Fmc Corporation

Other

Guillermo T Segredo

Michael L Suter

David N Anderson

Stephen D Cross

John A Freer

Paul L Ballentine

A juice extractor includes a mechanism for supporting the exterior of a fruit and separating the peel therefrom, such as upper and lower cups having cutters to cut plugs. A strainer tube is mounted to receive juice and pulp of the fruit. An orifice tube has upper and lower ends and the upper end is moveable within the strainer tube. A reciprocating drive mechanism engages the orifice tube and reciprocates the orifice tube within the strainer tube for generating pressure within the strainer tube to separate juice and pulp within the strainer tube, collect the core material and discharge core out of the lower end of the orifice tube. A valve assembly is positioned at the lower end of the orifice tube. The valve assembly includes a piston having a shaft moveable into an extended position within the orifice tube, and a retracted position where core can be discharged from the lower end of the orifice tube. A predetermined amount of hydraulic pressure is applied onto the piston to extend the shaft into the orifice tube and apply back pressure. The core is discharged from the pressure of the core pulp against the shaft and piston and exceeds the back pressure to retract the shaft. A sensor can also sense when the cylinder shaft is not retracted or moved in a period of machine cycles, indicative that core is not being discharged from the orifice tube. The juice extractor can be shut down after a predetermined period of time after determining that the shaft has not retracted or extended.

Juice extractor with hydraulic control of extraction back pressure

A pulp wash system in which recovery of juice and sugar solids is enhanced by the provision of an in-line static mixer disposed in the line between a pump supplying pulp to a finisher and the finisher. A plurality of pulp inlet pumps and finishers may be connected in series. Further, in using a series of finishers, the liquid introduced into each finisher except for the last finisher comes from the liquid output from a subsequent or further downstream finisher.

Pulp wash system

A juice extraction process control system includes provisions to determine the load on the processing line and adjust processor speed and availability of juice extraction hardware responsive to the through put load of the juice extraction process facility.

Automatic juice extraction system

Citrus juice extraction equipment is provided with an annular cutter head provided with a plurality of apertures or window means which allow peel oil that is pressed out of plug of citrus fuit rind cut by annular cutter head to pass therethrough and join the rind of citrus fruit which passes adjacent the windows in the annular cutter head when the citrus fruit is being processed to extract citrus juice.

Juice extractor having modified plug-forming cutter

A juice extractor uses two commonly driven crank arm drive systems to provide a low profile juice extractor.

Single head juice extractor

A citrus fruit juice extractor wherein a whole citrus fruit is squeezed between a pair of opposed cups to force the juice-bearing internal portions of the fruit into a strainer tube and wherein an orifice or plunger tube is driven upwardly within the strainer tube concurrently to force juice and some minute solid material through the perforations in the strainer tube is disclosed herein. The extractor includes a juice collection manifold having separate chambers arranged along the length of the strainer tube to receive juice extracted through separate portions of the strainer tube. Since the juice expressed through the end of the strainer tube that is farthest from the cups is subjected to considerably less pressure than the juice forced from the upper end of the strainer tube adjacent the cups, such juice component collected in the associated lower chamber of the manifold has less undesirable fruit material suspended therein than that of the juice in the upper chamber of the manifold.

Growing community of inventors

Lakeland, FL, United States of America

Guillermo T Segredo