Thermal Oven Airflow Control Using Colliding Pressurized Streams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal processing ovens face issues with inconsistent product yields and safety due to internal blockages in airflow patterns caused by product support structures and the products themselves, leading to overcooking and undercooking, especially when processing horizontally laid products.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves independently controlling dampers to manipulate air streams within the oven, allowing them to converge and create a turbulent airflow that can be positioned and directed to avoid blockages, ensuring consistent airflow across the product, with the ability to program the airflow's path and dwell time to address specific cooking issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a main recirculation fan delivers pressurized air streams to ductwork in the oven, then airflow volume and pressure are improved, but internal blockages from product support structures and products themselves create inconsistent airflow patterns leading to overcooking and undercooking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single main recirculation fan into multiple smaller fans distributed throughout the oven. Each fan serves a specific zone, delivering pressurized air directly to that area. This segmentation eliminates airflow blockages caused by products and support structures, ensuring uniform cooking across all zones without the inconsistent airflow patterns that occur with a single central fan.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a top-down vertical airflow pattern to a multi-dimensional distributed airflow system. Multiple fans positioned at different locations and heights create three-dimensional airflow circulation that penetrates through and around products more effectively, overcoming the blockage issues that occur with traditional single-point airflow delivery.
2Ease of operation
If dampers are used to control airflow volume to oven sides, then airflow distribution is improved, but the fixed timed cycle creates turbulent airflow with varying breakpoint locations causing inconsistent cooking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces fixed timed cycle damper operation with dynamically adjustable airflow control. Each zone's fan and damper can be independently controlled to deliver pressurized air on demand, allowing real-time adaptation to product loading conditions and cooking progress. This dynamic control eliminates the turbulent airflow and varying breakpoint locations caused by fixed cyclic operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local airflow control through multiple independently controlled fans and dampers distributed throughout the oven. Each zone can be optimized for its specific cooking requirements, allowing different airflow rates and patterns in different areas. This local quality approach replaces the uniform fixed-cycle control that causes inconsistent cooking across zones.
3Adaptability or versatility
If product is positioned centrally on racks or conveyor belt, then product arrangement flexibility is improved, but blockages within the oven cavity create inconsistent product yields and texture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the oven into multiple independently controlled zones with separate fans and dampers. This segmentation allows different airflow patterns to be applied to different product arrangements simultaneously. Whether products are hung vertically or laid horizontally on racks or conveyors, each zone can be optimized for its specific product configuration, eliminating the inconsistent yields and texture caused by blockages in the cavity.
4Device complexity
If a single motor with gear reduction drives dampers through full 360 degrees rotation, then damper operation simplicity is improved, but the fixed path creates overcooking in some areas and undercooking in others
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the single motor driving all dampers with multiple independently controlled fans and dampers. Each zone has its own motor-driven fan that can operate independently, eliminating the fixed airflow path that causes overcooking in some areas and undercooking in others. This segmentation maintains operational simplicity while achieving uniform cooking through distributed control.
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 approach results in more uniform cooking and improved food safety by minimizing overcooking and undercooking, increasing production throughput, and extending the shelf life of products while adhering to federal regulations.
Implementation Method 1
a main recirculation fan which can deliver a pre-determined volume of air, under pressure, to a system of ductwork
Implementation Method 2
The dampers of the prior art may be set to either rotate or modulate through a fixed timed cycle, thereby cyclically increasing and decreasing the air's volume and velocity entering the oven
Implementation Method 3
If the paths of the two airflows meet they create a turbulent airflow
Implementation Method 4
Thermal processing ovens (smokehouses) are the standard equipment within the Food Processing Industry used to dry and cook food products using controlled heat and humidity
Implementation Method 5
The PLC may also control the operation of a main recirculation fan which can deliver a pre-determined volume of air, under pressure
Data Source
AI summary
The invention disclosed herein relates to methods for controlling pressurized air streams within a food-processing oven. In this invention, two or more pressurized air streams are caused to collide creating a turbulent airflow in a third and separate direction. One or more dampers are used to control the location and direction of the third resultant flow allowing treated air to be moved at designated speeds to and from specific locations within the oven for controlled lengths of time. The resulting airflow may be directed horizontally across horizontally laid product or vertically across vertically hung products thereby minimizing times where treated air is blocked by the either product or its support racks. This yields improved product uniformity, consistency, temperature, and moisture content while improving food safety and product yield with reduced processing time.