Bottle pasteurizer and method
AssigneeStokely-Van Camp, Inc.
InventorsAshok Shashikant Dhruv, Amos Rei-Young Wu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved method and apparatus for pasteurizing filled food containers having contents to be pasteurized includes spraying a heat transfer fluid onto the containers. As the contents increase in temperature, the flow rate of heat transfer fluid is decreased. The heat transfer fluid is at least about 20° F. hotter than the initial average temperature of the contents. In one embodiment, the temperature of the spent heat transfer fluid typically does not vary more than about 6° F. to 9° F.
Claims20
A method for pasteurizing filled food containers having contents to be pasteurized, comprising:
- conveying containers down a direction of a conveyor, the containers having contents to be pasteurized;
- spraying a heat transfer fluid onto the containers having contents to be pasteurized using a plurality of nozzles spaced along the conveyor, the nozzles forming generally a row parallel to the direction of movement of the conveyor, the row receiving the heat transfer fluid from a pipe, the pipe being generally parallel to the direction of movement of the conveyor, the contents of the containers having an initial average temperature, and the heat transfer fluid being at least about 20° F. hotter than the initial average temperature, to heat the contents of the containers;
- and
- decreasing the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid as the average temperature of the contents increases, the spacing of the spray nozzles selected so that the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid decreases in the direction of movement of the conveyor.
An apparatus for pasteurizing containers having contents to be pasteurized, comprising:
- a conveyor, having a direction of movement, for conveying containers having contents to be pasteurized;
- and
- spray nozzles, placed and directed for spraying a heat transfer fluid onto the containers, producing a heat transfer fluid effluent, the spray nozzles being spaced apart, the spray nozzles having a size corresponding to a flow rate capacity, the spacing of the spray nozzles selected so that the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid decreases in the direction of movement of the conveyor, the spray nozzles forming a row generally parallel to the direction of movement of the conveyor, the row receiving the heat transfer fluid from a pipe, the pipe being generally parallel to the direction of movement of the conveyor.
A method for pasteurizing filled food containers having contents to be pasteurized, comprising:
- conveying containers down a direction of a conveyor, the containers having contents to be pasteurized;
- spraying a heat transfer fluid onto the containers having contents to be pasteurized using a plurality of nozzles spaced along the conveyor, the plurality of nozzles forming a row generally parallel to the direction of the conveyor, the row receiving the heat transfer fluid by a pipe, the pipe generally parallel to the direction of the conveyor, the contents of the containers having an initial average temperature;
- and
- decreasing the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid as the average temperature of the contents increases, such that the temperature of an effluent of the heat transfer fluid does not vary more than about 9° F. during the time it takes to heat the average temperature of the contents by approximately 20° F. to 140° F., the spacing of the spray nozzles selected so that the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid decreases in the direction of movement of the conveyor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.