U.S. patent application number 12/441606 was filed with the patent office on 2010-02-11 for device for the rapid freezing of substances.
Invention is credited to Rudolf Erwin Berghoff, Joe Wijlens.
Application Number | 20100031689 12/441606 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39134121 |
Filed Date | 2010-02-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100031689 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Berghoff; Rudolf Erwin ; et
al. |
February 11, 2010 |
DEVICE FOR THE RAPID FREEZING OF SUBSTANCES
Abstract
The invention relates to a device for the rapid freezing of the
surface or for the complete freezing of starting substances, in
particular of food or pharmaceuticals, said device comprising a
treatment zone (B), through which a cryogenic liquefied gas flows
as a coolant, said gas thereby freezing at least the surfaces of
the starting substances and thereby causing relative movements
between the starting substances, which are immersed in the coolant.
The treatment zone (B) is made up of modules (M1, M2, M3, M4) and
the length thereof can be changed by adding or removing one or a
plurality of modules.
Inventors: |
Berghoff; Rudolf Erwin;
(Unterschleissheim, DE) ; Wijlens; Joe; (Leerdam,
NL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
The BOC Group, Inc.
575 MOUNTAIN AVENUE
MURRAY HILL
NJ
07974-2082
US
|
Family ID: |
39134121 |
Appl. No.: |
12/441606 |
Filed: |
September 14, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
September 14, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP07/08000 |
371 Date: |
June 12, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/374 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A23L 3/362 20130101;
A23L 3/361 20130101; F25D 13/065 20130101; F25D 3/11 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/374 |
International
Class: |
F25D 17/02 20060101
F25D017/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 22, 2006 |
DE |
10 2006 045 324.7 |
Claims
1. A device for the rapid freezing of the surface or for the
complete freezing of starting substances, in particular food or
pharmaceuticals, comprising a treatment zone through which a
cryogenic liquefied gas flows as a coolant, said gas freezing at
least surfaces of the starting substances and causing relative
movements between the starting substances which are immersed in the
coolant, the treatment zone comprising a plurality of modules to
which can be added or removed one or a plurality of the modules for
adjusting a length of the treatment zone, wherein at least one of
the plurality of modules is inclined against the horizontal and is
adjustable in its inclination with respect to the horizontal.
2. (canceled)
3. The device according to claim 1, wherein two modules of the
plurality of modules which succeed one another in a flow direction
of the coolant are substantially arranged underneath one another
and inclinations of the two modules provide flow directions in the
two modules to be substantially oriented in opposite
directions.
4. The device according to claim 1, wherein each one of the
plurality of the modules comprise a straight pipe, the straight
pipe comprising a rectangular cross section.
5. The device according to claim 1, wherein each one of the
plurality of the modules comprise a straight chamfer, the straight
chamfer comprising a U-shaped cross section.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a device for the rapid freezing of
the surface or for the complete freezing of starting substances, in
particular of food or pharmaceuticals, thereby freezing at least
the surfaces of the starting substances and thereby causing
relative movements between the starting substances.
[0002] The object of producing so-called IQF (Individual Quick
Frozen) products, in which the frozen starting substances are
available so as to be packaged in containers and being freely
movable against one another, from starting substances by means of
freezing occurs frequently in the food industry. When further
processing IQF products, for example in the kitchen, they can be
dosed simply and they make it possible to remove only a portion of
the container content without having the defrost the entire
content. If the starting substances are foods encompassing wet
surfaces, such as prawns, berries or fungi, for example, it must be
ensured that there is a relative movement of the starting
substances to one another during the freezing, because the starting
substances can otherwise easily freeze to one another and can form
agglomerates. It is the state of the art to generate the relative
movement by means of jogging units, in which the starting
substances are frozen, or to fluidize them by means of a cold gas
flow during the freezing process.
[0003] Devices are furthermore known, as they are described in
patent specification EP0393078, among others, in which the starting
substances are transported through a treatment zone in a turbulent
or laminar flow of cryogenic liquefied gas. The starting substances
are surrounded by cryogenic liquefied gas, which causes a rapid
freezing of the surface and which thus prevents an adhesion of the
starting substances. On the other hand, the desired relative
movement between the starting substances is generated here at the
surface of the starting substances by means of the turbulences in
the liquefied gas flow and/or by means of a boiling liquid. At the
end of the treatment zone, where the liquefied gas is separated
from the starting substances, a product is available, which is
possibly transformed into an IQF product by means of the subsequent
treatment steps.
[0004] The freezing state, which can be attained in the treatment
zone, depends on the type and the quantity of the used starting
substances and on the time during which the coolant and the
starting substances, which are to be frozen, are in contact
(contact time). The device described in patent specification
EP0393078 only offers few possibilities for the variation of the
contact time, such as the changing of the coolant flow or the
exchange of the coolant. The spectrum of the starting substances,
which are treated by means of this device, is thus limited.
[0005] It is thus the object of the instant invention embodiments
to specify a device of the afore-mentioned type, which makes it
possible to vary the contact time in a simple manner and to thus
adapt it to the requirements, which result from the characteristics
of the starting substances, which are to be frozen, and from the
demands on the product, which is produced by means of freezing.
[0006] The object is solved according to the invention in that the
treatment zone is made up of modules and in that its length can be
changed by adding or removing one or a plurality of modules.
[0007] The time during which the coolant and the starting
substances, which are to be frozen, are in contact (contact time)
can also be changed by means of the variability of the length of
the treatment zone. Under otherwise the same conditions, the
following applies: the longer the treatment zone, the longer the
contact time. However, the contact time can only be changed in
discrete steps by adding or removing one or a plurality of
modules.
[0008] An advantageous embodiment of the device according to the
invention thus provides for the inclination of at least one module
to be preferably continuously adjustable as compared to the
horizontal (inclination). The driving force for the movement of the
coolant as well as of the starting substances, which are immersed
in the coolant, through the treatment zone, is mainly the force of
gravity and the grade resistance, respectively. An increase of the
inclination of a module thus leads to an increase of this driving
force and thus to a reduction of the contact time. If the treatment
zone is made up of more than one module, the modules can encompass
the same or different inclinations.
[0009] By means of a simultaneous change of the length of the
treatment zone and of the inclination of one or a plurality of
modules, the device according to the invention makes it possible
for the contact time to change continuously in a broad range and to
thus adapt it in a specific manner to the characteristics of the
starting substances (type, quantity, temperature, water content)
and to the demands made on the product, which is produced by means
of freezing.
[0010] The device according to the invention furthermore allows for
the use of different coolants, because different cooling
characteristics of the coolants are compensable by changing the
contact time. Provision is preferably made for liquid nitrogen or
liquid oxygen or a mixture of liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen as
coolant.
[0011] So as to be able to also install a device according to the
invention in small available spaces, such as they occur during the
installation in existing cooling treatment devices (e.g. tunnel
freezer), an advantageous embodiment of the invention provides for
two modules, which succeed one another in flow direction of the
coolant to be arranged for the most part underneath one another,
wherein the inclinations of the two modules ensure that the flow
directions in the two modules are substantially oriented in
opposite direction.
[0012] Advantageously, the modules are embodied as straight pipes
or as straight chamfers, wherein the pipes preferably encompass a
rectangular cross section and the chamfers preferably encompass a
U-shaped cross section.
[0013] The device according to the invention makes it possible to
produce products comprising a defined quality from different
starting substances. The configuration of a plurality of modules to
be located on top of one another results in a compact design of a
treatment zone, whereby it is possible to integrate such a device
into existing freezers, such as, e.g., in tunnel freezers.
[0014] The invention will be defined in more detail below by means
of an exemplary embodiment, which is schematically illustrated in
the FIGURE. The exemplary embodiment is a portion of a device for
producing an IQF product by means of rapid freezing of chunky
starting substances in a liquid coolant. The directions of
substance flows are indicated by means of arrows for clarification
purposes.
[0015] The device is equipped with a feeding device Z for feeding a
coolant, which is preferably a cryogenic liquid nitrogen, which is
joined by the first module M1, which is embodied as a chamfer
comprising a U-shaped cross section, of the treatment zone B. The
coolant feed is thereby carried out in such a manner that the
coolant comprising a profile, which is homogeneous across the
entire flow cross section, enters into the first module M1. The
starting substances, which are to be frozen, can be introduced into
the device according to the invention via the loading point A and
thus reach the flowing coolant, from where they are dragged along
and thereby moved against one another.
[0016] Further modules M2 to M4, the inclinations of all of which
can be changed as compared to the horizontal, are arranged
underneath one another underneath the first module M1. The coolant
and the starting substances, which are dragged along by the
coolant, flow downward at the end of the modules M1, M2 and M3 and
thus reach into the respective following module. The number of
modules and the inclinations thereof are chosen in such a manner
that the product at the end of the module M4 encompasses a defined
degree of freezing, by means of which it falls onto the conveyor
belt T, which is arranged underneath the treatment zone B and by
means of which it can be fed to a further, non-illustrated cooling
treatment after separation of the coolant.
* * * * *