Removal of particulates from frying oils

Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Automatic control

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C099S337000, C099S403000, C099S408000, C210S167050, C210SDIG008

Reexamination Certificate

active

06202543

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Apparatus for the continuous removal of particulates from the hot oil used to fry food products, such as potato chips and tortilla chips, and for interim extraction of the particulates without stopping the removal process.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the production of fried food products, the quality of the oil used for frying the products is directly linked to the quality of the final product. Corn and potato products such as potato chips and corn chips shed particulates during the frying process.
When these particulates or crumbs accumulate in the frying oil, if they are not promptly removed there will be breakdown in the quality of the oil and the product as evidenced by an increase in free fatty acids in the oil, discoloration of the oil, plugging of heat transfer surfaces, and a reduction in the quality of the product it produces. Prompt removal of the particulates dramatically improves the quality of the oil and of the product compared to what their condition would be if the particulates were not removed.
One simplistic solution is to filter the oil and change it frequently. There are several problems with this approach. For one these production facilities are generally operated on a 24 hour basis, and shutdown time is both inconvenient and expensive. In fact, a full shutdown and servicing may require 24 hours.
For another, these facilities use large quantities of oil. It is not unusual for a fryer to contain 1,500 gallons of oil. Unnecessarily frequent changes of the oil are very costly.
As still another problem, the frying temperatures are often as high as 420 degree, and the flow of hot oil through the heat exchanger and flow system is under pressure. The continuous removal of crumbs from known operating systems tends to expose the operator to exposure of hot pressurized oil. This is an undesirable risk which this invention averts, while still providing filtration of 150 micron particulates.
In fact it is an object of this invention to enable continuous filtration and removal of cooled particulates without exposing personnel to hot or pressurized oil or to particulates in such a way that the ultimate change of oil can be deferred from the presently-accepted six day cycle to a 21 day cycle, while still maintaining good quality oil and product. This equates to an extra 44 days of production per year, approximating a 15% increase in production capacity for an installation.
It should be kept in mind that the operation of this process is continuous. The fryers receive the raw product on a conveyor, which carries it through the hot oil, and removes it from the oil, thereafter to be drained, cooled and packaged. Some oil is carried out of the apparatus as part of the product, and makeup oil is added to replace it. The particulates (crumbs) are separated as part of the filtration process. After filtration the oil is returned to the fryer along with any makeup oil.
One of the most troublesome parts of the cooker system is the heat exchanger in which the oil is heated. It is a recirculating arrangement usually utilizing externally heated tubes through which the oil flows to be heated. These tubes are the hottest part of the system, and crumbs can tend to cake and coat its internal surfaces and plug the tubes. The system of this invention consistently removes particulates of such small size that deposition on the tubes is long deferred compared to known systems, and when it is flushed out in the servicing operation, it is readily removed.
To service any hot oil system requires that the pressure be reduced to ambient, and the temperature be cooled to an acceptable value. This takes time and significantly reduces the production capacity of the system. Allowing servicing to proceed at higher temperatures, and before the pressure has vented can subject the service personnel to risk of injury.
It is an object of this invention to provide a system which enables continuous frying to occur while filtration continues, and which permits particulates to be removed through a system that protects service personnel from risk, and can be done without shutting down the entire system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This invention is carried out along with a hot oil fryer. Characteristics of the fryer are its capability to accept raw food, carry it into a pool of hot cooking oil, and remove the cooked (fried) product for draining, cooling and ultimately being packaged. In order to maintain cooking temperatures it has a heater, and means to circulate the oil so it is at the proper temperature to cook the food.
According to this invention, means for removal of particulates shed from the food into the oil includes a centrifugal separator to separate particulates from the oil, and a plurality of closed vessels each containing a filter or screen to retain particulate matter and store oil from the separator.
According to a preferred feature of this invention a selector valve selects one of the vessels at a time to receive the particulates while closing the other vessels.
According to yet another feature of the invention, each vessel has a closure which can be opened to remove particulates from it only when the temperature and pressure in the vessel are at values agreed to be safe, ordinarily 0 psig and less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to a preferred but optional feature of the invention, each vessel is accompanied by a manually-operated handle which overhangs the vessel to impede its being opened unless the vessel is disconnected from the hot oil system, and can be made the operator of isolation valves that give or prevent access of oil to a respective vessel.
According to yet another preferred but optional feature of the invention, a shield overhangs the vessel to prevent access to the mechanism for manually opening the vessel.
According to still another preferred feature of the invention, a safety latch system assures that a vessel cannot be opened unless the temperature and pressure in the vessel are safe for personnel.
According to an optional feature of the invention, a vessel blow-down is provided to expel hot oil from a vessel from which particulates are to be removed to shorten the time required for the contents to cool to a safe temperature for handling.
The above and other features of this invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:


REFERENCES:
patent: 3722498 (1973-03-01), Kimbrough
patent: 3760793 (1973-09-01), Anetsberger et al.
patent: 4210123 (1980-07-01), Moore et al.
patent: 4444095 (1984-04-01), Anetsberger et al.
patent: 4481873 (1984-11-01), Keating
patent: 4599990 (1986-07-01), Fritzsche et al.
patent: 4602612 (1986-07-01), Schwizer
patent: 4668390 (1987-05-01), Hurley et al.
patent: 4684412 (1987-08-01), Fritzsche
patent: 4722267 (1988-02-01), Galockin et al.
patent: 4751915 (1988-06-01), Price
patent: 4945893 (1990-08-01), Manchester
patent: 5811006 (1998-09-01), Ford

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