Flow-Through Popper With Directional Vanes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flow-through popcorn poppers and snack puffers are expensive to manufacture due to their complex design with numerous moving parts, which increases production costs.
Innovation Solution
A popcorn machine design featuring a cabinet with an air mover that directs high-pressure, high-temperature air through a series of angled directional control vanes into a semi-circular popping chamber, allowing for efficient popping and re-circulation of air to reduce energy consumption and simplify the mechanism, while enabling both batch and continuous popping operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional flow-through poppers use a rotating puffing drum with multiple moving parts, then the popping function is achieved, but the manufacturing cost increases due to complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the rotating drum and auger mechanism from the system, extracting the problematic moving parts while retaining the essential popping function through a stationary chamber design with air circulation
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical rotating drum system is replaced with a stationary chamber design that uses air flow dynamics and thermal convection to achieve material circulation and heating, eliminating mechanical moving parts
2Use of energy by moving object
If hot air is continuously circulated through the popping chamber, then energy efficiency improves, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating and air circulation functions are merged into a unified system where the heater simultaneously heats the air and the air circulation naturally distributes heat throughout the chamber, reducing the need for separate complex control mechanisms
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 design reduces manufacturing costs by minimizing complex components and enhances efficiency by re-circulating hot air, allowing for effective popping and continuous operation with reduced energy requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a high pressure fan blows hot air from an electric heating element or gas burner upwardly through the perforated drum with enough heat and pressure to suspend and fluidize the material
Implementation Method 2
a heated surface (e.g., a popping kettle) that heats the corn and causes it to pop
Implementation Method 3
Approximately 90 percent of the air that is driven upwardly through the drum can be reheated and re-circulated through the drum
Data Source
AI summary
Machines for popping corn and producing puffed snacks and other expanded foods are described herein. In one embodiment, a flow-through popper circulates unpopped corn kernels through a popping chamber by use of a plurality of vanes that directionally control a flow of high velocity, high temperature and high pressure air. In this embodiment, the air in the popping chamber causes the unpopped corn kernels to circulate as they move through the length of the popping chamber without the need for an auger or other moving apparatus.