Extreme Vacuum Cooling Pressure Control to Prevent Food Splash
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial kitchens face challenges in rapidly cooling cooked food to safe temperatures while avoiding liquid splash events during vacuum cooling, which can contaminate the chamber and affect food quality, especially with low viscosity foods.
Innovation Solution
The Extreme Vacuum Cooling (EVC) apparatus operates at ultra-low pressure conditions with adaptive pressure control, using clean dry air or inert gas to manage chamber pressure and prevent liquid splash, ensuring rapid and uniform cooling of various food types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If vacuum cooling is applied to rapidly cool food, then cooling speed is improved, but liquid splash events occur causing contamination and affecting food quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts chamber pressure as a controllable parameter to optimize cooling while preventing liquid splash. By carefully controlling pressure reduction rate and maintaining pressure within specific ranges, the system achieves rapid cooling without causing excessive bubbling and splashing of low viscosity foods
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from pressure sensors and temperature sensors to continuously monitor chamber conditions and adjust vacuum pump operation accordingly. When liquid splash is detected or predicted, the system responds by adjusting pressure control to prevent further contamination
2Productivity
If ultra low pressure is used for extreme vacuum cooling, then cooling efficiency is improved, but control complexity increases to prevent liquid splash
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static pressure control to dynamic pressure control, where pressure setpoints and vacuum pump operation are continuously adjusted based on real-time conditions. This allows the system to achieve ultra-low pressure for high efficiency while adapting control parameters to prevent liquid splash events
Solution Approach 2:
The control system acts as an intermediary between the vacuum pump and the food being cooled, mediating the pressure reduction process through staged control and intermediate pressure levels to prevent direct ultra-low pressure exposure that would cause liquid splash
3Loss of time
If rapid cooling is applied to meet food safety regulations, then time to exit temperature danger zone is reduced, but food quality may suffer without uniform cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates different cooling conditions for different parts of the food load by controlling vapor distribution and chamber pressure uniformly. This ensures that all food items, regardless of position, experience consistent cooling rates and achieve uniform temperature reduction while rapidly exiting the temperature danger zone
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
EVC effectively meets government food safety regulations, saves energy and time, and maintains good food quality by achieving rapid and uniform cooling while minimizing liquid splash events, thus extending shelf life and reducing bacterial growth.
Implementation Method 1
When the chamber pressure of the EVC apparatus is intentionally reduced, the vapor pressure of the water inside the food can become higher than the chamber pressure, resulting in the rapid conversion of water inside the food into vapor
Implementation Method 2
Vacuum cooling is based on the principle of evaporative cooling, where water will absorb a large amount of heat in order to evaporate from liquid to gas
Implementation Method 3
a vacuum pump to pump air out of the chamber to reach extremely low pressure conditions
Implementation Method 4
The refrigeration unit is used to cool down the cold trap to condense water vapor from the chamber back to liquid form
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus is disclosed relating to food preparation in commercial kitchens and food processing plants. The disclosed extreme vacuum cooling (EVC) technology and apparatus can work in ultra low pressure conditions with adaptive pressure control to avoid potential liquid splash inside the vacuum chamber caused by un-controlled low pressure conditions. Clean air is added into the vacuum chamber to allow the chamber pressure to track a setpoint trajectory that may have ramp up periods in order to avoid liquid splash events. The apparatus enables the user to cool various kinds of foods quickly, save energy, and meet food safety regulations.