Method Of Controlling Temperature Zones In Food Processing Vat

• US 20150257404A1
• Filed: 06/02/2015
• Published: 09/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Custom Fabricating & Repair, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cheese & Whey Sytems, Inc.
• Inventors: Isenberg, Timothy J., Zirbel, John E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,848,616 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01J 25/001 in basins
• CPC Class Codes: A01J 25/02 Cheese basins
• CPC Class Codes: A01J 9/04 with cooling arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A23C 19/00 Cheese; Cheese preparations; Making thereof cheese substitutes A23C20/00
• CPC Class Codes: A23C 19/0973 Pasteurisation; Sterilisation; Hot packaging
• CPC Class Codes: A23C 19/0976 Freezing; Treating cheese in frozen state; Thawing of frozen cheese
• CPC Class Codes: A23C 3/031 Apparatus through which the material is transported non progressively; Temperature-maintaining holding tanks or vats with discontinuous filling or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: A23C 3/045 Freezing in loose unpacked form
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/001 Details of apparatus, e.g. for transport, for loading or unloading manipulation, pressure feed valves
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/003 Control or safety devices for sterilisation or pasteurisation systems
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/16 by heating loose unpacked materials
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/363 the materials not being transported through or in the apparatus with or without shaping, e.g. in form of powder, granules, or flakes

Abstract

A food processing vat is provided with a zoned heat transfer system that provides zoned temperature control to the vat. The zoned heat transfer system selectively transmits heat to or removes heat from different portions of a bottom wall and/or side walks) of the vat. A heat transfer fluid may be directed through the zoned heat transfer system along a flow path that is selected based on a target size and/or a target temperature of a batch of food product being processed in the vat.

Claims

1. A method of processing a liquid or semi-liquid composition in a vat, comprising:

determining (i) a target size of a batch of the composition to be processed in a vat, and (ii) a target temperature for processing the batch of the composition within the vat;

delivering a heat transfer fluid to a zoned heat transfer system of the vat for transmitting heat to or removing heat from the batch of the composition; and

directing the heat transfer fluid through the zoned heat transfer system along a flow path that is selected based on at least one of the target size and target temperature of the batch of food product.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a temperature differential between two heat transfer zones of the heat transfer system and through which the heat transfer fluid can be directed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a temperature of one of the two heat transfer zones is heated or cooled to a temperature that defines a first component of the temperature, differential and that substantially corresponds to the target temperature for processing the batch of the composition.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the zoned heat transfer system includes multiple heat transfer zones and the heat transfer fluid is directed through fewer than all of the multiple heat transfer zones.

5. The method of claim 1, the multiple heat transfer zones including a lower heat transfer zone and an upper heat transfer zone, and wherein (i) the heat transfer fluid is directed through the lower and upper heat transfer zones while processing a batch of food the composition with a relatively large target size, and (ii) the heat transfer fluid is directed through the lower heat transfer zone and diverted away from the upper heat transfer zone while processing a batch of the composition with a relatively small target size.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein multiple upper heat transfer zones are provided and the heat transfer fluid can be directed through fewer than all of the multiple upper heat transfer zones.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising simultaneously diverting flow of the heat transfer fluid away from (i) a first upper heat transfer zone associated with a first sidewall of the vat, and (ii) a second upper heat transfer zone associated with a second, opposing sidewall of the vat.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising simultaneously directing flow of the heat transfer fluid through pairs of heat transfer zones, each pair of heat transfer zones including a first heat transfer zone and a second heat transfer zone that are positioned as mirror images of each other as reflected about a longitudinally extending centerline of the vat.