Microwave Egg Pasteurization With Isolated Elongate Cavities
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for in-shell egg pasteurization using microwave irradiation struggle to achieve uniform temperature distribution among eggs, leading to some eggs becoming too hot while others remain too cold, especially when using a conveyor with multiple eggs arranged in a two-dimensional matrix.
Innovation Solution
The process involves using elongate microwave cavities isolated from each other, with microwaves fed through slots in the roof, and eggs displaced along these cavities in a lock-step fashion, ensuring uniform heating by controlling microwave power and using hot air convection to maintain temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple eggs are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix and passed through a common microwave cavity, then productivity is improved, but temperature uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The common microwave cavity is divided into multiple isolated elongate microwave cavities, each handling a column of eggs. This segmentation prevents microwave leakage between columns and allows independent temperature control for each column, resolving the temperature uniformity issue while maintaining high productivity through parallel processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single large cavity to multiple elongate cavities arranged in parallel, effectively adding a spatial dimension to the heating arrangement. This allows simultaneous independent heating of multiple egg columns, achieving both high throughput and uniform temperature distribution.
2Manufacturing precision
If divider walls are added to create microwave sub-cavities, then temperature control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding complex divider walls within a single cavity, the patent segments the heating space into multiple separate elongate cavities. Each cavity is independently controlled by its own feed waveguide, simplifying the control mechanism while achieving precise temperature management for each egg column.
Solution Approach 2:
Each elongate microwave cavity is designed with specific dimensions and microwave power characteristics tailored to its egg column load. The feed waveguides are positioned and configured to provide optimal local heating conditions for each cavity, ensuring uniform temperature distribution without requiring complex overall system adjustments.
3Productivity
If microwave power is increased to heat eggs faster, then productivity is improved, but temperature uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The total microwave power is divided and distributed to multiple separate feed waveguides, each serving an individual elongate cavity. This allows independent power adjustment for each egg column, enabling high overall productivity while maintaining uniform temperature distribution within each column through localized power control.
Solution Approach 2:
The microwave power delivery system is made dynamic through multiple independently controllable feed waveguides. Each waveguide can adjust its power output based on the specific heating requirements of its associated egg column, allowing the system to maintain optimal heating rates and temperature uniformity under varying production 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 method achieves uniform heating of in-shell eggs without liquid heat transfer media, effectively pasteurizing eggs by maintaining yolk temperatures between 57°C and 60°C while preserving albumen quality.
Implementation Method 1
raising the temperature of yolk of a plurality of unpackaged in-shell eggs, simultaneously and at least predominantly by means of microwave radiation, to a pasteurization temperature
Implementation Method 2
raising the temperature of albumen of an in-shell egg to between 57°C and 60°C... with microwave radiation
Implementation Method 3
using hot air convection to maintain temperatures
Data Source
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AI summary
An in-shell egg pasteurization process includes, in a temperature-raising stage (12), raising the temperature of yolk of a plurality of in-shell eggs (40), simultaneously and at least predominantly by means of microwave radiation, to a pasteurization temperature, the temperature-raising stage (12) including a plurality of elongate or longitudinally extending microwave cavities that are isolated from one another so that microwaves fed into an elongate or longitudinally extending microwave cavity do not leak into any other elongate or longitudinally extending microwave cavity. The in-shell eggs (40) are displaced along the lengths of the elongate or longitudinally extending microwave cavities whilst being irradiated with microwaves. In a pasteurization stage (14), the raised temperatures of the in-shell eggs (40) are maintained for a pasteurization time sufficient to pasteurize the in-shell eggs (40).