Food drying apparatus
AssigneesRiviana Foods, Inc., Satake Corporation
InventorsJohn Hugh Kendall, Ranvir Biki Mohindra, Duane Stephen Rutherford, Satoru Satake, Sigeharu Kanamoto, Katsuyuki Kumamoto
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Abstract
The field of the invention is food drying apparatus and methods. In particular, the invention discloses a rotary dryer which dries food granules, such as rice, by rotation within a perforated cylindrical barrel, to prepare the rice for packaging. The dryer provides high velocity drying zones along its length, and high temperatures may be used.
Claims34
A dryer for drying a food granule slurry including water and wet food granules, comprising:
- a perforated rotating barrel having separately controllable temperature zones, wherein said food granules advance in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said barrel during rotation;
- a blower for blowing air past said food granules along a path that passes through perforations in said barrel, across an inner space within said barrel, and exits through perforations in said barrel;
- and
- a food granule retention device operatively coupled adjacent an exit of said barrel, said retention device configured to retain said food granules within said barrel until said food granules are dried to a predetermined moisture content.
A dryer for drying a food granule slurry including water and wet food granules, comprising:
- a perforated rotating barrel having separately controllable temperature zones, wherein said food granules advance in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said barrel during rotation;
- a food granule advancer disposed within said barrel and configured to facilitate advancement of said food granules substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis during drying;
- a blower for blowing air past said food granules along a path that passes through perforations in said barrel, across an inner space within said barrel, and exits through perforations in said barrel;
- and
- a food granule retention device operatively coupled to an end of said rotating barrel, said retention device configured to retain said food granules within said rotating barrel until said food granules are dried to a predetermined moisture content.
A dryer for drying a food granule slurry including water and wet food granules, comprising:
- a perforated rotating barrel having separately controllable temperature zones, wherein said food granules advance in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said barrel during rotation;
- a food granule advancer disposed within said barrel and configured to facilitate advancement of said food granules substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis during drying, said advancer including a plurality of spiral flights disposed on an interior surface of said barrel;
- a food granule mixer disposed within said barrel and configured to facilitate mixing and uniform distribution of said food granules during drying, said mixer including a rotating shaft having projections extending therefrom;
- a blower for blowing air past said food granules along a path that passes through perforations in said barrel, across an inner space within said barrel, and exits through perforations in said barrel;
- and
- a food granule retention device operatively coupled adjacent an exit of said rotating barrel, said retention device including an adjustable lip plate configured to retain said food granules within said barrel until said food granules are dried to a predetermined moisture content.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.