Pressurized Fluid Cooling Conduit to Limit Medium Crossover
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In food processing systems, there is a need to quickly and efficiently cool cooked food products while minimizing the crossover of hot heat transfer mediums into cool mediums and reducing waste of heat transfer mediums during transfer between processing systems.
Innovation Solution
A food processing system with compartments and conduits that utilize pressurized fluid to cool food products by moving them through a series of compartments, where the fluid is used to both propel and cool the food, with dewatering mechanisms to separate and recycle the heat transfer medium, maintaining temperature differences across compartments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If food product is quickly cooled by immersing in cool heat transfer medium, then cooling efficiency is improved, but crossover of hot heat transfer medium into cool medium increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the cooling process into multiple sequential stages using multiple conveyors, each operating at different temperatures. Food products are progressively cooled from hot to cold sections, preventing thermal shock and minimizing medium crossover while maintaining high cooling efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate temperature zones and transition areas between hot and cold sections. These intermediary zones act as buffers that gradually acclimate the food product and heat transfer medium, reducing abrupt temperature changes and minimizing unwanted crossover between extreme temperature zones.
2Productivity
If food product is transferred between processing systems, then processing continuity is improved, but loss or waste of heat transfer medium increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous operation by having multiple conveyors running simultaneously at different stages of the cooling process. Food products move continuously through hot, warm, and cold sections without interruption, and heat transfer mediums are continuously recirculated within each section, minimizing waste while ensuring processing continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements recovery mechanisms where heat transfer medium that has completed its cooling function is collected, reheated or recool ed as appropriate, and reused in the system. This recovery process minimizes waste of heat transfer medium while maintaining continuous processing operations.
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 effectively cools food products from high temperatures (e.g., 200°F) to low temperatures (e.g., 40°F) with significant temperature differences maintained across compartments, optimizing cooling efficiency and minimizing heat transfer medium waste.
Implementation Method 1
the fluid being at a first fluid temperature less than the first product temperature, the pressurized fluid source being operable to propel the fluid through the fluid discharge to move the food product from the first end portion of the conduit toward the second end portion and to cool the food product to a temperature below the first product temperature
Implementation Method 2
the pressurized fluid source being operable to propel the fluid through the fluid discharge to move the food product from the first end portion of the conduit toward the second end portion
Data Source
AI summary
A cooler including a compartment, a conduit including a first end portion configured to be in communication with the compartment and a second end portion, food product at a first product temperature entering the first end portion, a fluid discharge positioned substantially within the conduit between the first end portion and the second end portion, and a pressurized fluid source in communication with and for supplying fluid through the fluid discharge, the fluid being at a first fluid temperature less than the first product temperature, the pressurized fluid source being operable to propel the fluid through the fluid discharge to move the food product from the first end portion of the conduit toward the second end portion and to cool the food product to a temperature below the first product temperature.