Rocker Chiller with Improved Product Moisture Retention

Abstract

The rocker chiller 10 includes a semi-cylindrical tank 12 filled with heat exchanging liquid and a baffle assembly 18 that rocks back and forth across the bottom wall of the tank. The baffle 26 of the baffle assembly defines baffle openings 29 that are sized and shaped to pass the heat exchanging liquid through the openings in response to the rocking of the baffle, but small enough so that the baffle engages and retards the movement of at least some of the carcasses from moving through the baffle, thereby massaging the carcasses and increasing the moisture retained in the carcasses.

1 . A rocker chiller comprising:
 an elongated tank including a curved bottom portion configured to hold heat-exchanging liquid at a liquid level in said tank and for receiving carcasses in the heat-exchanging liquid in said tank,   a baffle assembly including a baffle extending along the length of said tank and toward said curved bottom portion,   power means connected to said baffle assembly for moving said baffle side to side in an arc along said curved bottom portion of said tank,   said baffle defining openings therethrough, said openings in said baffle being sized and shaped to pass the heat-exchanging liquid through said openings from one side to the other side of said baffle and for said baffle to retard the movement of at least some of the carcasses from one side to the other side of said baffle in response to said baffle moving side to side through the liquid in said tank.   
     
     
         2 . The rocker chiller of  claim 1  wherein said baffle includes a baffle blade positioned adjacent said lower portion of said tank. 
     
     
         3 . The rocker chiller of  claim 1  and further including a carcass guide for directing carcasses entering the tank to one side or to the other side of said baffle in approximately equal numbers over time. 
     
     
         4 . The rocker chiller of  claim 1 , wherein said tank includes a longitudinal axis and said curved bottom portion of said tank extends about said longitudinal axis, and said baffle assembly is configured to oscillate about the longitudinal axis, such that said baffle travels along an arc that substantially follows said curved bottom portion of said tank. 
     
     
         5 . The rocker chiller of  claim 3 , wherein said carcass guide is constructed to move in unison with said baffle. 
     
     
         6 . The rocker chiller of  claim 3 , wherein said carcass guide is constructed to move toward one side of the tank as the baffle moves toward the other side of the tank. 
     
     
         7 . The rocker chiller of  claim 1 , and further comprising at least one nozzle positioned below the liquid level in the tank that directs a jet of heat-exchanging liquid along the length of the tank at a position below the liquid level in the tank and against the carcasses in the tank. 
     
     
         8 . The rocker chiller of  claim 1 , wherein said power means connected to the baffle assembly is configured for intermittently pausing the baffle assembly for periods of rest at one or more predetermined positions within the range of motion of said baffle assembly. 
     
     
         9 . The rocker chiller of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one nozzle is positioned in an end wall at an inlet end of said tank and is directed along the length of the tank toward an outlet end, for axially urging the carcasses toward an outlet end of the tank. 
     
     
         10 . The rocker chiller of  claim 7 , wherein said at least one nozzle includes two upper nozzles directed along the length of the tank, each of said upper nozzles being positioned at predetermined positions on opposite sides of the baffle at the arc of movement through which the baffle oscillates, such that the baffle urges the carcasses into the jets emerging from the nozzles. 
     
     
         11 . The rocker chiller of  claim 1  in which said baffle assembly substantially divides the heat exchanging liquid into two regions of heat exchanging liquid in said tank. 
     
     
         12 . A rocker chiller for reducing the temperature of carcasses, comprising:
 an elongated tank for containing heat exchanging liquid at a liquid level in the tank,   an elongated baffle positioned in the tank and extending along the length of the tank,   power means for oscillating the baffle across the tank,   said elongated baffle defining openings of a size to allow the heat exchanging liquid in said tank to pass through said baffle and to engage the carcasses and retard the carcasses in said tank from moving through said baffle in response to the oscillation of the baffle in said tank.   
     
     
         13 . The rocker chiller of  claim 12 , and further including a carcass guide including means for directing all of the carcasses moving into said tank to one side or to the other side of said baffle. 
     
     
         14 . The rocker chiller of  claim 13 , and further including means for moving said carcass guide means in unison with said baffle assembly and for guiding the carcasses to the side of the tank in which the baffle is positioned. 
     
     
         15 . A chiller for reducing the temperature of carcasses, comprising:
 an elongated tank for containing liquid at a liquid level in said tank, said tank including a longitudinal axis and a bottom portion curved about said longitudinal axis,   an elongated baffle positioned in said tank and extending along the length of said tank, said baffle including openings sized to allow the liquid to pass through said baffle and to retard the movement of carcasses through said baffle; and   power means for oscillating said baffle in said tank along a path generally conforming to said curved bottom portion of said tank for engaging the carcasses with said baffle and pushing the carcasses with said baffle through the liquid in said tank as the liquid passes about the carcasses and through said baffle.   
     
     
         16 . The chiller of  claim 15 , wherein said baffle defines openings therethrough that are selected from shapes consisting of: circular, elongated and polygonal. 
     
     
         17 . The chiller of  claim 15 , and further including a carcass guide mounted to said baffle assembly configured for directing the carcasses entering the tank to the side of the tank in which the baffle is positioned. 
     
     
         18 . The rocker chiller of  claim 17 , wherein said power means connected to the baffle assembly comprises means for intermittently pausing the baffle assembly, and a nozzle means for directing a stream of liquid along the length of the tank at the carcasses adjacent the baffle assembly when the baffle assembly is paused. 
     
     
         19 . The rocker chiller of  claim 17 , wherein at least one nozzle is directed along the length of said tank for axially urging the carcasses with a stream of heat exchanging liquid toward an outlet end of said tank. 
     
     
         20 . A rocker chiller for reducing the temperature of carcasses, comprising:
 an elongated tank for containing heat exchanging liquid at a liquid level in the tank, the tank including a longitudinal axis;   an elongated baffle positioned in the tank and extending along the length of the tank, said baffle defining openings to allow the liquid to pass through the baffle and to retard the movement of carcasses through the baffle;   means for oscillating the baffle across the tank for moving the carcasses in the tank through the body of heat exchanging liquid while heat exchanging liquid passes through the baffle;   a carcass guide extending upwardly from said elongated baffle for directing carcasses entering the tank to the side of the tank in which the baffle is positioned.   
     
     
         21 . The rocker chiller of  claim 20 , and wherein said carcass guide is movable in unison with said baffle. 
     
     
         22 . The rocker chiller of  claim 20 , and further including means for moving said carcass guide means in unison with said baffle assembly and for guiding the carcasses to the side of the tank in which the baffle is positioned. 
     
     
         23 . A chiller for reducing the temperature of carcasses, comprising:
 an elongated tank for containing liquid at a liquid level in said tank, said tank including a longitudinal axis and a curved bottom portion extending along the length of said tank;   an elongated baffle positioned in said tank and extending along the length of said tank;   means for oscillating said baffle in said tank from side to side along a path about said longitudinal axis of said tank generally conforming to said curved bottom portion of said tank for urging the carcasses with said baffle in an arc along said curved bottom of said tank and through the body of heat exchanging liquid; and   a carcass guide plate mounted to said baffle and movable in unison with said baffle and configured for directing the carcasses entering the tank to the side of the tank in which said baffle is positioned.   
     
     
         24 . The chiller of  claim 23 , said baffle including openings to allow the liquid to pass through said baffle and to retard the movement of carcasses through said baffle. 
     
     
         25 . The chiller of  claim 23 , wherein said baffle defines openings therethrough that are selected from shapes consisting of: circular, non-square, elongated, and polygonal. 
     
     
         26 . A rocker chiller for reducing the temperature of carcasses, comprising:
 an elongated tank including a longitudinal axis and a curved bottom portion configured to hold a body of heat-exchanging fluid at a fluid level in the tank and for receiving carcasses in the heat-exchanging fluid;   a baffle assembly including an elongated baffle in the tank and extending along the length of the tank;   means connected to the baffle assembly for moving the elongated baffle side to side in an arc along the curved bottom portion of the tank and for urging the carcasses in the arc through the body of heat-exchanging fluid to opposite sides of the tank and accumulating the carcasses on the baffle;   at least one nozzle positioned below the fluid level in the tank that directs a jet of heat-exchanging fluid along the length of the tank and against the carcasses accumulated on the baffle; and   a carcass guide mounted to said baffle assembly configured for directing the carcasses entering the tank to the side of the tank in which the baffle is positioned.   
     
     
         27 . The rocker chiller of  claim 26 , wherein the means connected to the baffle assembly comprises means for intermittently pausing the movement of the baffle assembly when the jet of heat exchanging fluid is directed against the carcasses. 
     
     
         28 . The rocker chiller of  claim 26 , wherein said at least one nozzle positioned below the fluid level in the tank is positioned in an end wall of said tank and is directed along the length of the tank at an inlet end of the tank, for axially urging the carcasses toward an outlet end of the tank by the jet. 
     
     
         29 . A rocker chiller for reducing the temperature of carcasses, comprising:
 an elongated tank for containing liquid for receiving and chilling the carcasses,   said a tank including a bottom wall,   a drive shaft suspended over said bottom wall of said tank,   a baffle extending downwardly from said drive shaft toward said bottom wall of said tank,   said baffle defining openings there through, said openings sized and shaped to pass the heat exchanging liquid through the openings from one side to the other side of said baffle while retarding the movement of at least some of the carcasses from one side of said baffle to the other side of said baffle.