Continuous flow freezing plant, in particular for edible ice products

• US 20030131624A1
• Filed: 11/20/2002
• Published: 07/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance SA (Tetra Laval Holdings BV)
• Original Assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance SA (Tetra Laval Holdings BV)
• Inventors: Rasmussen, Henrik, Kudsk, Morten
• Granted Patent: US 6,698,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/345
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/16 the products being within a cooled chamber, e.g. drum
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/222 Freezing drums
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/361 the materials being transported through or in the apparatus, with or without shaping, e.g. in form of powder, granules, or flakes moving on the spot only A23L3/363
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/375 with direct contact between the food and the chemical, e.g. liquid nitrogen, at cryogenic temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 13/067 with circulation of gaseous cooling fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/22 Cleaning means for refrigerating devices

Abstract

A plant for continuous flow freezing of edible ice products is built up in a freezing section (100) with a tray conveyor (8), the drive chain of which leads trays carrying the items to be frozen from an entrance to the freezing section (100) and around a conveyor support frame (10), and where by means of at least one fan or blower (26), a flow of freezing air from at least one freezing aggregate (24) is brought to pass across the items to be frozen during passage along the conveyor support frame (10). With the view to achieving a maximum speed of the flow of freezing air in relation tot he average speed of the air flow across the items, and compact construction while still providing easy access for maintenance and cleaning, there is disclosed an embodiment comprising at least two conveyor support frames (10) placed at the side of each other, and where the frames (10) in all comprise at least one freezing aggregate (24) and at least one fan or blower (26) for driving the flow of freezing air.

Claims

1. A plant for continuous flow freezing of items such as edible ice products, which are introduced while in/on a conveyor, namely a tray conveyor of the kind which comprises a conveyor chain with trays or plates supporting the individual items to be frozen extending transversely from the chain, and where the conveyor chain in vertical upwards or downwards direction or in a spiral-like manner, preferably with a plurality of windings hereof in the freezing section (100) of the freezing plant, is guided sideways by driving elements and/or guiding or driving chain wheels engaging with the chain, and is led up and/or down in the freezing section from an inlet to and an outlet from the freezing plant, and where the freezing temperature in the freezing section (100) is provided by means of freezing air circulating in the freezing section, and which is brought about by means of at least one freezing aggregate and at least one associated freezing-air circulation blower or fan maintaining a flow of freezing air which passes around and across the items to be frozen which are transported on the conveyor chain trays, characterised in that at least two frames (10) for the chain conveyor (8) are arranged at the side of each other and each having its inner area, and with the tray conveyor (8), which is supported by the individual frames (1), being driven in a substantially external manner in relation to the inner area of the individual frames, and where there is passage for the freezing air in the individual frames (10) between the inner and the outer area of the frame (10), and where in the inner area of at least one of the frames (10) there is arranged at least one cooling aggregate (24), and where in the inner area of at least one of the frames (10) there is arranged at least one fan or blower (26) for guiding the flow of freezing air passing through at least one cooling aggregate (24) through the conveyor area (8) with items to be frozen lying in at least two of the frames (10)

2. Plant according to claim 1, characterised in that the breadth of the frames (10), in that the breadth direction coincides substantially with the direction of the air flow passage, is less than the longitudinal extent of the frames (10), in that the longitudinal direction is oriented substantially in the plane of the air-flow circulation.

3. Plant according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the frames are arranged preferably close to and at the side of each other in the breadth direction of the frames (10).

4. Plant according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that more than one air-flow circulation path is arranged in the height direction and/or horizontal extent of the frames, in that in each air-flow circulation path there is arranged at least one cooling aggregate, correspondingly with at least one associated fan or blower arrangement for driving the individual, circulation air flow.

5. Plant according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterised in that walls of the freezing section opposite the space between the two frames (10) are provided with a bulge or baffle (30).