New milk refrigeration system in rural India.

In rural India, the dairy industry is very vulnerable to spoilage because of the poorly developed cold-supply chain. Farmers, often far away from central collection centers can use specialized bulk milk chillers. But, these systems don’t allow for long enough cooling and depend on unreliable energy sources. Sometimes, up to 30% of the production can be lost. Sorin Grama and Sam White, founders of Promethean Power Systems developed a refrigeration system to help villagers. They designed a rapid milk chiller (RMC) using a thermal battery which cools a fluid, including phase-change materials inside a tank. The heat is evacuated by a compressor like a traditional heat-pump process. The RMC system cools the milk to 4°C in a matter of seconds and allows for milk storage until pick up by a dairy plant. Installed for a village-level collection center, the system reduces transportation costs and improves milk quality, as a battery provides back up during power cuts. Engineers hope to apply this technology to perishable foodstuffs. Cold Chain (Nov/Dec 2014)