THAWING METHOD USING VACUUM MICROWAVE AND THAWING MACHINE USING VACUUM MICROWAVE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thawing method using vacuum microwaves with which thawing efficiency can be increased by extending irradiation time of the microwaves per one thawing cycle.;SOLUTION: A pressure-reducing process G is continued to a reduced pressure equilibrium region B, subsequently, the operation is shifted to a pressure- recovering process F. When the pressure of the pressure-recovering process F reaches the lower limit value P1 at which vacuum discharge does not occur, the irradiation of the microwaves is started, and after the pressure returns to the returned-pressure upper limit value D which has been set in advance, the operation is shifted again to a pressure-reducing process G', and at the same time, the microwave irradiation is continued under heating until the degree of reduced pressure reaches the lower limit value P1 at which vacuum discharge does not occur. Then the microwave irradiation is stopped. After this, sublimation cooling is performed during a pressure-reducing process to the reduced pressure equilibrium region B'. The thawing cycle is repeated in this way.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO