Patent ID: 6557367
Filing Date: 2003-05-06
Classification: F25D

Abstract:
A cooling tunnel comprising:(A) conveyor means for carrying objects through said cooling tunnel; (B) refrigeration means for receiving cooling fluid, chilling it, and providing chilled cooling fluid into said cooling tunnel; (C) at least one impingement section means extending along a portion of the length of said conveyor means within said cooling tunnel, there being one or more regions along the length of said conveyor means within said cooling tunnel along which no impingement section means extends, each impingement section means comprising a plurality of channeling means arrayed parallel to the direction of motion of said conveyor means, adjacent ones of said channeling means defining therebetween an aperture for enabling cooling fluid to flow through said aperture toward and onto objects on said conveyor means, wherein said aperture is on an axis parallel to the direction of motion of said conveyor means, each said channeling means defining with said conveyor means a channel for receiving cooling fluid that has passed through an aperture onto said objects and for enabling said cooling fluid to flow into one or more of said regions; (D) duct means for enabling flow of cooling fluid from one or more of said regions to said refrigeration means; (E) passage means in fluid communication with an aperture and extending from said aperture into or across one of said regions, for enabling cooling fluid that enters said passage means from said aperture to enter said duct means after having flowed out of said passage means toward and onto said objects; and (F) fan means for causing flow of said cooling fluid from said refrigeration means through an aperture with sufficient velocity to impinge upon and cool said objects and to recirculate said cooling fluid through said duct means to said refrigeration means.