JP2003239237A - Snow melting equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To reduce the amount of heat required for melting snow, to excel in thermal efficiency and to quickly melt a large amount of snow, and to simplify the structure that is worn out over a long period of use for easy repair. An inexpensive and easily movable snow melting apparatus that can be replaced is provided. SOLUTION: This snow melting apparatus comprises a snow melting tank for storing snow melting water, a heat exchange case for heating the water storage, and an external heat supply means for supplying hot air into the heat exchange case. The snowmelt tank has an opening for introducing snow into the inside thereof, and a drain port at a height where the surface of the snowmelt is always immersed in the heat exchange case.
In the snow melting tank, the entire surface other than the connection portion of the external heat supply means and the discharge port for discharging hot air from the means is disposed at a position where it is always immersed in the snow melting water, and is circulated for heat exchange. A water pipe is arranged in a direction in which the snowmelt water can circulate in the snowmelt tank, and the external heat supply means is connected to the heat exchange case outside the snowmelt tank via the snowmelt tank side wall.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a snow melting device used in a cold region, and more particularly to a snow melting device that efficiently melts snow by immersing it in heated hot water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an area subject to a large amount of snowfall, it is difficult to process snow accumulated on a road or the like, and it is common to stack snow on one corner of the road for temporary processing.
If there is a large amount of snowfall or if there is continuous snowfall, it will exceed the limit. Therefore, various snow melting devices, snow removing devices, and the like have been conventionally developed. As an example of a conventional snow melting device, snow is brought into contact with the outer wall surface of the combustion chamber that is combusted and heated by heating a kerosene burner, the snow is directly melted by the heat, and the melted snow melting water is discharged from the bottom. There is something. With this type of snow melting equipment, the burner capacity is 1250
At the 0 kcal / h level, when the snow is most efficiently contacted with the outer wall surface, it consumes about 15 liters of kerosene to melt 1300 kg / h of snow. Further, as another example, there is a system in which water is heated by a burner to produce hot water, pressure is applied to the hot water to guide it through a pipe, water is discharged to the snow and is supplied to a snow melting tank to melt the snow.

[0003]

However, in the case of using the above kerosene burner, it is hard to say that the operation cost is efficient when the amount of snow melting is small compared to the burner capacity and thermal efficiency is taken into consideration. In addition, in order to drive efficiently, it is necessary to constantly crush the snow and push it against the outer wall of the burner in order to bring it into contact with the outer wall of the burner. There is. In addition, although the efficiency can be improved in the method described below, the so-called heat exchange part that propagates the heat of the burner to water is arranged in a room separate from the snow melting tank, so that the heated hot water effectively contributes to snow melting. It is necessary to send and distribute water to the position where water is sprayed or soaked by a water pump. Therefore, there is a problem in that a pump required for sending hot water and piping for water distribution are required, which makes the structure complicated and expensive. Further, the hot water not only causes a decrease in temperature while passing through the pipe, but also passes through the air by the time it reaches the snow when sprinkling, and the temperature also drops at that time. There is a problem that these temperature drops result in thermal calorie loss when considering the thermal efficiency of the burner that contributes to snow melting, and reduce the snow melting efficiency.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem. It requires a small amount of heat for melting snow, has excellent thermal efficiency and can quickly melt a large amount of snow, and has a simple structure and long-term use. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive and easy-to-move snow-melting device that can be easily replaced for repairing the consumable part.

[0005]

The snow melting apparatus of the present invention comprises a snow melting tank for storing snow melting water, a heat exchange case for heating the stored water, and an outside for supplying hot air into the heat exchange case. A snow melting device comprising heat supply means,
The snow melting tank has an opening for introducing snow into the inside,
The snow melting water surface is provided with a drainage port which is at a position where the heat exchange case is constantly immersed in the snow melting water, and the heat exchange case is
In the snow melting tank, the entire surface other than the connection part of the external heat supply means and the discharge port for discharging hot air from the external heat supply means is arranged at a position where it is always immersed in the snow melting water, A circulating water pipe for exchange is arranged vertically or laterally through the heat exchange case in a direction in which the snowmelt water can circulate in the snowmelt tank, and the external heat supply means is provided outside the snowmelt tank via the side wall of the snowmelt tank. It is characterized in that it is connected and attached to the heat exchange case. Further, the heat exchange case is detachably arranged in the snow melting tank, and the external heat supply means is detachably arranged in the heat exchange case. Further, an exhaust chimney for discharging the hot air circulated inside the heat exchange case to the upper part of the snow melting device is disposed at the discharge port.

By melting the snow with the water stored in the snow melting tank or the warm water, the energy loss during snow melting is small and the heat exchange efficiency is excellent as compared with the case where the snow is directly contacted with a heat exchanger or the like. In addition, by arranging the circulating water pipe in the heat exchange case in a direction that allows the snowmelt water to circulate in the snowmelt tank, convection easily occurs in the snowmelt tank without heat injection by a pump or stirring by stirring blades. Is performed smoothly, and a sufficient amount of heat can be supplied to the surface of the snowmelt. As a result, the snow can be efficiently melted on the surface of the water, and the snow melting ability is excellent.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that it is incorporated in a movable snow removing device for removing snow on a road surface.

Since this device has a simple structure and each component can be attached and detached, it can be easily incorporated as a main snow melting part of another snow melting machine. Also, by installing wheels and the like, it becomes possible for the device itself to be self-propelled. In this way, this device can flexibly support various applications due to its simple structure.

The interior of the heat exchange case has a partition plate or the heat exchange circulating water pipe in the combustion chamber adjacent to the external heat supply means and in the exhaust passage for sending the hot air after passing through the combustion chamber to the exhaust port. It is characterized by being divided by arranging a plurality of. Further, the combustion chamber and the exhaust passage are separated from each other so that the outer wall of the exhaust passage comes into contact with the snow melting water.

By partitioning the inside of the heat exchange case and allowing the hot air from the external heat supply means to pass along the internal structure, the flow of hot air from the inlet, which is the connection part of the heat supply means, to the exhaust port, which is the case outlet. Since heat is exchanged by sequentially contacting the wall surface of the case while flowing, heat exchange can be performed more efficiently than simply supplying hot air to the inside of the case. Further, by separating the combustion chamber, which is the outward path and the return path in the hot air passage, from the exhaust passage, more outer wall surfaces of the combustion chamber and the exhaust passage can be provided than in the case where the inside is divided by a partition plate or the like. Since it comes into contact with the snowmelt water, the heat exchange efficiency can be further improved.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A snow melting apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a partial sectional perspective view of an embodiment of a snow melting apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. A heat exchange case 2 is arranged at the bottom of the snow melting tank 1, and a burner 3 as a heat supply means is connected to the heat exchange case 2 so as to penetrate through the side wall of the snow melting tank. The snow-melting tank 1 has an opening 4 at the top for pouring snow into the tank.
A drain port 6 is provided on each side of the tank at an appropriate height so that the heat exchange case 2 is immersed in the snow melting water 5 formed by melting the introduced snow. The amount of water additionally raised by the addition of snow from the opening 4 is discharged from the drainage port 6 to the outside of the device, so that the snow melting water surface 5a is maintained at this installation height. The heat exchange case 2 is disposed in a state of being immersed in the snow melting water 5 stored in the snow melting tank 1, and as shown in FIG. 2, the inside of the heat exchange case is divided into a combustion chamber 2a and an exhaust passage 2b. It is divided by 2c, the burner 3 is connected to the combustion chamber side, and the exhaust chimney 7 for discharging hot air to the outside of the snow melting device is connected to the exhaust port 2d at the end of the exhaust passage. Further, the heat exchange case 2 is provided with a plurality of circulating water pipes 8 penetrating vertically through the heat exchange case 2.

The opening 4 of the snow melting tank 1 may be of a size that allows sufficient snow to be introduced. When the snow melting device of the present invention is used as a main snow melting part of another snow remover or the like, the snow melting device of the present invention has a shape adapted to the connecting part, and the snow melting device of the present invention is equipped with a self-propelled means and used as a single unit In some cases, forming a funnel-shaped brim or the like around the opening 4 facilitates the introduction of snow. The drainage port 6 of the snow melting tank 1 is of a size capable of continuously discharging the additional water due to the introduced snow so that the stored water level does not rise above the height of the drainage port 6. Good. The snow-melting water 5 can be stored and heated in the snow-melting tank 1 in advance by using a moving time or the like before the start of snow-melting. As a result, it is possible to significantly increase the heat exchange efficiency in the initial stage of snow melting as compared with the case where snow is directly injected at the site to store the snow melting water 5.

Circulating water pipe 8 provided in the heat exchange case 2
Can be installed in a direction in which the snowmelt water 5 can circulate in the snowmelt tank 1 and is installed vertically to the water storage surface because it promotes water circulation above and below the heat exchange case 2 and leads to an increase in thermal efficiency. Preferably. Moreover, the number of installations, the shape, and the size can be freely selected, and the selection can be made in consideration of the size of the snow melting device itself, the combustion efficiency of the burner 3, and the like.

The combustion chamber 2a inside the heat exchange case 2 and the exhaust passage 2b may be partitioned by arranging a plurality of circulating water pipes 8 for heat exchange instead of the partition plate 2c (FIG. 3).
(a)). Further, the internal partition shape may be such that the path formed by partitioning is such that hot air from the burner 3 can be discharged to the outside. In the case shown in FIG. 2, two exhaust passages are formed on both sides of the central combustion chamber by using two partition plates 2c. Moreover, since the exhaust port 2d is provided at the end of the exhaust passage, in the case of FIG.
d and two exhaust chimneys 7 connected to it are required. In addition, since the heat remains in the hot air even after the heat exchange in the combustion chamber 2a inside the heat exchange case 2 is completed,
Even after entering the exhaust passage, heat is exchanged with the external snow melting water 5. Therefore, the circulating water pipe 8 is also arranged in the exhaust passage 2b in order to efficiently take in the remaining heat to the snow melting water side.
In order to further improve the heat exchange efficiency, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the combustion chamber 2a, which is the forward path and the return path in the hot air passage.
By separating the exhaust passage 2b and the exhaust passage 2b from each other, a larger number of outer wall surfaces 2e of the combustion chamber and the exhaust passage come into contact with the snow melting water 5 and heat exchange efficiency can be improved.

Examples of the heat exchanging means include a burner using a fuel such as kerosene and gas, and an electric heater using electricity. Since a large amount of heat is required in this device, it is preferable to use a burner that uses a fuel such as kerosene. Further, it is preferable that the burner has a blowing function in order to supply and circulate hot air inside the heat exchange case.

The snow melting tank 1, the heat exchange case 2 and the burner 3 as the heat exchange means are detachably arranged and can be easily separated. Therefore,
Repairs such as breakdowns can be made in each part, and maintainability is excellent. In addition, this device is equipped with only simple devices corresponding to the minimum elements required for snow melting, "snow input", "heat generator", "heat exchange device", "snow melting", and "drainage". Since it has a structure, it does not require a water supply pump, sprinkling of water sprinkling, stirring of hot water, etc., the manufacturing technology and its manufacturing process are simple, and the material cost is low.

FIG. 4 shows a snow melting procedure using the snow melting apparatus of the present invention.
Will be described. FIG. 4 (a) is a side view of the present apparatus.
4B shows a plan view of FIG. Snow melting tank 1
The snow 9 thrown in is melted by the snowmelt water 5 heated by the hot air 10 supplied to the inside of the heat exchange case 2 by the burner 3, and when the snowmelt water 5 is increased to the height of the drain port 6, the snowmelt water The drainage 5 is sequentially drained to the outside of the snow melting tank 1 through the drainage port 6. At this time, as the snowmelt water 5 to be discharged, the water 5b having the lowest temperature lowered by the snowmelt is discharged, and the warm water 5c in the vicinity of the heat exchange case 2 in which heat remains relatively is the heat exchange case 2 Through the circumference of the water and again flows into the bottom of the snow melting tank and enters the circulating water pipe 8. The warm water 5c that is in contact with the circulating water pipes 8 and the outer wall of the heat exchange case 2 that are arranged to penetrate through the heat exchange case 2 in the up-down direction rises upward due to convection, and the hot water 5c is heated in the heat exchange case 2. It is supplied near the snow melting water surface 5a in the upper part. The introduced snow 9 is pushed down to the lower part by its own weight which is successively piled up, and the lowermost part is immersed in the supplied warm water 5c below the surface of the melting snow, so that the snow 9 is effectively contributed to the melting and the snow 9 is quickly melted. If the snow melts, the upper snow 9 descends and the snow melts continuously. The hot air 10 that has completed the heat exchange in the exhaust passage 2b is discharged upward from the exhaust chimney 7 arranged in the exhaust port 2d.

According to the present invention, the heat of the burner 3 is efficiently transferred to the snow melting water 5, and the heat of the heated hot water 5c is immediately transferred directly to the injected snow 9 and contributes to the melting. In the transmission of heat energy to snow, there is no need for equipment such as water supply by a hot water pump, there is no waste and no energy consumption to others in the process, and the snow melting efficiency for the burner 3 capacity is far higher than that of conventional snow melting equipment. Therefore, the capacity of the burner 3 required for snow melting can be reduced.

In addition, the temperature of the water 5 after the snow melting is lowered by the snow melting, but the lowered temperature varies depending on the conditions of the snow melting. For example, even if the temperature is still high and the energy of the snowmelt remains, the heat exchange case 2 is restarted in that state.
Flows into the lower part of the snow and is heated from that temperature, and the temperature rises to a temperature higher by the amount of the remaining thermal energy. Therefore, the thermal energy existing in the snow melting water 5 is circulated in the snow melting tank 1. It disappears only a little from the outer wall, and does not disappear much unless snowmelt occurs. As a result, in this apparatus, the heat from the burner can be effectively used without waste, and the capacity of the burner 3 and the fuel cost can be reduced.

The snowmelt water 5 in the snowmelt tank 1 is provided with a drainage port 6 located at a height at which a water surface height necessary for effective snowmelting is obtained. Is a snowmelt water in which the snow 9 has been sufficiently melted, the temperature of the snowmelt water drops to around zero, and the temperature near the top water surface of the snowmelt water 5 becomes the lowest temperature. Therefore, since the thermal energy required for snow melting hardly remains in the drained snow melting water, it is possible to minimize the loss of thermal energy when discharging the snow melting water. In addition, since the temperature of the snowmelt water in the snowmelt tank 1 is higher in the lower layers due to the influence of the heat exchange case 2 provided at the bottom of the snowmelt tank 1, the snowmelt water having a lower temperature in the upper layer easily flows into the lower portion of the heat exchange case 2. Become. The inflowing low-temperature snowmelt water is heated by the heat exchange case 2 to become warm water and rises to the upper layer of the snowmelt tank 1. By repeating this cycle, hot water and cold water are circulated in the snow melting tank 1, and before the snow melting, the hot water is always supplied near the surface of the snow melting water.

FIG. 5 shows a usage pattern of the snow melting apparatus of the present invention.
Will be described. FIG. 5 (a) shows a conventional snow melting vehicle equipped with this device, and FIG. 5 (b) shows this device equipped with wheels as self-propelled means. Snow melting car 1
The snow delivery pipe 1 drives the snow throwing drive device 11b to drive the snow 9 collected by the auger device 11a that collects snow on the front part of the vehicle.
It is transported to the snow melting tank at 1c. The snow delivery pipe 11c and the opening of the snow melting tank are connected to each other, and the conveyed snow 9 is put into the snow melting tank 1 through the opening. After the charging, the snow is melted in accordance with the snow melting procedure shown in FIG. 4, and the surplus snow melting water 5 is discharged from the drain port 6 and the hot air after heat exchange is discharged from the exhaust chimney 7 to the outside of the vehicle. As the heat supply means 3, a burner using kerosene or the like as a fuel is used, and there is also a method of utilizing heat generated by the engine when the vehicle is running. In addition, the snow melting device 12 equipped with the wheels 12a as a self-propelled means is operated by a person with a handle 1
2b is held and walked, and snow is put into the snow melting tank by hand using a scoop or the like. As a fuel for the burner 3, the device is equipped with a kerosene tank 12c. In the case of personal use such as snow melting around the house, it does not require a large and complicated device and the size of the snow melting tank can be reduced,
This form can be suitably used. Further, when the amount of snowfall is large and the ground cannot be seen and snow is melted on the snow, a snow sliding device such as a sled can be used as a substitute for the wheels.

[0022]

The snow melting apparatus of the present invention comprises a snow melting tank for storing snow melting water, a heat exchange case for heating the stored water, and an external heat supply means for supplying hot air into the heat exchange case. In the snow melting apparatus comprising, the snow melting tank has an opening for introducing snow into the inside thereof, and a drainage port in which the surface of the snow melting water is at a position where the heat exchange case is constantly immersed in the snow melting water. The heat exchange case is always immersed in the snow melting water except for the connection part of the external heat supply means and the discharge port for discharging hot air from the external heat supply means in the snow melting tank. The heat exchange circulating water pipe is arranged vertically or horizontally through the heat exchange case in a direction in which the snowmelt water can circulate in the snowmelt tank, and the external heat supply means is the snowmelter. The heat exchange case outside the tank through the side wall of the snow melting tank Since it is connected and attached, there is little energy loss during snow melting by melting the snow with water stored in the snow melting tank or warm water, and convection easily occurs in the snow melting tank without the use of jets etc. Since the transfer is carried out smoothly and a sufficient amount of heat can be supplied to the surface of the snow melting water, it exhibits excellent heat exchange efficiency and excellent snow melting ability. Further, since the heat exchange case is detachably arranged in the snow melting tank, and the external heat supply means is detachably arranged in the heat exchange case, the manufacturing is easy and inexpensive, and at the time of failure. It is sufficient to perform repairs such as at each part, and maintainability is excellent.

Further, since the snow melting apparatus of the present invention is incorporated into a movable snow removing apparatus for removing snow on a road surface, it is mounted on a snow melting machine for social use to remove snow from roads or for personal use. It is possible to flexibly respond to various purposes such as by providing self-propelled means for melting snow around the house.

The inside of the heat exchange case has a partition plate or the circulating water pipe for heat exchange in the combustion chamber adjacent to the external heat supply means and the exhaust passage for sending the hot air after passing through the combustion chamber to the exhaust port. Since it is partitioned by arranging a plurality of, by passing the hot air from the external heat supply means along the internal structure, from the inlet which is the heat supply means connection part,
The hot air can flow to the exhaust port, which is the case outlet, and the heat is exchanged by successively contacting the wall surface of the case while flowing, so that the heat exchange can be performed more efficiently than simply supplying the hot air into the case.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional perspective view of an embodiment of a snow melting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of a snow melting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a snow melting device according to another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a snow melting mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a usage pattern diagram of the snow melting apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 snow melting tank 2 heat exchange case 3 burners 4 openings 5 snow melting water 6 drainage outlet 7 exhaust chimney 8 circulating water pipes 9 snow 10 hot air 11 snow melting car Snow melting device with 12 wheels

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Tsuyoshi Kato             2-12 Shirasuka 2-chome, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Prefecture             Tokai Dock Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Norio Yoshihara             Yue Co., Ltd. 807 Kawagoe-cho, Mie-gun, Mie Prefecture             Inside Takosho (72) Inventor Minoru Hasegawa             Former Akasuka 11 Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture             Inside the child factory (72) Inventor Akira Sanno             56-1, Eba, Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture-3 Co., Ltd.             Sanno Iron Works (72) Inventor Yoshitake Araki             Mie Prefecture Kameyama-shi, Tsubaki-cho 204-2-2 limited society             Company Hope Industry F-term (reference) 2D026 CN00

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A snow melting apparatus comprising a snow melting tank for storing snow melting water, a heat exchange case for heating the water storage, and an external heat supply means for supplying hot air into the heat exchange case. There, the snow melting tank has an opening for introducing snow into the inside,
A surface of the snow-melting water is provided with a drain port at a height where the heat-exchange case is constantly immersed in the snow-melting water, and the heat-exchange case has a connection part of the external heat supply means and the external heat supply in the snow-melting tank. The entire surface other than the outlet for discharging hot air from the means is arranged at a position where it is always immersed in the snowmelt water, and the circulating water pipe for heat exchange is arranged in a direction in which the snowmelt water can circulate in the snowmelt tank. The snow-melting device is arranged so as to pass through the heat-exchange case vertically or laterally, and the external heat supply means is externally connected to the heat-exchange case via the snow-melting bath side wall. . 2. The heat exchange case is detachably arranged in the snow melting tank, and the external heat supply means is detachably arranged in the heat exchange case. Snow melting equipment. 3. The exhaust chimney for discharging the hot air circulated inside the heat exchange case to the upper part of the snow melting device at the discharge port, according to claim 1 or claim 2. Snow melting equipment. 4. The snow melting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the snow melting apparatus is incorporated in a movable snow removing apparatus that removes snow on a road surface. 5. The inside of the heat exchange case is divided into a combustion chamber adjacent to the external heat supply means, and an exhaust passage for sending hot air after passing through the combustion chamber to the exhaust port. The snow melting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The snow melting device according to claim 5, wherein the combustion chamber and the exhaust passage are partitioned by a partition plate. 7. The snow melting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the combustion chamber and the exhaust passage are partitioned by arranging a plurality of the heat exchange circulating water pipes. 8. The combustion chamber and the exhaust passage are separated from each other so that the outer walls of the combustion chamber and the exhaust passage come into contact with the snowmelt water. Snow melting equipment.