Pasteurizer

Details Pasteurizer Pasteurizer

2002-06-25

2003-07-08

Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)

Foods and beverages: apparatus

Subjecting food to an enclosed modified atmosphere

With sequential heating and cooling

C099S367000, C099S370000, C099S467000, C099S477000, C099S483000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06588327

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Fields of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pasteurizer for hot sterilization or cold sterilization by cooling product liquid in work containers such as cans, bins and so forth or applying heat energy to product liquid that is filled in the work containers.
2. Description of the Related Art
A pasteurizer for cooling hot work containers such as cans, bins and so forth in which a sterilized product liquid is filled is known. As shown in
FIG. 3
for example, a series of six cooling vessels
51
a
-
51
f
are disposed from an upper stream toward a downstream to form a tunnel type continuous liquid jet heat exchanger. A solution
52
made by mixing a rinse water for cooling of approximately 15° C. with a pure water is provided to the cooling vessels
51
b-
51
f
through supplying pipes
52
b
-
52
f
respectively.
In the cooling vessels
51
a
-
51
f
, the cooling solution thus provided is sprayed to cool from the upper part of the cooling vessels on work
50
conveyed by a conveyer
50
a
by means of a circulating-spraying mechanism consisting of sprayers
59
and pumps for circulating-spraying
59
a.
Thus, the work
50
in the condition of high temperature approximately 75° C., which has been filled with sterilized product under a high temperature, are cooled gradually while conveying through each cooling vessel finally to approximately 20° C. at the taking-out end of the downstream.
The cooling solution is made to flow in reverse to the upstream side from the cooling vessel
51
f
to the cooling vessel
51
a
of the upstream side by an overflow stream
58
so as to discharge the hot solution heated by heat exchange in the work-cooling process through a drainage disposed at the cooling vessel
51
a
as a discharge solution
53
.
In the pasteurizer for cooling as shown in FIG.
3
and stated above, since the solution
52
supplied, for cooling is supplied evenly to each cooling vessel from the upstream to the downstream without having the difference of the supplying-solution temperature or the supplying-solution volume; so that a problem appeared concerning optimization of spraying temperature.
FIG.
4
(A) indicates a schematic construction of another prior art of a pasteurizer for cooling.
FIG.
4
(B) illustrates the state of a temperature distribution of each cooling vessel shown in FIG.
4
(A). As shown in FIG.
4
(A), the pasteurizer for cooling described as another example of prior art is constructed so as to carry in work
50
at approximately 95° C. and take out the work after cooling to approximately 40° C. A first cooling vessel
60
a
, a second cooling vessel
60
b
, a third cooling vessel
60
c
, a fourth cooling vessel
60
d
, a fifth cooling vessel
60
e
and a last cooling vessel
60
f
are disposed between the upstream side from which the work are carried in and the downstream side to which the cooled work are taken out and the work
50
are finally cooled in the last cooling vessel
60
f
by spraying a pure water for cooling
65
.
A cooling tower
63
is disposed at the outside of the cooling vessels. A cold heat energy obtained from the air outside through the cooling tower and a cold heat energy, obtained by a heat exchanger
62
, of the pure water for cooling supplied to the last cooling vessel
60
f
are given to the first, the second and the third cooling vessel
60
a
,
60
b
,
60
c
by a heat exchanger
64
so as to cool the work through each cooling vessel. As shown in FIG.
4
(B), the temperature of the work
50
is gradually decreased from 95° C. to 55° C. while passing through from the inlet of the first cooling vessel
60
a
to the outlet of the third cooling vessel
60
c
and finally is decreased in the last cooling vessel by approximately 15° C. to take out the work under the lowered temperature of 40° C. The construction is a minimum-drainage, energy-saving and water-saving type.
Meanwhile, a pasteurizer for sterilization having a sterilizing function by a heat energy in the conveying process have been hitherto utilized in comparison to the pasteurizer for cooling having a cooling function without a sterilizing function as shown in FIG.
3
and FIG.
4
.
As a pasteurizer for sterilization as mentioned above, the type shown in
FIG. 5
is publicly known.
FIG.
5
(A) schematically illustrates the construction of the pasteurizer. The pasteurizer comprises a tunnel type continuous liquid spraying heat exchanger
69
and a conveyer
50
a
, the tunnel type continuous liquid spraying heat exchanger
69
being provided from the upstream I to the downstream II in order with heat exchanging chambers for preheating
70
and
71
which form preheating region, heat exchanging chambers for sterilization
72
and
73
which form sterilizing region and heat exchanging chambers for gradual cooling
74
and
75
which form gradually cooling region in order, the conveyer
50
a
loading and conveying work
50
thereon in the heat exchanger.
Each heat exchanging chamber for preheating, heat exchanging chamber for sterilization and heat exchanging chamber for gradual cooling have liquid spraying parts
68
capable of spraying to the work
50
on the conveyer and have liquid storage trays disposed under the conveyer and capable of storing spraying liquid therein. The pasteurizer has a construction capable of transporting the spraying liquid under a pressure through appropriate heating devices by pumps so that a temperature distribution of the stored liquid forms a pattern shown in FIG.
5
(B).
Namely, for an example, the spraying liquid in the liquid storage tray A is transported under a pressure to the spraying part of the heat exchanging chamber for gradual cooling F by the pump
76
, the spraying liquid in the liquid storage tray B is transported under a pressure to the spraying part of the heat exchanging chamber for gradual cooling E by the pump
77
, the spraying liquid in the liquid storage tray C is transported under a pressure to the spraying part of the heat exchanging chamber for sterilization C through the heating device
78
by the pump
79
, the spraying liquid in the liquid storage tray D is transported under a pressure to the spraying part of the heat exchanging chamber for sterilization D through the heating device
80
by the pump
81
, the spraying liquid in the liquid storage tray E is transported under a pressure to the spraying part of the heat exchanging chamber for preheating B through the heating device
82
by the pump
83
and the spraying liquid in the liquid storage tray F is transported under a pressure to the spraying part of the heat exchanging chamber for preheating A through the heating device
84
by the pump
85
so as to form the aforementioned temperature distribution pattern.
In case the transportation of work is interrupted during the operation by a certain cause, the temperature of the stored liquid rises or declines because the work cease to deprive of or give heat to result in a problem of unusual rising of temperature of the work during transportation or destruction of the containers such as cans, bins and so forth. The invention of a pasteurizer having sterilizing function by an efficient heat energy together with the countermeasure to the no-load state was presented as a title of “Pasteurizer for countermeasure to no-load state” by the present inventors and disclosed in Japanese Patent publication 10-273117.
The schematic construction of a pasteurizer for no-load state utilizing an adsorption freezing machine as a first example of the above mentioned pasteurizer for no-load state is explained using FIG.
6
.
FIG. 7
shows the schematic construction of a pasteurizer utilizing a cooling tower as a second example.
FIG. 8
shows the schematic construction of a pasteurizer having hot water sprayers by steam bubbling, a countercurrent circulating path with heat exchanger for cooling of no-load state, a rinse function for economizing new water and a parallel circulating path for replenishing water to each storage tray as a third, a fourth and a fifth example.
As shown in
FIG. 6
, a first

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