Product cooling apparatuses

Abstract

Coolers for cooling pet food products and methods regarding same are presented. In an embodiment, the present invention provides a cooler comprising a chamber having product inlet, a product outlet and an air outlet, and at least one air duct having an exit opening so constructed and arranged for providing airflow into the product outlet.

Description

Background technique [0001] The present invention generally relates to pet food technology. More specifically, the present invention relates to product cooling devices and methods of using the same. [0002] There are a variety of conventional coolers for cooling extruded pet food products. For example, a typical cooler has a cooling compartment that receives bulk pet food to be cooled. Typically below the outlet at the bottom of the compartment there are a number of pivotable bars or slats for collecting pet food. The mechanical rods or slats are designed to allow cooling air to pass through and surround the pet food stacked on the slats. The slats can be rotated to one position to form a floor for collecting pet food for cooling and to another position to allow pet food to pass into the collection hopper. The cooling capacity of this type of cooler relative to its overall volume is limited due to the fact that, due to the nature of the design of the cooler, empty collect...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, this design raises several problems

First, small pet food products such as pellets and powders or their coating materials (e.g., fat) can clog the pores, reducing the efficiency of the cooling process

Particles from pet food falling through the holes and remaining in the external air circulation chamber also cause hygiene problems

Furthermore, since the cooling air holes extend up the side walls of the cooling chamber, not all of the cooling air contacts all the material in the cooling chamber, limiting cooling efficiency

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