Back to results
US 6,658,864 B2Granted
Cryogenic cooling system apparatus and method
OwnerMichael Thomas, Lonnie Randolph +3inventors
InventorsMichael Thomas, Lonnie Randolph, Greg Brandt, Chris Gieseking, Dave Winship
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for using a cryogen for cooling articles, particularly having applications for chilling extrusions, food, and similar articles, utilizing dispersion of liquid cryogen into a feed chamber wherein it is substantially vaporized and then circulated through a cooling chamber containing the article to be cooled. A circulation device can circulate the vaporized cryogen through the cooling chamber, or through the article, at a variably controllable velocity to enhance the cooling efficiency using the principle of forced air convection and to provide improved temperature control in the system.
Claims72
A method of cooling an article comprising:
- a) introducing liquid cryogen into a feed chamber wherein said liquid cryogen is substantially vaporized;
- b) circulating said vaporized cryogen from said feed chamber into a separate cooling chamber containing said article to be cooled;
- c) circulating said vaporized cryogen at a controllable velocity from said feed chamber into said cooling chamber and around said article to create a wind chill temperature in said cooling chamber to increase a rate of cooling of said article;
- d) sensing an internal chamber temperature in at least one of said feed chamber and said cooling chamber and relaying said internal temperature to a controller;
- e) sensing an external temperature of said article after said article has exited said cooling chamber and relaying said external temperature to said controller;
- f) calculating said wind chill temperature in said cooling chamber, said wind chill temperature being a function of the internal temperature in said cooling chamber and the velocity at which said vaporized cryogen is circulated through said cooling chamber over said article;
- g) controlling said velocity based on the external temperature to cause said wind chill temperature to correspond to a temperature sufficient to cause said article to reach a desired article temperature after said article has excited said cooling chamber.
4 more elements
An apparatus for cooling an article comprising:
- a) a feed chamber;
- b) a source of liquid cryogen;
- c) an inlet into said feed chamber in fluid communication with said source of liquid cryogen;
- d) a valve disposed between said inlet and said source of liquid cryogen, said valve controllable to admit said liquid cryogen into said feed chamber wherein said liquid cryogen at least partially vaporizes;
- e) a cooling chamber generally separated from said feed chamber;
- f) at least one outlet throat connecting said feed chamber and said cooling chamber, said at least one outlet throat providing fluid communication therebetween;
- g) means for circulating said vaporized cryogen in said feed chamber to at least one of aid in substantial vaporization of said liquid cryogen within said feed chamber and circulate said vaporized cryogen in said cooling chamber via said at least one outlet throat to cool said article;
- h) an internal temperature sensor for sensing temperature in at least one of said feed chamber and said cooling chamber;
- i) an external temperature sensor for sensing an external temperature of said article after said article exits said cooling chamber and relaying said external temperature to a controller;
- j) said means for circulating controllable at variable speeds to circulate said vaporized cryogen over said article at a variable velocity to create a variable wind chill temperature in said cooling chamber;
- and
- k) said controller connected to said internal and said external temperature sensor, said controller controlling said means for circulating and said valve based on said external temperature to control said wind chill temperature.
9 more elements
A method of cooling an article comprising:
- a) introducing liquid cryogen into a generally enclosed cooling chamber in which an article to be cooled is disposed;
- b) vaporizing said liquid cryogen in said chamber to cool said article;
- c) circulating said vaporized cryogen at a controllable velocity in said cooling chamber and over said article to create a wind chill temperature to increase a rate of cooling of said article;
- d) sensing the temperature in said cooling chamber;
- e) sensing the temperature of said article after said article has left said cooling chamber;
- f) calculating said wind chill temperature in said chamber, said wind chill temperature being a function of the temperature in the cooling chamber and the velocity at which said vaporized cryogen is circulated in said cooling chamber;
- and
- g) controlling said velocity to cause said wind chill temperature to correspond to a wind chill temperature wherein said article reaches a desired temperature after said article has exited said cooling chamber.
5 more elements
An apparatus for cooling an article comprising:
- a) a feed chamber;
- b) a source of liquid cryogen;
- c) an inlet into said feed chamber in fluid communication with said source of liquid cryogen;
- d) a valve disposed between said inlet and said source of liquid cryogen, said valve controllable to admit said liquid cryogen into said feed chamber wherein said liquid cryogen at least partially vaporizes;
- e) a cooling chamber generally separated from said feed chamber, said cooling chamber including at least one metal tooling device adapted to make cooling contact with said article housed therein, said at least one metal tooling device includes a product passage forming an inner surface of said tooling and a plurality of fins extending from an outer surface of said metal tooling, said fins defining a plurality of channels adapted to provide passage of said vaporized cryogen;
- f) at least one outlet throat connecting said feed chamber and said cooling chamber, said at least one outlet throat providing fluid communication therebetween;
- g) means for circulating said vaporized cryogen in said feed chamber to at least one of aid in substantial vaporization of said liquid cryogen within said feed chamber and circulate said vaporized cryogen in said cooling chamber via said at least one outlet throat to cool said article;
- h) an internal temperature sensor for sensing temperature in at least one of said feed chamber and said cooling chamber;
- i) said means for circulating controllable at variable speeds to circulate said vaporized cryogen over said article at a variable velocity to create a variable wind chill temperature in said cooling chamber;
- and
- j) a controller connected to said internal and said external temperature sensor, said controller controlling said means for circulating to control said wind chill temperature.
8 more elements
A method of cooling an article comprising:
- a) introducing liquid cryogen into a feed chamber wherein said liquid cryogen is substantially vaporized;
- b) circulating said vaporized cryogen with a means for circulating from said feed chamber into a separate cooling chamber containing at least one metal tooling device against which said article to be cooled makes contact, said at least one metal tooling device including a product passage forming an inner surface of said metal tooling device and a plurality of fins extending from an outer surface of said metal tooling device, said fins defining a plurality of channels adapted to provide passage of said vaporized cryogen;
- c) circulating said vaporized cryogen at a controllable velocity from said feed chamber into said cooling chamber and around said at least one metal tooling device and said article to create a wind chill temperature in said cooling chamber to increase a rate of cooling of said article;
- d) sensing the temperature in at least one of said feed chamber and said cooling chamber;
- e) calculating said wind chill temperature in said cooling chamber, said wind chill temperature being a function of the temperature in said cooling chamber and the velocity at which said vaporized cryogen is circulated through said cooling chamber over said article;
- f) controlling said velocity to cause said wind chill temperature to correspond to a temperature sufficient to cause said article to reach a desired article temperature.
3 more elements
A method of inducing a vacuum in a closed forced-gas convection cooling system for cooling an article including a means for circulating a gas and a cooling chamber enclosing said article, said cooling chamber including (i) at least one outlet throat connecting said cooling chamber and said means for circulating a gas, said at least one outlet throat providing fluid communication therebetween, and (ii) at least one inlet throat connecting said cooling chamber and said means for circulating a gas such that said gas is recirculated in a substantially closed system, said method comprising:
- a) circulating said gas through said outlet throat into said cooling chamber and from said cooling chamber through said inlet throat to said means for circulating wherein the cross-sectional area of said outlet throat is less than the cross-sectional area of said inlet throat.
An apparatus for cooling an extruded article including a hollow comprising:
- a) a feed chamber;
- b) a source of liquid cryogen;
- c) an inlet into said feed chamber in fluid communication with said source of liquid cryogen;
- d) a valve disposed between said inlet and said source of liquid cryogen, said valve controllable to admit said liquid cryogen into said feed chamber wherein said liquid cryogen at least partially vaporizes;
- e) an extruder die and a mandrel generally separated from said feed chamber, said extruder die and said mandrel adapted to form said extruded article;
- f) an inlet conduit provided through said extruder die and mandrel such that said hollow is in fluid communication with said feed chamber, said inlet conduit providing fluid communication therebetween;
- g) means for circulating said vaporized cryogen in said feed chamber to at least one of said substantially vaporize said liquid cryogen within said feed chamber and circulate said vaporized cryogen in said hollow via said inlet conduit to cool said article;
- and
- h) a cutting chamber and a return conduit connecting said cutting chamber and said means for circulating and providing fluid communication therebetween such that said vaporized cryogen is recirculated.
6 more elements
A method of cooling an article to a desired product temperature comprising:
- a) introducing liquid cryogen into a feed chamber wherein said liquid cryogen is substantially vaporized;
- b) circulating said vaporized cryogen from said feed chamber into a separate cooling chamber containing said article to be cooled;
- c) circulating said vaporized cryogen at a controllable velocity from said feed chamber into said cooling chamber and around said article to create a wind chill temperature in said cooling chamber to increase a rate of cooling of said article;
- d) sensing the temperature in at least one of said feed chamber and said cooling chamber;
- e) calculating said wind chill temperature in said cooling chamber, said wind chill temperature being a function of the temperature in said cooling chamber and the velocity at which said vaporized cryogen is circulated through said cooling chamber over said article;
- f) selecting a desired product temperature;
- g) sensing the temperature of the article prior to entering said cooling chamber and calculating a difference between said desired product temperature and said temperature of the article prior to entering said cooling chamber;
- h) calculating an amount of energy that must be removed from said article during the resonance time said article is in said cooling chamber necessary to cool greater than 50% of the mass of said article to a super-cool temperature below the desired product temperature, such that the difference between said super-cool temperature and said desired product temperature is greater than or equal to said difference between the sensed temperature of the article prior to entering the cooling chamber and the desired product temperature, said amount of energy being a function of the heat capacity, thermal conductivity, and resonance time of said article in said cooling chamber;
- i) calculating a wind chill temperature necessary to remove said amount of energy;
- and
- j) controlling said velocity to cause said wind chill temperature to correspond to said wind chill temperature necessary to remove said amount of energy.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.