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US 7,596,963 B2Granted
Conveyor screw for use as surface scraper in cooling and freezing units
AssigneeTetra Laval Holding & Finance S.A.
InventorHenrik Guldmann Rasmussen
Life of this patent
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AssigneeTetra Laval Holding & Finance S.A.
InventorHenrik Guldmann Rasmussen
Estimating the term…
A conveyor screw for conveyance of high viscose masses and an apparatus with such a conveyor screw, preferably for production of an ice cream. Said crew having a plurality of screw flights, where at least two screw flights extend from an inlet end part of the conveyor screw and wherein the outer edges of the two screw flights extend in different radial distance from longitudinal axis. Whereby the radially shorter screw flight assists with the conveyance of a part of the mass without affecting the whole mass and especially without affecting the ice layer, which by use of the conveyor screw in a through-flow freezer is created on the inner wall of the freezing cylinder. Cooling the mass to a temperature of −15° C. or lower as preparation for extrusion of the mass for formation.
A conveyor screw having a plurality of screw flights, each of which extends in a helical path about a longitudinal axis, wherein at least two of the screw flights extend in parallel from an inlet end part of the conveyor screw to an outlet end part of the conveyor screw, wherein outer edges of the at least two of the screw flights extend a different radial distance from the longitudinal axis, wherein at least a radially shorter of the screw flights is continuous along the full length thereof, and wherein the radially shorter of the screw flights extend in the range of 0.85 to 0.98 times the radius of the radially longer of the screw flights.
A conveyor comprising a stationary part having an inner surface, which closely encloses a conveyor screw having a plurality of screw flights, each of which extends in a helical path about a longitudinal axis, wherein at least two of the screw flights extend in parallel from an inlet end part of the conveyor screw and are continuous along the full length thereof, wherein outer edges of the at least two of the screw flights extend a different radial distance from the longitudinal axis and wherein the radially shorter of the screw flights extends in a range of 0.85 to 0.98 times the radius of the longer screw flight, drive means for rotating the conveyor screw about the longitudinal axis thereof, and inlet and outlet to direct a mass to the inlet end of the conveyor screw and from its outlet end, respectively.
An apparatus for making ice cream, comprising a through-flow freezer having an inner surface, which closely encloses a conveyor screw having a plurality of screw flights, each of which extends in a helical path about a longitudinal axis wherein at least two of the screw flights in parallel from an inlet end part of the conveyor screw, wherein outer edges of the at least two of the screw flights extend a different radial distance from the longitudinal axis, and wherein a radially shorter of the screw flights extends in a range of 0.85 to 0.98 times the radius of the radially longer screw flight and is continuous along the full length thereof, drive means for rotating the conveyor screw about the longitudinal axis thereof, cooling means for cooling the inner surface, an inlet for directing an ice cream mass to the inlet end part of the conveyor screw and an and outlet for receiving the ice cream mass from an outlet end of the conveyor screw, and wherein the cooling means are adapted to cool down a through-flowing ice cream mass, which enters at a temperature of 4° C. to 25° C., to a temperature of 0° C.
Method of making an ice cream mass, wherein, after an ice cream mass is fed into the inlet of an apparatus comprising a through-flow freezer having an inner surface, which closely encloses a conveyor screw, having a plurality of parallel screw flights, each of which extends in a helical path about a longitudinal axis, wherein at least two of the screw flights extend from an inlet end part of he conveyor screw, wherein outer edges of the at least two of the screw flights extend a different radial distance from the longitudinal axis, and wherein a radially shorter of the screw flights extend in a range of 0.85 to 0.98 times the radius of the radially longer screw flight, drive means for rotating the conveyor screw about the longitudinal axis thereof, cooling means for cooling the inner surface, an inlet for directing an ice cream mass to the inlet end part of the conveyor and an outlet for receiving the ice cream mass from an outlet end of the conveyor screw, wherein an ice cream mass is fed into the inlet of the apparatus, wherein the ice cream mass is cooled down by said cooling means from an entering temperature of 4° C. to 25° C. to a temperature below 0° C. as it is conveyed by the conveyor screw from the inlet end part of the conveyor screw to the outlet of the apparatus, and wherein the radially shorter screw flight assists with the conveyance of a part of the ice cream mass without affecting an ice layer created on the inner surface of the through-flow freezer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.