ES397873A3 - Method and apparatus for the continuous cooking and sterilization of liquids and suspensions of solids in liquids. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Method and apparatus for the continuous cooking and sterilization of liquids and suspensions of solids in liquids and especially liquid food products or food products comprising liquids with suspended solids, by a process that includes the instantaneous heating of the product in finely dispersed form in an atmosphere of steam, followed by the maintenance of the product under pressure and sterilization temperature for a period of time and its subsequent rapid cooling, said apparatus comprising a storage tank, a steam chamber provided with a dispersing medium to dissociate and divide the incoming product in dispersed streams, means for forcing the product to be cooked and sterilizing under pressure from the storage tank to the dispersing medium and to the chamber, thus discharging in it from the dispersing medium in dispersed streams, means for supplying the interior of the chamber with steam from water under pressure and at a certain temperature to raise the dispersed product to the required temperature, cooking and sterilization, a collector at the bottom of the steam chamber, in which the product accumulates and any condensate of water vapor, means for regulate those intended to force the product into the steam chamber in order to maintain a controlled liquid level in said manifold, a section of retaining pipe that leaves the manifold, a pump connected to the retaining pipe section to displace the product from the manifold through the retention section, flow controlled means in the retention section to regulate the pump in order to maintain a constant flow rate through said retention section, an indirect cooler at the discharge end of the retention section. The retention section, towards which it flows, the product from said section to reduce its temperature to a predetermined level, a deaired container or, a pipe that goes from the refrigerator to the deaerator and ends in a vaporization nozzle in said deaerator, a counter-pressure valve in the pipe extended between the indirect cooler and the deaerator, by means of which a controlled pressure can be maintained on the product in the apparatus between the steam chamber and said back pressure valve, a primary bypass valve at the discharge end of the retention section and at the inlet end of the indirect cooler, a bypass leading from the bypass valve to the tank of storage, whose diverting valve selectively connects the retention section with the indirect cooler or with the bypass, actuating means of the bypass valves, temperature sensitive sensing means next to the inlet end of the retention section, which control the primary deflection valve and its actuating means to direct product or below a predetermined temperature towards the bypass and to direct product at the predetermined temperature towards the indirect refrigerator, a secondary bypass valve between the refrigerator and the deaerator to direct the flow of product from the indirect refrigerator to the deaerator or to said bypass, and a second temperature sensitive means located at the discharge end of the indirect cooler and responding to the temperature of the product leaving said cooler to control the operation of the second diverter valve. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)