US1077270A - Pasteurizing. - Google Patents

Description

F. GETTBLMAN.

v PASTEURIZING. APPLICATION FILED IBB. e, 1912.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

. F100/i1 01E.

UNTTED STATES PATENT Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4,1913.

Application led February 6, 1912. Serial No, 675,853.

To all` .10h/1m t may concern:

Be-:it known that I, FREDERICK GETrEL- MAN,acitizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of -Mil Awaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improve-` ments in Pasteurizing; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, effective and accurate method of pasteurizing, the same being accomplished through apparatus of the general character disclosed in the patent issued to me for pasteurizing apparatus, dated' April 11, 1911, No. 989,14

In general the method consists in subjecting the bottled product to successive interrupted immersions in water contained in separate vats, thewater in each vat being at an initial predetermined temperature 'whereby said product is gradually brought to the exact pasteurizing temperature desired, at which temperature it is sustained for a period of time and thereafter gradually lowered in temperature preparatory to being removed from the pasteurizing apparatus,

This method is especially adapted to pasteurize milk, although it is a parent that any product may be .treatedwith eiiciency and that while I have particularly described the mouths of the vessels as being open that in some instances paper closures for the same may be utilized which would provide the necessary vent owing to such closures not forming a perfect seal.

With the above objects in view the invention consists in what is herein shown and described with reference to the accompanying illustrations and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents adiagram view of a pasteurizing apparat-us em-v bodying the features Yofmy invention, and Fig. 2, a detail cross-section--of a fragment of the conveyer chain and supporting means together with a portion of one of the carriers, the section being indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring by characters to the drawings l indicates a housing forming a chamber having a verticalv opening 2 therein that-constiproduct is delivered to operators above the ioor-line of the building upon which the housing is supported, the well being disposed at the forward end of the chamber and through which an endless chain con' veyer 3 passes. The conveyer chain is driven and supported a series of pulleys to be hereinafter particularly mentioned mounted within and exteriorly of the chambery Suitably supported within the chamber are a series of vats A, B, C, D, the vats b eing filledA to a predetermined height with water from supply-pipes 4, 4, 4a, 4b. Track-rails 5, 5a, 5b, and 5c are disposed above the water-line of `the series of vats and serve as longitudinal supporting guides for the chain conveyer. This chain conveyer is arranged to pass over a pulley 7 located above the top-wall of the chamber, the chain being thereafter passed over a pulley 7 similarly located at the rear end of said chamber. Freni thence the chain passes down through an opening 2a at the rear end of the chamber top over a pulley 8 located above the first -vat A, from which point it is arranged to travel forwardly and over the guide-rail 5 under a guide-pulley 8a and from thence said chain is inclined up'- wardly and is arranged to travel over a pulportion by an upwardly inclined'section of v the guide-rail 5, which inclined section or stretch rises fromvpulley 8a to pulley 9. The conveyerl chain thereafter passes downwardly over a pulley 10 that isdisposed above the vat B and from thence it travels parallel to the water-line in said vatand above the same to a guide-pulley 10, being upwardly inclinedat the rear end of thevat B Where it asses over a pulley 11. The conveyer cham is then directed downwardly at the rear end and under another pulley 12 thatis disposed over vat C. From this pulley the chain travels forwardly under a guide-pulley l2 and over a large pu'lleyl which is disposed directly above the partition between vats l)`- and C, which vats are in this instance showny arranged-upon vthe same horizontal plane. The conveyer chain after lpassim overV pulley 13 is deflected downwardly y a gui'de-pulley'12",-afstretch being then directed parallel-with'vat D and ico over the same. The endlessv conveyer then .passes under a'pulley 14 from whichl it ytravels upwardly through the well2 to the first pulley 7 whereby the cycleis completed. tutes a well through which the. pasteurized y A endless chain conveyer-s thus pass in'zl'g-'zag `manner back and forth vover vthe series of From the foregoing it will be seen that-the as it enters and leaves each vat in order to immerse the bottled product in the vat water. Each portion of the bottled product is con'- tained in a vessel 15, groups of which are assembled in a series of carriers 15 that are pivotally suspended from rods 16, which rods are carried by the chain convcyer, the rods being provided with antifriction rollers 17 arranged to contact with the guiderails. By the above described construction the several stretches of the aforesaid chain conveyor are relieved of sagging strain to which they would otherwise be subjected and thus friction being reduced to aminimum a proportionately less amount of power is required to operate the apparatus. Furthermore it is apparent that owing to the arrangement of guide-rails which support the carriers 15 that the latter are always held in a position whereby they are submerged ata predetermined depth. By this arrangement the vessels or bottles 15a containing the productl can be submerged to the proper depth so that their necks are above the water-line and can thus be open to the atmosphere without danger of injury to the contents thereof incidental to travel through the sterilizing liquid.

Each bottle-carrier 15 has secured thereto a shield 18 that is connected to the supporting bails 15b of the carrier and is disposed just above the open mouths of the vessels whereby they are protected and any water drippings or foreign matter that may drop upon the tray incidental to its travel is deflected from the vented vessels whereby their contents will not be polluted.

As clearly shown in the diagram a heat regulator in the form of a coiled ipe 19 is arranged in juxtaposition to the orward end of the rst vat A, which coiled'pipe parallels the vertical stretch ac of the conveyer chain between said vat and the second vat B. A similar coil 20, which, in this instance, is adapted to receive a cooling medium, is mount-ed within the chamber in juxtaposition to thevertical stretch 31/ of the conveyor chain that passes from the second vat B to the third vat C, the latter vat being provided with water which is designed as a cooling medium, being of slightly lower temperature than the water contained in"vat B, which vat may be termed the sterilizing vat and, fois example, contains water at a temperature of approximately 149. The last vat D of the series may be termed a cooling vat and contains water which may, as shown, be held at a predetermined low temperature by a cooling medium that is introduced indirectly thereto through a coiled pipe 21.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that in carrying out my improved method of pasteurizing that the product on entering the chamber is approximately at atmospheric temperature and thevessels containnomme ing the product. being open to atmosphere as previously mentioned, said vessels are first submerged in vat A, which contains water at a desired intermediate temperature whereby the product is raised in temper ature gradually preparatory to being submerged 'in the pasteurizng vat B. Before entering said vat the product is re-heated in its travel downwardly by indirecty radiation from the heating coil 19 and thus in its travel from thek first vat to the pasteurizing'vat the temperature of the product is held constant or slightly preheated. Hence there is no sudden rise in the temperature of the product as it is submerged into the liquid containing vat B. Pasteurizing is effected as the carrier containing the product passes from the forward end to the rear .end of vat B and thereafter it is desirable to gradually cool the pasteurized product. The initial pre-cooling is effected by indirect contact with the cooling medium introduced through coil 20. A further cool ing ofthe product is effected as it travels through vat. C, the final cooling being ac-Iv complished incidental to the travel of the carrier through vat D, the liquid in which, as shown, is maintained at a predetermined temperature by the cooling medium 21. The pasteurizing is now completed and the end-i less carrier raises the roduct up through the well 2 to the floorm ine of the building where said product is unloaded in any desired manner.

lVhi'le I have shown and described thef chamber as being provided with four vats it is apparent that this number may be diminished or increased in accordance with the conditions required with reference to the product to be sterilized, particular attention! being called to the fact that the product is pre-heated or pre-cooled by artificial means incidental to its travel from one vat to the other, whereby sudden variations in temper-- .subjecting an atmospherieally exposed product to a series of step by step .water baths having progressively higher temperatures to effect sterilization, preeating the product by indirect radiation between the water baths of progressively higher temperatures,

iis

and thereafter subjecting said product, step by step, to a series of water bathshaving progressively lower temperatures relative to the maximum temperature of the first named series, and pre-cooling the product between the cooling baths by subjecting said product to the iniuence of an indlrect cooling medium.

2. A pasteurizing method consisting in subjecting the product to a series of step by ste water baths having progressively hig er temperatures to effect sterilization,

pre-heating the product by indirect radi-- ation between the water baths of progressively higher temperatures, and thereafter subjecting` said product, step by step, to a series of water baths having progressively lower temperatures relative to the maximum temperature of the first named series, and

pre-cooling the product between the cooling 20 bathsiby Asubjecting said product to the'iniuence of an indirect cooling medium. y

In testimony that I claim the' foregoing I have hereunto set my handat Milwaukee in the county of Milwaukee and State of 25

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