An Improved Apparatus for and Method of Thawing Frozen Meat and Produce.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 16th July, 1896-Accepted, 12th Sept., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for and Method of Thawing Frozen Meat
and Produce.
I, WALTER PECK, of 54 Lambton Quay, in the City of Wellington, in the
Colony of New Zealand, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to thawing meat which has been frozen or chilled for the
purposes of transport and has for its object to provide an apparatus which shall
effect this operation without incurring the disadvantages experienced with the
apparatus at present in use.
In carrying out the object of my invention I make a chamber of any convenient
size and shape and which may be insulated if desired, and near the bottom of this
chamber I provide a trunk or pipe for the admission of air. Upon two sides of
the chamber I furnish trunks having slides to regulate the amount and direction
of the air admitted and emitted. Suitable hooks for hanging up the meat, and
admission doors are provided.
The beforementioned admission trunk passes through a tank and has cross tubes
through which, the mixture contained in the tank may circulate, and within the
said trunk I suspend a sponge or other absorbent material and conduct water to the
same preferably from a "screw down" lubricator.
In order that my invention may be most easily understood I will now proceed to
describe the same in detail and for that purpose shall refer to the accompanying
drawing, which is a sectional elevation of my apparatus.
The chamber (a), which I prefer to be surrounded with insulating material in
any ordinary manner, has trunks (a) and upon these trunks are attached
slides (a 2) of any usual construction. Hooks (6) are provided for hanging up the
meat, and door (c) is for purposes of ingress, and egress to the chamber. Trunk
or pipe (d) is attached at or near to the bottom of chamber (a) for the admission
of air, and has cross tubes (e¹) through which liquid contained in tank (e) may
circulate.
A sponge (f) is suspended in trunk (d) and may be kept in a moist condition
by water supplied from the screw down lubricator (g).
Exhaust air from chamber (a) passes out by lid (h) which being hinged at (²)
operates as a flap valve.
The chamber may when desired be placed within a cold storeroom and in that
case insolation is necessary and the exhaust air would be conducted by a pipe or
trunk to the exterior of the building instead of exhausting directly at (h).
The manner of operating my apparatus is as follows,
The meat to be thawed is taken from the cold storeroom and placed within
chamber (a), doors (c) are then closed and air admitted through trunk (d) into
and through chamber (a). The air may be taken dry from the cold storeroom and
the moisture to be supplied to it may be regulated by saturating sponge (f), or
I may regulate the moisture of the air by taking a portion from the cold storeroom
and a portion from the outer and more moist atmosphere in such relative proportions
as shall give the moisture necessary for my purpose.
A fan or pump of any suitable construction may be employed for propelling
the in

page_text: The temperature of the air is regulated by the contents of tank (e) which is
heated by a steam coil or other convenient means.
As one of the disadvantages, which it is the object of my invention to overcome,
is the deposit of moisture on the meat during the process of thawing, care must
be taken that the dryness of the air in chamber (a) is so regulated that the
dew point is slightly below the temperature of the meat, and such state of dryness
may be ascertained by means of a hygrometer.
The temperature of the air may be tested by dipping a thermometer in the
contents of tauk (e) or by inserting the instrument in the trunk (d) between
tank (e) and chamber (a). The number of tubes (el) is such that there will be
no practical difference between the temperature of the contents of the tank and
the air after passing said tubes.
It is obvious that the details of my invention may be modified in several ways
without departing from the spirit of the same, as for example, a coil of tubing
forming part of trunk (d) may be employed instead of tubes (e)..
It will be seen from the above description that little or no moisture is extracted
from or deposited upon the meat whilst being thawed and thus the sodden and slimy
appearance which meat generally has after thawing is obviated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is,-
1. A method for thawing frozen meat consisting of employing a chamber having
suitable exits and entrances through which air is passed, the dryness of such air
being regulated by mixing dry air with moist or taking dry air and saturating the
same by interception of a wet sponge, and the temperature of such air being
regulated by means of a tank and circulating cross tubes, substantially as and for
the purposes set forth herein.
2. The apparatus for thawing frozen meat, constructed arranged and operating,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth herein and illustrated on the
accompanying drawing.
Dated this 16th day of July 1896.
J. E. EVANS-JACKSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.