JPH04158183A - Atmosphere control device in refrigerators and low temperature storage - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to an atmosphere regulating device in a refrigerator and a low temperature storage.

[Conventional technology]

The purpose of adjusting the atmosphere inside a refrigerator or a warehouse-type low-temperature storage is to prevent the freshness of the stored items from decreasing and to preserve them for a long time.

For this purpose, it is necessary to adjust the temperature and humidity inside the refrigerator or low-temperature storage to be suitable for the stored contents.

On the other hand, conventionally, for example, in a refrigerator with a storage compartment for storing vegetables, fruits, etc., the temperature inside the refrigerator is adjusted.

In addition, the technology related to controlling the atmosphere such as indoor air is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1983-37020 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-4108.
It is described in Publication No. 3.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The conventional techniques related to atmospheric adjustment including inside the refrigerator and the inside of the low-temperature storage are as described above, and as is clear from the above description, the conventional refrigerator.

In low-temperature storage, although the temperature inside the warehouse is adjusted, humidity is not controlled, so the moisture in vegetables, fruits, etc. is gradually dehydrated, and in a relatively short period of time. Although some people say that over-reliance on refrigerators is a no-no because there are problems with vegetables, such as deterioration of freshness and taste, or spoilage, vegetables.

There was a desire for long-term preservation of fruits, etc.

In addition, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 56-37020 entitled "Method for removing and humidifying carbon dioxide from contaminated air" describes a method for drying silica gel that has saturated moisture adsorption in conjunction with the removal of carbon dioxide from contaminated air. Techniques have been disclosed for adding moisture to dry air by bringing it into contact with air.

However, this method merely brings dry air into contact with silica gel that has saturated moisture adsorption, and as in the present invention described below, gas is forced into the water in a water storage tank installed in a refrigerator or low-temperature storage. The moisture imparting effect is inferior to that in which the water is sufficiently stirred in the water storage tank by the blown gas and the water is forcibly and uniformly sprayed into the refrigerator from a spraying device. I can't deny it.

In addition, the technology described in the above-mentioned Publication No. 1-41083 is "Pressure swing adsorption method for medical oxygen generator"
This method involves forcibly blowing gas into the water in a water storage tank, and recovering high-purity oxygen from the atmosphere. It is not recognized that the water that has been stirred sufficiently in the water storage tank by the gas to form a mist is forcibly and uniformly sprayed from the spraying device.

The purpose of the present invention is to uniformly provide necessary and sufficient moisture to the stored items such as vegetables and fruits, and to prevent excessive humidification of the inside of the refrigerator, so that the freshness and taste of the stored items are relatively improved. Eliminate problems such as deterioration or decay in a short period of time,
It is possible to preserve vegetables and fruits for a longer period of time than before.
An object of the present invention is to provide an atmosphere adjustment device in a refrigerator and a low-temperature storage.

[Means to solve the problem]

The purpose is to provide a water storage tank, a means for forcibly blowing gas into the water stored in the storage tank, and a means to store water that is stirred in the water storage tank and turned into mist by the blown gas. This is achieved by providing a spraying means for forcibly spraying the inside of the refrigerator, and a means for detecting the humidification state inside the refrigerator and preventing excessive humidification.

[Effect]

According to the present invention having the above configuration, by forcibly blowing gas into the water in the water storage tank, the water that is sufficiently stirred in the water storage tank by the blown gas and turned into a mist is The inside of the refrigerator is forcibly and uniformly sprayed through a spraying device, and at this time, the humidification state inside the refrigerator is detected by a humidity sensor, and excessive humidification is prevented by a controller.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained based on the drawings, taking as an example the case where the atmosphere inside a refrigerator is adjusted. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a refrigerator atmosphere adjusting device, and FIGS. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the operation, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the L-column type pressure swing adsorption apparatus.

In Fig. 1 showing the overall configuration of the refrigerator atmosphere adjustment device, 1 is a pump for both compression and vacuum operation, 2 is an adsorption tower for water concentration, 3 is an adsorption tower for nitrogen concentration, 4 is a refrigerator, and 5 is a heat pump for the refrigerator 4. Exchanger, 6 is a condensed water storage tank, 7 is a condensed water spray nozzle, 8 is a tank for adjusting the pressure inside the refrigerators, 9 is a pump for adjusting the pressure inside the refrigerators, 10 is the controller, 11 is the humidity inside the refrigerators sensor, 12 is a temperature sensor, 13 is a pressure sensor,
14 is a water level sensor in the condensed water storage tank 6, 15 is a dew point sensor of the water concentration adsorption tower 2, 16 is a filter located upstream of the pump 1, and 17-a to 17-0 are the piping shown in FIG. 1, respectively. A switching valve installed in the middle of the system is shown.

Here, the operating system of FIG. 1 will be explained based on FIGS. 2 to 7. As shown in FIG. 2, the switching valves 17-a,
When the switching valves 17-c, 17-e, and 17-f are open and all other switching valves are closed, the atmosphere is sucked in by the pump l and removed by the filter 16, and then the switching valves 17-a and 17- The water is supplied to the water concentration adsorption tower 2 via c.

After moisture in the atmosphere is adsorbed and concentrated in the adsorption tower 2, this air is supplied to the nitrogen concentration adsorption tower 3 via the switching valve 17-e, and nitrogen is adsorbed and concentrated in the armpit. . Further, the remaining atmospheric air is discharged to the outside via the switching valve 17-f.

Note that the adsorption towers 2.3 are filled with an alumina-based adsorbent and molecular sieve activated carbon, respectively.

Then, in the adsorption tower 2, water is adsorbed and concentrated at a pressure Pa (see Fig. 8) until about half of the adsorbent packed bed is saturated, but this is monitored and controlled by the dew point sensor 15. 10.

On the other hand, when the adsorption step is completed, a concentrated moisture desorption step begins.

The first operation in the desorption process is to operate the switching valves 17-d, 17-j, and 17k, as shown in FIG.

171 is open, and all other switching valves are closed.

That is, the water concentration adsorption tower 2 is depressurized to a predetermined pressure Pd by the pump 1, and as the pressure is reduced, the concentrated water is desorbed from the adsorbent packed bed [desorption step (a) in FIG. 8].

Next, in the second operation in the desorption process, as shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the first operation (the state shown in FIG. 3), the switching valve 17-g is opened, and the switching valve 17-g is opened. Via valve 17-g,
Outside air is introduced into the upper part of the adsorbent packed bed of adsorption tower 2 [8th
(1) of the desorption step (b) shown in the figure.

In this way, when outside air is introduced into the adsorption tower 2, the reduced pressure inside the adsorption tower 2 becomes PI (p+, which is close to atmospheric pressure), which is a lower vacuum pressure than the Pd. The outside air introduced into 2 is controlled so that the pressure P is constant [(ii) of the desorption step (b) shown in FIG.
).

That is, by the pressure reducing action and the outside air introduction action of the pump 1, an operation is performed to desorb concentrated water from the adsorbent packed bed in the adsorption tower 2.

In the desorption step in this embodiment, the first and second operations are performed alternately.

In addition, when introducing the concentrated nitrogen in the adsorption tower 3 into the adsorption tower 2 instead of introducing outside air, as shown in FIG. By opening 17-e, the concentrated nitrogen desorbed in the adsorption tower 3 is introduced into the upper part of the adsorbent packed bed of the adsorption tower 2. In this case as well, the first operation and the second operation, that is, the pressure reducing action of the pump 1 alone, and further the step of combining the pressure reducing action of the pump l and the outside air introduction action, are combined. The two steps are repeated in sequence.

When the above steps are completed, the atmosphere is introduced into the adsorption towers 2 and 3, and after passing through a pressurization step, the adsorption step begins again.

The moisture desorbed by the desorption operation is supplied to the refrigerator 4 via the switching valves 17-d and 17-j.

That is, the desorbed moisture is supplied to the heat exchanger 5 provided in the coldest part of the refrigerator 4, where it is cooled and condensed.

In addition, the remaining outside air or concentrated nitrogen is transferred to the switching valve 17-1.
is released to the outside via the

The condensed water is stored in the storage tank 6 via the switching valve 17-k, and the amount of stored water is monitored by the water level sensor 14.
A (that is, a one-column pressure swing adsorption apparatus in which a moisture adsorption tower 2 and a nitrogen adsorption tower 3 constitute one column and adsorption/desorption is performed by fluctuations in pressure level) is operated and controlled.

On the other hand, the humidification state inside the refrigerator 4 is monitored by a humidity sensor 11 and controlled by a controller 10.

The humidifying operation is performed by the pump 1 by the controller 10.
is activated, and the switching valve 17 is activated as shown in FIG.
-h, 17-i, and 17-m are opened, and concentrated nitrogen is desorbed from the adsorption tower 3.

That is, the desorbed nitrogen is removed by the switching valve 17-h.

After being supplied to the storage tank 6 through the condensed water 17-1 and humidified through the condensed water, it is forcibly and uniformly sprayed into the refrigerator from the spray nozzle 7 through the switching valve 17-m. etc. sufficiently humidify.

Incidentally, the humidification operation for vegetables, fruits, etc. can be performed by introducing outside air without using the concentrated nitrogen desorbed from the adsorption tower 3, but in an atmosphere with a high nitrogen concentration, it is necessary to adjust the humidity inside the storage chamber. zu, vegetables 9
It is possible to promote oxidation of fruits and the like and further effectively suppress the progression of spoilage.

On the other hand, during the above operation, the pressure inside the refrigerator 4 increases due to the spraying of concentrated nitrogen, which is monitored by the pressure sensor 13 and controlled by the controller 10.

That is, when the pressure inside the refrigerator 4 increases, the switching valve 17-n opens and the pump 9 operates, as shown in FIG.
A part of the gas in the refrigerator 4 is stored in the tank 8. Then, the gas stored in the tank 8 is released to the outside via the switching valve 17-o as necessary.

Further, the temperature inside the refrigerator 4 is constantly monitored by a temperature sensor 12 and controlled by a controller 10, and each of the above operations maintains an optimal atmosphere in a storage room containing vegetables, fruits, etc. Ru.

In the illustrated embodiment, condensed water is obtained from the atmosphere,
Although the case where this water is supplied to the storage tank 6 has been exemplified, instead of the above, the water may be supplied to the storage tank 6 by direct connection to the water supply or by manual intervention.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The present invention is as described above, and the atmosphere adjustment device in a refrigerator or low temperature storage according to the present invention includes a water storage tank,
A means for forcibly blowing gas into the water stored in the storage tank, and a sprayer for forcibly spraying water that is agitated in the water storage tank by the blown gas and becomes atomized into the refrigerator. and a means for detecting the humidification state in the refrigerator and preventing excessive humidification. According to the present invention having the above structure, by forcibly blowing gas into the water in the water storage tank. The water that is sufficiently stirred in the water storage tank by this blown gas and becomes a mist is forcibly and uniformly sprayed into the refrigerator through the spraying device, and at this time, the humidified state inside the refrigerator is as follows. Humidity is detected by a humidity sensor and excessive humidification is prevented by a controller. In this way, according to the present invention, necessary and sufficient humidity is uniformly provided to the stored items such as vegetables and fruits. , by preventing excessive humidification inside the refrigerator, problems such as the freshness and taste of the food stored in the refrigerator decrease or spoilage in a relatively short period of time are eliminated, and vegetables, fruits, etc. can be kept better than before. Can be stored for a long time.

In addition, as shown in the illustrated example, when moisture and nitrogen in the air are individually adsorbed using PSA and then desorbed, the adsorption process is performed until about half of the moisture adsorbent packed bed becomes saturated. , outside air is supplied from the lower part of the water adsorbent packed bed, and during the desorption process, contrary to the above, outside air or concentrated nitrogen already collected in the PSA is introduced from the upper part of the water adsorbent packed bed. For example, the moisture in this introduced gas turns into dry gas in the unsaturated region of the moisture adsorbent packed bed, and then this dry gas desorbs the concentrated moisture in the moisture adsorbent packed bed, so desorption is not possible with the vacuum pump alone. Compared to the operation, the rate of desorption from the water adsorbent packed bed can be increased, and this water adsorbent packed bed can be regenerated in a short time, so that it can be quickly prepared for the next adsorption step. can.

Furthermore, if the humidification operation for vegetables, fruits, etc. is performed using the concentrated nitrogen collected by PSA, it will not only be possible to adjust the humidity of the vegetables, fruits, etc. as mentioned above, but also promote oxidation of these stored items in the refrigerator, and furthermore prevent the progress of spoilage. This can be suppressed even more effectively.

Furthermore, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, if PSA is used, moisture for humidification can be obtained without maintenance.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the refrigerator atmosphere adjustment device, and FIGS. 2 to 7 are operation explanatory diagrams of the refrigerator interior atmosphere adjustment device shown in FIG. 8
The figure is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the 1-column pressure swing adsorption apparatus. l... Pump for both compression and vacuum operation, 2... Adsorption tower for water concentration, 3... Adsorption tower for nitrogen concentration, 4... Refrigerator,
6... Condensed water storage tank, 7... Condensed water spray nozzle, 10
...Controller, 11...Humidity sensor inside the refrigerator. Representative Patent Attorney Akio Takahashi Humidity level in Figure 1 is 7/s. Figure 2 7-a Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A water storage tank, a means for forcibly blowing gas into the water stored in the storage tank, and a means for forcibly blowing gas into the water stored in the water storage tank, the water being stirred in the water storage tank by the blown gas and becoming atomized. 1. An atmosphere regulating device for a refrigerator, comprising a spraying means for forcibly spraying moisture into the refrigerator, and a means for detecting a humidified state inside the refrigerator and preventing excessive humidification. 2. means for adsorbing and concentrating moisture in the atmosphere using an adsorbent; means for desorbing the concentrated moisture in a gaseous state with outside air; means for cooling and condensing the gaseous moisture; and the condensed water. a condensed water storage tank for storing condensed water; and means for forcibly blowing outside air into the condensed water stored in the storage tank;
A spraying means for forcibly spraying water that is stirred in the condensed water storage tank by the blown outside air and becomes a mist into the refrigerator, and a means for detecting the humidification state of the interior of the refrigerator and preventing excessive humidification. An atmosphere adjustment device in a refrigerator, characterized by comprising: 3. means for adsorbing and concentrating moisture and nitrogen in the atmosphere using an adsorbent; means for desorbing the concentrated moisture in a gaseous state by at least either the concentrated nitrogen or the outside air; A means for cooling and condensing water, a condensed water storage tank for storing the condensed water, and a means for forcibly blowing at least one of the concentrated nitrogen or outside air into the condensed water stored in the storage tank. and a spraying means for forcibly spraying water that is stirred in the condensed water storage tank by the blown gas and becomes atomized into the refrigerator;
1. An atmosphere regulating device for a refrigerator, comprising means for detecting a humidified state inside the refrigerator and preventing excessive humidification. 4. A pressure swing adsorption device for adsorbing and concentrating moisture and nitrogen in the atmosphere using an adsorbent; and means for desorbing the concentrated moisture in a gaseous state using at least either the concentrated nitrogen or the outside air; A means for cooling and condensing gaseous moisture, a condensed water storage tank for storing the condensed water, and at least one of the concentrated nitrogen or outside air forcibly added to the condensed water stored in the storage tank. a means for blowing water into the refrigerator, a spraying means for forcibly spraying water that is agitated in the condensed water storage tank and turned into a mist into the refrigerator, and a means for detecting the humidification state of the interior of the refrigerator to prevent excessive humidification. An atmosphere adjusting device in a refrigerator, characterized in that it is equipped with a means for preventing. 5. In claim 4, during the adsorption step of adsorbing and concentrating moisture and nitrogen in the atmosphere using a pressure swing adsorption device, from the bottom of the water adsorbent packed bed until approximately half of the water adsorbent packed bed is saturated. Added a function to supply outside air and, contrary to the above, introduce at least either outside air or concentrated nitrogen already collected in the pressure swing adsorption device from the top of the water adsorbent packed bed during the desorption process. An atmosphere adjusting device in a refrigerator, characterized in that it is equipped with a controller. 6. A water storage tank, a means for forcibly blowing gas into the water stored in the storage tank, and the water that is stirred in the water storage tank by the blown gas and turned into a mist into the refrigerator. An atmosphere regulating device in a low-temperature storage warehouse characterized by comprising a spraying means for forcibly spraying and a means for detecting a humidified state inside the warehouse and preventing excessive humidification. 7. means for adsorbing and concentrating moisture in the atmosphere using an adsorbent; means for desorbing the concentrated moisture in a gaseous state with outside air; means for cooling and condensing the gaseous moisture; and the condensed water. a condensed water storage tank for storing condensed water; and means for forcibly blowing outside air into the condensed water stored in the storage tank;
A spraying means for forcibly spraying a mist of water that is stirred in the condensed water storage tank by the blown outside air into the refrigerator, and a means for detecting the humidification state of the interior of the refrigerator and preventing excessive humidification. An atmosphere adjustment device in a low-temperature storage warehouse, characterized by comprising: 8. means for adsorbing and concentrating moisture and nitrogen in the atmosphere using an adsorbent; means for desorbing the concentrated moisture in a gaseous state by at least either the concentrated nitrogen or the outside air; A means for cooling and condensing water, a condensed water storage tank for storing the condensed water, and a means for forcibly blowing at least one of the concentrated nitrogen or outside air into the condensed water stored in the storage tank. and a spraying means for forcibly spraying water that is stirred in the condensed water storage tank by the blown gas and becomes atomized into the refrigerator;
1. An atmosphere regulating device in a low temperature storage warehouse, comprising means for detecting a humidified state inside the warehouse and preventing excessive humidification. 9. A pressure swing adsorption device for adsorbing and concentrating moisture and nitrogen in the atmosphere using an adsorbent; and means for desorbing the concentrated moisture in a gaseous state using at least either the concentrated nitrogen or the outside air; A means for cooling and condensing gaseous moisture, a condensed water storage tank for storing the condensed water, and at least one of the concentrated nitrogen or outside air forcibly added to the condensed water stored in the storage tank. a means for blowing water into the refrigerator, a spraying means for forcibly spraying water that is agitated in the condensed water storage tank and turned into a mist into the refrigerator, and a means for detecting the humidification state of the interior of the refrigerator to prevent excessive humidification. 1. An atmosphere adjustment device in a low temperature storage warehouse, characterized in that it is equipped with a means for preventing. 10. In claim 9, during the adsorption step of adsorbing and concentrating moisture and nitrogen in the atmosphere using a pressure swing adsorption device,
Outside air is supplied from the lower part of the water adsorbent packed bed until approximately half of the water adsorbent packed bed is saturated, and during the desorption process, outside air is supplied from the upper part of the water adsorbent packed bed or already 1. An atmosphere adjustment device in a low-temperature storage, characterized by comprising a controller having a function of introducing at least one of concentrated nitrogen collected in a pressure swing adsorption device.