当前申请(专利权)人地址：
891 TWO RIVERS DRIVE,DAKOTA DUNES,SD,US
摘要：
A system includes a vacuum chamber, a vacuum source, and a mixture flow path adapted to be connected to receive the output of a direct steam injector. The vacuum source is operatively connected to a vacuum port of the vacuum chamber, while a product outlet port from the vacuum chamber is adapted to be connected to an arrangement for removing treated product from the vacuum chamber. The mixture flow path includes a flow path segment outside of the vacuum chamber volume and a flow path segment within the vacuum chamber volume. At least some of a surface defining the flow path segment within the vacuum chamber is in substantial thermal communication with one or more cooling structures.
权利要求：
2. CLAIMS
1. A system for receiving an output of a direct steam injector where the output comprises a heated mixture stream that includes a product to be treated which has been mixed with steam, the system including: (a) a vacuum chamber which includes walls defining a vacuum chamber volume, the vacuum chamber further including a vacuum port to the vacuum chamber volume and a product outlet port from the vacuum chamber volume; (b) a vacuum source operatively connected to the vacuum port; (c) a mixture flow path having a mixture inlet opening adapted to be connected to receive the output of a direct steam injector, the mixture flow path extending from the mixture inlet opening to a location within the vacuum chamber volume so that the mixture flow path includes a portion located within the vacuum chamber volume; and (d) wherein at least some of a surface defining the mixture flow path within the vacuum chamber volume is in substantial thermal communication with a mixture flow path cooling structure. 2. The system of claim 1 wherein: (a) the portion of the mixture flow path located within the vacuum chamber volume includes a nozzle which defines a mixture release opening, the nozzle having a nozzle surface which comprises a nozzle portion of the surface defining the mixture flow path within the vacuum chamber volume; (b) the nozzle has a nozzle axis extending substantially parallel to a vacuum chamber vertical axis and the nozzle surface defines a shape having a diameter that increases downwardly; and (c) at least some of the nozzle surface is in substantial thermal communication with a nozzle cooling structure, the nozzle cooling structure comprising a respective portion of the mixture flow path cooling structure.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein: (a) the mixture flow path is defined at least in part by a hold conduit which extends from the mixture inlet opening, through one of the walls of the vacuum chamber, and to a hold conduit outlet within the vacuum chamber volume so that the hold conduit includes a hold conduit portion located outside the vacuum chamber volume and a hold conduit portion located inside the vacuum chamber volume; and (b) the portion of the hold conduit located inside the vacuum chamber volume includes a first hold conduit segment inner surface in substantial thermal communication with a first hold conduit segment cooling structure, the first hold conduit segment cooling structure comprising a respective portion of the Date recue/Date received 2023-03-27 mixture flow path cooling structure and including one or more first hold conduit segment coolant fluid circulating chambers each having a respective coolant fluid circulation inlet and a respective coolant fluid circulation outlet.
4. The system of claim 3 wherein: (a) the portion of the mixture flow path located within the vacuum chamber volume includes a nozzle which defines a mixture release opening, the nozzle having a nozzle surface which comprises a nozzle portion of the surface defining the mixture flow path located within the vacuum chamber volume; (b) the nozzle has a nozzle axis extending substantially parallel to a vacuum chamber vertical axis and the nozzle surface defines a shape having a diameter that increases downwardly; and (c) at least some of the nozzle surface is in substantial thermal communication with a nozzle coolant fluid circulating chamber which is connected to receive coolant from one of the one or more first hold conduit segment coolant fluid circulating chambers.
5. The system of claim 4 further including: (a) a nozzle coolant fluid circulating chamber outlet; and (b) a coolant fluid conduit operatively connected to the nozzle coolant fluid circulating chamber outlet and extending to a coolant fluid conduit end located outside of the vacuum chamber volume.
6. The system of claim 5 further including a coolant fluid supply operatively connected to the coolant fluid conduit end located outside of the vacuum chamber volume and operatively connected to one of the one or more first hold conduit segment coolant fluid circulating chambers at a connecting location outside of the vacuum chamber volume.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein: (a) the mixture flow path is defined at least in part by a hold conduit which extends from the mixture inlet opening, through one of the walls of the vacuum chamber, and to a hold conduit outlet within the vacuum chamber volume so that the hold conduit includes a hold conduit portion located outside the vacuum chamber volume and a hold conduit portion located inside the vacuum chamber volume; (b) the portion of the hold conduit located inside the vacuum chamber volume includes a first hold conduit segment inner surface in substantial thermal communication with a first hold conduit segment cooling structure, the first hold conduit segment cooling structure comprising a portion of the mixture flow path cooling structure and including one or more first hold conduit segment coolant fluid circulating Date recue/Date received 2023-03-27 chambers each having a respective coolant fluid circulation inlet and a respective coolant fluid circulation outlet; and (c) the portion of the hold conduit located outside the vacuum chamber volume includes a second hold conduit segment inner surface in substantial thermal communication with a second hold conduit segment cooling structure, the second hold conduit segment cooling stnicture comprising a respective portion of the mixture flow path cooling structure and including one or more second hold conduit segment coolant fluid circulating chambers each having a respective coolant fluid circulating inlet and a respective coolant fluid circulation outlet.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the mixture flow path is defined in part by: (a) an inner surface of a hold conduit which extends from the mixture inlet opening to a hold conduit outlet connected to the vacuum chamber; and (b) an inner surface of a dispersal wall which comprises one of the walls of the vacuum chamber defining the vacuum chamber volume.
9. The system of claim 8: (a) wherein the mixture flow path cooling structure includes a vacuum chamber coolant fluid circulating chamber located along the dispersal wall and extending from a level of the hold conduit outlet downwardly to a lower level of the vacuum chamber; and (b) further including a coolant fluid supply operatively connected to the vacuum chamber coolant fluid circulating chamber.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein at least some of the inner surface of the hold conduit is in substantial thermal communication with a hold conduit coolant fluid circulating chamber having a hold conduit coolant fluid circulation inlet and a hold conduit coolant fluid circulation outlet.
11. A method of receiving an output of a direct steam injector, the method including: (a) receiving a heated mixture stream from a direct steam injector, the heated mixture stream including a product to be treated which has been mixed with steam; (b) directing the heated mixture stream along a mixture flow path extending to a location within a vacuum chamber volume, the vacuum chamber volume defined by an arrangement of vacuum chamber walls, the mixture flow path including a mixture flow path portion within the vacuum chamber volume; Date recue/Date received 2023-03-27 (c) as the heated mixture stream is directed along the mixture flow path, removing heat from the heated mixture stream along at least part of the mixture flow path portion within the vacuum chamber volume; (d) releasing the heated mixture stream into the vacuum chamber volume; (e) maintaining a reduced pressure on the heated mixture which has been released into the vacuum chamber volume, the reduced pressure being sufficient to vaporize liquid water within the vacuum chamber volume; and removing from the vacuum chamber volume both water vapor and a cooled product, the cooled product comprising material other than water vapor collected from the heated mixture stream in the vacuum chamber volume.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein: (a) directing the heated mixture stream along the mixture flow path to the location within the vacuum chamber volume includes directing the heated mixture stream through a hold conduit which extends from an outlet of the direct steam injector to the location within the vacuum chamber volume through a wall included in the arrangement of vacuum chamber walls so that the hold conduit includes a hold conduit portion located outside the vacuum chamber volume and a hold conduit portion located inside the vacuum chamber volume; and (b) removing heat from the heated mixture stream along at least part of the mixture flow path portion within the vacuum chamber volume includes circulating a respective coolant fluid through a first hold conduit segment coolant fluid circulating chamber located along at least a portion of the hold conduit portion located inside the vacuum chamber volume.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein: (a) directing the heated mixture stream along the mixture flow path includes directing the heated mixture stream from the hold conduit through a nozzle having a nozzle surface and defining a mixture release opening through which the heated mixture stream is released into the vacuum chamber volume; (b) wherein releasing the heated mixture stream into the vacuum chamber volume includes directing the heated mixture stream along a nozzle axis extending substantially parallel to a vacuum chamber vertical axis and the nozzle surface defines a shape having a diameter that increases downwardly; and (c) as the heated mixture stream is directed along the nozzle axis, removing heat from the heated mixture stream along at least part of the nozzle surface via a nozzle cooling structure in substantial thermal communication with at least part of the nozzle surface. Date recue/Date received 2023-03-27 28
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the nozzle cooling structure includes a nozzle coolant fluid circulating chamber and removing heat from the heated mixture stream along at least part of the nozzle surface includes circulating a respective coolant fluid through the nozzle coolant fluid circulating chamber.
15. The method of claim 14 further including directing the respective coolant fluid from the nozzle coolant fluid circulating chamber through a coolant return conduit extending from the nozzle coolant fluid circulating chamber to a location outside of the vacuum chamber volume.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the first hold conduit segment coolant fluid circulating chamber and the nozzle coolant fluid circulating chamber are serially connected.
17. The method of claim 13 further including removing heat from the heated mixture stream along at least part of the hold conduit portion located outside the vacuum chamber volume.
18. The method of claim 11 wherein directing the heated mixture stream along the mixture flow path to the location within the vacuum chamber volume includes: (a) directing the heated mixture stream through a hold conduit which comprises an external flow path segment located outside of the vacuum chamber volume; and (b) directing the heated mixture stream along an internal flow path segment defined in part by a surface of a dispersal wall included in the arrangement of vacuum chamber walls which define the vacuum chamber volume.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein removing heat from the heated mixture stream along at least part of the mixture flow path portion within the vacuum chamber volume includes circulating a respective coolant fluid through a dispersal wall coolant fluid circulating chamber in substantial thermal communication with the dispersal wall.
20. A material including undenatured meat or egg protein produced by the process of: (a) receiving a heated mixture stream from a direct steam injector, the heated mixture stream including a product to be treated which has been mixed with steam; (b) directing the heated mixture stream along a mixture flow path extending from a location outside of a vacuum chamber volume to a location within the vacuum chamber volume, the vacuum chamber Date recue/Date received 2023-03-27 volume defined by an arrangement of vacuum chamber walls, the mixture flow path including a mixture flow path portion within the vacuum chamber volume; (c) as the heated mixture stream is directed along the mixture flow path, removing heat from the heated mixture stream along at least part of the mixture flow path portion within the vacuum chamber volume; (d) releasing the heated mixture stream into the vacuum chamber volume; (e) maintaining a reduced pressure on the heated mixture which has been released into the vacuum chamber volume, the reduced pressure being sufficient to vaporize liquid water within the vacuum chamber volume; and removing from the vacuum chamber volume both water vapor and a cooled product, the cooled product comprising material other than water vapor collected from the heated mixture stream in the vacuum chamber volume. Date recue/Date received 2023-03-27