JP2019071829A - Sterilization device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a sterilization apparatus for performing sterilization of a processing object by placing the inside of the processing object in which the processing object is placed in a pressurized and heated state, thereby suppressing temperature unevenness in the processing tank. Provided is a sterilization treatment apparatus capable of maintaining the pressurized and heated state inside the treatment tank. A processing tank 10 for storing a processing object X and a pressurizing device for supplying a pressurized first gas A to the inside of the processing tank 10 are provided. The first gas A supplied from the apparatus is provided with a preheating unit 20 that preheats the first gas A by temporarily retaining the first gas A before contacting the second gas B inside the processing tank 10. . [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a sterilizing apparatus for sterilizing an object to be treated such as retort food.

As one of the sterilization treatment methods for canned food and retort foods, so-called additive treatment is carried out by treating the object to be treated at a predetermined temperature and pressure and maintaining the pressure heating condition for a predetermined period of time. Pressure heat sterilization is known.
This pressurized heat sterilization process is performed by putting the object to be treated in the treatment tank and bringing the inside of the treatment tank into a predetermined pressurized heating state, but the temperature in the treatment tank has reached a predetermined temperature. It takes time for heat to spread throughout the inside of the object to be treated. Therefore, in an actual pressurized heat sterilization process, it is necessary to maintain the pressurized and heated state for a sufficient time according to the shape and size of the object to be treated, the type of contents and the like.

  For example, in pressure heating sterilization of retort food, a plurality of retort foods are arranged on a tray, and the trays are stacked in a plurality of stages and stored in the treatment tank, and steam is generated in the treatment tank or the treatment tank The inside of the treatment tank is pressurized and heated while supplying steam to the inside, and sterilization is performed by maintaining the inside of the treatment tank at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time. Although depending on the type of retort food, in general pressure heating sterilization treatment, the temperature is often maintained at a temperature of 80 to 130 ° C. for a predetermined time.

When maintaining such a pressurized heating state, when the temperature or pressure in the processing tank is lowered, it is necessary to detect this by a sensor or the like and to heat or pressurize the inside of the processing tank again.
In an actual processing apparatus, a specific means for recovering the reduced pressure in the processing tank is a pressurizing apparatus such as a compressor, and supplying pressurized air generated by the pressurizing apparatus into the processing tank. The pressure in the treatment tank is maintained at.

  However, since the pressurized air supplied to the inside of the processing tank is at a temperature outside the processing tank, that is, normal temperature, when such pressurized air at normal temperature is supplied to the inside of the processing tank in a heated state, the processing tank In the inside, the heating air and the air at normal temperature are mixed, so that the temperature unevenness is easily generated temporarily in the processing tank. If such temperature non-uniformity occurs, there is a possibility that the object to be treated is adversely affected such as poor sterilization.

JP 2004-275025 A

  The present invention suppresses the occurrence of temperature unevenness inside the treatment tank in the sterilization treatment apparatus for performing the sterilization treatment of the treatment object by bringing the inside of the treatment tank in which the treatment object is disposed into a pressurized heating state. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sterilizing apparatus capable of maintaining a pressurized and heated state inside the processing tank.

  A sterilization treatment apparatus according to the present invention comprises a treatment vessel for containing an object to be treated and a pressurizing device for supplying a first gas pressurized inside the treatment vessel, and the treatment vessel contains the treatment vessel. A preheating unit is provided which temporarily holds and preheats the first gas supplied from the pressurizing device before the first gas comes into contact with the second gas inside the processing tank. Do.

  By providing the preheating unit having the above configuration inside the treatment tank constituting the sterilizing apparatus, the supplied first gas is preheated in the preheating unit and then heated with the second gas in the treatment tank. It will be mixed. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the pressure heating state while suppressing the occurrence of temperature unevenness inside the processing tank.

  In the sterilizing apparatus according to one embodiment, the preheating unit causes the first gas to flow in a serpentine manner while reciprocating in an arbitrary first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction. It may be equipped with piping. By providing the pipe having such a configuration, the pipe is in a state where sufficient heat is stored along with the heating in the processing tank, so the heat of the pressurized first gas passes through the inside thereof. It is transmitted to the first gas, and the first gas can be efficiently heated.

  In the sterilizing apparatus according to another embodiment, a dispersion header in which a plurality of gas discharge holes are formed may be provided at the tip of the preheating unit. By providing the dispersion header at the tip of the preheating section, the first gas preheated is dispersed and supplied from the dispersion header into the processing tank, and the temperature unevenness in the processing tank is further suppressed. The Rukoto.

  In the sterilizing apparatus according to the other embodiment, the preheating unit may be provided at a side position of the object to be treated contained in the treatment tank. By disposing the preheating unit at the side position of the object to be treated, even if the first gas discharged from the preheating unit has a lower temperature than the second gas in the processing tank, the first Since the gas flows down along the side wall of the processing tank to the lower part of the processing tank due to the temperature difference with the second gas, there is an effect that the processing object is hardly affected by the temperature unevenness.

  Furthermore, in the sterilization treatment apparatus according to the other embodiment, the preheating units may be disposed at both widthwise end portions of the treatment tank. When the preheating units are disposed at both ends in the width direction of the processing tank, a downward flow occurs at both ends of the processing tank, and accordingly, an upward flow occurs at the central part of the processing tank, so a circulating flow occurs inside the processing tank. It will be. Therefore, the mixing of the gas inside the processing tank is promoted, and the temperature in the processing tank is quickly made uniform.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the sterilization treatment apparatus which can perform the sterilization process by the pressurization heating of a process target object is provided, suppressing temperature irregularity inside a processing tank.

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of a sterilizing apparatus according to the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view of the processing tank in the direction perpendicular to the processing tank opening. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The sterilizing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment heats the inside of the processing tank 10, which contains the processing object, a pressurizing device (not shown) that supplies pressurized air to the inside of the processing tank, and the inside of the processing tank. And a heating device (not shown).
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the processing tank 10 includes a processing tank main body 11 having an opening 11a and a lid 12 for closing the opening 11a. The processing tank 10 is configured such that the processing object X can be freely taken in and out through the opening 11 a. In the present embodiment, a plurality of processing objects X are arranged on the tray 2, and the tray 2 is accommodated in the interior of the processing tank main body 11 in a state of being stacked in multiple stages.

  A preheating unit for preheating the first gas A in the processing tank 10 before the pressurized first gas A contacts and mixes with the second gas B in the processing tank 10 There are twenty. In the present embodiment, the preheating unit 20 is made of metal piping. The pipe is preferably a stainless steel pipe or a copper pipe. If the pipe is a stainless steel pipe or a copper pipe, the heat in the treatment tank is easily transferred to the first gas A flowing in the pipe via the pipe, and the first gas A is efficiently removed. Can be preheated.

  The piping in this embodiment is configured such that the first gas A flows in a serpentine manner while reciprocating in an arbitrary first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction. Specifically, a linear portion 22 extending in parallel with the depth direction of the processing tank main body 11, that is, the direction in which the tray 2 on which the processing object X is placed is taken in and out (hereinafter, also simply referred to as the depth direction); U-shaped reversing parts 23 for reversing the flow of the first gas A in the opposite direction in the depth direction are alternately connected at both ends of the.

  As a more preferable aspect, the preheating unit 20 in the present embodiment is connected to the first straight portion 22a that causes the first gas A to flow in the depth direction, and the tip of the first straight portion 22a. The first gas A is disposed below the first straight portion 22a and in parallel with the first straight portion 22a, and reverses the first straight portion 22a in the depth direction. And a second reversing portion 23b connected to the tip of the second straight portion 22b to reverse the flow direction of the first gas A by 180 °.

  The preheating unit 20 in the present embodiment preferably includes a piping unit formed by combining the first straight portion 22a, the first reversing portion 23a, the second straight portion 22b, and the second reversing portion 23b in the vertical direction. It is configured to be continuous with one another. The said piping unit is preferably provided continuously 3 to 7.

  By providing the preheating unit 20 having such a configuration, the pressurized first gas A is temporarily retained in the preheating unit 20, and specifically, reciprocates in the processing tank 10 a plurality of times. Move downward gradually while moving. Since the preheating unit 20 is provided in the processing tank 10, even if the preheating unit 20 itself does not have a heating means, it is heated by contact with the heated second gas B in the processing tank 10. It is in a state of Therefore, the first gas A passing through the preheating unit 20 is heated to the same temperature as or near the same temperature as the second gas B in the processing tank 10.

Further, in the sterilizing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the dispersion header 25 is provided at the tip of the preheating unit 20. The dispersion header 25 is a straight pipe and has a plurality of gas injection holes 25a.
Specifically, the dispersion header 25 is connected to the tip of the preheating unit 20 at its central portion. The dispersion header 25 is a metal pipe disposed in parallel with the depth direction of the processing tank 10. Furthermore, when the height of the inside of the processing tank 10 is H, the dispersion header 25 is placed below the height of 1 / 2H from the bottom, preferably near the height of 1 / 4H.

  The gas injection holes 25 a are formed at substantially equal intervals over the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the dispersion header 25. Further, in the present embodiment, each gas injection hole 25 a is formed downward of the processing tank 10.

  In the sterilizing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the preheating unit 20 and the dispersion header 25 having the above-described configuration are located laterally of the object to be treated, preferably in the treatment tank 10. Provided on both sides in the width direction (hereinafter, also simply referred to as the width direction) of the processing tank perpendicular to the depth direction of the tank 10 and positioned so as to sandwich the tray 2 accommodated in the processing tank 10 from both sides in the width direction There is.

  As the pressurized gas A, a gas of the same type as or different from the heated second gas B in the processing tank can be employed, and for example, air, nitrogen, water vapor, or any other gas is used. be able to.

  According to the sterilizing apparatus 1 having such a configuration, the pressurized first gas A supplied from the outside of the processing tank 10 is preheated while flowing in the preheating unit 20 having the above configuration, and is thus contained in the processing tank 10. The temperature is the same as or close to the temperature of the second gas B present, and the dispersion header is ejected. As a result, temperature unevenness is less likely to occur in the processing tank 10, and adverse effects such as sterilization defects can be prevented on the processing object X contained in the processing tank 10.

Further, according to the sterilization treatment apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the preheated first gas A is jetted downward from the dispersion header disposed below the widthwise both ends in the treatment tank 10. A downward flow in which the gas descends occurs on both sides in the width direction of the processing tank, and an upward flow in which the gas rises occurs in the central portion in the width direction. That is, in the processing tank 10, a circulating flow which rises at the central portion in the width direction and descends on both sides in the width direction is generated, and the first gas A supplied thereby originally existed in the processing tank 10. The second gas B is rapidly mixed, and the temperature in the treatment tank is homogenized.
Therefore, even if the temperature difference between the preheated first gas A and the second gas B in the treatment tank is large, the temperature in the treatment tank 10 is rapidly equalized, and the object X to be treated Have the effect of not having an adverse effect on

  Further, according to the sterilizing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the straight portion 22 and the dispersion header 25 that constitute the preheating unit 20 have approximately the same dimension in the depth direction of the tray 2 on which the object to be treated is placed. Therefore, a uniform circulating flow easily occurs throughout the depth direction, and it becomes possible to uniformly pressurize and sterilize the object X to be treated.

  In addition, the sterilization treatment apparatus demonstrated by the said embodiment is only an example of this invention, and this invention is not limited to the said embodiment.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the straight portions 22 and the reversing portions 23 are alternately connected to form the preheating portion 20 configured to meander in the depth direction, but the present invention is not limited to such a preheating portion. For example, a plate type may be used in which the first gas A is circulated between two heat transfer plates and preheating is performed via the plate, or a spiral piping type in which piping is arranged in a spiral shape.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the straight portion 22 constituting the preheating unit 20 is disposed so as to extend in the depth direction of the processing tank, but may be disposed parallel to the vertical direction of the processing tank. It may be arranged in any direction. Even in the case of arranging in any direction, the first gas A is made to circulate so as to reciprocate in the first direction and the second direction opposite to the first direction. Thus, it is possible to effectively utilize the space in the processing tank to effectively preheat the first gas A.

  Moreover, although the preheating part 20 was arrange | positioned at the both ends of the width direction of the processing tank 10 in the sterilization processing apparatus which concerns on the said embodiment, this preheating part 20 opposes the back of a processing tank, ie, the opening part 11a. It may be provided at the position or at the bottom of the processing tank 10.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sterilization processing apparatus, 2 ... Tray, 10 ... Treatment tank, 11 ... Treatment tank main body, 12 ... Lid, 20 ... Preheat part, 22 ... Straight part, 23 ... Reverse part, 25 ... Dispersion header, A ... Pressurized First gas, B: second gas in the treatment tank, X: object to be treated

Claims (5)

A treatment tank for containing the object to be treated;
And a pressurizing device for supplying a pressurized first gas to the inside of the processing tank,
The first gas supplied from the pressurizing device is temporarily retained and preheated in the processing tank before the first gas comes in contact with the second gas inside the processing tank. A sterilizing apparatus characterized in that a preheating unit is provided.   The preheating unit includes piping in which the first gas flows in a serpentine manner while reciprocating in an arbitrary first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction. The sterilization treatment apparatus according to claim 1.   The sterilizing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a dispersion header in which a plurality of gas discharge holes are formed is provided at an end of the preheating unit.   The sterilizing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the preheating unit is provided at a side position of the object to be treated accommodated in the treatment tank.   The sterilizing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the preheating unit is disposed at both ends in the width direction of the treatment tank.

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