Patent ID: 9021944
Filing Date: 2015-05-05
Classification: A21B

Abstract:
1. A treatment device for treating food products with conditioned air, the treatment device comprising: a housing comprising a treatment space for treating the food products with the conditioned air, an entry for introducing the food products to be treated into the treatment space, and an exit for discharging treated food products from the treatment space, a cylindrical hollow drum that is composed of essentially horizontal and vertical strips allowing air flow inbetween the strips, being arranged in the treatment space of the housing, the drum delimiting an interior drum space, and the drum being rotatable about a vertical drum rotary axis, a drum drive for rotating the drum, a conveyor belt for supporting the food products, the conveyor belt extending through the treatment space so as to convey the food products supported on the conveyor belt from the entry through the treatment space to the exit, the conveyor belt comprising a plurality of windings which are situated one above the other so as to define a helical conveying path, and the windings of the conveyor belt extending around the drum in such a manner that the conveyor belt is in slip friction engagement with the drum, air-conditioning means being arranged in a conduit for conditioning the air flowing in the conduit, the conduit having a conduit entry in fluid communication with the treatment space and having a conduit exit in fluid communication with air-circulation means, and air-circulation means for circulating the air through a circulating flow path, the air-circulation means comprising a fan having a suction side and a discharge side, the fan being arranged on a rotary shaft in the interior drum space, the rotary shaft of the fan being arranged eccentrically to the drum rotary axis, the suction side being connected to the conduit exit, and the discharge side directing the air into the interior drum space, wherein in operation air flows from the conduit where the air is conditioned by the air-conditioning means, via the conduit exit into the interior drum space by suction by the air-conditioning means, and from the interior drum space via the drum over the windings of the conveyor belt carrying food products to be treated to the treatment space, and further into the conduit entry.