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Methods and apparatus for sanitary steam injection

  • US 4,614,661 A
  • Filed: 03/21/1985
  • Issued: 09/30/1986
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1985
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A sanitary steam injection valve for continuous injection of sanitary steam into a viscous food product comprisinga cylindrical steam inlet conduit, first connection means for compressively connecting said inlet conduit in abutting relationship to a steam supply conduit, a cylindrical valve seat body integrally joined with said cylindrical steam inlet conduit distally of said first connection means, said valve seat body comprising a cylindrical wall section, a valve seat section distally of said inlet conduit, a substantially radially symmetrical frustoconical wall section positioned internally of said cylindrical wall section forming with said cylindrical wall section, and said valve seat section, a steam discharge chamber within the cylindrical valve seat body,a valve bearing sleeve positioned along the rectilinear axis of the cylindrical valve seat body, said valve bearing sleeve having a plurality of at least three rectilinear guiding surfaces for providing rectilinear motion along the axis of said cylindrical conduit and having a length of at least about 2 times its largest cross-sectional dimension,a valve element comprising a valve head, a valve stem projecting through said valve bearing sleeve and extending beyond the valve bearing sleeve a distance of at least about 60 percent of the length of the valve bearing sleeve, a valve compression spring coil having an outside diameter of less than about 50 percent of the internal diameter of the cylindrical wall section surrounding the outer wall of the valve bearing sleeve, said frustoconical wall section having a plurality of passageways for transmitting steam between the zone internally of said cylindrical steam inlet conduit to the steam discharge zone, a spring compression retention element positioned on said valve stem at its distal end opposite said valve head and having a first recess in its face adjacent said distal valve stem end and a second recess in its face adjacent said compression spring coil, one end of said compression spring coil being positioned within said second recess, a transverse interlocking compression fastener positioned within a smooth bore in said valve stem adjacent said distal end, said transverse fastener being positioned within said first recess, said valve compression spring coil being compressed between the rearward face of said frustoconical wall section and said second recess to lock said transverse interlocking fastener in said first recess.

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