Conveyor oven
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional conveyor ovens face challenges in achieving controlled and repeatable heating along their length due to variations in the internal environment and changing thermal configurations of food products, leading to inefficiencies in cooking time and energy usage, with limited ability to reduce energy losses when operating at less than full capacity.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a burner assembly with a compartment containing a burner tube and passive tubes, along with a baffle strip and fan system for independent control of airflow and temperature across the oven tunnel, allowing for segmented temperature control and efficient energy use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the conveyor oven is kept running for extended periods to maintain readiness, then the oven is ready to cook immediately, but heat and noise continuously escape from the open tunnel ends wasting energy and warming the surrounding environment
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful heat escape is extracted and redirected by introducing a door assembly that can close off the tunnel ends. The door system separates the internal heated environment from the external environment, preventing the continuous heat loss that occurs with open ends while maintaining cooking readiness.
Solution Approach 2:
The door assembly acts as an intermediary element between the internal oven chamber and external environment. It provides a controllable barrier that can be opened when cooking is needed and closed when not in use, mediating the heat transfer and noise transmission between the two environments.
2Temperature
If conventional temperature control methods are used with inlet and outlet sensors, then average temperature is maintained, but temperatures vary greatly from one end of the tunnel to the other due to changing thermal configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The tunnel is divided into multiple heating zones with independent temperature control. Instead of a single average temperature control system, the oven implements segmented zones that can be independently adjusted to achieve uniform temperature distribution throughout the tunnel, accounting for the changing thermal configurations as food moves through.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the tunnel are given different heating characteristics to compensate for heat loss patterns. The door assemblies and heating elements are configured to provide localized temperature adjustments, ensuring that each section maintains the appropriate temperature despite variations in thermal load and heat escape.
3Productivity
If the oven operates at full capacity continuously, then cooking capacity is maximized, but energy consumption is excessive when cooking at less than full capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The oven system is made dynamically adjustable with variable speed conveyors and controllable door assemblies. This allows the oven to adapt its operation to match the actual cooking load, reducing energy consumption when operating at less than full capacity while maintaining maximum productivity when needed. The doors can be partially opened or closed based on the number of products being cooked.
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 solution enables more precise control over heating and temperature profiles, reducing cooking times, improving cooking quality, and allowing for energy savings by optimizing oven operation at varying loads.
Implementation Method 1
a burner assembly operable to emit a flame to heat air for convection cooking
Implementation Method 2
a fan in fluid communication with the compartment and operable to deliver heated air from the compartment to the oven chamber for convection cooking
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6
AI summary
A conveyor oven (10) for cooking food and having an oven chamber in which food is cooked; a conveyor (22) moveable to convey food within the oven chamber; a burner assembly (50) operable to emit a flame to heat air for cooking food moving within the oven chamber on the conveyor; a burner tube (52) extending into a compartment and positioned to receive at least a portion of the flame emitted by the burner assembly (50); and one or more passive tubes (54) in the compartment positioned opposite the burner tube (52), wherein elongated baffles are located between adjacent passive tubes, wherein a baffle plate (170) is located between the burner and passive tubes (54) to restrict airflow from the burner tube (52) to the passive tube (54), and/or wherein shelf assemblies (211, 213, 215, 217) in the oven enable movement (and in some cases removal) of a shelf (58, 68, 60, 78) with a corresponding fan (64A, 64B, 74A, 74B) and/or motor (70A, 70B, 80A, 80B) without disturbing other shelves and their corresponding fans and/or motors.