Steven Ralph Rasmussen

US Patent:

7018201, Mar 28, 2006

Filed:

May 23, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/136228

Inventors:

Brian N. Pierce - Chico CA, US
Steven Ralph Rasmussen - Yuba City CA, US

Assignee:

Sunsweet Growers, Inc. - Yuba City CA

International Classification:

F26B 3/04

US Classification:

432128, 34487, 34500, 34620, 99483, 99477

Abstract:

A dehydration tunnel for fruits, vegetables, and other products reduces the vulnerability of the products to damage from carmelization and case hardening by dividing a row of product vessels into two segments, passing heated air simultaneously over both segments but in opposite directions, and advancing the row of vessels unidirectionally through the tunnel. Each vessel is thus exposed to a stream of heated air traversing the vessel in one direction, followed by a separate stream of heated air traversing the vessel in the opposite direction. This allows the tunnel to be operated at moderate temperatures and reduces the harmful temperature cycling of each vessel that is typical of tunnel dryers of the prior art.