In Situ Polymeric Liner Coating for Fouling-Free Processing Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fluid and solid processing equipment faces issues with food safety, environmental impact, and high operational costs due to ineffective cleaning, which leaves bacterial residues and wastes resources.
Innovation Solution
An in situ production system that applies a curable polymeric material directly onto equipment surfaces using a spray head and curing apparatus to form a protective liner, ensuring complete coverage and adherence without the need for post-processing cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cleaning processes are applied to processing equipment, then hygiene level is improved, but bacterial residues remain and health risks persist
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by forming a protective liner coating on the processing equipment surface before contact with processed materials. This pre-formed barrier prevents bacterial adhesion and residue accumulation, eliminating the need for subsequent cleaning to remove harmful factors. The coating creates a non-stick surface that inherently resists contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a disposable protective liner that can be applied and then discarded after use. This short-living protective layer replaces the need for repeated cleaning cycles, as the liner itself is removed after serving its protective function, ensuring complete elimination of bacterial residues without complex cleaning procedures.
2Reliability
If cleaning processes are applied to processing equipment, then hygiene level is improved, but large amounts of water and detergents are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by applying a protective liner coating before the processing operation. This pre-formed barrier prevents fouling during processing, eliminating the need for water-intensive cleaning operations afterward. The protective layer is in place beforehand, preventing contamination rather than requiring removal afterward.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the cleaning function by replacing it with a protective liner system. Instead of using water and detergents to remove residues, the system uses a removable protective layer that prevents residue formation in the first place, thereby extracting the need for substance-intensive cleaning processes.
3Reliability
If cleaning processes are applied to processing equipment, then hygiene level is improved, but operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming a protective liner coating on equipment surfaces before processing operations. This prevents fouling during processing, eliminating costly cleaning operations and associated downtime. The protective layer is applied once and prevents multiple expensive cleaning cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a cost-effective disposable protective liner that replaces expensive cleaning operations. The liner material is inexpensive compared to the cumulative costs of water, detergents, labor, and equipment downtime associated with traditional cleaning processes, thereby reducing overall operational costs.
4Reliability
If liners are manufactured externally and placed inside equipment, then shielding is achieved, but adaptation and delivery complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of manually placing and adapting pre-manufactured liners with an automated spray application system. The coating apparatus sprays the liner material directly onto the equipment surfaces, eliminating the need for mechanical adaptation and manual installation, thereby reducing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and application parameters of the liner material by using a sprayable formulation that can be deposited as a thin coating. This parameter change from solid pre-formed liners to sprayable material enables direct application conforming to complex equipment geometries, simplifying the overall process.
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 system prevents fouling of processing equipment, eliminating the need for cleaning and reducing resource waste, thereby enhancing food safety and lowering operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
a spray head, adapted to spray a layer of curable polymeric material onto a surface
Implementation Method 2
curing apparatus, suitable to cure the layer of material sprayed onto said surface, thereby to produce a shielding liner in situ... The system of the invention is provided with curing apparatus, which comprises an energy source, such as for instance a UV light source, or a heat source
Data Source
AI summary
A system for the in situ production of a liner suitable to shield active surfaces of apparatus for the processing of liquids and/or solids from coming into contact with, and being fouled by, the processed materials, comprises: 1) a spray head, adapted to spray a layer of curable polymeric material onto a surface; 2) circuitry adapted to direct the movement of said spray head according to data pertaining to the surface to be sprayed; and 3) curing apparatus, suitable to cure the layer of material sprayed onto said surface, thereby to produce a shielding liner in situ.