Anhydrous rapid cooling dough mixing apparatus

Abstract

The present application belongs to the field of dough mixer, and particularly relates to a waterless rapid cooling type dough mixing device, which comprises a dough cylinder and a dough hook, the dough hook comprises a hook body and a hook shaft, both the hook body and the hook shaft are hollow structures, the lower end of the hook body is provided with a two-fluid outlet, the hook shaft is externally connected with a dry ice sand blasting machine, the dry ice sand blasting machine sprays two-fluid of dry ice and compressed air, the two-fluid of dry ice and compressed air is a mixture of dry ice particles and compressed air, and the air pressure of the two-fluid sprayed at the two-fluid outlet changes in a pulse mode. The dry ice sand blasting machine sprays dry ice particles into the dough through compressed air, so as to directly cool the dough, and compared with the mode of spraying ice particles, the mode is waterless rapid cooling. The dry ice particles act on the dough through the mode of jet, so as to not only make the dough inside fluffy, but also help shorten the dough mixing time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of dough mixer technology, specifically relating to a waterless, rapid-cooling dough mixer. Background Technology

[0002] A dough mixer is a mechanical device used to mix flour with water (or other ingredients) to make dough. It is widely used in catering, food processing, and home kitchens, and has advantages such as improving efficiency, saving labor, and ensuring dough quality.

[0003] The main components of a dough mixer include a base, a mixer (such as a dough hook), a dough drum, a transmission device, and a control device. The mixer is typically made of stainless steel, and some models are equipped with paddle-type or ring-type mixing blades to adapt to different mixing needs. Furthermore, modern dough mixers may also be equipped with functions such as automatic quantitative water addition, timed shutdown, and automatic material dispensing, further improving operational convenience and production efficiency.

[0004] The general operating steps of a dough mixer include: cleaning the mixing tank, adding flour, adding water according to the ratio, starting the machine and mixing for 4-8 minutes, and removing and cleaning the equipment after the dough has been formed.

[0005] The following problems exist when kneading large doughs:

[0006] During the mixing process, friction generates heat, causing the dough temperature to gradually rise. Once the dough temperature exceeds 30°C, the yeast activity in the dough will gradually decrease until it becomes inactive.

[0007] Therefore, large dough mixers are generally equipped with cooling devices to lower the temperature of the mixing bowl. Adding crushed ice directly to the dough is not typically used for cooling, mainly because melting ice makes it difficult to control the water content in the dough, thus affecting the quality of gluten development.

[0008] Currently, most cooling methods for dough mixing drums target the drum walls or bottom, using cooling water or refrigerant. For example, the "Cooling Water Tray and Dough Mixer Cooling Components" (publication number CN111937925B) uses cooling water to circulate and stably cool the bottom of the dough drum. These cooling technologies have a problem: poor energy efficiency, especially for dough mixers where the dough drum rotates. The main reason is that the cooling is concentrated within the dough drum, and the contact between the dough inside and the drum walls is limited, inevitably resulting in more wasted cooling capacity; the larger the dough drum, the greater the waste.

[0009] Based on this, the present invention is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The purpose of this invention is to provide a waterless, rapid-cooling dough mixing device to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0011] A waterless, rapid-cooling dough mixing device includes a dough cylinder, a dough hook, and a drive mechanism for driving the dough hook to rotate and controlling the distance between the dough hook and the dough cylinder. The dough hook includes a hook body and a hook shaft, both of which are hollow structures. The lower end of the hook body is provided with a two-fluid outlet. A dry ice blasting machine is connected to the hook shaft. The dry ice blasting machine sprays out a two-fluid mixture of dry ice and compressed air. The two-fluid mixture of dry ice and compressed air is a mixture of dry ice particles and compressed air. The air pressure of the two-fluid mixture sprayed at the outlet changes in a pulsed manner.

[0012] In a further improvement, a pipeline mechanism and a pulse-type pneumatic drive device for changing the internal air pressure of the pipeline mechanism are installed between the hook shaft and the dry ice sandblasting machine. The pipeline mechanism includes a connecting pipe that is rotatably connected to the hook shaft and a flexible hose connected to the connecting pipe. The flexible hose is connected to the dry ice sandblasting machine through the pulse-type pneumatic drive device.

[0013] In a further improvement, the pulse-type pneumatic drive device includes a first branch pipe, a second branch pipe, a third branch pipe, and an electric cylinder. The tail end of the first branch pipe is connected to the output end of the dry ice sandblasting machine, the tail end of the second branch pipe is connected to a flexible hose, and the heads of both the first and second branch pipes are connected to the middle of the third branch pipe. A cap is installed at the tail end of the third branch pipe, and the head end of the third branch pipe is connected to the electric cylinder. The telescopic end of the electric cylinder is located inside the third branch pipe, and a push block is fixedly installed at the telescopic end of the electric cylinder.

[0014] In a further improvement, both the first and second branch pipes are perpendicular to the third branch pipe, and the included angle between the first and second branch pipes is ζ, where 72°≤ζ≤86°.

[0015] In a further improvement, the dry ice particles have a diameter of 6-8 mm and the peak pressure of the compressed air is 3.7 bar.

[0016] In a further improvement, the pressure change pulse waveform of the dry ice and compressed air ejected from the two fluid outlet is bell-shaped, and the pulse duration is 3 to 6 seconds.

[0017] In a further improvement, the pusher block has an inverted frustum-shaped structure.

[0018] As a further improvement, the minimum distance between the push block and the inner wall of the third branch pipe is 1.6 mm.

[0019] In a further improvement, the inner diameter of the hook body is set to gradually decrease from top to bottom, and the outer diameter of the hook body is set to gradually decrease from top to bottom.

[0020] A further improvement: ζ = 78°.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0022] 1. This invention uses a dry ice blasting machine to spray dry ice particles into the dough through compressed air, directly cooling the dough. Compared with the method of spraying ice particles, this method is a waterless rapid cooling method.

[0023] 2. Since dry ice particles act on the dough through jets, they not only make the dough fluffier inside, but also help to shorten the kneading time.

[0024] 3. By directly adding green and harmless refrigerant (dry ice particles) and using a pulse-type air pressure drive device to distribute the dry ice particles more evenly into the dough, the loss of dry ice particles is reduced, resulting in good energy-saving performance of the equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the waterless rapid cooling dough mixing equipment described in this invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the pulse-type pneumatic drive device of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection of the first branch pipe, the second branch pipe, and the third branch pipe of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a photograph of the actual assembly of the face cylinder described in this invention;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a photograph of the small dough balls stretched into a face mask after the dough was successfully kneaded in Example 2;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a photo of a small dough ball that was not kneaded successfully when the dry ice particles were 3-6mm, stretched out into a face mask.

[0031] Figure 7 This is a graph showing the relationship between ζ and power consumption. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0033] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more; the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," "front end," "rear end," "head," "tail," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0034] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] like Figure 1 , 4 As shown, the waterless rapid cooling dough mixing device includes a dough cylinder 10, a dough hook, and a driving mechanism for driving the dough hook to rotate and controlling the distance between the dough hook and the dough cylinder 10. The dough hook includes a hook body 20 and a hook shaft. The driving mechanism is driven by a motor 40.

[0037] For a small dough cylinder 10, the drive mechanism can simply drive the dough hook to rotate. For a large dough cylinder 10, for example, with a diameter of 1540mm, it is also necessary to adjust the distance between the dough hook and the dough cylinder 10. This can be achieved through a translation mechanism. Alternatively, the dough cylinder 10 can be rotated to accelerate the dough kneading efficiency. The technology for driving the rotation of the dough hook and adjusting the distance between the dough hook and the dough cylinder 10 is existing technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0038] Both the hook body 20 and the hook shaft are hollow structures. The lower end of the hook body 20 is provided with a two-fluid outlet 21. The hook shaft is connected to a dry ice blasting machine. The dry ice blasting machine sprays out a two-fluid mixture of dry ice and compressed air. The two-fluid mixture of dry ice and compressed air is a mixture of dry ice particles and compressed air. The air pressure of the two-fluid mixture of dry ice and compressed air sprayed out at the two-fluid outlet 21 changes in a pulsed manner.

[0039] Dry ice blasting machines use compressed air to accelerate dry ice particles to high speeds before spraying them out. These particles, propelled at high speed by the compressed air stream, penetrate the interior of small dough balls, primarily cooling them. By controlling the particle size of the dry ice, the sublimation of the particles allows the dough to become fluffy.

[0040] This method of directly adding dry ice to the inside of small dough balls results in higher cooling efficiency, and the dry ice particles are injected into the dough balls at high speed by compressed air, thereby minimizing waste. Compared with existing cooling methods, the cooling method of this invention is more energy-efficient.

[0041] The pressure of the dry ice and compressed air ejected from the two fluid outlet 21 changes in a pulse-like manner, which mainly enables the dry ice particles to penetrate deeper into the small dough.

[0042] Example 2

[0043] A piping mechanism and a pulse-type pneumatic drive device are installed between the hook shaft and the dry ice blasting machine to change the internal air pressure of the piping mechanism. The piping mechanism includes a connecting pipe 30 rotatably connected coaxially to the hook shaft and a flexible hose connected to the connecting pipe 30. The flexible hose is connected to the dry ice blasting machine via the pulse-type pneumatic drive device. The connecting pipe 30 can remain fixed, but because the spacing needs to be adjusted, it must be a flexible hose. The flexible hose is generally made of fiber-reinforced polyurethane or fiber-reinforced nylon.

[0044] The pulse-type pneumatic drive device includes a first branch pipe 51, a second branch pipe 52, a third branch pipe 53, and an electric cylinder 55. The tail end of the first branch pipe 51 is connected to the output end of the dry ice sandblasting machine, the tail end of the second branch pipe 52 is connected to a flexible hose, and the head ends of the first branch pipe 51 and the head ends of the second branch pipe 52 are both connected to the middle of the third branch pipe 53. A cap 54 is installed at the tail end of the third branch pipe 53, and the head end of the third branch pipe 53 is connected to the electric cylinder 55. The telescopic end of the electric cylinder 55 is located inside the third branch pipe 53, and a push block 56 is fixedly installed at the telescopic end of the electric cylinder 55.

[0045] First, the electric cylinder 55 can be controlled by a PLC. Then, by inputting a controllable waveform, the extension and retraction frequency of the electric cylinder 55's telescopic end can be controlled to reach a preset frequency. Driven by the electric cylinder 55, the pusher block 56 continuously moves up and down past the connection between the first branch pipe 51 and the third branch pipe 53, thus transforming the pressure change output from the second branch pipe 52 into a specific waveform. Because the subsequent pulse waveform is bell-shaped, for rapid response, the pusher block 56 is designed as an inverted frustum structure. A cylindrical shape would easily cause dry ice particles to "get stuck," and during rapid switching at the connection point, sufficient continuous reference pressure is maintained. Considering the effect of changing the pressure change, the minimum distance between the pusher block 56 and the inner wall of the third branch pipe 53 is 1.6 mm.

[0046] The first branch pipe 51 and the second branch pipe 52 are both perpendicular to the third branch pipe 53, and the included angle between the first branch pipe 51 and the second branch pipe 52 is ζ, where 72°≤ζ≤86°. Preferably, ζ=78°.

[0047] The inner diameter of the hook body 20 is set to gradually decrease from top to bottom, and the outer diameter of the hook body 20 is set to gradually decrease from top to bottom.

[0048] During the process of mixing flour and water into numerous small dough balls inside the dough tank 10, before they become a large dough ball (all the flour is lumped together into one large dough ball), the dry ice blasting machine and pulse-type air pressure drive device are activated. The dry ice particles have a diameter of 6-8 mm, and the peak pressure of the compressed air is 3.7 bar. The pressure change pulse waveform of the dry ice and compressed air ejected from the two-fluid outlet 21 is bell-shaped, and the pulse duration is 3-6 seconds.

[0049] The dry ice flow rate is designed based on the weight of the dough. For example, for a dough weighing 15 kg, the dry ice flow rate is maintained at approximately 0.3 ± 0.03 kg / min.

[0050] Because existing dry ice blasting machines typically output constant pressure, specific equipment is required to change the air pressure to a pulsed pressure. However, conventional air pumps, even variable frequency pumps, cannot quickly change the air pressure. Air pumps generally increase pressure by compressing air, and can usually adjust the pressure to the required level within a few minutes, making the pulse duration far less than what is required by this invention. Furthermore, the secondary action of the air pump further accelerates the sublimation of dry ice particles, significantly increasing dry ice consumption and drastically increasing the difficulty of adjustment. The pulsed air pressure drive device of this invention, however, can quickly change the compressed air pressure; for example, the pulse duration can be shortened to less than 6 seconds. In addition, its overall three-way structure is more suitable for the passage of dry ice particles, resulting in lower dry ice particle loss.

[0051] After the small dough ball inside the dough cylinder 10 becomes a large dough ball, the compressed air pressure and the particle size of the dry ice particles are reduced. The particle size of the dry ice particles is less than 3mm, the pulse air pressure drive device stops, the speed of the dough hook is reduced to below 30r / min, and the compressed air pressure is kept constant at 1.8bar. At this time, the sprayed dry ice particles mainly have a cooling effect, and they will gradually rise from the bottom of the dough cylinder 10 to cool the large dough ball inside the dough cylinder 10.

[0052] In this embodiment, 10 kg of flour and 5 kg of water were used to make the dough, and the kneading time was controlled at 13 minutes. During the kneading process, it was found that the flour completely formed a dough ball by the 7th minute. After the dough was finished, a small piece of dough was pinched off and stretched into a thin film until a hole appeared. The film was transparent, and the inside of the hole was smooth without jagged edges, indicating that the kneading was successful. Figure 5 As shown.

[0053] If the fluid outlet 21 only sprays compressed air below 0°C for cooling, the high-speed compressed air has always been a major challenge since it does not contain any other refrigerant. Even if the gas tank is frozen, the compressed air in the flow will reheat due to friction.

[0054] If liquid nitrogen particles are used instead of dry ice particles, it is found that a large number of "undercooked" dough particles will appear inside the dough, meaning there will be many lumps of frozen dough. Therefore, this invention uses dry ice particles, which require strict control over the particle size. The carbon dioxide produced after the dry ice particles evaporate is also non-toxic and harmless.

[0055] The simulation experiment revealed that dry ice particles significantly affect the dough mixing effect. This is mainly because the size, velocity, and impact force of the dry ice particles vary, resulting in different temperatures within the dough and varying degrees of denaturation of the proteins within the dough. The final experimental results are shown in Table 1.

[0056] Table 1

[0057]

[0058] In Table 1, the proofing time was measured at 25±1℃ until the dough doubled in size. Therefore, the dry ice particles are preferably 6–8 mm.

[0059] Example 3

[0060] The difference between this example and Example 2 is that, in this example, the pressure change pulse waveform of the dry ice and compressed air ejected from the two-fluid outlet 21 is rectangular, while the rest are the same.

[0061] Example 4

[0062] The difference between this example and Example 2 is that, in this example, the pressure change pulse waveform of the dry ice and compressed air ejected from the two-fluid outlet 21 is a triangular waveform, while the rest are the same.

[0063] Example 5

[0064] The difference between this example and Example 2 is that, in this example, the pressure change pulse waveform of the dry ice and compressed air ejected from the two-fluid outlet 21 is a stepped waveform, while the rest are the same.

[0065] In this invention, although dry ice particles are used, even with controlled particle size, if the impact force of the pulse is not controlled, too little impact force will cause a large number of dry ice particles to concentrate on the surface of the dough, resulting in a hardened surface, peeling off of dead skin, and affecting subsequent proofing. Too much impact force will cause the dry ice particles to penetrate too deeply into the dough, preventing them from melting or sublimating in time, potentially freezing the surrounding surface and creating a large number of unevenly distributed hard dough particles. By randomly sampling the dough after kneading, stretching it into a film, and then touching and observing for the presence of hard dough particles, the occurrence rate of hard dough particles was calculated. The experimental results are shown in Table 2.

[0066] Table 2

[0067] Dry ice particle size Kneading effect Example 2 No dead skin peeled off during the kneading process, and the rate of hard flour particles was 0. Example 3 No dead skin flakes fell off during the kneading process; the rate of hard, grainy dough particles was 23%. Example 4 No dead skin flakes fell off during the kneading process; the rate of hard, grainy dough particles was 17%. Example 5 Dead skin peels off during the kneading process.

[0068] Example 6

[0069] In this experiment, it was found that the ζ value affects the loss of dry ice particles inside the tee-like structure. To ensure the freezing efficiency of the dough by the dry ice particles, an experiment was conducted using the power consumption of a certain simulation test (cumulative operation for 4 hours). The results are shown below. Figure 7 Therefore, it can be concluded that, preferably, ζ = 78°.

[0070] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A waterless, rapid-cooling dough mixing device, comprising a dough cylinder, a dough hook, and a drive mechanism for driving the dough hook to rotate and adjusting the distance between the dough hook and the dough cylinder, wherein the dough hook comprises a hook body and a hook shaft, characterized in that: Both the hook body and the hook shaft are hollow structures. The lower end of the hook body is provided with a two-fluid outlet. The hook shaft is connected to a dry ice blasting machine. The dry ice blasting machine sprays out a two-fluid mixture of dry ice and compressed air. The two-fluid mixture of dry ice and compressed air is a mixture of dry ice particles and compressed air. The air pressure of the two-fluid mixture sprayed out at the two-fluid outlet changes in a pulse manner. A pipeline mechanism and a pulse-type pneumatic drive device for changing the internal air pressure of the pipeline mechanism are installed between the hook shaft and the dry ice sandblasting machine. The pipeline mechanism includes a connecting pipe that is rotatably connected to the hook shaft and a hose connected to the connecting pipe. The hose is connected to the dry ice sandblasting machine through the pulse-type pneumatic drive device. The pulse-type pneumatic drive device includes a first branch pipe, a second branch pipe, a third branch pipe, and an electric cylinder. The tail end of the first branch pipe is connected to the output end of the dry ice sandblasting machine. The tail end of the second branch pipe is connected to a flexible hose. The heads of the first and second branch pipes are both connected to the middle of the third branch pipe. A cap is installed at the tail end of the third branch pipe. The head of the third branch pipe is connected to the electric cylinder. The telescopic end of the electric cylinder is located inside the third branch pipe. A push block is fixedly installed at the telescopic end of the electric cylinder. The first branch pipe and the second branch pipe are both perpendicular to the third branch pipe, and the included angle between the first branch pipe and the second branch pipe is ζ, 72°≤ζ≤86°. The dry ice particles have a diameter of 6-8 mm, and the peak pressure of the compressed air is 3.7 bar. The pressure change pulse waveform of the dry ice and compressed air ejected from the outlet of the two fluids is bell-shaped, and the pulse duration is 3~6s.

2. The waterless rapid cooling dough mixing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pusher block has an inverted frustum-shaped structure.

3. The waterless rapid cooling dough mixing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The minimum distance between the pusher block and the inner wall of the third branch pipe is 1.6 mm.

4. The waterless rapid cooling dough mixing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner diameter of the hook body is set to gradually decrease from top to bottom, and the outer diameter of the hook body is set to gradually decrease from top to bottom.

5. The waterless rapid cooling dough mixing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: ζ=78°.

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