US 6,332,335 B1Granted

Cooling apparatus

AssigneeK E Corporation Co., Ltd.

InventorsTakeki Kajimoto, Tsuneo Harukawa

Life of this patent

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Abstract

By supplying a refrigerant utilized for cooling brine at a brine chiller unit (4) to a cooler (21) of a blast chiller (2), the internal space at the blast chiller (2) is cooled. In addition, the brine cooled at the brine chiller unit (4) is supplied to an ice heat storage tank (23) during the night and is supplied to a cold trap (7) during the daytime by switching a three way reversing valve (17). Thus, ice-making and chilled water storage are achieved at the ice heat storage tank (23) during the nighttime so that a tumble chiller (3) performs cooling during the daytime by using the chilled water that has been stored at the ice heat storage tank (23). Consequently, during the daytime, three coolers, i.e., the vacuum cooler (1), the blast chiller (2) and the tumble chiller (3), can be operated with a single brine chiller unit (4).

Claims7

Dependent claims

A cooling system comprising:

means for brine cooling that cools a brine by a refrigerant circulating in a refrigeration cycle;
a direct cooler that cools a first cooling room by utilizing said refrigerant;
means for refrigerant circulation that causes said refrigerant circulating in said refrigeration cycle to circulate through said direct cooler so that said means for brine cooling can cause said direct cooler to operate;
a vacuum cooler that cools a second cooling room by applying a vacuum to the second cooling room;
means for pressure reduction that reduces the pressure inside said second cooling room;
means for condensation that takes in water contained in the air inside said second cooling room and condenses said water by cooling it;
a first means for brine circulation that causes said brine that has been cooled by said means for brine cooling to circulate through said means for condensation so that the means for brine cooling can cause said vacuum cooler to operate;
a chilled water cooler that cools a third cooling room by utilizing chilled water;
an ice heat storage tank that stores chilled water that has been cooled by said brine;
means for chilled water circulation that causes said chilled water stored in said ice heat storage tank to circulate through said chilled water cooler;
a second means for brine circulation that causes said brine that has been cooled at said means for brine cooling to circulate through said ice heat storage tank so that the means for brine cooling can cause said chilled water cooler to operate;
and
means for switching that switches between said first means for brine circulation and said second means for brine circulation to cause said brine to circulate either through said means for condensation or through said ice heat storage tank.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/445,117Filed 2 Dec 1999
Priority: JP 9-1450203 Jun 1997
Granted: 25 Dec 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

F25B 5/02
Compression machines, plants or systems, with several evaporator circuits, e.g. for varying refrigerating capacity: arranged in parallel
F25D 16/00
Devices using a combination of a cooling mode associated with refrigerating machinery
F25D 17/02
Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces: for circulating liquids, e.g.…
F25D 2400/28
General features of, or devices for refrigerators, cold rooms, ice-boxes, or for cooling or freezing apparatus not covered by any other subclass:…