Rotary expansible chamber devices – Interengaging rotating members – Like rotary members
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-05
2001-07-03
Denion, Thomas (Department: 3748)
Rotary expansible chamber devices
Interengaging rotating members
Like rotary members
C418S206100, C418S001000, C418S015000, C418S180000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254367
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved method and equipment for pumping high viscosity products such as pastry dough and more particularly to such a method and apparatus that utilizes the introduction of a vacuum into the pump to assist in the generation of a higher than normal pressure drop from the infeed or hopper reservoir to the pump inlet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Automated machinery to produce bread and other pastry products conventionally use single or twin auger pumps. Such auger pumps not only move the dough, but also uniformly damage the dough due to shearing action and then homogenize the degraded dough throughout the dough mass their use to produce a high quality product id somewhat less than fully desirable.
In order to solve the problem of dough damage and degradation, attempts have been made to utilize positive displacement gear or lobe type pumps that impart less damage to the dough for pumping such viscous masses. The problem with such positive displacement pumps resides in their inability to maintain a proper prime to the pump because of the high viscosity of the dough. Maintenance of the prime to the pumps for the pumping of such highly viscous materials requires that the lobe or gear pump produce a larger than normal pressure drop from the infeed or hopper reservoir to the pump inlet to assure that adequate viscous fluid is continuously drawn into the pump.
Thus, a positive displacement gear or lobe type pump that does not damage the pastry dough to the extent that an auger type pump does while being capable of maintaining its prime would provide significant advantages in the pastry dough pumping arena.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a positive displacement gear or lobe type pump and method of operating same that, while providing all of the advantages of such a pump, can readily maintain it prime even when pumping very high viscosity fluids such as pastry dough.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, the required larger than normal pressure drop between the infeed and pump inlets in a positive displacement gear or lobe type pump pumping a high viscosity fluid such as pastry dough is accomplished by the introduction of a vacuum inside the pump at or near the rotary nip points of the gear or lobe type pump to provide a means for the removal of any gas present in the vicinity of the nip point.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5145349 (1992-09-01), McBurnett
patent: 1273994 (1968-07-01), None
patent: 2737761 (1979-03-01), None
patent: 2737833 (1979-03-01), None
patent: 496360 (1919-11-01), None
Denion Thomas
Trieu Theresa
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