Structured Air Jet Plate for Uniform Convection Oven Cooking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Convection ovens using slot-shaped air inlets face issues with air friction reducing air volume, velocity, and directionality, leading to uneven cooking due to air flow distribution problems, particularly in commercial kitchens where space is a concern.
Innovation Solution
The use of structured air inlets on a jet plate with alternating holes and slots, arranged serially and diagonally, to improve air flow directionality and speed while maintaining a compact oven design, addressing the limitations of traditional slot inlets by optimizing air flow distribution and penetration of temperature gradients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If slot-shaped air inlets are used to introduce air into the cooking cavity, then the air flow directionality and velocity can be improved, but air friction at the slot edges reduces the air volume and cooking efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The air inlet is segmented into multiple parallel slots instead of a single large opening. This segmentation reduces the perimeter-to-area ratio, minimizing edge friction effects while maintaining high air volume throughput and directionality
Solution Approach 2:
The slot geometry is optimized with specific width-to-length ratios and rounded leading edges at the air intake side, while the trailing edges are designed to minimize turbulence. This local quality optimization reduces friction losses while maintaining velocity and directionality
2Quantity of substance
If the slot width is increased to increase air volume, then more air can pass through, but the velocity of the air decreases, reducing cook speed
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single wide slot, the design uses multiple narrower parallel slots. This maintains high velocity in each slot while collectively providing high air volume, resolving the trade-off between width, volume, and velocity
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple parallel slots are arranged to merge their individual air streams into a unified high-volume flow pattern, achieving both high velocity (from individual slot design) and high volume (from combined effect)
3Speed
If linearly extended air inlets with significant vertical dimension are used, then air velocity and directionality are improved, but the height and size of the oven is substantially increased, which is not desirable for commercial kitchens
Solution Approach 1:
The air inlet design transitions from a vertical extension (increasing height) to a horizontal planar arrangement of parallel slots. This dimensional change maintains velocity and directionality through optimized slot geometry without increasing oven height
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the geometric parameters of the air inlet from vertical depth to horizontal slot distribution, optimizing width-to-length ratios and using multiple parallel openings to achieve the same aerodynamic performance in a compact vertical profile
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 configuration enhances cooking speed and efficiency by maintaining air flow velocity and directionality, ensuring more uniform cooking without the drawbacks of traditional slot inlets, such as spotting and uneven heating.
Implementation Method 1
heated air within the cooking cavity is circulated by a fan
Implementation Method 2
The fan initiates a flow of heated air by pulling air in a generally horizontal direction from the cooking cavity
Implementation Method 3
a heating element, which can be an electric resistance element or a gas burner, for generating heat energy to cook any food items placed within an oven cavity
Implementation Method 4
Air impingement is a special form of convection cooking whereby air enters the cook cavity through openings ("air inlets") in one or more flat panels ("jet plates")
Implementation Method 5
these columns of rapidly moving heated air would cause spotting on the food surface
Data Source
AI summary
A jet plate for directing a flow of air into a cooking cavity of an oven may comprise a body configured to be disposed along a top wall or a bottom wall of the cooking cavity, and one or more structured air inlets that are openings through the body. Each of the structured air inlets comprises holes and slots that are alternatingly arranged and serially connected. The structured air inlets enable air to be introduced into the cooking cavity in a structured formation to improve cooking speed and cooking efficiency. In addition, structured air inlets in a jet plate may be configured in various manners to address unevenness in the distribution of air flow within the cooking cavity.