Spray Nozzle With Flexible Wall For Food Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for spraying and coating food parts with a liquid consumable medium are inefficient, leading to excess additive contamination and increased consumption due to the need for parts to pass through a bath, which results in uncontrolled application and unwanted adherence of additives.
Innovation Solution
A spray nozzle that internally mixes the liquid consumable medium with air using a tangentially debouching air channel to create a controlled vortex, featuring a flexible wall part that can deform to accommodate solid ingredients and adjust passage openings for optimal spray pattern and droplet size, allowing for more precise coating and reduced contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If food parts are carried through a bath to coat them with liquid consumable medium, then coating coverage is improved, but excess additive contamination and consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a spray nozzle system that introduces gas (air) through a gas inlet passage to atomize and spray the liquid consumable medium onto food parts. This pneumatic approach replaces the traditional liquid bath method, enabling controlled spraying that reduces excess additive usage and contamination while maintaining effective coating coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs an impingement element that deflects the liquid stream in a radially outward direction to achieve atomization. By changing the flow parameters and spray pattern through mechanical deflection rather than immersion, the system achieves uniform coating with reduced material consumption and minimized contamination.
2Manufacturing precision
If a liquid bath is used for coating food parts, then coating uniformity is improved, but additive consumption and contamination increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spray nozzle system uses pressurized gas to atomize the liquid consumable medium into fine droplets that are evenly distributed onto the food parts. This pneumatic atomization process achieves uniform coating precision while consuming significantly less additive compared to the immersion bath method.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid stream is broken up into numerous small droplets through the impingement element and gas flow, creating a segmented spray pattern. This segmentation enables precise and uniform application of the consumable medium onto the food surface, ensuring consistent coating while minimizing overall additive usage.
3Quantity of substance
If excess liquid consumable medium is applied to food parts, then coating coverage is improved, but contamination of surrounding area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controlled spray system directs the liquid consumable medium precisely onto the food parts through atomized droplets. This targeted pneumatic application ensures adequate coating coverage while preventing excessive liquid from spilling or adhering to surrounding areas, thereby reducing contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The spray system dynamically controls the liquid flow through gas-assisted atomization, allowing the liquid to be applied in a controlled, dispersed manner rather than as a bulk flow. This dynamic application method achieves necessary coverage while minimizing excess material that could cause contamination.
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 spray nozzle enables controlled and efficient application of the liquid medium, minimizing excess additive usage and contamination by internally mixing the liquid with air, accommodating solid ingredients, and allowing for adjustable spray patterns, thus improving the coating process.
Implementation Method 1
the vortex-generating air supply to comprise at least one air channel debouching tangentially in the mixing chamber
Implementation Method 2
the flexible wall part deforms elastically such that the passage opening and/or the slot allows the blocking ingredient to pass through
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4A
AI summary
The invention relates to a spray nozzle for spraying a liquid consumable medium. The invention also relates to a device and a method for at least partially coating food parts, more particularly meat and fish parts, with a liquid consumable medium, wherein the device is provided with a housing with a spraying space; a belt conveyor for food parts; a spray nozzle and a collecting receptacle lying under the spray nozzle.