JPS6014372Y2 - Hydro cooler - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to an apparatus for cooling fruits and vegetables such as vegetables and fruits with cold water.

As stated in the above-mentioned utility model registration claims, the present invention has the following features:
In contact with the first framework having washing water sprinkling equipment on the ceiling,
A second framework with a cooling water sprinkling system installed on the ceiling is installed behind it, and a third framework is installed in contact with the second framework with an air blower installed on the ceiling with the exhaust port facing downward. This is a hydrocooler for pre-cooling fruits and vegetables, which is constructed by arranging pallet moving equipment that is connected in series and communicates with the floor of a series of frames.

The above-mentioned equipment for moving pallets is equipment equipped with roller conveyors, belt conveyors, railcars, etc., and is used to move vegetables and fruits filled into crates and loaded onto pallets in a batch or continuous manner. Refers to equipment that moves smoothly.

Note that the above-mentioned crate means a frame box or a watermarked box, and these days it is frequently used as a passable box for beer, etc.

The above-mentioned framework means a structure consisting mainly of elongated materials at the edges of a box, or a combination thereof.

The water sprinkling equipment of the first framework is used to wash away mud and dust that has adhered to the fruits and vegetables in the field before cooling them with water.

The water sprinkling equipment of the second framework is for cold water, and the cold water sprayed from this water sprinkling equipment cools the washed vegetables and fruits.

The cooled vegetables and fruits are drained in the third frame by the air blown from the ceiling fan, which absorbs the heat of water droplets attached to the vegetables and fruits.

In an embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable that the first, second, and third frameworks are provided with a heat-insulated ceiling at the top, and walls are provided on the left and right sides to prevent splashing of cooling water.

The water used in the first framework is for cleaning purposes, so it can be disposed of in a drain after use.

The water used in the second framework is cold water, which remains at a low temperature even after use and is not contaminated, so a lower water reservoir is provided at the bottom of the second structure, in which the cold water used for cooling is collected; It is preferable to send the water to the water spray tank above the pump through piping, and re-cool the water using a chiller equipped with a cooler midway through the process.

City water, well water, or industrial water is directly piped to the water sprinkling equipment of the first framework.

In practice, good results can be obtained by receiving the water from the piping into a water hook, releasing the pressure there, allowing the water to overflow, and then receiving the water in a flat upper water tank with many small holes at the bottom and spraying the water. .

Although the size of the thin tube should be determined depending on the overall operating conditions, good results were obtained using, for example, a tube with a diameter of 6 mm.

For sprinkling cold water in the second framework, good results can be obtained if the cold water is once received by the upper water hook, and then the cold water overflows and is directed to the shallow upper water sprinkling tank with holes at equal intervals S on the bottom.

The cold water supplied to the second framework is guided to the top of the blower of the third framework and flows through the cooling coil to cool the air above the third framework.

A blower blows this cooled air onto the fruits and vegetables to drain them.

In other words, since it is cooling air, it is preferable because it has the effect of preventing vegetables and fruits from increasing in temperature due to the draining operation.

At the entrance of the present invention, that is, the entrance of the first framework, and the outlet of the present invention, that is, the exit of the third framework, a curtain made of polyvinyl vinyl sheet, polyethylene sheet, etc. with longitudinal cuts is installed. Good results can be obtained because the crate containing fruits can be freely sent in and out, and the influence of the outside world on the inside of the device is prevented.

The direct use of this invention is to wash, cool, and drain vegetables and fruits collected from fields or orchards.

However, in practice, such processing maintains the freshness of these vegetables and fruits for a long time, increases their commercial value, and allows them to be shipped to distant markets and sold at a favorable price. The main purpose of this invention is to make this possible.

Vegetables and fruits continue to live and function even after they are harvested.

In other words, it takes in nutrients from within its own body, inhales oxygen, and expels carbon dioxide and water.

However, since there are no roots to replenish nutrients, the nutrients within the body are gradually consumed, and eventually rot due to autolysis and the action of bacteria.

In order to maintain the freshness of vegetables and fruits for a long time after harvesting, it is effective to suppress this respiration and reduce the consumption of nutrients as much as possible.

The most effective way to suppress respiratory effects is to lower the temperature of vegetables and fruits.

To demonstrate this effect concretely by giving an example, when the respiration rate of sweet corn is 15℃, the respiration rate is 150■/9・h.
CO2, but at 0℃ it is 35rrLg/kg・hCO
2, which decreases to about 174.

There are three methods for cooling vegetables and fruits:

The first method is to use cold air, and the device used for this method was devised by the inventor of the present application, and
No. 2958.

The second method is a vacuum cooling method.

Since this method is a method of cooling fruits and vegetables by vaporizing their moisture in a vacuum and utilizing the latent heat of vaporization, tomatoes, eggplants, and other common root vegetables and fruits have small surface areas and are therefore unsuitable for this method.

The third method is cooling with cold water, and the invention of the present application is an apparatus used for this method.

There is an example of a vegetable and fruit cooling device, ie, a hydrocooler, which uses cooling water as in the present invention in the United States.

However, the hydro coolers used in the United States are
There is a big difference from the hydrocooler of the present invention.

In other words, hydrocoolers in the United States are simply structures that have cooling water spraying equipment on the ceiling and equipment for moving boxes on the bottom.

As mentioned above, the present invention has a sparse water washing part (part of the first framework) on the front side in contact with the cooling part (part of the second framework), and a drainage part (part of the third framework) in contact with the back of the cooling part. There is.

Therefore, fruits and vegetables covered in mud and dust collected from fields and orchards are placed in crates and sent directly to the hydrocooler of this invention, where they are washed with water in the washing section and cooled with cold water in the cooling section. Furthermore, water on the surface is removed by cold air at the draining section.

Furthermore, the cooling water used in the cooling section hardly becomes contaminated with use, and can be circulated and used efficiently.

In addition, since the vegetables and fruits processed by the present invention are drained, they can be directly subjected to the size selection process and packaging process for shipping.

If the product is packaged without water draining, it is susceptible to mold and bacteria infection and deterioration such as putrefaction, so it is of great practical significance to be able to perform washing and draining on the same line as cooling before and after cooling.

In the case of a hydro cooler without a washing section, in order to circulate the cooling water used in the cooling section, it is necessary to insert a strainer into the circulation system to remove dirt, and to replace the filter material. often have to stop driving.

On the other hand, the present invention has a washing section, so it can be operated continuously for a long time, which is very advantageous.

Next, conditions for using the present invention will be described and explained in more detail.

As the cooling water of the present invention, it is preferable to use city water (tap water), well water, or industrial water after cooling it to about 3° C. with a refrigerator.

Vegetables and fruits are packed in polyolefin resin crates, and the cooling section of the present invention, which is about 109 long, is slowly moved on a roller conveyor line over a period of about 30 minutes. A large amount of cold water of ℃ is poured down in a pattern.

Cold water flows down between vegetables and fruits to cool them down.
Its temperature rises to ℃.

This 5°C cold water can be discarded as is, but for economical reasons, a lower water reservoir is provided below the roller conveyor to receive the water, and a pump is used to cool the water using an intermediate cooler. It is preferable to reuse the original 3°C cold water by circulating it to the upper water sprinkling tank.

When tomatoes are cooled in this way, the temperature at the center is 30℃.
Kirari, whose center temperature is 22°C, is cooled to 5°C between the two powders, and peach, whose center temperature is 31'C, is cooled between 2. It can be cooled to 9°C.

Cooled vegetables and fruits are wet, making it easy for bacteria to grow.

Therefore, with this invention, it is possible to drain wet vegetables and fruits by applying strong wind to them.

In fact, a cross fan was used for this, and 377L/Se
The cold air of c can be applied to vegetables and fruits.

Vegetables and fruits that have been drained with cold air still retain some moisture, but when packed in cardboard cartons, the water is removed by the carton's hygroscopic action.

Moreover, due to the heat of the body's own breathing, moisture will eventually disappear completely and there will be no need to worry about bacterial growth.

In addition, in order to carry a crate filled with vegetables and fruits into the present invention, it is convenient to place the crate on a pallet, use a forklift to place it on the roller conveyor of the present invention, and automatically push it into the washing section of the first framework. It is.

Further, according to the present invention, it is efficient and preferable to transport the crate filled with vegetables and fruits, washed, cooled, and drained with water to the next process using a forklift.

It is also preferred that each framework of the present invention be used in combination with unit framework panels having independent functions.

The size of the frame panel actually used is 34 mm in length.
The suitable size is 00 mm, width 50 or IrI4, and height 200 mm.

Hydro coolers of various sizes can be made by increasing or decreasing the number of panels depending on the capacity.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention. FIG. 1 is a system diagram of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view 1 of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a left side view of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the present invention. 1...Water hanging, 2...Roller conveyor, 3...Lower water reservoir, 4...Upper water spray tank, 5...Cold water piping, 6...Cooling coil, 7...Municipal water pipe, Death...Return water pipe, 9...Drain pipe, 10...Washing section ,1
1... Cooling section, 12... Draining section, 1
3...Curtain, 14...Cooling tower, 1
5... Refrigerator, 16... Chilled water device, 1
7...Pump, 18...Water reservoir, 19.
...First framework, 20...Second framework,
21...Third framework, 22...Drawer chain, 23...Gear, 24...Motor, 25...Blower.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In contact with the first framework having washing water sprinkling equipment on the ceiling,
A second framework with cooling water sprinkling equipment on the ceiling is installed behind it, and a third framework is connected to the second framework and has an air blower installed near the ceiling with its exhaust port facing downward. A hydrocooler for pre-cooling fruits and vegetables is constructed by installing equipment for moving pallets that communicates with the floor of a series of frames.