Shell egg pasteurizer with automated clean-in-place system
AssigneeMichael Foods, Inc.
InventorHector Gregorio Lara
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An in-line shell egg pasteurizer has a clean-in-place system. Empty shell egg carriers are placed in the water bath for multiple cleaning cycles. The cleaning solution level is lowered to expose the shell egg carriers and the top parts of the water bath walls. An air perturbation is used to agitate cleaning solution held in the bottom of the water bath and clean heating coils and other components located in the bottom of the water bath. Sprayers (e.g., nozzles, cleaning spray balls, etc. . . . ) mounted on a hood over the water bath clean the top parts of the water bath walls and the empty shell egg carriers placed in the water bath.
Claims5
A shell egg pasteurizer system comprising:
- a water bath having a floor, two side walls and two end walls;
- a drain for the water bath, wherein the floor of the water bath inclines downward towards the drain in the vicinity of the drain;
- a tank recirculation outlet connected to the water bath or the drain;
- a plurality of heating coils located in the water bath above the floor, wherein the heating coils are configured to heat liquid in the water bath to a pasteurizing temperature during pasteurization of shell eggs;
- a plurality of empty egg carriers set in the water bath above the heating coils;
- perturbation elements located underneath the heating coils;
- a blower that supplies pressurized air to the perturbation elements, wherein the perturbation elements are configured to discharge pressurized air upwards towards egg carriers during pasteurization of shell eggs;
- a hood spanning over at least a portion of an open top of the water bath;
- and
- sprayers mounted to the hood to clean or rinse at least a portion of walls of the water bath and the empty egg carriers located in the water bath, wherein a pump connects the tank recirculation outlet to the sprayers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.