US 9,739,520 B2 · Combined impingement/plate freezer

Abstract

A contact freezer (10) combining the techniques of plate freezing and impingement freezing. One or more cooling modules (11) are disposed sequentially with a continuous conveyor (14) for carrying a food product. Each cooling module (11) includes a refrigerated plate (16) disposed underneath and supporting the conveyor (14). The food product is simultaneously cooled using the impingement freezing technique. A cooling coil (19) is disposed above the conveyor (14). One or more fans (22) disposed below the cooling coil (19) circulate air downwardly through the cooling coil (19) and through an array of diverters (23) so that high speed cooled air is directed onto the food product. The contact freezer (10) may also include a pre-chilling section (12) with a refrigerated plate (24) but without impingement freezing elements.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A combined impingement/plate freezer system for cooling a food product, comprising:

(a) a pre-chiller section comprising a first refrigerated plate section;
(b) at least one cooling module disposed downstream of the pre-chiller section, the cooling module comprising:
an insulated box having an inlet opening and an outlet opening,
a second refrigerated plate disposed within the insulated box,
a conveyor disposed at least partly within the insulated box for carrying the food product though the inlet opening, the insulated box and the outlet opening, the conveyor comprising a belt passing over and supported by the underlying first refrigerated plate of the pre-chiller section passing over and supported by the underlying second refrigerated plate of the at least one cooling module;
a cooling coil disposed within the insulated box above the conveyor,
a fan positioned for circulating air downwardly through the cooling coil and towards the conveyor for impinging the air onto the food product disposed on the conveyor.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Combined impingement/plate freezer

Life of this patent

Combined impingement/plate freezer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims7