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Air distribution and temperature control in chilled food manufacturing facilities.

Number: pap. 217

Author(s) : PARPAS D., TASSOU S. A., GOWREESUNKER B. L., et al.

Summary

The chilled food chain relies heavily on refrigeration and the maintenance of low temperatures during processing, transportation and retail of chilled food products. Chilled food products have short shelf lives and chilled food processing takes place in facilities that are normally maintained at temperatures in the range between +4 to +12°C depending on the type of product, processing time and the desired minimum shelf life. Chilled food processing normally takes place in large spaces with high ceilings. Cooling is normally provided by ceiling mounted fan coil units or diffusers using the ‘mixing’ principle. A ‘mixing’ cooling system relies on the principle of mixing air cooled by the cooling coil with air in the space to provide uniform temperature and air circulation in the space. For the system to be effective, large air circulation rates and air velocities are required which, combined with the low temperatures, may cause discomfort to workers in the space and high energy consumption. In chilled food processing facilities, refrigeration can account for up to 60% of the total energy consumption of the facility. This paper reports on current approaches for cooling of chilled food manufacturing facilities and their influence on air temperature control and energy consumption. The paper also presents measurements of the thermal environment of a chilled manufacturing facility and simulation results using computational fluid dynamics. Ideas on how to improve temperature control and reduce energy consumption are also presented.

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Pages: 8 p.

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Details

  • Original title: Air distribution and temperature control in chilled food manufacturing facilities.
  • Record ID : 30012113
  • Languages: English
  • Source: 3rd IIR International Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain. Proceedings: London, UK, June 23-25, 2014
  • Publication date: 2014/06/23

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