Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Boiler or deep fat fryer type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-03
2001-03-06
Simone, Timothy (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Boiler or deep fat fryer type
C099S330000, C126S375100, C126S391100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196118
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to deep fat fryers and in particular to deep fat fryers in which the oil used for cooking is efficiently heated with a gas burner.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Commercial deep fat fryers have been in use for many years and conventional fryers generally include a tank heated by one or more heat tubes which extend through the tank. A gas burner may be used to heat the tube or tubes so that the heat can be transferred into the surrounding oil and then exhausted through a flue. The efficiency of the heat transfer, then, from the gas burner to the oil is important. In a fast food cooking operation, where large quantities of food are cooked on a continuous basis, improving the efficiency of the heat transfer can translate into significant cost savings.
Typically, an in-shot burner directs combustion gases into one end of the fryer heat tube. Various configurations of tubes are known in the prior art, such as U-shaped or S-shaped which are intended to maximize the dwell time of combustion gases in the tube and therefore the heat transfer from the combustion gases into the surrounding oil.
In order to facilitate heat transfer it is desirable to heat the entire tube with combustion gases. In the absence of an internal baffle system to distribute the combustion gases around the interior of the pipe the upper portion of the tube will be hotter than the lower portion. It is known in the prior art to use a U-shaped heat tube with an internal baffle system to attempt to heat the tube more uniformly. A baffle arrangement is intended to produce a swirling effect on the combustion gases as they pass through the tube and around bends in the tube to increase the dwell time within the tube. In this way more heat can be extracted from the gas before it is exhausted into the flu without scorching the tube at bends.
Typically a straight heat tube is not used because of the shorter dwell time for the combustion gases passing through the tube from a burner at one end to a flue at an opposite end. However, a U-shaped or S-shaped tube with increased dwell time also presents maintenance and corrosion problems at the bend of the tube. Accordingly, there is a need for an efficient means for heating oil in a deep fat fryer using a gas fired heat tube.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has been discovered that a unique baffle design, in a straight heat tube, can be used in a fat fryer to efficiently heat oil. By using the baffle of this invention sufficient heat can be extracted from the products of combustion that an in-shot burner in a straight heat tube can be used efficiently. This, then, avoids maintenance problems associated with U-shaped or S-shaped tubes.
The baffle design of this invention is a stamped plate of steel so and can be fabricated entirely without welding. In addition the baffle design facilitates the generation of radiant energy to assist in heat transfer. Therefore, the internal surface of the heat tube is heated both by convection currents of hot combustion gases and by radiant energy of the baffle itself. The baffle plate has wings struck therefrom which terminate in a flat plate which extends parallel to the internal surface of the heat tube wall. By providing a plurality of these wings mutually spaced along the baffle length the baffle can be made of thinner material, so that it can heat up can heat up and cool down quickly.
The baffle is a rectangular plate extending longitudinally along the longitudinal axis of the tube. Wings are disposed in vertical columns and longitudinal, horizontal rows.
The baffle wings are staggered vertically so that each vertical column has one wing extending in from one baffle face and two extending from the opposite face. Spacer tabs are also provided, extending from opposite faces to assist in mounting the baffle in a heat tube. The wings and tabs alternatively extend from the faces of the baffle as will be subsequently explained.
The heat tube structure mounts a burner at one end and the baffle system of this invention extends along the length of the tube. The baffle plate is spaced away from the burner so that products of combustion enter the tube before impacting on the baffle.
The alternate baffle wings produce the desired mixing effect so that maximum heat release of the fuel gas is achieved. The tube is heated uniformly to maximize efficiency.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a heat tube assembly for a deep fat fryer which is cylindrical and contains a baffle plate for efficient heat transfer for the products of combustion from the burner to the wall of the heat tube.
It is another object of this invention to provide an alloy baffle plate having opposed wings which terminate in flat flanges disposed parallel to the interior surface of a heat tube for providing radiant energy to heat the tube wall.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a deep fat fryer assembly having a plurality of heat tubes extending horizontally therethrough with each tube containing a baffle plate to assist in heat transfer from the tube burner to the tube walls.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a steel baffle plates which contains no welded members and can be stamped with wing members alternatingly struck therefrom and spacer tabs also struck therefrom for mounting within the heat tube.
These and other objects will become readily apparent with reference to the drawings and following brief description of the drawings wherein:
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patent: 5185168 (1993-02-01), Takahashi
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patent: 5706717 (1998-01-01), Barner
Reale Anthony F.
Savage Steven J.
Tucci David W
Casey, Esq. Donald C.
Pitco Frialator Inc.
Simone Timothy
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