Conditioning the air of a smokehouse or the like
AssigneeDEC International, Inc.
InventorMin-Nang Huang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Air withdrawn from a food smokehouse is divided into two branches. The air in one of the branches enters a chamber in which is a bladed air agitator. The chamber includes two water sprays with the water contacting the air and the blades. From that chamber the air sequentially passes through a cyclone separator and a demister. The air from the two branches is then recombined. After being recombined, the air passes through a heater and a humidifier. Part of the recombined air also may pass through a smoke generator.
Claims22
In an apparatus for conditioning the air in a food processing chamber means, such as a smokehouse, which apparatus includes air conduit means communicating with the smokehouse at an exhaust connection and an intake connection and through which the air to be conditioned is withdrawn from the chamber means at the exhaust connection and through which the air after conditioning is returned to the chamber means at the intake connection, said conduit means including a device which reduces the temperature of withdrawn air, at least one of said means including an air heating device for maintaining the air temperature in said chamber means at food processing temperature, the improvement comprising:
- at least part of said conduit means between said connections including two branches and modulating valve means for establishing the proportions of the total amount of withdrawn and returned air which passes through each of said branches;
- said air temperature reducing device being in one of said branches;
- whereby the amount of the air subjected to temperature reduction may be varied without varying the total amount of withdrawn and returned air.
In an apparatus for conditioning the air in a food processing chamber means, such as a smokehouse, which apparatus includes air conduit means communicating with the smokehouse at an exhaust connection and an intake connection and through which the air to be conditioned is withdrawn from the chamber means at the exhaust connection and through which the air after conditioning is returned to the chamber means at the intake connection, said conduit means including a device for contacting the air with water for conditioning the air, the improvement wherein said device comprises:
- a housing, air agitating means in said housing and rotatable with respect to said housing, said air agitating means having blades, power means connected to said air agitating means for rotating the same, and a plurality of water spray means in said housing for introducing sprays of water into said housing, said spray means directing at least part of the sprays of water onto said blades.
In an apparatus for conditioning the air in a food processing chamber means, such as a smokehouse, which apparatus includes air conduit means communicating with the smokehouse at an exhaust connection and an intake connection and through which the air to be conditioned is withdrawn from the chamber means at the exhaust connection and through which the air after conditioning is returned to the chamber means at the intake connection, said conduit means including a device for contacting the air with water for conditioning the air, the improvement comprising:
- said conduit means including, downstream from said device, means for separation of water particles from the air, said separation means including a cyclone separator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.