Apparatus and a method for clean-in-place for a semi-frozen food dispensing machine

A clean in place soft serve product refrigeration and product dispensing machine including an evaporator having a freezing chamber;

• a product mix entry and a product dispensing valve for a product mix exit of product to and from said freezing chamber;
• a dasher assembly in said freezing chamber for effecting mixing of product and to provide displacement of product mix through the product dispensing valve;
• a drive shaft extending through a wall of said freezing chamber for coupling to said dasher assembly, said drive shaft for connection to a drive actuator for effecting rotation of said drive shaft;
• a housing intermediate said drive actuator and said wall of said freezing chamber through which said drive shaft extends;
• and a pair of spaced apart seals surrounding said shaft to inhibit product mix passage from said freezing chamber into a space intermediate said seals along said drive shaft and in said housing;
• and a flushing port for injecting a cleaning and/or sanitizing solution intermediate said seals to flush said space of any product mix entering into said space.

A soft serve product refrigeration and product dispensing machine comprising a refrigeration cycle including, in a closed refrigerant path a serially connected evaporator forming a freezing chamber for product mix, a refrigeration compressor, condenser and expansion valve;

• a pressurized container for housing either a product mix solution or a cleaning and/or sanitizing solution, and means configured to deliver one of said solutions to the freezing chamber dependant upon the pressure applied to said product mix container;
• said freezing chamber including a solution entry and product dispensing valve forming a product or solution exit, and a dasher assembly in said freezing chamber for agitating the product or solution and for moving product or solution from the inlet to said product dispensing valve;
• a drive shaft for coupling said dasher to a drive actuator for effecting rotation of said drive shaft through a pair of spaced apart, co-axially mounted, seals surrounding said shaft;
• said seals configured to inhibit product mix passage from said freezing chamber into said drive actuator;
• and a controlled cleaning and/or sanitizing solution carrying line for effecting flushing of said space intermediate said seals whereby any product mix passage into said space may be flushed clean.