Fryer for food process lines

Details Fryer for food process lines Fryer for food process lines

2000-12-20

2001-10-23

Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)

Foods and beverages: apparatus

Cooking

Boiler or deep fat fryer type

C099S330000, C099S407000, C099S408000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06305274

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to hot oil fryers for the continuous hot oil frying of large quantities of food products as in large scale food process lines. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in sediment removal from the cooking oil, for extending the use life of the cooking oil; as well as, reduced height heat exchanger banks that permit a shallower oil level in the cooking channel, and hence reduce the quantity of cooking oil needed to fill the system. Additional aspects and objects of the invention will be apparent in connection with the discussion further below of preferred embodiments and examples.
2. Prior Art
FIG. 1
shows a representative deep fat fryer
18
in accordance with the prior art. It's for the continuous deep fat frying of large quantities of food product in a large scale food process line. The apparatus as generally shown by
FIG. 1
is more particularly depicted and described in connection with U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,199—Miller, owned by Stein, Inc., of Sandusky, Ohio. That patent reference is incorporated herein by this reference to it. The vantage point of
FIG. 1
is aimed at the discharge end of the fryer apparatus
18
. Hence with reference to
FIG. 1
, the fryer apparatus
18
comprises a rigid unitary frame or housing
20
. The frame
20
extends axially from the discharge end to the infeed end of the apparatus
18
, and extends vertically up from the floor to the level of apron members
21
. The apron members
21
are directly secured to the top of the frame
20
and are connected in a unitary manner with a lining which forms an elongated horizontal oil tank or “cooking channel”
22
.
The cooking channel
22
is defined by front and rear walls, spaced side walls and a bottom wall (eg., the bottom wall is indicated as
22
1
in FIG.
3
).
FIG. 7
gives another view of a cooking channel. The cooking channel will hold a volume of cooking liquid or oil (eg., or sometimes else known as “fat,” as in “deep ‘fat’ frying”). The frame
20
includes feet
20
a.
Mounted near the four corners of the fryer apparatus
18
are four upright jacks
23
. The jacks
23
are preferably hydraulic and likely incorporate vertically extending piston rods
23
a
. The piston rods
23
a
are connected at their upper ends to respective cross bars
24
a
and
24
b
. Wherein, cross bar
24
a
is near the infeed end of the apparatus (ie., the far end in
FIG. 1
) and cross bar
24
b
is near the discharge end (ie, the near end in FIG.
1
). Mounted above these cross bars
24
a
and
24
b
is an elongated hood or cover
25
. The hood or cover
25
has a rectangular recess or opening
25
a
at its lower side which makes a generally close fit with the aprons
21
when the apparatus
18
is in its nested or “closed” position for a cooking operation as illustrated in FIG.
2
. The hood
25
may be provided with exhausts or vents (not shown) for exhausting gases or venting steam produced in association with the frying operation.
The fryer
18
includes a pair of cooperating conveyors
26
and
30
, wherein the overhead conveyor
26
is a “submerger” conveyor and the underneath conveyor
30
is the main tractor or food-carrying conveyor. Frying food product (not shown) is transported through the cooking channel
22
compressed between these two conveyors
26
and
30
.
The submerger conveyor
26
has spaced parallel outer side rails
26
a
. It is suspended as shown in
FIG. 1
by its outer side rails
26
a
hanging on a set of four (4) relatively short chains
27
. One pair of the chains
27
is connected to the cross bar
24
a
at the infeed end of the fryer
18
, and the other pair of the chains
27
is connected to the cross bar
24
b
at the discharge end. The main tractor or food-carrying conveyor
30
has spaced parallel outer side rails
30
a
, and it is suspended by its outer side rails
30
a
hanging from a set of four (4) relatively longer chains
31
. A pair of these relatively longer chains
31
is connected with the cross bar
24
a
near the infeed end of the fryer
18
as the two other of the relatively longer chains
31
are connected with the cross bar
24
b
near the discharge end of the fryer.
Reference may be had to an early U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,672—Szabrak et al., for a more detailed discussion of the fryer
18
's construction and operation, which patent reference of Szabrak, et al., is also incorporated herein by this reference to it. Basically, main tractor conveyor has an upper, food-carrying run
30
1
(as well as a lower return run
30
2
). The submerger conveyor
26
has a lower, food-submerging run
26
1
(in addition to its upper return run
26
2
). In use, the upper or food-carrying run
30
1
of the main tractor conveyor
30
supports the food product during transport through the cooking channel
22
concurrently as the lower or food-submerging run
26
1
of the submerger conveyor
26
presses the food product down sufficiently to keep it from floating off.
To maintain compression between the food-carrying run
30
1
and the food-submerging run
26
1
of conveyors
30
and
26
, respectively, requires reinforcement being given to both runs
30
1
and
26
1
.
FIG. 2
shows that the opposed runs
30
1
and
26
1
are oppositely reinforced. That is, the food-carrying run
30
1
is reinforced by a beds of rollers
32
whereas the food-submerging run
26
1
is reinforced by a ceiling of like rollers.
FIG. 1
shows the fryer
18
in an open position. The side rails
30
a
of the main conveyor
30
are hoisted up well above and out of the hot bath of oil in the cooking channel
22
. The side rails
26
a
of the submerger conveyor
26
are hoisted up even higher, as over the main conveyor
30
. The hood
25
is shown disposed elevated even above the submerger conveyor rails
26
a
. This open position of the fryer
18
as shown by
FIG. 1
allows the manual clearing of food product blockage from the conveyors, or more generally, the open position facilitates inspection, cleaning and maintenance.
FIGS. 2 and 3
do not strictly depict the same fryer configuration
18
as shown by FIG.
1
. More particularly, the fryer
18
′ of
FIGS. 2 and 3
is adapted from a pair of patent references which are commonly owned by Stein, Inc., consisting of not only the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,074,199—Miller, but also 5,253,567—Gunawardena, which latter patent reference is likewise incorporated by this reference to it.
The predominant distinction between the
FIG. 1
fryer
18
and the FIGS.
2
,
3
fryer
18
′ relates to location of the heat exchanger units
36
,
38
relative to the main tractor conveyor
30
. In
FIG. 1
, the heat exchanger units
36
,
38
are situated completely below both runs
30
1
and
30
2
of the main tractor conveyor
30
. In
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the heat exchanger units
36
,
38
are situated between the two runs
30
1
and
30
2
of the main tractor conveyor
30
. Indeed, in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the lower or return run
30
2
scrapes along the bottom
22
1
wall of the cooking channel
22
.
With more particular reference to
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the fryer apparatus
18
′ includes fore and aft heat exchanger units or “banks”
36
and
38
of what are known as indirect-fired type heat exchangers. Unlike direct-fired types (wherein the heat exchangers are actually flues venting the combustion gases of a combustion source), indirect-fired heat exchangers circulate a recycled hot medium that is heated by a remote combustion or heat source
44
. Preferably the circulating hot medium is another oil or else steam:—oil is probably more common because it is less difficult to manage than steam.
The forward heat exchanger bank
36
occupies the front or infeed half of the cooking channel
22
as the aft bank
38
is situated in the rear or discharge half of the cooking channel
22
. The heat exchanger banks
36
and
38
are adapted for heating the bath of cooking oil or fat within the cooking channel
22
to a desired temperature (eg., ~400° F.-500° F.). In use, the he

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