Smoke generator and system for supplying smoke particles to a smoke cabinet

Abstract

The present invention relates to a smoke generator (10, 10a, 10b) comprising a housing (15) with a condensate inlet (11) for receiving smoke condensate and a steam inlet (12) for receiving superheated steam, the smoke condensate being converted into smoke particles when the smoke condensate interacts with the superheated steam, the smoke particles being available at a smoke outlet (13). The present invention also relates to a system for supplying smoke particles to a smoke cabinet (23).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of smoked items within a smoke cabinet, and more particularly to the field of generation of smoke particles from smoke condensates.

Background Art

[0002] Smoking is a process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food by exposing the food to smoke from the combustion or smoldering of materials, most commonly wood.

[0003] Smoking can be carried out in four ways: cold smoking, warm smoking, hot smoking, and via the use of a "smoke liquid", also called smoke condensate. The smoke liquid is a product derived from compounds in water and is applied to food via spraying, immersion, spraying, or dipping. However, when using a smoke liquid with a conventional device to produce smoked food, the generated smoke particles are very large and are too large to penetrate the products exposed to this smoke, thus taking a fairly long time. Therefore, there is a need to improve the smoke condensate-based smoking process.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a smoke generator for generating smoke particles from a smoke condensate, which seeks to alleviate, mitigate, or eliminate one or more of the deficiencies and drawbacks in the art identified above, either individually or in any combination, and also to provide a system for supplying smoke particles to a smoke cabinet. It is also an object of the present invention to present a smoke generator design that enables the generation of smoke particles having a small, preferably a diameter smaller than 10 micrometers.

[0005] This object is achieved by a smoke generator comprising a housing with a condensate inlet for receiving a smoke condensate and a steam inlet for receiving superheated steam, wherein the smoke condensate is converted into smoke particles when the smoke condensate interacts with the superheated steam, and the smoke particles are receivable at a smoke outlet.

[0006] The advantage of a smoke generator is that the size of the smoke particles is similar to that of natural smoke, for example, smoke produced by burning wood, but the composition of the smoke contains fewer harmful substances to the body, such as tar, than natural smoke. According to one embodiment, the superheated steam has a temperature of 120 degrees Celsius.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the smoke generator includes a nozzle attached to the condensate inlet, which is configured to distribute smoke condensates within the housing.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the nozzle is located between the steam inlet and the smoke outlet, and the distance from the nozzle to the smoke outlet is at least 100 mm, preferably at least 200 mm, or more preferably at least 400 mm. This prevents condensate that has not been pulverized into smoke particles from clogging the inner surface of the housing wall.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the distance between the nozzle and one or more walls of the housing surrounding the nozzle, and the distance extending from the steam inlet to the smoke outlet, is at least 20 mm, preferably at least 50 mm, or more preferably at least 100 mm. This further prevents clogging of the inner surface of the housing walls by condensates that have not been pulverized into smoke particles.

[0010] According to some embodiments, the housing has an internal width of 40 to 200 mm and an internal length of 400 to 2000 mm from the steam inlet to the smoke outlet. According to one embodiment, the geometry of the housing is cylindrical, and the width refers to the diameter.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the smoke generator is provided with a smoke condensate regulator that adjusts the flow rate of smoke condensate into the housing of the smoke generator via a condensate inlet.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the flow rate is in the range of 0.1 to 20 liters / hour. In other words, the smoke condensate inlet and smoke condensate regulator are configured to deliver condensate into the housing at a flow rate of 0.1 to 20 liters / hour.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the fume generator is provided with a pressure regulator that adjusts the pressure of the superheated steam entering the housing of the fume generator through the steam inlet.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the pressure is in the range of 0.2 to 1.2 bar. In other words, the steam inlet and pressure regulator are configured to deliver steam into the housing at a pressure of 0.2 to 1.2 bar.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the smoke generator is configured to produce a flow rate of mixed steam and liquid (total of condensate and steam) through the housing in the range of 25 to 300 kg / hour.

[0016] This objective is also achieved by a system for supplying smoke particles to a smoke cabinet. The system comprises a smoke generator, a steam supply unit, a smoke condensate supply unit, a control unit, and a smoke cabinet, as defined above. The steam supply unit provides superheated steam having a steam temperature Ts to the steam inlet of the smoke generator via a pressure regulator, the smoke condensate supply unit provides smoke condensate to the condensate inlet of the smoke generator via a condensate regulator, and the smoke particles from the smoke outlet of the smoke generator are supplied to the inlet of a smoke cabinet operating at a cabinet temperature Tc. The control unit is configured to control the conversion of smoke condensate to smoke particles based on the steam temperature Ts and the cabinet temperature Tc.

[0017] One advantage of this system is that the time required to smoke food is reduced compared to conventional systems.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the system has a sensor for measuring the steam temperature Ts, the smoke cabinet is configured to operate at a cabinet temperature Tc, and the system further comprises a control unit configured to control the conversion of smoke condensate into smoke particles based on the steam temperature Ts and the cabinet temperature Tc.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the control unit is further configured to control a condensate regulator for adjusting the flow rate of smoke condensate, and / or, preferably, a pressure regulator for adjusting the pressure of superheated steam to control the conversion of smoke condensate to smoke particles such that the size of the smoke particles produced by the smoke generator is less than 10 micrometers.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the system is configured to generate a flow rate of mixed steam and liquid (total of condensate and steam) through the housing in the range of 25 to 300 kg / hour.

[0021] The above will become clear from a more specific description of the exemplary embodiments shown in the attached drawings, where the same reference letters refer to the same parts throughout different drawings. The drawings are not necessarily to a fixed scale, but rather the focus is on illustrating the exemplary embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0022] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing a smoke generator. [Figure 2] This figure shows a first embodiment of a system for supplying smoke particles to a smoke cabinet. [Figure 3] This figure shows a second embodiment of a system for supplying smoke particles to a smoke cabinet including a control unit. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0023] Aspects of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the apparatus and methods disclosed herein may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the aspects set forth herein. Like numbers in the figures indicate like elements throughout.

[0024] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0025] Some of the exemplary embodiments presented herein are directed to a smoke generation device and a system for providing smoke particles to a smoke cabinet for smoking food. The system of the present disclosure regenerates the smoke liquid into smoke particles of the original size when the particles generated in the process are converted to their original state with smaller particles than a conventional system that uses a smoke liquid where the smoke particles are approximately 100 micrometers. Thus, the size of the smoke particles generated by the smoke generator described in the present disclosure is less than 10 micrometers, and in some examples, the smoke particles are not visible to the naked eye, i.e., the size of the particles is less than 7 micrometers. The size of the generated smoke particles is comparable to the size of the particles in natural smoke, which means that the smoke condensate can be converted into smoke particles of the original size in the smoke generator.

[0026] Smoke is often used to provide odor and color to food in addition to the flavor of the smoke. Conventionally, the smoke liquid, also known as some condensate, has been sprayed onto the food in the smoke cabinet to coat the surface of the food. However, adding the smoke condensate to the food results in uneven color, a time-consuming process, and poor-flavored smoke.

[0027] The object of the present invention is to use smoke condensate and convert it into smoke particles in a smoke generator before guiding it into a smoke cabinet for smoking food, and the size of the generated smoke particles can be the size of natural smoke particles. The smoke generator ensures that the coloring of the food is more uniform, the smoking process is faster and more natural compared to spraying, and thus a better flavor is achieved.

[0028] Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a smoke generator 10 comprising a housing 15 with two inlets 11, 12 and a smoke outlet 13. The first inlet, also known as the condensate inlet 11, is configured to receive smoke condensate. A condensate tank may be provided to reduce the impact of substances harmful to the body that are normally present in the smoke condensate, where heavy particles such as tar are separated and fall to the bottom of the condensate tank. The portion of the smoke condensate that remains closer to the surface of the condensate tank is induced into the smoke generator 10 and thus contains substances less harmful to the body than the original smoke condensate.

[0029] The second inlet, also known as the steam inlet 12, is configured to receive superheated steam, i.e., steam having a steam temperature Ts above 100 degrees Celsius, Ts > 100 °C. It has been found preferable that the steam temperature should be within the range of 100 - 140 °C, more preferably 110 - 130 °C, and even more preferably 120 °C. The superheated steam can be passed through a steam trap to reduce the humidity of the steam before the steam is induced into the smoke generator 10.

[0030] It should be noted that the smoke condensate is converted into smoke particles when the smoke condensate interacts with the superheated steam, and the smoke particles are then available at the smoke outlet 13. The conversion of the smoke condensate into smoke particles occurs when the smoke condensate interacts with the superheated steam regardless of the inlet implementation. That is, any type of opening (with or without a nozzle) can be used when guiding the smoke condensate or the superheated steam into the smoke generator 10.

[0031] Figures 2 and 3 show two different implementations of a smoke generator in a system for supplying smoke particles to a smoke cabinet.

[0032] Figure 2 shows a first embodiment of a system 20 for supplying smoke particles to a smoke cabinet 23, the system comprising a smoke generator 10a (described above and shown by a dashed line), a steam supply unit 22, and a smoke condensate supply unit 21. The steam supply unit 22 provides superheated steam to the steam inlet 12 of the smoke generator 10a via a pressure regulator 25, and the smoke condensate supply unit 21 provides smoke condensate to the condensate inlet 11 of the smoke generator 10a via a condensate regulator 24. Smoke particles from the smoke outlet 13 of the smoke generator are supplied to the inlet 26 of the smoke cabinet 23.

[0033] In this embodiment, the smoke generator includes a nozzle 14 attached to a condensate inlet 11, the nozzle 14 configured to distribute smoke condensate within the housing 15 of the smoke generator. Furthermore, the smoke generator 10a is provided with a manually controlled smoke condensate regulator 24 that adjusts the flow rate of smoke condensate into the housing 15 of the smoke generator 10a via the condensate inlet 11. The flow rate is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 20 liters / hour.

[0034] In addition, the smoke generator 10a is provided with a manually controlled pressure regulator 25 that adjusts the pressure of the superheated steam entering the housing 15 of the smoke generator 10a via the steam inlet 12. The pressure is preferably in the range of 0.2 to 1.2 bar. The smoke cabinet 23 is not part of the system 20 in this embodiment and is therefore indicated by a dashed line.

[0035] Inside the housing 15, the condensate inlet 11, or more precisely, the nozzle 14, is located between the steam inlet 12 and the smoke outlet 13. The distance from the nozzle 14 to the smoke outlet 13 is at least 100 mm, preferably at least 200 mm, or more preferably at least 400 mm. This ensures that when the aforementioned pressure and flow rate are applied to the condensate and steam, the distance between the nozzle 14 and the smoke outlet 13 ensures that small smoke particles are generated before the condensate reaches the inner wall of the housing 15 where the smoke outlet is located. The distance between the nozzle 14 and one or more walls of the housing 15 surrounding the nozzle 14 and extending between the steam inlet 12 and the smoke outlet 13 is at least 20 mm, preferably at least 50 mm, or more preferably at least 100 mm. This ensures that when the aforementioned pressure and flow rate are applied to the condensate and steam, the distance between the nozzle 14 and the surrounding walls of the housing 15 prevents the condensate from reaching the surface of the walls and from clogging to a considerable extent.

[0036] The flow rate of the mixed steam and liquid (total of condensate and steam) through the housing 15 is in the range of 25 to 300 kg / hour.

[0037] Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of a system 30 for supplying smoke particles to a smoke cabinet including a control unit 31, the system comprising a smoke generator 10b (described above and shown by a dashed line), a steam supply unit 22, a smoke condensate supply unit 21, and a control unit 31. The steam supply unit 22 provides superheated steam to the steam inlet 12 of the smoke generator 10b via a pressure regulator 35, and the smoke condensate supply unit 21 provides smoke condensate to the condensate inlet 11 of the smoke generator 10b via a condensate regulator 34. Smoke particles from the smoke outlet 13 of the smoke generator are configured to be supplied to the inlet 26 of the smoke cabinet 23.

[0038] In this embodiment, the superheated steam has a sensor 32 for measuring the steam temperature Ts, the smoke cabinet is configured to operate at a cabinet temperature Tc, and the control unit 31 is configured to control the conversion of smoke condensate into smoke particles based on the steam temperature Ts and the cabinet temperature Tc. To achieve this, the smoke generator 10b is provided with an automatically controlled smoke condensate regulator 34 that adjusts the flow rate of smoke condensate into the housing 15 via the condensate inlet 11, and an automatically controlled pressure regulator 35 that adjusts the pressure of the superheated steam entering the housing 15 of the smoke generator 10b via the steam inlet 12.

[0039] The flow rate is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 20 liters / hour, and the pressure is preferably in the range of 0.2 to 1.2 bar. The smoke cabinet 23 is not part of the system 30 and is therefore indicated by a dashed line.

[0040] This disclosure relates to a smoke generator comprising a housing, having a condensate inlet for receiving smoke condensate and a steam inlet for receiving superheated steam, wherein the smoke condensate is converted into smoke particles when the smoke condensate interacts with superheated steam, and the smoke particles are available at the smoke outlet.

[0041] According to some embodiments, the superheated steam has a temperature of 120 degrees Celsius.

[0042] According to some embodiments, the smoke generator further comprises a nozzle attached to a condensate inlet configured to distribute smoke condensates within the housing.

[0043] According to some embodiments, the smoke generator is provided with a smoke condensate regulator that adjusts the flow rate of smoke condensate into the housing of the smoke generator via the condensate inlet. The flow rate may be in the range of 0.1 to 20 liters / hour.

[0044] According to some embodiments, the fume generator is provided with a pressure regulator that adjusts the pressure of the superheated steam entering the housing of the fume generator through the steam inlet. The pressure may be in the range of 0.2 to 1.2 bar.

[0045] This disclosure also relates to a system for supplying smoke particles to a smoke cabinet, the system comprising a smoke generator, a steam supply unit, and a smoke condensate supply unit as defined above, wherein the steam supply unit provides superheated steam to the steam inlet of the smoke generator via a pressure regulator. The smoke condensate supply unit provides smoke condensate to the condensate inlet of the smoke generator via a condensate regulator, and smoke particles from the smoke outlet of the smoke regulator are supplied to the inlet of the smoke cabinet. The smoke cabinet can be a continuous system to which products are exposed while stationary, and further a cabinet to which products are in temporary motion, as well as a system in periodic steps using a belt, conveyor, or any other form of motion. The cabinet itself can have an opening that does not close, as the continuous system has this feature.

[0046] According to some embodiments, the superheated steam has a sensor for measuring the steam temperature Ts, the smoke cabinet is configured to operate at a cabinet temperature Tc, and the system further comprises a control unit configured to control the conversion of smoke condensate into smoke particles based on the steam temperature Ts and the cabinet temperature Tc. It should be noted that the smoke particles may be naturally sized smoke particles, for example, invisible smoke particles having a size of less than 7 micrometers.

[0047] According to some embodiments, the control unit is further configured to control a condensate regulator for adjusting the flow rate of smoke condensate, and / or a pressure regulator for adjusting the pressure of superheated steam in order to control the conversion of smoke condensate into smoke particles which may be smoke particles of natural size.

[0048] The description of the exemplary embodiments provided herein is presented for illustrative purposes only. The description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the exemplary embodiments to the precise forms disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or can be obtained from various alternative practices of the provided embodiments. The examples considered herein have been selected and described to illustrate the principles and characteristics of various exemplary embodiments and their practical applications, so that those skilled in the art may utilize the exemplary embodiments in various ways and with various modifications suitable for specific intended uses. The features of the embodiments described herein can be combined in all possible combinations of methods, apparatus, modules, systems, and computer program products. It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments presented herein can be practiced in any combination of each other.

[0049] It should be noted that the word “to include” does not necessarily exclude the existence of elements or steps other than those listed, and the words “a” or “an” preceding an element do not exclude the existence of multiple such elements. It should also be noted that none of the reference symbols limit the scope of the claims, that the exemplary embodiments can be implemented at least partially using both hardware and software, and that some “means,” “units,” or “devices” may be represented by the same hardware items.

[0050] Exemplary embodiments have been disclosed in the drawings and specification. However, many variations and modifications are possible to these embodiments. Therefore, although certain terms are used, they are not for limiting purposes but are used only in a general and descriptive sense, and the scope of the embodiments is defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A system (30) for supplying smoke particles to a smoke cabinet (23), A smoke generator (10a, 10b) comprising a housing (15) having a condensate inlet (11) for receiving smoke condensate and a steam inlet (12) for receiving superheated steam, wherein the smoke condensate is converted into smoke particles when it interacts with the superheated steam, and the smoke particles are available at a smoke outlet (13), the smoke generator (10a, 10b) is provided with a smoke condensate regulator (24, 34) for adjusting the flow rate of the smoke condensate into the housing (15) of the smoke generator (10a, 10b) via the condensate inlet (11), and the smoke generator (10a, 10b) is provided with a pressure regulator (25, 35) for adjusting the pressure of the superheated steam entering the housing (15) of the smoke generator (10a, 10b) via the steam inlet (12), Steam supply unit (22), Smoke condensate supply unit (21), It includes a sensor (32) for measuring the steam temperature Ts, The steam supply unit (22) provides superheated steam to the steam inlet (12) of the smoke generator (10a, 10b) via the pressure regulators (25, 35), The smoke condensate supply unit (21) provides smoke condensate to the condensate inlet (11) of the smoke generator (10a, 10b) via the condensate regulator (24, 34), The smoke particles from the smoke outlet (13) of the smoke generator are configured to be supplied to the inlet (26) of the smoke cabinet (23). The smoke cabinet is configured to operate at a cabinet temperature Tc. The system further comprises a control unit (31) configured to control the conversion of the smoke condensate to smoke particles based on the steam temperature Ts and the cabinet temperature Tc, The control unit (31) is further configured to control the condensate regulator (34) for adjusting the flow rate of the smoke condensate, and / or the pressure regulator (35) for adjusting the pressure of the superheated steam to control the conversion of the smoke condensate to smoke particles, so that the size of the smoke particles produced by the smoke generator is less than 10 micrometers.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the superheated steam has a temperature of 120 degrees Celsius.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a nozzle (14) attached to the condensate inlet (11) configured to distribute the smoke condensate within the housing (15).

4. The nozzle (14) is located between the steam inlet (12) and the smoke outlet (13). The system according to claim 3, wherein the distance from the nozzle (14) to the smoke outlet (13) is at least 100 mm.

5. The system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the distance between the nozzle (14) and one or more walls of the housing (15) surrounding the nozzle (14), and the distance extending from the steam inlet (12) to the smoke outlet (13) is at least 20 mm.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the flow rate is in the range of 0.1 to 20 liters / hour.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the pressure is in the range of 0.2 × 10⁵ Pa to 1.2 × 10⁵ Pa.

8. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the system is configured to generate a flow rate of mixed steam and liquid through the housing in the range of 25 to 300 kg / hour.

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