Refrigeration – Article moving means – Rotary about fixed axis – e.g. – rotary shelf or scraper
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-24
2003-12-09
Tapolcai, William E. (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Article moving means
Rotary about fixed axis, e.g., rotary shelf or scraper
C062S374000, C062S375000, C062S376000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06658886
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention generally relates to poultry chillers for reducing the temperature of whole birds after the birds have been eviscerated on a poultry processing line. More particularly, the invention relates to a sump compartment formed integrally with the poultry chiller.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is desirable to reduce the temperature of chickens and other types of poultry after the birds have been processed, or defeathered, eviscerated and are otherwise oven-ready before the birds are packaged for delivery to the retail customer. A conventional poultry chiller
10
, as shown in
FIG. 1
, is the “auger-type” poultry chiller
10
which includes a trough-shaped, half-round tank
12
filled with cold water in which an auger
20
provides positive movement of the birds through the tank
12
. The cooling effect for the water and the birds was originally provided by crushed ice added to the water. As shown in
FIG. 2
, later designs include a counter-flow recirculation of the chilled water through the tank
12
with the water being chilled by a refrigerated heat exchanger
24
instead of using ice. The water is introduced at one end of the tank
12
, the outlet end
16
, and flows progressively to the other end, the inlet end
14
, where it is recirculated through the heat exchanger
24
. In the mean time, the birds are continually delivered to the inlet end
14
of the tank
12
and moved under the influence of the rotating auger
20
in the counter-flow direction and arc lifted from the outlet end
16
of the tank
12
for further processing. A prior art poultry chiller of this general type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,000, and a heat exchanger for the water refrigeration system suitable for this purpose is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,470.
As noted, chilled water is added to the tank
12
at the outlet end
16
, where the birds have been chilled and are being lifted out of the tank
12
. The water flows in the opposite direction of movement of the birds and the auger
20
of the tank
12
, thereby insuring that the birds are always flowing into the cleanest and coldest water and that there is always a temperature drop between the temperature of each bird and the temperature of the water about each bird.
During operation, the recirculation pump
22
removes the warmer water from the inlet end
14
oft he tank
12
. As shown in
FIG. 2
, a suction header
30
connects the inlet of recirculation pump
22
to a sump
26
. The sump
26
is positioned at an overflow recess in the sidewall of the chiller tank
12
and is below the typical operational water level within the tank
12
. A typical sump can measure about
4
feet high and from
2
to
4
feet in width. The sump
26
helps to insure that the inlet of the suction header
30
does not become blocked by birds in the tank and that adequate chill water is present for the recirculation pump
22
to maintain proper suction. A suction valve
42
is disposed in the suction header
30
in close proximity to the sump
26
. The outlet of recirculation pump
22
discharges the chill water into a fill header
32
that includes a heat exchanger
24
for chilling the water. After having passed through the heat exchanger
24
, the chill water continues down the fill header
32
and enters the tank
12
at the outlet end
16
. A fill valve
44
is disposed in the fill header in close proximity to the tank
12
.
Side mounted sumps, such as the sump
26
, tend to cause operational problems in typical chillers
10
. For example, although the warmer water side discharge opening in the wall of tank
12
that is in fluid communication with the side mounted sump
26
is typically rather large, and the sump is approximately 2 to 4 feet wide and 4 feet tall, it is possible for birds to migrate to this portion of the tank
12
wall and be sucked up against the edge of the opening without passing through the opening. If enough birds migrate to the opening into the side mounted sump
26
, partial blockage of the access of recirculation water to the suction header
30
can occur. In turn, the performance of the recirculation pump
22
is affected in that chill water flow rate throughout the poultry chiller
10
is reduced. Eventually, the birds will be urged away from the opening to the side mounted sump
26
by the outer periphery of an oncoming flight of the auger
20
. However, because full 360° flights on typical augers
20
are frequently longitudinally displaced by 4 feet or more and the auger
20
rotated on the order of 1 turn every 4 minutes, the birds partially blocking the side mounted sump
26
inlet can remain there for extended periods of time prior to being displaced and the reduced flow of recirculation water continues.
Also, as previously noted, the chill water becomes progressively warmer as it moves from the outlet end
16
to the inlet end
14
of the tank
12
. Generally, the temperature of the water in front of a flight is colder than the water behind the flight, as much as 2° F. As the auger
20
rotates, the last auger flight funnels water into the side mounted sump
26
sometimes from in front of the flight and other times from behind the flight as the flight passes by the warmer water side discharge opening. This means that when the individual flight
20
A funnels water into the side mounted sump primarily from behind the individual flight
20
A, the inlet temperature of chill water at the heat exchanger
24
will be warmer than when the majority of water funneled into the side mounted sump
26
is from in front of the individual flight
20
A. These temperature variations mean that frequent adjustments must be made to the heat exchanger
24
to maintain a constant chill water temperature in the fill header
32
.
To maintain proper sanitary conditions, poultry chillers
10
typically are cleaned on a daily basis. As shown in
FIG. 2
, prior art poultry chillers
10
include a clean-up tank
28
that holds cleaning solution that is used for cleaning the chill water circulation system of the poultry chiller
10
during shut down of the chiller. Usually, the clean-up tank
28
can be mounted either to the side of the poultry chiller
10
in a manner similar to that of the sump
26
, or it may be free standing. Clean-up tanks
28
typically are on the order of 300 to 500 gallons and are connected to the chill water system by a recirculation header
34
and control valves
46
and
48
. As shown in
FIG. 2
, a first portion
34
a
of the recirculation header
34
taps into the suction header
30
between the suction valve
42
and the recirculation pump
22
. A recirculation suction valve
46
is used to either line up or isolate the clean-up tank
28
from the suction header
30
. A second portion
34
b
of the recirculation header
34
taps into the fill header
32
upstream of the fill valve
44
and includes the recirculation fill valve
48
that can be used to either line up or isolate the clean-up tank
28
from the fill header
32
.
To clean the poultry chiller
10
, the tank
12
is drained of water and birds and cleaning personnel clean the auger
20
and the inside of the tank
12
with hot water and cleaning solution under high pressure. The chill water system is cleaned by shutting the suction valve
42
and the fill valve
44
to isolate the chill water system from the tank
12
. A mixture of cleaning solution and hot water is mixed in the clean-up tank
28
by cleaning personnel. The clean-up tank
28
is then aligned with the chill water system by opening the recirculation suction valve
46
and the recirculation fill valve
48
. The recirculation pump
22
is now aligned to take suction off the clean-up tank
28
, thereby pumping the solution of hot water and cleaning solution through the suction header
30
, recirculation pump
22
, heat exchanger
24
, fill header
32
, and the recirculation header
34
. Note however, the portion of the suction header
30
disposed between the suction valve
42
and the side mounted sump
26
, indicated by reference numeral
50
, is not cleaned durin
Ali Mohammad M.
Morris & Associates Inc.
Tapolcai William E.
Thomas Kayden Horstemeyer & Risley
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