Patent ID: RE42510

Claim:
An apparatus for gas treatment of products, comprising a housing ( 1 ) having top, bottom and side walls ( 2 ; 3 ; 4 , 5 ) , a conveyor belt ( 8 ) for transporting the products along a first path ( 10 ) in the housing ( 1 ) , a tunnel ( 11 ) having perforated walls ( 12 ) and enclosing the conveyor belt ( 8 ) along the first path ( 10 ) , gas circulation means ( 18 ) communicating with the tunnel ( 11 ) via the perforated walls ( 12 ) for circulating gas into the tunnel ( 11 ) in the form of gas jets impinging upon the products carried by the conveyor belt ( 8 ) , and out of the tunnel ( 11 ) in a return channel ( 13 ) back to the gas circulation means ( 18 ) , and gas-conditioning means ( 19 , 20 ) positioned in the return channel ( 13 ) for conditioning the gas circulated by the gas circulation means ( 18 ) , characterized by walls ( 15 - 17 ) being separated from the walls ( 2 - 5 ) of the housing ( 1 ) , said separated walls ( 15 - 17 ) being connected with the perforated walls ( 12 ) of the tunnel ( 11 ) and having an opening towards and connected to an outlet of the gas . circulation means ( 18 ) in order to form a high pressure high-pressure chamber ( 14 ) substantially above the tunnel ( 11 ) and constituting a gas circulation channel from said outlet of the gas circulation means ( 18 ) to the perforated walls ( 12 ) of the tunnel ( 11 ) , at least one substantially vertical part of the walls ( 15 - 17 ) forming the high-pressure chamber ( 14 ) being removable so as to provide access to the inside of the high-pressure chamber ( 14 ) .