Cooling Tunnels

FPA applies scientific principles to develop the "cooling profile" of each cookie, nutrition bar, snack, fruit, or vegetable it evaluates before recommending the appropriate cooling solution. Special diagnostic tools have been developed that enable us to perform "on-site" analysis of customer food products that take the guesswork out of addressing a specific cooling requirement. FPA's aggressive Opti-Flow Cooling Tunnel design, for example, resulted from the need to cool a sandwich cookie in an extraordinarily limited space, so FPA placed evaporators and chilled plates in each five foot cooling module to rapidly cool the product.

OPTI-FLOW Cooling Tunnels

Food Process Automation introduces the new FPA Opti-Flow Cooling Tunnel, the most advanced cooling tunnel available in the baking industry today. It is the culmination of many years of intensive research and field-testing. FPA's state-of-the-art cooling tunnel design addresses the key concerns of the today's modern bakery: Sanitation, Modularity, Value, and Efficiency.

• Available in 1 meter and 1.2 meter widths
• Modules are 5' in length
• Unique clam-shell design for superior sanitation
• High Impact Insulated Fiberglass hoods (3 per module)
• Carrying Surface Options: Poly-belt, Plastic, Mesh
• Belt Tracking System
• Controls: Standard or PLC Controls
• Cooling System: Evaporator Coil - 1 per module, Nozzle Plate for directed airflow - 1 per module, Chilled Bed Option available
• 5' Infeed Section
• 5' Discharge Section

FRESH CUT COOLING USING FPA DESIGNED OPTI-FLOW COOLING TUNNELS

FPA's line of Opti-Flow cooling tunnels uses high intensity air to facilitate the cooling process. In fact, forced air cooling has been shown to be the most effective way to cool fresh produce. FPA's line of Opti-Flow cooling tunnels are significantly easier to clean, inside and out, than other commercially available cooling tunnels. Plus, each self-contained 5 foot section contains its own heat exchanger and fans, maximizing the temperature control and amount of chilled air applied to the product. FPA's cooling tunnels offer the ability to cool fresh produce quickly while using less linear space than competitive models. "The Opti-Flow tunnel was initially designed to provide unrivaled access for sanitation and consistent temperature control of food products in a very limited amount of space," said Bill Grutter, President of Food Process Automation, Inc. "We are now able to customize the design and manufacture a cooling tunnel that meets our customer's needs by delivering consistent product temperature, increased cooling power, and improved product appearance."

COOLING TUNNEL

FPA designed cooling tunnels are great for gentle cooling of chocolate and other coatings.

• Available in 1 meter and 1.2 meter widths
• Modules are 5' in length
• Unique clam-shell design for superior sanitation
• High Impact Insulated Fiberglass hoods (3 per module)
• Carrying Surface Options: Poly-belt, Plastic, Mesh
• Belt Tracking System
• Controls: Standard or PLC Controls
• Cooling System: Evaporator Coil - 1 per module, Nozzle Plate for directed airflow - 1 per module, Chilled Bed Option available
• 5' Infeed Section
• 5' Discharge Section

PORTABLE COOLING TUNNEL TEST MODULE

FPA has designed and manufactured a new cooling tunnel test unit for on site analysis of our customers cooling needs.  To support our customers, we have improved upon our existing test unit to include some exciting new features.

Specifically, we now include a polybelt carrying surface that better reflects what our customers are using in their production plants. In addition, we have built a  chilled deck or deckplate that sits below the belt extracting heat from the bottom of the products being tested. This  can be turned on or off depending on the application. As was the case with our previous unit, we continue to have an oscillating belt motion inside the portable test unit that simulates  products  as they travel down a conveyor.
We've built this test unit to be able to be taken to a customer site where a variety of tests can be performed to determine the correct cooling profile of their products.  It is a self-contained unit with an on board evaporator coil, polybelt carrying surface with or without chilled deck plates, temperature probes, data logging, and electrical control system.

This test module software enables us to capture time and temperature information at the source (post-extrusion, oven discharge, pre-packaging, etc.) in your plant.  Thermocouples are used to collect temperature readings from multiple locations and generate key data information.  This complete cooling analysis is then expressed both numerically and graphically.

We’re taking the uncertainty out of determining how much cooling is necessary for the range of products you make in your facility today.  Ask us to schedule a cooling analysis in your plant today.