Device for heating and cooling food items
The present invention relates to a method and a device for treating and/or transporting food items. The apparatus and method are designed to facilitate treating animals or food items in liquid. The device of the present invention is designed as a spiral shaped channel with one or more channels wound together around an axis. The apparatus of the present invention and the use thereof provides a method to heat or cool food items in a spiral shaped channel device.
1 . An apparatus for heating or cooling food items in liquid, the apparatus comprising:
a first heat exchange unit, further comprising:
a chamber,
a heat exchange device, and
connections for feeding a first liquid heat exchange medium to and from the chamber through the heat exchange device,
a second heat exchange unit, further comprising:
one or more spiral-shaped channels for transporting food items in a second liquid heat exchange medium through,
an in-feed structure,
an out-feed structure,
a motor for rotating the one or more spiral-shaped channels of the second heat exchange unit,
wherein the one or more spiral-shaped channels of the second heat exchange unit are rotatable around an axis in the chamber of the first heat exchange unit, and wherein the one or more spiral-shaped channels of the second heat exchange unit are fully submerged in the first liquid heat exchange medium in the chamber of the first heat exchange unit.
2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second heat exchange unit comprises two or more parallel arranged spiral-shaped channels having a common in-feed and out-feed structure.
3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the one or more channels is narrowed and widened alternatively through each winding of the one or more spiral-shaped channels to alternate the speed of flow of liquid in the apparatus.
4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more spiral-shaped channels of the second heat exchange unit are made from hose or pipe like flexible material, and wherein the hose or pipe like flexible material is wound around or in a horizontally rotating frame structure forming a spiral in connection with rotating frame structure.
5 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more spiral-shaped channels are arranged to connect an in-feed end to a common in-feed pipe, which is threaded through a centre space of the windings to exit by a last winding of the second heat exchange unit and an out-feed end of each of the one or more spiral-shaped channels are arranged to connect to a common out-feed pipe, which is threaded through the centre space of the windings to exit by a first winding of the second heat exchange unit.
6 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more spiral-shaped channels of the second heat exchange unit are made from metal.
7 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more spiral-shaped channels of the second heat exchange unit are a load bearing structure of the second heat exchange unit.
8 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchange unit is formed as a drum unit having one or more spiral-shaped channels, and wherein each spiral-shaped channel is formed by i) an inner wall at least partially forming a hollow core, two adjacently arranged spiral shaped walls substantially perpendicularly and helically mounted around the hollow core, and iii) an outer wall arranged around the two adjacently arranged spiral shaped walls forming the channel between adjacent spiral shaped walls and the core.
9 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second heat exchange unit has two or more spiral-shaped channels, and wherein the in-feed structure is designed to serially and continuously feed each channel with air-phase, liquid and food items during a full rotation of the second heat exchange.
10 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the in-feed structure comprises in-feed pipes being curved and rotating eccentrically to a central axis of the two or more spiral shaped channels.
11 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further comprises an air/gas-duct for re-directing air/gas from the out-feed structure back to a loading structure.
12 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further comprises piping for re-directing the liquid from the out-feed structure back to a loading structure.