System for homogeneously mixing plural incoming product streams of different composition

• US 20020075755A1
• Filed: 02/12/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wenger Manufacturing Inc. (The Wenger Extrusion Group)
• Original Assignee: Wenger Manufacturing Inc. (The Wenger Extrusion Group)
• Inventors: Schmelzle, Gerald E., Strahm, Michael J., Huber, Gordon R., Strahm, Adrian L., Hartter, Timothy R.
• Granted Patent: US 6,648,501 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 366/152.1
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 5/00 Apparatus for mixing meat, sausage-meat, or meat products mixing in general B01F
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/702 with intermeshing paddles
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/7221 the stirrers being composed of helices and paddles on the same shaft, e.g. helically arranged ovally shaped paddles
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/213 of the properties of the mixtures, e.g. temperature, density or colour
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/75455 using a rotary discharge means, e.g. a screw beneath the receptacle B01F35/751 takes precedence

Abstract

A continuous mixer (32) is disclosed which can be used for mixing of incoming product streams (22, 24) of different characteristics respectively to yield a final product stream (26) of predetermined, consistent characteristics. The mixer (32) includes an elongated housing (42) having a pair of product input ports (50, 52) and an output (64), with a pair of elongated, axially rotatable, mixing screws (44, 46) located within the housing (42). The screws (44, 46) include a series of outwardly projecting mixing elements (114) preferably of pyramidal design and arrayed in a helical pattern along the length of the screws (44,46). The mixer (32) may be used in a processing system (20,200) having individual product lines (28, 30, 204, 206) coupled to the mixer (32), and is especially useful for processing of incoming meat streams (22,24) of different fat/lean ratios, to give a final comminuted output stream (26) of an intermediate and essentially constant fat/lean ratio. Preferably, the product lines (204,206) are each equipped with a combine preblender and pumping device (202).

Claims

1. A continuous mixer for mixing incoming product streams to yield a final product stream of desired characteristics, said mixer comprising:

an elongated housing having a plurality of inputs for receiving said incoming product streams, and an output for said final product; and

a plurality of elongated, side-by-side, axially rotatable mixing screws located within said housing and extending along the length thereof for conveying and mixing said incoming product streams and for moving said final product out said output,

at least a pair of said mixing screws having a central section and a series of mixing elements projecting outwardly from said central section, said mixing elements each having a base and a plurality of converging sidewall surfaces extending outwardly from said base to present an outer end having a surface area less than the surface area of the base,

at least certain of said elements being located along at least a portion of said central section.

2. The mixer of claim 1, said mixing elements being oriented in a helical pattern.

3. The mixer of claim 2, each of said screws having an input section adjacent said inputs and presenting helical flighting along the length thereof, and an output section extending from the end of said input section toward said housing output, said mixing elements being located on said output section.

4. The mixer of claim 3, the flighting of said input sections being intermeshed, and the mixing elements of the output sections of said screws also being intermeshed.

5. The mixer of claim 2, each of said mixing elements being generally pyramidal in shape, presenting a base which is generally diamond-shaped in plan configuration with four outwardly extending and converging sidewall surfaces terminating in a apex-like outer end.

6. The mixer of claim 5, the diamond-shaped base having two pairs of substantially parallel base surfaces, one of said base surface pairs having a length greater than the other of said base surface pairs.

7. The mixer of claim 6, the base surfaces of said one surface pairs lying along respective, parallel first helices of a first, substantially equal pitch, and the base surfaces of said other surface pairs lying along respective, parallel, second helices of a second, substantially equal pitch, said second pitch being smaller than said first pitch.

8. The mixer of claim 1, said housing including a plurality of injection ports spaced along the length thereof to permit injection of materials into the housing during operation of the mixer.

9. The mixer of claim 1, said housing having a series of sensor ports spaced along the length thereof to permit installation of one or more sensors.

10. The mixer of claim 1, said housing including an outer shell and an inner housing wall to cooperatively define a passageway therebetween, there being an inlet and an outlet in communication with said passageway.

11. The mixer of claim 1, there being a pair of said inputs located in opposed relationship adjacent one end of said housing.

13. The screw set of claim 12, each of said screws having an input section adjacent said inputs and presenting helical flighting along the length thereof, and an output section extending from the end of said input section, said mixing elements being located on said output section.

14. The screw set of claim 13, the flighting of said input sections, of said screws being intermeshed, and the mixing elements of the output sections of said screws also being intermeshed.

15. The screw set of claim 12, each of said mixing elements being generally pyramidal in shape, presenting a base which is generally diamond-shaped in plan configuration with four outwardly extending and converging sidewall surfaces terminating in a apex-like outer end.

16. The screw set of claim 13, the diamond-shaped base having two pairs of substantially parallel base surfaces, one of said base surface pairs having a length greater than the other of said base surface pairs.

17. The screw set of claim 16, the base surfaces of said one surface pairs lying along respective, parallel first helices of a first, substantially equal pitch, and the base surfaces of said other surface pairs lying along respective, parallel, second helices of a second, substantially equal pitch, said second pitch being smaller than said first pitch.

18. A method of mixing incoming product streams to yield a final product stream, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a mixer in accordance with claim 1;

passing a plurality of incoming product streams into said housing through said inputs;

rotating said mixing screws in order to convey and mix said incoming product streams along the length of said housing, and for moving final product out said housing output.

19. The method of claim 18, said incoming product streams comprising meat products of different fat/lean ratios.

20. The method of claim 18, including the step of injecting a coolant into said housing during rotation of said mixing screws.

21. The method of claim 18, including the step of measuring the temperature within said housing during passage of said incoming product streams therethrough.

22. The method of claim 18, including the step of passing an external coolant around said housing for indirectly cooling the product therein.

24. The method of claim 23, each of said incoming product streams comprising meat.

25. The method of claim 24, said desired input characteristic of said incoming product streams being the fat/lean ratio thereof.

26. The method of claim 23, the desired output characteristic of said final product stream being the fat/lean ratio thereof.

28. The system of claim 27, said combined preblender and pumping device comprising:

a hopper having an inlet and a spaced outlet;

a pair of elongated, axially rotatable shafts located within said housing, each of said shafts having a plurality of outwardly extending mixing elements coupled thereto; and

a pumping assembly including an elongated housing presenting an input and an output, said housing input operably coupled with said hopper outlet, and a pair of elongated, axially rotatable, flighted auger screws within said housing an operable to pump said product through and out of said housing.

29. The system of claim 28, said auger screws being counter-rotating, fully intermeshed screws.

12. A screw set for a mixer, comprising:

a pair of elongated, side-by-side, axially rotatable mixing screws each having a central section and a series of mixing elements projecting outwardly from said central section, said mixing elements each having a base and a plurality of converging sidewall surfaces extending outwardly from said base to present an outer end having a surface area less than the surface area of the base,

at least certain of said elements being oriented in a helical pattern along at least a portion of said central section.

23. A method of controlling a mixing system designed to receive incoming product streams of different characteristics to yield a final product stream, said system including a plurality of incoming product lines each operably coupled with a continuous mixer, each of said incoming product lines including an incoming product source, a product pump and an incoming product analyzer, said method comprising the steps of:

operating said product line pumps to generate said incoming product streams;

analyzing each of said incoming product streams to determine a desired input characteristic thereof;

adjusting the operational speed of said pumps in response to said analyzing steps to create respective incoming product streams having said desired input characteristic at a substantially constant magnitude for each incoming product stream;

after said adjusting step, directing said incoming product streams to said mixer, and operating the mixer to create a final product stream;

analyzing said final product stream to determine a desired output characteristic thereof; and

altering the operational speed of one or more of said pumps as necessary to achieve and maintain said desired output characteristic in said final product stream, in response to said final product analysis step.

27. A system for receiving and handling incoming product streams of different characteristics to yield a final product stream, said systems comprising:

a incoming product line for each of said streams respectively, each of said lines including a combined preblender and pumping device operable to receive, preblend and pump the respective product stream into and through an output;

a continuous mixer operably coupled with the combined devices of each said product lines in order to receive said product streams of said outputs, into generate said final product stream.

30. A combined blending and pumping apparatus comprising:

a hopper having an inlet and a spaced outlet;

a pair of elongated, axially rotatable shafts located within said housing, each of said shafts having a plurality of outwardly extending mixing elements coupled thereto; and

a pumping assembly including an elongated housing presenting an input and an output, said housing input operably coupled with said hopper outlet, and a pair of elongated, axially rotatable, flighted auger screws within said housing an operable to pump said product through and out of said housing.