Apparatus for deheading and cleansing shrimp

Apparatus for detaching heads from shrimp, comprising:

• conduit enclosing a fluid flow path and including an upstream region, a downstream region, and an intermediate region between the upstream and downstream regions;
• said intermediate region having a sharply decreasing flow area causing a significant change in fluid speed through a turbulent flow path;
• means for introducing shrimp into said flow path;
• and
• flow control means for inducing a flow rate through said intermediate region producing a change in fluid speed sufficient to detach shrimp heads from tail portions in said intermediate region by constriction of the turbulence of the fluid.

Apparatus for detaching weakly attached appendages from product in a continuous-flow, product transport system using a fluid stream as the transport medium, comprising:

• upstream conduit forming a first product-laden fluid transport channel;
• downstream conduit forming a second product-laden fluid transport channel;
• conduit interface means for putting said downstream conduit in communication with said upstream conduit such that product-laden fluid flows from said upstream conduit to said downstream conduit through said interface means;
• means for adjusting the volumetric flow rate through the product transport system;
• said upstream conduit being dimensioned such that said first transport channel has a first effective cross-sectional area such that product-laden fluid in said first transport channel flows at a first speed equal to the ratio of the volumetric flow rate to the first effective cross-sectional area, said downstream conduit being dimensioned such that said second transport channel has a second effective cross-sectional area such that product-laden fluid in said second transport channel flows at a second speed equal to the ratio of the volumetric flow rate to the second effective cross-sectional area,
• the first effective cross-sectional area being greater than the second effective cross-sectional area, whereby product-laden fluid traveling at the first speed in said upstream conduit accelerates to the greater second speed in said downstream conduit in the vicinity of the interface means and creates hydrodynamic forces effective to detach weakly attached appendages from product.

In a system for peeling the shells from shrimp using a fluidstream product transport system to transport unpeeled shrimp at least part of the way to a shrimp-peeling apparatus of the counter-rotating roller type, the improved system capable of separating heads from shrimp prior to peeling, comprising:

• upstream conduit with a first cross-sectional channel area and having a first end and a second end downstream of the first end;
• downstream conduit with a second cross-sectional channel area and having an entrance end and an exit end;
• conduit connecting structure putting the second end of said upstream conduit into communication with the entrance end of said downstream conduit;
• means for moving shrimp-laden fluid through said upstream and downstream conduits at a preselected volumetric flow rate, and said second cross-sectional channel area being less than said first cross-sectional channel area such that the shrimp-laden fluid travels at a first speed in said upstream conduit and a greater second speed in said downstream conduit, the speed increase producing hydrodynamic forces for detaching heads from and cleansing the shrimp bodies at and downstream of the entrance end of said downstream conduit;
• and
• means for separating the lighter detached heads from cleansed shrimp bodies, said means for separating receiving the heads and shrimp bodies exiting the exit end of said downstream conduit, headless cleansed shrimp bodies being conveyable from said means for separating to shrimp-peeling apparatus for removal of shell and other appendages.

The method of deheading shrimp, comprising the steps of:

• creating a fluid flow path through a closed pipe having a region of sharply decreasing cross-sectional area causing a significant change in fluid speed through a turbulent flow path;
• introducing shrimp in said fluid flow path;
• and
• inducing a flow volume through said region producing a change in fluid speed sufficient to detach shrimp heads from tail portions in said region by restriction of the turbulence of the fluid.

Apparatus for detaching heads from shrimp conveyed in a fluid stream through conduits, comprising:

• upstream conduit enclosing a first channel with a first cross-sectional area, said upstream conduit having a first end and a second end downstream of the first end;
• downstream conduit enclosing a second channel with a second cross-sectional area less than said first cross-sectional area, said downstream conduit having an entrance end and an exit end;
• conduit connecting structure having a transition region of sharply decreasing channel cross-sectional area for putting the second end of said upstream conduit into communication with the entrance end of said downstream conduit and causing a significant change in fluid speed through a turbulent flow path;
• flow control means for inducing a flow rate of shrimp-laden fluid through said upstream and downstream conduits producing a change in the speed of the fluid in said transition region sufficient to detach heads from the shrimp by restriction of the turbulence of the fluid;
• and
• wherein said upstream and downstream conduits are coaxially aligned on opposing sides of said conduit connecting structure.