JP2002013859A - Device for regulating temperature of fluid - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new temperature regulator which can reconcile the miniaturization of itself and the rise (the quickening of temperature regulation and the increase in quantity of fluid capable of temperature regulation) of temperature regulation capacity and can regulate the temperature quickly in stable condition. SOLUTION: A drink flowing in the first circulation pipe 103 flows into the second circulation pipe 105 via a pump 104 after removal of coarse heat with the first cooling unit 101, and is cooled further in the second cooling unit 102. Each cooling unit is provided with one pair each of cooling cells 110, 120, 130, and 140. A thermoelement and a heat accumulating agent are arranged inside the cooling cells 130 and 140.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fluid temperature control device, and more particularly to a thermal device structure suitable for constituting a beverage cooling device for cooling various beverages such as coffee, tea, juice and beer. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, as a beverage cooling device for cooling various beverages such as coffee, tea, juice and beer, for example, a distribution pipe for distributing a high-temperature beverage is disposed in a cooling tank in a coil shape, for example. Beverage servers filled with liquids such as water around cooling tubes are known. These liquids are cooled by flowing a refrigerant through a cooling pipe introduced into the liquid, or by bringing the liquid into direct contact with a Peltier element. Then, the beverage flowing through the flow pipe via the liquid thus cooled is cooled to an appropriate temperature.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional beverage server (drink cooling device), in order to cool, for example, hot coffee or tea, the beverage is flowed very slowly into the distribution pipe, or Since it is necessary to lengthen the portion of the flow pipe immersed in the liquid, there is a problem that the cooling amount (cooling rate) of the beverage is reduced or the size of the cooling device is increased.

[0004] As a measure to solve the above problems, it is conceivable to rapidly cool the beverage by exposing the beverage to an extremely low temperature by, for example, directly contacting with a refrigerant. However, in the above-mentioned beverage server, a small amount of beverage is required to be cooled and supplied each time when the need arises, so that the beverage flows irregularly. Accordingly, the cooling state becomes unstable, such as excessive cooling of the beverage at the beginning of the flow because the flow path is excessively cooled when the beverage does not flow, and as a result, the temperature of the supplied beverage May fluctuate.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to achieve both miniaturization of the apparatus and improvement of the temperature control capability (rapid temperature control or increase in the amount of fluid whose temperature can be controlled). It is an object of the present invention to provide a new temperature control device that can perform the temperature control. Another object of the present invention is to provide a temperature control device capable of quickly adjusting the temperature in a stable state.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A temperature control device according to the present invention is a temperature control device having a temperature control unit and a flow path formed in the temperature control unit. It is characterized in that it has a temperature adjusting means that comes into thermal contact with the fluid flowing through the flow path, and a heat storage means that comes into thermal contact with the fluid flowing through the flow path. The temperature of the fluid flowing through the flow path is controlled by the temperature control means that is in thermal contact with the fluid, but even when the fluid is not flowing through the flow path, the heat energy provided by the temperature control means is accumulated by the heat storage means. Therefore, when the fluid starts flowing in the flow path, it is possible to perform stable temperature control, for example, it is possible to prevent supercooling or overheating of the fluid at the beginning of the flow, and to perform heat storage. Since the temperature adjustment can be restarted by using the thermal energy accumulated by the means, energy waste can be reduced, and stable temperature adjustment can be performed efficiently.

[0007] In the present invention, it is preferable that the heat storage means is disposed between the flow path and the temperature control means. Since the heat storage means is disposed between the circulation path and the temperature adjustment means, the temperature adjustment means adjusts the temperature of the fluid in the circulation path via the heat storage means, so that a more stable temperature adjustment operation can be performed. And the fluid temperature is excessively adjusted when the flow of the fluid is once stopped and then resumed (ie, supercooling or overheating of the fluid).
Can be more effectively prevented.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the heat storage means is in thermal contact with the flow path in parallel with the temperature adjustment means. Since the heat storage means and the temperature adjusting means are in thermal contact with the flow path in parallel, the temperature of the fluid in the flow path can be directly adjusted by the temperature adjusting means. At the same time, energy can be saved by the heat storage means and over-regulation of the fluid temperature can be prevented.

In the present invention, the heat storage means preferably includes a heat storage material having a transformation point substantially equal to a target temperature of the fluid flowing through the flow path or exceeding the target temperature in a control direction. Since the heat storage means has a heat storage material, and the transformation point of the heat storage material is substantially equal to the target temperature of the fluid or has a transformation point exceeding the target temperature in the control direction, a large heat energy in the form of latent heat is obtained. Can be accumulated. In addition, since the transformation point is substantially equal to the target temperature of the fluid or exceeds the target temperature in the adjustment direction, the temperature of the fluid can be efficiently adjusted by the heat energy stored in the heat storage fluid.

Here, the expression that the transformation point exceeds the target temperature in the adjustment direction means that, for example, when the temperature is adjusted in the direction of heating the fluid, the transformation point is higher than the target temperature, and the direction of cooling the fluid. In the case where the temperature is adjusted, it means that the transformation point is lower than the target temperature.

In the present invention, the heat storage means preferably has a gel heat storage material. When the heat storage means has the gel-like heat storage material, leakage of the heat storage fluid can be suppressed, and the danger that the container such as the heat storage tank is destroyed due to a change in outer shape during heat storage solidification can be reduced.

Further, the temperature control apparatus of the present invention has a first temperature control unit having a first flow path therein and first temperature control means for thermally contacting a fluid flowing through the first temperature control path. And a second temperature control unit having a second temperature control unit that is in thermal contact with a fluid flowing through the second flow path and the second temperature control path that communicates with the first flow path, The temperature controlled by the first temperature control means during continuous operation is closer to the initial temperature of the fluid than the temperature controlled by the second temperature control means. According to the present invention, first, the temperature of the fluid is adjusted in the first temperature adjusting unit by the first temperature adjusting means having an adjusted temperature close to the initial temperature of the fluid to be temperature adjusted, and after the fluid temperature is brought close to the target temperature to some extent, Since the temperature of the fluid is further adjusted in the second temperature adjusting unit by the second temperature adjusting means having an adjusted temperature further away from the initial temperature of the fluid to be temperature adjusted, the temperature of the fluid is efficiently adjusted in each unit. And a large amount of fluid can be quickly adjusted to the target temperature.

Here, the adjusted temperature refers to a reference temperature of a temperature adjusting means for causing heat to flow into and out of the fluid when the temperature of the fluid is being adjusted. In some cases, it is substantially constant, and in other cases it varies with fluid temperature. For example, regardless of the temperature control method such as air cooling, water cooling, or thermoelectric conversion, if the temperature of the portion in contact with the fluid is controlled to be constant, the set temperature is the control temperature, and the air volume of the cooling fan is always When the power supplied to the thermoelectric element or the like is controlled to be constant, the temperature of the portion in contact with the fluid is determined by the state of the temperature adjustment and is constant or fluctuates, and the temperature becomes the adjusted temperature. In any case, unless the regulated temperature is different from the fluid temperature,
There is virtually no temperature regulation of the fluid.

In the present invention, the first temperature adjusting means has a heat absorbing part, a heat radiating part thermally connected to the heat absorbing part, and an air flow generating means for generating an air flow in the heat absorbing part or the heat radiating part. Preferably, the second temperature adjusting means has a thermoelectric element having a heat absorbing portion and a heat radiating portion. Since the first temperature control means supplies or discharges heat by airflow, it can be simply configured and can move a large amount of heat.
Since the second temperature adjusting means moves the amount of heat by the thermoelectric element, it can be configured compact. Therefore, both miniaturization of the device and improvement of the temperature control capability can be achieved.

In the present invention, the second distribution channel includes:
Preferably, the heat storage means is in thermal contact. Since the heat storage means is in contact with the second flow path, energy efficiency can be improved, and excessive adjustment of the fluid temperature can be prevented.

In each of the above inventions, a temperature control unit,
Alternatively, in the first temperature control unit or the second temperature control unit, a heat transfer member capable of transferring heat between the inner surface and the outer surface, and a flow member having a flow path are stacked, or It is preferable to provide a temperature control cell in which a flow member having a flow path is sandwiched by a pair of heat transfer members. Examples of the heat transfer member include a heat radiating plate having heat radiating fins on the outer surface and a thermoelectric element (such as a Peltier element) having a heat absorbing portion on one of the inner and outer surfaces and a heat radiating portion on the other.

[0017] It is preferable that a plurality of temperature control cells are provided, and that the circulation path repeatedly passes through the plurality of temperature control cells in sequence. With this configuration, since a large load is not applied to a specific temperature control cell, the temperature can be controlled efficiently.

In particular, it is desirable to arrange a plurality of temperature control cells such that the outer surfaces of the respective heat transfer members of a pair of adjacent temperature control cells are opposed to each other, in order to make the apparatus compact. In this case,
It is desirable to provide airflow generating means for generating an airflow between the outer surfaces of the pair of heat transfer members facing each other in the adjacent temperature control cell.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of a temperature controller according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a beverage server (beverage cooling device) of the present embodiment.
It is a schematic perspective view which shows the internal structure of. In this embodiment,
A first cooling unit 101 and a second cooling unit 102 are provided. Beverages such as hot coffee and tea
First, it is introduced into the first cooling unit 101, cooled to a certain temperature, and then introduced into the second cooling unit 102. The internal structure shown in FIG. 1 is covered by a housing (not shown), and is provided as a beverage server by providing a beverage introduction port and a beverage supply port.

The first cooling unit 101 is provided with a pair of cooling cells 110 and 120 arranged so as to face each other. The cooling cells 110 and 120 are formed by a pair of radiating plates 111 and 121,
12, 122 are sandwiched. Heat sink 1
11 and 121 and the flow members 112 and 122 are made of a material having good heat conductivity such as copper or a copper alloy, aluminum or an alloy thereof, and a large number of radiation fins 111a and 121a are formed on their outer surfaces. I have.

Further, a first flow pipe 10 is provided at the beverage inlet.
3, the first flow pipe 103 is made of a material having good thermal conductivity (copper or copper alloy, aluminum or its alloy,
Stainless steel). First distribution pipe 10
3 is introduced into the upper portion of the cooling cell 110, passes through the inside of the cooling cell 110 in the horizontal direction along the plate surface, and then exits from the end surface opposite to the introduced end surface and is disposed adjacent to the cooling cell 110. Introduced into the upper part of the cooling cell 120,
The inside of the cooling cell 110 and the cooling cell 110 are introduced from the opposite end face of the cooling cell through the inside of the cooling cell 110, and are again introduced from a position slightly below the initial introduction position on the end face of the cooling cell 110. A helical structure is provided which alternately passes through the inside of the cell 120 and sequentially goes downward. The first circulation pipe 103 is connected to a pump 104 installed on the upper surface of the second cooling unit 102.

The second cooling unit 102 is provided with a pair of cooling cells 130 and 140 arranged so as to face each other. The cooling cells 130 and 140 have a structure in which the cell stacks 132 and 142 are sandwiched by a pair of heat radiation plates 131 and 141, respectively. The heat radiating plates 131 and 141 are made of a material having good heat conductivity such as aluminum or an alloy thereof, and a large number of heat radiating fins 131a and 141a are formed on their outer surfaces.

The second distribution pipe 105 for distributing the beverage is made of a material having good heat conductivity (copper or copper alloy, aluminum or alloy thereof, stainless steel, etc.). The second flow pipe 105 is led out of the pump 104 and introduced into the upper part of the cooling cell 130,
After passing through the inside in the horizontal direction along the plate surface of the cooling cell 140, it exits from the end surface opposite to the introduced end surface, is introduced into the upper part of the adjacently arranged cooling cell 140, and
Through the inside of the cooling cell 130, is drawn out from the opposite end face of the cooling cell, and is again introduced from a position slightly below the first introduction position on the end face of the cooling cell 130. A spiral structure is provided which alternately passes through the inside of the inside 140 and sequentially goes downward. The second flow pipe 105 is finally drawn out from the lower part of the cooling cell 104,
It is connected to the above-mentioned beverage supply port (not shown).

The first cooling unit 101 and the second cooling unit 102 are both set on a base 106.
In the base 106, a plurality of cooling fans 107 for cooling the first cooling unit 101 and a plurality of cooling fans 108 for cooling the second cooling unit 101 are provided. These cooling fans 107 and 108 are
In the cooling unit 101 and the second cooling unit 102, the gap between the heat radiating plates 111 and 121 of the cooling cells 110 and 120 facing each other and the cooling cells 130 and 14
The heat radiating plates 131 and 141 are disposed so that the rotation axes of the fans coincide with each other at intermediate positions between the heat radiating plates 131 and 141.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the cooling cell 110 of the first cooling unit 101 in the above embodiment.
The cooling cell 120 has the same structure as the cooling cell 110. In the cooling cell 110, the circulation member 112 is sandwiched between the two heat radiation plates 111, and the first circulation pipe 103 is inserted into the circulation member 112. The radiating fins 111 a formed on the outer surface of the radiating plate 111 are forcibly cooled by the cooling fan 107. Therefore, the beverage flowing inside the first distribution pipe 103 is air-cooled via the distribution member 112.

FIG. 3 shows the structure of the cooling cell 130 of the second cooling unit 102 in the above embodiment.
The cooling cell 140 has the same structure as the cooling cell 130. In the cooling cell 130, a cell stack 132 is sandwiched between two heat sinks 131, and inside the cell stack 132, a flow member 133 in which the second flow pipe 105 is inserted, and an inner surface of the heat sink 131. Thermoelectric element 134, such as a Peltier element, which is in contact with the thermoelectric element 134, and a gel-like heat storage that is sandwiched between the thermoelectric element 134 and the circulation member 133 and is sealed in a flexible container (bag) 135 made of a synthetic resin film or the like. Agent 136 is disposed. The thermoelectric element 13
Numerals 4 are substantially uniformly distributed on the plate surface of the heat sink 131, and are preferably fixed to the inner surface of the heat sink 131.

Inside the cell laminate 132, a plurality of containers 135 accommodating the heat storage agent 136 are arranged and filled with almost no gap. As the heat storage agent 136, a substance in which a liquid having a transformation point (coagulation point) slightly lower than the target temperature of the beverage, such as a high water-absorbing high molecular polymer having water absorbed therein, is used as a gel. Examples of the high water-absorbing polymer include polyacrylic acid (salt) crosslinked products, acrylic acid (salt) -vinyl alcohol polymers, starch-acryloniloryl graft copolymer hydrolysates, and carboxymethylcellulose crosslinked products. And crosslinked polyethylene oxide.

These high-molecular-weight polymers made to absorb water basically have a transformation point near 0 ° C. Therefore, since the temperature of the heat storage agent 136 can drop to around 0 ° C., when the beverage is to be cooled to a target temperature of about several degrees Celsius, the beverage can be sufficiently cooled via the heat storage agent 136, Can be reached.

In this embodiment, since the heat storage agent 136 is formed in a gel shape, the heat storage agent 136 is put out of the container 135.
Are hardly leaked, maintenance and management become easy, and even if the heat storage agent 136 solidifies, it solidifies in a sherbet shape, so that the risk of the cooling cell being broken due to external deformation at the time of solidification can be reduced. .

Further, even if the thermoelectric element 134 continues to operate while the beverage is not flowing in the second distribution pipe 105, the thermoelectric element 134 only cools the heat storage agent 136, but the transformation point of the heat storage agent 136 is reduced. Since it is near 0 ° C., the second flow pipe 10
5 does not drop below the temperature of its transformation point. The heat energy given from the thermoelectric element 134 when the beverage is not flowing is stored as latent heat in the heat storage agent 136. Second
When the beverage starts flowing into the distribution pipe 105 again, even if the thermoelectric element 134 is already operating, the second distribution pipe 134
Since the vicinity is almost at the temperature of the transformation point, the beverage is prevented from being excessively cooled. Furthermore, heat storage agent 1
Since the beverage can be cooled by the heat energy stored as latent heat in 36, the cooling operation by the thermoelectric element 134 during the period when the beverage is not flowing is not wasted, and the energy and the cooling capacity are efficiently reduced. It can be used.

The transformation point of the heat storage fluid such as a heat storage agent is preferably 0 to 10 ° C. lower than the target temperature, particularly preferably 1 to 5 ° C. lower in the case of a cooling device. Conversely, in the case of a heating device, 0
It is preferable that the temperature is higher by about 10 to about 10 ° C., and it is particularly desirable that the temperature be higher by about 1 to about 5 ° C. If the transformation point is too far from the target temperature, the beverage tends to be overcooled or overheated, and it is difficult to effectively store heat energy using latent heat. Conversely, if the transformation point does not reach the target temperature in the adjustment direction, the beverage cannot be adjusted to the target temperature. In addition, as the target temperature, a plurality of temperature control cells in which a plurality of target temperatures are set along the flow path of the fluid in the apparatus or each unit are provided, and the transformation point of the heat storage agent is appropriately set for each temperature control cell. May be designed.

In this embodiment, the cooling fans 107, 1
08 is operated to generate an air flow (air flow) between the cooling cells 110 and 120 of the first cooling unit 101 and the second cooling unit 102 and between the outer surfaces and between the cooling cells 130 and 140 and the outer surface. Plates 111, 121, 13
1, 141 are forcibly cooled and the thermoelectric element 134
Are configured to be operated by a control device (not shown). In this state, the pump 104 is operated to
The beverage is drawn into the distribution pipe 103 and the first cooling unit 10
1, the beverage that has passed through the first cooling unit 101 is sent to the second distribution pipe 105, and finally the beverage cooled by the second cooling unit 102 is supplied.

According to this embodiment, even for a beverage having a high temperature close to 100 ° C., the first cooling unit 101 first removes the rough heat, and then the second cooling unit 102
Is cooled to a desired temperature with high accuracy by the thermoelectric element. In this case, in each of the cooling units 101 and 102, a higher temperature beverage is first introduced into the upper part of the cooling cell, and the lower part of the cooling cell is moved along the spiral first distribution pipe 103 and the second circulation pipe 105. You will pass. In addition, a pair of cooling cells is installed in each of the cooling units 101 and 102, and the cooling pipes are configured to pass through the pair of cooling cells alternately, so that a thermal load is evenly applied to the pair of cooling cells. Can be imposed and the beverage can be cooled efficiently.

In the present embodiment, the above-described high-temperature beverage close to 100 ° C. can be cooled down to several degrees C. within a few seconds, so that rapid cooling, which was impossible in the past, can be realized. became. In addition, even when the beverage was flowed into the device at an appropriate time, a device capable of exhibiting stable cooling performance and having a very small fluctuation in beverage temperature was realized.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show the second cooling unit 1.
9 shows a configuration example of another cooling cell 230 that can be used in place of the cooling cells 130 and 140 installed in the cooling cell 230. In this cooling cell 230, the heat sink 231
A thermoelectric element 234 such as a Peltier element is attached to the inner surface of the device, and the thermoelectric element 234 is fixed to the flow member 233. The same second flow pipe 105 as described above is inserted into the flow member 233. A cover member 235 is provided on the outer surface of the flow member 233 on the side opposite to the heat radiating plate 231.
Is fixed, and a heat storage agent 236 similar to that described above is sealed between the cover member 235 and the circulation member 233 without interposing a container.

In this configuration example, the beverage in the second flow pipe 105 is directly cooled by the thermoelectric element 234. Further, the second flow pipe 105 has a structure in which the second flow pipe 105 is in thermal contact with the heat storage agent 236 on the side opposite to the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element 234. That is, the thermoelectric element 23
4 and the heat storage agent 236 are thermally connected in parallel to the second flow pipe 105. Therefore, the second
When the beverage is flowing in the distribution pipe 105, the beverage can be cooled directly by the thermoelectric element 234, so that the time until the device becomes operable (so-called warm-up time) can be shortened. ,
Fine control of the beverage temperature can be easily performed. Further, when the beverage does not flow into the second distribution pipe 105, even if the thermoelectric element 234 is operated as it is, the heat storage agent 236 is cooled and the second distribution pipe 105 is cooled.
It is possible to prevent the temperature in the vicinity from excessively lowering. Therefore, when the beverage is started to flow again in the second distribution pipe 105, it is possible to prevent the initially poured beverage from being excessively cooled.

It should be noted that the temperature control device of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example described above, and it is a matter of course that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a device for cooling a beverage has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to beverages, and can be used for temperature control of various liquids, gases, and other fluids. Further, the present invention is not limited to the case where the fluid is cooled as described above, but can be similarly used when the fluid is heated to a predetermined temperature. In this case, in the above-described embodiment, the heat-absorbing side and the heat-dissipating side are arranged in reverse by spraying a heating fluid (hot air, hot water, or the like) on the heat radiating plate, and by reversing the polarity of power supply to the thermoelectric element. By operating as described above, it becomes possible to heat various fluids.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to reduce the size of the device, increase the temperature control capability, stabilize the temperature control capability, and the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an internal structure of a beverage server which is an embodiment of a temperature control device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing a sectional structure of a cooling cell of a first cooling unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure of a cooling cell of a second cooling unit in the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a different configuration example of a cooling cell of a second cooling unit in the same embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a cooling cell having the configuration example shown in FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Beverage server (beverage cooling device) 101 First cooling unit 102 Second cooling unit 103 First circulation pipe 104 Pump 105 Second circulation pipe 106 Base 107, 108 Cooling fan 110, 120, 130, 140, 230 Cooling cell 111, 121, 131, 141, 231 Heat sink 111a, 121a, 131a, 141a, 231a
Radiation fins 112, 122 Flow members 132, 142 Cell stack 133, 233 Flow members 134, 234 Thermoelectric elements 135 Containers 136, 236 Heat storage agent 235 Cover member

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A temperature control device having a temperature control unit and a flow path formed in the temperature control unit, wherein the temperature control unit is provided with a heat path for a fluid flowing through the flow path. And a heat storage means that is in thermal contact with the fluid flowing through the flow path. 2. The temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein said heat storage means is disposed between said flow path and said temperature control means. 3. The temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein said heat storage means is in thermal contact with said flow path in parallel with said temperature control means. 4. The heat storage device according to claim 1, wherein the heat storage means is substantially equal to a target temperature of the fluid flowing through the flow path or exceeds a target temperature in a temperature control direction. A temperature control device comprising a heat storage material having a transformation point. 5. The temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein the heat storage means includes a gel heat storage material. 6. A first temperature control unit having therein a first flow path and first temperature control means for thermally contacting a fluid flowing through the first temperature control path; A second communication path that is in communication with the second communication path and a second that is in thermal contact with the fluid that flows through the second temperature adjustment path;
A second temperature adjustment unit having temperature adjustment means, wherein the adjustment temperature of the first temperature adjustment means is closer to the initial temperature of the fluid than the adjustment temperature of the second temperature adjustment means. A temperature controller. 7. The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein the first temperature adjusting means is a heat absorbing part, a heat radiating part thermally connected to the heat absorbing part, and an air flow generating means for generating an air flow in the heat absorbing part or the heat radiating part. And the second temperature control means comprises:
A temperature control device, comprising: a thermoelectric element having a heat absorbing portion and a heat radiating portion. 8. The temperature control device according to claim 7, wherein heat storage means is in thermal contact with the second flow path.