GB2195427A

GB2195427A - Drying proteinaceous material

Info

Publication number: GB2195427A
Application number: GB08622535A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Valentina Eremeevna Kutsakova; Vladimir Pavlovich Zotov; Evgeny Nikolaevich Usvyat; Andrei Nikolaevich Bogatyrev
Original assignee: LE T I KHOLODILNOI PROM
Current assignee: LE T I KHOLODILNOI PROM
Priority date: 1986-09-18
Filing date: 1986-09-18
Publication date: 1988-04-07
Anticipated expiration: 2006-09-18
Also published as: NL8602333A; GB8622535D0; GB2195427B

Abstract

A dehydrated film 3 formed from a proteinaceous material 2 on inert bodies 1 is separated therefrom by a force tangent to the plane of contact between the film 3 and the surface of the inert body 1. The vector F tau of this force makes with the vector V of the ascending velocity of the inert bodies 1 an angle alpha of 52 DEG to 89 DEG . In a chamber realizing the method, two sides 13 and 14 of a prism 12 serving to separate the dehydrated film 3 from the surface of the inert bodies 1 make an angle gamma of 52 DEG to 89 DEG with each other. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Drying proteinaceous material The present invention relates to a method of drying proteinaceous materials and to apparatus for realizing such a method.

The invention can be of utility in the food, dairy and meat industries for the drying of proteinaceous solutions, emulsions, and suspensions and obtaining product in the form of a film usable as an additive to foodstuffs, transportable without difficulty and requiring no processing before use.

In designing drying apparatus, the main aim is to intensify the process of drying proteinaceous materials. It would be desirable to provide a simple chamber for drying proteinaceous materials which readily lends itself to streamlined production. Another aim is to produce dry proteinaceous material in the form of film which can be used as additive to foodstuff and handled without difficulty.

The present invention provides a method of drying a proteinaceous material by means of inert bodies which, being acted upon by a current of high-temperature heat carrier, form a suspended layer and ascend in a closedcircuit pattern of motion so that the proteinaceous material applied to the inert bodies dries up and forms on the surfaces thereof a dehydrated film which is separated therefrom due to a force tangent to the plane of contact between the film and the surface of the inert body and is discharged piecemeal with the current of spent neat carrier, wherein a vector of the force tangent to the plane of contact between the film and the surface of the inert body makes with a vector of an ascending velocity of the inert bodies following the closed-circuit pattern of motion an angle which may vary substantially over the range between 52" and 89".

The force vector of the disclosed direction effectively overcomes the forces of adhesion set up between the surfaces of the inert bodies and the film formed in the course of drying of the proteinaceous material, facilitating the separation of the film from the inert bodies.

If the angle is less than 52", the resulting force is too weak to overcome the adhesive interaction and, as a result, the film does not break off the inert bodies.

If the angle is greater than 89 , the forces of adhesion augment and the film sticks to the inert bodies.

The invention also provides apparatus for drying a proteinaceous material, comprising a chamber, means for providing as ascending stream of a high temperature heat carrier in the chamber, an outlet for spent heat carrier, means for introducing proteinaceous material into the chamber so as to become applied to inert bodies ascending in the stream of heat carrier, and a surface arranged in the path of the ascending stream for separating a dehydrated film from the inert bodies, the said surface being at an angle of 52" to 890 to the vertical.

More particularly, the apparatus may comprise a chamber which is shaped as a funnel of rectangular cross section and comprises a slant wall, vertical walls, an inlet for a hightemperature heat carrier which is located in the slant wall of the chamber within a narrow portion thereof, nozzles admitted wherethrough is the proteinaceous material which are located in the vertical walls contiguous with the slant wall of the chamber, a means of separating the dehydrated film from the surface of the inert bodies which is a triangular prism a side whereof is attached to the vertical wall facing the slant wall of the chamber and another side whereof faces the inlet for the high-temperature heat carrier, and a duct discharged wherethrough with the spent heat carrier are particles of the dehydrated film of the proteinaceous material, wherein according to the invention the side of the prism facing the inlet for the high-temperature heat carrier makes with the side attached to the vertical wall of the chamber an angle which may vary substantially over the range between 52" and 89".

When the prism is located in the disclosed way, its side facing the inlet for the hightemperature heat carrier is orientated with respect to the ascending current of the inert bodies at an optimum angle which intensifies the process of separating the film from the inert bodies. An optimum angle which this side of the prism makes with the corresponding vertical wall of the chamber is one owing to which the period of the interaction of an inert body with the side is of maximum duration. This interaction occurs when the tangent force causing an inert body to displace along the surface of the triangular prism equals the frictional force.If the angle is less than 52" or greater than 89 , the period of interaction of an inert body with the surface of the triangular prism is of the shortest duration and the energy of this inert body during the collision with the prism is too low to enable the film to spall from the inert body.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a process of separation of a dehydrated film of a proteinaceous material (solution, emulsion, or suspension) from the surface of an inert body; Figure 2 is an axonometric view, partly cut away, of a chamber for drying proteinaceous materials (solution, emulsion, or suspension).

A method of drying proteinaceous material in the form of solutions, emulsions, and suspensions may be carried out as follows.

Referring to Fig. 1, inert bodies 1 loaded into a drying chamber and acted upon by a current of high-temperature heat carrier admitted into the chamber along arrow A form a suspended layer and ascend in the direction of a velocity vector V with the current in a closed-circuit pattern of motion. Proteinaceous material 2 admitted into the chamber in the direction of arrow B settles on the surfaces of the inert bodies 1 and forms there a dehy -drated film 3 in the course of drying. A force F, tangent to the planes of contact between the film 3 and the surface of the inert bodies 1 separates the dehydrated film 3 of proteinaceous material from the surface. The separated film 3 is removed from the chamber with the spent heat carrier along arrow C.The vector F, of the force F, makes with the vector V of the ascending velocity V of the inert bodies 1 moving in a closed-circuit pattern of motion an angle a which is between 52" and 899.

For example, when the product dried is a proteinaceous solution (protein hydrolysate), the angle a which the vector F, of the force F, makes with the vector V of the ascending velocity V of the inert bodies 1 is preferably between 52" and 60".

When the product dried is a proteinaceous emulsion (beef tea), the angle a which the vector F, of the force F makes with the vector V of the ascending velocity V of the inert bodies 1 is preferably between 60 and 75".

When the product dried is a proteinaceous suspension (flour-in-water), the angle a which the vector F, of the force Fr makes with the vector V of the ascending velocity V of the inert bodies 1 is preferably between 75" and 89".

The above-described method of drying proteinaceous material, e.g. solutions, emulsions, and suspensions, may be realized in the cham ber illustrated in Fig. 2.

The chamber is shaped as a funnel of rectangular cross section and has one slant wall 4 and three vertical walls 5. An inlet 6 for a high-temperature heat carrier, in the form of a diffuser grid, is provided in the slant wall 4 of the chamber within the narrow portion thereof.

Nozzles 7 for admitting proteinaceous material 2, which is to be dried on the surfaces of the inert bodies 1, are provided in the vertical walls of the chamber contiguous with the slant wall 4. The chamber also contains means for separating the dehydrated film 3 proteinaceous material from the surfaces of the inert bodies 1 and is provided with a duct 8 for discharging the spent heat carrier to gether with particles of the dehydrated film 3.

The duct 8 has a flange 9 by means of which it is connected to a shop ventilation system (not shown). The means for separating the dehydrated film 3 comprises a triangular prism 12, one side 13 of which is attached to the vertical wall 5 which faces the slant wall 4 and another side 14 of which faces the inlet 6 for the high temperature heat carrier. A cover 10 attached to a vertical wall 5 by means of hinges 11 is provided at the top of the chamber.

The side 14 of the prism 12 facing the inlet 6 of the high-temperature heat carrier makes an angle y with the side 13 attached to the wall 5 of the chamber which is between 52" and 89".

The chamber for the drying of proteinaceous materials, i.e. solutions emulsions, and suspensions, operates in the following way.

On lifting the cover 10, the chamber is loaded with the inert bodies 1. A high-temperature heat carrier is admitted into the chamber through the inlet 6. Flowing in the direction of arrow A, the current of the heat carrier forms a suspended layer from the inert bodies and causes these to ascend in the direction of the vector V of the ascending velocity V of the inert bodies 1, following a closed-circuit pattern of motion. Proteinaceous material 2 admitted through the nozzles 7 along arrow B settles on the surfaces of the inert bodies 1, heated up by the heat carrier, in the course of their motion and forms there a dehydrated film 3 of the proteinaceous material 2 subjected to drying.

In the course of ascending, the inert bodies 1 with the dehydrated film 3 formed on their surfaces strike against the side 14 of the prism 12 with a force Fv whose vector Fv is parallel with the vector V of the ascending velocity V of the inert bodies 1. A reaction F, of the side 14 due to the force Fv acts at right angles to the plane of this side. The resultant F, of the forces Fv and F, is tangent to the plane of contact between the film 3 and the surface of the inert body 1, and the vector F, of the force F, makes with the vertical an angle a which may vary over a range between 52" and 89" and equals the angle y which the side 14 of the prism 12 makes with the vertical wall 5 of the chamber.

A vector F, of a frictional force F, set up between the film 3 and the side 14 of the prism 12 opposes the vector F, in direction and equals this in magnitude. An equality of the vectors F, and F, provides for the separation (breaking off) of the dehydrated film 3 from the surface of the inert body 1 whereupon it has formed.

The particles of the dehydrated film are removed from the chamber along arrow C with the spent heat carrier escaping into the shop ventilation system through the duct 9.

Concrete examples illustrative of the way in which the invention can be embodies will now be given to assist in comprehending the invention in detail. The examples refer to the process of drying proteinaceous solutions (protein hydrolysate), proteinaceous emulsions (beef tea), and proteinaceous suspensions fflour-in-water) in a chamber, the main para meters being as follows: mass of inert bodies, 28 kg; density of the material of inert bodies, 3.5x103 to 5.0x 103 kg/m3; flow rate of heat carrier, 9000 m3/h; velocity of heat carrier at the inlet into chamber, 15 m/s.

Example 1 The proteinaceous material dried was protein hydrolysate.

Given: temperature of heat carrier: at the inlet into the chamber, T=1600C at the outlet from the chamber, t=80"C concentration of starting material, 6% angle of setting of the lower side of the prism y= 52" The throughput capacity of the chamber in terms of starting material was 146 kg/h.

Example 2 The data were the same as in Example 1, except the angle y, which was 59 .

The throughput capacity of the chamber in terms of starting material was 150 kg/h.

Example 3 The data were the same as in Example 1, except the angle y, which was 60".

The throughput capacity of the chamber in terms of starting material was 149 kg/h.

Example 4 The proteinaceous material dried was beef tee.

Given: temperature of heat carrier: at the inlet into the chamber, T= 1800C at the output from the chamber, t=90"C concentration of starting material, 20% angle of setting of the lower side of the prism, y=60 The throughput capacity of the chamber in terms of starting material were 230 kg/h.

Example 5 The data were the same as in Example 4, except the angle y, which was 68".

The throughput capacity of the chamber in terms of starting material was 232 kg/h.

Example 6 The data were the same as in Example 4, except the angle y, which was 75 .

The throughput capacity of the chamber in terms of starting material was 234 kg/h.

Example 7 The proteinaceous material dried was a suspension of flour in water.

Given: temperature of heat carrier; at the inlet into the chamber, T=160"C at the output from the chamber, t=80"C concentration of starting material, 6% angle of setting of the lower side of the prism, y=75" The throughput capacity of the chamber in terms of starting material was 148 kg/h.

Example 8 The data were the same as in Example 7, except the angle y, which was 80".

Example 9 The data were the same as in Example 7, except the angle y, which was 89".

The throughput capacity of the chamber in terms of starting material was 152 kg/h.

By virtue of the above-described method of drying proteinaceous materials and chamber realizing this method, the yield of the process in terms of starting material was increased by 25-30% compared with analogous known methods.

Claims

1. A method of drying a proteinaceous material by means of inert bodies which, being acted upon by a current of high-temperature heat carrier, form a suspended layer and ascend in a closed-circuit pattern of motion so that the proteinaceous material applied to the inert bodies dries up and forms on the surfaces thereof a dehydrated film which is separated therefrom due to a force tangent to the plane of contact between the film and the surface of every inert body and is discharged with a current of spent heat carrier, wherein the vector of the force tangent to the plane of contact between the film and the surface of the inert bodies makes with the vector of the ascending velocity of the inert bodies an angle within the range from 52" to 89".

2. Apparatus for drying a proteinaceous material, comprising a chamber, means for providing an ascending stream of a high temperature heat carrier in the chamber, an outlet for spent heat carrier, means for introducing proteinaceous material into the chamber so as to become applied to inert bodies ascending in the stream of heat carrier, and a surface arranged in the path of the ascending stream for separating a dehydrated film from the inert bodies, the said surface being at an angle of 52" to 89" to the vertical.

3. Apparatus for drying a proteinaceous material, comprising a chamber shaped as a funnel of rectangular cross section having a slant wall, vertical walls, an inlet for a hightemperature heat carrier which is located in the slant wall of the chamber within a narrow portion thereof, nozzles for admitting the proteinaceous material to be applied to inert bodies, the nozzles being located in the vertical walls contiguous with the slant wall of the chamber, means for separating the dehydrated film from the surface of the inert bodies, the said means comprising a triangular prism, one side of which is attached to the vertical wall facing the slant wall of the chamber and another side of which faces the inlet for the high-temperature heat carrier, and a duct for discharging the spent heat carrier together with particles of the dehydrated film of the proteinaceous material, wherein the side of the prism facing the inlet for the high-temperature heat carrier makes with the side attached to the vertical wall of the chamber an angle within the range from 52" to 89".

4. A method of drying a proteinaceous material substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5. A method of drying a proteinaceous material, substantially as described in any of Examples 1 to 9.

6. Apparatus for drying a proteinaceous material, substantially as described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.