KR101596733B1 - Apparatus for thermal gas treatment - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for the treatment of hot gasses of an object to be conveyed to an endless conveyor, the apparatus being characterized in that it is divided into two or more divided parts, the first divided part being divided into a first divided part A housing having means for moving; An endless conveyor belt arranged inside said housing and projecting out of said housing at a first end and a second end, said endless conveyor belt having an upper runway and a lower runway suitable for conveying objects; Two or more gas conditioning units arranged inside the housing and arranged downstream of each other along the conveyor so as to guide the process gas toward the endless conveyor; And a hermetic compartment separating each gas conditioning unit and forming a separate processing zone adjacent to the infinite conveyor, the hermetic compartment comprising the gas conditioning unit, And the endless conveyor except for the first end portion and the second end portion.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS FOR THERMAL GAS TREATMENT [0002]

The present invention relates to an apparatus for the treatment of thermal gases of an object which is moved to an endless conveyor, wherein the object can be in particular a food product.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Many devices for treating thermal gases of objects, and in particular food, are conventionally known, historically such devices have been used to heat, e.g. burn, thaw or warm objects, The environment in which it is implemented in an economical manner or in which the device is seated has been developed with the tendency to provide a small size so that it can be used for other purposes or to provide efficiency to further improve the productivity by adding devices in the same place. Gradually, this development trend maintains efficiency growth while at the same time enhancing the sanitary condition associated with processing foodstuffs. By virtue of this, a large number of devices are developed and provided inside the device to be clean and thereby maintain a relatively high hygiene standard.

The device described in US 3455120 relates to relatively long freezers in which the interior of the refrigerator is divided into areas that can be exposed to other conditions in the processing space, . The device is surrounded by the housing and the cover arranged on the top of the freezer is removed to allow access to the housing. Incidentally, the lid is integral with the gas distribution chamber and the fan mounting structure. Removal of the cover is a relatively heavy operation, and the fan and gas distribution chamber are not easily accessible. The gas distribution chamber and the fan are not enclosed in a chamber structure and are not accessible for cleaning.

The evaporator and the gas source for the treatment of the object are arranged along the conveyor belt extending through the treatment area, but the temperature control dependent on how the evaporator is operated will further affect the treatment area. In addition, the gasified and liquefied gas can be added to the circulating gas channel, which will be absorbed in the gas distribution chamber by the fan. This arrangement creates a more complex device, especially not highlighting the cleaning problem, and results in a daily cleaning and maintenance process that can not be done in terms of removal of the lid.

Another example of a conventional device for the thermal gas treatment of an object is described in European Patent No. EP0859199, in which an oven, particularly an air impingement oven, is posted. The housing of the oven consists of an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion of which can be lifted with respect to the lower portion through a telescope to be separated in an accessible manner into the oven. To provide a hermetic connection between the top and bottom, a liquid seal is provided between the two housing portions. In addition, individual fans and pressure chambers are arranged on both sides of the conveyor belt, i. E. The upper and lower sides, to provide close proximity to the tasks required for gas treatment. The product is conveyed onto a conveyor belt, which is positioned between the upper baffle plate and the lower baffle plate to create a jet of impact, such as a gas impact, on the product to be conveyed onto the conveyor belt. The upper and lower panes, which produce the pressure required to make the impingement jet, are arranged in a pressure chamber above and below the conveyor belt so that this task, which is to be performed separately for cleaning, not only raises the upper portion of the housing relative to the lower portion of the housing, Specific manner of the upper and lower pressure chambers to achieve access to the inside of the baffle and the baffle. The arrangement of the fan system below the conveyor belt comprises a vertical wall which provides gas circulation in the lower housing and accommodates a lower installation, such as a fan and a pressure chamber. The vertical wall is difficult to clean and difficult to check the lower pan mounting in the lower pressure chamber.

As a result, the object of the present invention is to improve the efficiency of the device according to the prior art while at the same time increasing the accessibility in all parts of the device for cleaning and maintenance purposes, as well as the efficiency and flexibility of the device, .

The invention relates to an apparatus for the treatment of objects to be conveyed on an endless conveyor, in particular for the thermal gas treatment of foods,

- a housing separated by two or more divided portions, the first divided portion having means for moving the first divided portion relative to the second divided portion;

An endless conveyor belt arranged inside said housing and projecting out of said housing at a first end and a second end, said endless conveyor belt having an upper run and an upper run run suitable for conveying objects;

Two or more gas conditioning units arranged in the housing and arranged downstream of the other units along the conveyor to guide the treated gas towards the endless conveyor; And

An actual airtight compartment separating the gas conditioning units from each other to form a separate processing zone, said processing zone being connected adjacent to the endless conveyor,

The housing actually completely encloses the gas conditioning unit, the compartment processing area, and the endless conveyor except for the first end and the second end.

As previously described, the device has several advantages over an easy approach for thorough cleaning to improve efficiency and also hygiene standards. Separate processing zones made of substantially airtight compartments with their own gas control units enable different processes to be carried out along the conveyor. Has the advantage of having a very fast gas circulation rate along with a very low gas temperature in the first zone to make a crust on the object to be treated in the freezing process, but the complete refrigeration of the object is more preferably carried out in a low speed mode, The adjacent downstream treatment zone will have a low gas circulation at a rather low temperature. Other variants are possible, for example, other types of products can provide the refrigeration process very carefully, so that the temperature passing through the individual processing zones in the refrigerator is slowly lowered to the downstream, allowing the object to be exposed to more rigid freezing And can provide excellent quality depending on the object to be frozen, that is, the integrity and organization of the product can be maintained.

The first and second divisions of the housing can be moved relative to each other, for example the second divider can be a suitably insulated base plate and, in most cases, lifted from a surface on which the device is seated, The dividing part may be a longitudinal shape capable of covering the working portion of the device and is meshed with the lower second part in an airtight manner to create a housing equipped with suitable insulation that is actually needed for airtightness and proper functionality of the device. The housing will typically be made of a sandwich panel, the shell of the sandwich panel made of stainless steel plate material, and the internal insulating material may be freely selected, in which a foam material such as, for example, a polyurethane foam is used .

In practice, the airtight compartment is preferably fixed to the second compartment, e.g., the bottom, where the compartments remain in the second compartment when the contour is elevated, so that it is freely accessible for cleaning and maintenance. In order to provide an airtight connection between the compartment and the interior of the housing, at least the inner wall of the first compartment of the housing or of the first compartment of the housing has a width that is upwardly corresponding to the tapered shape above the compartment When the housing part is intermeshed, the compartment will be engaged with the internal power of the first part of the housing and the housing is moved upward so that the tapered part can be easily removed, It is not influenced by the movement of the housing division portion.

A continuous conveyor passing through all the separate processing areas will create a gas leak between adjacent processing areas. However, it has been experimentally demonstrated that a small amount of process gas exchange takes place between the adjacent areas through the crevices required for the compartments, and a similar process occurs, i.e., cooling or heating occurs on both sides of the compartment, When created on both sides of the compartment, there will be an exchange of process gas between the two areas.

All of the components of the device which can be brought into contact with or contaminated with the residue from the object to be treated in the device are easily accessible for cleaning and the removal or movement of the door Opening will not be necessary to access any feature of the present invention, and will be further clarified as follows.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, gas treatment of an object on a conveyor comprises an impingement process, wherein in the at least one treatment zone,

A heating or cooling member providing a passage of gas which exchanges heat with the heating or cooling member;

A fan having an inlet side and an outlet side;

A gas pressure distribution system further connected to the discharge side of the fan or gas control unit and having an upper gas distribution chamber arranged on an endless conveyor, said chamber having upper and lower plate members, A portion of the member has a collision nozzle or clearance and during use the top plate member actually engages one of the split portions of the housing.

In order to create a collision effect, it is necessary to make a jet of the process gas, usually by raising the pressure on one side of the collision plate relative to the other side, and the collision plate is provided with a collision nozzle in the shape of a hole, will be. The so-called impact process is carried out by guiding the jet towards the object to be treated. Therefore, the present invention comprises a gas pressure distribution system connected to the discharge side of the fan to create the gas jet and thereby the pressure required to make the impulse process. There is a need to provide a gas distribution chamber that is able to evenly distribute the gas along a conveyor that passes through the processing region, since the evaporator and fan to create the required pressure are arranged within each processing region. For this purpose, the gas distribution chambers are arranged above and below the endless conveyor so that the impingement process can occur both above and below. The heated gas, which has already collided with the object, is sucked into the processing unit, i. E. The evaporator, due to the pressure difference between the inlet and outlet sides of the fan.

For the gas distribution chamber to actually maintain airtightness and gas pressure, the upper and lower plate members are actually hermetically engaged with the housing during operation. As described above, due to the tapered shape of the housing, the plate is sized to fit the tapered portion so that the first split portion of the housing is lowered onto the processing facility inside the housing, so that the horizontal plate engages the actually vertically tapered inner wall of the housing, So that the gas pressure can be maintained on the treatment area.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one channel connects the upper gas distribution chamber with at least one lower gas distribution chamber, each channel being partially integral with the partition of the housing, And the upper plate member of the lower gas distribution chamber has a collision nozzle or clearance.

In order to provide a gas circulation around the treatment area, it is necessary to provide a channel so that the pressurized gas can be provided to collide against the conveyor belt underneath to be provided in the lower gas distribution chamber. At the same time, in the present structure, it is not necessary to interconnect the upper and lower gas distribution chambers, and it is necessary to provide a space for the gas necessary for circulating return to the circulating gas, for example, the fan and gas regulating unit. For this purpose, a channel is provided, the channel having a connecting plate from the top to the bottom gas distribution chamber adjacent the side edge of the conveyor belt, and the raised portion of the channel, i.e. the raised portion against the second divided portion, And the second divided portion of the first divided portion. Due to the tapered configuration of the housing, the channel portions will be easily removed from the corresponding channel plates connected to the upper and lower plate members, thereby ensuring a secure accessibility in the channels connecting them during operation of the upper and lower gas distribution chambers and devices . A space is provided between the channels to circulate the circulating air returned to the gas control unit.

Although the apparatus for treating a thermal gas may be used for heating or cooling an object as already mentioned, in a particularly preferred embodiment the apparatus is a refrigerator and the gas conditioning unit comprises an evaporator.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gas treatment of an object on the conveyor comprises a gas explosion process, in which the device further comprises,

A heating or cooling member providing a passage of gas which exchanges heat with the heating or cooling member;

A fan having an inlet side and an outlet side;

A gas pressure distribution system further connected to the discharge side of the fan or gas control unit and having an upper gas distribution chamber arranged on an endless conveyor, said chamber having upper and lower plate members, The member has a relatively narrow longitudinal clearance in the direction transverse to the direction of travel of the conveyor belt, and in use the top plate member actually engages one of the partitions of the housing.

A gas explosion is a process different from the impact, in which the gas guided from the conditioning unit contacts an object on the conveyor and a continuous gas flow is created in or around the object due to the circulation of gas, so that heat exchange occurs between the object and the process gas . The gas pressure distribution system is required to distribute the gas substantially evenly over the overall area of the conveyor belt, in particular a homogeneous and virtually uniform treatment of the product in the treatment zone can be achieved. In order to facilitate the distribution of the gas evenly on both sides of the conveyor, a plate member is provided above and below the conveyor belt, with relatively narrow gaps being arranged in the plate member so that the gas flow will be released in these gaps, The resistors are made to distribute the gas to the adjacent gaps so that a substantially even gas distribution is achieved in the process area.

In another preferred embodiment, the gap is provided with gas guiding means in the form of a guide plate, the gas guiding means intersecting with the moving direction of the endless conveyor belt, or along the moving direction or in opposition to the moving direction. The gas guiding means can guide the gas emitted in the determined direction, e.g., in the same direction, as opposed to the movement of the conveyor belt in the process zone and in the adjacent process zone, such as the movement of the conveyor belt, .

In another preferred embodiment, the upper and lower horizontal plate members can be slid out into and out of the plate and replaced with plates of the same or different kinds. This embodiment is accomplished in a relatively simple manner by simply replacing the impulse plate with a plate suitable for an air-blowing freeze process, for example by replacing the device to perform the blow-freeze process in a collision-freezing process. The preferred embodiment allows the housing to be moved upwards to expose the horizontal plate with all other equipment inside the freezer. Such a structure requires a horizontal plate to be transported by a member that is crossed with respect to the transport direction or is transported. Thus, the plate can slide in the same direction in a simple manner by means of bearings, facilitating cleaning and replacement. This facility further increases the versatility of the apparatus because the different partitions perform different kinds of heat treatments, which can provide a more efficient and high quality process depending on the product to be treated. Improved cleanliness can also be achieved from a hygienic standpoint.

The structure is also relatively simple, so that the first part will hold the plate in place during operation.

In another preferred embodiment, the housing is horizontally separated, such as an infinite conveyor belt, two or more gas conditioning units, and an airtight compartment separating each gas conditioning unit, And the upper dividing portion can be lifted or lowered by the lower dividing portion by means of the telescoping elevating means so that the lower dividing portion and the upper dividing portion can be lifted or lowered by the first end of the conveyor belt The actual confinement that separates the endless conveyor belt and the two or more gas control units, the gas distribution chamber and the channel, and the gas conditioning unit from each other in the raised position of the upper partition dividing the device separated at the two ends and making the individual processing zones, The compartments are accessible for inspection, repair, service and cleaning.

Advantages of such an assembly have already been mentioned and described above, in that the first housing unit in the elevated position is provided to freely access all the components inside the apparatus for cleaning and maintenance, providing a substantial advantage over the prior art do.

In another preferred embodiment, the housing partitions have means for actually creating an airtight assembly at a location where the parts are in mutual contact. The assembly may, for example, be provided with an interlocking means or corresponding valley means at the top and a protruding member and a protrusion at the lower first splitting section to provide a mechanically stable connection in order to provide a hermetic connection, And will be able to withstand the increased pressure on the inner wall of the housing to effect the above-described process.

The preferred connection between the upper and lower partitions is such that in many cases the device designed for refrigeration has a heating means which causes the airtight assembly to defrost to separate each of the two partitions. Although the housing can be insulated, the airtightness assembly can thermally crosslink and moisture can condense and freeze around the connection between the upper and lower divisions of the housing.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention in which the device is used for refrigeration, an evaporator is arranged for a horizontal gas flow through the evaporator and a pressure distribution system is arranged downstream of the pressure distributor of the evaporator connected to the upper and lower gas distribution chambers , And after passing an object on the conveyor, the gas is guided to the suction side of the pan, partially under the conveyor and mainly below the lower gas distribution chamber.

This embodiment provides a compact fan structure with a gas distribution chamber directly connected to the evaporator and connected directly to the evaporator, reducing the space of the structure and providing an advantage over the overall size of the apparatus. At the same time, the circulating gas can be circulated back to the fan in most of the space and pressurized through the evaporator provided for high efficiency of the refrigerator.

In another preferred embodiment, an evaporator is arranged for a vertical gas flow through the evaporator, the pressure distribution system comprising a pressure distribution section above and upstream of the evaporator, wherein an upper gas distribution chamber is arranged between the evaporator and the conveyor, The gas distribution chamber is connected to the upper gas distribution chamber by means of a channel arranged in the housing division, and after passing over an object on the conveyor, the gas is directed to the suction side of the fan, partly below the conveyor and mainly below the lower gas distribution chamber And is guided along the closed side of the evaporator.

In this embodiment, the motor of the fan is arranged outside the housing with an axis passing through the upper part of the housing connecting to the fan wing. The upper dividing portion of the housing raises the fan motor, and the wing structure of the fan is lifted up to the upper dividing portion so that a chimney for introducing the circulating air to the fan is provided in the lower portion of the housing. In this way, the interior of the fan can be thoroughly cleaned and at the same time the motor driving the fan can maintain the pressurized cooling gas under ambient temperature compared to the motor inside the housing causing constant impact on the motor and reducing power consumption Reduce the harsh environment. In this embodiment, the pressure chamber is provided on the evaporator and the additional pressure chamber in the form of a gas distribution chamber provided below the evaporator is provided with an evaporator.

Due to the partition between each treatment area, the evaporator fan and the gas distribution chamber can be assembled such that one unit can fail, for example the entire unit can be replaced with a new replacement unit due to leakage and fan failure in the evaporator, Pause) time will be minimized. The evaporator and the fan are independent units that do not need to be relied upon for the pedestal of the structure, so they can be easily replaced with additional separate units. In this way, the gas is guided towards the object on the conveyor belt in the form of a unit different from the impinging jet, while the gas explosion or other gas treatment is performed in an easy manner with the replacement work piece, so that the impingement unit is easily replaced Or vice versa.

According to the present invention as described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for opening and closing the upper divided portion of a housing made up of two divided portions so as to open the inside of the housing to improve the accessibility and efficiency with the mechanical equipment located therein, And maintenance and hygiene.

The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 illustrates the first embodiment in production mode.
Figure 2 illustrates the device in the cleaning mode.
Figure 3 illustrates the invention in a transparent manner so that other parts of the device can be seen.
4 is a sectional view of the first embodiment.
Figure 5 illustrates the second embodiment in the cleaning mode.
Figure 6 illustrates the invention in a transparent manner so that other parts of the device can be seen.
6A is a sectional view of the second embodiment.
Figure 7 is a detailed view of the gas flow in the apparatus.
Figures 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b illustrate in detail the connection between the housing and the gas pressure distribution channel.

In Figure 1, a first embodiment of a refrigerator is illustrated in what is shown in an operating mode. The second embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, in the first embodiment, the apparatus has an upper first dividing section 1 and a lower second dividing section 2, and a housing made of two dividing sections. The telescope means 3 is provided so as to lift the first divided portion 1 with respect to the second divided portion 2 as illustrated with reference to Fig.

The first divided portion 1 has a longitudinal shape and the second divided portion 2 has a first shape so as to process the product to be placed on a conveyor running from the first end 4 to the second end 6 of the apparatus. The dividing section 2 can be described as a platform which is fitted onto the necessary equipment. In the figure, although the structure 5 of the conveyor belt is shown, the conveyor belt body can be removed. In this way the two partitions 1, 2 of the housing completely cover the device and only the conveyor belt, as illustrated in the conveyor structure 5 of FIG. 1, is moved from the first and second ends 4, And protrudes outward.

In Fig. 2, the telescope means 3 is driven to raise the first divided portion 1 of the housing with respect to the second divided portion 2. Only two telescope means 3 are illustrated clearly. When the first divided portion 1 is raised with respect to the second divided portion 2, that is to say, when the freezer is opened, all the arrangements arranged in the housing can be easily accessed. As illustrated in the embodiment, the four evaporators 7 are arranged along the conveyor belt 5 so that four treatment zones are created inside the housing. Each processing region is separated from the adjacent processing region by the partition wall 8. [

In the illustrated embodiment, the apparatus is provided so as to be able to perform an impingement refrigeration process, the pressure distribution chamber 10 being illustrated below each evaporator 7, which will be further described below. In order to make the impinging process impinging on the product moving to the conveyor 5, the pressure distribution channel 11 is arranged directly below the conveyor belt 5 and the connection with the pressure distribution chamber 10 will also be described below. In this example, although the three collision channels 11 are arranged directly under each evaporator 7, the collision channels may be provided in any number.

In Fig. 3, the first division part 1 of the housing is illustrated transparently in order to illustrate the hardware inside the device. Each adjacent evaporator (7) arranges the two fans (12, 13). For the sake of clarity, as described with reference to Figure 2, the partition wall 8 does not illustrate except for the partition wall adjacent to the first and second ends 4, 6 of the apparatus, In order to create four separate processing zones.

Fig. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the device according to the first embodiment, in which like reference numerals are given to members having similar features.

To clarify in the figure, the gas treatment area depicted by the bracket 20, i.e. the space inside the housing between the two compartments 8, is a self-standing unit, which in fact can be manufactured like a stand- Or the unit may be replaced with a corresponding unit for cleaning, while the unit is involved in connection with a repair job or cleaning.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 6A illustrate a second embodiment of the present invention in which the direction of the evaporator is rotated 90.degree. With respect to the first embodiment. In the first embodiment of the present invention, which is illustrated with reference to Figs. 1 to 4 as described above, the fan will form a horizontal airflow parallel to the conveyor belt passing through the evaporator 7. This embodiment requires a specific arrangement of the gas distribution means as will be described in detail below. In the embodiment illustrated with reference to Figures 5, 6 and 6a, the evaporator is arranged to flow gas in the vertical direction upright in the direction of movement of the conveyor belt. Separately, the substructure corresponds to the above-described structure, and the housing has two divided portions composed of the upper first divided portion 1 and the lower second divided portion 2, The telescopic means 3 for raising and lowering the first divided portion 1 can be provided to ensure accessibility to the inside of the freezer.

Unlike the first embodiment, the motor 21 for driving the fan is arranged outside the housing 1, but is connected to the vanes 22 (see FIG. 6) via the shaft so that gas It can be forced through the evaporator onto the product / object resting on the conveyor belt 5 and forcibly pushed.

Fig. 6 illustrates an embodiment as in Fig. 3, in which the first division of the housing 1 is illustrated in a transparent manner so as to illustrate the internal arrangement in the freezer.

As illustrated, the fan motor 21 penetrates the housing 1 and is connected to the fan blades. A treatment area is created with a clearly demarcated compartment for separating the evaporator and the adjacent evaporator and this area may have other characteristics such as temperature, air speed, etc. as compared to other treatment areas in the device .

Additional features which have been illustrated will be described below with reference to Figures 8 to 10 with the end piece 30 of the integral gas chamber channel. As clearly shown in the drawing, the space for circulating the pressurized gas through the evaporator as well as the end of the pressurizing chamber and the channels 10, 11 is once the upper first divided portion 1 of the housing is shown in Figures 5 and 6 As you ascend, you have free access to inspection and cleaning. Figure 6a illustrates a cross-sectional view similar to that shown in Figure 4 but clearly illustrates that the motor 21 is arranged outside the housing 1 but is connected to the wing 22 axially within the housing .

The plate member 23 is arranged between the evaporator and adjacent compartments 8 such that the inlet opening of the fan is provided in the plate 23 so that the gas used for the treatment of the object, To the upper pressure chamber 24 bounded by the partition 23 and the partition 8 and the inner wall of the housing 1. The plate member 23 has a gap which allows the pressurized gas in the chamber 24 to pass gas vertically through the evaporator 7 and into the pressure distribution chamber 10 arranged below the evaporator 7 . Here the gas is distributed as described above.

Referring to Fig. 7, a comparable pressurizing space 24 is arranged in the space between the fans 12, 13 and the evaporator, as described with reference to Fig. 6A, and the other side of the evaporator, And is arranged downstream of the evaporator between the compartments (8). In addition, the pressurized gas will be present in the gas distribution chamber 10 arranged below the evaporator 7.

As shown in Fig. 7, the pressure distribution chamber is defined by a lower plate member 30, a portion extending through the evaporator 7 fed in a waffle configuration in this embodiment, and a collision nozzle. The upper horizontal restriction of the pressure distribution chamber 10 is formed by the additional horizontal plate member 31. In addition, the vertical connection channel 32 is provided to guide the pressurized gas into the gas distribution channel 11 arranged below the conveyor belt 5. Circulating gas, that is, gas forcing the object on the conveyor belt 5, is circulated under the conveyor belt and the lower pressure distribution channel 11 and can be circulated in the space 33 to the inlet side of the fans 12, have.

The structure of the vertical pressure distribution chamber 32 will be described with reference to Figs. 8 to 10 in practice. 8a, 9a and 10a illustrate the position when two housing partitions are engaged, that is, when the facility is capable of producing, and Figs. 8a, 9A and 10A show a situation in which the first divided portion 1 is raised relative to the second divided portion 2 and allow access to the pressure distribution channels 10,11 and 32 for cleaning do.

In Fig. 8A, the object 50 can be shown to be transported on the conveyor belt 5. Fig. A treatment zone 20 surrounds the conveyor belt.

The selected cross-sectional views illustrated in Figures 8, 9 and 10 illustrate locations where there is actually a vertical pressure distribution chamber 32. 7, the lower plate 30, like the upper plate 31, extends in the direction of the axis of the first segment 1, And extends in all directions through the inner wall 35. The vertical channel 32 connects the pressure distribution channel 10 and the lower pressure distribution channel 11 on the conveyor belt 5, as is evident from Figs. 8A, 9A and 10A. The upper plate 36 in the lower pressure distribution chamber 11 as well as the plate 30 may have a collision nozzle (not shown) to impinge the gas on the object 50 conveyed to the conveyor belt 5. The difference between the embodiments illustrated with reference to Figs. 8, 9 and 10 lies in the manner in which the first segment 1 is connected to the processing region 20.

In the first embodiment, which is illustrated with reference to Figs. 8A and 8B, the inner wall 35 of the first divided portion 1 is actually depicted as a straight line hatched section. The tapered shape of the first divisional 1 is exaggeratedly illustrated, as it has been described and illustrated, in fact between the inner wall 35 of the first divisional 1 or the first divisional 1 and the vertical plane, would.

In the open position, that is to say in Figures 8, 9 and 10 b), the pressure distributing chamber will be fully accessible and completely removed from the first part 1. The plate 31 and the lower plate 36 of the lower pressure chamber 11 are actually elongated further than the inner limit 37 of the vertical pressure connection channel 32.

Common to all illustrated embodiments is that the inner wall 35 of the first division 1, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, i.e. the plane of the drawing, extends in the longitudinal direction, i.e. parallel to the conveying direction of the conveyor, And this flange will connect to the plates 31,36 and the inner limit 37 to form the channel 32. The flange of the channel 32 serves to form a channel 32,

9A and 9B, the inner wall 35 of the first division has two substantially horizontal flanges 40, 41 extending in the longitudinal direction corresponding to the width of the channel 32, (31, 36) can be extended to correspond to the enclosure of the treatment area.

In addition, the embodiment shown in Fig. 10 has an enclosure member for the treatment area, which is attached to the flange to define the channel 32 as described above and extends longitudinally, see also Fig. 10b The process area can be freely available for cleaning or inspection in the area of the vertical pressure distribution channel 32 when ascending the first division 1 as illustrated.

In the embodiment illustrated with reference to Figures 8 and 9, the extension of the vertical pressure distribution channel 32 allows cleaning of the processing area around the conveyor belt behind the conveyor belt and enclosure member 37. However, it can be used as described with reference to FIG. 10 to form an entire cross-section, making it more convenient and more thoroughly cleaned and inspected.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many more of the structures may be used and that the invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (11)

In an apparatus for thermal gas treatment of an object being conveyed to an endless conveyor,
A housing separated into two or more split sections, the first split section having means for moving the first split section relative to the second split section;
An endless conveyor belt arranged inside the housing and protruding from the housing at a first end and a second end, the endless conveyor belt having an upper runway and a lower runway for conveying objects;
Two or more gas conditioning units arranged inside the housing and arranged downstream of each other along the conveyor so as to guide the process gas toward the endless conveyor; And
- a hermetic compartment separating each gas conditioning unit and forming a separate treatment zone connected adjacent to said infinite conveyor,
The housing completely surrounding the gas conditioning unit, the compartmented process area, and the endless conveyor except for the first end and the second end,
The apparatus may further comprise, in one or more processing regions,
A heating or cooling member providing a passage of gas which permits heat exchange with the heating or cooling member;
A fan having a suction side and a discharge side;
A gas pressure distribution system connected to the discharge side of said fan or gas conditioning unit and further comprising an upper gas distribution chamber arranged on said endless conveyor, said chamber having upper and lower plate members, Wherein a portion of the lower plate member has a collision nozzle or clearance and during use the upper plate member is actually engaged with one of the dividing portions of the housing. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein at least one channel connects the upper gas distribution chamber to one or more lower gas distribution chambers, each channel being formed in one piece with the partitions of the housing, the lower gas distribution channel comprising an upper passageway Wherein the upper plate member of the lower gas distribution chamber has a collision nozzle or clearance. The method according to claim 1 or 3,
Wherein the apparatus is a freezer and the gas conditioning unit comprises an evaporator. The method according to claim 1,
The gas treatment of an object on the conveyor comprises a gas explosion process, which further comprises, in one or more treatment zones,
A heating or cooling member providing a passage of gas which permits heat exchange with the heating or cooling member;
A fan having a suction side and a discharge side;
A gas pressure distribution system connected to the discharge side of said fan or gas conditioning unit and further comprising an upper gas distribution chamber arranged on said endless conveyor, said chamber having upper and lower plate members, Wherein the plate member has a relatively narrow longitudinal gap disposed to intersect the conveyor moving direction and wherein during use the top plate member is actually engaged with one of the partitions of the housing. 6. The method of claim 5,
Said clearance comprising gas guiding means in the form of a guide plate, said gas guiding means providing a gas flow in a direction opposite or opposite to the direction of movement of said endless conveyor belt. 6. The method according to claim 1 or 5,
Wherein the upper and lower horizontal plate members are slidable into and out of the plate and are configured to be replaceable with plates of a different type or of the same type. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the housing is separated in a horizontal direction, wherein an actual airtightness dividing section for separating the endless conveyor belt, the two or more gas conditioning units, and the respective gas conditioning units and forming a separate processing area is provided in the lower division of the housing And the upper dividing part is raised or lowered to the lower dividing part via the telescopic elevating means to surround the device in which the lower and upper dividing parts are separated from the first and second ends of the conveyor belt in the lowered position, When the partitions are in the raised position, the actual airtight compartment separating the infinite conveyor belt, the two or more gas conditioning units, and the respective gas conditioning units and forming a separate processing area is accessible for inspection, repair, service and cleaning And a heat gas treatment device for treating the heat gas. 7. The method according to claim 1 or 6,
Wherein the dividing portion of the housing has means for actually forming an airtight assembly at a location where the dividing portions are in mutual contact. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the evaporator is arranged in a horizontal gas flow through the evaporator and the pressure distribution system has a pressure distribution downstream of the evaporator connected to the upper and lower gas distribution chambers and wherein after passing an object over the conveyor, Guided to the suction side of the fan, partially guided along the conveyor and guided beneath the lower gas distribution chamber. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the evaporator is arranged in a vertical gas flow through the evaporator, the pressure distribution system having a pressure distribution portion upstream and above the evaporator, the upper gas distribution chamber being arranged between an evaporator and a conveyor, A distribution chamber is connected to the upper gas distribution chamber by means of a channel arranged in the housing part, and after passing an object over the conveyor, the gas is guided to the suction side of the fan and guided in part along the conveyor And is guided under the lower gas distribution chamber and is guided along the closed side of the evaporator.

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