Rapid cooling through a thin flexible membrane
AssigneeThermoGenesis Corp.
InventorsPhilip H. Coelho, Terry Wolf
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Rapid cooling or freezing of foodstuffs, perishables or blood products is accomplished by using a thin film membrane to totally envelope the foodstuffs or blood product only during the heat extraction period. This thin film encapsulation system closes around the item and is held tightly to the item by atmospheric and/or hydrostatic pressure. Once the item is encapsulated, low temperature heat transfer fluids are then circulated on the exterior surface of the membrane, thus extracting the heat within the item through the thickness of the membrane. Upon completion of the necessary chilling or freezing, the atmospheric and/or hydrostatic pressure is withdrawn and the chilled or frozen item is extracted.
Claims7
A device for fast freezing perishables, comprising, in combination:
- a container having an open top;
- a liquid refrigerant disposed in said container which is provided with means for maintaining the refrigerant at a temperature to enable the fast freezing of the perishables;
- a removable cover plate having top and bottom surfaces and a plurality of slotted openings;
- said cover plate being hermetically secured to said container top;
- each said slotted opening having a pouch formed of thin-walled flexible plastic material with the pouch opening hermetically sealed to the bottom perimetric edge of said slotted opening to depend therefrom into the container interior;
- a plurality of tubular spray heads mounted in said container below said cover plate to direct liquid refrigerant against said pouches;
- an insulated closure member moveable from an open position exposing said slots for inserting perishables into said pouches to a closed position hermetically sealing said closure to said cover plate top surface;
- and
- vacuum means acting between said cover plate top surface and said insulated closure to collapse said pouches around said perishables whereby fast freezing is achieved by said liquid refrigerant spray aided by improved heat transfer resulting from the vacuum created close contact between the pouches and perishables.
A device for fast freezing perishables, comprising, in combination:
- a container having an open top;
- a liquid refrigerant disposed in said container which is provided with means for maintaining the refrigerant at a temperature to enable the fast freezing of perishables;
- a removable cover plate having top and bottom surfaces and a plurality of slotted openings;
- each slotted opening having a pouch formed of thin-walled flexible plastic material with the pouch opening hermetically sealed to the bottom perimetric edge of said slotted opening to depend therefrom into the container interior;
- a plurality of spray heads mounted in said container to direct liquid refrigerant against said pouches;
- and
- an insulated closure member moveable from an open position exposing said slotted openings for inserting perishables into said pouches to a closed position sealing said closure to said cover plate top surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.