Rack oven and systems for using the same

Abstract

A cooking or baking oven can include a hood having a vent outlet and a cooking chamber having a rack positioned therein. The cooking or baking oven can also include a heating chamber separated from the cooking chamber, a fuel burner, a fuel burner blower operably coupled to the fuel burner, a burner tube having an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end coupled to the fuel burner, and a flue having an inlet end coupled to the outlet end of the burner tube and an outlet end coupled to the hood, the flue having an opening. The cooking or baking oven can also include a damping system having a damper lid coupled to the flue, the damper lid moveable between an open position and a closed position, the damper lid in the closed position covering the opening; a damper motor; and a damper arm coupled to the damper lid and the damper motor, the damper motor rotatably moving the damper arm to move the damper lid between the open and closed positions. Related systems and methods are also provided.

1 . A direct fire cooking or baking oven, comprising:
 a flue;   a hood having an exhaust vent;   a damping system operable between a purge configuration and an operation configuration, the damping system including:
 a damper lid coupled to the flue, the damper lid moveable between an open position in the operation configuration and a closed position in the purge configuration; 
 a damper motor; and 
 a damper arm coupled to the damper lid and the damper motor, the damper motor rotatably moving the damper arm to move the damper lid, wherein when the damping system is in the purge configuration, the damper arm moves the damper lid to the closed position to purge unburned combustion gases through the exhaust vent via the flue, and when the damping system is in the operation configuration, the damper arm moves the damper lid to the open position to allow combustion gases to flow. 
   
     
     
         2 . The direct fire cooking or baking oven of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a cooking chamber; and   a heating chamber separated from the cooking chamber, wherein when the damping system is in the operation configuration, the damper arm moves the damper lid to the open position to move combustion gases from the heating chamber to the cooking chamber.   
     
     
         3 . The direct fire cooking or baking oven of  claim 2  wherein the cooking chamber includes one or more inlets to circulate heated air from the cooking chamber into the heating chamber. 
     
     
         4 . The direct fire cooking or baking oven of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a fuel burner; and   a burner tube having an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end coupled to the fuel burner and the outlet end coupled to the flue.   
     
     
         5 . The direct fire cooking or baking oven of  claim 4  wherein the burner tube and the flue each have an interior volume, the interior volumes of the flue and the burner tube collectively defining a purge volume. 
     
     
         6 . The direct fire cooking or baking oven of  claim 5  wherein the purge volume is less than an interior volume of a cooking chamber and an interior volume of a heating chamber. 
     
     
         7 . The direct cooking or baking oven of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a fuel burner blower which is operable to draw in fuel from a fuel source and air from an air source, the fuel and air being mixed in the fuel burner blower to provide the combustion gases.   
     
     
         8 . The direct cooking or baking oven of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a fan configured to draw heated air into an upper chamber, the heated air flowing from the upper chamber to a cooking chamber.   
     
     
         9 . The direct cooking or baking oven of  claim 1 , comprising:
 one or more sensors positioned adjacent to the flue, the one or more sensors operable to detect purging of unburned combustion gases.   
     
     
         10 . The direct cooking or baking oven of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a draft inducing apparatus having a draft inducing blower, the draft inducing blower drawing the unburned combustion gases to the exhaust vent.   
     
     
         11 . A cooking management system comprising:
 a cooking or baking oven including a cooking chamber and a heating chamber, the cooking or baking oven including:
 a flue; 
 a hood having an exhaust vent; 
 a damping system operable between a purge configuration and an operation configuration, the damping system including:
 a damper lid coupled to the flue, the damper lid moveable between an open position in the operation configuration and a closed position in the purge configuration; 
 a damper motor; and 
 a damper arm coupled to the damper lid and the damper motor; and 
 
   a controller operably coupled to the damper motor, the controller causing:
 the damper motor to move the damper arm to move the damper lid to the closed position to purge unburned combustion gases through the exhaust vent via the flue when in the purge configuration, and 
 the damper motor to move the damper arm to move the damper lid to the open position to allow combustion gases to flow when in the operation configuration. 
   
     
     
         12 . The cooking management system of  claim 11 , comprising:
 a draft inducing blower operably coupled to the controller, wherein the controller, in the purge configuration, causes the draft inducing blower to draw unburned combustion gases to the exhaust vent.   
     
     
         13 . The cooking management system of  claim 11 , comprising:
 a fuel burner blower which is operably coupled to the controller to draw in fuel from a fuel source and air from an air source, the fuel and air being mixed in the fuel burner blower to provide the combustion gases.   
     
     
         14 . The cooking management system of  claim 11 , comprising:
 a burner tube having an interior volume, the burner tube coupled to the flue.   
     
     
         15 . The cooking management system of  claim 14  wherein the flue has an interior volume, the interior volumes of the flue and the burner tube collectively defining a purge volume. 
     
     
         16 . The cooking management system of  claim 15  wherein the purge volume is less than an interior volume of the cooking chamber and an interior volume of the heating chamber. 
     
     
         17 . The cooking management system of  claim 15  wherein the controller repeatedly drives one or more of the fuel burner blower or the damper motor to replace air in the purge volume with ambient air. 
     
     
         18 . The cooking management system of  claim 11  wherein the controller is configured to maintain an internal temperature of the cooking or baking oven within a threshold range. 
     
     
         19 . The cooking management system of  claim 18 , comprising:
 one or more sensors communicably coupled to the controller, the one or more sensors providing output signals to the controller indicative of the internal temperature.   
     
     
         20 . The cooking management system of  claim 19  wherein the controller is operably coupled to a fuel burner blower, the controller, in response to the output signals of one or more sensors, adjusting a speed of the fuel burner blower to maintain the internal temperature of the cooking or baking oven within the threshold range.