Food Cooling Conduit Using Fluid Jet Transfer to Limit Medium Crossover
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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 a pressurized fluid source to propel a cooling fluid through nozzles or slots, creating a vacuum force to move food products through the system while cooling them, with dewatering members to separate fluids and retain heat transfer mediums in their respective compartments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
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 separate compartments (cooking compartment and cooling compartment) with distinct heat transfer mediums. The food product is transferred through a conduit from one compartment to another, preventing direct mixing while maintaining efficient heat transfer in each zone.
Solution Approach 2:
A transfer conduit acts as an intermediary mechanism between the hot and cool heat transfer mediums. This conduit allows the food product to transition between temperature zones without allowing the heat transfer mediums themselves to mix, thus preventing crossover contamination.
2Productivity
If food product is transferred between processing systems, then processing continuity is improved, but loss of heat transfer medium increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer conduit serves as an intermediary that enables continuous product movement between processing systems while containing the heat transfer mediums separately. This prevents medium loss during transfer operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts the heat transfer medium from the transfer path, keeping it contained within the respective compartments. Only the food product moves through the transfer conduit, leaving the heat transfer mediums behind in their designated zones, thus preventing medium loss.
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 minimal heat transfer medium waste, maintaining temperature differences across compartments for efficient cooling and product handling.
Implementation Method 1
utilize a pressurized fluid source to propel a cooling fluid through nozzles or slots, creating a vacuum force to move food products through the system
Implementation Method 2
cooling fluid to move the food product from the first end portion of the conduit toward the second end portion and to cool the food product
Implementation Method 3
dewatering members to separate fluids and retain heat transfer mediums in their respective compartments
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.