Tumble chiller

Abstract

A tumble chiller has a rotary drum with a perforated side wall. The drum is enclosed by a cooling jacket through which coolant such as ethylene glycol may be passed. Cooling liquid such as water or brine fills the drum. The drum has scoop-like projections which cause the cooling liquid to flow across the cooling jacket as the drum rotates. The cooling liquid may follow a path around the inner side of the jacket and then follow a path around its outer side. The drum is drivable in rotation by sprocket meshing with a roller chain fast with a flange at the rear end of the drum.

1 . A tumble chiller for articles, particularly in the form of bagged food products, including a casing for retaining a bath of cooling liquid, a rotary drum supported within the casing for rotation about an axis which extends from the front to the rear of the chiller, the peripheral wall of the drum being adapted to allow cooling liquid to pass therethrough, a cooling jacket interposed between the drum and casing, the jacket being provided with an internal passage to enable coolant to pass through the jacket, the drum being adapted during rotation to cause cooling liquid to flow through a first passageway between the drum and the cooling jacket and into a second passageway between the cooling jacket and the casing, the cooling liquid entering the second passageway on one side of the drum, flowing through the second passageway in contact with the cooling jacket and returning into the first passageway on the opposite side of the drum. 
   
   
       2 . A chiller as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the casing is in the form of a trough. 
   
   
       3 . A chiller as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein part of the cooling jacket constitutes a trough-like inner casing enclosing the drum and is provided with openings therethrough on both lateral sides of the drum at substantially the level of cooling liquid during operation, the cooling liquid flowing through the openings between the passageways. 
   
   
       4 . A chiller as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the drum is provided with projections in the form of scoops to promote circulation of cooling liquid. 
   
   
       5 . A chiller for articles, particularly in the form of bagged food products, including a support structure, a casing and a drum supported within the casing for rotation about an axis which extends from the front to the rear of the chiller, the casing being adapted to contain a bath of cooling liquid and the peripheral wall of the drum being adapted to allow liquid to pass therethrough, rotary drive and support means being spaced from and above the axis of the drum and the liquid level, the drive means being coupled to rotary driven means associated with the drum and partially immersed in the liquid. 
   
   
       6 . A chiller as claimed in  claim 5 , further including a drive motor mounted on the support structure, the drum having a forward open end through which the articles are to be introduced, and the drive means for the drum being associated with the rearward end of the drum, the drive means including a pinion which is supported by the support structure and drivable by the motor, the pinion meshing with a driven means comprising a ring gear provided on the rearward end of the drum. 
   
   
       7 . A chiller as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein an annular flange extends rearwardly from the drum and the ring gear is provided on the flange, and wherein support means for the rearward end of the drum comprises rollers bearing against the flange. 
   
   
       8 . A chiller as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the forward end of the drum is supported by rollers. 
   
   
       9 . A chiller as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the drum is removable from within the casing by raising the drum vertically following displacement of at least some of said rollers. 
   
   
       10 . A chiller as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the ring gear is provided on the radially inner side of the flange, and the rollers bear against said radially inner side. 
   
   
       11 . A chiller as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the drive means for the drum comprises a motor and sprocket drivable by the motor, the sprocket engaging with a roller chain extending around and fast with the rearward end of the drum. 
   
   
       12 . A chiller as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the chain is mounted on the radially inner side of an annular flange projecting axially from the rearward end of the drum. 
   
   
       13 . A tumble chiller for articles, particularly in the form of bagged food products, including:
 a) a support structure,   b) a trough-like casing for retaining a bath of cooling liquid,   c) a rotary drum supported within the casing for rotation about an axis which extends from the front to the rear of the chiller and is downwardly inclined towards the rear, the rearward end of the drum being provided with a reawardly extending annular flange, and the peripheral wall of the drum being adapted to allow cooling liquid to pass therethrough,   d) a cooling jacket interposed between the drum and casing, the cooling jacket being provided with a passage to allow coolant to pass through the jacket, the drum being adapted during rotation to cause cooling liquid to flow through a first passageway between the drum and the cooling jacket and into a second passageway between the cooling jacket and the casing, the cooling liquid entering the second passageway on one side of the drum, flowing through the second passageway in contact with the cooling jacket and returning into the first passageway on the opposite side of the drum.   e) a drive motor mounted on the support structure,   f) a driven means comprising a ring gear provided on the annular flange,   g) drive means including a pinion supported by the support structure and drivable in rotation by the motor, the pinion meshing with the ring gear,   h) support means for the rearward end of the drum comprising first rollers mounted on the support structure and bearing against the the flange, and second rollers mounted on the support structure and bearing against the end of the drum.   
   
   
       14 . A chiller as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the ring gear is constituted by a roller chain mounted on the radially inner side of the flange, and the pinion is constituted by a sprocket, and the first said rollers bear against the radially inner side of the flange. 
   
   
       15 . A chiller as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein at least part of the cooling jacket constitutes an inner casing enclosing the drum and is provided with a horizontal row of slots on each lateral side of the drum, the slots being located at substantially the liquid level in the drum during operation thereby to enable cooling liquid to flow between the passageways.