Steam treatment apparatus

1. Apparatus for treating a product with steam, including:

a treatment tunnel having an entrance opening for introducing the product from outside the treatment tunnel to inside the treatment tunnel and an exit opening for discharging the product from inside the treatment tunnel to outside the treatment tunnel;

a transport unit including a conveyor belt for transporting the product from the entrance opening to the exit opening, the conveyor belt extending through the entrance opening;

piping connectable to a steam source for feeding steam into the treatment tunnel;

a nozzle plate unit comprising a plurality of nozzles arranged in a section of the treatment tunnel adjacent to the entrance opening and above the conveyor belt, wherein the plurality of nozzles are formed by bores through the nozzle plate unit, wherein the bores are arranged at a non-perpendicular angle relative to a transport direction of the transport unit and in communication with the piping arranged for directing a jet of steam directly at the product, wherein the plurality of nozzles are aimed in a direction such that the jet of steam has a velocity component in a downward direction and a velocity component in a direction towards and through the entrance opening, and

an entrance suction unit arranged for sucking away air and/or steam above the product upstream of the entrance opening of the tunnel.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nozzles are arranged for directing a sheet of steam onto the product.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further including an additional nozzle arranged for injecting steam into the tunnel.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the additional nozzle is not aimed directly at the product.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the tunnel includes two or more consecutive compartments in transport direction of the transport unit.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the tunnel includes one or more separating walls separating the consecutive compartments.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the one or more separating walls include a cutout for feeding the product through the cutout through the separating wall.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the treatment tunnel is symmetrical relative to the separating wall.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the entrance suction unit includes a plate extending over the transport unit at a distance of 2-15 mm from the product.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the entrance suction unit includes a suction slit and/or a plurality of suction openings in the plate.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , including an exit suction unit arranged for sucking away air and/or steam above the product downstream of the exit opening of the tunnel.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the exit suction unit includes a plate extending over the transport unit at a distance of 2-15 mm from the product.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the exit suction unit includes a suction slit and/or a plurality of suction openings in the plate.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nozzles are aimed in a direction such that the jet of steam has a velocity component in a downward direction and a velocity component in a direction towards and through the entrance opening for directing a steam/air mixture towards and through the entrance opening, wherein the entrance suction unit is arranged for sucking away the steam/air mixture that is forced through the entrance opening.

15. Method for treating a product with steam, including:

placing the product on a transport unit;

transporting the product into a treatment tunnel; and

directing one or more jets of steam directly onto the product such that the one or more jets of steam have at least a velocity component in a downward direction and a velocity component in a direction towards and through the entrance opening, and

sucking away air and/or steam above the product,

wherein the treatment tunnel has an entrance opening for introducing the product from outside the treatment tunnel to inside the treatment tunnel and an exit opening for discharging the product from inside the treatment tunnel to outside the treatment tunnel,

wherein the transport unit includes a conveyor belt for transporting the product from the entrance opening to the exit opening, the conveyor belt extending through the entrance opening,

wherein piping is configured for connection to a steam source for feeding steam into the treatment tunnel,

wherein the directing one or more jets of steam includes providing a nozzle plate unit comprising a plurality of nozzles arranged in a section of the treatment tunnel adjacent to the entrance opening and above the conveyor belt, wherein the plurality of nozzles are formed by bores through the nozzle plate unit, wherein the bores are arranged at a non-perpendicular angle relative to a transport direction of the transport unit and in communication with the piping arranged for directing a jet of steam directly at the product, wherein the plurality of nozzles are aimed in a direction such that the jet of steam has the velocity component in the downward direction and the velocity component in the direction towards and through the entrance opening, and

wherein an entrance suction unit is arranged for the sucking away of the air and/or the steam above the product upstream of the entrance opening of the tunnel.

16. The method according to claim 15 , including directing a sheet of steam onto the product.

17. The method according to claim 15 , including injecting steam into the tunnel in addition to the one or more steam jets and/or steam sheet.

18. The method according to claim 15 , including placing the product on the transport unit in the form of one or more ropes.

19. The method according to claim 18 , including extruding the product to form the one or more ropes.

20. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the product is a food product or a pet food.

21. The method according to claim 15 , including having the product enter the tunnel in a first zone in which the one or more jets of steam are directed onto the product, for heating of the product and/or removal of air from the tunnel.

22. The method according to claim 21 , including transporting the product from the first zone to a second zone of the tunnel in which additional steam is injected, for further heating of the product.

23. The method according to claim 22 , including transporting the product from the second zone to a third zone of the tunnel in which additional steam is injected, for further heating of the product.

24. The method according to claim 23 , including transporting the product from the third zone to a fourth zone of the tunnel from which the product leaves the tunnel, for reducing of interference from the environment onto the atmosphere in the treatment tunnel.