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

A reconfigurable freezer includes a housing having an internal space therein, and first and second openings each in communication with the internal space; an infeed assembly and an outfeed assembly, the infeed assembly constructed to be removably mounted to the housing at one of at the first and second openings for being in communication with the internal space, and the outfeed assembly constructed to be removably mounted to another of the first and second openings for being in communication with the internal space, wherein the infeed and outfeed assemblies are interchangeable at the first and second openings; a conveyor belt transiting the internal space from the infeed assembly to the outfeed assembly; and a drum disposed at the internal space for supporting movement of the conveyor belt about the drum between the infeed and outfeed assemblies.

A movable platen cooling apparatus includes: a compressor; a cold head that includes a cooling part; a refrigerator gas supply line that supplies a refrigerant gas from the compressor to the cold head; a refrigerator gas exhaust line that exhausts the refrigerant gas from the cold head to the compressor; a first gas inflow line that is connected to a first movable platen flow path and includes a heat exchange part thermally coupled to the cooling part; a first gas outflow line connected to the first movable platen flow path and merged with the refrigerator gas exhaust line; a second gas inflow line connected to a second movable platen flow path and disposed to be thermally non-coupled with the cooling part; and a second gas outflow line connected to the second movable platen flow path and merged with the refrigerator gas exhaust line.

A contact drum freezer system includes a contact drum freezer, an endless product wrap belt and a cross feed conveyor. The contact drum freezer is mounted to revolve about an axis generally parallel to a main lane of transit. The endless product wrap belt has an intake shelf, an inner product-compressing run encircling most of the drum and an outer return run looping back to the intake shelf. The cross feed conveyor is situated in the main lane of transit and has a return run a and product-carrying run for transferring product laterally out of the main lane of transit and onto the intake shelf of the product wrap belt.

Coolers for cooling pet food products and methods regarding same are presented. In an embodiment, the present invention provides a cooler comprising a chamber having product inlet, a product outlet and an air outlet, and at least one air duct having an exit opening so constructed and arranged for providing airflow into the product outlet.

A wide range cryoprocessor is disclosed which allows for the freezing and the thawing of bio-samples in a single unit, and at controlled rates. Improvements have been made to enhance freezing performance by switching the liquid nitrogen flow control to the extreme downstream side. A second feature has been added to the cryoprocessor, capability to raise the temperature of a sample environment to a user's requirements through the use of a flashed cryogen and heating that gas flow for use in the heat exchanger on the freezer.

A reconfigurable freezer includes a housing having an internal space therein, and first and second openings each in communication with said internal space; an infeed assembly and an outfeed assembly, the infeed assembly constructed to be removably mounted to the housing at one of at the first and second openings for being in communication with said internal space, and the outfeed assembly constructed to be removably mounted to another of the first and second openings for being in communication with said internal space, wherein the infeed and outfeed assemblies are interchangeable at the first and second openings; a conveyor belt transiting the internal space from the infeed assembly to the outfeed assembly; and a drum disposed at the internal space for supporting movement of the conveyor belt about the drum between the infeed and outfeed assemblies.

An adjustable flow path modification assembly for use with a gas treatment system having a spiral stack and a gas treatment supply unit disposed within a chamber, wherein the spiral stack has a height and an inner channel, includes a first internal partition disposed within the inner channel of the stack and an adjustable opening defined within the first internal partition. The adjustable opening is configured to selectively allow the flow of treatment gas through the inner channel of the stack.

A portable cooling unit is disclosed for cooling perishable items such as strawberries at a worksite such as a field where the strawberries are harvested. The cooling unit includes a conveyor trailer for receiving pallets of perishable items and conveying the pallets through a number of cooling chambers within the conveyor trailer. The cooling unit further includes a refrigeration trailer for supplying independent cold air flow paths to the different cooling chambers of the conveyor trailer. The conveyor and refrigeration trailers may operate as a self-sustained cooling unit, without any external connections to power or working fluid.

An apparatus for reducing a temperature of products includes a housing having a chamber within, wherein the chamber has upper and lower regions; a conveyor for transporting the products through the chamber, the conveyor constructed for substantial gas flow to pass through the conveyor without substantially reducing the ability of the conveyor to transport the products; an agitator associated with the conveyor for selective, intermittent contact with the conveyor to displace the conveyor from a plane of travel, thereby displacing the products on the conveyor to substantially prevent the products from adhering to the conveyor and other of the products; a gas circulation device disposed within the chamber to generate circulating gas flow within the chamber; and a shroud disposed within the chamber for coacting with the conveyor to provide an interface between the upper and lower regions, the shroud constructed and arranged to guide the circulating gas flow from the lower region through the conveyor to the upper region, and thereby facilitating displacement of the products on the conveyor to increase exposed surface area of said products. A related method is also provided.