METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC CONTROLLING OF MOISTURE-AND-HEAT PROCESSING OF BULK PRODUCT Russian patent published in 1998 - IPC

FIELD: food-concentrates industry, in particular, cooking of leguminous and other groat products. SUBSTANCE: method involves providing sensors and cooking apparatuses; generating and supplying data on cooking process, such as moisture content in basic and ready product, product temperature, liquid atomization pressure, heat-carrier pressure difference and condensed steam amount determined by heat-carrier consumption at product layer inlet and outlet and by heat-carrier and product temperature, to microprocessor; introducing double-sided limit values on moisture content of ready product, product temperature in cooking zone, linear rate of heat-carrier flow and liquid atomization pressure into microprocessor; correcting liquid consumption on the basis of value of condensed steam in product layer and moisture content in ready product; providing heat-exchanger for preliminary cooling of basic product; correcting current value of moisture content in ready product on the basis of amount of condensed steam by regulating flow rate of coolant supplied to heat-exchanger; measuring heat-carrier temperature at product inlet and outlet layer, temperature of basic product, pressure and flow rate of coolant supplied to heat-exchanger, flow rate of ready product; comparing current and predetermined values of ready product moisture content; in case current values of ready product moisture content exceed predetermined value, gradually reducing liquid flow rate, reducing condensed steam amount, increasing flow rate of heat-carrier and basic product; in case current value of moisture content is below predetermined value, gradually reducing flow rate of heat-carrier, increasing amount of condensed steam with following increase in liquid flow rate and decrease in basic product flow rate. During moisture-and-heat processing, flow rate of liquid adapted for atomization is corrected on the basis of data on heat-carrier pressure difference at product inlet and outlet. EFFECT: improved quality of product, increased efficiency in usage of heat-carrier, reduced power consumption and provision for preventing product particles from excessive moisture content. 1 dwg