Heating Medium Injectors With Cooled Walls to Reduce Food Deposition
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Direct steam injection systems for heat treating foodstuffs face issues with rapid deposition of product constituents on injector surfaces, leading to plugging and reduced productivity, particularly for products like raw meat and egg proteins.
Innovation Solution
Cooling certain surfaces within the injector using a cooling arrangement and employing temperature moderating materials (TMOD) to reduce deposition rates, combined with coolant circulating chambers to maintain surface temperatures below adherence levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If direct steam injection is used to rapidly heat foodstuffs, then heating efficiency and speed are improved, but deposition of product constituents on injector surfaces occurs rapidly leading to plugging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by cooling the injector surfaces before the hot product contacts them. The cooling arrangement pre-cools the surfaces to below the adherence temperature of product constituents, preventing deposition before it can occur. This is achieved by circulating coolant through channels in the injector body or using thermoelectric cooling devices positioned at critical surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temperature parameter of the injector surfaces by actively cooling them to maintain surface temperature below the adherence temperature of product constituents. This parameter change prevents the phase transition or adhesion that would otherwise occur when hot product contacts warm surfaces, thereby preventing plugging while maintaining rapid heating of the product.
2Productivity
If direct steam injection is used for heat treatment, then productivity is improved through rapid heating, but operational run time is reduced due to frequent cleaning requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling arrangement performs preliminary cooling of injector surfaces before product contact, establishing a protective temperature condition that prevents deposition throughout the operational cycle. This allows the injector to maintain productivity without frequent shutdowns for cleaning, extending operational run time significantly.
3Duration of action of moving object
If injector surfaces are cooled to prevent deposition, then operational run time is extended, but device complexity increases due to cooling arrangement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs hydraulic cooling by circulating coolant through channels formed in the injector body. This uses fluid dynamics to efficiently remove heat from critical surfaces without requiring complex mechanical cooling systems. The coolant flow through internal passages provides continuous cooling with minimal added complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent may use thin-walled injector components that allow efficient heat transfer to external cooling surfaces or incorporate thin-film thermoelectric cooling devices. These thin structures provide effective cooling with minimal material and complexity, extending operational run time without significantly increasing device complexity.
4Reliability
If cooling structure is isolated from product flow path, then contamination is prevented, but cooling efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the injector into distinct functional zones: a cooling structure region with coolant channels for thermal management, and a product flow path region for product processing. This segmentation allows independent optimization of cooling efficiency and product contamination prevention, with thermal coupling through the injector walls but fluid isolation.
Solution Approach 2:
The injector walls and internal structures serve as intermediary elements that conduct heat from the product contact surfaces to the coolant channels. This intermediary thermal path enables efficient cooling while maintaining complete fluid isolation between the cooling system and product flow, preventing contamination.
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
Extends the operational run time of the injector by reducing surface deposition, allowing heat treatment of previously unsuitable products like raw meat and egg proteins without plugging, and ensuring even heating.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling structure extends along both a product flow path boundary wall and the mixture flow path wall so as to traverse a plane extending transverse to the product flow path at the contact location
Implementation Method 2
direct heat treatment systems bring the foodstuff into direct contact with a suitable heating medium such as steam
Implementation Method 3
the water added to the product during treatment may be removed from the product by applying a vacuum sufficient to vaporize the added water
Data Source
AI summary
A heating medium injector includes an injector structure defining a heating medium flow path and a product flow path. The heating medium flow path extends to a contact location, while the product flow path also extends to the contact location. The contact location comprises a location at which the heating medium flow path and product flow path merge within the injector. A mixture flow path is defined within the injector structure between the contact location and an injector outlet of the injector structure and is defined at least in part by a mixture flow path outer surface comprising a mixture flow path wall. A cooling structure extends along both a product flow path boundary wall and the mixture flow path wall so as to traverse a plane extending transverse to the foodstuff flow path at the contact location.