Flow controlling system for cookers

Claim 2

A protective flow controlling system for a hydrostatic cooker having means defining a processing chamber with tall vertically extending water filled legs for normally maintaining a sterilizing medium in a sterilizing housing of said processing chamber in a balanced condition and under superatmospheric pressure, and a driven endless conveyor having carriers thereon for moving containers through said chamber; the improvement which comprises a series of spaced baffles connected to the chamber defining means and projecting inwardly thereof to a position immediately adjacent the path of movement of said carriers, a pressure controller connected to points at opposite ends of said series of baffles whereby a pressure drop created by a rapid flow of fluid past said series of baffles is detected by said controller, and control means responsive to the detection of said pressure drop for rapidly directing a quantity of fluid into the chamber on the detected low pressure side of said baffles to increase the pressure on said low pressure side thereby returning the fluids in said processing chamber to a balanced condition.

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said series of baffles resists the flow of fluid therepast thereby aiding in returning the fluid to a balanced condition.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said sterilizing medium is water which communicates directly with the water in said tall water filled legs.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said series of baffles is disposed adjacent the lower end of one of said tall water filled legs, and additionally comprising a second series of baffles disposed adjacent the lower end of the other water filled leg, a second pressure controller connected to points at opposite ends of said second series of baffles whereby a pressure drop created by rapid flow of water past said second series of baffles is detected by said second controller, and means responsive to the detection of a pressure drop across both series of baffles for rapidly directing a quantity of water into the upper end of the particular water filled leg that is on the low pressure side of both series of baffles to increase the pressure on the low pressure sides thereof to thereby return the water in said processing chamber to a balanced condition.

Claim 6

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said processing chamber additionally comprises a first air lock housing between one of said vertical legs and said sterilizing housing, and a second air lock housing between the other vertical leg and said sterilizing housing, means for directing air under pressure into said air lock housings, and a plurality of said series of baffles being provided with at least one series of baffles disposed immediately adjacent each of said air lock housings, one of said pressure controllers being associated with each of said series of baffles, said control means being connected in series with all of said pressure responsive means and being effective to direct fluid into the detected low pressure side only upon detection of fluid flow toward the same vertical water filled leg to increase the pressure on the low pressure side thereby returning the fluids in said processing chamber to a balanced condition.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein each series of baffles includes baffle members disposed on both sides of the path of movement of said carriers which members resist the flow of fluid therepast thereby aiding in returning the fluid to a static condition.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said sterilizing medium is water which is separated from the water in said water legs by said air lock housings.

Claim 9

An apparatus according to claim 7 and additionally comprising means for directing a cooling medium into one of said air lock housings for inducing thermal rise of steam pockets into said one air lock housing and for condensing the steam entering said one air lock housing.

Claim 10

An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said fluid being directed into the detected low pressure side of said processing chamber is cool water which is rapidly dumped into the upper end of the particular water filled leg that is disposed on the low pressure side of said chamber.

Claim 11

An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein two series of said baffles are associated with each air lock housing, and wherein said control means is effective.

Claim 12

A protective flow controlling system for hydrostatic cooker having means defining a processing chamber which includes a sterilizing housing, planar portions and tall vertically extending water-filled legs connected to opposite ends of said sterilizing housing for normally maintaining a sterilizing medium in the sterilizing housing of said processing chamber in a balanced condition and under superatmospheric pressure and whereupon an unbalanced condition occurs at the lower end of one of said legs when a reduction of water pressure or a rise in sterilizing temperature causes some of the water to flash into steam pockets, which pockets rapidly move upwardly in said one of said water filled legs and causes additional water to flow upwardly, and a driven endless conveyor having carriers thereon for moving containers through said chamber along a path which includes linear portions; the improvement which comprises a series of closely spaced stationary baffles connected to a planar portion of the chamber defining means at a point adjacent said lower end of said one leg and projecting inwardly thereof to a point immediately adjacent to but spaced from a linear portion of the path of movement of the carriers, said series of baffles being arranged to create a pressure drop in response to a flow of fluid therepast for preventing said unbalanced condition from causing an uncontrollable upward flow of water out of said one leg by reducing the flow therein to a manageable rate.

Claim 13

A protective flow controlling system for hydrostatic cooker having means defining a processing chamber which includes a sterilizing housing, planar portions and tall vertically extending water-filled legs connected to opposite ends of said sterilizing housing for normally maintaining a sterilizing medium in the sterilizing housing of said processing chamber in a balanced condition and under superatmospheric pressure and whereupon an unbalanced condition occurs at the lower end of one of said legs when a reduction of water pressure or a rise in sterilizing temperature causes some of the water to flash into steam pockets, which pockets rapidly move upwardly in said one of said water filled legs and causes additional water to flow upwardly, and a driven endless conveyor having carriers thereon for moving containers through said chamber along a path which includes linear portions; the improvement which comprises a series of closely spaced stationary baffles connected to a planar portion of the chamber defining means at a point adjacent said lower end of said one leg and projecting inwardly thereof to a point immediately adjacent to but spaced from a linear portion of the path of movement of the carriers, said series of baffles being arranged to create a pressure drop in response to a flow of fluid therepast for preventing said unbalanced condition from causing an uncontrollable upward flow of water out of said one leg by reducing the flow therein to a manageable rate.

Claim 14

An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein a plurality of series of baffles are provided in said chamber near the lower ends of said legs and adjacent both ends of said sterilizing housing.

Claim 15

An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the number of baffles in said series of baffles is sufficient to restrict the rate of upward flow of fluid in either of said water filled legs to a maximum of about 40 gallons per minute.