US 5,249,861 AGranted

Apparatus for cooling, washing, draining, and blending liquid suspended materials

AssigneeKusel Equipment Company

InventorMeredith C. Thomson

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Abstract

The present invention discloses an apparatus for cooling, washing and draining liquid from a suspension of material that includes discrete particles of a friable material such as cottage cheese curd and a transporting liquid, and for blending an additive liquid such as cottage cheese cream dressing into the friable material after it has been drained to prepare a blended material. The apparatus includes a vessel having a bottom wall, a lower aperture in the bottom wall, a side wall and a top wall. A sweep is mounted in the vessel for rotation about a principal axis to gently agitate suspended or blended material. A manifold is mounted in surrounding relation to the lower aperture of the vessel and has upper and lower chambers, a foraminous screen mounted between the upper and lower chambers, a first opening for admitting or exhausting material from the upper chamber above the foraminous screen, and a second opening in fluid communication with the lower chamber for draining liquid. An auxiliary agitator is provided which includes a shaft having upper intermediate and lower portions. The agitator is adapted to be mounted in the vessel for rotation about a secondary axis that is at an acute angle to the principal axis to stir material.

Claims14

Dependent claims

An apparatus for applying a cooling and washing liquid to a suspension of material that includes discrete particles of a friable material, for draining said liquid, and for blending an additive liquid into said friable material when drained to prepare a blended material comprising:

a vessel (1) having a bottom wall (2), a lower aperture (28) in said bottom wall (2), side walls (3) and a top wall (4);
a sweep means (10) mounted in said vessel (1) for rotation about a principal axis (AX1) to agitate said liquid and said suspension of material or said blended material therein in said vessel (1) and to clean said bottom wall (2) and said side walls (3);
and
a manifold means (30) in surrounding relation to said lower aperture (28) in the bottom wall (2) of said vessel (1) having upper and lower chambers (31, 32), the upper chamber (31) being in communication with said vessel (1) through said lower aperture (28), a foraminous means (33) mounted between said upper and lower chambers (31, 32) sized to prevent passage of said discrete particles therethrough during operation, a first opening means (36) communicating with the upper chamber (21) and including a material port (37) for admitting said suspension of material or liquid to and a material discharge port (39) for exhausting blended material from said upper chamber (31) without passing through said foraminous means (33), and a second opening means (41) in fluid communication with the lower chamber (32) for draining liquid from said vessel (1) though said foraminous means (33).

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.