Claims:1) A vacuum Chamber for cooling of food products, including baked foods, fruits, meat and vegetables, the said Chamber consisting of plurality of internal cylindrical modules (2) and a combined header (3) wherein the structure of the chamber has been designed as an optimal balance between strength of vacuum chamber and the overall additional space required due to its construction and the said vacuum chamber consisting of a rectangular box exterior former by two main plates (1)on either side connected at the outer edges by the support plates (4) and between the two main plates (1) are 6 cylindrical shells (2) that contain the product on trays undergoing the vacuum cooling cycle; the said main plates (1) and the side plates (4) are not under vacuum load and a combined header box (3)on both sides of the vacuum chamber welded onto the main plates (1)ensures proper air evacuation from all cylindrical shells (2) and provides a single machined surface for the doors (5) of the said vacuum chamber.
2) The vacuum chamber as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the cylindrical shells (2) is roll belt from a thin sheet, welded at the edge to form a cylinder and then welded onto the main plate (2). The header box (3) consists of thick plates roll belt at the edges and welded together to form a box and then welded onto the main plates (1) on either side. A machined flange is then welded onto the header box (3) to form a single surface with a silicone seal (6) on which the pivoted door arrangement (5) butts on either side to form a closed box.

3) Cylindrical construction of the vacuum chamber as claimed in claim 1, reduces the thickness of the shell required to a greater extent and sustains vacuum loads thereby decreasing the weight and manufacturing cost of the said chamber.
4) The modular construction of the said vacuum chamber helps during transport from the manufacturer to the End user by simplifying the handling and lowering the weight of each chamber thereby not needing any specialized form of transport / handling and makes it more portable.
5) The modular construction of the Vacuum chamber as claimed in claim 1, wherein it also useful when production capacities need to be increased in future and additional vacuum chambers can be stacked on top of the existing chambers as required.
, Description:Based on the figures and their descriptions the following are the inherent advantages of this vacuum chamber construction.
a. Cylindrical construction of the vacuum chamber drastically reduces the thickness of the shell required to sustain vacuum loads thereby decreasing the weight and manufacturing cost.
b. Using multiple cylinders instead of a single large cylinder optimizes the empty spaces inside the chamber thereby reducing the vacuum pump capacity and time required to evacuate the chamber. This has a direct impact on the vacuum pump cost and productivity.
c. A single header box combining all the cylindrical shells simplifies the piping connection between the vacuum pump and the cylinder shells and ensures pressure equalization. The header box also has an added advantage in preventing human ingress into the chamber thereby eliminating accidental lock in and fatalities.
d. The header box also provides a single sealing surface for the door thereby eliminating the need for using multiple doors to seal each of the cylindrical shells.
e. The external box construction formed out of the main plates and the side plates ensures that multiple vacuum chambers can be stacked on top of each other. This reduces the footprint required for the vacuum cooling automation. Lifting and lowering mechanism are used to lift the trays and insert then into the chambers.
f. This modular construction is also useful when production capacities need to be increased in future. Additional vacuum chambers can be stacked on top of the existing chambers as required.
g. The modular construction also helps during transport from the manufacturer to the End user by simplifying the handling and lowering the weight of each chamber thereby not needing any specialized form of transport / handling.
h. Due to the simplified welded construction and low number of individual parts, very large chambers up to 6 meters in length and width can easily be manufactured on conventional machines and traditional fabrication methods.

Various embodiments of the invention are described by reference to the drawings in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts. Various items of equipment could be additionally employed to enhance functionality and performance such as fittings, mountings, sensors (e.g. temperature and pressure gauges), etc., have been omitted to simplify the description. However, such conventional equipment and its applications are known to those of skill in the art, and such equipment can be employed as desired.

To simplify handling of products during production and avoid contamination due to contact with multiple external bodies, industrial products are generally placed on sterilized food grade trays of rectangular shape. These trays are then conveyed through various processes such as baking, frying, cooling, slicing, seasoning, conditioning etc., depending on the type of product and its production methodology.

The vacuum chamber is designed to accommodate these rectangular trays. To meet production capacities, the vacuum chamber is designed to accommodate multiple trays. It stands to reason that the vacuum chamber should also be rectangular in construction to minimize empty space around the trays placed inside the vacuum chamber. However, it is known to those of skill in the art that rectangular vacuum chambers have the lease strength to weight ratio, especially near the edges where the structure is prone to failure over time.

A single cylindrical chamber to accommodate multiple trays will have large empty spaces which will result in an unnecessarily large vacuum pump and vacuum cycle thereby reducing the overall equipment efficiency and feasibility to accommodate the equipment in existing manufacturing facilities.

FIG.1 describes the overall structure of the vacuum chamber with 6 internal cylindrical modules (2) and a combined header (3). The structure of the chamber has been designed as an optimal balance between strength of vacuum chamber and the overall additional space required due to its construction. The vacuum chamber consists of a rectangular box exterior former by two main plates (1)on either side connected at the outer edges by the support plates (4). Between the two main plates (1) are 6 cylindrical shells (2) that contain the product on trays undergoing the vacuum cooling cycle. The main plates (1) and the side plates (4) are not under vacuum load. A combined header box (3)on both sides of the vacuum chamber welded onto the main plates (1)ensures proper air evacuation from all cylindrical shells (2) and provides a single machined surface for the doors (5) of the vacuum chamber.

FIG.2 and FIG.3 describe the internal construction of the vacuum chamber. Each of the cylindrical shells (2) is roll belt from a thin sheet, welded at the edge to form a cylinder and then welded onto the main plate (2). The header box (3) consists of thick plates roll belt at the edges and welded together to form a box and then welded onto the main plates (1) on either side. A machined flange is then welded onto the header box (3) to form a single surface with a silicone seal (6) on which the pivoted door arrangement (5) butts on either side to form a closed box.