Freeze system for viscous fluids
AssigneeDippin' Dots Cryogenics, L.L.C.
InventorStan Jones
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process and system in which solid droplets of a lipid product are prepared. The liquid lipid product is introduced into a freeze tunnel by one or more nozzles so as to form droplets of the liquid product. The droplets are introduced onto a conveyor belt at a first end of the freeze tunnel. The freeze tunnel is at a temperature sufficient that the droplets assume a semisolid state on or before contacting the conveyor belt and then become solid droplets as they pass through to a second end of the freeze tunnel.
Claims20
A system for producing solid droplets of lipid product, the system comprising:
- a freeze tunnel having a solid flexible conveyor belt configured to pass through a freeze chamber, the freeze tunnel having a plurality of refrigerant nozzles introducing a refrigerant into the freeze chamber;
- and
- a plurality of lipid nozzles to introduce the lipid product onto the conveyor belt at a first end of the freeze tunnel, wherein the lipid product is introduced onto the conveyor belt as a series of droplets and the conveyor belt is configured to carry the droplets from the first end to the second end of the freeze tunnel such that the droplets assume a semisolid state on or before contacting the conveyor belt and are subsequently frozen to a solid state during transit through the freeze tunnel on the conveyor belt.
A process for preparing solid droplets of a lipid product, the process comprising:
- introducing the lipid product in a liquid state into a freeze tunnel having a first temperature, wherein the droplets are introduced through at least one nozzle so as to form droplets of the liquid product;
- introducing the droplets onto a conveyor belt at a first end of the freeze tunnel, wherein the first temperature is sufficient that the droplets assume a semisolid state on or before contacting the conveyor belt;
- moving the conveyor belt through the freeze tunnel such that the conveyor belt carries the droplets from the first end to a second end of the freeze tunnel, and wherein the first temperature is such that the droplets are frozen to a solid state during transit through the freeze tunnel on the conveyor belt;
- removing the thus solid droplets from the freeze tunnel at the second end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.