Method for determining thermal profiles of food products leaving a cryogenic installation, and corresponding cooling installation

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining thermal profiles of products leaving a cryogenic cooling installation, said method consisting of: a step ( 18 ) for determining a validity value and/or a range of validity values for operating parameters of the installation, forming a modulable set of operating parameters; a step ( 20 ) for simulating the operation of the installation on the basis of thermodynamic and physical characteristics of the enclosure ( 2 ) and the products (A) and on the basis of regulating parameters of the installation, in order to obtain a complete set of operating parameters including regulating parameters and characteristic quantities of the operation of the installation, said simulation step ( 20 ) providing a thermal profile of the products (A) treated, which includes at least one temperature at the surface and one temperature at the centre of the products; and a cycle ( 30 ) for the automatic repetition of the simulation step ( 20 ) for all of the authorised values of the operating parameters of the modulable set, in order to obtain a complete set of operating parameters for each simulation, forming an operation mapping of the installation.

1 - 12 . (canceled)  
   
   
       13 . A method for determining thermal profiles of items (A), particularly food items, leaving a cryogenic cooling installation, the installation comprising a processing chamber ( 2 ) through which said items (A) pass between an inlet and an outlet and using a cryogenic cooling fluid ( 4 ), this method comprising: 
 a step ( 18 ) of determining a validity value and/or a range of validity values for operating parameters of the installation, forming an updatable set of operating parameters;    a step ( 20 ) of simulating the operation of the installation on the basis of thermodynamic and physical characteristics of the chamber ( 2 ) and of the items (A) and of installation setting parameters in order to obtain a complete set of operating parameters comprising setting parameters and magnitudes characteristic of the operation of the installation, said simulation step ( 20 ) delivering a thermal profile of the processed items (A) comprising at least a surface temperature and a core temperature of these items;    a cycle ( 30 ) of automatically repeating the simulation step ( 20 ) for all the authorized values of the operating parameters in the updatable set so as to obtain, for each simulation, a complete set of operating parameters forming a map of the operation of the installation.    
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , characterized in that said simulation step ( 20 ) delivers a thermal profile of the temperatures within said processing chamber ( 2 ).  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 13 , characterized in that said automatic repetition cycle ( 30 ) comprises a step ( 22 ) of logging each complete set of operating parameters delivered by said simulation step ( 20 ), in a data structure, so as to form said operating map.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 13 , characterized in that said automatic repetition cycle ( 3 ) involves, on each iteration, a step ( 26 ) of automatically updating one or several operating parameters of said updatable set of operating parameters.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 13 , characterized in that said step ( 18 ) of determining said updatable set is designed to automatically limit the magnitude of said ranges of validity values according to the hardware resources available for implementing said method.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 13 , characterized in that it further comprises: 
 a step ( 40 ) of determining a datum value and/or a range of datum values for operating parameters forming a set of datum values; and    a step ( 42 ) of automatically comparing said set of datum values with said operating map of the installation in order to obtain one or more complete sets of operating parameters comprising setting parameters and magnitudes characteristic of the operation of the installation, this or these complete set(s) of parameters comprising said set of datum values.    
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , characterized in that said step ( 40 ) of determining said set of datum values is designed to automatically determine at least one datum value on the basis of physical measurements.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 18 , characterized in that said automatic comparison step ( 42 ) involves interpolating between complete sets of operating parameters forming said map in order to deliver at least one complete set of operating parameters comprising said set of datum values.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 18 , characterized in that it further comprises a step ( 44 ) of automatically determining an optimum complete set of operating parameters from among the complete set or sets of operating parameters delivered by said automatic comparison step ( 42 ).  
   
   
       22 . An installation for the thermo cooling of items (A) comprising a processing chamber ( 2 ) through which said items (A) pass between an inlet and an outlet and using a cooling fluid ( 4 ), comprising at least means ( 10 ) for controlling its operation associated with data-storage means ( 15 ), characterized in that said storage means ( 15 ) comprise a map of the operation of said installation which map is determined using a method as claimed in any one of claims  1  to  5  and in that said installation is designed to implement a method for determining operating parameters of  claim 18 .  
   
   
       23 . The installation of  claim 22 , characterized in that it further comprises means ( 8 ) for measuring operating parameters so as to determine all or some of the set of datum values as determined during implementation of the method of  claim 18 .  
   
   
       24 . The installation of  claim 22 , characterized in that it comprises man-machine interface means ( 14 ) for determining all or some of the set of datum values as determined during implementation of the method of  claim 18.