Spiral Cooking Oven with Variable Weave Conveyor for Uniform Bacon Processing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Industrial bacon cooking processes suffer from nonuniformity and high energy costs, leading to a need for a more efficient and space-saving method that ensures all bacon is thoroughly cooked with minimal undercooking and increased yield.

Innovation Solution

A continuous process using a spiral cooking oven with a conveyor belt featuring variable weaving and multiple tiers, where bacon strips are cooked in three or more rows, allowing for uniform cooking and adjustable fluid flow, resulting in a mean bandwidth variation of not greater than 4.5%, increasing overall yield without expanding floor space.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If conventional linear microwave cooking systems are used, then bacon can be cooked, but the cooking is nonuniform and floor space is excessive

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooking uniformityVSAvoidfloor space

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a spiral conveyor belt instead of a linear one, creating a curved cooking path that allows the oven to occupy less floor space while maintaining thorough cooking. The spiral configuration enables the cooking medium to circulate more effectively around the bacon strips, improving cooking uniformity without requiring a larger facility footprint.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention transitions from a two-dimensional linear cooking path to a three-dimensional spiral path, allowing the conveyor belt to wrap around a central axis. This dimensional change enables the oven to cook bacon more uniformly by exposing all sides to the cooking medium while compacting the overall system footprint.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If target yield percentage is set low to ensure thorough cooking, then all bacon is cooked, but overall yield percentage decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvethorough cookingVSAvoidoverall yield

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements control systems that monitor cooking parameters in real-time, allowing dynamic adjustment of cooking conditions. This feedback mechanism ensures that all bacon strips reach the required cooking level while maximizing yield by avoiding unnecessary overcooking, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The invention optimizes cooking parameters such as temperature, cooking medium flow rate, and conveyor speed to achieve uniform cooking at higher yield percentages. By carefully controlling these parameters, the system can ensure thorough cooking without requiring excessively low target yield percentages, thus improving overall productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If cooking medium flow is increased to improve cooking uniformity, then cooking quality improves, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooking uniformityVSAvoidenergy cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The spiral conveyor belt design allows for continuous circulation of the cooking medium through the cooking chamber, ensuring consistent heat distribution without requiring excessive flow rates. The continuous spiral path maintains optimal contact between the cooking medium and bacon strips throughout the cooking process, achieving uniform cooking with moderate energy input.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

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 process achieves higher cooking uniformity and yield, reducing the need for overcooking and minimizing floor space, with a mean bandwidth variation significantly lower than conventional linear microwave oven processes, allowing for a 9% increase in cooked bacon weight while maintaining thorough cooking quality.

Implementation Method 1

applying a cooking medium into the spiral oven and through the spiral path

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 2

cooking the bacon strips in the spiral oven

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentUS8753703B2Continuous process for cooking bacon with improved recovery

Publication Date: 2014.06.17 JBT MAREL CORPORATION

AI summary

An process for cooking bacon includes the steps of continuously feeding bacon strips in three or more rows to an inlet of a spiral cooking oven, moving the bacon strips along a spiral path inside the spiral oven, applying a cooking fluid into the spiral oven and through the spiral path, and cooking the bacon strips in the spiral oven to a yield percentage having a mean bandwidth variation not greater than 4.5%. A conveyor belt having variable weaving includes belt openings that are initially larger through an inner side of the belt than through an outer side of the belt, when the belt is straight. When the belt collapses into the spiral configuration, the openings adjust so that the areal size of the openings is similar on both lateral sides of the belt, resulting in more even distribution of cooking fluid and more uniform cooking.