Continuous food product cooling system

Abstract

A multi-stage continuous liquid chilling system for chilling particulate food product with a chilling liquid. Particulate product is conveyed through a rotating drum as vanes inside the drum control and move the product from the inlet towards the outlet. As the product is conveyed it is tumbled and mixed with the chilling liquid in a succession of processing sections, each including a flood portion and a drain portion. In both sections the food product is exposed to a spray of chilled liquid, which Is drained off and used in an earlier stage in the processing cycle. While product is moved from the inlet to the outlet of the drum the chilling liquid is pumped in the opposite direction with a series of transfer pumps each connected to the drain sections in each chilling zone.

1 . A rotary drum chilling system for cooling particulate food product, comprising:
 a generally cylindrical drum having an inlet end, an outlet end, and a plurality of processing zones interposed between said inlet end and said outlet end, including at least an initial processing zone and a final processing zone, each of said processing zones including a flood section, a drain section, and a nozzle, wherein the downstream direction in said drum is from said inlet end toward said outlet end and the upstream direction is from outlet end toward said inlet end;   at least one motor for rotating said drum;   a food conveyor disposed within said rotary drum for moving food product in the downstream direction;   a source of chilling liquid in direct fluid communication with said nozzle in said final processing zone;   a final processing zone catch basin disposed under said drain section of said final processing zone, said catch basin in fluid communication with a processing zone in the upstream direction;   an initial processing zone catch basin disposed under said drain section of said initial processing zone; and   a discharge conduit for discharging fluid from said initial processing zone catch basin;   wherein said nozzles discharge chilling liquid so as to submerge food product in chilling liquid in each of said flood sections for a period of time such that the product particulates are surrounded with the chilled liquid, exposes the coldest food product to the coldest chilling liquid in said chilling system, agitates the food product as it is conveyed through said processing zones, and wherein the movements of the chilling liquid is controlled by said food conveyor such that different temperatures of chilled liquid are not mixed together during operation.   
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said rotary drum is disposed horizontally and is generally cylindrical. 
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein said food conveyor is a spiral vane horizontally disposed within said rotary drum. 
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein said spiral vane is substantially continuous and has a substantially constant angle. 
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein said system includes at least three processing zones, including an initial processing zone, at least one medial processing zone, and a final processing zone. 
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein said food conveyor comprises a plurality of side-by-side vane elements, each of said vane elements including an annular straight vane segment generally normal to the longitudinal axis of said rotary drum and an angled vane segment which connects said vane element with the straight vane portion of the adjoining downstream vane element. 
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein said angled vane segment is angled at approximately 45 degrees to said straight vane segment. 
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said system includes at least three processing zones, including an initial processing zone, at least one medial processing zone, and a final processing zone. 
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 8 , further including a catch basin disposed under each of said medial processing zones, and a pipe, and a pump for pumping chilling liquid to an upstream processing zone. 
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said system includes at least three processing zones, including an initial processing zone, at least one medial processing zone, and a final processing zone. 
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 10 , further including a medial catch basin disposed under each of said medial processing zones, and a pipe, and a pump for pumping chilling liquid to a nozzle in an upstream processing zone. 
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said system is operatively connected to a food cooker such that hot particulate food product is received in said inlet end of said rotary drum, and wherein said discharge conduit for discharging fluid from said initial processing zone catch basin is in fluid communication with the food cooker so as to provide makeup water for use in cooking food product. 
   
   
       13 . A method of chilling particulate food product, comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing a multi-stage food chilling system as in  claim 1 ;   (b) turning on the one or more motors driving the rotary drum;   (c) turning on the chilling system such that chilling liquid is sprayed through nozzles in each of the processing zones;   (d) introducing cooked food product into the multi-stage chilling system and continuing rotation of the rotary drum such that the particulate food is flooded in the flood section of each processing zone, drains completely in the drain section of each processing zone.   
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , further including the step of discharging chilling liquid from the initial processing zone catch basin for use as makeup water for a food cooker.