An improved plant for curing and/or drying food products
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food drying and curing plants face issues with inadequate air flow distribution, leading to uneven treatment of food products, inefficiency in energy use, and complications in construction and maintenance, which results in rejected products and suboptimal use of chamber volume.
Innovation Solution
A plant with a chamber having vertical side walls, a ceiling, and a floor, featuring an air treatment unit, a laminar and vertical air flow system where air is supplied through ceiling openings and aspirated through floor openings, creating a closed and isolated environment for uniform treatment, with adjustable air speed and temperature control, and components designed for easy sanitation and energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If air openings are positioned at side walls or ceiling with complex flow directors, then air circulation is forced, but construction becomes complicated and air flow diffusion is inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional air flow direction by positioning supply openings at the ceiling and suction openings at the floor, creating a natural downward laminar flow that eliminates the need for complex flow directors and side wall openings, thereby simplifying construction while maintaining adequate air flow speed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes the complex flow director components from the chamber interior, extracting the air flow control function to simple ceiling supply openings and floor suction openings, thereby reducing construction complexity while maintaining effective air circulation
2Manufacturing precision
If air openings are positioned at side walls, then air circulation is achieved, but air flow does not evenly strike the entire outer surface of products
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the air flow direction to descend from ceiling to floor, the patent ensures that the laminar air stream evenly contacts the entire outer surface of vertically suspended products, achieving uniform treatment and eliminating the need to reject compromised products
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a uniformly distributed laminar air flow field that provides consistent air contact across all surfaces of products at different positions, ensuring equal treatment quality throughout the chamber volume
3Volume of stationary object
If products are positioned only under central distribution pipe, then air flow can rise to side suction pipes, but entire chamber volume is not effectively exploited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the air flow direction so that air descends from ceiling supply openings across the entire chamber width to floor suction openings, enabling products to be positioned throughout the full chamber volume including side zones, thereby maximizing space utilization
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a centralized vertical air flow pattern to a distributed horizontal-dimension air flow pattern across the entire chamber width, allowing full exploitation of chamber volume for product placement
4Loss of energy
If conventional air circulation patterns are used, then air flow is created, but energy efficiency is suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional upward air flow pattern to a downward laminar flow pattern, which more efficiently utilizes gravity and creates better contact with products, thereby reducing energy consumption while improving treatment efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the air flow parameter from turbulent or forced circulation to laminar flow, and from upward to downward direction, optimizing the interaction between air and products to reduce energy loss and improve treatment productivity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures uniform treatment of food products regardless of size or position, reduces energy consumption, minimizes product loss, and simplifies construction and maintenance by creating a closed environment with efficient air flow and heat reuse, maximizing the number of products treated simultaneously.
Implementation Method 1
an air treatment unit, which is operatively associated with said chamber and which is provided with an inlet for the air to be treated and an outlet for the treated air
Implementation Method 2
create the temperature, humidity and/or air flow rate/speed conditions in the chamber suited for the curing and/or drying treatment
Implementation Method 3
said first through openings in the ceiling, for releasing the air into said chamber, and said second through openings in the floor, for aspirating the saturated air present inside said chamber, are configured to create inside the chamber only a laminar and vertical air flow
Implementation Method 4
said air suction circuit, which connects the inside of the chamber to the inlet of said air treatment unit by means of a recirculation circuit positioned outside the chamber
Implementation Method 5
an air flow at controlled pressure, flow rate and temperature conditions is sent and circulated inside the chamber to create the conditions suited for the curing and/or drying treatment
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6
AI summary
An improved plant (2) for curing and/or drying food products (3), characterized in that it comprises: _ a chamber (4) comprising substantially vertical side walls (6), closed at the top by a ceiling wall (8) and at the bottom by a floor wall (10), so as to delimit as a whole a space, which is closed and isolated from the outside, for containing the food products to be cured and/or dried (3), _ an air treatment unit (12), which is operatively associated with said chamber (4) and which is provided with an inlet for the air to be treated and an outlet for the treated air, _ an air supply/delivery circuit (14), which connects the outlet of said air treatment unit (12) to the inside of the chamber (4), said air supply/delivery circuit (14) comprising at least one pipe (22) for distributing the air treated by said unit (12) inside the chamber (4), said at least one distribution pipe (22) being provided with first openings (24), which are obtained and/or defined either at or in said ceiling (8), for releasing the treated air (21) into said chamber (4), _ an air suction circuit (16), which connects the inside of the chamber (4) to the inlet of said air treatment unit (12) by means of a recirculation circuit (18) positioned outside the chamber (4), said suction circuit (16) comprising at least one pipe (28) provided with second openings (34), which are obtained and/or defined either at or in said floor (10), to aspirate the saturated air (23) present inside said chamber (4), _ a control, management and monitoring unit configured to create the temperature, humidity and/or air flow rate/speed conditions in the chamber (4) suited for the curing and/or drying treatment of the products intended to be contained in said chamber (4).