Steam Cooker Vent Orifice Control for Water and Energy Savings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Steam cookers used in commercial applications are energy inefficient and wasteful due to excessive steam venting, leading to high water consumption and operational costs, as they often require large volumes of water and energy to maintain cooking speed and food quality.
Innovation Solution
A user-adjustable steam cooker with a variable-area vent orifice and a steam generator responsive to pressure, allowing users to control cooking speed, water consumption, and energy efficiency by selectively reducing or increasing steam generation based on pressure setpoints, using a restrictor plate or plug to alter the effective size of the vent aperture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If large volumes of steam are supplied continuously to the cooker, then cooking speed is improved, but energy efficiency deteriorates due to substantial heat energy loss in vented steam
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a variable vent orifice that can dynamically adjust its opening size based on cooking requirements. Instead of a fixed large vent that continuously releases steam, the adjustable vent allows the system to optimize the balance between cooking speed and energy efficiency by controlling the amount of steam vented at different stages of the cooking process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the vent orifice (its effective area) to control steam flow. By adjusting the vent orifice size, the system can modulate steam generation and venting rates, allowing operation at lower steam throughputs that maintain adequate cooking speed while significantly reducing energy loss from excessive steam venting
2Productivity
If large volumes of steam are supplied continuously to the cooker, then cooking speed is improved, but water consumption deteriorates due to high water usage in condenser
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable vent orifice enables dynamic control of steam flow rates, allowing the system to achieve adequate cooking speed with reduced steam generation. This directly reduces water consumption since less water is needed to generate the required amount of steam, eliminating the need for high-volume water supply and condenser systems
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses pressure and temperature measurement to automatically control steam supply, enabling self-regulating operation that maintains cooking effectiveness while minimizing water and energy consumption without requiring external intervention or complex condenser systems
3Loss of energy
If pressure or temperature measurement is used to control steam supply, then energy efficiency is improved, but cooking speed deteriorates due to lower steam throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines pressure/temperature measurement with an adjustable vent orifice to create a dynamic control system. This allows the system to operate at optimized steam throughput levels that maintain adequate cooking speed while improving energy efficiency, unlike fixed systems that must choose between high steam flow (fast cooking, poor efficiency) or low steam flow (slow cooking, good efficiency)
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the vent orifice parameter to match the controlled steam generation rate. By adjusting the vent size to correspond with the measured pressure and temperature conditions, the system ensures that steam is generated and vented at optimal rates that simultaneously achieve good energy efficiency and adequate cooking speed
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 solution enables users to optimize cooking speed and energy efficiency while reducing water consumption, allowing for faster cooking with lower energy and water usage by adjusting the steam vent size, thus addressing the inefficiencies of traditional steam cookers.
Implementation Method 1
water is heated until it changes phase to become steam
Implementation Method 2
a pressure sensor in fluid communication with the cooking chamber, the pressure sensor defining a first state corresponding to pressure below a setpoint and a second state corresponding to pressure above the setpoint
Implementation Method 3
a steam generator including a heater, the steam generator being in fluid communication with the cooking chamber, such that the steam generator is configured to inject steam into to the cooking chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A user-manipulable apparatus uses a steam generator responsive to pressure while also allowing the user to increase or decrease cooking speed, water consumption and energy efficiency of a steam cooker as desired. In one exemplary embodiment, a steam cooker includes a variable-area vent orifice and a steam generator responsive to pressure in the cooking chamber. If the pressure in the cooker is lower than desired, more steam is generated until the pressure reaches a predetermined set point. If the pressure is higher than desired, steam generation is slowed or stopped until the pressure lowers to a predetermined set point.