CA1143623A

CA1143623A - Equipment for treatment of fruits and vegetables

Info

Publication number: CA1143623A
Application number: CA000338666A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Peter S. Dimov; Georgi N. Pavlov; Atanas N. Stoyanov; Ivan D. Nankinov
Original assignee: Bulgarplod DSO
Current assignee: Bulgarplod DSO
Priority date: 1978-10-30
Filing date: 1979-10-29
Publication date: 1983-03-29
Also published as: RO83889B; RO83889A; HU182783B; GR68014B; CS233304B1; ES485408A1; PT70385A; BG27930A1; SU963496A1; IT7950693A0

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE:

Comparatus for processing fruits and vegetables, having an ingoing tank filled with hot water in which there is a coil, the input of which is connected to a conical perforated receiver and its output to an expansion chamber, and a second tank mounted near the ingoing tank which, by means of a pipeline submerged in it, is connected to the expansion chamber. The free end of the pipeline is submerged in the tank for cold water connected by means of a pipeline to a cold water outgoing tank with a U-shaped pipeline mounted in it, whose outgoing end rises above the water level, and its other end, by means of a pipe, is connected to a vacuum pump coupled to the expansion chamber by means of a pipeline.

Description

~ ~43~3 This invention is related to an equipment for the processing of fruit and vegetables such as tomato peeling, apple canning, juice deaeration, etc.
A device for the processing of vegetables made of a water bath in which there is fitted a vertical shaft with a cone fitted to it i9 known. On the external cone surface a second cone is mounted on whose internal surface is fitted a spiral forming a helical ~lot for the processing of vegetables lined with rubber or abrasives. To the upper fillet of the helical lG slot there is a pipeline for feeding water or air between the spiral and the abrasive surface. In the lower part of the bath an incllned elevator is fitted to remove the cleaned vegetables as well as a device for separating the waste (1).
The mechanical transportation and peeling of the vegetables where the tissue under their skins is impaired is a disadvantage of this device.
Another known device for fruit and vegetable peeling under vacuum consists of a rotor fitted in a water bath made of a shaft with spokes and rings to which are fitted parallelepiped buckets.

Two perforated cylinders are fixed concentrically to theparellele-piped buckets, In its upper part the internal cylinder becomes a launder and a vacuum chamber is mounted immediately before the launder connected to a vacuum receiver by means of a vacuum line (2~.
A basic defect of this device is its periodic operation and mechanical sealing of the rotating rotor inside the drum as well as its fixed maintenance during operation where low and unstable vacuum is produced. Furthemore the mechanical trans-portation of the fruit and vegetables along the two perforated cylinders result in their damaging.
It is the objective of this Invention to design a device for the processing of fruit and vegetables with a continuous process under high and stable vacuum.
a~
-1- v This problem is solved by means of a device consisting of an input tank filled by hot water in which there is a coil the input of which is connected to a conical perfo-rated receiver, and its output to an expansion chamber. A
second tank is fitted close to the input tank which, by means of a pipeline submerged in it is also connected to the expan-sion chamber to which a pipeline is fitted whose free end is submerged in yet a third cold water tank. The cold water tank is connected by pipeline to an output coldwater tank in which a U-type pipeline is submerged and its horizontal sector is perforated. The outgoing end of the U-shape pipeline i5 raised above the tank water level, and its other end is pipe connected to a vacuum pump which by means of pipeline is connected to the expansion chamber. The water level in the second tank is lower than that in the input tank. The third tank by means of a pipeline and a second circulation pump is connected to the cold water exist (output) tank.
The advantages of the device for the processing of fruit and vegetables according to this invention consist in the following: there is a continuous process of production as a result of which labour productivity is increased and the conditions of work are improved; the damage to the manipulated fruit and vegetables in the hydraulic sealing of the vacuum and the transportation of the product is reduced; and the structure is compact and simple~
This invention is explained by means of a model implementation (application) which is shown in the attached drawings, where;
Figure 1 is the general view of the equipmen-t for the handling of fruit and vegetables;
Figure 2 is an alternative of the application in Fig.

1. .

- 1143~;~3 The equipment of Figure 2 consists of an input tank 18 filled by hot water which contains the coil 15 the input of which is con--' 3~ 3 nected to a conical perforated receiver 10, and its output connected to expansion chamber 16. A second tank 14 is near the input tank 18 and the former by means of pipeline 21 is also connec-ted to the expansion chamber 16. The free end of pipe 21 is submerged in the water of the second tank 14 the level of which is lower than the water in the input reservoir (tank) 18 (Fig. 1). This level difference in the two tanks 14,18 with hot water is maintained constantly at this level by means of recirculation pump 6 which by means of pipeline 20 sucks water from the bottom of the second tank 14 and sends it to the input tank 18. The regulation valve 7 is designed to regulate the level of tanks 14, 18 and it is mounted to the pump. The system of two tanks 14, 18 and pump 6 effects a recirculation of the hot water.
Apart from tanks 14, 18, this equipment also has a third tank 12 for cold water which analogically to the second tank 14 is connected by means of pipe 19 to expansion chamber 16 above the pipeline 21. The third tank 12, by means of pipeline 8, re-gulating valve 5 and a second recirculation pump 4 is connected to an output cold water tank 13 located at a !~ev~f lower than the third tank 12.
In the output tank 13 there is a U-shaped pipeline 22 whose horizontal section 23 is perforated and its outgoing end is raised above the water level and is mounted inside tank 13.
The other end of the U-shaped pipeline 22 by means of pipe 2 is connected to vacuum pump 3, not shown in the drawing. to pipe 2, by means of pipeline 1, is connected the expansion cham-ber 16. In the outgoing tank 13 a water level lower than the outgoing end of the U-shaped pipelines is maintained by means of a second recirculation pump 4 and regulating valve 5.
Constant recirculation of the cold water is maintained in the third tank 12, the pipelines 1, 2, tank 13 and second ~3ti2~

recirculation pump ~, as a result of the vacuum established by pump 3.
When the equipment o Figure 1 is employed for vacuum processing of apples it also includes receiving tank 12 where the coil has been replaced by a U-shaped tube which by means of pipeline 1 is connected to pipeline 2 connected to the outgoing (output~ tank 13 described in the first alterna-tive of the model application. A recirculation pump 4, by means of pipelines 8 and 20 effect the transfer of fluid from the outgoing tank 13 to the ingoing (input) tank 12.
The equipment of Figure 2 operates in the following manner. First recirculation pump 6 is actuated to start the recirculation of the hot water between the ingoing 18 and the second 14 tanks. Vacuum pump 3 and the second recirculation pump for cold,water 4 are started parallelly. Under the effect of the vacuum the cold water of the thixd tank 12 rises in pipeline 19 and returns to the outgoing tank 13 by means of pipes 1 and 2. The tomatoes for peeling are fed to receiving device 10 where under the effect of the vacuum, together with the hot water, go through coil 15 on their way to expansion chamber 16. There the product is taken up by the second cold water recirculation loop, the water coming from pipeline 19, and by means of pipelines 1, 2 and the U-shaped pipe 22 are taken outside.
The operation of the equipment (Fig. 2) for vacuum processing of apples is described in the first alternative of the application. Under the effect of the vacuum the fruit fed to receiving device 10 rise in pipeline I and by means of , pipeline 2 and the U-shaped tube 22 are sent to the outgoing tank 13.
In cases when the vacuum apple processing equipment (Fig. 2) is used as a device for the deaeration of fruit ;Z3 juices the recirculation pump 4 is switched off out of operation and the ingoing 14 and outgoing 13 tanks are filled by fruit juice for dearation.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An equipment for the processing of fruit and vegeta-bles, characterized that it consists of an ingoing tank filled by hot water in which there is a coil, the input of which is connected to a conical perforated receiver and its output to expansion chamber, and that a second tank is mounted near the ingoing tank which by means of pipeline, submerged in it is connected to the expansion chamber to which pipeline is fitted the free end of which is submerged in tank for cold water con-nected by means of pipeline to a cold water outgoing tank with a U-shaped pipeline mounted in it, whose outgoing end rises above the water level, and its other end, by means of pipe is connected to a vacuum pump coupled to the expansion chamber by means of pipeline.

2. An equipment according to Claim 1 characterized that the water level in the second tank is lower than the water level in the ingoing tank.

3. An equipment according to Claim 1 characterized that the third tank by means of pipeline and a second recirculation pump is connected to the outgoing tank for cold water.

4. An equipment, according to Claim 1, characterized of the fact that the ingoing tank contains a U-shaped pipeline which by means of pipeline is connected to vacuum pump connected to the U-shaped pipeline fitted in the outgoing tank.