Detergent Pipe Air Flushing to Prevent Oven Cleaning Drips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning systems for food or beverage preparation equipment, such as cooking ovens, often leave residual cleaning fluids in the pipe system, which can thermally expand and drip during later cooking steps due to the closed system design.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning system with a multiple position valve that allows for the introduction of a first fluid, followed by a second fluid, and then a gas flow to remove any residual fluids from the pipe system, utilizing pumps and a slanted pipe section to facilitate fluid removal by gravity or gas flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the pipe system is designed as a closed system to maintain pressure and control fluid flow, then fluid delivery control is improved, but residual fluid remains in the pipe system causing thermal expansion and dripping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the residual fluid from the pipe system by introducing a gas flow that pushes the remaining detergent and rinse water out of the pipes and into the oven cavity, where it can be evaporated. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining the closed pipe system for controlled fluid delivery while actively removing residual fluid that would otherwise cause dripping.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary flushing actions by sequentially introducing gas flow after detergent and rinse water delivery to ensure complete evacuation of the pipe system before the cooking cycle begins. This preliminary action prevents the thermal expansion and dripping problem that would occur if residual fluid remained in the closed pipe system.
2Reliability
If the pipe system is flushed repeatedly to remove residual fluids, then dripping is prevented, but chemical consumption and environmental impact increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses pneumatic flushing with gas flow to evacuate residual fluids from the pipe system. This method is more efficient than repeated liquid flushing because the gas can push residual detergent and rinse water through the entire pipe system and into the oven cavity in a single action, reducing chemical consumption while effectively preventing dripping.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas flow acts as an intermediary substance that transfers residual fluid from the pipe system to the oven cavity without requiring additional large volumes of detergent or rinse water. This intermediary approach minimizes chemical consumption while achieving complete pipe evacuation.
3Reliability
If the pipe system volume is reduced to minimize residual fluid, then dripping is reduced, but fluid delivery capability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than reducing pipe system volume, the patent extracts residual fluid from the existing pipe system using gas flow. This maintains the necessary pipe volume for adequate fluid delivery capability while actively removing the residual fluid that would cause dripping, thus resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
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
Effectively removes residual cleaning fluids from the pipe system, preventing thermal expansion and dripping, while reducing chemical consumption and environmental impact by ensuring complete fluid evacuation.
Implementation Method 1
A third pump is disposed to introduce the gas flow in the pipe system
Implementation Method 2
the pipe system comprises a slanted section slanted downwardly toward or away from the cavity
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning system for cleaning a cavity of food or beverage preparation device. The cavity is connected with a pipe system. The pipe system supplies a fluid through the pipe system to the cavity. When the fluid flow stops, any remainder of the fluid in the pipe system is removed by passing a gas (for example, air) through the pipe system or by a valve disposed at a high location of the pipe system.