Viscosity monitoring for industrial food processing
AssigneeD C Norris & Company Limited
InventorDavid Alan Norris
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An industrial food processing system comprises a vessel for containing a flowable food product, and an agitator positioned within the vessel. A rotatable element is mounted to a drive shaft of the agitator, so as to rotate within the food product in the vessel. A static element is also positioned within the vessel adjacent a path of the rotatable element. A load sensor is coupled to the static element and/or to the rotatable element, and rotation of the rotatable element relative to the static element within the food product causes a load detectable by the load sensor proportional to a viscosity of the food product as the elements pass one another.
Claims16
A food processing system, comprising:
- a vessel for containing a flowable food product;
- a rotatable element configured for rotation within the food product in the vessel;
- a static element configured to be positioned within the food product in the vessel and adjacent a path of the rotatable element;
- and
- a load sensor coupled to the static element and/or to the rotatable element,
- wherein the rotatable element and the static element are configured such that rotation of the rotatable element within the food product will create a load detectable by the load sensor corresponding to a viscosity of the food product.
A method of monitoring a flowable food product in a vessel of a food processing system, the method comprising:
- rotating a rotatable element within the food product in the vessel, wherein a static element is positioned within the food product in the vessel adjacent a path of the rotatable element;
- and
- monitoring a load detected by a load sensor coupled to the static element and/or to the rotatable element,
- wherein the rotatable element and the static element are configured such that rotation of the rotatable element within the food product will create a load detectable by the load sensor corresponding to a viscosity of the food product.
A method of installing a viscosity sensor in a food processing system, comprising a vessel for containing a flowable food product;
- and an agitator configured for rotation within the vessel, the method comprising:
- installing a rotatable element on the agitator, or replacing the agitator with an agitator comprising a rotatable element mounted thereto;
- installing a static element in the system so as to be positioned within vessel adjacent a path of the rotatable element;
- and
- installing a load sensor in the system, the load sensor being coupled to the static element and/or to the rotatable element,
- wherein the rotatable element and the static element are installed such that rotation of the rotatable element within the food product, in use, will create a load detectable by the load sensor corresponding to a viscosity of the food product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.