The Boc Group, Inc.

David G Wardle

Mark T Grace

Michael K Sahm

Michael Bruce Pooley

Robert Taylor

Ron C Lee

Brian Goodwin

Michele L Groen

Carl N Strotton

In the processing of an item, particularly a food item, where the final equalized temperature is important to the processing a method and apparatus for predicting the equalized temperature is disclosed. A series of infrared sensors is used to measure the rate of change of the surface temperature of an item after the item is exposed to a known thermal shock such as heating or cooling. The predicted equalized temperature can be calculated from the series of surface temperatures using least squares, non-linear regression techniques. One means for applying a thermal shock to an item would be the use of cryogens such as liquid nitrogen, carbon dixoide snow or synthetic liquid air (SLA).

Method and apparatus for predicting the equalized temperature of a food product

In cooler used for coating a product such as food with a uniform layer of a liquid coating material, the mass of the product is measured either in the cooling chamber or just before it is introduced into the cooling chamber; the mass of a liquid cryogen which will suffice, when introduced into the cooling chamber and into contact with the product, to reduce the temperature of the mass of product to a first predetermined temperature below the melting point temperature of the coating material is calculated; the introduction of the calculated mass of liquid cryogen into the cooling chamber is controlled and the product is thereby cooled to the first predetermined temperature prior to application of a predetermined mass of coating material onto the cooled product to provide a coating thereon.

Tumble coating

Systems and methods are disclosed for determining heat transfer in an environment. In one system, heat transfer is determined with a probe including at least one element, a power supply, an amplifier, a temperature monitor, a timing structure, and a system controller. In another system, heat transfer is determined with a temperature sampler. In yet another system, the heat transfer rate is controlled in at least a partially closed environment. The disclosed methods include a method for calculating heat transfer from a first predetermined temperature, a second predetermined temperature, measured time and temperature of the environment. In another method, heat transfer is calculated from a first determined temperature, a second measured temperature, a predetermined period of time, and temperature of the environment.

System and method for determining heat transfer in an environment

Apparatus and methods for freezing products, such as food products, in which a breathable liquid cryogen is sprayed onto the products as they are conveyed into the insulated enclosure of a mechanical conveyor freezer. Some of the cryogen vaporized through contact with the products is ducted into the top of the enclosure, and means may be provided for spraying cryogen directly into the freezer enclosure.

Freezer apparatus

Method of coating a product with a liquid coating in a cooling chamber

An sensor for sensing buoyancy force within a liquid mixture stored within a storage tank and an interlock employing the sensor to prevent a respirable cryogenic mixture from being dispensed from the storage tank with an unsafe oxygen content. The sensor has a float adapted to be submerged in the liquid mixture, thereby to exert a buoyancy force referable to the density. The buoyancy force is sensed by a load cell connected to an elongated base element cantilevered from the outlet by a bracket. The mounting of such sensor ensures that the buoyancy force and therefore, the density of the liquid as dispensed will be measured as opposed to liquid density at some other location of the tank. Such sensor can serve in an interlock in which a controller responsive to the load cell and a temperature sensor, also located within the outlet, controls a valve to close the outlet when the mixture has an unsafe oxygen level.

Interlock for a storage tank used in containing a respirable liquid

A sensor for sensing buoyancy force within a liquid mixture stored within a storage tank and an interlock employing the sensor to prevent a respirable cryogenic mixture from being dispensed from the storage tank with an unsafe oxygen content. The sensor has a float adapted to be submerged in the liquid mixture, thereby to exert a buoyancy force referable to the density. The buoyancy force is sensed by a load cell connected to an elongated base element cantilevered from the outlet by a bracket. The mounting of such sensor ensures that the buoyancy force and therefore, the density of the liquid as dispensed will be measured as opposed to liquid density at some other location of the tank. Such sensor can serve in an interlock in which a controller responsive to the load cell and a temperature sensor, also located within the outlet, controls a valve to close the outlet when the mixture has an unsafe oxygen level.

Buoyancy force sensor for a hydrometer and interlock for a storage tank

The present invention provides a food freezing apparatus and method in which food is passed through an elongated tube in which it is subjected to both crust and atmospheric freezing before being removed for packing. The crust freezing is facilitated by spraying liquid cryogen onto the outside of the tube at an upstream portion thereof.

Cooling apparatus

An apparatus and method for spraying a cryogen in which a heat load is sprayed with a cryogen from one or more spray nozzles within a spray zone. A heat conductive element is positioned below the article and is provided with a surface sized to catch the liquid content of the cryogen that has been oversprayed, thereby to vaporize the overspray through direct heat transfer with the conductive element. In another aspect the present invention provides an apparatus and method in which a flow network a flow of a liquid cryogen is divided into first and second subsidiary streams. The second subsidiary stream is vaporized within a branch of the network and then mixed back into the first subsidiary stream to produce a two phase flow of the cryogen. The cryogen is then sprayed as the two phase flow. The flow rate of the second subsidiary stream can be controlled with a proportional valve to adjust the quality of the cryogen being sprayed so that pooling of overspray on said heat conductive element is inhibited.

Cryogenic apparatus and method for spraying a cryogen incorporating

An apparatus is provided for storing a multi-component cryogenic mixture as a liquid. The multi-component cryogenic mixture of interest contains at least first and second components. The first component is more volatile than the second component and the second component has a bubble point temperature atmosphere pressure, lower than that of the first component at an above atmosphere pressure. A container is provided in the apparatus for storing the cryogenic mixture. An inevitable heat leakage causes a cryogenic mixture to vaporize so that the vapor phase of the mixture is enriched in the first component and the liquid phase in the mixture is enriched in the second component. A conduit communicates between locations of the container situated above and below the head space region of the container so that vapor phase stream flows into the reservoir, opened to the atmosphere is provided in communication with the container such that a liquid phase stream, made up of the liquid phase flows into the reservoir and develops an ever increasing second component concentration. As such, the liquid phase of the mixture is able to condense the vapor phase of the mixture within the conduit. The resulting liquid will fall back into the container under influence of gravity to stabilize the concentration of the first and second components within the container.

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Bridgewater, NJ, United States of America

David G Wardle