64 and the curved line 65, or may be located on the downstream side of the curved line 65. Therefore, the guide vane 70 may be formed in a U-shape.

By providing the guide vanes 70 on the curved line 65, the ice slurry S can flow in this region without stagnation. When the downstream end 72 of the guide vane 70 extends into the upstream side of the straight line 64, it is more effective than when the downstream end 72 of the guide vane 70 extends into the curved line 65. It is possible to more effectively cause the ice slurry S to flow smoothly without stagnation.

The flow path 60 is equipped with a propulsion means 80 that provides a propulsion force to the ice slurry S in the freezing area 69. The number of propulsion means 80 does not need to be two as shown in the figure, and it is sufficient that at least one propulsion means 80 is provided. Moreover, it goes without saying that three or more propulsion means 80 may be provided. The propulsion means 80 includes, for example, a screw 81 installed upstream of the straight line 64 in the flow path 60, a drive shaft 82 that connects the screw 81 at its tip and passes through a semicircular portion of the outer wall 66, and A driving source 83 connected to the base end of the shaft 82 and installed outside the flow path 60 is provided.

The second concentration measuring means 90 is configured similarly to the first concentration measuring means 55, and measures the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S in the flow path 60. The second concentration measuring means 90 is not limited to one place as shown in FIG. 1, but may be placed at a plurality of places.

Here, a method of producing ice slurry S using a refrigeration system and freezing an item A to be frozen using this ice slurry S will be explained. The ice slurry S is manufactured by an ice slurry raw material manufacturing device 200 provided in the ice slurry manufacturing device 1.

The ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 manufactures flake ice in a state where the inner cylinder 32 is cooled by the inner cylinder freezing refrigerant. Therefore, the inner cylinder freezing refrigerant is supplied from the refrigerant supply section 39 to the refrigerant clearance 34, and is cooled so that the temperature of the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32 is approximately -10° C. lower than the freezing point of the brine to be frozen.

Under such conditions, the virgin brine stored in the brine storage tank 40, the ice slurry S supplied through the return pipe 44, or a mixture thereof is injected from the injection part 23 toward the inner cylinder 32. be done. A portion of the injected brine, ice slurry S, or a mixture thereof adheres to the inner cylinder 32 and rapidly freezes without being given time to separate into solute and solvent, becoming hybrid ice.

The hybrid ice generated on the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32 is stripped off by the stripping section 24 rotating within the inner cylinder 32. The hybrid ice stripped off by the stripping unit 24 falls as flake ice from the flake ice outlet 26 into the ice storage tank 500 and is stored therein. The unfrozen portion of the injected brine, ice slurry S, or mixture thereof falls into the ice storage tank 500 from the flake ice outlet 26 and is stored.

The ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 has a flake ice discharge port in order to freeze a portion of the brine, ice slurry S, or a mixture thereof injected from the injection part 23 on the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 32 to produce flake ice. The concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S falling into the ice storage tank 500 from 26 is the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S before injection (that is, the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S stored in the ice storage tank 500). ) becomes higher.

The ice slurry S discharged from the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 and the ice slurry S stored in the ice storage tank 500 are mixed by the stirring means 54, and flakes of the mixed ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 are mixed. Ice concentration is kept uniform.

Therefore, by operating the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200, it is possible to increase the flake ice concentration of the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500. The flake ice concentration of the ice slurry S is measured by a first concentration measuring means 55 provided in the return pipe 44, which is a passage for supplying the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 to the injection unit 23 of the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200. be done.

Moreover, the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 can increase the amount of ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 by operating it. The amount of ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 can be increased by supplying virgin brine stored in the brine storage tank 40. The amount of ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 is measured by a storage amount sensor 56 provided in the ice storage tank 500.

The ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 is controlled to operate or stop depending on the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 and the amount of ice slurry S. That is, the ice slurry raw material manufacturing device 200 operates when the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 is lower than the target concentration, and the ice slurry raw material manufacturing device 200 operates when the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 is lower than the target concentration. If high, stop temporarily. In addition, the ice slurry raw material manufacturing device 200 operates when the amount of ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 is lower than the target value, and temporarily operates when the amount of ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 is higher than the target value. Stop.

In addition, the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 not only controls the operation or temporary stop, but also increases the amount of the inner cylinder freezing refrigerant supplied from the refrigerant supply section 39 to the refrigerant clearance 34, and increases the temperature of the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32. The amount of hybrid ice generated on the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 32 is increased by lowering the inner cylinder 32, or conversely, the amount of the inner cylinder freezing refrigerant supplied from the refrigerant supply section 39 to the refrigerant clearance 34 is decreased, and the inner cylinder 32 Control such as reducing the amount of hybrid ice produced on the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32 by increasing the temperature of the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32 may also be performed.

The ice slurry S stored in the ice storage tank 500 has (a) a temperature of less than 0°C at the time of completion of melting, and (b) a rate of change in solute concentration of the brine from which the ice melts during the melting process is within 30%. satisfies the condition. The ice slurry S can take away a large amount of latent heat from the surroundings when it melts, but the temperature does not rise until the melting is not completely completed and the hybrid ice remains.

The concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 was measured by the first concentration measuring means 55, and the concentration of flake ice was adjusted to a predetermined concentration (a predetermined concentration of 10% or more and 60% or less). The ice slurry S is sent from the ice slurry supply pipe 45 into the flow path 60 of the freezing device 6 . The freezing device 6 performs a freezing operation on the frozen product A using the sent ice slurry S. The ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 is supplied to the freezing device 6 via the ice slurry supply pipe 45 and the ice slurry return pipe 46 so that the cold heat necessary for freezing the frozen product A can be secured.

The amount of ice slurry S stored in the ice storage tank 500 is measured by a storage amount sensor 56. When the storage amount sensor 56 measures that the amount of ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 has decreased, virgin brine is supplied from the brine storage tank 40 to the ice slurry raw material manufacturing device 200, and ice slurry S is manufactured. be done.

When the freezing device 6 does not perform a freezing operation, for example, when the freezing device 6 is inactive at night, if the flake ice concentration of the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 is lower than the target concentration, the ice slurry raw material The production apparatus 200 produces an ice slurry raw material, and the flake ice concentration of the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 is increased. At this time, the on-off valve 45a of the ice slurry supply pipe 45 and the on-off valve 46a of the ice slurry return pipe 46 may be in a closed state, but the ice slurry S flakes in the entire system including the ice storage tank 500 and the freezing device 6 In order to adjust the ice concentration to the target concentration range, it is preferable to be in the open state.

Further, as described above, the amount of ice slurry S stored in the ice storage tank 500 is measured by the storage amount sensor 56, and the ice slurry is S is produced.

In the freezing operation of the frozen product A in the freezing device 6, the frozen product A is placed in a freezing region 69 provided within the straight line 64 of the flow path 60 in which the ice slurry S circulates. The items to be frozen A are placed on trays (not shown), and the trays are held at intervals in racks (not shown). The plurality of racks are collectively arranged in series within the straight line 64 of the flow path 60. The frozen items A in the rack are immersed in the circulating ice slurry S and are rapidly frozen.

The ice slurry S filled in the flow path 60 is given a propulsive force by the propulsion means 80 and circulates within the flow path 60 . Since the guide vanes 70 are provided on the curved line 65 of the water channel, the ice slurry S flows smoothly without stagnation even in the region along the outer wall 66 on the upstream side of the straight line 64 that is continuous with the curved line 65. It can circulate within the annular flow path 60 with little resistance.

When the solute is separated from the ice slurry S flowing through the channel 60, the solute is collected in a pit provided at the bottom of at least one curved line 65. Therefore, the solute separated from the ice slurry S does not affect the freezing operation.

Since the ice slurry S has fluidity, it can come into contact with the frozen product A more evenly than in a hard flake ice state. The temperature of the ice slurry S is maintained at the melting point while the hybrid ice remains (for example, in the case of the ice slurry S of saturated saline, it is maintained at -21.3°C), so it is kept for a long time. The item A to be frozen can be kept frozen. Further, even if the frozen product A is a food such as fish, there is no food safety problem because the ice slurry S is harmless.

Here, a method for adjusting the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S in the flow path 60 will be explained. The ice slurry S circulating in the flow path 60 freezes the frozen product A placed in the freezing area 69 (that is, applies cold heat), thereby increasing the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S to the ice storage tank 500. The concentration within the body may decrease.

Further, in order to quickly grasp changes in the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S in the flow path 60, a second concentration measuring means 90 may be provided in the flow path 60.

The concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S in the flow path 60 measured by the second concentration measurement means 90 is higher than the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 measured by the first concentration measurement means 55. , when the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S in the flow path 60 can be controlled more precisely by feeding it back to the operation of the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 when the concentration has decreased by a predetermined value or more.

The ice slurry S with the flake ice concentration adjusted in this way contains many fine voids (i.e., air portions) in the state where it is manufactured as flake ice, so these voids are spread out in all directions in the hybrid ice. It can be made into a snow-like shape or a sherbet-like state. Hybrid ice prepared in the form of snow or sherbet is flexible as a whole, so it does not damage the frozen product A, but rather acts like a sponge as a cushioning material that protects the frozen product A. fulfill.

In addition, even if the ice slurry S has many voids (air portions), or even if the voids are filled with brine by melting the ice slurry S, the entire ice slurry S can maintain sufficient fluidity (flexibility). Therefore, the ice slurry S can freeze the frozen product A more efficiently.

Here, if the ratio of the volume of the voids (air parts) to the entire volume of the ice slurry S is defined as "porosity", the lower the porosity (that is, the higher the bulk density), the better the cold storage effect. becomes higher. Therefore, when the ice slurry S is used for the purpose of refrigeration or freezing of fresh foodstuffs, the ice slurry S has a high porosity (that is, a low bulk density). Note that when the ice slurry S is used for the purpose of transporting cold energy, the ice slurry S with a low porosity (that is, a high bulk density) is generated.

In addition, the thermal conductivity of brine (salt water) containing salt as a solute is approximately 0.58 W/mK, but the thermal conductivity of flake ice made of frozen brine containing salt as a solute is approximately 2.2 W/mK. It is. That is, since flake ice (solid) has a higher thermal conductivity than brine (liquid), flake ice (solid) can freeze the frozen product A more quickly.

However, if flake ice (solid) remains, the area in contact with the frozen product A becomes small. Therefore, by mixing flake ice and brine to form an ice slurry S, fluidity is imparted. As a result, the flake ice (solid) can be evenly brought into contact with the frozen item A, and the frozen item A can be quickly frozen.

Here, regarding the bulk density of the ice slurry S, specific numerical values will be shown. The bulk density that can be defined as ice slurry S is 0.48 g/cm ³ to 0.78 g/cm ³ . When ice slurry S is used for the purpose of freezing fresh foodstuffs, it is preferable to have a bulk density of 0.69 g/cm ³ to 0.78 g/cm ³ .

Note that when ice slurry S is used for the purpose of refrigeration of fresh foodstuffs, it is preferable that the bulk density be 0.48 g/cm ³ to 0.54 g/cm ³ . In addition, when using ice slurry S for the purpose of transporting cold energy, the ice using saturated saline may be further mechanically compressed to a bulk density of 0.75 g/cm ³ to 0.95 g/cm ³ . You can also use it as

It has been known that when a solute is dissolved in a solvent, the freezing point of the aqueous solution becomes lower than the freezing point of the solvent before the solute is dissolved (freezing point depression phenomenon). In other words, ice made by freezing an aqueous solution containing dissolved solutes such as salt is frozen at a lower temperature (i.e., below 0°C) than ice made by freezing fresh water (i.e., water in which solutes such as salt are not dissolved). It becomes frozen ice.

Here, the heat required when solid ice changes (melts) to liquid water is called "latent heat." Since this latent heat is not accompanied by a temperature change, the hybrid ice can continue to maintain a stable state at a temperature below the freezing point of fresh water (0° C.) when melting. Therefore, a state in which cold energy is stored can be maintained.

In other words, the freezing ability of ice made by freezing an aqueous solution containing a solute such as salt should be higher than that of ice made by freezing fresh water. However, even if an attempt is made to produce ice by freezing an aqueous solution in which solutes such as salt are dissolved, in reality, the aqueous solution (e.g., salt water) rarely freezes as it is; first, fresh water containing no solutes (e.g., salt) is This part freezes first.

Therefore, when an aqueous solution in which a solute such as table salt is dissolved is frozen, the substance produced is a mixture of ice, which is fresh water that does not contain the solute (table salt, etc.) frozen, and the solute (for example, crystals of table salt, etc.). It becomes. Furthermore, even if ice with a lower freezing point (ice formed by freezing salt water, etc.) is produced, the amount thereof is so small that it is not practical. In this way, the ice slurry S is [ice] having a freezing point lower than the freezing point of fresh water (0° C.), and can be produced by a flake ice production system.

The ice slurry S satisfies the above-mentioned condition (a) that the temperature at the time of completion of melting is less than 0°C. Since the ice slurry S is an aqueous solution (salt water, etc.) containing a solute (salt, etc.), the freezing point of the ice slurry S is lower than that of fresh water in which no solute is dissolved. Therefore, the ice slurry S satisfies the condition that the temperature at the time of completion of melting is less than 0°C.

Note that the "temperature at the time of completion of melting" refers to the temperature at which the ice slurry S is placed in an environment above its melting point (e.g., room temperature, atmospheric pressure) to start melting the ice slurry S, and all of the ice slurry S has melted. It refers to the temperature of an aqueous solution (brine) at the moment it becomes an aqueous solution (brine).

On the other hand, it may be preferable to bring the freezing point of the ice slurry S closer to the freezing point of the product A to be frozen. For example, if there is a reason such as to prevent damage to fresh animals or plants, it is preferable that the temperature at the time of completion of thawing is not too high. ℃ or higher, -17℃ or higher, -16℃ or higher, -15℃ or higher, -14℃ or higher, -13℃ or higher, -12℃ or higher, -11℃ or higher, -10℃ or higher, -9℃ or higher, -8 ℃ or higher, -7℃ or higher, -6℃ or higher, -5℃ or higher, -4℃ or higher, -3℃ or higher, -2℃ or higher, -1℃ or higher, -0.5℃ or higher, etc.) preferable.

The ice slurry S satisfies the above-mentioned condition (b) that the rate of change in the solute concentration of the aqueous solution in which ice is melted during the melting process is within 30%. The ice slurry S is characterized in that the rate of change in the solute concentration of the aqueous solution in which the ice is melted during the melting process (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "rate of change in solute concentration" in this specification) is within 30%. . Even when conventional techniques are used, ice with a slightly lower freezing point may be produced, but most of the time it is just a mixture of solute-free water ice and solute crystals. Therefore, the freezing capacity is not sufficient.

In this way, when ice is a mixture of frozen water that does not contain solutes and solute crystals, when the ice is placed under melting conditions, the rate at which solutes elute as it melts becomes unstable. . Specifically, the closer the timing is to the start of melting, the more solute will be eluted. As the melting progresses, the amount of solute eluted decreases. That is, the closer the timing is to the completion of melting, the smaller the amount of solute eluted.

On the other hand, hybrid ice is ice made by freezing an aqueous solution containing a solute, and therefore has the characteristic that the solute elution rate changes little during the melting process. Specifically, during the process of melting the hybrid ice, the rate of change in the solute concentration of the aqueous solution in which the hybrid ice is melted is 30%. Here, "rate of change in solute concentration of the aqueous solution in which hybrid ice is melted during the melting process" means the ratio of the concentration of the aqueous solution at the completion of melting to the solute concentration in the aqueous solution melted at any timing in the melting process. . Note that "solute concentration" means the mass ratio of solute dissolved in an aqueous solution.

The rate of change in solute concentration in hybrid ice is not particularly limited as long as it is within 30%, but the smaller the rate of change, the higher the purity of the hybrid ice, that is, the higher the freezing ability.

Since hybrid ice has excellent freezing ability, it is suitable for use as a refrigerant for freezing the frozen product A. In addition to hybrid ice, examples of the low-temperature refrigerant for freezing the frozen product A include organic solvents used as antifreezes such as ethanol. However, hybrid ice has higher thermal conductivity and higher specific heat than these antifreezes. For this reason, hybrid ice is useful in that it has better freezing ability than other refrigerants at temperatures below 0° C., such as antifreeze.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above-described embodiments, and can be considered within the scope of the claims. It also includes other embodiments and modifications. Further, various changes and combinations of the above embodiments may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

As shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 1, the refrigeration system may connect a second ice slurry return pipe 47 for discharging the ice slurry S in the flow path 60 to the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200. The downstream end of the second ice slurry return pipe 47 may be connected to the switching valve 43 between the brine pipe 41 and the return pipe 44 . However, the switching valve 43 in this case is provided with three input ports and one output port.

The refrigeration system in the embodiment described above includes the first concentration measuring means 55 in the ice storage tank 500 and the second concentration measuring means 90 in the flow path 60. However, only one of the concentration measuring means 55 and 90 may be provided, or may not be provided.

The ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 in the embodiment described above includes a drum 21 having an inner cylinder 32. However, the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 may be configured by a plate having a flat surface onto which the brine or the ice slurry S returned from the return pipe 44 is injected. A refrigerant clearance is provided on the inner surface of this plate.

As shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 1, the refrigeration system may connect a second ice slurry return pipe 47 for discharging the ice slurry S in the flow path 60 to the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200. The downstream end of the second ice slurry return pipe 47 may be connected to the switching valve 43 between the brine pipe 41 and the return pipe 44 . However, the switching valve 43 in this case is provided with three input ports and one output port. Further, the upstream ends of the return pipe 44, the ice slurry return pipe 46, and the second ice slurry return pipe 47 may be provided with a filter (not shown).

The refrigeration system in the embodiment described above includes the first concentration measuring means 55 in the bypass pipe provided in the return pipe 44 and the second concentration measuring means 90 in the flow path 60. However, only one of the concentration measuring means 55 and 90 may be provided, or may not be provided.

Further, the first concentration measuring means 55 may be provided within the ice storage tank 500. The concentration measuring means 55 in this case includes instruments such as a thermometer, a concentration meter, and a density meter, and calculates the concentration of flake ice from electric signals of temperature, concentration, and density measured by these instruments. The first concentration measuring means 55 may be fixed to the inner surface of the wall portion 52 at two locations, one on the bottom portion 51 side and the other on the top portion 53 side. Even if the concentration of flake ice is uneven within the ice storage tank 500, the average concentration of flake ice can be detected by each first concentration measuring means 55.

In the embodiment described above, the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200 was activated or stopped depending on the concentration of flake ice in the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 and the amount of the ice slurry S. However, the concentration of flake ice may be adjusted by changing the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder of the ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus 200.

For example, when the concentration of flake ice is high, the amount of the inner cylinder freezing refrigerant supplied from the refrigerant supply section 39 to the refrigerant clearance 34 is reduced, and the temperature of the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32 is increased. Alternatively, the amount of virgin brine supplied from the brine storage tank 40 to the injection unit 23 is reduced or the temperature is increased. This reduces the amount of brine that adheres to the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32 and increases the amount of brine that falls into the ice storage tank 500. When the amount of hybrid ice adhering to the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32 is reduced, the amount of flake ice generated by peeling off the hybrid ice is reduced. Due to this decreased flake ice and increased brine, the ice slurry S has a decreased concentration of flake ice.

Conversely, when the concentration of flake ice is low, the amount of the inner cylinder freezing refrigerant supplied from the refrigerant supply section 39 to the refrigerant clearance 34 is increased to lower the temperature of the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32. Alternatively, the amount of virgin brine supplied from the brine storage tank 40 to the injection unit 23 is increased or the temperature is decreased. This increases the amount of brine that adheres to the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32, and reduces the amount of brine that falls into the ice storage tank 500. As the amount of hybrid ice adhering to the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 32 increases, the amount of flake ice generated by peeling off the hybrid ice increases. Due to this increased flake ice and decreased brine, the ice slurry S has an increased concentration of flake ice.

The ice storage tank 500 in the embodiment described above was equipped with stirring means 54. However, the ice storage tank 500 may not include the stirring means 54, and the ice storage tank 500 itself may rotate or vibrate to mix flake ice and cooled brine.

Although the frozen product A in the above-described embodiment is a food product, it may also be a pharmaceutical product or the like.

In summary, the ice slurry manufacturing apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied only needs to have the following configuration, and can take various embodiments.
That is, the ice slurry manufacturing apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied,
an ice slurry raw material manufacturing unit (ice slurry raw material manufacturing device) 200 that generates flake ice from a part of the supplied brine and cools the remaining part of the supplied brine;
The flake ice produced by the ice slurry raw material production unit (ice slurry raw material production device) 200 and the cooled brine are supplied, and an ice slurry obtained by mixing the flake ice and the cooled brine is stored. Ice storage tank 500,
Equipped with

As a result, in the ice slurry manufacturing apparatus 1, flake ice is manufactured from a part of the brine in the ice slurry raw material manufacturing unit (ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus) 200, the remaining part of the brine is cooled, and this flake ice and brine are stored as ice. By being stored in the tank 500, ice slurry S can be manufactured.

One aspect of the ice slurry manufacturing apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied is as follows:
a return pipe 400 that returns the brine in the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500 to the ice slurry raw material manufacturing unit (ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus) 200 as raw water;
Equipped with
Thereby, the brine in the ice slurry S stored in the ice storage tank 500 is returned to the ice slurry raw material manufacturing unit (ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus) 200 as recycled brine, and can be reused.

One aspect of the ice slurry manufacturing apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied is as follows:
a stirring unit (stirring means) 54 that stirs the ice slurry S in the ice storage tank 500;
Equipped with
The ice slurry production apparatus 1 includes a stirring section (stirring means) 54, whereby the flake ice stored in the ice storage tank 500 and brine are mixed to produce ice slurry S in which the flake ice and brine are made uniform. can do.

One aspect of the ice slurry manufacturing apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied is as follows:
The ice slurry raw material manufacturing unit (ice slurry raw material manufacturing apparatus) 200 includes a drum 21 having a refrigerant clearance 34, a refrigerant supply unit 39 that supplies an inner cylinder freezing refrigerant to the refrigerant clearance 34,
Equipped with
As a result, the ice slurry raw material manufacturing unit (ice slurry raw material manufacturing device) 200 can easily control the temperature of the drum 21 by supplying the inner cylinder freezing refrigerant from the refrigerant supply unit 39 to the refrigerant clearance 34 of the drum 21. , the ratio of flake ice produced and brine to be cooled can be easily adjusted.

The refrigeration system to which the present invention is applied is
An ice slurry manufacturing apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied;
a freezing device 6 that freezes the frozen product using the ice slurry S;
Equipped with
A refrigeration system,
The refrigeration device 6 includes:
An annular flow path 60 through which ice slurry circulates, comprising two parallel straight lines 64 and two curved lines 65 connecting adjacent ends of the two straight lines 64. a flow path 60 having;
a propulsion unit 80 that provides propulsion to the ice slurry;
a guide vane 70 that divides at least one of the curved lines 65 into a plurality of lanes;
Equipped with

As a result, the refrigeration system can operate smoothly by causing the ice slurry S produced by the ice slurry production means 1 to flow through the channel 60 and wrapping the frozen product A placed in the channel 60 with the ice slurry S. Can be frozen.

1: Ice slurry manufacturing device, 200: Ice slurry raw material manufacturing device (ice slurry raw material manufacturing department), 21: Drum, 22: Rotating shaft, 23: Injection part, 23a: Injection hole, 24: Stripping part, 25: Blade , 26: Flake ice outlet, 27: Upper bearing member, 28: Injection control section, 29: Heat protection cover, 30: Geared motor, 31: Rotary joint, 32: Inner cylinder, 33: Outer cylinder, 34: Refrigerant clearance , 38: Bush, 39: Refrigerant supply section, 40: Brine storage tank, 41: Brine piping, 42: Refrigerant piping, 44: Return pipe, 45: Ice slurry supply pipe, 46: Ice slurry return pipe, 47: Second ice slurry return pipe, 48: nozzle, 500: ice storage tank, 54: stirring means (stirring section), 55: concentration measuring section (first concentration measuring means), 6: freezing device, 60: flow path, 61: Supply port, 62: Discharge port (first discharge port), 63: Second discharge port, 64: Straight line, 65: Curved line, 67: Partition section, 68: Bottom section, 69: Freezing area, 70: Guide vane, 80: Propulsion means (propulsion part), 90: Second concentration measurement means, A: Product to be frozen, S: Ice slurry

Claims (5)

producing flake ice from a portion of the supplied brine and cooling the remainder of the supplied brine;
mixing the generated flake ice with the cooled remainder of the brine to produce an ice slurry;
Control is performed to maintain the concentration of the flake ice at a target value in an ice storage tank that stores the produced ice slurry.
Ice slurry production equipment. an ice slurry raw material production unit that generates the flake ice and cools the remainder of the brine;
The flake ice produced by the ice slurry raw material production unit and the remainder of the brine cooled by the ice slurry raw material production unit are supplied, and the ice is a mixture of the flake ice and the cooled remainder of the brine. An ice storage tank for storing slurry;
The ice slurry production apparatus according to claim 1. a return pipe that returns brine in the ice slurry in the ice storage tank to the ice slurry raw material manufacturing unit as raw water;
Equipped with
The ice slurry production apparatus according to claim 2. The ice slurry raw material production unit includes a drum having a refrigerant clearance, a refrigerant supply unit that supplies an inner tube freezing refrigerant to the refrigerant clearance,
Equipped with
The ice slurry production apparatus according to claim 2 or 3. an ice slurry raw material production unit that generates flake ice from a portion of the supplied brine and cools the remainder of the supplied brine;
an ice storage tank that is supplied with the flake ice produced by the ice slurry raw material production unit and the cooled brine and stores an ice slurry in which the flake ice and the cooled brine are mixed;
an ice slurry manufacturing apparatus comprising: a control unit that performs control to maintain a concentration of the flake ice in the ice slurry stored in the ice storage tank at a target value ;
A refrigeration device that freezes a frozen product using the ice slurry;
Equipped with
A refrigeration system,
The refrigeration device includes:
a shape in which the ice slurry circulates, and comprising at least one propulsion section that provides a propulsion force to the ice slurry;
Refrigeration system.

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