Apparatus and method for cooling products with a device for injecting a cryogenic fluid through the bottom of a mixer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cryogenic fluid injection devices for mixers or kneaders face contamination issues due to dirt accumulation, necessitating complex and unreliable cleaning processes, especially when used for food products, and there is a need for improved cleaning accessibility and preventive maintenance to ensure cleanliness and safety.
Innovation Solution
The device incorporates a detachable fluid supply head and body with an openable fluid circulation groove for easy cleaning, combined with a scavenging system using nitrogen gas to maintain overpressure in the nozzles, ensuring continuous gas scavenging and independent control of each nozzle's pressure through a solenoid valve, calibrated orifice, and pressure sensor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the injection device uses a closed fluid circulation groove in the mounted position, then the device maintains structural integrity and sealing, but the cleaning accessibility is poor and requires complex cleaning operations
Solution Approach 1:
The injection device is divided into separable components (injection needle assembly and fluid circulation system) that can be disassembled for cleaning. The fluid circulation groove is designed to be open when components are separated, allowing direct access to all surfaces requiring cleaning while maintaining structural integrity when assembled.
2Ease of operation
If the injection device is designed for easy disassembly and cleaning, then the cleaning accessibility is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The injection needle assembly is extracted as a separate, easily removable component that can be detached for cleaning without disassembling the entire fluid circulation system. This allows focused cleaning of the critical injection surfaces while maintaining the integrity of the fluid circulation groove and other components.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the nozzle operates under overpressure with continuous gas scavenging, then the contamination risk is reduced, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
A scavenging gas supply system is implemented that maintains overpressure in the injection needle continuously or periodically, preventing contamination before it can occur. The system uses calibrated orifices and pressure sensors to optimize gas flow, reducing energy consumption while maintaining protective overpressure conditions.
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
This design facilitates easy cleaning, reduces contamination risks, ensures nozzle cleanliness through continuous overpressure, and allows for flexible integration with mixers, minimizing downtime and ensuring food safety compliance.
Implementation Method 1
The fluid, introduced under pressure through an injection nozzle, transforms upon expansion at the nozzle's outlet: into a solid for CO2, and into a liquid and cold gas for nitrogen
Implementation Method 2
a scavenging system using nitrogen gas to maintain overpressure in the nozzles, ensuring continuous gas scavenging
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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AI summary
A product cooling installation, particularly for food products, comprising an enclosure, particularly of the mixer or kneader type, for containing a product to be cooled, and comprising a device for injecting a cryogenic fluid into the enclosure, a device for injecting the fluid at one or more points located in the lower part (base) of the enclosure, a device which includes one or more injection nozzles which can be connected to said lower part, where the cooling installation includes an installation (120) for supplying the injection nozzle(s) with a scavenging gas, for example compressed air or nitrogen gas, injection nozzles which are supplied with cryogenic fluid and scavenging gas by a set of pipes,characterized by the implementation of the following measures: - the piping system includes, for each nozzle, a supply line (130) for the nozzle in question with cryogenic fluid, a line which is equipped with a solenoid valve (131); - the piping system includes, for each nozzle, a supply line (140) for the nozzle in question with said sweeping gas, each sweeping gas supply line being equipped in series with a calibrated orifice (141) and a pressure sensor (142), the sweeping line connecting, downstream of the sensor, to the corresponding cryogenic fluid supply line for a given nozzle, at a point on the cryogenic fluid supply line located between the solenoid valve and the nozzle in question.