Cooling device and its cooling method

• US 6,427,455 B1
• Filed: 09/19/2000
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Air Separation Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Light Shoki Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Furubayashi, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Doerrler, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shulman, Mark
• Application Number:
  US09/646,557
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 62/93, 621/80, 621/86
• US Class Current: 62/93
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/36 Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 13/06 with conveyors carrying articles to be cooled through the cooling space
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 13/067 with circulation of gaseous cooling fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 17/06 by forced circulation
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 21/04 Preventing the formation of frost or condensate
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2317/0662 from the corner
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2317/0682 Two or more fans

Abstract

A cooling device is disclosed capable of reducing the amount of frost deposited on a cooling coil (7), wherein cooling fans (8a, 8b) are disposed at the front of the cooling coil (7), most of the flowing air discharged into a cooling chamber is discharged again into the cooling chamber by the cooling fans (8a, 8b) without being returned to the cooling coil (7), dry cooling air in the cooling coil (7) is sucked from the rear of the cooling fans (8a, 8b) and discharged into the cooling chamber, an air volume corresponding to the volume of sucked air passed through the cooling coil (7) is fed from the cooling chamber to the cooling coil (7) through areas not occupied by the cooling fans (8a, 8b), and the air feeding speed is so set as to permit vapor generated in the cooling chamber to solidity until the vapor is brought into contact with the surface of the cooling coil (7).

Claims

1. A cooling device comprising a thermal insulating box, a cooling coil part of a cooling coil disposed on at least one inner wall of the thermal insulating box, a fan arranged in front of the cooling coil part, and a cooling chamber as a space in front of the fan, where the fan discharges air into the cooling chamber to flow therein, wherein

dry cooling air in the cooling coil part is sucked from a rear side of the fans and discharged into the cooling chamber;

air returning from the cooling chamber is divided into a first air volume corresponding to a volume of sucked air passed through the cooling coil part that is fed from the cooling chamber to the cooling coil part through areas not occupied by the cooling fan, and a second air volume that heads directly for the rear of the fan, wherein most of the air returning from the cooling chamber directly heads for the rear of the fan; and

a speed at which the airflow is fed is set so as to permit vapor generated in the cooling chamber to solidify before the vapor is brought into contact with the cooling coil.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein a speed that the vapor solidifies before making contact with the cooling coil is more than 0 m/min. but not more than 5 m/min.

3. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein a speed that the vapor solidifies before making contact with the cooling coil is from 0.5 m/min. to 3.5 m/min.

4. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein an area of airflow sucked from the cooling coil part is smaller than an area of airflow fed to the cooling coil part.

5. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the cooling fans are arranged in front of the cooling coil, and the respective cooling fans are attached with an inclination to the cooling coil so that cold air discharged from the cooling fans intersect.

6. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein a clearance is formed between a rear side of the cooling coil and an inner wall of the chamber.

7. The cooling device according to claim 6, wherein the clearance is in the range from 20 to 50 mm.

8. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling device is selected from the group consisting of a refrigerator, a freezer, a refrigeration device, a refrigeration device for a automatic vending machine, a cold storage, a cool-keeping car, and a freezer car.

9. The cooling device according to claim 8, wherein the refrigerator and the freezer are intended for home use.

10. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein power input of a heater for defrosting the cooling coil is unnecessary in a steady state.

11. The cooling device according to claim 1, further comprising a partition to divide the thermal insulating box into a cooling space and an inner wall side space outside of the cooling space, and also a ventilating hole to pass air between the cooling space and the inner wall side space, wherein

the cooling coil is arranged with a rear side facing the inner wall side space, adjacent to the wall, and a front side is combined with an inner periphery of an opening formed at the partition; and

the cooling fan is arranged in front of the cooling coil and set to rotate to discharge air behind the fan directly forward.

12. The cooling device according to claim 11, wherein the cold air discharged from the cooling fan is reflected by a wall facing the cooling fan and returns to the cooling fan.

13. The cooling device according to claim 11, further comprising a conveyor to convey a material to be cooled in the cooling space, and the cooling fan is adjacent to the conveyor.

20. The cooling device according to claim 13, wherein the conveyor is a belt circulating while moving in a straight line horizontally.

21. The cooling device according to claim 20, wherein the cooling coils are disposed at both sides of the belt.

22. The cooling device according to claim 21, wherein the respective cooling fans in front of the cooling coil oppose each other with the belt in between.

14. A cooling device comprising a thermal insulating box, a cooling coil part of a cooling coil disposed on at least one inner wall of the thermal insulating box, a fan arranged in front of the cooling coil part, and a cooling chamber as a space in front of the fan, where the fan discharges air into the cooling chamber to flow therein, wherein

dry cooling air in the cooling coil part is sucked from a rear side of the fans and discharged into the cooling chamber;

an air volume corresponding to a volume of sucked air passed through the cooling coil part is fed from the cooling chamber to the cooling coil part through areas not occupied by the cooling fan;

a speed at which the airflow is fed is set so as to permit vapor generated in the cooling chamber to solidify before the vapor is brought into contact with the cooling coil;

further comprising a partition to divide the thermal insulating box into a cooling space and an inner wall side space outside of the cooling space, and also a ventilating hole to pass air between the cooling space and the inner wall side space, wherein

the cooling coil is arranged with a rear side facing the wall side space, adjacent to the wall, and a front side is combined with an inner periphery of an opening formed at the partition;

the cooling fan is arranged in front of the cooling coil and set to rotate to discharge air behind the fan directly forward;

further comprising a conveyor to convey a material to be cooled in the cooling space, and the cooling fan is adjacent to the conveyor;

further comprising a rotating drum disposed in the cooling space and a belt-driving attached spirally to the rotating drum, and the conveyer circulates while moving spirally on the belt-driving plate by a rotation of the rotation drum.

15. The cooling device according to claim 14, wherein a plurality of the rotating drums are disposed respectively in separate cooling spaces, the respective rotating drums have cooling coils and cooling fans, the belt-driving plates of adjacent rotating drums spiral in a direction reverse to each other, a belt is bridged from one of the belt-driving plates to an adjacent belt-driving plate, and the belt circulates while moving on the belt-driving plates of the respective rotating drums due to the rotation in the identical direction of the rotating drums.

16. The cooling device according to claim 15, comprising even numbers of the rotating drums and also an inlet and an outlet for materials to be cooled, and the inlet and outlet are formed in the thermal insulating box at substantially the same height.

17. The cooling device according to claim 14, wherein a plurality of the cooling coils and cooling fans are arranged along an outer periphery of the belt-driving plates.

18. The cooling device according to claim 14, wherein the cooling coils are disposed at substantially the same height of the bottom to top steps of the belt-driving plates, and the plural cooling fans are arranged in front of the cooling coils so that a volume of wind to the respective steps of the belt-driving plate are substantially equal.

19. The cooling device according to claim 14, wherein a stopper is disposed on a belt in order to prevent the material from sliding off.

23. A cooling method using a cooling device comprising a thermal insulating box, a cooling coil part of a cooling coil disposed on at least one inner wall of the thermal insulating box, a fan arranged in front of the cooling coil part, and a cooling chamber as a space in front of the fan, where the fan discharges air into the cooling chamber to flow therein and most of the airflow is discharged again by the fan without being returned into the cooling coil part, wherein

the flowing air discharged again into the cooling chamber and the flowing air sucked from the cooling coil are joined before being discharged into the cooling chamber;

an air volume corresponding to a volume of sucked air passed through the cooling coil part is fed from the cooling chamber to the cooling coil part through areas not occupied by the cooling fan; and

the speed at which the air volume is fed is set so as to permit vapor generated in the cooling chamber to solidify before the vapor is brought into contact with the cooling coil.

24. The cooling method according to claim 23, wherein a speed for the vapor to solidify before making contact with the cooling coil is more than 0 m/min. but not more than 5 m/min.

25. The cooling method according to claim 23, wherein a speed for the vapor to solidify before making contact with the cooling coil ranges from 0.5 m/min. to 3.5 m/min.