A food freezer includes: a first housing having a first chamber arranged internally within for providing a freezing gas to a food product within the first chamber; a second housing having a second chamber arranged internally within and being in fluid communication with the first chamber for exhausting the freezing gas from the first chamber; an adjustable opening disposed at a common wall between the first chamber and the second chamber for controlling a flow of the freezing gas moving from the first chamber to the second chamber, the adjustable opening disposed to provide a flow path for the flow of the freezing gas to a region of the second chamber for exhaust from said second chamber to an area external to the first housing and second housing; and a pressure curtain comprising the exhaust and disposed at the second chamber to prevent atmosphere from the area external to the first housing and second housing from entering said housings. A related method of exhausting freezing gas is also provided.

A conveyor belt (36) is arranged in at least one spiral conveyor unit (32) or (34) is arranged in tiers forming at ascending spiral stack (38) and/or a descending spiral stack (40). A ceiling or top sheet (58) is positioned over the spiral stack. A circulation fan (60, 62) draws spent thermal processing medium laterally from the tiers of the spiral stack, up the exterior of the stack and across the top of the stack above the ceiling or top sheet and through a heat exchanger (64) located above the ceiling. The treated thermal processing medium is then routed across the remainder of the diameter of the spiral stack and then down the side of the spiral stack diametrically opposite to the circulating fan thereby to enter the spiral stack in a lateral direction diametrically toward the circulating fan. At least one opening (70, 100, 200) is formed in the ceiling between the heat exchanger and the diametrically distal end of the spiral stack from the circulating fan thereby to provide an alternative flow path for a portion of the thermal processing medium to enter the spiral stack from above, thereby resulting in more uniform treatment of the work product being carried by the conveyor of the spiral stack.

A slender and funnel-shaped jet nozzle structure includes a plurality of slender tapered diversion channels, a plurality of slender jet nozzles and a conveyer belt. The wall thickness of the slender tapered diversion channel is 1-5 mm. The wall thickness of the slender jet nozzle is 1-5 mm. A thickness of the conveyer belt is 1-5 mm. The slender tapered diversion channel is a hollow slender truncated cone and includes an upper opening and a lower opening. The upper opening of the slender tapered diversion channel is substantively elliptic, and the lower opening of the slender tapered diversion channel is connected to an inlet of the slender jet nozzle. The slender jet nozzle is a hollow slender elliptic cylinder.

A combination light and pressure relief vent (10) is disclosed which includes a housing (11), a valve assembly (12), and a light assembly (13). The housing include a valve body (16), port tube (17), and an outside louver (18). The valve assembly includes a low positive pressure exhaust valve (57), a high positive pressure exhaust valve (59), a low negative pressure intake valve (61), and a high negative pressure intake valve (62). The light assembly includes a heat sink casing (68) which defines a heat chamber (37) and which includes a projection (80) extending into the heat chamber. The casing is coupled to an LED module (57) wherein heat generated by the LED module is transferred through the casing to the heat chamber to warm the valve assembly.

A method for removing moisture from an atmosphere within a freezer using a cryogen for freezing operations includes providing a freezing temperature with the cryogen at the atmosphere, reducing a temperature of the atmosphere with the cryogen for removing moisture in the form of droplets from the atmosphere, collecting the droplets on internal surfaces of the freezer, permitting the droplets to dwell for an amount of time in the atmosphere sufficient to freeze the droplets to become frozen droplets, and removing the frozen droplets from the freezer.

The efficiency of a device for cooling or heating objects on a belt that moves through a path of a helix, in which gaseous cooling or heating medium is circulated within the device, is improved by positioning fans that circulate the cooling or heating medium so that the fans are distanced from the top of the helix.

An apparatus for cooling products includes a cooling chamber with a conveyor for conveying the products through the cooling chamber, at least one circulator for circulating a cooling gas within at least a part of the cooling chamber, and guiding elements for guiding a flow of the cooling gas. The guiding elements are arranged such as to form at least one backflow channel from the second side of the conveyor to the at least one circulator, and wherein the cooling gas can be directed into an impingement section via the at least one circulator.

Apparatus for cooling products including a cooling chamber with a conveyor for conveying the products through the chamber, at least one circulator for circulating a cooling gas within at least a part of the chamber, and a first aperture element with a plurality of first aperture openings. The conveyor and the at least one circulator are arranged within the cooling chamber such that the cooling gas can impinge a first side of the conveyor, wherein the first aperture element is arranged within the chamber such that the cooling gas penetrates through the first aperture openings before impinging the first side of the conveyor.

Apparatus for cooling products includes a cooling chamber with a conveyor for conveying the products through the chamber, at least one circulator for circulating a cooling gas within at least a part of the chamber, a first guiding element for guiding the cooling gas on a first conveyor side, and a second guiding element for guiding the cooling gas on a second conveyor side, wherein the first and second guiding elements are arranged within the chamber such that the cooling gas can impinge the first side, and the first and second guiding elements are oriented obliquely compared to the conveyor.

A slender and funnel-shaped jet nozzle structure includes a plurality of slender tapered diversion channels, a plurality of slender jet nozzles and a conveyer belt. The wall thickness of the slender tapered diversion channel is 1-5 mm. The wall thickness of the slender jet nozzle is 1-5 mm. A thickness of the conveyer belt is 1-5 mm. The slender tapered diversion channel is a hollow slender truncated cone and includes an upper opening and a lower opening. The upper opening of the slender tapered diversion channel is substantively elliptic, and the lower opening of the slender tapered diversion channel is connected to an inlet of the slender jet nozzle. The slender jet nozzle is a hollow slender elliptic cylinder.