US 12,225,914 B1
Freeze dryers and drying processes for materials with low water content
Dale Porter, South Jordan, UT (US); and Daniel D. Neville, Fruit Heights, UT (US)
Filed by Harvest Right, LLC, Salt Lake City, UT (US)
Filed on May 8, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/658,827.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/500,879, filed on May 8, 2023.
Int. Cl. F26B 5/06 (2006.01); A23G 7/00 (2006.01); A23G 7/02 (2006.01)
CPC A23G 7/02 (2013.01) [A23G 7/0093 (2013.01); F26B 5/06 (2013.01)] 30 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A freeze dryer comprising:
a vacuum chamber including one or more interior walls;
a vacuum pump pneumatically linked to the vacuum chamber;
a cooling system configured to cool the one or more interior walls of the vacuum chamber;
a heating system configured to heat material in the vacuum chamber; and
an electronic controller comprising:
a processor; and
memory communicatively linked to the processor, the memory storing instructions used by the processor to operate the freeze dryer;
wherein the instructions comprise a drying process including drying the material by reducing pressure in the vacuum chamber below ambient pressure and collecting water vapor from the material as ice on the one or more interior walls of the vacuum chamber; and
wherein the instructions include an option to repeat the drying process with another material without defrosting the ice on the one or more interior walls of the vacuum chamber.