WO2013071331A1

WO2013071331A1 - Freezer or chilling device

Info

Publication number: WO2013071331A1
Application number: PCT/AU2011/001485
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul Michael HORABIK; Zoran DESOVSKI
Original assignee: Air Liquide Australia Limited; L'air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'etude Et L'exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
Priority date: 2011-11-18
Filing date: 2011-11-18
Publication date: 2013-05-23
Also published as: NZ622592A; AU2011381554B2; EP2791599A1; AU2011381554A1; EP2791599A4

Abstract

The present invention relates to a freezer or chilling device for processing a foodstuff. The freezer includes a perforated rotary tumbler, where the perforations are adapted to allow a refrigerant to enter the tumbler to freeze or chill the foodstuff. The freezer also includes a cleaning device that has a plurality of projections. This cleaning device is moveable between an operative position, where the projections penetrate the perforations and a non-operative position, where the projections do not penetrate the perforations.

Description

FREEZER OR CHILLING DEVICE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a freezer or chilling device for processing a foodstuff. BACKGROUND

Foodstuffs are frequently frozen on a large scale. For example, foods such as rice, shredded cheese, fruit, vegetables, meat balls, bacon bits and smallgoods are often frozen before they are made available to consumers. Foodstuffs that are wet, such as marinated foodstuffs, can also be frozen on a large scale.

Freezing preserves foodstuffs, as it prevents the growth of microorganisms that can spoil food or lead to illness. While any foodstuff can be frozen, some foodstuffs are not particularly palatable once defrosted, such as lettuce or mayonnaise. In order to maintain the quality of the foodstuff it is desirable that the freezing process be performed rapidly. If the freezing process is slow, large ice crystals tend to form in the foodstuff, which damage cells and disrupt emulsions during defrosting.

One approach to freezing foodstuffs on a large scale has been to pass the food through a perforated chamber, which churns the food in a cold gaseous atmosphere to freeze the foodstuff. However, a drawback of this approach is that some of the foodstuff clings to the interior and eventually accumulates in the perforations, particularly when the foodstuff is wet and sticky, resulting in product loss. Furthermore, this accumulation of foodstuff reduces the efficiency of the freezing process, as gas is prevented from flowing across the perforations. As a result, greater amounts of refrigerant become required for satisfactory freezing.

Removal of the accumulated foodstuff, for example by spraying carbon dioxide or air through the chamber, can be time-consuming and expensive. Furthermore the freezer cannot operate while cleaning is in progress, which increases production time and costs.

As such, there exists a need for a freezer that can remain in operation while any foodstuff that has accumulated in the perforations is removed.

The discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles and the like is included in this specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not suggested or represented that any or all of these matters formed part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a freezer or chilling device for processing a foodstuff that includes a cleaning device for removing accumulated foodstuff.

One aspect of the present invention provides a freezer or chilling device for processing a foodstuff, the freezer or chilling device including a perforated rotary tumbler, the perforations being adapted to allow a refrigerant to enter the tumbler and freeze or chill the foodstuff. The freezer or chilling device also has a cleaning device with a plurality of projections, where the cleaning device is moveable between an operative position, in which the projections penetrate the perforations, and a non- operative position, in which the projections do not penetrate the perforations.

In some embodiments, the cleaning device further includes a roller and the tumbler further includes a cam, where the roller is operable along the cam such that the cleaning device is moved between the operative and non-operative positions.

In some embodiments, the cleaning device includes a support and the projections extend from the support.

In some embodiments, the cleaning device includes a mounting device that mounts the support relative to the rotary tumbler.

In some embodiments, the mounting device includes a pivotable arm connected to the support and the roller, the pivotable arm allowing movement of the support and the roller relative to the tumbler.

In some embodiments, the cleaning device further includes spacers. These spacers space the projections in order to position them relative to the perforations.

In some embodiments, the support is a bar.

In some embodiments the rotary tumbler is a zip roll. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 : shows a perspective view of a freezer or a chilling device according to an embodiment of the invention, where the cleaning device is in the operative position.

Figure 2: shows a further perspective view of the freezer or chilling device of Figure 1 .

Figure 3: shows a further perspective view of the freezer or chilling device of Figure 1 .

Figure 4: shows a further perspective view of the freezer or chilling device of Figure 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various terms that will be used throughout the specification have meanings that will be well understood by a skilled addressee. However, for ease of reference some of these terms will now be defined.

The term "cam" as used herein refers to a device that converts regular rotary motion to irregular rotary or reciprocating motion.

The term "roller" as used herein refers to a device that rolls.

The term "rotary" as used herein refers to rotation around an axis.

The term "refrigerant" as used herein refers to a substance used to provide cooling.

Preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the Figures. It shall be kept in mind that these Figures represent preferred embodiments of the invention, and that the invention should not be considered to be limited to these features.

Figures 1 -4 shows an embodiment of the invention where a freezer or chilling device (1 ) for processing a foodstuff includes a perforated rotary tumbler (3), where the perforations (5) are adapted to allow a refrigerant to enter the tumbler (3) and freeze or chill the foodstuff while it is rotated by the tumbler (3). The freezer or chilling device (1 ) also has a cleaning device (7) where the cleaning device includes a support (9) with a plurality of projections (1 1 ) and a mounting device (13) that mounts the support (9) relative to the tumbler (3). The cleaning device (7) is moveable between an operative position, in which the projections (1 1 ) penetrate the perforations (5), and a non-operative position, in which the projections (1 1 ) do not penetrate the perforations (5). The cleaning device (7) is shown in the operative position in Figures 1 -4. This cleaning device (7) is thus able to operate while the foodstuff is being frozen or chilled.

The cleaning device (7) also includes a roller (15) and the tumbler (3) includes a cam (17). The roller (15) is operable along the cam (17) such that the cleaning device (7) is moved between the operative and non-operative positions. The cleaning device (7) moves between the operative and non-operative positions as the tumbler (3) rotates, as otherwise the projections (1 1 ) would strike against sections of the tumbler (3) that separate the perforations (5) if the cleaning device (7) remained in the operative position.

As can be seen in Figure 3, the structure of the cam (17) will cause the roller (15) to alternate from lifting away from the tumbler (3) and dipping towards the tumbler (3). The cam (17) structure is complementary to the perforations (5) of the tumbler (3), such that dipping of the roller (15) moves the cleaning device (7) into the operative position and lifting the roller (15) moves the cleaning device (7) into the non-operative position, to avoid striking against the tumbler (3).

The mounting device can include a pivotable arm (19) that is connected to the support (9) and the roller (15), which allows movement of the support (9) and the roller (15) relative to the tumbler (3). If the projections (1 1 ) do not penetrate into the perforations (5) for any reason, the pivotable arm (19) can pivot the support (9) and thus the projections (1 1 ) away from the tumbler (3), so that the projections will ride on the tumbler (3) as it rotates rather than damaging the tumbler (3).

In some embodiments the support (9) is in the form of a bar, as shown in Figures 1 -4.

The cleaning device (7) preferably includes a spacer connected to the support (9). Preferably the spacer is connected to one end of the support (9) so that the spacer spaces the projections (1 1 ) to position them relative to the perforations (5). In some embodiments the tumbler (3) is cylindrical and includes at least one cam (17). Even more preferably, there are 3 cams; one cam (17) located at each end of the tumbler (3) and one cam (17) located in the middle. The cleaning device (7) can include at least one roller (15), and pivotable arm (19), but ideally, there are as many rollers (15) and pivotable arms (19) as there are cams (17), where the preferred number of cams (17) is dependent upon the size of the tumbler (3). The cleaning device (7) preferably includes 3 rollers (15) and 3 pivotable arms (19), with each roller (15) being operable along one of the cams (17). The tumbler (3) and cleaning device (7) can be located in a housing, where the mounting device (13) is mounted to the roof of the housing and thus mounts the cleaning device (7) relative to the tumbler (3). Preferably, the rollers (15) are formed of plastic, in particular, ultra-high density plastic that is capable of withstanding temperatures of -100 °C.

The dimensions of the perforations (5) can be selected based on the dimensions of the foodstuff that is being frozen of chilled. The dimensions of the projections (1 1 ) can then be selected based on the dimensions of the perforations (5). In some embodiments, the perforations (5) can be up to 750 mm x 450 mm, with up to 100 mm spacers between the perforations (5), vertically and horizontally. In some embodiments, the perforations (5) are approximately 75 mm x 4.5 mm with 10 mm spaces between the perforations (5), vertically and horizontally. The projections (1 1 ) can be laser cut and can taper in width. Preferably the wider part of the projection (1 1 ) is the part that is closest to the support, while the narrower part of the projection (1 1 ) is the part that first penetrates the perforation (5). In some embodiments the projections (1 1 ) are approximately 30 mm in length and taper from a width of approximately 3 mm to a width of approximately 2 mm. In some embodiments approximately 10 mm of the projection (1 1 ) is 3 mm in width and approximately 20 mm of the projection is 2 mm. The projections (1 1 ) can also have a rounded profile at the part of the projection (1 1 ) that first penetrates the perforation (5) so as to facilitate movement in and out of perforation (5) and reduce the possibility of the projections (1 1 ) catching in the perforations (5).

In some embodiments the rotary tumbler is a zip roll. Foodstuffs are loaded into one side of the zip roll, where rotation of the tumbler mixes the foodstuff and carries them through the tumbler until they emerge at the other end. The rotation keeps each item of foodstuff separated, while the refrigerant used to freeze or chill the atmosphere is preferably liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide. The freezer or chilling device and the cleaning device can shrink due to exposure to the refrigerant. One advantage of the freezer or chilling device and the cleaning device is that they shrink at the same rate, so that the projections can continue to penetrate the perforations.

One of the advantages provided by the freezer or chilling device is that the cleaning device can operate while the foodstuffs are being frozen or chilled. Therefore it is not necessary to halt operation of the freezer or chiller for cleaning purposes. A further advantage provided by the freezer or chilling device is that less refrigerant is required during the freezing process due to the cleaning device, as the flow of refrigerant through the perforations is not blocked by the accumulation of foodstuffs. Another advantage of the freezer or chilling device is that foodstuff losses are reduced, as any foodstuff dislodged from the perforations by the cleaning device is still useable.

The invention described herein is susceptible to variations, modifications and/or additions other than those specifically described and it is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations, modifications and/or additions which fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS

1 . A freezer or chilling device for processing a foodstuff including:

a perforated rotary tumbler, the perforations adapted to allow a refrigerant to enter the tumbler and freeze or chill the foodstuff; and

a cleaning device with a plurality of projections,

wherein the cleaning device is moveable between an operative position, where the projections penetrate the perforations and a non-operative position, where the projections do not penetrate the perforations.

2. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning device further includes a roller and the tumbler further includes a cam, the roller being operable along the cam such that the cleaning device is moved between the operative and non-operative positions.

3. A device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the cleaning device includes a support and the projections extend from the support.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein the cleaning device includes a mounting device for mounting the support relative to the rotating tumbler.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the mounting device includes a pivotable arm connected to the support and the roller, the pivotable arm allowing movement of the support and the roller relative to the tumbler.

6. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cleaning device further includes a spacer, the spacer spacing the projections to position the projections relative to the perforations.

7. A device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the support is a bar.

8. A freezer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rotary tumbler is a zip roll.