| 摘要 |
998,697. Puffed cereal products, potato flakes &c. GENERAL MILLS Inc. Sept. 1, 1961 [Sept. 14, 1960], No. 31569/61. Headings A2B and A2Q. In a process and apparatus for cooking and puffing pieces of material such as thin potato or cereal flakes or pellets or rings of cereal dough, the pieces are fed, from a hopper 32, through a rotary valve 30, a stationary casing 28 and a rotary joint 26, into the input end 24 of the rotating barrel 22 of a puffing gun, mounted on a main frame 20. Jets of a hot gaseous fluid, such as superheated steam at temperatures up to 365‹F. and/or heated compressed air, supplied through pipes 46 and 48, are directed upwardly towards the valve 30 to assist in the discharge of pieces from the pockets of its rotary plug and to agitate them turbulently, as they enter the barrel. A jet of gaseous fluid, supplied through a pipe 50, is directed through the barrel. The barrel is heated by groups of gas burners 170, 172, 174 and 176, e.g. to temperatures ranging between 600 and 1000‹F., which may be 300 to 400‹F. hotter than the gaseous fluid. The pressure of gaseous fluid inside the barrel may be of the order of 80 p.s.i. The cooked pieces are discharged into a normal atmosphere, through a nozzle 36 at the output end of the barrel, and are thus puffed. The barrel has a circular driving flange 38, which is supported on two driving rollers 40, rotated by a motor 116 through a gear box 118 and sprocket and chain drives. The barrel is enclosed by inner and outer casings 56 and 58. The burners are controlled by devices incorporating radiation-actuated pyrometers 60, 62 and 64. The frame 20 is supported on a pair of legs 104 pivoted to feet 108 and another pair of legs 136 pivoted to feet 137. Both legs 136 can be extended simultaneously, to tilt the barrel, by the manual turning of a handle on a shaft provided with a worm, which engages a gear on a cross-shaft having two other gears engaging toothed racks carried by these legs. |
