Humidity Control in Spiral Freezers = Improved Production
May 8, 2024
Humidity Control in Spiral Freezers = Improved Production
The food and drink industry is the biggest manufacturing sector in the UK, contributing billions to the economy every year. The majority of this income comes from factories and processing plants, which are the important link between base ingredients and our kitchen tables. Industrial freezers are a vital part of the process to guarantee quality results.
The Importance of Freezing for Food and Drink
Freezers are a huge part of food and drink production. They keep base ingredients and the final products fresh, so they can be on shelves for longer, without becoming a health risk. If you want to stay ahead of your competitors, your freezers need to be as efficient as possible.
The demand on the food and drink sector is always growing. Increase production, reduce costs, reduce energy, and be ethical in the way you produce. It’s a lot of pressure for a factory owner, but don’t worry, we’re here to help.
With higher demand, your freezers feel the pressure too. If they start to let you down, it will result in massive downtime for your operation, and a large blow to your profit margins.
How does Industrial Freezing Work?
Freezing is typically done in a spiral or blast freezers. These are large industrial freezers held at around -30°C which have product enter at processing temperatures and exit shortly after at around -10°C.
These freezers have to be open at both ends to allow product to enter and exit in a continuous process. This causes issues; anyone who has left their freezer open overnight knows that they ice up very quickly when exposed to the elements.
In a short period of time, quite often a day or two, these freezers become blocked with ice and need to be defrosted. This takes hours (sometimes even a full day) and during this time no production can run through.
This is where we come in. Our industrial freezer systems reduce ice build-up, leading to longer gaps between defrosts. For some of our clients they can go over 20 days without needing to defrost their freezers, from 2 days previously. As you can imagine, on some sites this has increased production capabilities through the freezer by 100%. How would a 100% increase in production support your business?
“If this is correct, we will save £5,000,000.00 in the first year and it will pay for itself in about 1 week” Finance Director at a leading bakery products manufacturer.
How to Prevent Ice Build-Up in Freezers
We’ve explained why our freezer systems are so good, but how do they work?
Ice builds up in freezers because of the moisture in the air around it. When warmer air reaches the unit, it freezes, creating ice around the entrance/exit. Even if you are using dehumidifiers on your factory floor, this will still happen, and you need a system that can compensate for it.
The way the Dehum system works is to flood the freezer with super dry air. This dry air has the capacity to prevent infiltration of moist air to the freezer and is so dry that in some cases existing ice will evaporate, extending the usage of your freezer even further.
This air is properly filtered, meaning it has no negative effect on the freshness of food, the freezer system, and presents no health risks for your workers.
Air is taken from outside the freezer and captures the exiting air from around the freezer. This air is taken back to the unit where is passes through the desiccant rotor, removing the moisture. The super dry air is then supplied into the freezer and in front of the internal evaporator where the dry air benefits the most. The best part? Our systems are so sophisticated that if there is no ice to defrost, they switch themselves off to save power until they’re needed again.
We pride ourselves in the energy efficiency of our systems, with over 2 decades of research and experience to create dehumidifiers that are reliable without costing you more than they should.
If you’re conscious about your energy consumption and want a way to reduce your carbon footprint without reducing output, our systems are a breath of fresh air.
Getting the Most out of your Freezers
If you’re frustrated about the reliability of your freezers, speak to us for the best advice and recommendations. We’re ready and waiting to help you soar past your competitors and lead your industry in both production and efficiency.
With over 20 years of experience supporting clients within the food and drink manufacturing world, we’ve worked with every type of factory and plant, and know which systems you need to maximise output.
If you have any questions about us and what we do, please get in touch. For more information on how Dehum can help increase your speed of production, please visit https://www.dehum.com/applications/food-drink/ or call us on 01926 882 624.
FAQs
Who uses Spiral Freezers?
Spiral freezers are commonly used across the food and beverage industry. This includes companies who produce confectionery, snacks, fruit and veg, meat, dairy, and more!
What is the difference between a tunnel freezer and a spiral freezer?
Spiral freezers use a multi-tiered freezing system, allowing for bigger capacity and more efficient freezing. Tunnel freezers have a single layer, meaning they can’t store as many batches of food.
What are the benefits of a spiral freezer?
Spiral freezers offer faster freezing cycles than other types of freezer. This means that the final product will be better quality and will stay fresher for longer.
Do freezers use a lot of electricity?
Freezers vary in their energy usage, depending on their age and size. Modern freezers are more efficient, adjusting how much power they need automatically. Using a dehumidifier can mean your freezer will need less power to operate.
What is an industrial freezer?
Industrial freezers are much bigger than the one’s you’ll find in a domestic kitchen, making them ideal for storing large batches of food and ingredients to keep them fresh.
