Spiral Sausage Heat-Treatment Pipe for Low-Height Coagulation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing heat treatment devices for sausages, particularly co-extruded sausages with a gel outer film, face challenges in efficiently stabilizing and coagulating the surface proteins, leading to difficulties in handling and maintaining the surface appearance, and require a reduced height for introducing sausages into the treatment device.

Innovation Solution

A heat treatment device with a pipe having a descending spiral winding and an ascending portion, a pump for propelling hot water, a collecting device with a higher water level than the discharge orifice, and an air purge system, along with a regulation system for controlling water flow and level, and a filling pipe for maintaining water circulation, ensuring efficient heat treatment and reduced introduction height.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the water level in the collecting device is raised to ensure proper heat treatment, then the heat treatment effectiveness is improved, but the device height increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat treatment effectivenessVSAvoiddevice height
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transforms the vertical height dimension into a horizontal spiral winding configuration. The pipe winds horizontally between support elements, allowing the water to travel a sufficient path length for effective heat treatment without requiring proportional vertical height. This dimensional transformation resolves the contradiction by maintaining heat treatment effectiveness while reducing overall device height.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The pipe is nested between support elements in a compact arrangement, with the spiral winding confined within a limited vertical space. This nesting approach allows the water to circulate through an extended path while the entire assembly occupies a compact vertical envelope, thus achieving effective heat treatment without excessive device height.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Device complexity

If a straight pipe configuration is used, then the device structure is simple, but the heat treatment efficiency is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepipe structure simplicityVSAvoidheat treatment efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a spiral winding configuration of the pipe instead of a straight linear arrangement. This curved spiral path increases the surface area contact between the hot water and sausages, enhancing heat transfer efficiency and productivity while maintaining a relatively simple overall pipe structure that is easy to implement and clean.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Productivity

If the pipe diameter is increased to accommodate sausages, then the sausage handling capacity is improved, but the device volume increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesausage handling capacityVSAvoiddevice volume
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of increasing pipe diameter to improve sausage handling, the patent extends the heat treatment path in the horizontal plane through spiral winding. This allows adequate heat treatment of sausages of various sizes without requiring larger pipe diameters, thus maintaining compact device volume while preserving handling capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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 stabilizes and coagulates the surface proteins of sausages, allowing for easier handling and maintaining surface appearance, while reducing the introduction height and ensuring efficient heat treatment with minimal heat losses and easy cleaning.

Implementation Method 1

a pump intended to propel hot water into the piping upstream of the introduction orifice or into the collecting device

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHydraulic circulation: Pump

Implementation Method 2

the water level in the collecting device being higher than the level of the discharge orifice and than the level of the introduction orifice, and the piping comprising, between the introduction orifice and the orifice evacuation, a part taking the form of a descending spiral winding

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal convection: Convection

Implementation Method 3

passed through a stream of hot water so as to stabilize the gel and coagulate the surface proteins

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectProtein coagulation: Coagulation

Implementation Method 4

the water level in the collecting device being higher than the level of the discharge orifice and than the level of the introduction orifice

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGravitational flow: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentEP2721934B1Heat-treatment device, in particular for sausages
Publication Date: 2015.07.22 ARMOR INOX
  • EP2721934B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2721934B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The invention relates to a heat treatment device (200), in particular for sausages (S) of the co-extruded sausage type, said heat treatment device (200) comprising: - a pipe (102) extending between an orifice introduction (104) and a discharge orifice (106) through which the sausages (S) leave the pipe (102), - a collecting device (108) which is arranged above the introduction orifice (104), which opens into the pipe (102) at the level of the introduction orifice (104) and which is intended to allow the introduction of the sausages (S) into the pipe (102), - a pump (112 ) intended to propel hot water into the piping (102) upstream of the introduction orifice (104) or into the collecting device (108), the water level (116) in the collecting device (108 ) being higher than the level of the evacuation orifice (106) and than the level of the introduction orifice (104), and the piping (102) comprising, ent re the orifice of introduction (104) and the orifice of evacuation (106), a part taking the form of a winding (110) in a descending spiral.