Continuous food freezing device and continuous food freezing method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional conveyor type freezing apparatuses experience adhesive freezing and uneven freezing due to food overlap during conveyance, leading to increased freezing time and decreased efficiency, which can be mitigated by increasing spacing but results in reduced throughput.
Innovation Solution
A continuous freezing apparatus featuring a mesh-like first conveyor, a second conveyor beneath it, and a coolant tank, with a coolant spraying mechanism that freezes food surfaces before immersion, preventing adhesive freezing and allowing for efficient freezing without downtime for defrosting, and reducing the apparatus length by half compared to air blast freezers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If foods are conveyed with overlapping or contact during conveyance, then throughput is maintained, but adhesive freezing and uneven freezing occur leading to decreased quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by freezing the surface of foods before they enter the coolant tank. The freezing tank with cooling rollers pre-freezes the outer surface of foods, creating a protective ice layer that prevents adhesive freezing during subsequent conveyance and immersion, thereby maintaining both throughput and freezing uniformity
Solution Approach 2:
The freezing process is segmented into multiple stages: pre-freezing in the freezing tank with cooling rollers, followed by immersion freezing in the coolant tank. This segmentation allows different parts of the freezing process to serve different functions, with the first stage preventing adhesive freezing and the second stage completing the freezing, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining contact for throughput and preventing adhesive freezing
2Manufacturing precision
If spacing between foods on conveyor is increased to prevent contact, then adhesive freezing is prevented, but freezing throughput per unit time decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By pre-freezing the surface of foods in the freezing tank before they enter the main coolant tank, the patent creates a protective ice layer that prevents adhesive freezing. This allows foods to be conveyed with closer spacing without experiencing adhesive freezing, thereby maintaining high throughput while ensuring freezing uniformity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by pre-freezing the food surfaces to counteract the potential harmful effect of adhesive freezing before it can occur during conveyance. This preventive measure allows foods to remain in contact during high-speed conveyance without suffering from adhesive freezing, thus maintaining both throughput and quality
3Ease of operation
If conventional air blast freezing is used, then no coolant immersion is needed, but defrosting downtime is required and apparatus length is doubled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the freezing and defrosting functions into a single continuous immersion freezing process. The coolant tank serves both to freeze the foods and to allow continuous operation without separate defrosting cycles, eliminating downtime while reducing the overall apparatus length compared to separate air blast freezing and defrosting sections
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
The apparatus achieves high-quality freezing without decreasing efficiency, reduces the size of the coolant tank and alcohol solution usage, and eliminates the need for defrosting downtime, enabling continuous operation and faster freezing times.
Implementation Method 1
a coolant spraying means disposed directly above the first conveyor and spraying the coolant toward the first conveyor
Implementation Method 2
a coolant tank disposed directly beneath the second conveyor and storing the coolant that freezes the foods fallen from the second conveyor
Implementation Method 3
The foods are then quickly cooled by the alcohol solution and frozen thoroughly while being conveyed by the third conveyor
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and a method for freezing foods includes a first conveyor having one end thereof located on the feed portion and that conveys the articles to be frozen in a first direction and a second conveyor extending directly beneath the first conveyor along thereof and conveying foods fallen from the other end of the first conveyor in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The apparatus further includes a coolant tank disposed beneath the second conveyor and storing coolant that freezes foods fallen from the second conveyor, a third conveyor having at least one portion thereof submerged in the coolant in the coolant tank and conveying the foods fallen from the second conveyor while immersing them in the coolant, and a coolant spraying means disposed above the first conveyor and spraying coolant toward the first conveyor.