Morris Associates, Inc.

Robert E Cathey

Terry A Wright

William F Morris, Iii

John P Shell

Garry L Miller

A rocker chiller includes a tank having a bottom wall and a dasher assembly, which includes an axle extending in a lengthwise direction and a dasher blade extending adjacent the bottom wall. The dasher blade is mechanically coupled to the axle by a plurality of support arms extending in a radial direction between the axle and the dasher blade. A carcass deflector is provided, which is attached to the axle so that each back-and-forth oscillation of the axle and dasher blade during operation of the rocker chiller causes a back-and-forth oscillation of the carcass deflector in unison with the back-and-forth oscillation of the axle and dasher blade. The carcass deflector is spaced longitudinally along a longitudinal axis of the axle and has a carcass deflection region therein that extends above a top surface of the axle and in a plane that is generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the axle.

Rocker chiller with drive-shaft carcass deflectors

A rocker chillerincludes a tankwith a dasher assemblythat oscillates across the curved bottom wall of the tank. A series of central deflectorsare positioned at intervals along the length of the tank and another series of side deflectorsare mounted at intervals along the upwardly extending side wallsandof the tank. The side deflectors are offset longitudinally with respect to the central deflectors. The offset relationship of the side deflectors and central deflectors creates serpentine paths through the elongated tank on both sides of the tank that require the carcasses to move through more of the heat exchanging liquid and which reduces the tendency of carcasses passing each other.

Rocker chiller with central and side deflectors

The post chill decontamination tank assemblyusually is positioned at the exit end of a chillerof a poultry processing line. Eviscerated birds fall into the decontamination tankand the paddlesA-D of the paddle assemblyrevolve in the tank about the axisand collect and lift the birds through the liquid and discharge the birds from the tank. An antimicrobial is added to the liquid for treating the exposed surfaces of the birds.

Post chill decontamination tank

Birds are moved through chilled water by bird moving means such as an auger or by a series of paddles. The birds tend to accumulate in a predetermined path in the water. Streams of water that include an antibacterial additive are directed toward the predetermined path and engage and disperse the birds, and wash the birds with the streams of water and the antibacterial additive, thereby increasing the rate of heat transfer from the birds and increasing the effectiveness of the antibacterial properties of the agents in the chilled water.

Poultry chiller with improved product distribution and antibacterial count

The chiller includes a semi-cylindrical tank () that conforms to the perimeter of its auger () so that the water can be raised to a water level () high above the auger shaft (). Streams of water () are directed from the pulling side () across the lower portion of the tank beneath the auger shaft () to the dead sideof the tank at intervals along the tank so as to disperse the lower portion of the masses () of buoyant birds () from the more crowded pulling side () of the tank, beneath the auger shaft () toward the more vacant dead side () of the tank, thereby distributing the products more evenly throughout the tank and causing more water turbulence in the tank, thereby increasing the rate of heat transfer from the birds and avoiding having the birds cross over the auger shaft moving backward in chiller into a following flight of the auger.

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Apex, NC, United States of America

Robert E Cathey