Reciprocating poultry chiller auger

A reciprocating poultry chiller auger including a bearing, such as a simple cylindrical bearing, mounting the shaft of an auger-type poultry chiller for both rotation of the shaft and for linear reciprocating motion of the shaft along its axis. The shaft may be reciprocated backward and forward along the axis of the shaft by, for example, a hydraulic cylinder that alternately pushes and pulls the shaft so that it slides linearly in a reciprocating fashion within the bearing. The reciprocating motion of the auger provides agitation of the chilled water in the poultry chiller thus improving contact and heat transfer from poultry carcasses into the chilled water.

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an auger-type poultry chiller, and in particular, to such an apparatus where the shaft of the auger is reciprocated to increase the agitation of the chilled water in the chiller.

2. Brief Description of the Related Art

After evisceration, slaughtered poultry carcasses must be rapidly chilled to preserve the quality of the meat. Various types of poultry chillers are known in the art, but a common type is the auger-type poultry chiller. Auger-type chillers are typically in the form of semi-cylindrical tanks filed with chilled water. The carcasses are placed in one end of the tank and moved to the other end by a rotating auger. In order to prevent clumping of the carcasses and to obtain good contact between the poultry carcasses and the chilled water, the chilled water may agitated by various means, including air bubbles. However, while the prior art techniques for agitating the chilled water provide some agitation sufficient to achieve good contact between the carcasses and the chilled water and to minimize clumping, a more effective technique is needed.

The limitations of the prior art are overcome by the present invention as described below.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an apparatus that satisfies this need. The apparatus comprises an auger-type poultry chiller having bearing means such as simple cylindrical bearings for mounting the shaft of the poultry chiller for both rotation of the shaft and for linear reciprocating motion of the shaft along its axis. The shaft is further provided with reciprocating means for moving the shaft in a linear reciprocating fashion backward and forward along the axis of the shaft and with rotating means for rotating the auger.

The reciprocating means may be a hydraulic cylinder that alternately pushes and pulls the shaft so that it slides linearly in a reciprocating fashion within the bearings. The bearings may be simple cylindrical bearing surfaces that allow the cylindrical shaft to rotate freely and to move linearly for at least some distance along the axis of the shaft. It is of course necessary that the chiller tank be sized with respect to the auger so that the auger can freely move within the tank over the axial distance set by the stroke of the reciprocating means.

These and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood from a consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and appended claim in conjunction with the drawings as described following:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference toFIGS. 1A-2, the preferred embodiments of the present invention may be described as follows:

FIGS. 1A and 1Bshow an auger-type poultry chiller10which moves poultry carcasses from an entrance end21to an exit end22against a counter-current flow of chilled water by means of a rotating auger12. The poultry chiller10includes a semi-cylindrical tank11in which the auger12is mounted for rotation by a motor, such as a shaft mount reducer18. The auger12is made up of a plurality of flights13disposed on a shaft14. The auger12is mounted onto two bearing means located at either end of the auger12. In an embodiment of the auger12of the present invention, the bearing means allow for both rotary motion of the auger12and linear reciprocating motion where the shaft14and the auger12are able to move backward and forward along the axis of the shaft14. The bearing means may be simple cylindrical bearings15allowing for both rotation of the shaft14and linear reciprocating motion of the shaft14along its axis. The shaft14is further provided with reciprocating means for moving the shaft14in a linear reciprocating fashion backward and forward along the axis of the shaft14.

The reciprocating means may be a hydraulic cylinder16that alternately pushes and pulls the shaft14so that it slides linearly in a reciprocating fashion within the cylindrical bearings15. The cylindrical bearings15have a cylindrical bearing surface that allows the cylindrical shaft to rotate freely and to move linearly for at least some distance along the axis of the shaft14. The stroke of the reciprocating means may be of any length that is considered desirable for a particular application. As an example, three (3) inches may be suitable for some applications, but the present invention is not limited to a stroke of this length. It is of course necessary that the chiller tank11be sized with respect to the auger12so that the auger12can freely move within the tank11over the axial distance set by the stroke of the reciprocating means.

Since the auger12, particularly the flights13, and the structure of the chiller tank11itself will be subjected to substantial stresses as a result of the reciprocating action of the auger12, the structure of the auger12and the chiller tank11must be designed and constructed to withstand such stresses. The present invention may be retrofitted to an existing chiller or may be incorporated into a newly constructed chiller.

As noted above the auger12may be rotated by a motor such as a shaftmount reducer18that moves with the auger12. Rotation of the auger12may also be accomplished simply by the back and forth motion of the shaft14without the necessity of a separate means of rotating the auger.

The reciprocating auger of the present invention may be used in combination with the injection of chilled water into the poultry carcasses immediately prior to the introduction of the poultry carcasses to the chiller. By combining injection of chilled water directly into the poultry carcasses with the greater heat transfer in the chiller due to the reciprocating motion of the auger, more rapid cooling of the poultry carcasses may eliminate the need for chilling after the main chiller and for post chill decontamination.

The chilled water, which may be at a temperature slightly above the freezing point of water, is able to immediately begin the chilling process since the chilled water is introduced into the warm interior of the carcass and is not limited by the rate of heat transfer from the interior to the surface of the carcass. As a result the carcass is cooled more rapidly and does not require the extended residence time in the chiller needed for conventional chilling. The length of the chiller can be reduced, pre-chilling and post-chilling eliminated and bacterial contamination reduced.

As shown inFIG. 2, the chilled water injector110is mounted to the entrance end121of the chiller120. The freshly slaughtered and eviscerated poultry carcasses are removed from a shackle line (not shown) and placed on a conveyor111which conveys the warm carcasses past the injector112. In the injector112, a plurality of needles113are disposed within a head114. The head114may comprise an upper and a lower manifold plate (not shown) providing a conduit though which the chilled water passes. An optional air head may be attached to the head114allowing the needles113to retract when they encounter a bone in a poultry carcass.

A pump115receives chilled water116from a source of chilled water which may be any type of refrigeration apparatus known to those skilled in the art. The pump115increases the pressure of the chilled water116and delivers the pressurized chilled water116to the needles113through a delivery line117.

The head114moves up and down, for example by 4 to 8 inches, as the conveyor 111 indexes forward, for example 4 to 8 inches at a time.

The needles113inject the pressurized chilled water116into the poultry carcasses thereby beginning the chilling process. The chilled water116may also include brines, flavorings and other additives as known in the art. The injected carcasses then drop onto the conveyor111and thence into the chiller120where they are conveyed from the entrance end121to the exit end122through a counter-flow of chilled water123during which time further chilling occurs. At the exit end122of the chiller120, the chilled carcasses are removed by conventional means, such as paddle wheel unloader23, and continue to further processing steps.