JPS6231826Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to a device that instantly cools beverages using a beverage cooling pipe installed in a cold water tank, and in particular, a beverage cooling device that efficiently circulates cooling water in the cold water tank. It is related to.

The conventional general configuration of such a beverage chiller is that chilled water is stored in a cold water tank with a flat bottom, connected to a refrigeration mechanism along the inner wall of the tank, and whose lower end extends close to the bottom of the cold water tank. A coiled evaporation tube is provided, and a coiled beverage cooling tube for cooling the beverage is placed inside the evaporation tube, and the beverage is cooled by circulating cooling water using a stirring blade.

When a beverage chiller with such a configuration is operated, the water sent out from the stirring blades directly hits the lower part of the evaporator tube, and the lower part of the ice that has formed around the evaporator tube is gouged out by the water flow, and the ice that has formed in the upper part is scooped out by the water flow. It becomes a uniform shape. If the upper ice layer grows, there is a risk that it will come into contact with the beverage cooling pipe and freeze the beverage inside, so an ice detector was installed above the ice layer to detect the ice layer and control the operation of the refrigeration mechanism. Even if it is possible to prevent drinks from freezing in this way, as time passes, the ice layer at the bottom of the evaporator tube becomes more and more scooped out, making it impossible to maintain a constant amount of ice in the evaporator tube, and at the same time, it becomes impossible to maintain a constant amount of ice in the evaporator tube. The disadvantage was that the flow rate of the cooling water was also non-uniform.

The present invention has been developed to eliminate such drawbacks, and its purpose is to provide a beverage cooling device in which a constant amount of ice is always attached to the evaporator tube and the flow of cooling water is made uniform, thereby greatly increasing the cooling capacity.

The present invention will be explained below with reference to figures showing one embodiment. The main body 1 houses a part of a refrigeration mechanism consisting of a compressor, a condenser, etc. (not shown) in the lower part, and has a cold water tank 4 in the upper part that stores cooling water 2 and whose outer periphery is covered with a heat insulating material 3. . The cold water tank 4 has a stepped portion 4A formed on the outside of the bottom thereof, which contacts the bottom surface of the cold water tank 4 with a gently curved surface.
A centrifugal stirring blade 5 is disposed in the cooling water 2 below the upper surface of the stepped portion 4A and at the center bottom of the cold water tank 2 so that its axis is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the cooling tank 4.

A coil-shaped evaporation pipe 6 connected to a refrigeration mechanism is arranged above the stepped portion 4A of the cold water tank 4.
A coiled beverage cooling pipe 7 is disposed inside the evaporation pipe 6, the upper end of which is located relatively above the cold water tank 4, and the lower end of which extends close to the upper surface of the stirring blade 5. Note that the beverage cooling pipe 7 is preferably tightly wound, and its lower base end is connected to a beverage supply source (not shown) via a socket 8, and its upper tip is connected via a socket 9 (not shown). It is designed to dispense drinks into a cup or the like. Reference numeral 10 denotes an ice accumulation detector that detects the thickness of ice 11 formed around the evaporation tube 6 and turns the refrigeration mechanism on and off to adjust its function. Note that the evaporation pipe 6, the beverage cooling pipe 7, and the stirring blade 5 are arranged concentrically.

Next, the operation of the device of the present invention described above will be explained. While operating the stirring blades 5 and the freezing mechanism, the pots 8 and 9 are opened to inject the beverage into the beverage cooling pipe 7, and when the beverage flows out from the tip of the beverage cooling pipe 7, the pot 9 is closed. Due to the operation of the centrifugal stirring blades 5, the cooling water 2 flows at the bottom of the cold water tank 4 toward the outside of the stirring blades 5 as shown by arrow A, and also flows toward the inside of the beverage cooling pipe 7 as shown by arrow B. Beverage cooling pipe 7 upper and side cooling water 2
is sucked in and caused to flow toward the stirring blade 5.
Further, an upward flow shown by arrow C occurs between the beverage cooling pipe 7 and the evaporation pipe 6 in conjunction with the flows shown by arrows A and B. Therefore, the cooling water 2 flows inside and outside of the beverage cooling pipe 7. This creates a circulating flow that instantly cools the beverage inside. Therefore, after the pot 9 is closed, the beverage is cooled in a short time, and when the pot 9 is subsequently opened, the beverage is continuously supplied in a cooled state.

The flow of cooling water 2 that has exited the stirring blade 5 is bent upward by the stepped portion 4A. When this device is operated for a certain period of time, ice 11 forms around the evaporation tube 6 over time.
is formed, but since the above-mentioned upwardly bent flow of cooling water 2 does not directly contact the ice 11 at the bottom of the evaporator tube 6, the ice 11 in this part is melted by the flow of cooling water 2. It won't happen. The upward flow of the cooling water 2 then passes through the inner surface of the ice 11 formed around the evaporator tube 6. Therefore, the shape of the surface rises almost vertically, and if the ice accumulation detector 10 is installed above the inner surface of the ice layer at a position where vertical upward flow passes, the beverage cooling pipe 7 will come into contact with the ice 11 and the beverage will be cooled. Freezing will not occur, and a sufficient amount of ice can be secured.

Since the beverage cooling device of the present invention is configured as described above, the ice formed at the bottom of the evaporator tube is not melted by the cooling water flow coming out of the stirring blade, so it is possible to ensure a sufficient amount of ice. It is possible.
Furthermore, since the cooling water flows smoothly inside the ice layer formed around the evaporator tube, the present invention has the advantage of efficiently cooling the beverage inside the beverage cooling tube and increasing the cooling effect.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figure is a partially sectional side view showing an embodiment of the present invention. 2... Cooling water, 4... Cold water tank, 4A... Step section, 5... Stirring blade, 6... Evaporation pipe, 7... Beverage cooling pipe.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The evaporation pipe of the cooling mechanism and the beverage cooling pipe through which the beverage passes are installed submerged in a cold water tank storing cooling water, and the cooling water cooled by the evaporation pipe is circulated by a stirring blade, and the cooling water is A beverage cooling device for cooling the beverage flowing through the beverage cooling pipe, characterized in that a stepped portion is formed at the bottom of the cold water tank, and the evaporation tube is provided around the upper portion of the stepped portion. .