U.S. patent number 3,879,150 [Application Number 05/413,237] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-22 for pumping supply system for delivering at ambient temperature highly viscous material.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation. Invention is credited to Joseph L. Brown, Don L. Terry.
United States Patent |
3,879,150 |
Brown , et al. |
April 22, 1975 |
Pumping supply system for delivering at ambient temperature highly
viscous material
Abstract
Known pumping supply system consists of supply vat having in its
bottom section twin lateral delivery screws extending to a
discharge outlet in an end wall and which are rotated in opposite
directions. The discharge outlet is flow connected to the intake of
a delivery pump. The present improvement adds thereto a pair of
oppositely rotated, laterally extending and transversely spaced,
flow-directing feeders mounted in the vat relatively closely above
the delivery screws. Each feeder has a driven shaft on which is
mounted along diametrically opposite sides thereof a pair of sets
of a plurality of substantially radially extending and rather
closely spaced paddles. These sets of paddles of one feeder shaft
are rotated by its shaft out of radial angular phase with those of
the other feeder shaft. These rotating feeders cooperatively force
the viscous material down into the lateral trough-shaped receiving
throat between the delivery screws. This improvement also includes
a delivery and return conduit which is flow connected between the
discharge opening of the delivery pump and an upper portion of the
vat. Between the delivery pump and a terminal portion of this
return conduit there is flow connected to the latter one or more
supply branch lines to supply the pumped material to one or more
use receiving stations. Each branch line may have connected therein
a flow rate controlling pump.
Inventors: |
Brown; Joseph L. (Dallas,
TX), Terry; Don L. (Duncanville, TX) |
Assignee: |
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Corporation (Louisville, KY)
|
Family
ID: |
23636419 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/413,237 |
Filed: |
November 6, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
415/72; 222/238;
366/300; 366/301; 425/217 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04B
23/04 (20130101); F04B 19/12 (20130101); F04D
3/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F04B
23/04 (20060101); F04B 19/12 (20060101); F04B
19/00 (20060101); F04D 3/00 (20060101); F04B
23/00 (20060101); F04D 3/02 (20060101); F04d
003/02 (); B01f 007/08 (); B01f 015/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;415/72,73,74,11
;259/6,104 ;222/238,240,413 ;198/213 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
St. Regis CP Food Equipment and Refrigeration Division "Bulletin
A-1-500.".
|
Primary Examiner: Husar; C. J.
Assistant Examiner: Casaregola; Louis J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Watson Leavenworth Kelton &
Taggart
Claims
Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is the novel subjects matter defined in
the following claims:
1. A pumping supply system for delivering at ambient temperature
highly viscous and butter-like paste material at a relatively
uniform rate of flow and substantially free of air voids
comprising, in combination;
1. a supply vat defining a supply chamber having a lateral bottom
section provided at one end with a laterally directed outlet;
2. delivery pumping means having its intake flow connected to the
vat outlet;
3. a pair of oppositely rotated and laterally extending driven
delivery screws in the bottom section of said vat chamber extending
in closely spaced general parallelism to said vat outlet which
define therebetween a lateral trough-shaped receiving throat;
4. a pair of oppositely rotated, laterally extending and
transversely spaced, flow-directing feeders mounted in said vat
chamber bottom section relatively closely above said delivery
screws, each comprising a driven lateral shaft carrying along its
length and fixed thereto a plurality of substantially radially
extending paddles; and
5. means to drive said feeder shafts in opposite certain directions
that cause said paddles on each of said feeder shafts to swing
forward toward the other feeder shaft and downward through the
transverse space intervening said feeders cooperatively to cause
the latter to force the paste material down into the trough-shaped
receiving throat between said screws;
6. said delivery pumping means having its discharge opening
connected to delivery conduit means leading to use receiving means
which demands less than the maximum delivery rate capacity of the
delivery pumping means and said delivery conduit means, the latter
having a terminal section defining a flow path back to said supply
vat for return to the latter of the excess above the demand of the
use receiving means; and
7. said use receiving means comprising a plurality of separate use
receiving stations with a plurality of supply branch lines
connected to said delivery conduit means between the delivery
pumping means and the terminal return section with each branch line
leading to one of said stations, each branch line including a
separate flow rate controlling pump.
2. The pumping supply system as defined in claim 1 characterized by
said delivery conduit means defining a direct return flow path from
the discharge opening of said delivery pumping means back to the
interior of said vat at a point of discharge above said vat chamber
bottom section, said plurality of supply branch lines for the
separate use receiving stations being directly flow connected to
said conduit means between the discharge opening of said delivery
pumping means and the terminal return section of said conduit
means.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
The present invention relates to pumping systems featured by
oppositely rotated twin lateral delivery screws located in the
bottom sections of supply vats thereof in which is placed masses of
highly viscous paste material for discharge thereof from the vat by
the screws through an end wall of the vat to a main delivery
pump.
Such an equipped supply vat is proposed in Bulletin A-1-500 of the
CP Food Equipment and Refrigeration Divsion of the St. Regis
Company, 1243 W. Washington Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60607.
However, that equipment called the "CP Pumping System" is designed
to comparatively large scale so as to serve its intended purpose
for relatively high capacity rates of delivery flow. When such
equipment is attempted to be used for relatively low capacity
operation in the baking industry to deliver uniformly relatively
exact amounts of highly viscous butter and stiff margarine or
shortening at ambient temperatures, to avoid the deterioration
thereof as to taste and physical characteristics by application of
liquefying heat, undesirable bridging occurs at the rotating
delivery screws and pockets of air become entrapped in the
delivered paste material which interferes deleteriously with the
desired uniform rates of flow at the receiving dough sheeters,
premixers, and dough developers.
These and other undesirable characteristics are efficiently
overcome or eliminated by the added features of the present
invention.
An object of the present invention is to improve such a pumping
supply system so that the supply output is at the desired uniform
low capacity rate of flow and the delivered flow or flows is or are
substantially free of entrapped air pockets.
Another object is to eliminate substantially the tendency at low
operational speeds for the paste material in the vat to bridge
threads of the delivery screws which tends to cause air entrapment,
and which assures uniform output flow.
A further object is to provide a delivery conduit which defines a
flow path between the main delivery pump and back to the vat which
has a greater flow capacity than the maximum delivery rate capacity
of use receiving means at one or more locations, with each of the
latter flow connected to this delivery conduit by a branch supply
line of the delivery conduit that assures constant positive flow at
uniform pressure at the use receiving means with the delivered flow
or flows being free of entrapped air pockets.
Briefly, the added equipment of the present invention includes (1)
a pair of rotatably driven feeders located in the vat just above
the twin rotated discharge screws and (2) the return line in the
form of a delivery conduit extending between the main delivery pump
and the vat with branch line or lines for one or more use receiving
means being flow connected to this delivery conduit.
Each feeder includes a rotatably driven lateral shaft preferably
having its ends supported by bearings carried by the opposed end
walls of the vat. Each feeder shaft carries along its length
between the vat end walls a plurality of substantially radially
extending paddles which preferably are provided in two
diametrically opposite sets thereof. These paddles preferably are
rather narrow in width and in each set are spaced along the shaft
at relatively small distances, e.g., about the width of each
paddle. The two rotary feeder shafts are driven in opposite
directions with that located immediately above one of the screws
being rotated in the same direction as the latter. This causes the
paddles carried by one of the feeder shafts to swing forward toward
the other feeder shaft and downward through the transverse space
that intervenes them, so that the sets of paddles on both shafts
cooperatively force the paste materials down into the trough-shaped
receiving throat between the oppositely driven discharge screws, so
as to avoid undesirable bridging of the screw blade turns.
The delivery conduit which extends from the discharge opening of
the delivery pump to the branch delivery line or lines, that
extends or extend to the one or more use receiving means, has a
terminal section beyond this branch line or these branch lines
which extends back to the chamber of the vat above the feeders as a
return flow line. The flow capacity of the delivery pump and this
delivery conduit is greater than the maximum demand of the use
receiving means, so that, in operation of this pumping supply
system, there is always return flow back to the vat chamber.
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in
part appear from reference to the following detailed description
taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like
numerals identify similar parts throughout, and in which:
FIG. 1 is an elevational perspective of an embodiment of the
pumping supply system of the present invention as designed for use
in the baking industry;
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on line
2--2 of FIG. 1, with parts broken away and others in side
elevation, of the supply vat and delivery conduit extending
therefrom toward the delivery pump;
FIG. 3 is an elevational view taken substantially on line 3--3 of
FIG. 1, with parts broken away, of the end of the vat opposite the
outlet end thereof; and
FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view, with parts broken
away, taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 1, showing the bottom of the
section of the supply vat and the equipment mounted therein.
As will be seen from the drawings the pumping supply system of the
present invention includes an open top supply vat 10 having a
supply chamber 11 defined by a pair of opposed and longitudinally
spaced transverse end walls 12 and 13, a pair of opposed and
transversely spaced sidewalls 14 and 15, and a longitudinally
extending bottom structure 16. As will be seen from FIG. 1, and as
is shown in FIG. 4, the supply chamber 11 defined by the supply vat
10 has a bottom section 17. The walls of the tank 10 are made of
corrosion resistant sheet metal which is compatible with and does
not deleteriously affect the paste material, e.g., highly viscous
butter or stiff margarine and shortening, and accordingly may be
made of sheeted stainless steel or other sheet metal which may be
painted or coated with an approved plastic.
As will be seen from FIGS. 2 and 4 the exit end wall 12 is provided
with a laterally directed outlet which may be in the form of a pair
of discharge openings 18 and 118. The composite laterally directed
outlet, in the form of the pair of outlet openings 18 and 118, feed
into a manifold sleeve 19 which is flow connected to the mouth 20
of a truncated tapered supply tube 21, as will be understood from
FIGS. 1 and 2. The discharge end 22 of the supply tube 21 is
connected to the intake 122 of a positive displacement pump 23, as
will be understood from FIGS. 1 and 2, and this pump constitutes
delivery pumping means having its intake flow connected to the vat
outlet cooperatively provided by the outlet openings 18 and
118.
As will be understood from FIGS. 2 and 4 a pair of delivery screws
24 and 25 are rotatably mounted in the vat chamber bottom section
17 in lateral orientation and closely spaced general parallelism in
any suitable manner. The delivery screws 24 and 25 respectively
include shafts 124 and 125 about each of which are respectively
carried spiraled thrust blades 26 and 27. As will be understood
from FIGS. 2 and 4 the spiral blade 26 is right handed and the
spiral thrust blade 27 is left handed, so that as the screw shafts
124 and 125 are rotated in opposite direction they both
cooperatively advance paste material in the vat chamber bottom
section toward the discharge vat end wall 12. The shaft of the
delivery screw 24 has its back end suitably journaled through the
vat end wall 13, to carry, fixed thereon, exterior of the vat
chamber, a driving spur gear 28, and the forward end of this screw
extends coaxially through the discharge opening 18 into the tubular
manifold 19 for suitable journaling therein (not shown).
The journal mounting of the delivery screw 25 is similar to that of
delivery screw 24, with coaxial extension of its forward end
through the discharge opening 118. As is indicated in FIG. 3 the
extending back end of the delivery screw shaft 125 carries exterior
of the vat chamber and the back end wall 13 suitable driving means,
such as in the form of a pulley 29 fixed thereon about which is
lapped a suitable driving belt 30, which may be a chain belt, that
in turn is lapped about a drive pulley 31 fixed on the output shaft
32 of a suitable drive motor 33. The delivery screw shaft 125 also
carries, fixed thereon, a spur gear 34 which is meshed with the
spur gear 28, so that as the motor 33 rotates the delivery screw
shaft 125 in clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 3, spur gear 28
which is meshed with gear 29 rotates the delivery screw shaft 124
in counterclockwise direction.
As will be best understood from FIG. 4 the oppositely rotated
driven delivery screws 24 and 25 define therebetween a lateral
trough-shaped receiving throat 35, into which the paste material
loaded into the vat chamber 11 will progressively feed,
particularly when suitably urged into this throat, for extrusion of
the paste material out through the discharge openings 18 and 118
for progressive delivery through the manifold 19 and the sleeve 21
into the intake 122 of the delivery pump 23 at a substantially
constant pressure. Since for the particular service for which this
embodiment of the pumping supply system is designed, e.g., for the
baking industry to supply the stiff butter, margarine or
shortening, to a plurality of use receiving means, such as a dough
sheeter, a premixer, and a dough developer, the constant pressure
of the stiff paste material is to be relatively low, e.g.,
approximately 2 pounds. Thus, the mere weight of the mass of paste
material which is loaded into the vat chamber 11, preferably by
hand, is not sufficient to assure that it will enter between the
turns of the delivery screw blades 26 and 27 without bridging, so
as to form air pockets therein unless suitable feeding means is
provided in the tank chamber bottom section immediately above these
delivery screws to perform this function.
As will be understood from FIGS. 2 and 4 such necessary feeding
means is in the form of a pair of oppositely rotated, laterally
extending and transversely spaced flow-directing feeders 36 and 136
that are mounted in the vat chamber bottom section 17 relatively
closely above these delivery screws 24 and 25 with these including
respectively lateral shafts 37 and 137 of similar construction and
mounted in similar manner between the vat end walls 12 and 13. For
example, feeder shaft 37 is rotatably supported by a suitable
journal 38 on back end wall 13 with the back end of this shaft
projecting through this back end wall to carry thereon and fixed
thereto, exterior of the vat chamber 11, driving pulley 39 and
drive spur gear 40. A similar journal 138 rotatably supports the
front end of this feeder shaft 37 upon the discharge end wall 12.
Such journals may, for example, be Teflon bearings.
Each feeder shaft, such as 37, carries along its length and fixed
thereto a plurality of substantially radially extending paddles 41
and 141. Preferably, these paddles are arranged in two
diametrically opposite sets, which may be about 21/4 inches long
and about three-quarters of an inch wide. Thus in each of the two
diametrically opposite sets these paddles 41 and 141 are of
relatively narrow width and are spaced longitudinally along the
shaft at relatively short distances apart, such as about
three-quarters of an inch. It is preferred that these paddles 41
and 141 be substantially flat and extend substantially radially of
the axis of the shaft 37 or 137 on which they are mounted, with the
paddles in one set, i.e., 41, being staggered longitudinally
relative to those in the opposite set, i.e., 141.
These feeders 36 and 136 are arranged and so driven as to be
rotated in opposite directions, i.e, those mounted on shaft 37 as
viewed in FIG. 4 to be swung counterclockwise and those mounted on
shaft 137 to be swung clockwise. Accordingly, the feeder shafts 37
and 137 are rotated in opposite certain directions which cause the
paddles carried by each to swing forward toward the other feeder
shaft and downward through the transverse space intervening these
feeders cooperatively to cause them to force the paste material
down into the trough-shaped receiving throat 35 between the
discharge screws 24 and 25. It is also preferred that the paddles
41 and 141 which are embodied in feeder 36 and those which are
embodied in feeder 136 are arranged out of radial angular phase
with respect to each other, e.g., at right angles or 90.degree..
This out of phase angular relationship of the paddles of one feeder
with respect to those of the other feeder assures that there will
be no undesirable interference with the downward forcing action of
the paddles of one with respect to those of the other, and also
elimination of any possible physical interference of the paddles of
one feeder with respect to those of the other feeder. It will also
be noted that these respective feeders are rotated in the same
directions as are the discharge screws located immediately
therebelow, i.e., discharge screw 24 and feeder 36 are rotated in
counterclockwise direction, and discharge screw 25 and feeder 136
are rotated in clockwise direction.
As will be understood from FIGS. 2 and 3 the projecting back end of
discharge screw shaft 124 also carries, fixed thereto, beyond spur
gear 28 a pulley 42. An endless belt 43 is lapped about screw
pulley 42 and feeder pulley 39 for drive of the latter from the
former. Feeder shaft 137 has its projecting back end carrying,
fixed thereto, a similar spur gear 140 which is meshed with spur
gear 40. Thus the motor 33 drives both of the feeders 36 and 136
and the discharge screws 24 and 25 simultaneously in the desired
indicated directions.
The delivery pump 23 has its discharge outlet at 44 connected to
delivery conduit means or a pipe 45 which leads to use receiving
means. For this purpose delivery pipe 41 may carry a T-fitting 46
which has one arm flow connected to the pipe 45 and the other arm
connected to a suitable branch line 47 which is to lead to one use
receiving means or equipment, such as a certain one of a dough
sheeter, a premixer, and a dough developer. A vertical pipe 145 is
mounted to the leg of the T-fitting 46 and has branch lines 48 and
49 flow connected thereto. The branch lines 48 and 49 respectively
feed to additional use receiving means such as the other two of the
three equipments mentioned above. Thus these branch lines 47, 48,
and 49, and their respective extensions 147, 148, and 149 provide
supply conduits for three different stations, e.g., No. 1, No. 2,
and No. 3. Preferably, each of these three supply branch lines has
inserted therein a separate flow rate controlling pump. Each such
pump (50 or 150 or 250) is driven by a speed controlled motor and
the speed thereof determines the rate of delivery output of the
feeder line in which it is inserted.
Flow through the upright run 145 of the delivery conduit is
connected by a T-fitting 51 (which may be an elbow) to a terminal
section pipe 52 which leads back to the vat chamber 11 for return
to this vat chamber of the excess of paste material above the
composite demand of the three station branch lines 47, 48, and 49
and their flow rate controlling pumps 50, 150, and 250. In other
words, the delivery conduit means defines a direct return flow path
from the discharge opening of the delivery pump 23 back to the vat
chamber for discharge into the latter preferably at a point above
the vat chamber bottom section. If it is desired to provide a
removable cover for the vat 10 the terminal section 52 of the
delivery conduit may extend through a suitable opening in one of
the sidewalls of the vat near the top of the latter, then to extend
down to the desired point of discharge.
It will be noted from FIG. 1 that the upright run or section 145 of
the delivery conduit preferably also includes, for convenience,
another T-fitting 53, so that the leg 54 thereof may serve to
communicate the interior of such conduit with a suitable pressure
meter 55. The T-fitting 51 may also house, for convenience, a flow
controlling valve of conventional or suitable construction, with an
externally accessible hand knob 56 being provided thereon to adjust
the size of the flow passage therethrough. Such adjustable flow
control valve may thus be adjusted so that the pressure in the
return line may be maintained at a value which is best suited to
assurance that the returned excess of the buttery composition or
paste material being delivered by the pumping system is kept
substantially free of air voids. All of the runs or sections and
fittings of such delivery conduit and return line desirably may be
formed of suitable material, such as stainless steel, that is
compatible with the composition being pumped therethrough, so as
not to contaminate the latter, particularly when it is a
foodstuff.
As a result of this delivery conduit means and its branch lines
there is feed of the paste material to the three different stations
at constant pressure. The three feed pumps 50, 150, and 250 in the
three delivery or supply branch lines which are operating at
constant pressure, provide a uniform and exact or precise rate of
flow of the paste material to each station. Since the paste
material is not preheated to increase the fluidity thereof for
facilitating the operation of this supply and delivery system
deleterious effect of heat on flavor is avoided. The insertion of
the unheated stiff butter, margarine, or shortening between layers
of the dough by such a continuous process assures the production of
a more uniform product and gives a prebuttered effect while
eliminating any need for heating butter when the roll is to be
readied for eating. Also, by avoiding the heating of the buttering
material the difficult cleaning process of the equipment is
materially and desirably reduced. By virtue of the supply of the
stiff butter material at the developer for distribution throughout
the dough assures a more uniform and desirable taste, and the
supply thereof at the premixer provides desired lubrication so that
the otherwise stiff dough can be pumped while avoiding lumping. It
is highly desirable in the baking industry to keep the dough at the
lowest possible temperature so as to prevent melting of the
buttering material and delivery by the present pumping supply
system to the respective stations in the manner indicated prevents
excessive heat buildup.
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those
made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently
attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above
construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it
is intended that all matter contained in the above description or
shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as
illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
* * * * *