US 12,458,037 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for freezing consumable products

AssigneeVitrafy Life Sciences Pty Ltd

InventorsBrent Owens, Sean Cameron, Brian Taylor

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Abstract

An apparatus for preserving consumable products comprising an inner housing arranged within an outer insulated housing, wherein walls of the inner housing define a compartment for receiving consumable products, said walls comprising an inlet wall for inflow of a heat exchange fluid into the compartment, an opposed outlet wall for outflow of a heat exchange fluid out of the compartment, side walls and a base, the side walls and base adjoining the inlet wall to the outlet wall, wherein the inlet wall and outlet wall each include a series of apertures to accommodate a continuous heat exchange fluid flow through the apparatus such that, in operation, consumable products received in the compartment of the inner housing are immersed in the heat exchange fluid to exchange heat with the heat exchange fluid.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An apparatus for preserving consumable products by freezing the consumable products, the apparatus comprising an inner housing arranged within an outer insulated housing with a void space separation between the inner housing and the outer insulated housing,

wherein walls of the inner housing define a compartment for receiving consumable products, said walls comprising:
an inlet wall for inflow of a heat exchange fluid into the compartment;
an opposed outlet wall for outflow of the heat exchange fluid out of the compartment;
side walls;
and
a base, the side walls and base adjoining the inlet wall to the outlet wall,
wherein the outer insulated housing comprises:
an inlet side corresponding to the inlet wall of the inner housing and defining an inlet space between the inlet side and the inlet wall;
and
an outlet side corresponding to the outlet wall of the inner housing and defining an outlet space between the outlet side and the outlet wall, and
wherein the inlet wall and outlet wall each include a series of apertures to accommodate a continuous heat exchange fluid flow through the apparatus such that, in operation, consumable products received in the compartment of the inner housing are immersed in the heat exchange fluid to exchange heat with the heat exchange fluid,
wherein the inlet side includes at least one inlet communicating from an outside of the outer insulted housing into the inlet space,
wherein the outlet side includes at least one outlet communicating from the outlet space to the outside of the outer insulated housing,
wherein the apparatus further comprises a pump for pumping heat exchange fluid into the inlet space through the at least one inlet, and
wherein, in operation, the heat exchange fluid is introduced into the apparatus via the at least one inlet and removed from the apparatus via the at least one outlet.

12 more elements

A method of preserving consumable products by freezing the consumable products in the preservation apparatus using a heat exchange fluid, the method comprising:

a. determining a total surface area of an approximated geometry of the consumable products to be frozen;
b. performing computational fluid dynamics analysis on the consumable products within the preservation apparatus based on flow constraints due both to a compartment geometry and predetermined arrangement of food consumable products in the compartment and a predetermined increase in temperature of the heat exchange fluid;
c. determining heat transfer coefficients between the heat exchange fluid and the consumable products at predetermined product surface temperatures;
d. selecting a heat transfer coefficient by rounding down the lowest heat transfer coefficient determined at step (c) to the nearest ten;
e. dividing the approximated geometry of the consumable products into a predetermined number of equally distributed volume increments;
f. estimating thermal properties of the consumable products;
g. calculating, based on conservation of energy analysis using the heat transfer coefficient determined at step (d), a time required for each increment to reach a predetermined final temperature from a predetermined initial temperature for a predetermined heat exchange fluid temperature and a predetermined flow rate of the heat exchange fluid;
h. determining an achievable average rate of cooling based on the time calculated at step (g);
i. in response to the determined achievable average rate of cooling being 0.5° C. per minute or more, selecting said predetermined heat exchange fluid temperature, and in response to the determined achievable average rate of cooling being less than 0.5° C. per minute, selecting a heat exchange fluid temperature sufficiently less than the predetermined heat exchange fluid temperature such that the rate of cooling achievable is at least 0.5° C. per minute;
j. arranging the consumable products in the apparatus for preservation;
and
k. subjecting the consumable products to cooling using the temperature determined at step (i) and cooling the consumable products at a rate of at least 0.5° C. per minute.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/917,478Filed 6 Apr 2021
Priority: AU 20209011008 Apr 2020
Published: US 2023/0157328 A125 May 2023
Granted: 4 Nov 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

A23B 2/8055
Materials not being transported through or in the apparatus with or without shaping, e.g. in the form of powders, granules or flakes: with…
F25D 13/00
Stationary devices
A23B 4/068
The materials not being transported through or in the apparatus with or without shaping, e.g. in the form of powder, granules or flakes: with…
A23B 11/1455
In packages: freezing in packages