Continuous product-processing apparatus and method for cleaning with product repositioning

A product-processing apparatus comprising:

• a processing chamber having an entrance at one end and an exit at an opposite end;
• a conveyor conveying products through the processing chamber, the conveyor including:
• a conveyor belt having an outward-facing conveying side and an opposite non-conveying side;
• a main drive rotating at a first rate and driving the conveyor belt through the entrance and out the exit along a carryway path through the processing chamber and back from the exit to the entrance along a lower belt-return path;
• an upper diverting roller disposed in the processing chamber and having a periphery engaging the non-conveying side of the conveyor belt;
• a lower diverting roller disposed in the processing chamber below the upper diverting roller and having a periphery engaging the conveying side of the conveyor belt;
• wherein the carryway path is diverted around the upper and lower diverting rollers along an S-shaped path segment;
• a roller drive rotating the upper and lower diverting rollers at a second rate greater than the first rate;
• a belt restricter extending far enough around the periphery of the lower diverting roller to prevent the conveyor belt from building up below the lower diverting roller, wherein the belt restricter is spaced from the lower diverting roller across a gap having a width narrow enough for the belt restricter to contact the non-conveying side of the conveyor belt and confine it to the gap and wide enough for the conveyor belt to loosen around the lower diverting roller to enable the conveyor belt to slip on the lower diverting roller.