Ohmic device for heat-treating foods

• US 8,596,191 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alfa Laval SpA (ALFA Laval AB)
• Original Assignee: Alfa Laval SpA (ALFA Laval AB)
• Inventors: Demicheli, Luigi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Tu B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Teaters, Lindsey C
• Application Number:
  US12/902,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20110088569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 994/83, 995/16, 219/201, 198/661, D15/10, D15/28
• US Class Current: 99/483
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 7/01 by irradiation or electric treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/005 by heating using irradiation or electric treatment drying or kilning A23L3/40

Abstract

Device for continuous heat-treatment of foods, equipped with a conduit made of a dielectric material in which a product to be treated flows, the conduit having at least a pair of electrodes located in the conduit which are subjected to a potential difference of at least 2000 Volts with a frequency of at least 25 Mhz, characterized in that a rotor made of dielectric material is located internally of the conduit, which rotor has a core from which a plurality of fins rises, which fins are distributed along a length of the rotor, are of a height such us to contact an internal surface of the conduit.

Claims

1. A device for continuous heat-treating of foods, comprising:

a conduit made of a dielectric material in which a product to be treated flows, the conduit having at least a pair of electrodes located in the conduit which are subjected to a potential difference of at least 2000 Volts with a frequency of at least 25 MHz, and

a rotor made of a dielectric material is located internally of the conduit, said rotor having a core from which a plurality of fins parallel to the rotor axis rises, said fins having a section of any shape and are distributed along a length and over a whole perimeter of the rotor, so that any section of the rotor orthogonal to the rotor axis comprises one and only one fin, and has a height such as to contact an internal surface of the conduit, the fins being staggered with respect to each other in order to contact and clean each portion of the internal surface of the conduit.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the core of the rotor exhibits a straight triangular section and the fins rise from edges of corners thereof.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the fins have a triangular section having walls which are coplanar to walls of the core.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the fins are parallel to the axis of the rotor, have a dimension L, and are distanced from one another by a distance which is 2L.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the rotor extends at least over a whole field subjected to the potential difference.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the conduit made of dielectric material in which the product to be treated flows is of a length between 300 mm and 900 mm.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein a tension applied to the at least a pair of electrodes is between 2000 Volts and 5000 Volts and the frequency is between 25 MHz and 50 MHz.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein a rotation velocity of the rotor is between 200 revolutions per minute and 800 revolutions per minute.