Horizontal Airflow Food Drying Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drying towers for elongate food products, such as sausages, are difficult to integrate into conventional manufacturing areas due to their size and energy inefficiency, and they often require complex construction and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A device with a horizontally spaced product feed and discharge system that uses a conditioned airflow, where the heating element is positioned close to the products and the airflow is uniformly distributed, with a return channel to enhance energy efficiency and compact construction, allowing for modular assembly and easy installation in existing production areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If vertically disposed drying towers are used to provide great drying capacity on limited floor area, then productivity is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of installation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from vertical drying tower configuration to horizontal airflow configuration within a conventional process space. The airflow moves horizontally through the process space rather than vertically, allowing the system to fit within standard ceiling heights (4-6 meters) while maintaining effective drying capacity. This dimensional change eliminates the need for complex vertical construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional vertical drying approach by implementing horizontal airflow movement. Instead of air moving upward through vertically stacked product layers, the airflow moves horizontally across the process space, fundamentally changing the orientation and simplifying integration into existing manufacturing facilities.
2Productivity
If vertically disposed drying towers are used to achieve high drying capacity, then productivity is improved, but energy efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is positioned locally at the air supply side, heating air precisely where it enters the process space. This localized heating approach ensures efficient heat transfer to the airflow at the point of contact with products, reducing energy losses that would occur with centralized or distant heating systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous airflow through the process space, ensuring that conditioned air continuously contacts products for drying. This continuous action prevents energy waste from intermittent operation and maintains consistent drying efficiency throughout the process.
3Device complexity
If heating element is positioned远离 products to ensure safety, then device complexity is reduced, but heat transfer efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The airflow acts as an intermediary medium between the heating element and the products. The heating element heats the air, which then serves as the transfer medium to deliver thermal energy to the products. This indirect heating approach maintains safety while ensuring efficient heat transfer through the conditioned airflow.
4Productivity
If airflow is concentrated in specific areas to increase drying intensity, then productivity is improved, but uniformity of conditioning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system designs the airflow distribution to achieve homogeneity across the entire process space. The horizontal airflow configuration and strategic positioning of air supply and discharge ensure uniform air distribution, resulting in consistent drying conditions across all products regardless of their position within the process space.
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 device effectively conditions elongate food products with improved energy efficiency, compact design, and simplified logistics, enabling efficient treatment of products in a variety of environments while maintaining uniform airflow and heat transfer.
Implementation Method 1
the heating element has the advantage that it heats the airflow precisely at that position where heating is also essential
Implementation Method 2
The blowing means are adapted to generate a horizontal airflow in the process space
Implementation Method 3
EP 1 245 919 discloses an apparatus for continuously drying unpacked food products in a process space formed by a box-like body by circulating dry air on the products to be dried and collecting moist air from said products. More specifically the device is provided with dehumidifying means for the dehumidifying moist air which dehumidifying means comprise an adsorption dehumidifying device.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a device for treating elongate food products in a process space using a conditioned airflow, comprising: a housing bounding the process space, with a feed opening arranged in the housing and a discharge opening arranged in the housing for respectively carrying elongate food products into the process space and discharging thereof from the process space, transport means for displacing the elongate food products through the process space, blowing means for generating an airflow in the process space, and conditioning means for conditioning the airflow.