Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
  • F25C5/00—Working or handling ice
  • F25C5/18—Storing ice
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
  • F25C5/00—Working or handling ice
  • F25C5/20—Distributing ice

Definitions

• the present invention concerns a method and an arrangement for keeping a magazine of a mixture of ice cubes and a liquid, such as water, in a loose and lump- free condition.
• the invention also concerns the above mentioned arrangement integrated in an arrangement design ⁇ ed to collect and transport the ice cubes to an applica ⁇ tion processing area.
• the present invention is especially concerned with plants for producing and storing ice for industrial purposes.
• fisheries such as ocean fisheries, where a catch consisting of fish, shellfish, etc., must be refrigerated by ice in order to preserve its quality.
• the ice for which the invention is intended to be used in relation to can either be brought along from ashore in a separate hold on board, or the vessel can have its own ice machine installed, which produces the neces- sary ice from seawater.
• the present invention shall in the ensuing be described in connection with the mentioned sea water ice machine, but shall not limit- itself to this.
• One of these is the so called RSW-system (Refrigerated Sea Water) , which in ⁇ volves that seawater is chilled in a separate unit, and when the catch of fish is taken onboard from e.g. trawl or seine, the chilled seawater is added so that the fish is kept refrigerated.
• RSW-system Refrigerated Sea Water
• the purpose of the present invention is to introduce a procedure and an arrangement which will totally eliminate the above mentioned problems with clogging of ice cubes into big cakes in the magazine on board fishing vessels.
• a further purpose of this invention is to design the arrangement in such a way that it can be incorporated in an already existing fish handling application, which in this case also may be used for collecting ice cubes for transporting them to a processing area.
• the procedure of keeping a magazine of a mixture of ice cubes and liquid, like water, in a loose and lump free condition is character ⁇ ized by the procedure that the magazine of ice and water mixture is subjected to a physical mixing influence, bringing the ice cubes and liquid into strong motion.
• the mixing influence is achieved by injecting a fluid into the magazine, thus creating fluid bubbles which will affect the mixing motion.
• the fluid is preferentially injected in pulses with time intervals, preferably with regular time intervals of approximately 1 - 3 hours, the optimal time interval being 3 hours.
• the fluid is injected in a hori ⁇ zontal direction and/or in a vertical direction from the bottom of the magazine.
• the fluid will be injected through a pipe applied in the bottom area of the magazine, and into the magazine, through a number of outlet nozzles in the pipe.
• the fluid is injected into the magazine through a number of branch pipes which are spread over the magazine bottom area, in that each branch pipe contains a number of outlet nozzles for the fluid. Three such branch pipes can be applied.
• the liquid is seawater and the fluid is air.
• the arrangement for keeping ice cubes in a liquid in a loose and lump-free condition in a magazine is characterized by a pipe with a number of outlet nozzles being applied in the magazine containing the mixture of ice cubes and liquid, and this pipe is connected to a pumping device through a supply pipe, in that the pumping device is designed to inject a fluid through the pipe, through the outlet nozzles and into the magazine.
• the pipe is applied in the lower part of the magazine, and preferably at the bottom portion of the magazine.
• the pipe comprises a number of separate branch pipes, which from the branching point are spread over the bottom area of the magazine, and each branch pipe comprises a number of outlet nozzles for injecting the fluid.
• the arrangement comprises control organs for injecting the fluid alternately from the branch pipes.
• the arrangement is integrated in an existing arrangement known per se for collecting ice from the magazine and transporting it to a processing area through a rising pipe, where an intermediate storage tank is included in the rising pipe, and where the intermediate storage tank by means of a pressure transmitter in succession can: a) be subjected to vacuum in order to suction a volume of the ice/water mixture from the magazine through the pipe and into the tank, b) whereafter the tank can be subjected to over-pressure to force the ice/water mixture further through the pipe and on to the processing area, and this embodiment the arrangement is characterized by a separate pipe to inject ⁇ ing fluid to the magazine.
• the collecting arrangement is further modified by the pipe constituting a separate injection pipe in the magazine, while the rising pipe constitutes a separate suction pipe, and the injection pipe and the suction pipe is being arranged in proportionally different height levels in the magazine.
• the term 'processing area' means that the ice/water mixture is transported to a dosing machine of a fairly well-known type, where the ice cubes, after being separated from the sea water, will be evenly dosed in suitable amounts together with the fish that is being removed from the trawl or seine.
• the arrange ⁇ ment comprises means for controlling the mixing influence and the suction process in such a way that the following stages are carried out consecutively: 1) injection of fluid into the magazine,
• Fig. 1 shows a sectional drawing of a plant for producing ice on board a vessel.
• Fig. 2 shows another section of the same plant and illustrates a combined arrangement, for producing the mixing influence for the ice/saltwater mixture, and for extracting ice/saltwater to the processing area.
• Fig. 3 and 4 show a schematic outlines of different designs for arranging a fluid injection pipe with three branch pipes in a magazine. In as far as the arrangement for the present inven ⁇ tion normally (e.g. on board a vessel with limited space) would be integrated with an ice machine, shall the ice machine also be described in relative detail in the following description.
• Fig. 1 shows an ice plant, as on board a vessel with a deck D and an engine room where a refrigeration device 8 is located, a hold 3 which functions as an ice magazine, and a hold L for the fish.
• the bottom of the vessel is marked B, and is also described as a tank top 21.
• the holds are separated by isolated partition walls V.
• An ice machine 1 is positioned on the deck, for instance an ice machine which produces tube ice or plate ice, and it delivers the ice in free fall down into the magazine 3,4.
• the refrigerator 8 produces chilled sea water which, by means of the pump 11, is pumped up from the seawater source 22 below the vessel. The water is carried through the refrigerator 8 to the magazine 3,4, which consists of a mixture of ice cubes (from the ice machine 1) and salt water. During standstill the ice 3 floats up due to lower specific weight, and forms a layer on the surface of the salt water 4, like the figure shows.
• the magazine tank has been equipped with a conveyor/rising pipe 42/15.
• the conveyor system for ice is additionally designed as described in connection with fig ⁇ ure 2.
• Each of the holds A, B, C of the vessel have a countersunk well 16 in the bottom B for the purpose of complete drainage of residue water from the holds. Drain ⁇ age water is sucked out of the well 16. through a pipe 59. Also downwards into the bottom of the ice magazine tank, a pipe 59 is arranged.
• FIG. 1 shows that the ice 3 and the salt water 4 are phase separated into two main layers, but it will be evident from the following description that when ice is taken out from the magazine 3,4, the magazine is first subjected by the mixing influence a loose and lump free mixture of ice cubes and water, so that a mixture of ice 3 and salty water 4 can be pumped up to the deck D.
• a possible water outlet is guided through a pipe 10 into the refrigerator 8, for instance, in the case of heat exchanging, to be used for precooling of the sea water which is pumped in from the source 22.
• This outlet water is discharged through a pipe 12 with valve back to the sea.
• a grate is arranged in front of the outlet pipe.
• the plant further consists of a set of temperature sensors 13 in the tank, which record the temperature in the different horizontal layers of the magazine 3,4.
• figure 2 is shown in detail, according to the invention, the specific system which produces the mixing influence in the magazine with the mixture of ice cubes and water, as well as, according to the invention, a system for transporting a mixture of ice cubes and water to a processing area.
• Figure 2 shows the ice machine 2 which delivers ice to hold A as described previously. On each side of this hold, hold sections B and C have been arranged, for stor ⁇ ing fish refrigerated by ice from hold A.
• a mixture of ice 3 and salt water 4 is sucked through the pipe 15 and into an intermediate storage tank 30 and squeezed or pressed further through the pipe 27 to a feeding tank 33 for ice, with the help of the pressure transmitting from a compressor or pump 29.
• the intermedi ⁇ ate storage tank 30 is moreover arranged in a tilted position, so that its outlet side is positioned at a lower level than its inlet side, in the vertical direction.
• the salt water runs off the ice and is carried through the pipe 26 back to the magazine 3,4.
• the ice is conveyed further by a transport screw 24, (or pos ⁇ sibly a conveyor belt) up to a dosing unit 18 for delivery to a dosing plate 23, while the fish intended for refrig ⁇ eration is transported from the feeding unit 17 from a seine or a trawl. From the dosing plate 23 the fish/ice mixture is guided into distribution ducts 20 for transport to the relevant holds.
• a pipe 35 which is connected between the pump/- pressure transmitter 29 and the pipe 15, contains in succession: a) a branching to an outlet 36 to the surroundings through a shift valve 34 (4-ways) which when shifting in succession can produce pressure and vacuum in the pipe 35 by means of the pressure transmitting function of the pump 29, b) a reversing valve 28 from where the pipe 35 branches into: one first branch pipe 37 which leads into a further branch point 41 which includes a 3-way shift valve, and a second branch pipe 38 which leads into the inlet side of the tank 30.
• a pipe 40 leads down to the bottom of the magazine, and leads further by a more or less horizontal section 44 into the magazine 3,4.
• the horizontal section is designed with a number of outlet nozzles 45 from where the fluid is injected into the magazine 3,4.
• a pipe 62 connects to the pipe 15 at a given distance from the floor of the magazine. Upstream of the inlet of the pipe 15, the pipe 62 contains a manifoil 39 and a back pressure valve 43.
• the valve 34 has been designed in such a way that when the pump 29 with strong pressure blows fluid through the pipe 36, this will entail a simultaneous strong suctioning vacuum in the pipe 35.
• Fig. 3 shows a horizontal section of a preferred arrangement of the injection arrangement.
• the pipe 40 branches out into three branch pipes 46, 47, 48 which are distributed so that they cover a large area of the floor of the maga ⁇ zine.
• the branch pipes comprise the valves 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and these can be controlled during injection so that the fluid is injected alternately from the nozzles 45 in the three branch pipes.
• Fig. 4 shows an alternative design of the position ⁇ ing of the branch pipes in the bottom of the magazine. It follows that from the connection point 70 three branch pipes 72, 74, 76, each with an outlet nozzle on the end, branch out over the floor of the magazine. The pipe 74 is positioned furthest off inwards in the magazine seen from the branching point 70, while the pipe 72 is positioned nearest. This positioning is suitable when the bottom of the magazine has a rectangular floor area, as shown in the figure. The control of the alternate injection through the three pipes is achieved in the same way as described in fig. 3.
• the rising pipe 15 comprises a suc ⁇ tion pipe in the form of a flexible hose 42 which from a distance over the floor level of the magazine 3,4, extends more or less horizontally inwards into the magazine 3,4.
• the hose 42 at the inlet 57 to the magazine 3,4, forms a hinge connection, in the shape of a flange, so that the hose can be tipped upwards and downwards round a horizon ⁇ tal axis.
• the hose 42 further comprises a float gadget 58 to enable it to float in the water in the boarder area between the ice layer 3 and the water 4.
• the hose 42 always floats in a position close to the ceiling of the ice substance (seen from below) , and the height position of the hose will always vary upwards and down ⁇ wards (see arrows on fig. 2) in pace with the changing height level of the boarder area, depending on the volume of the magazine.
• suctioning ice/liquid through the opening 64 of the hose 42 one is ensured to obtain a suitable mixture of water and ice.
• the mixture will in this boarder area be adequately suction- and pump-able. Any residue water in the tank may be emptied by connecting the pipe 59 to the rising pipe 15 within a suction step.
• valves 34, 28 and 41 are adjusted so that the fluid is carried through the pipes 35, 37, 40 and 44 up until and into the magazine 3,4, through the injection nozzles 45.
• the injection may also be arranged through the pipe 15, by adjusting the valve 41 to injection through the pipe 62, further into the pipe 15 and into the maga- zine 3,4 through the suction opening 64 on,this pipe 62.
• Injection through the pipes 62 and 15 may also be relevant when the unit is used for pumping fish, in order to blow out fish which might be stuck in the pipe 15 during the suction process. It has been found that the above mentioned high pressure pulse of fluid, which preferentially is air, forms air bubbles which make the magazine 3,4 "boil" during a vigorous stirring.
• water for example sea water from the magazine 3,4
• water may be injec ⁇ ted into the magazine instead of air. This may for example be effected by suction of a volume of water 4 from the magazine and into the pipe 42, 15 and thereafter rein- jecting it back into the magazine with a powerful over ⁇ pressure.
• the valves 34, 28, 41 readjust, so that a strong vacuum builds up in the pipes 35, 38, 15, which will discharge the ice/water mixture in through the open ⁇ ing 64 to the horizontally positioned hose 42 and further up through the pipe 15 and into the tank 30.
• the pipe 62 is shut down by means of the reversing valve 43, to stop ice and water from pene ⁇ trating into the fluid injection pipes 37 and 62.
• the valve 41 will close to prevent suction effect in the in ⁇ jection pipe 40.
• valves 34 and 28 When the tank 30 is filled with a mixture of ice cubes and water, the valves 34 and 28 will readjust so that the full fluid pressure from the pump 29 is guided into the back side of the ice/water in the tank 30, i.e. through the pipe 38 to the inlet side of the tank, and in consequence the said ice/water content is squeezed out of the tank 30 and into the rising pipe 27 all the way to the feeding tank 33 where the water runs off the ice and is carried through the pipe 26 back to the magazine.
• One pipe 15 (of the pipes 40, 15) which can carry pressure fluid to the magazine 3,4 constitutes, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same pipe that the ice/liquid mixture is suctioned into from the magazine 3,4 to be carried to the processing area, some ⁇ thing that is achieved by readjusting of the said valves.
• valves in order to achieve all steps of fluid injection, suction of ice/water, and the distribution of the fluid injection through the previously mentioned branch pipes 46, 47, 48, will be carried out automatically, by means of a computer system.
• the process of the mixing influence and the suction process of the invention include these steps in consecutive order: 1) blowing air into the magazine, 2) suctioning an ice/water mixture into the tank 30 from the magazine, and 3) conveying the ice/water mixture to the surface by subjecting the tank 30 to over-pressure.
• this cycle will be carried out with injection of fluid (air) at suitable time intervals, while the suction of the ice/- water mixture may take place any chosen number of times after each injection.
• the injection system 29, 35, 15 accord- ing to the invention can also be used separately for the sole purpose of keeping an ice/water substance 3,4 in a loose mixture.
• the extent of the injection will of course be adjusted in accordance with the size of the magazine.
• Figure 2 further indicates that the pipe 15 includes a branch pipe 59 (with a two-way shut-off valve 60 in the branching point) to the bottom of the storage tank C.
• the system according to the invention thus may be used for emptying other tanks on the vessel, e.g. of fish, and that it might give a choice of possibilities regarding which hold the ice magazine at best should be stored in.
• the arrangement according to the invention was assembled and tested in a fishing vessel.
• the air blasts were made in pulses of approximately 5 sec ⁇ onds from each pipe.
• the injection capacity of the air blasts was 900 m 3 air per hour.
• the complete injection cycles thus lasted for a total of 15 seconds with a total amount of air of 6 3 .
• the mixture of ice cubes and sea water almost boiled as the sea water/air bubbles rose approximately 50 cm over the normal surface level.
• the ice was completely calm after just a few seconds. Injection was carried out every 3. hour.
• the injection test showed that the positioning of the horizontal pipe 42 had a decisive effect on the amount of ice that was suctioned.
• the pressure in the vacuum tank which was approxi ⁇ mately 2000 litres, was reduced to approximately 40% vacuum by means of which the ice/sea water mixture was suctioned up.
• the tank 30 was approximately full, pressure was introduced at the inlet side of the tank, and the ice/sea water mixture was pressed up to the deck.
• the procedure starts with filling the storage tanks with 8 volume% sea water and 8 volume% ice, after which the fish-catch is added, mixed with 8-10% ice cubes. This will result in a more economi ⁇ cal and effective refrigeration of fish than with earlier R.S.W-systems. Additionally this will produce an ice/- water/fish mixture which is very easy to pump for the plant, according to the invention.
• the plant according to the invention is very well suited for use on board vessels as well as for use in ashore based units.

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• 1992
  • 1992-08-13 NO NO923173A patent/NO923173L/no unknown
• 1993
  • 1993-07-29 EP EP93919707A patent/EP0657016B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1993-07-29 CA CA002142311A patent/CA2142311A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1993-07-29 WO PCT/NO1993/000121 patent/WO1994004879A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1993-07-29 AU AU49853/93A patent/AU4985393A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1993-07-29 DK DK93919707.5T patent/DK0657016T3/da active

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