Impingement thermal treatment apparatus with collector plate
AssigneeDonald Paul Smith
InventorsDonald P. Smith, Virgil L. Archer, William W. Plumb, Jarald E. High, Robert W. Foreman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Impingement heating or cooling apparatus that employs an axial flow fan, a plenum, collector and a columnating assembly for directing jets of a temperature controlled gas against the surface of a food product. Means for contacting a first layer of food products with impinging jets of a temperature controlled gas and for simultaneously contacting a second layer of food products with an alternating, convective flow of a temperature controlled gas is also provided.
Claims16
Apparatus for thermally treating food products, said apparatus comprising:
- a cabinet;
- a fan disposed within said cabinet, said fan being adapted to discharge a pressurized flow of a temperature controlled gas;
- a columnating assembly disposed in said cabinet, said columnating assembly being adapted to divide the temperature controlled gas discharged by said fan into a plurality of columnated jets of temperature controlled gas;
- a plenum having walls adapted to direct the temperature controlled gas discharged from said fan toward said columnating assembly;
- and a plurality of spaced food support racks disposed within said cabinet to maintain said food product beneath the columnated jets of temperature controlled gas discharged from said columnating assembly, said racks being adapted to permit the convective flow of said temperature controlled gas between adjacent racks, said plenum and said columnating assembly being further adapted to provide alternating, horizontal convective airflow to at least one layer of food products.
Apparatus for thermally treating food products by directing a temperature controlled gas against said food products comprising an axial flow fan adapted to discharge said temperature controlled gas in the direction of said food products, at least one orifice plate disposed in parallel and spaced apart relation to said axial flow fan between said axial flow fan and said food products, and a collector plate disposed between said axial flow fan and said orifice plate in parallel and spaced apart relation thereto;
- and a directing vane disposed on the side of the collector plate opposite the fan.
Apparatus for thermally treating food products by directing a temperature controlled gas against said food products comprising an axial flow fan adapted to discharge said temperature controlled gas in the direction of said food products, two parallel and spaced apart orifice plates having concentrically aligned, spaced orifices disposed therein, said orifices being further disposed in spaced vee-shaped rows to provide channels between said rows, the spacing between said vee-shaped rows being greater than the spacing between the orifices within said rows, said orifice plates being disposed in parallel and spaced apart relation to said axial flow fan between said axial flow fan and said food products, and a collector plate disposed between said axial flow fan and said orifice plate in parallel and spaced apart relation thereto.
Apparatus for thermally treating food products, said apparatus comprising a cabinet;
- an axial flow fan disposed within said cabinet, said fan being adapted to discharge a pressurized flow of a temperature controlled gas in the direction of said food products;
- a columnating assembly disposed in parallel and spaced apart relation to said axial flow fan, said columnating assembly being further adapted to divide the temperature controlled gas discharged thereby into a plurality of columnated jets of temperature controlled gas;
- a plenum adapted to direct the temperature controlled gas discharged from said axial flow fan toward said columnating assembly;
- a collector plate disposed in parallel and spaced apart relation between said axial flow fan and said columnating assembly within said plenum;
- food support means disposed within said cabinet to maintain said food product beneath the columnated jets of temperature controlled gas discharged from said columnating assembly;
- and means for providing reciprocating relative translational motion between said columnating assembly and said food support means.
Apparatus for thermally treating food products, said apparatus comprising a cabinet;
- an axial flow fan disposed within said cabinet, said fan being adapted to discharge a pressurized flow of a temperature controlled gas in the direction of said food products;
- a columnating assembly disposed in parallel and spaced apart relation to said axial flow fan, said columnating assembly being further adapted to divide the temperature controlled gas discharged thereby into a plurality of columnated jets of temperature controlled gas;
- a plenum adapted to direct the temperature controlled gas discharged from said axial flow fan toward said columnating assembly;
- a collector plate disposed in parallel and spaced apart relation between said axial flow fan and said columnating assembly within said plenum;
- and a plurality of parallel and spaced apart food support racks disposed within said cabinet to maintain said food product beneath the columnated jets of temperature controlled gas discharged from said columnating assembly, said racks being adapted to permit the convective flow of said temperature controlled gas therebetween, said plenum and said columnating assembly being further adapted to provide alternating, horizontal convective airflow to at least one layer of food products.
Apparatus for thermally treating food products, said apparatus comprising a cabinet;
- an axial flow fan disposed within said cabinet, said fan being adapted to discharge a pressurized flow of a temperature controlled gas in the direction of said food products;
- a columnating assembly disposed in parallel and spaced apart relation to said axial flow fan, said columnating assembly being further adapted to divide the temperature controlled gas discharged thereby into a plurality of columnated jets of temperature controlled gas plenum adapted to direct the temperature controlled gas discharged from said axial flow fan toward said columnating assembly;
- a collector plate disposed in parallel and spaced apart relation between said axial flow fan and said columnating assembly within said plenum;
- and food support means disposed within said cabinet to maintain said food product beneath the columnated jets of temperature controlled gas discharged from said columnating assembly, said food support means being adapted to provide conductive heat transfer to the lower surface of said food product.
Apparatus for thermally treating food products, said apparatus comprising a cabinet;
- an axial flow fan disposed within said cabinet, said fan being adapted to discharge a pressurized flow of a temperature controlled gas in the direction of said food products;
- a columnating assembly disposed in parallel and spaced apart relation to said axial flow fan, said columnating assembly being further adapted to divide the temperature controlled gas discharged thereby into a plurality of columnated jets of temperature controlled gas;
- a plenum adapted to direct the temperature controlled gas discharged from said axial flow fan toward said columnating assembly;
- a collector plate disposed in parallel and spaced apart relation between said axial flow fan and said columnating assembly within said plenum;
- a plurality of parallel and spaced apart food support racks disposed within said cabinet to maintain said food product beneath the columnated jets of temperature controlled gas discharged from said columnating assembly, said racks being adapted to permit the convective flow of said temperature controlled gas therebetween;
- and means for progressively lowering a layer of food products disposed thereon from a first position where said food products are contacted by impinging jets of a temperature controlled gas to a second position that is farther removed from said columnating assembly.
Apparatus for thermally treating food products, said apparatus comprising a cabinet;
- an axial flow fan disposed within said cabinet, said fan being adapted to discharge a pressurized flow of a temperature controlled gas in the direction of said food products;
- a columnating assembly disposed in parallel and spaced apart relation to said axial flow fan, said columnating assembly being further adapted to divide the temperature controlled gas discharged thereby into a plurality of columnated jets of temperature controlled gas;
- a plenum adapted to direct the temperature controlled gas discharged from said axial flow fan toward said columnating assembly;
- a collector plate disposed in parallel and spaced apart relation between said axial flow fan and said columnating assembly within said plenum;
- a directing vane disposed on the side of the collector plate opposite to the axial flow fan;
- and food support means disposed within said cabinet to maintain said food product beneath the columnated jets of temperature controlled gas discharged from said columnating assembly.
Apparatus for thermally treating food products, said apparatus comprising:
- a cabinet;
- a plurality of parallel and spaced apart food support racks disposed within said cabinet, said rack supporting a plurality of layers of food products;
- heater means adjacent one end of said racks, said heater means being adapted to transfer heat to a first layer of food products;
- and means circulating air adjacent said first layer of food product, said racks being adapted to permit convective flow of heated gas between adjacent layers of food products to provide alternating horizontal convective air flow to at least one additional layer of food products spaced from said first layer of food products.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.