Flume cooler
AssigneeYuba City Steel Products Co.
InventorClinton L. West
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stacked array of inclined flumes interconnected in consecutive zig-zag fashion for cooling canned comestibles upon discharge from a canning cooker. The hot cans are introduced seriatim in a prone or rolling aspect into the upper end of the uppermost flume. Gravity and cooling water combine to transport the parallel, submerged cans down the flumes in transverse register. The rolling action continuously exposes successive portions of the cans to the heat-absorptive water and similarly mixes the cans' contents to effect even cooling. Means is provided for selective removal of heated water from the flumes and reintroduction of cooled water into the flumes at predetermined points to ensure generally uniform water temperature throughout the flumes.
Claims7
An apparatus for cooling the contents of sealed cylindrical containers at an elevated temperature comprising:
- a. a frame;
- b. flume means for transporting the containers within a fluid medium, said flume means being attached to said frame and including an upper, loading end and a lower, discharge end, said flume means further including a plurality of elongated channels in vertically stacked relation, said plurality of channels sloping downwardly in alternating directions with the lower end of each of said channels overlying the upper end of a respective, subjacent channel, each of said channels having a planar floor and parallel vertical side walls, the distance between said side walls being slightly greater than the longitudinal dimension of the cylindrical containers;
- c. inlet means for introducing fluid medium at said loading end, said fluid medium having a given temperature less than the elevated temperature;
- d. outlet means for withdrawing the fluid medium at a selected location on said flume means;
- e. loading means for introducing the containers transversely into the channel at said loading end for rolling movement toward said discharge end;
- f. coupling means for downwardly transferring the fluid medium and the containers from said lower end of each of said channels to said upper end of a respective subjacent channel;
- and
- g. discharge means for withdrawing the containers at a predetermined reduced temperature at said discharge end, heat being transferred from the containers to the fluid medium as the containers and the fluid medium progress from said loading end toward said discharge end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.