CH643509A5 - Processing unit for liquid and semi-liquid food products - Google Patents

Description

The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks and relates to a unit for processing liquids and semi-liquid food according to claim 1.

The appended drawing illustrates, schematically and by way of example, two embodiments of the processing unit according to the invention.

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an autonomous dairy.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the unit illustrated in FIG. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively side and end elevations of the unit illustrated in FIG. 1.

Fig. 5 illustrates the transport of the unit.

Fig. 6 illustrates in perspective a second embodiment of the unit.

The unit illustrated in fig. 1 to 5 constitutes an autonomous dairy mounted and pre-installed in a container-type module. All the machines and installations are installed and fixed in the building constituted by the container before its shipment. The container serves as packaging during the transport of the unit, then as a building housing the dairy when it is at its operating site.

The dairy illustrated has a container 1 of standard type in which openings, doors 2 and windows 3, have been made, closable during transport, this container serving as packaging for the unit during transport and as a building during operation of the unit.

This container 1 is divided into several rooms: a first room 4 containing a generator 5 supplying the dairy with electrical energy, a storage room 6 for bulk milk or milk powder, a processing room 7 in which are mounted a milk reconstitution group 8, a pasteurizer 9, a refrigeration compressor 10, an insulated buffer tank 11, a recovery pump 12,

a conditioner 13 allowing the vacuum bagging of V *, lA or 11 of milk. Finally, a cold storage room 14 is also provided.

All these devices are assembled and installed in the container in the factory, by qualified labor and in good conditions. The hydraulic and electrical connections are also completed at the factory. The container therefore contains during its transport a dairy in working order.

Once transported to its destination, it suffices to supply the dairy with water, fuel and milk or milk powder for it to be operational.

The dairy, when container 1 is closed, can be transported by boat, train, truck, etc. to its destination. The container is then simply placed on a flat floor. No other assembly operation or operating site is necessary.

The cold room is equipped with a refrigeration unit 15 and the other rooms, in particular the treatment room 7, are equipped with air conditioners 16.

Finally, another advantage of such a processing unit is that it is transportable at all times. It is therefore possible to plan a mobile unit, operating only a few days or weeks at a given point.

The realization of the container is made up of a metal module, the base of which is produced by profiles forming longitudinal members, linked by crosspieces. Profiled metal uprights provide the connection between this frame and the roof reinforcement, which includes anchor points for heavy handling.

The side walls are cladding in ribbed galvanized steel tub painted on the outside. The entire container thus produced is thermally insulated. The roof is metallic, double walled with mineral wool insulation.

The floor, or interior work surface, is made of wooden panels insulated from the bottom wall of the container.

In the treatment room and in the storage room, a casing is made of polyester resin reinforced with glass fibers. The other rooms are coated with PVC.

The walls of the treatment room and the storage room are made of reinforced polyester resin, those of the other rooms are covered with PVC foam.

Fig. 6 illustrates a second embodiment of the processing unit. This is a large unit requiring more space, so that it is installed in a plurality of containers intended to be assembled to form the enclosure of the building containing the unit.

The illustrated processing unit comprises a first container 17 fitted out as an office 18, reception 19 and cloakroom 20. A second container 21 serves as storage room. A series of seven containers 22 to 28 are assembled on site side by side and contain the treatment machines which are, for example, a cold water production plant 29, an air compressor 30, an electric water heater 31, cooling tanks 32, a homogenizer 33, a skimmer 34, a buffer tank and its pump 35, filters 36, an electric pasteurizer 37, processing tanks 38, a ferment tank 39, pumps 40, a tank weighing machine 41, a cleaning installation 42, a positive displacement pump 43 and a packaging machine 44.

The containers 22 and 28 have a side provided with windows 3 and a removable side wall, generally made of wood. During assembly, these wooden walls are removed, the containers placed side by side and fixed together. The hydroelectric conduits are connected and the factory is ready for operation. The assembly of a large unit is therefore very simple and quick.

The factory also includes a container 45 fitted out in a cold room and a container 46 fitted out with sanitary facilities 47,48 and a workshop 49.

A processing unit of this size can either be connected to the existing electrical network, or include its generator.

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We can therefore see that, whether for small or large units, all the meticulous work of assembling and connecting the machines is done in the workshop. Only simple connections to connect containers and pipes, as well as power lines, are made on site. s

643,509

Such installations can constitute dairies, cheese dairies, production centers for non-alcoholic drinks, fruit juices, pasty food products, etc. It suffices to mount the materials and machines adapted to the desired goal inside the fitted containers.

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4 sheets of drawings

Claims (3)

643,509 1. Processing unit for food liquids and semi-liquids, characterized in that it comprises at least one cell serving on the one hand as a transport container and, on the other hand, as a building containing all or part of the treatment unit, the cell or cells being divided into several compartments in which all of the equipment of the treatment unit, including for its power supply, is assembled and installed definitively before transporting the unit to his point of destination. 2. Unit according to claim 1, characterized in that it is formed of a single container provided with doors and windows. 2 3. Unit according to claim 1, characterized in that it is made by several containers transportable separately and assembled on site. It is increasingly important to decentralize the production or reconstitution of liquids and semi-liquids for food, especially dairy products, in order to be able to install these units in remote, non-industrialized countries, especially in developing countries where is malnourished. So far, this decentralization of production units has been achieved by setting up traditional manufacturing factories in these areas. This way of doing things has practically insurmountable disadvantages: the price of the unit, the fact that its realization on the spot requires a qualified manpower which is lacking, and the lack of materials and material on the spot which requires transport long and costly of all the elements necessary for the realization of the plant.