Spiral freezer, refrigeration delivery, enclosure and drive

A freezer for continuous duty in continuous food process lines, comprising:

• a ventilated conveyor comprising in sequence a food-carrying inflow section, main run, and outflow section as well as an empty return run, which main run either ascends or descends in coils from the inflow section to the outflow section for economy of floor space;
• an arrangement of heat exchanger tubes entwined with the main run being arranged with ventilation gaps therebetween to allow in combination with the ventilated conveyor the vertical circulation of air therethrough;
• a freezer compartment for enclosing the coiled main run of the food-carrying conveyor and entwined heat exchanger tubes wherein said heat exchanger tubes include refrigerant input points and refrigerant discharge or output points adapted for service connections to a refrigerant circulating system, whereby said entwined arrangement of conveyor and heat exchanger tubes provides close proximity between the source(s) of heat in the food product on the conveyor and the sink of that heat to the refrigerant flowing inside the heat exchanger tubes;
• wherein said heat exchanger tubes are entwined by virtue of being interlaced between the coils of the conveyor's main run.

A freezer for continuous duty in continuous food process lines, comprising:

• a ventilated conveyor comprising in sequence a food-carrying inflow section, coiled run, and outflow section as well as an empty return run, wherein the coiled section either ascends or descends between the inflow and outflow sections;
• heat exchanger tubes arranged for close-proximity extraction of heat from food product carried on coiled run of the conveyor and being arranged with ventilation gaps therebetween to allow in combination with the ventilated conveyor the vertical circulation of air therethrough;
• a freezer compartment for enclosing at least the coiled run of the conveyor;
• and
• a refrigerant circulating system for circulating refrigerant through the heat exchanger tubes;
• wherein said coiled run wraps around the surface of an imaginary cylinder and accordingly defines a hollow cylindrical core therefor;
• said freezer further comprising a conveyor drive system having a driven barrel disposed inside the hollow cylindrical core of the coiled run, the barrel impermanently interfacing the coiled run at least at intervals to motivate the conveyor in a direction of advance through the coiled run.

A freezer for continuous duty in continuous food process lines, comprising:

• a ventilated conveyor comprising in sequence a food-carrying inflow section, coiled run, and outflow section as well as an empty return run, wherein the coiled section either ascends or descends between the inflow and outflow sections;
• heat exchanger tubes arranged for close-proximity extraction of heat from food product carried on coiled run of the conveyor and being arranged with ventilation gaps therebetween to allow in combination with the ventilated conveyor the vertical circulation of air therethrough;
• a freezer compartment for enclosing at least the coiled run of the conveyor;
• and
• a refrigerant circulating system for circulating refrigerant through the heat exchanger tubes;
• wherein the heat exchanger tubes can be differentiated into zones according to elevation, said refrigerant circulating system differentially servicing the differentiated zones of heat exchanger tubes in order to establish elevational zones within the freezer compartment that can be differentiated according what heat load can be pulled.

A freezer for continuous duty in continuous food process lines, comprising:

• a freezer compartment enclosing a double-helix arrangement that is arranged about a generally vertical central axis and defines a hollow cylindrical core as well as an outer cylindrical perimeter, said double-helix arrangement comprising one of a ventilated helical run of a food-carrying conveyor and another of a ventilated helical ramp;
• an open-ended inner cylindrical partition substantially occupying the hollow cylindrical core and extending vertically substantially coextensively with the double-helix arrangement as well as being either suspended or propped in the compartment and providing gaps proximate the floor and ceiling respectively to allow both an underflow along the floor and an overflow along the ceiling respectively;
• and
• a source of air circulation to induce a substantially vertical current inside the cylindrical partition;
• said freezer compartment having a lateral cylindrical sidewall, a ceiling, a floor, an upper infill section spanning between the ceiling and sidewall as well as a lower infill section spanning between the floor and sidewall in order to—in part, and cooperatively—eliminate perpendicular intersections for ease of cleaning away contaminants, one central protuberance bulging up from the floor, and another central protuberance dropping down from the ceiling, which altogether generally define a donut-shaped interior contour for shaping the air circulation pattern to simulate a donut skin rotating inside out without actually orbiting the vertical central axis, whereby any given particle in said circulation pattern generally completes a circuit without crossing over the central axis and within generally the same radial slice, substantially independent of any orbiting of the central vertical axis.

A freezer for continuous duty in continuous food process lines, comprising:

• a freezer compartment enclosing a double-helix arrangement that is arranged about a generally vertical central axis and defines a hollow cylindrical core, said double-helix arrangement comprising one of a helical run of a food-carrying conveyor and another of a helical ramp;
• a drive cylinder substantially occupying the hollow cylindrical core and extending vertically substantially coextensively with the double-helix arrangement double-helix arrangement as well as being either suspended or propped in the compartment for rotation;
• said drive cylinder having drive applicators and said conveyor having drive-applicator responders whereby the rotation of the drive cylinder motivates the conveyor to transit the helical ramp;
• and
• a drive source applied to the drive cylinder spaced radially substantially away from the central vertical axis whereby the drive cylinder is liberated from the necessity of clutter within the hollow core thereof of structure as central shafting or radial spokes.

A freezer for continuous duty in continuous food process lines, comprising:

• a freezer compartment enclosing a ventilated helical run of a food-carrying conveyor that is arranged about a generally vertical central axis and defines a hollow cylindrical core as well as an outer cylindrical perimeter;
• an open-ended inner cylindrical partition substantially occupying the hollow cylindrical core and extending vertically substantially coextensively with the ventilated helical run of the food-carrying conveyor as well as being either suspended or propped in the compartment and providing gaps proximate the floor and ceiling respectively to allow both an underflow along the floor and an overflow along the ceiling respectively;
• and
• a source of air circulation to induce a substantially vertical current inside the cylindrical partition;
• said freezer compartment having a lateral cylindrical sidewall, a ceiling, a floor, an upper infill section spanning between the ceiling and sidewall as well as a lower infill section spanning between the floor and sidewall in order to—in part, and cooperatively—eliminate perpendicular intersections for ease of cleaning away contaminants, one central protuberance bulging up from the floor, and another central protuberance dropping down from the ceiling, which altogether generally define a donut-shaped interior contour for shaping the air circulation pattern to simulate a donut skin rotating inside out without actually orbiting the vertical central axis, whereby any given particle in said circulation pattern generally completes a circuit without crossing over the central axis and within generally the same radial slice, substantially independent of any orbiting of the central vertical axis.

A freezer for continuous duty in continuous food process lines, comprising:

• a freezer compartment enclosing a ventilated helical run of a food-carrying conveyor that is arranged about a generally vertical central axis and defines a hollow cylindrical core as well as an outer cylindrical perimeter;
• a drive cylinder having a lateral cylindrical sidewall extending between upper and lower hoop edges, wherein said drive cylinder substantially occupies the hollow cylindrical core and extends vertically substantially coextensively with the ventilated helical run of the food-carrying conveyor as well as being either suspended or propped in the compartment for rotation by either a ring arrangement of hangers associated with the upper hoop edge or a ring arrangement of rolling stock associated with the lower hoop edge, either of which allows the elimination of a central axle and spokes therefor;
• said drive cylinder having drive applicators and said conveyor having drive-applicator responders whereby the rotation of the drive cylinder motivates the conveyor to transit the helical ramp;
• and
• a drive source applied to the drive cylinder along the sidewall thereof or along either of the hoop edges but not by a central axle having spokes radiating to fixtures on the sidewall.

A freezer for continuous duty in continuous food process lines, comprising:

• a freezer compartment enclosing a ventilated helical run of a food-carrying conveyor that is arranged about a generally vertical central axis and defines a hollow cylindrical core as well as an outer cylindrical perimeter;
• an open-ended inner cylindrical partition substantially occupying the hollow cylindrical core and extending vertically substantially coextensively with the ventilated helical run of the food-carrying conveyor as well as being either suspended or propped in the compartment and providing gaps proximate the floor and ceiling respectively to allow both an underflow along the floor and an overflow along the ceiling respectively;
• and
• at least one air circulation fan operatively disposed inside the open-ended inner cylindrical partition to induce a substantially vertical current therein, whereby said fan as disposed in the open-ended inner cylindrical partition allows reduction of the number of prospective air circulation fans needed for operative sufficiency to just said one.