Thermal processing method and apparatus for use with packaging containers
AssigneeCarnaudmetalbox (Holdings) USA, Inc.
InventorRichard Geoffrey Walden
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for thermally treating a product in a container having a headspace above the product, in which the container is subjected to a heated or cooled environment and is simultaneously agitated. The acceleration to which the container is subjected by the agitation is of sufficient magnitude to cause the process to operate in a regime in which the heating or cooling time required for the product to reach a predetermined temperature is very substantially reduced and moreover is substantially insensitive to changes in the acceleration.
Claims33
A process for thermally treating a product in a container having a headspace above the product, in which the container is subjected to an environment heated to a predetermined heating temperature and is simultaneously agitated, wherein the minimum acceleration amount to which the container is subjected during the agitation is of sufficient magnitude to cause the process to operate in a regime in which the heating time required for the product to reach a predetermined processing temperature is (i) reduced by at least about 90% compared to the heating time required to reach the same predetermined processing temperature when subjected to an environment heated to the same environmental heating temperature but without agitation and (ii) substantially insensitive to increases in the magnitude of the acceleration amount.
A process for cooling a hot product in a container having a headspace above the product, wherein the container is subjected to a environment cooled to a predetermined cooling temperature and is simultaneously agitated with an acceleration amount of sufficient minimum magnitude to cause the process to operate in a regime in which the cooling time required for the product to reach a predetermined processing temperature is reduced by at least about 90% compared to the cooling time required reach the predetermined processing temperature when subjected to an environment cooled to the same cooling temperature but without agitation and moreover is substantially insensitive to increases in the magnitude of the acceleration amount.
Apparatus for subjecting a container of a product to a thermal treatment, the container having a headspace above the product, which comprises:
- (1) enclosure means for providing an environment for the container during said thermal treatment;
- (2) heating means for admitting a heating medium to said environment to heat the same to an environmental heating temperature;
- (3) support means for supporting the container within the enclosure means;
- (4) drive means for the container when supported by the support means;
- the drive means being arranged, while the heating means is effective to heat the environment for said thermal treatment, to agitate the container with an acceleration amount which is of sufficient magnitude to cause the thermal treatment to operate in a regime in which the heating time required for the product to reach a predetermined processing temperature is reduced by at least about 90% compared to the heating time required to reach said predetermined processing temperature at the same environmental heating temperature but without agitation and moreover is substantially insensitive to increases in the magnitude of the acceleration amount.
Apparatus for cooling a hot product in a container having a headspace above the product, which comprises:
- (1) enclosure means for providing an environment for the container during said cooling;
- (2) cooling means for admitting a cooling medium to said environment to cool the same to an environmental cooling temperature;
- (3) support means for supporting the container within the enclosure means;
- (4) drive means for the container when supported by the support means;
- the drive means being arranged, while the cooling means is effective to cool the environment for said cooling, to agitate the container with an acceleration amount which is of sufficient magnitude to cause the cooling to operate in a regime in which the cooling time required for the product to reach a predetermined temperature is reduced by at least about 90% compared to the cooling time required to reach said predetermined temperature at the same environmental cooling temperature but with agitation and moreover is substantially insensitive to increases in the magnitude of the acceleration amount.
A process for thermally treating a product in a container, comprising the steps of:
- a) filling a container with a product so as to form a headspace in the container above the product;
- b) placing the container in an environment that is at an environmental temperature, the environmental temperature being different from the temperature of the product filling the container;
- c) reciprocating the filled container in the environment so as to impart an acceleration amount to the container of at least about 3/4 g, g being the acceleration due to gravity, so as to thermally treat the product.
A process for thermally treating a product in a container, comprising the steps of:
- a) filling a container with a product so as to form a headspace in the container above the product;
- b) placing the container in an environment that is at an environmental temperature, the environmental temperature being different form the temperature of the product filling the container;
- c) reciprocating the filled container in the environment until the product reaches a predetermined temperature, said reciprocation being applied so as to impart an acceleration amount to the container equal to at least a critical minimum threshold amount, the critical minimum threshold amount being that (i) at which the time required for the product to reach the predetermined temperature is at least about 90% less than the time otherwise required to reach the same temperature without reciprocation and (ii) above which the time required to reach the predetermined temperature drops by no more than one minute for each one g increase in the magnitude of the acceleration amount.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.