Steam Cooking Machine Containment Plane for Energy Dispersion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing steam cooking machines for food products, such as pasta and cous cous, are inefficient in terms of heat and steam usage, as steam energy is dispersed before it can effectively cook the products, leading to suboptimal cooking performance.
Innovation Solution
A steam cooking machine with a containment plane above the conveyor belt to keep steam tangent to the food products, reducing energy dispersion and enhancing cooking efficiency by maintaining heat contact throughout the cooking process, which can be heated for additional performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If steam is generated and passed through the conveyor belt from bottom upwards, then the food products are cooked, but the steam disperses its energy away from the product in the upper chamber leading to inefficient cooking
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the harmful energy dispersion from the system by introducing a containment plane that redirects steam flow. The plane captures the dispersing steam in the upper chamber and forces it to remain in contact with the product, thereby taking out the energy loss element and converting it into useful cooking energy.
Solution Approach 2:
The containment plane acts as an intermediary element between the steam and the food product. It mediates the steam flow by forcing the steam to remain tangent to and in contact with the product surface, ensuring efficient heat transfer while preventing the steam from dispersing energy away from the cooking zone.
2Productivity
If the containment plane is placed throughout the whole conveyor belt length, then steam contact efficiency is maximized, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by placing the containment plane only in the initial portion of the conveyor belt where steam contact is most critical for cooking efficiency. This localized approach maintains the beneficial steam containment effect where needed most while avoiding the complexity and cost of implementing it throughout the entire belt length.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses partial action by implementing the containment plane only in the initial portion of the cooking chamber rather than throughout the entire length. This partial implementation is sufficient to achieve the primary goal of improving steam contact efficiency without the excessive complexity of a full-length implementation.
3Volume of moving object
If the vertical distance between the conveyor belt and containment plane is increased, then more space is available for steam flow, but the steam may disperse and lose contact with the product
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies dynamics by making the containment plane height adjustable rather than fixed. This allows the vertical distance between the conveyor belt and containment plane to be dynamically optimized - providing sufficient space for steam flow while maintaining the plane's ability to redirect and contain steam contact with the product, thereby preventing energy dispersion.
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
Significantly improves cooking efficiency by reducing the amount of heat and steam required, ensuring all energy is utilized effectively for cooking, resulting in better product quality and reduced resource consumption.
Implementation Method 1
In a lower chamber 61 with respect to such conveyor belt means for generating steam at temperatures preferably comprised between 100 and 120 degrees are provided
Implementation Method 2
such belt is porous and generally made of net
Implementation Method 3
a containment plane 9 is placed in the upper chamber 61 above the conveyor belt 2 thus covering the food product and forcing steam to remain tangent to the product itself throughout the length of the belt
Implementation Method 4
Furthermore, preferably such quilted metal sheet can be heated to increase the performance thereof
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
Machine for cooking food products comprising a machine body within which there is a conveyor belt (2) passing therethrough, on which food products to be cooked are positioned, a lower chamber (61) with respect to such belt provided with means for generating steam wherein a pressure is generated such as to allow the steam to pass through the conveyor belt from the bottom upwards and an upper chamber (62) with respect to such belt, which is closed by a movable upper shell (8) wherein the steam comes into contact with the food product. The machine comprises a containment plane (9) placed in the upper chamber (61) above the conveyor belt (2) thus covering the food product and forcing steam to remain tangent to the product throughout the length of the belt.