The Boc Group, Inc.

Linde Aktiengesellschaft

Messer Industries Usa, Inc.

Linde Gmbh

Linde Aktiegesellschaft

Michael D Newman

Stephen McCormick

Helmut Dresselhaus

Thomas Edward Kilburn

D Scott Boyles

Robert Muscato

Simon J Shamoun

Isaiah Edmonds

Christopher T Ebeling

Scott Thomas Madsen

John J Appolonia

William M Kulik

Scott Boyles

John T Schoepp

Christopher Pastore

Stephen A McCORMICK

An apparatus for stunning an animal with an exhaust gas mixture includes a stunning chamber located at a processing site to contain therein as many an animal selected to be stunned; and a combustion chamber located at the processing site for combusting a mixture to provide therefrom an exhaust gas mixture which includes carbon dioxide for stunning the animal in the stunning chamber. A related method and exhaust gas mixture are also provided.

Onsite COgeneration for poultry stunning

An apparatus for stunning an animal with an exhaust gas mixture includes a stunning chamber located at a processing site to contain therein as many an animal selected to be stunned; and a combustion chamber located at the processing site for combusting a mixture to provide therefrom an exhaust gas mixture which includes carbon dioxide for stunning the animal in the stunning chamber.

A delivery apparatus and method for delivering liquid cryogen to a chilling application includes a liquid cryogen feed tank; a liquid cryogen conduit in fluid communication between the feed tank and the chilling application; a weight measurement device for controlling the weight of liquid cryogen to be delivered to the chilling application through the conduit; a flow controller for controlling the speed of delivery of the liquid cryogen to the chilling application; wherein the chilling application uses the liquid cryogen to produce an exhaust gas; a device for measuring the temperature of the exhaust gas, the device in operative communication with the flow controller; wherein the flow controller is configured to vary the speed of delivery of liquid cryogen in response to the temperature of the exhaust gas.

Liquid cryogen delivery and injection control apparatus

A method for removing moisture from an atmosphere within a freezer using a cryogen for freezing operations includes providing a freezing temperature with the cryogen at the atmosphere, reducing a temperature of the atmosphere with the cryogen for removing moisture in the form of droplets from the atmosphere, collecting the droplets on internal surfaces of the freezer, permitting the droplets to dwell for an amount of time in the atmosphere sufficient to freeze the droplets to become frozen droplets, and removing the frozen droplets from the freezer.

Impingement freezer wet cool down

A delivery apparatus and method for delivering liquid cryogen to a chilling application includes a liquid cryogen feed tank; a liquid cryogen conduit in fluid communication between the feed tank and the application, wherein the feed tank is in fluid communication with a vessel which is in fluid communication with the conduit between the feed tank and the application; a weight measurement device for controlling the weight of liquid cryogen to be delivered to the application through the conduit; a flow controller for controlling the speed of delivery of the liquid cryogen to the application; wherein the application utilizes the liquid cryogen and produces an exhaust gas; a device for measuring the temperature of the exhaust gas, the device in operative communication with the flow controller; wherein the flow controller is configured to vary the speed of delivery of liquid cryogen from the vessel through the conduit in response to the temperature of the exhaust gas.

Provided is a degassing apparatus having a fluid flow surface positioned within a tank and configured for decreasing the velocity of the fluid flowing through the tank; a cryogen fluid cooling system including the degassing apparatus positioned in fluid communication with a cryogen injector of the system; and a direct cryogen fluid cooling method including flowing fluid containing cryogen into a degassing apparatus for decreasing a velocity of and for removing cryogen gas from the flowing fluid.

Degassing apparatus for cryogenic cooling system, cryogenic cooling system, and method for cooling liquid products

Disclosed are an in-line direct cryogenic method and system for cooling heated fluid food products, such as sauces. The method includes injecting cryogen directly into the fluid to be cooled while the flow rate of the fluid to be cooled is adjusted in response to downstream temperature measurements and while maintaining the injection rate of the cryogen into the fluid. According to the method the flow of the sauce is adjusted during the flow of the cryogen to achieve process stability, product uniformity and efficient use of the cryogen.

In-line cryogenic method and system for cooling liquid products

An apparatus for reducing a temperature of products includes a housing having a chamber within, wherein the chamber has upper and lower regions; a conveyor for transporting the products through the chamber, the conveyor constructed for substantial gas flow to pass through the conveyor without substantially reducing the ability of the conveyor to transport the products; an agitator associated with the conveyor for selective, intermittent contact with the conveyor to displace the conveyor from a plane of travel, thereby displacing the products on the conveyor to substantially prevent the products from adhering to the conveyor and other of the products; a gas circulation device disposed within the chamber to generate circulating gas flow within the chamber; and a shroud disposed within the chamber for coacting with the conveyor to provide an interface between the upper and lower regions, the shroud constructed and arranged to guide the circulating gas flow from the lower region through the conveyor to the upper region, and thereby facilitating displacement of the products on the conveyor to increase exposed surface area of said products. A related method is also provided.

Apparatus and methods for cooling products

An apparatus provides pulsed impingement jets to a sub-chamber within an impingement hood of a freezer, and includes a blower having an inlet and an outlet at an interior of the freezer; a duct having a first end in fluid communication with the outlet and a second end opening into the sub-chamber; and a flow valve disposed in the duct proximate the second end opening, the flow valve movable in repetitive open and closed positions for providing repetitive, discrete pulses of the impingement jets from the second end opening of the duct into the sub-chamber.

Apparatus for generating pulsed impingement jets in freezers

A method of reducing a temperature of at least one item including: transporting the at least one item on a moving substrate within an enclosure, the enclosure including at least one impingement apparatus; providing a coolant to at least one of a high pressure zone or a low pressure zone of the enclosure; circulating the coolant through the high and low pressure zones using a variable-speed gas circulation device of the impingement apparatus; directing impingement jets through openings in at least one impinger of the impingement apparatus toward the moving substrate disposed within the low pressure zone; and intermittently performing an operation on the at least one impingement apparatus during said transporting including: (i) reducing a speed of the variable-speed gas circulation device; (ii) vibrating the at least one impinger; and (iii) increasing the speed of the variable-speed gas circulation device.

Snow and ice removal for impinger

A reconfigurable freezer includes a housing having an internal space therein, and first and second openings each in communication with the internal space; an infeed assembly and an outfeed assembly, the infeed assembly constructed to be removably mounted to the housing at one of at the first and second openings for being in communication with the internal space, and the outfeed assembly constructed to be removably mounted to another of the first and second openings for being in communication with the internal space, wherein the infeed and outfeed assemblies are interchangeable at the first and second openings; a conveyor belt transiting the internal space from the infeed assembly to the outfeed assembly; and a drum disposed at the internal space for supporting movement of the conveyor belt about the drum between the infeed and outfeed assemblies.

Configurable spiral freezer

A reconfigurable freezer includes a housing having an internal space therein, and first and second openings each in communication with said internal space; and an infeed assembly and an outfeed assembly, the infeed assembly constructed to be removably mounted to the housing at one of the first and second openings for being in communication with said internal space, and the outfeed assembly constructed to be removably mounted to another of the first and second openings for being in communication with said internal space, wherein the infeed and outfeed assemblies are interchangeable at the first and second openings.

A method for reducing a temperature of a product in a freezer includes providing a product to a chamber of the freezer; dividing a portion of the chamber disposed between a pair of baffle assemblies in the freezer into an intake zone and an outflow zone; moving each baffle assembly of the pair of baffle assemblies in the chamber 90&#xb0; degrees out of phase with each other for directing a gas flow in the chamber; oscillating the gas flow within the chamber between the intake zone and the outflow zone during the moving the pair of baffle assemblies; injecting a cryogen substance into the chamber for cooling the gas flow; and contacting the product with the cooling gas flow.

Baffle controlled oscillating flow freezer

A freezer includes a housing having a sidewall defining a chamber, and an inlet and an outlet in communication with the chamber; a pair of baffle assemblies spaced apart and disposed in the chamber, a first one of the pair movable 90&#xb0; degrees out of phase from a second one of the pair; a plate disposed in the chamber and extending between the first and second baffle assemblies for dividing a portion of the chamber into an intake zone and an outflow zone; a fan disposed in the chamber between the first and second baffle assemblies and in communication with the intake and outflow zones for providing a gas flow from the intake zone to the outflow zone; and a delivery apparatus in communication with the chamber for delivering a chilling substance to the chamber for reducing a temperature of a product. A method is also provided.

A heat exchanger includes a housing disposed in a first atmosphere and having an upstream end, a downstream end and a chamber within the housing; a metallic block disposed in the chamber and having a passageway therethrough and through which a cryogen can flow; and a heat pipe assembly in contact with the metallic block and extending to a second atmosphere which is separate from the first atmosphere for providing heat transfer at the second atmosphere.

Growing community of inventors

Hillsborough, NJ, United States of America

Michael D Newman